"You awake?" A soft whisper sounded, startling Smokeflood. She shot to her paws, her fur flying on end. Her heart thundered in her ears.

"Oh it's just you...," her fur flattened, and she eased back to a sit. The full moon was setting over the medicine den, where Smokeflood had nearly fallen asleep sitting up with Kestrelkit. The young cat had fallen asleep long ago, curled up against the stiffly sitting new warrior. Lightspark stood a fox-length away, eyes still relaxed as if he hadn't just spooked her. His pale, long, silvery fur glimmered in the white moonlight, golden-amber gaze glimmering like the electricity that ran through him.

"Yeah, just me. We have a deal, correct? Gathering report? Come with me so we don't wake anyone...," he started off. Smokeflood gently detached herself from Kestrelkit, who whimpered in his sleep.

Her well-built muscles were aching and tired from little rest, and her body was beginning to show signs of the poison's after effects again. This happened yesterday night when I kept pushing myself, too. I bet anytime I push myself to past-worn our, I'll start having the poison's symptoms. She grimaced, concentrating to force her paws in a straight line. Many of the returning cats were still milling about camp, several staring her down with mixed looks as she passed. Lightspark led her across camp into the small, hidden side-path that Smokeflood had discovered the lightning tom's secret. At the end of the thorny passage was the den, Ferntail quietly grooming his fur in the moss nest.

Lightspark sat down neatly, his head bowed. Smokeflood lay down before her legs could give up, her eyes longing to close and catch a bit of sleep.

"Hello, Lightspark! ..Smokeflood." The pale ginger-brown tabby greeted the two, his leaf gaze lingering on the latter. Is he mad I fought with his apprentice? Slatepaw is a fish-bone, I would think he's happy I showed her she's not that great, especially since she didn't even listen to him. And she's his apprentice.... But, I guess, maybe I should've listened to him...? He has been pretty nice to me.

"So the Gathering?" Smokeflood cut right to it. Lightspark breathed in slowly, nodding.

      "Yeah. Um. I won't cover my words in glossy feathers or anything, just a warning. Basically, Pearstar isn't going to give back those captives he took. He just said ThunderClan took out RiverClan, and vaguely threatened WindClan and ShadowClan if we get in their way they'll kill us too."

       "Well what did Cherrystar day? Or Frecklestar?" Ferntail meowed, Browns quirked in confusion.

"Frecklestar didn't really say much. She's probably scared; most of WindClan is made of non-elemental cats, and most of their elemental cats aren't the best at offense or defense. I'll give it to her though; she didn't look scared at all which is pretty solid for standing a mouse-length from a mass-murderer." Smokeflood thought a moment before looking up.

"What about us? The surviving RiverClan cats in ShadowClan?" Lightspark stilled completely.

"Pearstar said any RiverClan cats should be surrendered to ThunderClan; if not, the cats sheltering them will die." Smokeflood blinked away her shock.

"What's Cherrystar going to do...? Is she going to kick us out?" Smokeflood stood up uneasily and began to pace. Too many of us are still injured. Leopardnose and Kiwipaw could probably keep us alive, but that we're too short on able-bodied cats to feed and defend. I don't know if we'll make it if we have to leave now—.

"Hey, hey...," Lightspark and Ferntail were both on their paws in an instant, the latter nosing her shoulder comfortingly, and the former whispering soothingly. "It's alright, Smokeflood. Cherrystar would never let herself be the one to let a Clan die. No, she'll want to protect and keep you all safe. All of us in ShadowClan want you safe," Lightspark murmured softly. The charcoal she-cat pushed away from the two, looking away.

"We should attack ThunderClan while they're still weak," Smokeflood whispered, sitting down. Lightspark twitched an ear.

"ThunderClan didn't suffer nearly as much as RiverClan. Their earth power is a heavy defense, especially when they plan an attack rather than something spontaneous. I talked to Colliehart and... Nightfreeze I think the other cat was called, yesterday. They said ThunderClan took RiverClan completely by surprise; RiverClan didn't see ThunderClan coming at all. ThunderClan had the upper paw the whole battle, and didn't take enough damage for us to be able to really take advantage now." Smokeflood couldn't meet his gaze. I bet if I had been there I could've turned the tide of the battle, or at least inflicted more damage. Although, hang on... how did RiverClan not know ThunderClan was coming? Miststar said she had a secret lookout, what happened? How could RiverClan not have had a warning? 

      "That... I need to see Pearlfrost in the morning...," Smokeflood whispered, eyes downcast. Ferntail twitched an ear in confusion, moving back into subject.

"Water has advantage over earth; even with those disadvantages you listed, how could RiverClan have lost so badly?"

"When the earth has the darkest intentions of all, and with all the potential behind the power, it's very possible it found a way around that problem of advantage and disadvantage.

"The worst part is, if ThunderClan can take out RiverClan so easily, even though ThunderClan was at a elemental disadvantage, think of what they could do to ShadowClan. That is, if they decide to take us down too. Fire is crushed by earth, and my electricity is completely null to it. I mean, we could just set the forest on fire or something before they can attack first, but then there's the problem of RiverClan captives...," Lightspark started thinking out loud.

      "We can talk to Cherrystar or Deerskip tomorrow, there's no need to strategize or go further without them. Also, we'll think better with some sleep." Ferntail murmured, padding back to his nest to settle down. Lightspark cast a glance to Smokeflood. The smoky she-cat was still standing, staring at her paws. She started to move, instantly feeling the unsteadiness in her hindquarters. She pushed forward, shutting her eyes tight as she felt her paws give out. However, instead of hitting the ground, she was met with solid muscle and soft fur. She looked up slowly, Lightspark's golden-amber eyes slightly narrowed with thought and curiosity.

"I'll walk you back to your den," he meowed. "I'll be back, Ferntail. She's too tired to walk in a straight line..!" Ferntail have a soft purr and tucked in neatly into the moss. Smokeflood's fur grew hot, and she curled her lip.

"I don't need your help..!" She growled hotly, but Lightspark was already walking her out.

"I noticed you had a balance issue in the battle last night. You fell, but managed a large wave that I used to my advantage. Now, as a fellow relentlessly battle-trained apprentice—."

"How do you know I was relentlessly battle-trained?" Thorns scraped at her side as they both squeezed through the narrow path. Lightspark, in general, was smaller than her own large and broad frame, though they both were strongly built, and made passing through side-by side slow and cumbersome.

      "Even though you had been working all day and were tired, you were able to put out such a big move such as that wave. Also I've been to Gatherings before as an apprentice, many of the RiverClan cats would brag about an apprentice with insane power. It didn't take much to put two and two together. Anyway, you had a balance issue and you're a highly trained warrior. You shouldn't have a balance issue."

      "Cats fall all the time." They finally reached the end of the tunnel and were met with a blast of cold air in the open camp.

      "Not highly trained warriors in the middle of battle. Not like that. And not like you just did earlier tonight. What's wrong with you? Side effect from too much power usage? Just born with it? Are you okay? Does it effect your warrior duties?" Smokeflood pushed away from him.

      "There's nothing wrong with me. I can do everything just fine," she growled. Lightspark narrowed his eyes.

      "There's no way that's the truth. I'm not going to tell anyone, not even Ferntail. There's no point in spilling, really, you and I are allies." He sat down, and Smokeflood glanced around. Fewer cats were milling about camp than earlier, but still there were some grooming each other's fur and warming themselves with controlled flames. She thought for a moment. No. I can't tell him about the poison; if something is to happen where we can't be allies anymore, he can use it against me. I have to keep myself and my clan safe. Like he said, we were both trained to be the very best and hardest warriors. I can't have any weakness, because I was made for my clan. Since I have a weakness, now, I'll have to protect it and keep it secret.

      "It's nothing. It's really just total exhaustion," she flicked her tail dismissively. Lightspark held her gaze, and after a moment, stood up. "See you tomorrow? We can talk to Deerskip, and maybe start that training..?" The silver tom gave a sharp nod before turning wordlessly and padding back through the tunnel.

      Smokeflood exhaled, not realizing she had been holding her breath. If it's for my clan, then it's worth it. She stumbled across camp, and shuffled into the crowded and poorly built, low-hanging side-den the RiverClan cats were sheltering in. Rather than struggling to avoid stepping on tails, she settled down in a nest at the front of the den. The surviving cats all slept very closely, not only due to limited space, but also to share body heat and keep warm in the steadily cooling nights. Smokeflood curled tightly, pulling her tailtip over her nose. Kalepaw's dark tabby fur could just barely be felt along her shoulder, and at her other side, the long-legged calico Rosepaw also lay. Remember when everything was okay? She thought back to the day she had eaten outside the apprentice's den with Kalepaw, Rosepaw, and... and Eelpaw.... Eelpaw. I'm going to find you. I have to talk to Pearlfrost tomorrow, too, to see if he knows anything about the secret guard. Whoever was responsible for letting ThunderClan slip past is as good as dead, if they're not already.

      Sounds of crickets, frogs, and all together unfamiliar rustles of night filled her ears, reminding her she wasn't at home. The soft swish of sedges and reeds didn't ease her to dreams, she gentle lapping of waves didn't sing her to sleep. Rather, she heard the crackle of controlled flames and all that was left of her clan sleep with poison-filled dreams. She shut her eyes tight, and willed herself to sleep. At some point, she did fall asleep.

+++

      Waking up was just as bad as falling asleep, she found. Scraps of a dream faded, thankfully, from her mind as she felt something wake her, and her eyes blinked open. All that was left from the night's sensations was the image of falling soil. She blinked even that away, eyes still soft from sleep. Sunlight was just rising above ShadowClan's barrier, though the rays had not yet beamed into the ivy covered den. Smokeflood closed her eyes, longing for emptiness of sleep, when she felt a slight kick at her back again. She took a deep breathe, opening her eyes to slits.

She picked her broad head up, glancing over her shoulder. Many cats were already awake, some gone from the den, and some grooming their fur with blank stares. Smokeflood, however, was laying next to the still sleeping Rosepaw. The calico kicked yet again in her dream, breathing heavily and quickly. The RiverClan warrior glanced to the others. Only one payed attention: Kalepaw. The dark tabby tom was watching with what she would call sad eyes, that is, blank and soft and filled with hopelessness all at once.

"She slept like that last night," he whispered. Cobwebs were lightly covering the wound across his chest, stretching from between his front legs to just below where his shoulders started. The wound on his hindquarters was also covered in cobwebs, and the fresh scent of herbs covered the tom like a sharply scented cloud.

She's probably having a nightmare. She's probably back in a bloodbath, seeing everyone die. I know I would want to wake up.

Smokeflood stood up, crouching low as she gently touched her paw to Rosepaw. The long bodied apprentice awoke with a shock, her eyes flashing open with a fear-stricken green. She gasped for air, sitting straight up. Their eyes connected for a moment, and Smokeflood straightened up.

"You were having a bad dream." Kalepaw meowed, limping to Smokeflood's side and crouching low to be at eye level with the other apprentice. Smokeflood watched carefully.

"I.. I'm sorry I woke you guys up...," Rosepaw squeaked, lowering her head. Her eyes were round, and her ears were pinned back. She shifted, and curled up tightly. Smokeflood clenched her jaw, looking away. This is the same apprentice who was joking around, laughing, and happy a few sunrises ago.

"It's okay, don't worry about it. Smokepaw and I were both awake anyway."

"Smokeflood." The new warrior meowed. Kalepaw looked at her with a perplexed look. Smokeflood sighed and recited the story. "Miststar gave me my warrior name before she was taken by Pearstar. I'm Smokeflood." Kalepaw blinked slowly, then grimaced.

       "Oh," he gave a small nod. "I understand." Smokeflood narrowed her eyes. What does that mean..? I understand? I understand what?

      "Okay..?" She dipped her head to meet his gaze. Green and hazel locked momentarily, the latter desperately seeking any give in how he was feeling.

"I understand. I understand why Miststar did what she did." Smokeflood pricked her ears.

"It was the last time she thought she would see me for a long time." The dark she-cat responded. Kalepaw sighed and shook his head.

"Maybe you'll figure it out one day." He glanced out of the den. "I should go get something to drink." He stood up stiffly, pausing a moment to steady himself and take a deep breath before shuffling out of the den.

Smokeflood watched him leave, and cast a look back to Rosepaw. The gray, cream, and white she-cat was staring blankly at the den's walls, as if frozen in place. Smokeflood looked down at the ground briefly before starting out of the den as well. ShadowClan's nettle-floored Camp was bustling with early morning activity, dawn patrols were arriving back, and morning border and hunting patrols were going out. Apprentice and their mentors were planning their days, and a few RiverClan cats sat around ShadowClan warriors to learn about the Gathering. Amidst all of the movement, chatter, and laughing, Smokeflood managed to catch a glimpse of the unmistakable silver pelt of Lightspark. The electric tom was talking to an undersized, light, creamy brown tabby with a proud frame. Of the few cats in ShadowClan she knew, this was one: ShadowClan's deputy, Deerskip.

      She crossed the camp, cool winds greeting her along the way. Lightspark waved his tail when he saw her, and stepped to the side to make room for her.

      "Smokeflood. Did you sleep well?" The deputy greeted, amber eyes gleaming.

"When can we destroy ThunderClan and rescue my clanmates?" She ignored his question completely. Deerskip laughed lightly, and Lightspark cast a look she could only describe as a look.

       "So you slept well, I'm assuming."

      "I woke up to a once-friendly cat I grew up with having a nightmare and then being scared and cold once woken. So no. Now, when can we get Miststar and the others back?" Deerskip sighed and nodded.

       "I'm... working on something. Right now would be a good time to attack, true, but at the same time we need RiverClan's aid to really succeed. We can't attack for half a moon at least, maybe more if we have to adjust our plans. During that time we can start heavily training for some big battle. For now, all we can do is have aggressive border patrols that fight if it's not too risky." The deputy explained, sitting neatly. Smokeflood narrowed her eyes.

      "A half moon or more? They could all die in a half moon or more!" She snapped.

      "Smokeflood, stop," Lightspark murmured quietly, still giving her the look. "We'll go on your next border patrol," he meowed. Deerskip raised a brow with a smirk.

      "Go ahead. Cherrystar probably won't be happy she's going," he referenced to Smokeflood, "but to be honest I don't really care what you do. Tomorrow's sunrise patrol is the next one that isn't assigned a lead yet, either you, Lightspark, or I can scrap some cats together." He flicked his tail. Lightspark dipped his head.

      "Alright. I'll handle it." The deputy have a bemused lick to his paw, grooming his pale brown tabby cheeks.

      "I figured you would. Do me a favor and don't die, though. Cherrystar will have my pelt if either of you die. As for the cats you choose to go with, it's a bit more lenient." He gave a devilish grin but turned and left with a flick of his tail. Smokeflood narrowed her eyes.

      "What? Does he not care for the lives of his clanmates?! How did he even become deputy?" She growled, turning to face Lightspark. The tom shook his head.

       "He's a clever strategist, but that's just his outlook on life. If a warrior is sacrificed for the greater good, that's just what happens," he started to pad away. "However, if it means he'll be chewed out, he prefers that you live. It's a good thing we're part of the latter, but I suppose it means we're that much more responsible to protect the martyrs." Smokeflood watched him leave, thoughts spinning through her mind. "I'm going to make up the patrol. I already have a few cats in mind." Then, he disappeared into a mass of ShadowClan warriors.

Even though there are so many things wrong with ShadowClan, there are so many things I need them for. I need them for shelter for myself and my clanmates, I need them to get the others back, I need them to further train to be able to destroy ThunderClan. She glanced over to the medicine den. ...And I still need to talk to Pearlfrost. Why wasn't there a guard on duty that day? She readied herself to go back into the medicine den. She wasn't really sure what would meet her there: a crying Kestrelkit, another dead friend, that blank look every RiverClan cat seemed to have the past few days.... She bowed her head, and went to the medicine cat den.

      Pearlfrost was already awake, and he picked his head up to watch her. He was looking better, his wounds void of cobweb so that they could air out. The cut down the corner of his eye was still fairly gnarly looking, but he seemed to be able to track her movement with it. The large, long haired, white tom let out a deep purr at realizing he had a visitor, but it was cut short at her dark look.

      "Pearlfrost, we need to talk," the cloud of dark grays sat down across from him.

      "What is it?" He meowed, green eyes dark in the half-light of the den.

      "You recall Miststar had a secret scout, right?" Pearlfrost blinked, eyes narrowing suddenly.

"StarClan...!" He whispered. "StarClan, StarClan! Birchripple! That was his name, Birchripple."

      "Birchripple..?" Smokeflood couldn't recall the Warrior's face.

      "Yeah. He's always been an unnoticed cat, mostly because he's not a big strong fighter. Miststar thought he'd make the perfect cat for the job due to his 'sentient nature and sharp speed,' as she called it. I never saw him in battle at all." He recalled with a distant look. "I have no idea... what happened to him." His gaze was distant as he thought.

"ThunderClan all came in one giant mass, there was no way he could've not seen or heard them and been unable to sound an alarm." Smokeflood thought aloud.

"The only reason he wouldn't sound an alarm is if he was working with ThunderClan." Pearlfrost murmured

"Or, he could've been dead already. The only other thing other than him being a traitor is if someone else was a traitor." Smokeflood paced in a circle, making sure to keep her voice down. After all, other cats were still in the den, quietly grooming and comforting each other.

"The only cats who knew were you, me, Miststar, Birchripple, and a few others I don't know about."

"We know it wasn't you, me, Miststar, or Birchripple, so it has to be some unknown cat. It's like looking for a fish-scale in a bed of nettles, and we don't even know where to start!" Pearlfrost shook his head.

"Not we. I'll take care of this, and I'll get Beechfeather to help me." He glanced over his shoulder to where Beechfeather was being checked on by a ShadowClan medicine cat. "Now we both know who's involved in this plan. Don't worry about this, just keep going with trying to get Miststar back. With her, we'll crack open who caused all of this death easily. Also, with her we'll.. have her back." His voice was thick with some kind of thoughtfulness? Smokeflood couldn't really describe what he feeling he was expressing.

"Alright. You stay safe, though, okay?" She looked square at him, eyes sharp. He sighed tiredly and nodded.

"Only if you stay safe, too." She thought against telling him about the patrol, and instead lay down in a more comfortable position to quietly chat with him about various other subjects. She sighed, blinking deeply as she asked him to recall his apprenticeship and what it was like being multi-elemental. She relished in every detail he meowed about the sweet winds of RiverClan, and how the water, at first, was hesitant to become ice for him.

//
This was the longest chapter of my life. 3.7 k words isn't that insane?? Sorry it took so long lmao. ALSO I'm slowly building on getting to a dadpearl relationship with Smoke it's all I want in the world I hope I'm doing okay I've never written it before. OH OH check out my art book 2 for Waterfall art. I'm accepting request for the expression challenge and I'm doing any cats from any of my books, so you can request your waterfall cat if you want.