Intruder! [closed]

Nobody had ever taught him the way to ShadowClan camp, so Toadsong had to guide himself by his nose as he traveled the strange marshlands. He tried to find a semblance to his homeland in the dampness of the air, but besides that, there was not much. Still, as he advanced, he was confident he was going the right way, with the smell of cats growing stronger with ever paw-step. The bundle of herbs in his mouth made it hard to follow the scent, occasionally having to set it down, not too long so water wouldn't soak into his little package and rot the herbs that only grew near the river. There was mud coating this paws, sticky and dark. He fleetingly feared some of these ShadowClanners would catch colds on top of the battle scars at this rate. Toadsong wasn't looking forward to dealing with all of the Clans' issues.

Finally, he arrived at the camp, half expecting something to pounce on him from any one of the dark maws of the hollowed out trees dotting it. More lifeless than you'd already expect. He had no idea where to go or who to look for - but he knew there were cats to help. He inched coyly to the warriors' den, not daring to push his head in, not wanting to lose a whisker to a scared, half asleep cat.

A dark, black nose crinkled as an unfamiliar scent wafted into his dream. He twitched in his sleep, disturbed by the mixed smell of fish and herbs. It ruined the fond memories he relived in his dream, that of a huge black and white warrior he called grandfather.

The deputy stirred in his nest, rolling over and rubbing his eyes with the back of his paw. His lips curled as the scent seemed to follow him out of his dreams and into the confines of the warrior's den. Blinking away the sleep, Magpiewing's round, amber eyes opened to an unfamiliar tom. With a violent hiss, the deputy jumped to his paws, lunging forward and pinning the stranger to the ground by the throat. His eyes strained as the barely adjusted to the light of the sun, leaving him blind to the identity of the intruder. No ShadowClan cat liked the sun and it's burning rays, and the raven-pelted deputy was no exception.

Rather than wait until his vision settled, Magpiewing opted to interrogate the mud-coated tom. It was clear the fish stench and dank smell of herbs was coming from this cat. RiverClan. "Who are you? How did you get into this camp?"

Why do you smell of herbs?

Toadsong had never been a particularly burly cat and neither had he gotten much warrior training. The shape in the den sprung out, black fur coming out of the black shadows, tackling him back into the mud. It soaked his fur, and he hissed, but didn't try to fight the other off of him. Last thing he wanted was to paint himself further as the enemy. He spotted his pack of herbs out of the corner of his eye - at least it had remained intact, he assessed, relieved.

"Sheathe your claws," he answered coldly. The other tom was frantic and ready to pick a fight, make fools of them both. "I'm here on medicine cat business. Treat the wounded. Check on kits." As if he'd ever come to ShadowClan to steal from their pitiful pile of fresh-kill.

She had already been up late, carefully sorting out the herbs and tucking them away to their assigned places; making mental notes of which plants they were low on but completely unsure on which herbs they would be needing the most or where she would begin to find them. Her mentor had disappeared one a lone trip to the moonstone several nights ago and she was left with nothing but bits, pieces, and large paws to fill. It filled her with stress from ear to tail, but she was determined to stay strong and not let others see her anxiety; especially her brother and father...

Ebonypaw could practically hear her father's stern words in her dreams, even then...

Even after her eyes blinked open...

Wait...

The small apprentice pushed herself out of the den, poking a nose out and catching a strange, but familiar scent on the breeze. She blinked, stepping out cautiously. "Toadsong?" she called, "Is that you? What are you doing here?"

Magpiewing's ears titled back in shame as the stranger spoke. Medicine cat. Why didn't he announce himself? What kind of idiot tom, "StarClan's messenger" or not, comes into a sleeping Clan's camp unannounced?

The deputy huffed as he pulled his paw away, placing it back on the ground with a thud. "You're lucky our ancestors like you so much," the raven-coloured tom spoke, shaking moss from his fur and fluffing it up. The sun was bright and sharp, a welcome sight for any other cat in the cold leafbare, but not him. Magpiewing squinted and padded towards the den's exit.

A familiar voice filled his ears as he stepped out. A sweet voice. An angelic voice to his own heart. Ebonypaw, his pride and joy. A soft smile rested on his face as his vision adjusted and he saw her soft calico pelt. Yet, despite his attempts to forget the disrespectful "guest", he could hear the pawsteps behind him.

"I'm sure my daughter can take care of us just fine. I'd rather not smell like rancid fish after having my wounds treated." His voice was filled with disdain.