A Job ((Continued))

[mosswhisker]

Mosswhisker shrugged and though she did not trust the RiverClan tom, she forced a thankful smile towards Springpaw. As she followed Venomwind away from the clearing to look for moss, she noticed the gray she cat cast a scornful gaze towards the other three cats. It didn't appear that she was glaring at Springpaw, like she Mosswhisker had thought. Confused, the dark gray she cat had to ask,"Is something wrong? You looked mad just a second ago."

Springpaw ignored Blizzardshard's snappiness and leaped over to his patient, smoothly dodging the larger cat as not to get stepped on. The medicine cat began adjusting and readjusting the cobwebs on Shiningheart's once beautiful, now bloodstained pelt. "You seem awfully concerned about this she cat," Springpaw mewed suddenly,"I mean, I understand concern for one's clanmate, but the way you act-- It seems different."

[shiningheart]

Blizzardshard's muscles involuntarily froze at Springpaw's words. He willed them to move, to twitch, anything that didn't betray just how much the apprentice's words disturbed him. He lowered his voice so as it wouldn't carry on the wind. "It's not that obvious, is it?"

Venomwind tottered over, moss all over her instead of in a neat ball. "'Fraid it is, buddy." She meowed mockingly, grinning a grin so much like Shiningheart's, Blizzardshard had to do a double take that it was the dark gray she-cat instead of the pure white deputy he was speaking to. "See, Springpaw," she meowed to the apprentice, a mischievous glint in her eye, "These two have had a complicated relationship with eachother."

Blizzardshard took the moss off of Venomwind, also shoving the she-cat so she'd shut up. "A member of an enemy Clan doesn't need to know that, Venomwind." He growled, glaring at his best friend's sister. Turning to Springpaw, he answered, "Shiningheart has been my best friend since our kit days. We almost practically raised each other more than our parents did."

[mosswhisker]

Springpaw twitched his tail tip nervously as the two warriors tossed their words at one another. But as he realized that the big warrior was talking to him, he stiffened up and looked back at Blizzardshard's face as the white tom addressed him, trying not to allow either of the bigger warriors to sense his discomfort. "Then, it's understandable why you feel so concerned about her: because she is like a sister to you?" Springpaw asked, still not thoroughly convinced that there was not some deeper connection, especially not after the way Venomwind had reacted.

Mosswhisker's gray pelt bristled as she watched the scene before her, This enemy warrior really does not need to know this stuff. At first, she didn't really put much thought into this 'relationship' but, now, there something that was bugging her like a thorn tugging on her pelt: "Why is Venomwind so angry about this whole thing?" Mosswhisker muttered her thought aloud. Embarassed that someone might have heard her suspicions, she turned her head to one side and pretended to be scenting the air the whole time.

[shiningheart]

Blizzardshard glanced over at Mosswhisker. Did she just say something? By the way she was scenting for air, he guessed not, and so disregarded it. Turning back to putting the moss around Shiningheart, he answered Springpaw. "I wouldnt' really say sister." He meowed, checking that the moss didn't touch her wound. "More like an annoying neighbor that borrows your things and never returns them, but you still wouldn't trade for the forest."

Venomwind snorted, butting her head against his shoulder playfully. "That's because you would leave the forest for her, mousebrain." She purred good-naturedly. Venomwind turned to Springpaw and gave him a thankful smile. "We thank you for your services, medicine apprentice of RiverClan." She meowed, dipping her head. "However, me thinks it be time you returned to your own territory, yes?"

[mosswhisker]

Springpaw stared at Venomwind for a moment, wondering why she was talking so funny. He returned the nod politely, stifling a purr of amusement, and began to turn away. "Just remember: Don't move her until she wakes up!" the dappled brown tom tossed the words over his shoulder.

It wasn't long until the RiverClan apprentice's pelt dissolved into the undergrowth and his scent grew faint. Mosswhisker lifted her tail excitedly and turned to Blizzardshard and Venomwind,"That went well. I just hope Shiningheart wakes up soon," she mewed, observing the sun that was beginning sink through the sky.

[shiningheart]

Blizzardshard nodded, laying down next to Shiningheart on her uninjured side. "She will." He meowed confidently. "When this happened before, it took only a day before she woke up. And let's not forget she already did wake up today!" He added cheerfully.

Venomwind sighed at his cheery tone before flopping down on Shiningheart's other side, careful not to touch her sister. "Sometimes your mood-swings make me think you're secretly a she-cat carrying kits." She meowed light-heartedly, smiling wearily.

[mosswhisker]

With a relieved sigh, Mosswhisker dropped onto her haunches and curled her tail neatly over her paws. Her green eyes watched the sky, while her ears were searching for any signs of danger, because, even though she was exhausted beyond belief, the gray she cat knew someone had to keep a look out for any predators that might be attracted by the scent of blood.

Mosswhisker whipped her head around as a flash of ginger entered her peripheral vision. Squirrel! just seeing the plump creature in the middle of leafbare made her stomach growl and she remebered how long ago it was since she last ate. Mosswhisker padded over to the other side of the little clearing. "I don't know about you two, but I'm starved!" she called happily before dashing off through the bracken after the squirrel.

[shiningheart]

Blizzardshard chuckled as Mosswhisker's pawsteps thrummed across the earth, sending tiny vibrations to his own paws. "Silly she-cat." He meowed, shaking his head in amusement. "She'll never catch any prey that way."

Venomwind snorted before nosing the cobwebs back into place, as they had begun to slip off. "Perhaps we should have asked Springpaw how often to change the cobwebs." She muttered more to herself, eyeing the supposed-to-be sticky substance.

[mosswhisker]

Mosswhisker bounced back towards the clearing where she had left her clanmates. She hadn't been fast enough to catch the squirrel, but she didn't come back empty pawed. "My mentor always said I was a better fighter than hunter!" she laughed heartily, tossing her scrawny mouse towards Blizzardshard."One of you can have it," she mewed,"I don't feel that hungry after all that running!" Mosswhisker tilted her head to one side as she watched Venomwind adjust the cobwebs. "I don't remember him saying anything, but I'd guess that we just have to change them if they look bloody or dirty." the gray she cat shrugged, her pale green eyes glittering with deep thought.

[shiningheart]

Venomwind nodded agreement, eyes still on the medicinal herb. "You have the mouse, Blizzardshard." She meowed to her friend, scent telling her what kind of fresh-kill the younger warrior brought back. "I have no appetite right now."

A groan from Shiningheart alerted both cats at her side. "StarClan, you guys are loud." She growled playfully, opening a single blue eye and glaring lightly at Blizzardshard. "You're probably the loudest." The deputy tried to push herself to her paws, but stumbled. "Ow." She said dully, wincing a bit.

Venomwind, despite the situation, snickered at the dull tone in her sister's voice. "Change of vote." She meowed, snickering. "I say Shiningheart should eat the mouse."

[mosswhisker]

A sudden mixture of emotions welled up inside Mosswhisker, causing her fur to bristle with excitement. Her green eyes shone brightly and the gray she cat bounded over to the deputy as she tried to get up. "You're alright! Well, sort of, at least your awake," she broke off, aware that she was probably getting more in the way than anything by bouncing around like a newly named apprentice. "Sorry,"Mosswhisker pawed the mouse closer to Shiningheart,"We, er, got you a mouse."

[shiningheart]

Shiningheart shook her head and rose fully to her paws. "If you found prey, we should take it back to camp." She meowed gruffly, pawing away the mouse Blizzardshard was shoving under her nose. "The queens will be happy to see this. With the prey so low, the kits aren't getting the nutrients they should be getting."

Blizzardshard shook his head before taking back the mouse. "Why is it that you're always thinking of the Clan, even when you're on the brink of death?" He murmured to himself, looking at Shiningheart with an unreadable look in his eye.

Shiningheart grinned cheekily at him, stretching a paw forward to poke him. "Sorry, comes with the job description." She joked, padding past him and in the direction of camp. "Now come on! This wound is stinging, and I think I need some borage leaves."

Venomwind trotted after Shiningheart, shaking her head. "You mean horsetail." She corrected. "Borage leaves are for fever."

Shiningheart paused to look back at her sister, raising a kitty-eyebrow in question. "Do I look like a medicine cat?" She retorted. At Venomwind's shake of the head, she snorted. "Good, because I'm not." She finished childishly.

[mosswhisker]

Mosswhisker gave another excited bounced and picked up the mouse in her jaws. The forest was starting to darken and the first warriors of StarClan began to appear in quickly dimming sky. "Erf, glad that we can finally get back to camp and to our warm nests, it's goin' to get very cold soon," she mumbled around the scrawny mouse body. A brisk wind swept over her pelt, gripping her bones in its freezing tendrils. Mosswhisker spun around in an impatient circle, before charging back into the undergrowth, eager to get away from the night's cold teeth. "Come on! Hurry up!" she yowled back over her shoulder, nearly dropping the mouse.

[shiningheart]

Shiningheart limped along, glaring at the quivering fronds where Mosswhisker had just disappeared. "IT'S NOT EXACTLY LIKE I CAN RUN!!" She yowled after the younger warrior. She shook her head, a soft smile on her face. "She reminds me of myself so much." She murmured to Blizzardshard, leaning against him.

Blizzardshard was purring too hard too give a proper response. He was just too happy she was awake and fine.

Venomwind laughed from his other side, leaning forward to grin at her sister happily. "Like the world needs TWO Shininghearts." A playful shudder ripped down her spine. "We can't keep up with ONE."

Shiningheart gave her sister a blank stare before looking up at Blizzardshard. "I'm too far away from her. Would you mind..." She trailed off, lifting her paw to indicate Venomwind. Blizzardshard nodded once and swatted at Venomwind. Shiningheart beamed up at him. "Thank you!"

[mosswhisker]

Mosswhisker's ears flicked up when she heard Shiningheart's voice. "Hm? I thought I heard something," she mewed playfully, bouncing back to the patrol. "I guess i forgot that you were near death a couple a heartbeats ago," she purred flicking the white deputy with her tail tip. Then, the young warrior bounded towards Blizzardshard and swatted him with her paw. "Didn't your mentor ever tell you never to hit a she cat!" she mock growled, "Even if it was the deputy's order!". Despite the growing coldness, Mosswhisker's pelt was warmed with the feeling of happiness and great relief, even StarClan seemed to shine more brightly in the sky than usual.