MoonClan's ambitious story/(1): The First Four Leaders/3/36

### Chapter 36: Insult to Injury

Whitestripe, Birchcreek and Swanpaw were sitting in the medicine cat's den as usual. Or at least, it became usual. It was just a few days after the former first and latter last woke up, and all were feeling pretty bored since they couldn't do anything useful. Three moons had passed since Goldenlily's death, two since Mousekit's and one since Stonetooth's defection, so it seemed like the Clan, Goldenlily's kits, Whitestripe, and Birchcreek himself were pretty much past that, much to Birchcreek's relief. He definitely did not want to think about any trouble, much less accidentally invite any.

Birchcreek was still limping, and although he didn't need any help like he used to when he first woke up, he still wasn't fit to do warrior duties. And Whitestripe and Swanpaw still needed to rest, of course, since they could barely walk around. There wasn't any improvement with their tails, either, which got impacted the hardest from their falls. Nutclaw and Swanpaw were still disappointed that she couldn't become a warrior yet, since she was getting closer to the fourteen-moon mark, and so were most of the other cats. But Swanpaw was definitely in no condition to do any warrior activities, much less train or do the exams. She was still grateful she could move her front paws and her head to communicate, since she had fallen on her rear.

Lilypool and Rainpaw were still looking over them, and Rainpaw wanted to make sure to watch them for most of the time so they could tell her about any issues they had. And right now, she was just sorting the herbs Lilypool brought.

Interestingly, Whitestripe and Swanpaw told Rainpaw and Birchcreek about their vision of Moonstar and Goldenlily after they passed out, and of course, Rainpaw and Birchcreek recognized that as the former saw her, too. They had all figured that it must have been a sign that StarClan saved them.

Then Shadowclaw and Icemoon came to the medicine cat's den with two plump rabbits each. Since the three of them were severely injured, they had the same feeding priority as queens, elders and kits, as the warrior code dictated. They needed to eat well to heal quickly, after all.

"Hey, Whitestripe, Birchcreek, Rainpaw and Swanpaw!" Shadowclaw called out gleefully. "Here's some juicy rabbits!" He looked at Birchcreek first then at Rainpaw, which probably meant that he was secretly grateful to them for saving Whitestripe and Swanpaw.

"And of course," Icemoon started, batting her eyes seductively at Whitestripe, "these rabbits are only for-"

"Oh please, enough with the favoritism," groaned the black and white striped warrior humorously. "I would rather someone else more needy eat it than me."

"But you need good nutrition!" Icemoon persisted joyfully. "You know that good warriors need good diets!"

Swanpaw winked at Whitestripe mockingly, which probably meant, *Take the hint.* Whitestripe shot a mock annoyed look in her direction.

"Yup! Besides, you can at least take one rabbit that she caught, right?" Shadowclaw added. Whitestripe just shrugged and took one.

Rainpaw groaned with mock hunger, "Oh, thank you, because I was nearly going to eat the herbs myself!" She chose one of Shadowclaw's rabbits.

"There *is* a prey pile," Birchcreek pointed out humorously. "Not very far away from the medicine cat den." He took Shadowclaw's other rabbit.

Shadowclaw smirked at both littermates. "You are very welcome, Rainpaw! And I agree with Birchcreek. You can simply walk there, you know!"

"Well..." Rainpaw smirked back. "I was just being a bit *lazy.* Even medicine cats need to relax!"

"Relaxing while sorting herbs?" Shadowclaw pointed out. "That is a whole new form of relaxation, then!"

"I am pretty sure even *I* could sort herbs while relaxing, Shadowclaw," Whitestripe told him amusingly.

After taking the last rabbit which was Icemoon's, Swanpaw gave him a look that most likely meant, *Oh, really?* Then she put her toe on her chin with mock curiousity.

"Oh, really? *Mental* fatigue anyone?" Icemoon mocked him in a friendly way. "Even *I* would be tired from sorting herbs!"

"Maybe she means *physical* relaxation?" Birchcreek suggested thoughtfully. "Except she was in this den all day, so I doubt she needs to relax."

"Yep, but I am already relaxing!" Rainpaw replied, chuckling.

Icemoon laughed, too. "I suppose this means we can relax with you, too! Because Shadowclaw and I *really* need it." Shadowclaw nodded.

"That's great!" Rainpaw exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear.

Swanpaw smirked and winked at Icemoon this time, and Birchcreek was pretty sure it meant *Good luck!* Icemoon grinned at Swanpaw in response to that, then looked seductively at Whitestripe. It was common knowledge for everyone in the Clan that Icemoon clearly liked Whitestripe too much, similarly to how Sandleap and Nightnose were with each other. Birchcreek thought that was okay since he was looking forward to more love in the Clan, as that equaled positivity, which was what they desperately needed right now. He wondered what he could do to contribute to the positivity, other than being a hero, that was. He figured his outgoing personality should make up for it, though. Even if he didn't talk about mate gossip, there were plenty of other positive things to talk about.

Whitestripe made a mock bored expression. "Fine for you, then. I guess I will relax between Shadowclaw and Birchcreek, then. You can relax between Swanpaw and Rainpaw."

"Oh, *really?* That's too far away, don't you *think?"* Icemoon replied humorously, tilting her head. "Perhaps the *front* is better?"

Swanpaw sighed exaggeratedly at Whitestripe, which made him groan, "Okay, maybe you can sit at the far end, and I will sit at the opposite far end."

Swanpaw sighed even more if that were possible, which made Shadowclaw remark, "Oh, but Swanpaw doesn't think so at all, *Whitestripe."*

*"So?* Why should that matter to *me?"* Whitestripe replied good-naturedly.

"We can all just sit in a circle, you know," Birchcreek proposed helpfully. "And Whitestripe and Icemoon can be across each other."

"Yeah, but not good enough," Whitestripe replied, looking at Birchcreek, amused. "Too close."

"You mean too *far!"* Rainpaw exclaimed and laughed delightfully.

"I agree with Rainpaw," Icemoon added. "We won't be close enough to talk to each other."

"Sound can travel *pretty* far," Birchcreek added in good fun.

Swanpaw just pointed at Whitestripe and started laughing with amusement, and it looked Shadowclaw decided to join in, too.

Whitestripe groaned very loudly, "Oh, seriously, if only I can ship Swanpaw with someone. Maybe *Shadowclaw,* if they weren't siblings."

Swanpaw shook her head and kept laughing at him. Shadowclaw agreed, "Oh, please, not my *sister!"*

"Perhaps we can ship Swanpaw with... Mountainpaw. They usually gossip about love," Rainpaw suggested humorously. Birchcreek wondered about that, since he remembered Mountainpaw usually hung out with Berrypaw alone a lot more than he did with Swanpaw alone.

Swanpaw shook her head again and put her paw on her forehead with mock annoyance.

"Oh yeah, they do. That would be *very* good!" Icemoon agreed, nearly bouncing up and down.

"I *do* want more cousin's kits!" Whitestripe added, too.

"And I want nephews and nieces, too!" Shadowclaw added. "I want to be an uncle *really* soon, you know!"

"And remember! More queens equals more kits? More queens to *birth?"* Rainpaw also added.

Swanpaw just blew a raspberry at all of them and pointed at Whitestripe and Icemoon at the same time. Then she put the toes that were pointing at them together and made exaggerated kissing movements.

*"That's it!* Swanpaw is *too* lovey-dovey," Whitestripe groaned with mock annoyance. "I bet that's the *only* thing she thinks about."

Icemoon exclaimed delightfully, "So? That is good if she ships cats together!"

Swanpaw just pointed at everyone else, did a thumbs-up and nodded. Then she pointed to herself, did a thumbs-down and shook her head, which probably meant *Only about* other *cats. Not myself!*

"Right, you only exclude yourself," Shadowclaw replied. "How medicine-cat-minded. Except you should also get a mate, too!"

Birchcreek smiled at the entire conversation. It was pretty interesting to listen to them banter. He wondered who Swanpaw's mate could be, as cats could get mates who were years older or younger, as long as they were of mating age. He figured that Swanpaw mostly hung out with him and Mountainpaw, though, so they had the closest relationship to her. She also usually hung out with Quailclaw and Whitestripe, but he thought they might have been taken by Primrosepaw and Icemoon, as funny as it sounded to him. He briefly remembered the conversation before the creek fall, but he decided that shouldn't stop them from gossiping.

Swanpaw shook her head at her brother and pointed to Whitestripe and Icemoon again.

Then Sealbranch came into the den and everyone stopped teasing each other for a moment. She smiled at the atmosphere in the room, but her eyes seemed to have some sadness in it for some reason. Birchcreek was worried about that but he decided to ignore it for now.

"Hey, everyone, how are you doing?" Sealbranch asked informally. "Especially Whitestripe, Swanpaw and Birchcreek?"

"We're perfectly okay," said Birchcreek nonchalantly. Swanpaw nodded in agreement.

"I suppose so, too, but I still feel numb in the torso," Whitestripe said, a little distraught.

Rainpaw frowned sadly. "I wish I could do more to help. I wish there was spiritual healing."

"I know StarClan is already doing so much to help," said Birchcreek spiritually. "I am pretty sure they saved us last time, remember?"

"I remember you mentioned that you and Whitestripe saw Moonstar," said Shadowclaw quietly. "And *you* saw Goldenlily, Swanpaw."

Swanpaw nodded at that and stared at the ceiling, probably thinking about StarClan and their mother. Shadowclaw and Icemoon followed her gaze, too. Birchcreek remembered that Shadowclaw and Swanpaw *had* seen Goldenlily after Mousekit died, and she even spoke to them, causing them to faint. But the creek fall was the second time that Swanpaw saw her.

Sealbranch just nodded wistfully, but it looked like she had more to say about it.

"I guess Birchcreek is right," said Rainpaw optimistically. "At least no one died! And I'm going to make sure no one dies! I'm going to make sure you heal as soon as possible! And Lilypool, too!" She beamed at that.

Shadowclaw, Birchcreek and Swanpaw all smiled at that, but Sealbranch, Icemoon and Whitestripe just nodded.

"I wouldn't want to go to the elders' den, either," Birchcreek said quietly.

A few cats winced at that, however. "I wouldn't want to go there so young, either," Sealbranch said sadly. "At least no one went there that young so far."

"Me too," said Shadowclaw forlornly. "I hope there's no permanent damage that it would happen."

"I'm going to make sure to heal fully, too," Whitestripe said hopefully, too. "Even if it takes a moon." Swanpaw nodded exuberantly, too.

"That's the spirit!" Icemoon exclaimed joyfully, grinning widely. Whitestripe just subtly smiled in response.

Birchcreek nodded and looked around at the den that he spent a half-moon in so far. It started feeling familiar for him and quite cozy as well, since it was his new home. Plus, he was now much closer to his littermate than ever before, since they never slept in the same den again after his apprentice ceremony, until now. After all, that was his dream as a kit, for them to be together, and it made him feel more warmer and spiritual, now that he could talk to her most of the time. But he knew he couldn't stay here after he healed since there would have to be space for future injured cats. *It would feel very strange to go to the spacious warrior den after I heal,* he thought. He thought his situation was quite unlike most warriors would ever have to go through, one part of it being that he moved out of the apprentices' den into the medicine cats' den instead of his designated den. Well, he figured some other apprentices might have gotten injured before they became warriors and stayed in the den, but of course, usually not for this long.

Sealbranch just nodded again, but there was still some sadness in her expression. *Does it have to do with AdderClan?* Birchcreek wondered, and he genuinely hoped not. But his suspicions were confirmed when Sealbranch said, "Anyways, I really don't want to have to tell you this information, considering what happened that fateful half-moon ago, but..."

All the other cats in the den frowned at the prospect that she might say something else tragic, after all the hope they worked hard to bolster for these past few days.

"Is it very terrible?" Icemoon asked worriedly. "Does it have to do with that stupid she-dung?" Whitestripe frowned at her this time, of course.

Sealbranch sighed. "Not specifically. It has to do with *AdderClan*."

Immediately the atmosphere became tense. *AdderClan?* Birchcreek thought with shock. *What had happened now?* He knew that the peaceful period couldn't last forever, even if it lasted for several moons like previously. His other Clanmates had the same question, too.

"I'm afraid to say that a skirmish happened on the MoonClan-AdderClan border of Rabbit Residence," Sealbranch continued despondently. "I am extremely glad that no one on our side got hurt enough that they had to enter this den, however, which is the most important." The cats were still worried. "But I think with the Fallen Two Battle, tensions between us and them heavily increased after that, which is why they were trying to sneak onto our side."

Birchcreek remembered that the creek battle had been named so due to the circumstances that had occured with Whitestripe and Swanpaw. But he recalled that Mountainpaw, Berrypaw, Primrosepaw, Dandelionpaw and their mentors were sent on that border patrol, including Sealbranch, of course. He was very much uncomfortable at four cats from the tragic border patrol being on this one, too, two being his young apprentice friends and another being their father.

"What happened to Petuniaheart, Mountainpaw and the others?" Rainpaw also asked her sister worriedly.

"They're telling Snowstar, of course," Sealbranch replied. "Though Snowstar isn't sure of what to do about it because he thinks that a battle may soon be inevitable at this point."

"Not that you could convince AdderClan to not fight anyways," Whitestripe snorted.

Icemoon flicked her tail. "*I agree!* Every cat in that Clan only wants *war!"* she yowled. Again, Whitestripe looked uncomfortable at that. Swanpaw shot her a concerning look to not bring up Stonetooth even indirectly for the sake of Whitestripe, which Icemoon seemed to acknowledge but at the same time didn't care. Birchcreek knew that Swanpaw hated Stonetooth too, for obvious reasons, but he was glad she at least cared about Whitestripe and the rest of MoonClan's wellbeing. He figured Icemoon simply wasn't over her rivalry yet.

"So what are *you* going to do, Sealbranch, being the deputy?" Birchcreek inquired.

"I'm not sure, either. I'm afraid that I will have to prepare the Clan for a battle soon," she said, looking down.

"At least no one got hurt, right?" Shadowclaw said, also looking worried. "At least it wasn't that terrible as..." He didn't have to continue as they already knew.

"I don't know if it will cause any problems, however," the older bluish-gray she-cat sighed.

Swanpaw waved her arms to get everyone's attention, then made her arm slither like a snake and shrugged.

"At least we inflicted some cuts on AdderClan's warriors," replied Sealbranch positively. "Primrosepaw and Dandelionpaw were still traumatized from the previous fight so they didn't do anything, which is still fine, but the rest of us managed to do so. I doubt that hunting patrol consisted of strong warriors, anyways."

"What exactly happened, anyways?" Birchcreek asked, a little confused about the entire situation. Like Sealbranch, he wasn't sure if their victory was a good thing.

"I'm not sure I want to know," Shadowclaw lamented, looking at his injured sister. "I am curious about it, too, but at the same time, I don't think so!"

The deputy of MoonClan just sighed. "Well, it started off as a normal patrol, of course, but then suddenly, a few seemingly inexperienced warriors or apprentices crossed the territory, saw us and thought we were on *their* territory, since the line is obscure anyways. There were no warriors that were on the creek patrol, thankfully, but it quickly got hectic as they wanted to fight us. Primrosepaw and Dandelionpaw hid because they didn't want to have to face them again, but of course, we had to defend ourselves."

"Did Mountainpaw and Berrypaw also fight?" Icemoon asked in the same tone as her littermate.

"Yes, and they did a good job, being experienced senior apprentices, and they were also skillful enough not to be hit," Sealbranch said in a praising manner.

"I'm just glad they didn't have to see the face of that dung-eating deputy," Whitestripe growled, and it looked like Shadowclaw's two sisters fully agreed with him by their expressions.

Rainpaw nodded. "Well, Mountainpaw saw him only once with Birchcreek, but not in a violent manner, thankfully! So I'm glad, too! I just wish there was a medicine cat when that happened, but since no one got hurt, I guess it's not *that* bad?"

"Unfortunately, we don't have a surplus of medicine cats for that," Sealbranch started wistfully, until it looked like she suddenly got an idea, "unless of course, our niece becomes one!"

Rainpaw and Birchcreek beamed at that, and so did Shadowclaw, Icemoon and Swanpaw.

"I know, right? I plan to start teaching her a few things, just like with Primrosepaw!" Rainpaw exclaimed, grinning. "Oh, maybe Primrosepaw can help me mentor her, too! Then she'll have three wonderful mentors!"

Birchcreek remembered that joke about Primrosepaw having multiple mentors, and he thought it was interesting if she had multiple apprentices, too. *But wait,* he suddenly thought. *Would Primrosepaw get an official apprentice?* Since a lot of warrior training went along with the heavy physical things, it would be nigh-impossible for her to teach with her freezing reflexes, so he was worried that the leaders would not want to burden her with those extra duties. But at the same time, he figured Birdkit was a perfect choice as an unofficial apprentice since they had very similar conditions.

Sealbranch nodded. "I would be glad, too, if we had three medicine cats sharing all the work. That means we could send two out on patrol and leave one at camp." She didn't say it explicitly, but the cats already knew that Birdkit was the one who would have to stay at camp due to her condition.

"I'll also be glad as well, so that way we'll be rest assured," Icemoon said confidently. But then she frowned again. "But I am *very* worried that so many apprentices already had to see their faces, Primrosepaw and Dandelionpaw twice!"

"I know, right?" Shadowclaw added, also frowning. "Us three, including Quailclaw, weren't in any battles yet, but all of you did! Not that I would want to even see one, though!"

"To be fair, we got very unlucky," said Birchcreek cautiously. "You just coincidentally didn't see one."

"Maybe it's because StarClan knew we aren't strong enough to handle more than what we already had!" Shadowclaw said, looking forlornly at Swanpaw, who widened her eyes at him, probably at what he said. "But Swanpaw, of course, went through a lot and still persevered through it all!" he continued proudly.

Swanpaw nodded and smiled back, but she also pointed to him and did a thumbs-up.

"I agree with Swanpaw, you are also very strong for surviving through all those things, especially your warrior exams," said Birchcreek, also with a smile.

Shadowclaw just nodded, still seeming skeptical about that, and Birchcreek decided to let it go since after all, like Snowstar had said during his ceremony, one of his great virtues was humility.

"So, did everyone in MoonClan dodge their slashes? Were all of those warriors inexperienced or weak?" Rainpaw questioned.

"Mountainpaw and Berrypaw only got minor bruises, and Maplestripe and Petuniaheart and I just got thrown over a couple of times," her sister replied. "And thankfully, Hailstream, Primrosepaw and Dandelionpaw didn't get hurt. Hailstream was just trying to protect the two sisters so that no AdderClan warrior or apprentice could get to them. The AdderClan border patrol's slashes were very minimal compared to some of the stronger ones I had seen. I wonder what Fangstar would think at his easy defeat."

"I feel like I should have probably helped, though," sighed Birchcreek. He remembered the feelings he had before his daring attempt at saving lives. *Uselessness*. *That I couldn't help at all.*

His Clanmates looked sad at that, especially Whitestripe and Swanpaw since they couldn't, either.

"Don't worry, you don't always have to feel the brunt of battles on yourself," reassured Rainpaw. "I mean, we can be there to help for you, and of course, you're already learning medicine from watching me sort and gather and treat you, obviously!"

"That's true," Birchcreek said smiling. "We *are* unconsciously learning from you and Lilypool."

"I suppose it can help me in emergencies which is good," agreed Whitestripe.

Swanpaw nodded and pretended to put a cobweb on her arm.

Rainpaw nodded at her exuberantly. "Yeah, you can do that too, if I'm not there!"

"We can also help you train Birdkit, if we learn enough," added Birchcreek.

"Don't forget spending time away from a *certain* warrior," joked Whitestripe, looking directly away from Icemoon.

"Don't worry, I will help, too!" said Icemoon coyly. Shadowclaw and Swanpaw both nodded and smirked at that. Birchcreek thought it was peculiar that Whitestripe purposely brought back the cats to this topic of being mates with Icemoon in a humorous manner when he would usually try to avoid it. But then he remembered that he usually entertained this topic in almost every situation, even when it claimed to pique him, so he wondered why that was so. *Maybe my sister's apprentice finally got lovestruck, too,* Birchcreek thought humorously. He figured that might have also happened to his other maternal cousins, including Stonetooth, and his sister, Sandleap, and that it may as well happen with his brother and Primrosepaw.

"I promise that I will book sessions with Birdkit with you and Icemoon alone together!" Rainpaw guffawed and winked. "Just make sure Birdkit doesn't see you doing anything out of the ordinary, alright?" It seemed like it was so funny that the three older children of Goldenlily finally snorted hard in laughter and Sealbranch, Whitestripe and Birchcreek beamed.

"Right, as if I am such an unprofessional warrior," replied Whitestripe normally. Then he looked at Icemoon, who just looked back at him seductively. "I cannot say the same for Icemoon, however."

"I remember teasing my direct younger littermate and Nightnose the same way before they also became mates," Sealbranch said, still beaming. "So I'm glad that you're still carrying on the tradition. So keep up the good work, and good luck!" She glanced between her cousin and Icemoon before smiling and leaving.

"I am *very* sure what Sealbranch meant by those statements," Shadowclaw said impishly, grinning at his friend.

"You must have definitely bribed her, didn't you?" Whitestripe sighed. "Otherwise I doubt she would normally say that."

"With what? Mice? You know that deputies aren't kits!" Shadowclaw laughed.

"Sort of, but by doing extra *hunting."*

Swanpaw gestured for Whitestripe and Icemoon to go together and laughed as well. Icemoon grinned at her siblings as well.

"To be fair, deputies are cats, too. Maybe she just likes it as much as you," Birchcreek decided to add, also smiling.

"Yeah, maybe, but first, Shadowclaw and Icemoon, are your stomachs not rumbling after hunting for so long?" the tabby tom asked seriously.

"Well, yeah, the prey pile is literally just a walking distance!" Rainpaw added, grinning even more than Shadowclaw. Birchcreek smiled at her clever reference to earlier in their banter.

"Now that you mentioned it, I suddenly remember," Shadowclaw said, pretending to be disappointed.

"I also realized that I had to eat, unfortunately," Icemoon started also a bit disappointed, but then she suddenly got an idea. "But we can always eat together in the den!"

"Now, I feel Lilypool will have qualms about that, Icemoon," Whitestripe replied.

"And why would she? She's probably the most friendliest medicine cat! After Rainpaw, obviously."

"Because the den is so cozy that you can't make any meaningful moves in it." Shadowclaw, Icemoon, Rainpaw and Swanpaw all wheezed in laughter again.

"You know, you make up such clever remarks, Whitestripe, I have no idea how to rebut them, kind of like Birchcreek and Rainpaw," Shadowclaw joked, still trying to catch his breath.

"It's simply an important skill to learn as a MoonClan warrior. After all, MoonClan warriors need to know how to be peaceful."

Birchcreek nodded. "That's typical of SnowClan, but still fits."

Whitestripe nodded at him. "So, then, littermates with almost polar opposite fur colors, will you go and fulfill your needs?"

"Oh, I sure will, including the emotional ones," Icemoon replied and winked. The shippers smiled, while Whitestripe just shrugged in reply.

"I won't see you there, but fine," he said with mock disinterest, and Shadowclaw and Icemoon left laughing.

Rainpaw and Swanpaw were still laughing for Whitestripe, so Birchcreek decided to ask, "I was actually surprised that you were playing along with them, Whitestripe." He noticed that Whitestripe started becoming more of a jokey type of personality, more than he had ever seen him before, and he wondered if it had to do with Stonetooth's departure. *I guess the stress of his littermate was wearing down on him all these moons, but when he finally let it all out, he finally became more lighthearted.* He did remember seeing Whitestripe talking excitedly with Quailclaw and Primrosepaw just the day after his fight with Peonyclaw.

Whitestripe just smiled. "It's the best way to distract them away from me, obviously. You might think that's ironic, but trust me, they will be so wrapped up in their gossipy fun that they will actually lose all their energy afterwards to try to attempt any more moves towards me."

"You know, I think you fit the perfect description of Lilackit's dream mentor," Birchcreek joked, smiling back. "You are also very weird, you know." Birchcreek was glad that he also lightened up after his StarClan-worthy deed, and all the burden of the previous two moons had finally been shed in the form of a new confidence, hope and gratitude. And of course, a new, positive change in the Clan.

"Good for me, then, to get an apprentice at only sixteen moons old, kind of like Rosepetal, Sandleap and Nightnose."

"I hope I get one at the same age, if there are any suitors."

Rainpaw genuinely smiled. "Well, Petalkit's becoming an apprentice when we're sixteen and a half moons, so perhaps you can try being her mentor?"

Swanpaw also smiled genuinely and did a thumbs-up, since of course, she was extremely fond of Birchcreek after he saved her and Whitestripe.

Birchcreek smiled back at his three denmates who he had stayed with for quite a while now and nodded. He knew that he would be looking forward to better moments to come. But somewhere in his mind, the thoughts of the recent border skirmish still swirled around. He couldn't help be worried that sometime, somehow, there would be much more tension to come. After coming face to face with them again, Birchcreek wanted to have more time to heal, and not have to open those emotional scars again. MoonClan's wounds had bled so much already, and they were almost losing grip of themselves. *Only after I woke up did the healing process begin.*

Birchcreek knew he couldn't ignore such a terrible thing, but for now, he simply wanted to push it back, since he was too injured to do much about it, anyways. But he couldn't ignore the nagging feeling that something would terribly go wrong soon, even in just a few moons. *StarClan, keep us safe. StarClan, help us recover and keep hope.* It was the only thing he could rely on after seeing his friends go through so much, and he had felt it on himself, not only being very empathetic, but also knowing the drastic secrets of his mentor and his friends' mother. *StarClan, please keep us safe. StarClan, please keep us happy, at least for now.*
**This is a chapter subpage of MoonClan's ambitious story (1): The First Four Leaders.**

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