Chapter Two

A small group of cats, roughly five, were standing at the entrance to the camp, met by Fallenpetal who didn't show any signs of hostility much to Adderfang's surprise. ''Who are they? I've never seen those cats before. Maybe they're intruders!''

"They've come!" Adderfang's ear perked as he heard the black she-cat's excited meow. ''Is she mouse-brained or did some cat steal our leader and replaced her with a look-a-like? Okay, now who stole her?'' Usually Fallenpetal was aggressive and cold towards visitors so why did she suddenly seem pleased to see the group of cats?

"Who are they?" Adderfang asked Flamefur but then felt the urge to pour multiple questions on him. "They smell awful. They're not even from around here! Why is Fallenpetal so kind to them? Why are they here?"

"Don't you remember them?" Flamefur asked before he sprung over to them. Adderfang looked to Snakefang, who looked back at him, before they followed after the ginger cat.

"It's so good to see you lot again." Fallenpetal touched noses with a brown tom, the smallest in the group. "I thought you had forgotten about us for a while. The Cats of the Pine are relieved to know you must be fine."

"Things weren't so good back in our territory, actually." A golden-brown tom stepped forward, gently moving the small cat out of his way, his gaze clouded with sorrow. "There was a spout of greencough that almost killed Tigerfrost."

"I'm fine now, honestly," Tigerfrost insisted quickly, likely before any cat asked him anything. "I wouldn't come here to give you and your cats an illness. This was once my home before I decided to leave."

"Of course you wouldn't," Fallenpetal answered softly. "I know what you cats are like. Toms will be toms."

"Who are they?" Adderfang asked the black leader.

"You don't remember them?" Fallenpetal's mew was full of surprise. Am I supposed to remember who these strangers are? "They're former members of the Pine. They left but visit us sometimes. The last time they came was when you were a kit."

"I don't remember that," Adderfang confessed. ''So that must be why Fallenpetal's so kind towards them. They were once members of the Pine.''

"That's Lionclaw--" Fallenpetal flicked her tail to the golden-brown tom who dipped his head. Her tail then pointed at a pale-furred tom, a gray tabby, a tall pale ginger cat, and then a reddish tabby "--Sand, Dusk, Fox and Red. The small cat is Tigerfrost, as you know."

"If they were once one of us, then why don't they have the same kind of names we have?" Snakefang questioned, full of curiosity.

Fallenpetal looked at him. "They decided not to keep their full name after they left. It is their own choice whether they keep it or not. I can't force them into something they don't want. Tigerfrost and Lionclaw decided to keep their's."

"It's been a long time since we've last met, Adder," Lionclaw meowed, his voice full of friendliness as he stared gently down at the tom. "You've grown a lot!"

"It's Adderfang," Adderfang corrected him, his tail twitching. "I just got my name." Mouse-brain!

<p style="text-align: center;">"Do you think Lionclaw was supposed to know that?" Fallenpetal hissed. "He can't read your mind or know what happened! Don't talk to our visitors like that or else you won't get to sleep in the cave or have any prey for the rest of the day."

<p style="text-align: center;">"Tigerfrost!" Silverfeather padded swiftly over to the dark brown tom. ''Silverfeather's so happy to see him. ''He felt a slight stab of jealously gnaw in his belly. "How are you?"

<p style="text-align: center;">The small cat wriggled away from her, hot with embarrassment, and he ducked his head as he meowed quietly, "Hi, Silverfeather."

<p style="text-align: center;">"Tigerfrost and Silverfeather are kin," Fallenpetal meowed. That explains something, Adderfang thought to himself, though he was glad to know that.

<p style="text-align: center;">"Has your territory been good for you?" the silver she-cat asked.

<p style="text-align: center;">"Yes," Tigerfrost lied. He mustn't have wanted to tell her about the outbreak of greencough since it would most likely worry the healer greatly.

<p style="text-align: center;">"The camp still looks the same," Dusk commented as he was looking around from the spot he was standing in.

<p style="text-align: center;">"Not much has changed since your last visit," Fallenpetal confirmed. "Come with me. I'll familiarise you with the camp in case you've all forgotten what it looks like." She flicked her fluffy tail as she began going into the centre of the camp. The forest cats followed her without any hesitation.

<p style="text-align: center;">"I hope they don't eat all the prey while I'm sleeping in the cave," Snakefang meowed as he watched them.

<p style="text-align: center;">"I hope they don't take up all the space in the cave!"

<p style="text-align: center;">Snakefang gave Adderfang a friendly nudge. "I think you're more likely to. It would be like a badger sleeping with a group of cats," he told him jokingly.

<p style="text-align: center;">"I'm not that plump, I'm just thick-furred!" Adderfang answered, his voice full of annoyance.

<p style="text-align: center;">"I think the visitors should stay permanently even though they were once members here," Silverfeather meowed as she stood by the two cats. "It would be great and we could catch even more prey since this is greenleaf."

<p style="text-align: center;">Adderfang imagined the visitors staying and taking up most of the space in the cave while he was lying out in the open, the rain pouring down. "Oh, no! There will be no space for me in the cave! Kick out Russetsky instead, no cat cares about him!" He felt panicked as if the visitors had agreed to staying.

<p style="text-align: center;">Silverfeather shot the gray tom a look of disapproval. "Don't be such a mouse-brain, Adderfang!" she scolded. "There's plenty of space in the cave. That is why it's big and spacious for all the Pine Cats to fit in together. Do you think Fallenpetal would lump us all into one and throw us in there?"

<p style="text-align: center;">Adderfang blinked. "You mean the cave is bigger than I thought?"

<p style="text-align: center;">Silverfeather nodded. "Yeah, didn't you know?"

<p style="text-align: center;">"Adderfang has never been inside it. He couldn't even go near it without squealing and hopping about the camp as if he turned into a rabbit," Snakefang told the healer, and then faced Adderfang. "I have and it's definitely bigger than what you're thinking."

<p style="text-align: center;">"Wonderful!" Adderfang purred. "Now I don't have to worry. The visitors can stay after all!"

<p style="text-align: center;">"It's up to them and Fallenpetal," Silverfeather pointed out.

<p style="text-align: center;">"Who made you the leader?"

<p style="text-align: center;">"What? I'm not saying I'm the leader," Silverfeather protested.

<p style="text-align: center;">"You're acting as if you're the one who decides if the visitors can stay which isn't fair. Fallenpetal gets to decide that not you."

<p style="text-align: center;">"Yeah, Silverfeather," Snakefang mewed.

<p style="text-align: center;">"Oh, mouse-dung! I'm not acting as though I'm in charge of the Cats of the Pine! I said it was up to the visitors and Fallenpetal, not me," Silverfeather hissed with annoyance.

<p style="text-align: center;">"I know that," Adderfang chuckled. Silverfeather growled with frustration, storming away. "She gets annoyed too easily." But she's funny when she's angry.

<p style="text-align: center;">"Russetsky got on her nerves so much she threatened to kill him and chased him out of the den," Snakefang explained. "He was pretty scared."

<p style="text-align: center;">"Violence is for cats worth as much as crowfood. It doesn't solve anything."

<p style="text-align: center;">"It chases out cats like Mud." Jaggedclaw was sitting beneath a tree that casted a lot of shade. "Violence is the only thing he can understand and that is why we use it against him. It is good in some cases. How else are we going to fight battles? Act like kittypets with their Twolegs or defeat them with our words? Or purr and act cute and fluffy?"

<p style="text-align: center;">"Or we could throw prey," Snakefang suggested.

<p style="text-align: center;">"Yeah, like stiff prey could actually kill a cat!" Jaggedclaw snorted. "Stupid cats. Am I the only cat that isn't a mouse-brain here?"

<p style="text-align: center;">"Jaggedclaw, stop acting as though you're any better yourself!" Dappledberry hopped out of a tree, almost startling Adderfang as he hadn't expected her to appear. "We're all campmates here. There's no need to try shredding each other's ears." It's almost like Dappledberry is everywhere!

<p style="text-align: center;">"For Sky Cat's sake, do you have to follow me everywhere?" Jaggedclaw hissed with annoyance. "I can't get any peace around here! Grr!"

<p style="text-align: center;">"He sounds more like a kit," Adderfang whispered to Snakefang.

<p style="text-align: center;">"I heard that!"

<p style="text-align: center;">"And Adderfang, stop making comments about everything. Keep your mouth closed for once," Dappledberry meowed. "Or is that near enough impossible for you? Are all tomcats like this?"

<p style="text-align: center;">"Mousetail!" As Adderfang called the tom's name out, something hit him on the back of the head. It landed on his back and he yowled, leaping to shake it off, his fur standing on end. Dappledberry and Snakefang shared mrrows of laughter as well as Mousetail, who was near the cats.

<p style="text-align: center;">"Be afraid of the prey!" Mousetail purred. "You ought to stay in the cave at nightfall. I heard there's a lot of prey lurking in the shadows. You don't want to get scared, Adderfang."

<p style="text-align: center;">"Nice one," Dappledberry meowed to Mousetail. "That was very funny."

<p style="text-align: center;">Mousetail blinked. "Uh, yeah, of course it was!" he replied awkwardly. "Thanks, Dappledberry."

<p style="text-align: center;">The she-cat gave a nod to them tom before padding away from the toms. Heartbeats later Russetsky fell from the tree and scared Adderfang. "Flying cats! The rain has sent us an omen!" Adderfang yowled with alarm.

<p style="text-align: center;">"What in the name of. . .? Russetsky, why did you fall out of that tree?" Mousetail asked. "That was mouse-brained." As usual.

<p style="text-align: center;">"My leg hurts!" Russetsky complained. "I was helping Dappledberry pick some of those berries but I fell on my way down. Get Silverfeather, please!"

<p style="text-align: center;">"Berries? In the trees?" Mousetail looked up the tree, sounding surprised. "I was born here and I've never seen berries growing in trees. Maybe the fall sent bees into your brain."

<p style="text-align: center;">"You'll be fine." Adderfang had an icy mew as he didn't feel sympathetic for the tom. He never particularly liked him anyway; he was irritating like a painful toothache and tried too hard to amuse him. "I think you're just pretending."

<p style="text-align: center;">"I don't feel too good either," Snakefang meowed, his mew containing agony as he didn't look too good. He had been fine several heartbeats ago, or so had Adderfang thought. "My stomach hurts a lot. I need Silverfeather."

<p style="text-align: center;">Adderfang's gaze lit with worry as he ran to a smaller cave that had moss resting on the top of the silvery rocks. The den was dark though several rays of sunlight managed to reach inside it. The smell of sweet and disgusting herbs mingled as it flooded through Adderfang's nostrils.

<p style="text-align: center;">The silver tabby healer's head was lowered as she placed a small bundle of leaf-wrapped herbs onto a small stoney ledge. Moss beddings, freshly collected, were scattered out on the spaces the herbs allowed. Silverfeather looked over her shoulder, not looking pleased to see Adderfang. "What is it?" A flash of icy blue eyes appeared as Adderfang blinked. Tigerfrost's head lifted as he occupied one of the beddings. Adderfang admittedly didn't see the dark tabby in the den.

<p style="text-align: center;">"It's Snakefang. He thinks his belly is sore. Can you go see him?" He then remembered about Russetsky, letting out a sigh as he added, "Russetsky fell out of a tree and thinks he's hurt his leg."

<p style="text-align: center;">"Great Sky Cats!" Silverfeather exclaimed as she shouldered past the long-furred tom. "Why didn't he say so sooner? Oh, take some yarrow. He may have eaten something bad."

<p style="text-align: center;">Adderfang nodded as the she-cat darted out of the den. He turned to the pile of herbs, confused and unsure as he did not know what yarrow looked like. "Um. . ."

<p style="text-align: center;">"What do you need help with?" Tigerfrost asked. "I don't know a lot of herbs, but I know some."

<p style="text-align: center;">"Silverfeather told me I had to get some yarrow. Do you know what that is?"

<p style="text-align: center;">Tigerfrost blinked and shook his head. "No, I don't. Sorry." That's great news for me!

<p style="text-align: center;">Bright red berries attached to a plant caught Adderfang's attention. He stared at them for a few heartbeats before plucking the berries off and taking the plant. He then raced out of the den, the sunlight dazzling him as he almost forgot about it.

<p style="text-align: center;">"Did you get the yarrow?" Silverfeather asked. "I found out Snakefang must have eaten some crowfood recently."

<p style="text-align: center;">Adderfang nodded as he handed the plant over to the tabby. "Chew this," she instructed Snakefang who was eager to consume it. He began chewing on it until he started gagging, his eyes wide.

<p style="text-align: center;">Silverfeather's gaze stretched back with fear. "''No!" ''She was looking down at part of the plant that wasn't bitten off in horror. "No, not the wrong one! No!"

<p style="text-align: center;">"What's wrong?" Adderfang himself began getting frightened.

<p style="text-align: center;">"This isn't yarrow! You gave me the wrong herb-one that should never be used. Deathberries!" Adderfang instantly felt guilty. He hadn't realized he had given her deathberries which she fed to Snakefang. Worry hung like a cloud over him. This is all my fault!

<p style="text-align: center;">"Is--is he going to be okay?"

<p style="text-align: center;">"No!" Silverfeather screeched. "He will never be okay because the poison will kill him before he gets the chance to live! We're doomed, Adderfang?" Adderfang stared wide-eyed as the she-cat was panicking, horrified as Snakefang's mouth was foaming.

<p style="text-align: center;">"I've got proper yarrow!" Mousetail announced as he ran back to the cats with the correct herb.

<p style="text-align: center;">"Give me it!" Silverfeather shrieked and shoved the herb into Snakefang's mouth as it hung open. "Swallow or else you'll die!" Adderfang was frozen to the spot as if invisible paws were holding him down. The healer then turned around to face him, their noses touching as Silverfeather's gaze blazed into his. "You're so dangerous you could kill a cat without telling the difference between yarrow and deathberries! Mouse-brain!"

<p style="text-align: center;">Adderfang shrunk. ''This is all my fault! Snakefang's going to die and his blood is on my paws!'' He wanted to cry, to wail until Snakefang's life could be saved. Even though he hadn't seen deathberries before, he heard they could kill a cat without them having much of a chance of surviving.

<p style="text-align: center;">Snakefang coughed before vomitting, disgusting Adderfang. "Ew!" He turned his head away, the smell hitting his nose.

<p style="text-align: center;">"It's either that or the poison stays in his blood and kills him!" Silverfeather told him, her mew cold. She uncharacteristically continued, "If you weren't so dumb, Snakefang wouldn't have to suffer. How the Sky Cats could you not know what deathberries are? I never thought a cat could be this stupid!"

<p style="text-align: center;">"I'm not stupid, I'm clever!" Adderfang protested, feeling a sudden urge to snap back at her. "It's not my fault you put deathberries near your herb supply. I'm not even a healer like you are. You're such a scatterbrain!"

<p style="text-align: center;">"''Me?" ''Silverfeather reeled back slightly. "I'm the healer of the Pine. I think I know more about herbs than what you do. Do you think you're really clever for standing up to a cat who knows more than you? For killing your campmate? Stop being an arrogant know-it-all, Adderfang, and grow up for once."

<p style="text-align: center;">"Snakefang's alive!" Mousetail gasped. "He isn't dead!"

<p style="text-align: center;">"Good, because we'd all blame Adderfang if he did die!" Silverfeather hissed. ''Why me? It's not my fault you never showed me yarrow before.'' He frowned, knowing Silverfeather would still force him to take the blame if Snakefang did die.