Nightpaw entered the medicine den and asked for something to treat the elders' tics with. "Here," Said Oceanpool, giving her a wad of moss with some mouse bile on it. "The stuff tastes terrible and smells terrible but you'll get used to it." He assured her. "Run on now."
Nightpaw took the moss and padded towards the elders' den. "Hello?" Said a brown tabby. "Hello," Began Nightpaw. "I'm here to clean your bedding, tics, and dirt." She said, "What's your name?" The tabby looked at her expectantly. "Nightpaw." Meowed Nightpaw. "Oh, you're Brackenstorm's, I'm Spidertree. The black and white one is Tuxedopelt, he's a bit of a grump, and Yewsoul. Rest of us are already with StarClan." Introduced Spidertree. "Huh?" Said Yewsoul groggily at his name. "There's an apprentice here to clean the den and our tics." Said Spidertree. "Good, it's about time." Said Yewsould sitting up. "Why don't you take care of our tics first?" Suggested Yewsould. Nightpaw nodded and padded over to him.
She applied the mouse bile and pulled off the tics. "There! All of your tics are gone." She nodded when taking the last off. "Thanks, kid." Said Yewsoul. "I would get Tuxedo's last, he's a bit grumpy when woken up, I'll wake him up for you." Nightpaw padded over to Spidertree and began removing her tics while Yewsoul woke Tuxedopelt. "Tuxedo," Yewsoul meowed softly. "There's an apprentice here to clean." Yewsoul told him. Tuxedopelt's head popped up and looked at Nightpaw. "You're one of 'em that was just apprenticed aren't you?" he asked Nightpaw. "Yes." She nodded still taking off Spidertree's tics. "What'd you do to already be in here?" Tuxedopelt asked, keeping one eye on her. "I couldn't sleep last night so I decided to go hunt and almost fell off a cliff, if it wasn't for Sacredthorn I'd be dead." Nightpaw told him, taking off Spidertree's last tic. Tuxedopelt just grunted before sitting up so that Nightpaw could remove his tics.
She began removing his tics before Tuxedopelt spoke again, "You want to hear a story?" He asked. "Sure, do you want me to get you new bedding first?" Nightpaw asked. "Yes," He said.
Nightpaw took the old bedding, went out to the forest to get new, then went back to the elders' den. She placed down the new bedding then said, "I'm going to clean the dirt while you speak, if that's okay?" She meowed. "Sure," Grunted Tuxedopelt. Nightpaw began cleaning the dirt and Tuxedo pelt began.
"Whenever I was a kit, my father was a crazy cat," He began, Yewsoul and Spidertree gave each other a look that seemed to say, Here we go again. Nightpaw just silently cleaned listening. "He set fire to the clan." Tuxedopelt said. Nightpaw gasped, "Why would he do such a thing?" She asked. "Just listen to the story." Tuxedopelt hissed, Yewsoul shook his head. "I tried to run away, I made it to the very cliff I'm sure you almost fell off. That's when my father came bounding after me, my mother was with me too. He took my mother by the scruff of the neck and through her off of the cliff." Nightpaw gasped again. "May I go through this dirt out?" She asked. Tuxedopelt nodded.
Nightpaw took out the dirt then returned to the elders' den to listen to Tuxedopelt's story. When she returned Tuxedopelt started again. "I screamed and ran away, as fast as I could." Nightpaw sat down on empty bedding. "This was back when ThunderClan, etc. was around." Spidertree chimed in. "This is true." Tuxedopelt said. "Well, anyway, I ran on for a long time, knowing that I would never see my sister again, or anyone else really. I lived in a rogue barn for a good deal of time before getting bored of the place." Tuxedo pelt laid back down, his paws tucked under him. "I eventually left and set out for a new clan. I had belonged to ThunderClan but decided to see if ShadowClan would take me in. They did. I lived there happily for a time and met my mate." Nightpaw nodded, then asked, "What was her name?" "Not important." Tuxedopelt hissed. Nightpaw nodded and let him continue.
"Some clan cats were being adder-tongued so I wanted to seek vengeance." Yewsoul and Spidertree looked at each other giving each other a, Oh no, look. "Right before I started planning my sister returned." Nightpaw gasped again. "She told me that she had missed me and I filled her in. I told her my plans and she told me not to, I didn't listen and told her to scram. I set fire to ShadowClan and snapped a queen's neck. Then I'm here." Nightpaw stared at him in horror.
