Chance Encounter [Hopepaw]

The morning patrols had always been Wolfstar's favorite. Newleaf was warming up, but the mornings were cool enough to be pleasant, and the leader preferred the early start to her day. Her patrol was tasked with the Thunderclan border, and the leader had given her patrolmates a stern stare before they had left camp. Despite the recent tensions, despite ever-frustrating patrols meeting on the border, they were not to start things. Her warriors would behave and not cause trouble, or stars help her.

The white and pale gray tabby slowly moved along the fallen oak, meticulously refreshing Skyclan's scent line as she did so. Things had been rough lately, but she would not allow her borders to become neglected. It was better for everyone that they were defined clearly.

She wasn't out alone. Mother had slowly made her way after Hopepaw. Her leg had gotten a little bit better since Mother had gotten hurt and Father went underground. Now, Mother limped along the forest path and compared leaves and plants to the ones that were left in the smelly-leaf den. Hopepaw, too, picked up a few and hurried along, comparing plants. She didn't know what they were. But indeed, they were essential to Mother. So she helped. Before they left, one plant caught her eye. It had tall stalks but a white bulb under it. It smelled odd, but it seemed necessary for Mother's healing.

So, the apprentice left her mother behind as the grey tabby compared leaves to the sample she brought from home. Rushing through the forest, the apprentice paused to sniff around, searching for the odd scent that the bulbs produced. Gradually, the search led her to a familiar location: the fallen tree that marked the 'no-go zone.' It smelled freshly of the cats that lived in the trees on the other side.

The apprentice caught the whiff of the odd plant and tracked it to bright green stalks that sprouted from under the tree, just within the 'no-go zone'. She grabbed the plant in her maw, ignoring the gross taste, and pulled.

It didn't budge.

Determined, she fixed her paws into the ground and heaved with all her might, and the herb broke free from the ground, sending Hopepaw rolling backward to the end of the tree. She lay there on her back for a moment, dazed. Then, seeing a familiar cat on the other side of the 'no-go zone' caused the apprentice to let out a trill of excitement. She Who Breathes Power!

It wasn't long before the fresher scent of Thunderclan could be found on the breeze, and Wolfstar sighed internally. Mister Worm, grant me patience... More trouble was the absolute last thing Skyclan needed, and selfishly she hoped that one disrespectful tom wasn't among the Thunderclan patrol.

Who she did find was another familiar face however, and the leader blinked, watching as the white she-cat - was she still an apprentice? - tumbled backwards with a small herb in her jaws. The sight very nearly made the leader laugh, though she refrained. Hopepaw couldn't hear her as far as she knew, but it would still be rude. At least she looked to be unharmed even with the tumble she'd taken.

"Collecting herbs, now?" Was she training as a medicine cat apprentice, now? Or simply helping Fawnsh--

Fawnshine was gone, right. Wolfstar had met her cousin only a few times, and they had been brief meetings at that, usually not ones that brought good news... But it was a shame to see one of the longest-serving medicine cats no longer with the clans, regardless of Wolfstar's feelings on the majority of Thunderclan. From that latest gathering, it seemed the clans were hit with nothing but trouble.

The leader glanced back at her patrol, her look telling them to stay in the trees and not to cause trouble. Hopepaw, if that was still her name, did not seem the aggressive type in the slightest, and Wolfstar would not cause the other clan's patrol members to think she'd meant harm.

"Where's the rest of your patrol, Hopepaw?" She knew the apprentice couldn't hear well, if at all, but there would be someone else nearby, surely.

Hopepaw decided she was a fortunate cat to run into one of her friends out of nowhere. The apprentice rolled back onto her paws and shook the loose dirt from her pelt. Excited to have the older cat's full attention, she waved her paw, showing her pads to She Who Breathes Power. "Hello." Her tail wished nervously, realizing she would have to attempt to show another cat her signs. Maybe Mother could talk to She Who Breathes Power and explain the signs. Hopepaw batted the bulb to be in front of her paws and then made another sign. "Herb" She blinked back at the leader, gazing up expectantly.

---

So these were the same. Sleepycloud huffed. So many plants were so similar. This was going to be interesting to try and differentiate. Even the same plant could look different. Shame she didn't know what it even was. The newest medicine cat in the forest wrapped the plant into her leaf bundle and lifted it in the air. Where had her daughter gone? Fighting off the pangs of pain as she limped after her scent. As the forest thinned out, Sleepycloud spotted the pale pelt of her daughter. Who was that next to her--

Stars above...

How did her daughter always find herself in this situation? With as much haste as she could muster with three legs, Sleepycloud made her way towards the two. Her eyes stayed on Wolfstar's face, hoping to StarClan that her clueless daughter hadn't offended the clan leader. "Wolfstar," Sleepycloud greeted, nodding her head respectfully, slightly out of breath. "I hope my daughter hasn't caused you any problems."

The apprentice waved her paw at Wolfstar, in a similar way to how she might wave her tail in greeting at a clanmate, though Wolfstar couldn't be sure that was what Hopepaw meant by it. Then she batted at the herb, drawing Wolfstar's attention to it. "You may keep it." The leader mewed gently.

The second Thunderclanner to appear hurried over, seeming almost flustered. She offered a greeting though, and Wolfstar inclined her head politely. Ah, so this was Hopepaw's mother. Her kit was evidently a pawful, as Wolfstar had known with her own kits all too well. "She's not causing trouble." She offered reassurance, "Thymelight won't mind a herb or two taken... Nor do I." Still, she'd almost said Smokepetal, so used to referring to the senior medicine cat. Thymelight was skilled and a good cat... And the mother of her grandkits... But Smokepetal had been her apprentice once and a friend, as much as she was her medicine cat.

Acornstar's message had been clear enough at the gathering, and much as Wolfstar didn't care for the other leader, she had no desire to see other cats suffer the hardship of not having a medicine cat. Things had been tense between Thunderclan and Skyclan for a while, but perhaps she could improve her own clan's reputation by not being brazen and foolhardy like so many of them tended to be.

"Is Hopepaw training to be a medicine cat now?" She asked, glancing between the warrior and the apprentice curiously.

Exhausted, Sleepycloud sat beside her daughter and rested her injured leg on the side. "No, she isn't." Her green eyes trailed down to Hopepaw, who looked between her and Wolfstar with excitement. A fond smile crossed Sleepycloud's face. It was a marvel how Hopepaw made her smile despite everything. "Hopepaw is helping me gather herbs as the stores have depleted a lot since Fawnshine vanished." The timing for Sleepycloud was awful. Fawnshine vanished a few sunrises before the badger attack, leaving the clan with minimal knowledge of healing and herbs. "I'm taking over the medicine cat role for ThunderClan." A chuckle escaped the medicine cat. "I will honestly say I have no idea what I'm doing yet."

She was about to continue when Hopepaw reached a paw to Sleepycloud's shoulder for her attention. Then, she made a few motions: "Happy. Friend." Hopepaw nodded toward Wolfstar.

Bewildered for a moment, Sleepycloud glanced between the apprentice and leader. How exactly had Hopepaw befriended a clan leader? Or, perhaps, think she is friends. Sleepycloud regarded Wolfstar in a different light for a moment. The patience that Wolfstar would have to have had for Hopepaw and the kindness to indulge her. A smile crossed the medicine cat's face. "Hopepaw said: 'Happy' and 'Friend'." She mimicked the apprentice's movements so Wolfstar could see them better. "If that is true, thank you for being so kind to her." Despite herself, the queen purred quietly. It was relieving to know her daughter could manage friendships.

"There's never a good time to lose a medicine cat. It's a noble task, and an ever-important one." Wolfstar observed, "My father was Fawnshine's mentor, actually. My mother was Skyclan's medicine cat before they were together, and two of my siblings became medicine cats. And Smokepetal was my apprentice before she found her calling as one after becoming a warrior. I know a little, though not as much as I probably would like. The basics, mostly - cobwebs, oak leaves and the like." She said, "If you need help... Thymelight can at least offer more knowledge than I could." Hemlockfox had his paws full with Windclan, and Thymelight had her paws full here as well... But no clan should be without a medicine cat, either. Training and sharing knowledge was something they could all do.

Wolfstar blinked at the explanation of Hopepaw's body language. "It's difficult to communicate but I have no desire to see her hurt. One of my warriors prevented quite the skirmish from breaking out a few moons back. She was unaware of our borders, and he took a blow meant for her. I gave both patrols a piece of my mind, actually. Toms thinking fighting is the way to react to a mistake and is the key to solving problems..." The leader shook her head. And Brackendawn, how her heart ached to think of what had happened to him and Honeydew. "She brought me a squirrel at the gathering after, as an apology I think... It's not often I'm taken by surprise, but she has managed. In a good way." Wolfstar offered the medicine cat in training a small smile. "She's a good cat." She added, giving the apprentice a nod.

Wolfstar's father taught Fawnshine? The medicine cat did a bit of mental gymnastics to put it all together. If only Fawnshine were here. But, she wasn't. Sleepycloud bowed her head gratefully. It was a massive weight off her shoulders, knowing that the other clans would not leave ThunderClan high and dry on their knowledge of medicine. Hearing it from a clan that didn't necessarily hold ThunderClan in high regard was a testament to that. "ThunderClan would greatly appreciate any knowledge." Sleepycloud purred. "I'll seek out Thymelight at the gathering then." Would the medicine cats step away to assist her in learning? The she-cat had difficulty walking; making the trip to the gathering was necessary. But making another trip to an unfamiliar territory daunted her entirely.

Oh, that explained a good bit. Auburnflare had explained a little to her, but it seemed he had left out much of what happened. "I see." She hummed, gazing down at her daughter. "I will be forever grateful for you and your warrior who protected Hopepaw." Sleepycloud mewed, turning towards Wolfstar. "It seems she had learned her lesson on the border." She flicked her tail towards the scent line and caught Hopepaw's attention. This was a new word. "Border" Then repeated it a few times. Once she got an idea that her daughter understood, Sleepycloud continued speaking. "I was worried at first if Hopepaw was going to understand right and wrong. Or understand how to connect with other cats." She tried to imagine her daughter giving a squirrel to the SkyClan leader. Any other cat probably would have had their ears boxed. Wolfstar's understanding of the situation and respect towards Hopepaw made the mother smile. "But, I'm glad that she has learned those things despite the difficulties. But I can't take all the credit. The patience you and SkyClan have shown her during and after that day has given her that, too."

---

Ughh..! Didn't they know she was right there? Hopepaw watched their mouths move. It was more of a recent development when she realized something was happening that she couldn't understand. Honestly, she just thought the maws moving was something the other cats did when others were around. But now she was learning words and how to sign some...it began to bother her when she was not signed to know what was said.

Though, a new sign was shown to her, then to the no-go-zone. "No-Go-Zone." She signed back dutifully. Though, the next moment, the two were mouth-moving at each other again. Trying to keep herself busy, Hopepaw pushed the odd herb toward Mother and sought out the scent of the same herb on the correct side of the No-Go-Zone. A similar battle to the one earlier ensued, though she was ready and willing to yank with all her strength this time.

And quite similarly to what happened last time, the apprentice bowled over with her trophy--coated in dirt.

Wolfstar nodded at Sleepycloud. The gathering was as good a place as any to start, on neutral ground and a night of peace.

"It was a simple mistake and she seems to have learned her lesson. It was far from deliberate border crossings and disrespect." Though she could not say the same of some of their clanmates, the leader would keep it to herself. "I think she is as capable of any other cat, communication being harder or not." She watched as the she-cat repeated a word and motioned toward the scent line that marked the border. Curiosity shone in the leader's gaze.

"She seems to have no trouble understanding your gestures, even if she cannot hear." She mewed. "Less so for those who don't know them, but I imagine among your own clanmates that would be less of a problem." At least, she hoped it wouldn't have been.