Silvershade had taken off that morning to follow the trail, and was still running after it. It winded and overlapped so often, she was almost certain she had been running around in circles for the past few hours. She half wished she had let Badgerclaw convince her to let him come along. At least it would've been a lot more enjoyable. Right now, she had taken to the treetops, as this lost kittypet had seemingly taken a tumble through a wall of thorny bushes, of which Silvershade did not fancy walking through. They were either extremely thickskinned, or a complete mousebrain, possibly even both. She jumped down from the tree once the path made through the bushes ended, and she prepared to continue following the scent for a while. Surprisingly, it actually led down into hole in the ground. Inside lay a sleeping black she-cat, and she couldn't tell if the faint smudges of red were because of the faint lighting or not. She quietly whispered, "Hello there." The tortoiseshell was startled, and she quickly jumped to her paws. Her shock only lasted a heartbeat however, and she immediately got into a defensive stance. The kittypet bared her teeth and unsheathed her claws, her eyes narrowed disgruntledly. "I've got teeth and claws, so I'd back off if I were you." Silvershade sighed, raising her tail and unsheathing her claws. She didn't want to fight, but she'd be ready to defend Thicketclan with her life. She quickly flicked her ears towards the intruder, mewing a sharp threat, "Well, I'm the deputy of Thicketclan, and this happens to be our territory. Unless you plan on joining us, you should be the one backing off." The kittypet's eyes suddenly sparked with interest, and she stepped forward tentatively. "I'm listening."
The kittypet had been convinced after a short while of talking, and they began to walk back to camp. Silvershade quickly explained about Thicketclan's current population, pausing for a moment before she spoke of Badgerclaw. As she padded into camp, she was surprised to find it mostly empty. Aside from Badgerclaw, who sat with his back turned, everyone else was gone. She gasped in worry, rushing over to him. "Where are they?" She asked, glancing around the empty clearing. Badgerclaw whipped his head around, shrugging gently. "Oh, nothing bad. They just went to the gathering. I stayed behind to wait for you." Silvershade frowned in disappointment. She had missed Thicketclan's first gathering. 'What kind of deputy am I?' She asked herself, staring down at her paws dejectedly. Badgerclaw noticed her glum expression, wandering closer to her and giving her an encouraging lick on the cheek. "Don't worry Silvershade. I'd miss a gathering any day if it meant seeing your pretty face again." They stared into eachother's eyes for a moment, both of their pelts heating up, before Silvershade gulped and set her paw on his. She whispered, "Actually, I want to ask you something.." Badgerclaw snapped to attention, his eyes wide but he stayed silent. Silvershade's heart was racing as she twined her tail around his, shuffling ever so slightly closer. "Will you be my mate?" Badgerclaw's jaw dropped with astonishment, and for a split second, Silvershade was worried he would reject her. She prepared to take her daring question back when Badgerclaw's face erupted into a wide smile, and he thrust his head forward to nuzzle her affectionately. "Of course! I'd be honored!" They shared a passionate embrace, only broken up by a loud chortling from the entrance of camp. They both realized with horror that the newcomer had been watching the whole time, but luckily she seemed to only be happy for them. She purred, "Oh, don't worry about me. I'll leave you alone so you can do your business." The tortoiseshell chuckled again as she backed away from them, disappearing into the surrounding forest with a wink. Now that they were left alone, the new mates purred, leaning into eachother's warmth, enjoying the peaceful night. Together.
When the rest of Thicketclan returned from the gathering, they had immediately sent themselves to bed, too tired and dreary to announce the gathering's events. When everyone awoke, Briarstar called a clan meeting. He jumped up onto a large boulder jutting out of the ground, and pounded his paw down onto it to get attention. He bellowed, "Let all cats able to catch their own prey, gather around for a clan meeting." He patiently waited for the rest of the clan to gather around, and he counted each head. Honeyfur, Dapplewhisker, Badgerclaw and Silvershade. What was most peculiar about the latter two, was that they padded together so close that their fur brushed together, and their tails were intertwined tightly. Badgerclaw held a proud smile on his face, his chest puffed out as he strolled along, but Silvershade looked more sheepish, as if this was definitely not her idea. Briarstar sent a happy smile their way, before turning address the whole clan. "The gathering went well. Jinxclan proposed an alliance with us, and I accepted. Please be polite when you meet them. On other matters, I scented a fox cub by the South border. I would be careful around there." The warriors affirmed his declaration with a firm nod, before returning to their morning chit-chat. Silvershade padded closer to Briarstar, stating. "Brairstar. I've got a few announcements I would like to make." The brown leader dipped his head to her and backed away, leaving space for his deputy to leap onto the boulder. She did as such, keeping a powerful posture which Briarstar couldn't help but be glad for in a deputy. "Attention, attention! I've got something to announce." Aside from Badgerclaw, who stared up at her expectantly, the rest of the clan seemed slightly confused, pausing their conversations for a moment to listen. "I would like to announce that me and Badgerclaw are mates now." Silvershade smiled from the gasps of surprise and Dapplewhisker's shouts of encouragement. "But, that's not it. Someone wants to join our clan." They had been too distracted with Silvershade and Badgerclaw, they hadn't even noticed the black she-cat that was poking her head out from under a bush. She hissed when she was addressed. "Oh, c'mon. I wanted to make my grand debut!" She approached the highrock quickly, looking up at her to-be leader with a wild determination in her eyes.
Briarstar had organized the patrols, sending all the warriors hunting together, and Honeyfur volunteered to search for herbs. He ordered for all of them to stay away from where he had scented the fox cubs, lest their mother comes along. He himself, had decided that now was the time to ask Starclan for a medicine cat apprentice. With Silvershade and Badgerclaw now mates, and the danger of a fox looming just around the corner, they needed all the medicinal help they could get. As he reached its starry waters, he once again yowled to his ancestors. "My ancestors, thank you for providing thus far. We are growing wonderfully, and I thank you for your blessing." He dipped his head in respect, before making his request. "I would like to have a medicine cat apprentice for Honeyfur. She is young but experienced, and we need all the help we can get." He curled his tail around his paws, and purred a farewell, before beginning the trek back to Thicketclan Camp.
