Tansyskip

basic description > Long-furred golden tabby tom with green eyes
build > Average build with muscular legs
fur description > Long, curly, and often unkept
breeds > Moggy
height > 26 cm
weight > 8.9 lbs

voice > Thomas Dutton
scent > A mixture of herb scents, primarily dock and chervil

scars > N/A
accessories > N/A
banned traits > N/A

Positive Traits
positive >
    >> Compassionate > He puts everyone else before himself. Tansyskip is prepared to put down his own needs to help others, both physically and emotionally. He has a better radar for emotions than many others, so he can often sympathize with them better.
    >> Studious > Tansyskip wants to learn anything and everything there is to being a medicine cat. He took a fast interest in the position since he was a kit. Anything that can help heal other cats he will be happy to learn.
    >> Optimistic > The tom looks for the bright side of everything, even if it's all going wrong. If there’s a down, there are at least two ups. Tansyskip doesn’t want negativity to get him down, so he emits positivity everywhere he goes.

neutral >
    >> Maternal > Tansyskip is like a second mother to all of the cats in the clan. He wants everyone happy, healthy, and full of life. Of course, this also means doting on every little issue that a cat ends up getting. He tends to get under the paws of warriors who are just trying to work when he thinks something is wrong.
    >> Progressive > Tansyskip wants to discover new things and experiment. He's always seen out looking for new types of herbs and advancing the overall knowledge that medicine cats have.
    >> Emotional > The tom seems to feed off emotions from the cats around him, affecting his emotions and how he functions. When his mood changes, it’s never a minor change, and it often will affect how he acts. If the clan is happy, he’s generally happy and can work better. Likewise, however, if there is sadness, he will be equally sad and have a harder time functioning.

negative >
    >> Clumsy > Tansyskip has a problem of messing up often, from tripping over his own paws to forgetting that his own head is on his shoulders. He needs some sort of supervision for the time being while he tries to get used to things, otherwise, he’ll only screw it all up.
    >> Assertive > When it comes to injured or sick cats, Tansyskip is very pushy in making sure they get better. He never means to be mean about it, but just wants to get work done and help others. The tone in his voice would make any cat not want to disobey his orders.
    >> Compulsive > Often times, Tansyskip will do things he doesn't intentionally mean to do. If he gets into stressful situations, he'll do work without thinking it through, which can often lead to wrong information or bigger issues. He later feels terrible for doing so, but can’t seem to stop his compulsive nature.

Parents
 parents >
    >> Blossompool > Mother > Tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes > NPC > Deceased
    >> Redbranch > Father > Orange tabby tom with white spotting and green eyes > NPC > Deceased

siblings >
    >> Heavytalon > Brother > Large cream tabby tom with amber eyes > Played by peeperonipip > Deceased
    >> Flintrunner > Brother > Tall grey tabby tom with green eyes > Played by xXCloudie-SkiesXx > Deceased
    >> Hootsong > Sister > Fluffy tortoiseshell she-cat with white spotting and green eyes > Played by Zodiac-Dream > Alive

mate >
    >> N/A

kits >
    >> N/A

extended >
    >> Hyacinthpaw > Niece > Tortoiseshell she-cat with white spotting, curly fur, extra toes, and blue eyes > Played by Spacecat011 > Deceased
    >> Parsleyseed > Nephew > Brown ticked tabby tom with white spotting, curly fur, and green eyes > Played by Melontine > Alive
    >> Fennelspots > Nephew > Cream-and-white bicolor spotted tabby tom with an extra toe and green eyes > Played by RubyRose364 > Alive
    >> Primrosedawn > Niece > Dilute tortoiseshell she-cat with curly fur, extra toes, and green eyes > Played by Mothfluttter > Alive

kithood [ 0 - 6 moons ] >
    Tansykit was born shortly after his sister, Hootkit, to Blossompool and Redbranch. They have two older brothers from a previous litter by the names of Heavytalon and Flintrunner. However, they were born during trying times as, at the time, the Storm had invaded the forest and taken over CloudClan's territory, resorting to half of CloudClan to shelter with MarshClan.
    His first moon of life was quite uneventful. Tansykit was quick to get closer to his family, especially his sister and older brothers. He was filled with energy as a kit, always wanting to play and discover new things. He would even try to get the CloudClan litter that was staying with them to play, but they seemed to keep more to themselves, and Tansykit was fine with that. He would find joy in the littlest of things, one of his favorite things being shed snakeskin, which his brothers would bring back from patrols for him. All of his firsts were peaceful, and for a short time, the issue with the Storm wasn't a dire part of his life. That is until the final battle with the rogues happened.
   The final battle happened nearing Tansykit's third moon. The clans banded together to defeat the Storm once and for all through the use of tunnels that connected MarshClan to CloudClan. The young tom's father, Redbranch, had decided to join the raid, along with his brothers. Tansykit didn't think much of it; they were warriors, and it's what they do. So when the clans came back victorious, Tansykit didn't understand why he couldn't feel the same way. All he could see was the crestfallen looks on his brothers' faces, and then the red-and-white pelt being carried into the camp. Redbranch had been killed in the battle. As young as he was, Tansykit didn't weigh in completely on what had happened, but he could feel the solemn atmosphere among his family and could piece it together. His father wouldn't come back again.
    That night, their family went to bed with heavy hearts. Tansykit and Hootkit were pulled close to Blossompool as they fell asleep. But when he fell into his dreams, Tansykit wasn't met with his usual dreams of hunting a mouse or rolling in flowers. Instead, he faced the image of Redbranch, his father. The young tom was confused: this wasn't like his other dreams. Did he do something wrong? But his father assured him that everything was fine and that it would continue to be fine. He wanted his kit to relay that Blossompool would be okay without him and for them all to keep going, for he was happy with StarClan. With his messaged passed on to his son, Redbranch disappeared, and Tansykit's dream ended.
   The tom kept his dream to himself for a while, unsure what to think of it. Surely it was just another dream? It was just different because he had just lost his father, that had to be it! But when he began to get more dreams like them about other cats that he had never seen before, Tansykit began to grow panicked. He went to the medicine cat, Ryefeather, about this issue, not wanting his mother to worry about something being wrong. And he was relieved to hear that his strange dreams were okay--in fact, they were better than okay. Ryefeather had suddenly taken an interest in Tansykit because of them, saying he was special.
    Although he was told this, Tansykit still didn't appreciate getting the strange 'visions', as Ryefeather would call them, every night. He slowly grew used to them, though, and began to push through them and return to his normal, happy self. And it wouldn't be much longer until his and Hootkit's apprenticeship ceremonies. He wasn't expecting, though, for Ryefeather and Maskstar to come up to him and offer him something more than just being an apprentice.

medicine cat apprenticeship [ 6 - 15 moons ] >
    Due to his close connections with StarClan, it was without a doubt that Tansykit would become a medicine cat. Ryefeather, having seen that, was quick to tell Maskstar. The two approached Tansykit before his ceremony and asked him if he wanted to be a medicine cat. Although he didn't quite know much about being one, he did know it didn't involve fighting. And it made him think about his father, and how cats like him could be saved by the medicine cats. So, the tom agreed to become the medicine cat apprentice under Ryefeather's care.
    On his sixth moon, Tansykit received his apprentice name of Tansypaw, along with his sister Hootpaw, who would become a warrior under Dovemask's guidance. He was excited but worried about his sister, but he was even more excited to get started on his own training as the future medicine cat. He isn't looking forward to the whole visions and StarClan connection part, though.
    He found his work as a medicine cat fascinating, and ever new herb that Ryefeather taught him Tansypaw grew more excited. Learning the herbs was his favorite part of being a medicine cat. But whenever he went to sleep, he would fear waking up to a vision. And while it did happen every so often, he was thankful that it wouldn't happen every time he went to sleep.
    It wasn't long after their apprenticeship ceremonies that Hootpaw's mentor, Dovemask, began to expect kits and had to move to the nursery. This caused Hootpaw to get a new mentor, who ended up being the former Storm alpha Icefang. Tansypaw knew his sister was worried about the mentor change--after all, they didn't know if Icefang had someone to do with Redbranch's death. But Tansypaw had to believe that the tom wouldn't join the clans if he did something as terrible as that, especially the clan where his father resided. Because of this, he tried to convince Hootpaw to give the large tom a chance, though even Tansypaw would've been intimidated by such a scary-looking cat, and he didn't blame Hootpaw for her concerns.
    Things continued as usual, despite the harsh leaf-bare. Ryefeather and Tansypaw had to work around their lack of resources as the herbs grew scarce and prey became to dwindle. Ryefeather was still as wonderful a mentor as Tansypaw knew even during these hard times, manipulating their lessons so that Tansypaw could still understand each herb and what it looked like without having to see one. Then, the clan had to worry about a leadership change as Maskstar mysteriously went missing and Gullstar stepped up. As if things couldn't be going faster for him, Tansypaw experienced his first assist with kit births. He helped Ryefeather as the two worked with Dovemask, who successfully birthed five kits. Tansypaw was proud of himself and his assistance, but he couldn't relish the moment for long as they had more duties to get back to.
    Not even a moon later, Hootpaw became a warrior early after saving a new apprentice, Puddlepaw, from drowning. She was given the name Hootsong, and Tansypaw's voice could be heard above the others as he cheered for his sister. He was excited about her new position, even if he was a bit disappointed that he couldn't rank up with her. He knew he wasn't going to be able to, even if she went through a full course of training because he was a medicine cat. But his young mind still had that glimmer in the back of his head that they could. But it was okay, as Hootsong already seemed a bit happier as a warrior. It just meant he had to work even harder to become a great medicine cat like her a great warrior.
    After his sister's ceremony, most of the rest of Tansypaw's training was peaceful. He continued his training to become a medicine cat, and time almost seemed to fly by with all of the knowledge he was absorbing. During this time, he had many opportunities to assist his clan, including another kitting from Seaheart and helping cure Birchnose of whitecough. The more he got into his duties, the more comfortable Tansypaw was in his position.
    And then the war was declared. Wildstar had begun accusing CloudClan of prey stealing, and after a couple of months of that, finally decided the only way to settle the situation was war. Gullstar, much to Tansypaw's dismay, agreed with Wildstar, saying CloudClan's breaking of the code was unacceptable. Tansypaw, distressed at the idea of war right after such a harsh leafbare, tried to argue with Gullstar that they were not ready for a war, but his concerns were dismissed. He didn't say anything else about it after that, knowing he would only waste his breath when he could use the time to get ready instead. That in mind, Tansypaw ended up spending his last moon as an apprentice in stress and fear for the inevitable, preparing the medicine den with as much as he could find that was valuable to him and Ryefeather, as well as building nests.

medicine cat-ship  [ 15 moons - current ] >
    The worry and fear that was filling Tansypaw's heart caused time to fly. The next thing the tom knew, he was fifteen moons and earning his medicine cat name! In the presence of StarClan and the other medicine cats, Tansypaw received his full medicine cat name of Tansyskip, officially completing his training. The young tom was ecstatic to finally put his knowledge to full use beside Ryefeather as MarshClan's two medicine cats, but he wasn't ready for what was to come.
    It wasn't even a moon after he received his full medicine cat name did Ryefeather suddenly decline in health. He was muttering something about a pain in his belly to start, but it quickly took a turn for the worst. With no time to react, Ryefeather was suddenly... gone. Tansyskip was aghast as he watched his mentor take his final breath. How could StarClan take Ryefeather from him so soon? They were supposed to work together, preparing for a war they didn't want and spend many moons together caring for their clan. All of that was taken from underneath Tansyskip with Ryefeather's death. But by being lost in those thoughts, he didn't realize probably the biggest fear and more important fact until later; he was the sole medicine cat of MarshClan.
    Being alone in the job suddenly made Tansykip even more stressed and tense, to the point that he began to overwork himself. If he wasn't actually helping his clanmates in treating injuries or sickness, he was out in search of growing herbs and new methods to further enhance his knowledge. Thankfully, his clanmates had found a way to help him slow down when their deputy, Sandslash, and his mate Coalfrost announced that they had developed a sign language for the clan to learn. Tansyskip was fascinated by this, especially because his friend, Plovertail, was deaf. With this revelation, he began to set aside time to learn the language beside Plovertail. That's not to say he's not still overworking himself, though. He's still paranoid, tense, and not at all prepared to be the only medicine cat for MarshClan to rely on.
    The war was not easy on the young tom. Although MarshClan had skirmishes and unrelated issues, the first real battle still felt like it came too soon. Tansyskip was having a peaceful evening tending to Firestreak, who had a bout of food poisoning when a border patrol returned battered and bruised. And... and a body. Foxcloud had died in the battle, and their body had to be carried back by their own kit. On top of that, their son, Hazestorm, was critically wounded, and Tansyskip had to tend to him right away. And it was even harder to break it to the young tom that he would never be able to hear in his left ear ever again. It felt like too much to dump on one cat, but it was his duty. He later had another cat die from their wounds--Mushroompatch. Already, the war was claiming lives and being proven terrible. And it was only just the beginning.
    Tansyskip had his work cut out for him with the war, but he would always have patients unrelated to it, too. Puddlekit was found in the river with a severe injury to his jaw. Tansyskip had never dealt with something quite like it before, and he was unsure of how to go about it. He declared it broken and tried his best to re-align it with a splint and herbs. But it seemed like it was for naught. The poor tom-kit missed his apprenticeship ceremony, delaying him, and he was confined to the medicine den for multiple moons. In the time, though, he and Tansyskip became close friends. Tansyskip enjoyed talking with Puddlekit and keeping the young tom's spirits high. And when he was finally able to leave and become an apprentice, Tansyskip watched from his den with pride for Puddlepaw. He would be just fine, even with a broken jaw.
    The war raged on, taking many lives with it. Ivythorn and Burnetcloud among them, though the next hardest one would be Moth-heart. He was previously a CloudClan warrior, so for Tansyskip to hear his own birth clan had killed him crushed his heart. Was this what they have come to? Surely StarClan did not approve of it all. Preparing Moth-heart for his vigil hurt Tansyskip, and his body felt heavy with the burdens of his clan and he sent Moth-heart's spirit off with the same words he spoke mere moons ago for Foxcloud.
    In addition to the loss of Moth-heart, Tansyskip had other patients. One was yet another cat that would lose hearing in one of their ears. This was Rabbitbloom, who ended up taking their loss a lot worse than Hazestorm had. No matter what Tansyskip did to encourage or help him, it never seemed to work. So, Tansyskip had prompted his close friend, Plovertail, to help in the matter. And, thankfully, it did. By the time Rabbitbloom had left the medicine den and returned to his duties, he seemed closer to his old self again.
   The other patient? Sandslash, the MarshClan deputy. Although he had been injured in the battle, it wasn't physical pain he was feeling. He was feeling the burden of Moth-heart's death, feeling that he was responsible for it. Tansyskip, understand the feeling, albeit more indirectly, offered his counseling to the deputy. He was a medicine cat for a reason, and if he couldn't help with emotional distress as much as physical pain, then what type of medicine cat was he? Thankfully, Sandslash agreed to get said help, and together, the two worked out a plan to speak with Gullstar about withdrawing from the war. After all, it was only bringing pain and dispair, and there was no winning it. Unfortunately, they would not have the chance to bring their plan to her.
    In the span of a day, Gullstar had gone from having two lives to none. Tansyskip watched helplessly as she slipped away and joined StarClan, his heart heavy with the loss. He never really got along with Gullstar, especially after she had brushed him off as an apprentice, but that didn't mean her death hurt any less than the previous ones. He tried so hard to save her, but it was ultimately in vain. After spending the night in a vigil for her, Tansyskip journeyed with Sandslash to Crystal Falls for the deputy to earn his extra life and his new position as leader. His only hope was that Sandstar would do what was right and follow through with their plan.
    Sandstar drew MarshClan out of the war, saying they would continue to defend their borders but would not partake in any attacks against CloudClan and HailClan, nor side with EmberClan. It felt like the weight of the world was taken off of Tansyskip's shoulders when he heard that. And he felt even more relieved when Reedstar, EmberClan's new leader, declared the war officially over. No one would be fighting again--at least, not for a long while. Tansyskip could finally take a breather after helping the last of his patients.
    The end of the war did not mean everything was okay, though. It was the first time everyone had the chance to reflect on everything that has happened. For Tansyskip, that was finally having the chance to mourn for Ryefeather and all the other lives lost. The first time Tansyskip wasn't required in camp, he went on a long, thoughtful walk to look back on the past few moons. Quite frankly, he was exhausted. He only wished Ryefeather was there with him now. But he knew that his mentor was watching over him from above and that he would encourage Tansyskip to help the clan build back up. So, with a new breath of life, Tansyskip returned to camp with a fresh perspective.
    Things progressively got better for all the clans. Tansyskip began to feel more like a medicine cat and was enjoying his position, especially now that he didn't have the concern of a patrol coming home dead on the ground. And MarshClan was building themselves back up. His closest friend, Plovertail, was finally expecting his first litter. Tansyskip knew that Plovertail was waiting patiently to have his own kits, and he felt honored to be the one to deliver his friend's three bundles of joy. And of course, there were Sandstar and Coalfrost's kits, who they had adopted after their parents tragically passed away. MarshClan was looking up once more.
    The only one that Tansyskip was worried about was Hootsong. Now that he was able to slow down and take in everything, he had begun to notice her distancing from the clan. It was subtle, but enough for Tansyskip to notice. They were littermates, after all. He wouldn't ask her though but wanted to look out for her. She was his sister after all. He only hoped things were okay.
    For a long while, MarshClan was calm, and Tansyskip cherished every moment of it. He finally felt like he could relax and better become accustomed to his role as the sole medicine cat. He enjoyed watching new apprentices and warriors be made from the sidelines, and he spent plenty of time with his friends in the nursery. And he felt he could finally feel concerned and worry for the other clans and their issues without feeling unloyal to his own clan as he prayed to StarClan for the recovery of HailClan as they began to deal with bouts of whitecough. Things were beginning to feel right again.
    But it must come to an end at some point. Shortly after Plovertail's kits became apprentices, Sandstar and Coalfrosts' kits found themselves in Tansyskip's den. Why? Because they snuck out and were attacked by a badger. While Batkit escaped with minor injuries and mostly shock, Shrewkit had lost her hind leg to the hungry predator. Tansyskip was heartbroken for the young kits as he administered remedies for them both. He helped Sandstar get through it as he asked Seaheart to create a patrol to make sure the badger was gone, and when he told Sandstar that Shrewkit would need to be held back, he suggested Batkit be held back with her so that he could recover from his shock. Sandstar agreed, and the kits spent their last moon in his medicine den recovering. He wished he could help them more than just treating them, but it seemed they were wary to accept his words of encouragement and advice. He could only be there as best as he could.
    And then cats began to die again. While it wasn't through any means of battle like the war, they weren't any easier. Especially when one of those cats was his brother, Flintrunner. He had come in with an upset stomach and lethargy. Normally, Tansyskip wouldn't worry about the lethargy, knowing his brother had zero sleep, but when he quickly deteriorated, he realized it wasn't the same. He worked as fast as he could to help him, but it was all in vain when Flintrunner passed away overnight. It was believed to be poisoned prey, but it didn't matter to Tansyskip. He could have saved him, and he failed. It crushed him to lose his peppy older brother, and he found it hard to sleep that night.
    In addition to Flintrunner, the clan had also lost Hazestorm as well as a new warrior, Jaytail. Having dealt with so many deaths before, the clan seemed to push through well enough, and Tansyskip forced himself to move on, despite the empty feeling in his heart when he couldn't find Flintrunner. Eventually, the clan began to return to normal again. He watched as Tadpoleskip retired to the elder's den for a well-deserved retirement, and MarshClan even had a new addition in the warriors when Stoatshell, a cat from EmberClan, came to join them. Tansyskip didn't need much explanation there when he saw how he interacted with Beesting. He welcomed the new tom with a polite smile and moved on as if Stoatshell had always been a part of MarshClan.
    Well, normal doesn't last for very long in MarshClan. The epidemic, which Tansyskip had been keeping a close eye on since Softstem first started showing symptoms, finally made its way to MarshClan. And it hit them very quickly. The clan lost Mantisdawn early on, and many other cats struggled with the illness for a long time. Some would recover, and some would not. Tansyskip had restricted the medicine den, leaving no room for cats that were not sick to come in. The only one that he seemed to be unable to keep away was Sandstar, whose mate, Coalfrost, was one of Tansyskip's patients. It almost felt like Tansyskip was back in the times of the war; his den was never empty, and there were some cats that he could try his hardest to save, but he just... couldn't.
    And then cats begin to go missing! The first was Creamykit, Birchnose's kit. The clan looked everywhere for her, but there were no traces of her disappearance. This confused Tansyskip. He had been watching her quite carefully for a couple of moons, with the intention and taking her as his apprentice--and not just because Sandstar was pressuring him to get an apprentice. She had the potential, and there was something about her that StarClan seemed to like too. To have her disappear... he was at a loss. He prayed the young cat was okay and that she would return home soon.
    The other cat that went missing ended up being Sandstar. He had gone out with his sister, Softsnap, to check the tunnels, which had been echoing strange noises lately. Softsnap returned to camp alone, saying they were separated in a tunnel collapse. Alarmed, the clan went to try and dig him out, but it was a lost cause. Tansyskip and Seaheart didn't want to assume him dead yet, but the clan needed a leader. So Seaheart rose up as a temporary leader until they found Sandstar, despite expecting kits and preparing to be a mother once more. Tansyskip did his best to assist her in every way that he could, giving her advice and an ear to listen to her grievances when she needed it. When he wasn't helping her or tending to the sick cats still in his den, he'd be trying to get in contact with StarClan in hopes for some hint as to Sandstar's location.
    It was about a moon after Sandstar had initially disappeared. The clan was becoming more distressed at the loss of their leader, and Tansyskip wondered if maybe they were simply waiting for Seaheart to become leader. Who would have thought that StarClan would send him a message one night? It was not hard for the medicine cat to decipher; they were looking for their leader, and StarClan just managed to push them in the right direction. MarshClan went back to the tunnels and continued to dig. They eventually found an opening, and not far from it, they found an unconscious Sandstar. Unconscious, but breathing and alive. The patrol brought Sandstar back to Tansyskip's medicine den, where he treated the injuries that he found. He later found out that there were worse injuries, and that his leader had lost a life. But for the time being, he was simply relieved to see Sandstar whole. He just wasn't sure how he would break the news to the leader when he awoke that his mate had passed away in his absence.
    The good news continued to come when Creamykit finally returned to camp. For being away for so long and her young age, she seemed to be well, though Tansyskip still kept her in his den until she hit six moons. And of course, as he had initially intended, when she did become of apprentice age, he offered the chance of becoming a medicine cat to her, and she accepted with a twinkle in her eye. And so, Tansyskip brought her to Crystal Falls to be formally accepted by StarClan as Creamypaw, the next medicine cat of MarshClan, with a smile.
    Things were going well. Sandstar recovered well, despite the emotional turmoil that was losing Coalfrost and his first life. Something else seemed to be on his mind, too, though Tansyskip did not question him. And Seaheart gave birth to three healthy kits. Things truly were going well. Too well. On the same day that Seaheart's kits were born, Sandstar had called his first clan meeting since returning to MarshClan. He announced that the clan will be officially blocking the entrances of the tunnels, stating he would never want another cat to go through what he had. Tansyskip agreed with this notion; though the tunnels had a connection with StarClan in the form of the founders, the safety of his clan came first. So he certainly was looking forward to this motion.
    But the meeting did end there, although Tansyskip had wished it did. Sandstar directly confronted Softsnap, announcing to the clan that his sister had intentionally left him in the tunnels to die and was the cause of the tunnel collapse. What should have ended in exile, ended in death, as Softsnap refused to be let go easily and would rather die than be exiled. Sandstar fulfilled her request, killing her in the middle of camp, much to the horror of the clan. Yet, this is not what terrified Tansyskip the most. Just before she took her last breath, Softsnap had said something that chilled him; there are other traitors among the clans. What did that mean? That there were more than Softsnap that would betray them? And then a whisper in the wind only seemed to confirm his fears--StarClan was there for them, but were their clanmates?
    Tansyskip urged his clanmates to inform him if they felt anything amiss in the clan. He figured they could no longer trust Sandstar, and he understood. He wasn't sure he could either. He dismissed the clan and went back to Sandstar, who he helped carry Softsnap's body out and bury. He sat with the leader for her private vigil, trying to find where things had gone wrong, but he could not come up with any answers. He left the leader to his own devices, knowing Sandstar would be going to the twoleg place later that day, and returned to camp, where he worked to try and ease the nerves of his clanmates. It was a long day for everyone, and even when Tansyskip collapsed in his nest at the end of it, he still saw it all in his nightmares that night.
   Tansyskip chose to remain in his den as much as possible after Softsnap's burial. Though he felt his clanmates still trusted him, there was so much backlash against Sandstar after Softsnap's murder that he wasn't sure what his clanmates thought of him after assisting Sandstar with her body. Of course, it's Tansyskip's job, and he in no way supported what Sandstar did, but he also knew his leader needed him in that time; being betrayed by your own littermate couldn't have been easy to deal with mentally. Tansyskip wasn't sure he couldn't ever handle that feeling, and he was glad that his own siblings and him had such a close bond.
    In the meantime, he would continue training Creamypaw. If they needed more herbs, he would only leave the den to go retrieve them and show his apprentice where they were. Otherwise, he gave Creamypaw the chances to treat their clanmates when they were injured, carefully observing to ensure she did things right. It wasn't that he trusted her--in fact, it was quite the opposite. Though her wobbly paws definitely set a bout of concern through him for awhile, and he was glad she was getting a steadier hand when working with patients.
    So you could imagine his concern when Sandstar called yet another meeting. He never knew what to expect from his leader anymore, but he felt like he couldn't trust him to be alone with the clan, either. So, albeit reluctantly, Tansyskip attended the meeting, making sure to put himself in a place where he could watch Sandstar and his clanmates carefully.
    Perhaps it shouldn't have been all too surprising that the meeting was addressing Softsnap's last words--that there were more traitors than just her. The clan didn't know how many there were, or whether they were even all in MarshClan, but Sandstar intended to sniff them out and get rid of them. While Tansyskip did agree with the notion of figuring out who they were, he was unsure how Sandstar was going to figure them out, and worse, what Sandstar would do with them once they were discovered. He tried to remind Sandstar to remain calm when others spat back at him, not wanting the same thing as last time to happen again. And while he didn't go in for a kill, Sandstar still found a way to rile the clan up and only push them further against him.
    Turtlecloud was the first to lash out at him, and Sandstar instantly took this as a sign that she was a traitor. Without any evidence, though, there was no certainty to his claims, and Tansyskip found himself unable to believe it. Turtlecloud was once Sandstar's apprentice, after Plovertail retired from being a warrior and was unable to complete her training. Why would Sandstar think she was against the clan that she loved so much? Shouts of disbelief and anger at his accusation echoed throughout the camp, primarily from the apprentices. Sandstar calmly answered back, but his signs conveyed his hostility. If it wasn't for Plovertail urging Turtlecloud to stand down, Tansyskip feared it would only turn bloody again, and he also stepped in and put himself between the arguing cats, begging Sandstar to reconsider.
    Sandstar could only laugh at everyone defending Turtlecloud, and he questioned whether MarshClan was beyond saving. Tansyskip couldn't believe his eyes when he saw his leader sign that. But everyone just replied by saying he was the reason that MarshClan was struggling, and that the clan would do better without him once Seaheart became leader. Tansyskip felt a pang in his heart when he heard this. When did they get to be this way? Sandstar dismissed the meeting, stating that he was simply trying to protect his clan and that he hoped the others would see that someday and come to their senses. The tension was still in the air by the time he walked away, and Tansyskip watched painfully as Turtlecloud ran from the camp and the others began to murmur amongst themselves. This wasn't MarshClan. They should be one in this time of need, not divided like this. But he wasn't sure how he could bring them together, and solemnly, he returned to his den, where Creamypaw waited with baited breath for him.
    He was thankful that the next meeting would bring good news, as apprentices were becoming warriors. He smiled from the mouth of his den when Waspcatcher, Lilydawn, and Flywing were given their names, and he was thankful that Sandstar agreed to Seaheart performing their ceremonies, as it seemed to put a breath of relief in everyone. He wasn't sure he'd be able to take the tension of the young warriors glaring at Sandstar the entire time they received their names. This served to prove that Seaheart would make a fine leader in the future, though Tansyskip silently reminded everyone that, despite his previous meetings going wrong, Sandstar was still their leader. Though he wasn't exactly showing it in the right way, he knew that Sandstar was only trying to do what was best for the clan. If only he could see reason that killing a fellow clanmate and accusing others of traitory without evidence was not the way to go about it. But Tansyskip remained silent and neutral in this internal battle of MarshClan's, wanting simply to be the support beam for everyone when he was needed. For now, he simply would happily cheer for the new warriors as they would bring on a new light to their clan.
    He felt that StarClan was angry with them, though, when a warrior by the name of Sparkflicker was killed after being struck by lightning. Tansyskip was never close to the warrior, but it was rare to be struck by lightning. Surely it was no coincidence? He couldn't blame StarClan if that was the reason, though he also didn't believe StarClan to be the type to take one of their warriors as punishment. It was no better than what Sandstar was doing, after all. Tansyskip was the bridge between his clan and StarClan, yet he never felt more distant with both at the same time as he prepared Sparkflicker's vigil.
    A few days later, Sandstar called yet another meeting. Everyone was immediately tense when he did, and though his news was still something for them to be concerned about, they did get to breathe a sigh of relief in that it wasn't completely preposterous. Sandstar announced that MarshClan would be closing their borders, and that their clanmates were not to speak to any cat outside of their clan or let them on their territory. The only exception to this rule was Dropletshine, but Tansyskip could tell that even the friendly rogue was not on Sandstar's good radar when Sandstar said they must be accompanied at all times. He felt terrible for poor Dropletshine, whose home was on MarshClan and CloudClan's border. How were they to peacefully come and go if they were watched all the time?
    This was not Tansyskip's only concern. Did Sandstar not consider that closing the clan off may be exactly what these traitors may want? MarshClan was now more vulnerable without the aid of the other clans, and should the other clans start dealing with similar issues of traitors, would MarshClan even know? Tansyskip worried that Sandstar was only playing into their enemies' paws with his paranoia. He reminded Sandstar that he and Creamypaw would still need to attend the half-moon gatherings. Tansyskip prayed he would see enough reason in still letting them go; this could be the only way that MarshClan could keep a connection with the other clans, and they desperately needed it despite Sandstar's thinking. The leader agreed to let them go, not wanting to go against a tradition that had stretch far beyond their moons. In addition to this, they would continue attending gatherings and sharing information with the clans there. Tansyskip was relieved to hear this, and he promised Sandstar that he would inform him should anything strange or off occur during the meetings. Not that he believed they would, but he hoped it would give his leader a sense of security in knowing that Tansyskip was taking his warnings to heart.
    The remainder of the moon remained uneventful, thankfully. It was strange, having to avoid CloudClan patrols as much as possible, but Tansyskip and Creamypaw had little issues in doing so, given they only had to leave camp for herb collecting. Tansyskip was glad, too, that he was able to remain friendly with his fellow medicine cats and learn of news from the other clans through them. When asked about MarshClan, though, he wasn't sure how to respond, and he often found himself avoiding the conversation all together. Thankfully, no one pushed him about it, and he was able to continue his work with little stress.
    The next meeting in MarshClan was supposed to be one of celebration, as Sandstar's kits were becoming warriors. Sandstar had been so proud of his kits that he even performed the ceremony himself--something that he had not done for quite a bit. But it was clear that his kits were leery about it all, and it only got worse when he announced their new warriors names: Shrewflight and Batwhisper. Even Tansyskip had to wince at the choice of names that Sandstar made; it reminded him painfully of how Shrewflight lost her leg in her dreams to fly. Why did Sandstar choose this name for her? She was just as angry about it, and he could hear her yelling from within his den after the meeting. Tansyskip felt terrible for Shrewflight, though he also felt bad for Sandstar, too. He couldn't bring it in him to blame the leader for wanting to remember his daughter at her best. But it was clear that the connection between Sandstar and his kits would never be the same, especially when Shrewflight announced that she would be disowning him as her father. Tansyskip didn't interfere, though after Shrewflight walked away, he was sure to go and check on Sandstar to ensure the leader was okay. After all, that couldn't have been easy information to digest. He reminded himself to do the same for both Shrewflight and Batwhisper, too, once their vigils were over.
    Tensions were once again high in the clan after that meeting. Nothing seemed quite right anymore, and when a patrol of cats came back to camp asking for Sandstar, Tansyskip worried for the worst. He wanted to follow and to make sure that everything was okay, but he had to assume that he was not needed if they were not requesting for him or Creamypaw to go with them. By the time they returned to camp, too, everyone was clearly upset, including Sandstar and the cats that were on that patrol. Tansyskip was quick to ask about what had happened from Sandstar, and he was surprised to hear about it; HailClan cats had come to their border seeking refuge. They had commented that their clan was splitting apart under their deputy, Robinear's, rule, after she had exiled a cat. Sandstar turned them down, however, upset that his clanmates would even think to entertain the idea of letting the HailClan cats stay with them. And given the way the rest of the patrol was acting, Tansyskip could only determine that they were just as angry at Sandstar's decision.
    Sandstar called a meeting later on to discuss with the clan what had happened. He re-emphasized to the clan about their closed borders and how they were not to speak to cats outside of MarshClan. Any HailClan cats that came seeing refuge were to be turned away, much to the agitation of Tansyskip's clanmates. Were they not in a position to help a clan in need? Tansyskip, personally wasn't so sure about that himself. As dismayed as he was to hearing about HailClan's predicament, he would much rather prefer they didn't know about the internal conflicts that MarshClan was dealing with, especially between Sandstar and his clanmates. Perhaps HailClan would find better luck with the other clans in the long run, and Tansyskip reminded himself to talk to Orchidfrost at the next half-moon meeting and ask about how his clan was holding up.
    After the meeting, Tansyskip began to notice that Rabbitbloom was during apprentice duties. He was confused by this, knowing that the clan still had apprentices to do these tasks and shouldn't have to rely on the warriors. Come to find out, Sandstar had punished the younger warrior for the way he acted as the leader of the patrol that encountered the HailClan cats. Surprisingly, Rabbitbloom cooperated to his punishment, though it was not without blatant irritation on his face. Tansyskip considered talking to Sandstar about this, but he wouldn't have the time nor the mental capacity to do so when yet another meeting was called days later.
    It was a bright and early morning when Sandstar called the meeting, which only gave way to more concern about what this was going to be about. Tansyskip, having not slept well the night before, was already awake at the sound of Sandstar's pounding foot to call the clan, and thankful for Creamypaw still being asleep, he tiredly went to go see what was going on. But he was only just exiting his den when he saw all of his clanmates' eyes on his dear sister, Hootsong, and he stopped dead in his tracks from his confusion. Just what... was going on?
    Apparently, one of the new late night patrols had seen his sister out of the camp and making her way towards Hope Bridge. When questioned about it, Hootsong stated that she was out hunting for the clan, not being able to sleep, but based on her haul upon her return, it could be assumed that was not all that she did that night. Thus did she admit to seeing if any other cats needed assistance, especially after what had been happening with HailClan. This only further upset Sandstar as he stated that she was going directly against his word. She argued, saying that his word was wrong and that they should be open to helping others. Unfortunately, this only prompted Sandstar to further believe that she was not loyal to MarshClan and was, therefore, one of the traitors that Softsnap had mentioned. Without any room left for argument, Sandstar exiled Hootsong from MarshClan, and he said that if she were to be found on their territory, she would be treated as an enemy and attacked.
    Hootsong did not argue his decision, but she declared that she was no traitor and was more welcomed in MarshClan than he was before turning to leave the camp. On one paw, Tansyskip was thankful that it did not go worse than it certainly could have. But on the other... his sister was gone. Tansyskip had watched it all with a look of disbelief the entire time, and when his sister left, Tansyskip desperately wanted to follow her. But his paws were rooted to the ground as his heart and mind tore in half. He had a duty to MarshClan as its medicine cat, and he could not just abandon them when they needed him most. Not to mention Creamypaw still needed him. He... he could not follow Hootsong, although he desperately wanted to. Rather, once the meeting was dismissed, he found himself stumbling back into the medicine den and collapsing into his nest in grief. His sister was alive, yet it felt like something had died inside him.
    Tansyskip remained in his nest for several days, lost and confused. He did the minimal that was required to keep his clan standing, giving Creamypaw her tasks and eating just enough to not give his clanmates reason to worry. His brother, the last of his family, would check on him to ensure he was okay, and he lied saying he was just tired and needed to rest. But things were feeling terribly hopeless for the medicine cat. He felt himself closing off from the clan during that time, feeling alone in the world.
    But he couldn't stay that way forever. He stayed with MarshClan for a reason, and he intended to carry out his duties despite how he was feeling. He at least got to see some hope when he helped Dapplecrash give birth to her litter of three. Yet that hope was dashed as quickly as it came when not even days later, her sister, Dovemask, was found dead alongside Dovemask's kit, Spiderbite. Their bodies were found near Dropletshine's den, and given the state of them, it was clear that they died fighting. But who killed them? What traces they could find they eventually lost, and there were no suspects to be found. The clan was distraught at this discovery, though so much had happened in their clan that nothing seemed to scare Tansyskip anymore. He focused on calming his clanmates to the best of his abilities, providing medicine for shock where needed. Plovertail, especially, was one that he focused on, as the queen grieved terribly for the loss of his sister. Yet, it didn't make it any easier when he dressed the bodies for their vigils and spoke the parting words that he had grown too used to speaking.
    Days passed and they were filled with investigation and whispering. Tansyskip kept himself out of the gossip and the work of the warriors', confining himself in the medicine den and only leaving to collect herbs. He found sleeping terribly difficult; when he did managed to fall asleep, it was in short spurts. Before, he only experienced terrible nightmares, from dreaming of what Hootsong was doing to feeling like he was reliving the deaths of Softsnap and Dovemask and Spiderbite. It was to the point that he was almost afraid of sleeping, so he only dozed when Creamypaw or another cat was in the den with him and he felt relatively safe.
    The feeling of redundancy was once again broken when Sandstar called a meeting about half a moon after Dovemask and Spiderbite's deaths. The cats that had attended seemed less tense, though it was not out of relief; Tansyskip could see in their eyes the exhaustion from the stress they had all been feeling, and though they were worried about what Sandstar had to say, it felt like a daily occurrence now to where it wasn't a surprise for a meeting to be called anymore.
    Yet the meeting was received relatively positively. Though there was the disappointment in a lack of progress in the investigation on Dovemask and Spiderbite's deaths, Sandstar was of course taking the concern of it very seriously. Though he was pained to do it, he decided that MarshClan needed more restrictions for the sake of its safety. Outside of patrols, cats could not leave camp alone or in pairs, and he even encouraged cats to stay in camp if they could. He ensured that more hunting parties would be organized to compensate, and upon being asked about training apprentices, Sandstar replied saying that additional warriors would attend training sessions for the added protection.
    Tansyskip also had the concern for collecting herbs, so he voiced his opinion on it. While he wasn't against escorts, he wanted to clarify the importance of herb collection. Sandstar agreed, and he added that additional warriors would be given to Tansyskip and Creamypaw for herb collection. However, when he added that he was restricting the medicine cats to stay near camp, Tansyskip was worried. Sandstar noted that they could go further with a full patrol to protect them, but it would only be out of absolute necessity. Tansyskip worried that they would run out of herbs too quickly under this restriction, especially given that they couldn't just take all of the herbs of a collection site without consequence. After all, if they plucked every herb in a site, then they wouldn't leave anything to grow back. What if they ran out of herbs near camp? He had to believe that the clan wouldn't have a reason to use so many herbs, so he simply agreed to the conditions. If it did come to that, then Sandstar would just have to get used to having Tansyskip and Creamypaw borrowing an excessive amount of warriors.
    The decision for these restrictions was given a relatively positive response, and there was no ill feelings by the time Sandstar dismissed the meeting. Tansyskip was getting ready to return to his den to tell Creamypaw of the new rules they would need to adjust to when Sandstar stopped him. Tansyskip didn't ignore him, instead giving him his undivided attention. What he told Tansyskip, however, shocked him; him and Creamypaw would also have escorts to the half-moon meetings. Sandstar no longer felt it safe for them to go to the meetings alone, given their importance and lack of defense skills. Tansyskip, personally, didn't like the idea. Crystal Falls was a sacred place that was meant specifically for the medicine cats and the leaders. Was it really alright for the warriors to go there? Yet at the same time, he felt that Sandstar wasn't completely in the wrong; him and Creamypaw weren't strong, and they were easy targets. So he agreed to the idea, albeit reluctantly. He compromised with Sandstar though, saying only one warrior go with them at a time. After all, they would be with the other medicine cats, and even if Sandstar didn't trust them, Tansyskip did. Thus, MarshClan began sending guards with their medicine cats to the half-moon meetings, and though Tansyskip wasn't terribly pleased with it, he learned to tolerate it, especially as StarClan didn't show any displeasure towards the notion.
    The new patrols and additions to Tansyskip and Creamypaw's herb collecting days were strange, though the clan slowly began to adjust to them. One thing that Tansyskip would never be able to adjust to, though, was being alone. Yes, he had Creamypaw, and he had his best friend in Plovertail, but he still dearly missed Hootsong. He'd be lying if he said he didn't miss being able to look for her without the restrictions. And now he couldn't. The only family he had left was Heavytalon, but soon, he wouldn't even have that.
    The currents in the waters suddenly started becoming strong and difficult to handle, even for full-grown warriors. Dewlight was the first to be swept away, and Tansyskip was quick to help Seaheart and Icefang in their grief as they lost the first of their kits. But then he was forced to focus on himself when Heavytalon, too, would be swept away by a current. It must have been quite strong, given Heavytalon's size, but with no body to mourn over, Tansyskip felt terribly lost during the vigil, and he ended up escaping it early to grieve alone. There was no one else in the world in that moment as he stared blankly at the wall for the rest of the night.
    He didn't have much time to think for himself, though, which Tansyskip found himself thankful for. Birchnose found himself coming down with whitecough, and while Tansyskip found himself able to trust Creamypaw with his care, Plovertail's grief over the sudden loss of his mate was something that Tansyskip knew he had to take on himself. Beetletail died when she was bitten by a spider. It was difficult, knowing that the she-cat loved bugs so much only to die to one. But it was worse to see Plovertail so lost and alone. Tansyskip wondered if that's what he looked like mourning for Heavytalon, but he decided that Plovertail wouldn't be alone like he was. So Tansyskip pushed aside his own feelings to support Plovertail, as well as the others that needed him once again.
    He was thankful, at least, to hear that Birchnose decided to retire after contracting whitecough. It relieved him to know that the old tom would not have to worry about contracting anymore illnesses or get worse on patrol. And Tansyskip had the pleasure of telling Frostheart that they were pregnant with kits, in which he helped them get situated in the nursery all while checking on Plovertail. There were also some new apprentices, which made Tansyskip begin to feel that MarshClan was on some form of a mend.
    But even Tansyskip had his breaking points, and he didn't want his clanmates to see. Perhaps he was going against Sandstar's requirements, perhaps someone would see him and report him, but Tansyskip didn't care. He needed to get away. So, when no one was looking, Tansyskip slipped out of camp. He found himself along the lake's coast, and though he didn't want to admit it, he knew he was still looking for any traces of his sister. He tried looking where the patrol the day she was exiled reported seeing her, hoping that perhaps she was still visiting it. Hope Bridge was his last attempt before he decided to give up. After all, he wasn't expecting much, losing more hope as he continued to walk along the lake's edge.
    But there she was. A faint scent of familiarity, and the tortoiseshell pelt that Tansyskip was all too familiar with. Hootsong was there, under Hope Bridge. He found himself at a loss for words as he approached her, and they held each other for a long time. But when Hootsong began to ask about the clan, about the ones she loves: Heavytalon, Dovemask, Dovemask's kits... Tansyskip felt hollow, but he knew he couldn't lie to her about it. He told her the truth, in that three of them passed away, being the two former and Spiderbite. However, he did leave room for a white lie when he told her that Dovemask and Spiderbite were killed by a predator. Of course, they didn't actually know who killed them, and he was sure that it wasn't a predator. But Hootsong did not need to know that, especially while she mourned all three of them at once.
    As he let the information sink in, Tansyskip told her that he would show her to their resting places, once she returned to MarshClan. That's when Hootsong gave him his own taste of medicine in shock; she wasn't sure she wanted to go back, even if she would be allowed to. She told him about her fears for Sandstar's leadership, and she said she had more than that as reasons to stay away. Tansyskip, didn't want to believe it, but... when he approached her, he could see it. He was more than just her brother; he was her medicine cat, even if she was a rogue now.
    Tentatively, he asked if it was because of her kits. Surprisingly, though, Hootsong didn't seem to know what he was talking about. Perhaps she was in denial, though.... she was early into her term. Hootsong brushed it off, feeling sure in her decision that she wasn't expecting, and she went on to tell Tansyskip that she had been seeing a cat from another clan. It broke Tansyskip's heart; upon seeing her that day, he was sure that it wasn't a cat from MarshClan, though he wished that it was. Yet, it wasn't the fact that she was breaking the warrior code--that didn't matter to him. What hurt was that she didn't trust him with knowing about this. Were they not brother and sister? Was there a reason she didn't trust him with it? It suddenly helped everything make sense; why she was so distant after her warrior ceremony; days where she was tired after a peaceful night; why she was seen going to Hope Bridge so late at night. It was all for this cat that she loved. It all made sense.
    Tansyskip only smiled, though. He was still happy for her. Hootsong was happy, despite everything that was happening around them. And she had a future. He reaffirmed that she was expecting kits, and that she should follow her heart. He knew that meant she would not come back, that she would--and should--go be with her mate, where her kits would have both of their parents and be in a safe environment. It hurt, saying this, knowing that he would never see her as his clanmate again. But he knew that it would make his sister happy, and he would still see her again. So, knowing that the next time he sees her, she will be on the opposite side of the lake, he bid her farewell and left Hope Bridge.
    The next half moon remained peaceful, thankfully, though Tansyskip couldn't stop thinking about his sister. He wondered if she made it to her new home, and whether they accepted her in. Surely they wouldn't turn down an expecting queen? Thankfully, he learned of her success in joining EmberClan at the next gathering. Tansyskip, of course, attended the daytime gathering alongside Sandstar and his clanmates. He heard the gossip of the other clans, where some warriors from EmberClan were mentioning the arrival of a new queen in their clan. He was thankful to hear that Hootsong was safe, but he could not think much on it as the weather began to turn bad.
    The gathering had been going well until the sky suddenly went dark. Cats raised their voices in alarm when they realized the sun had been covered. Yet, it was not like a cloud that covered it, it was something else. What was this? Was StarClan angry at them for something? Then, a storm began to brew. The wind began to pick up, and then a flash of lightning struck. The next thing they all knew, Hope Bridge was on fire.
    Tansyskip tried to remain calm while he worked to address the cats. He tried to gain their attention, to get them to gather within their clans and listen to their leaders. But as the fire and the storm only grew worse, the scene only grew more chaotic as cats began to scatter in fear. Tansyskip couldn't get a grip on the control of the scenario, which at this point, he wasn't sure he'd be able to at all. Especially not when a figure appeared among the flames.
    She walked through the fire as if it was water, and she was no one that Tansyskip recognized. His blood ran cold as he stared at her. Who was she? What was she? He didn't know, but everyone was clearly wondering the same thing as they began shouting at her. Well, she didn't waste the time to tell them, or at least tell them of her plans. Turns out, she was the one behind the traitors--the spies, as she called them. They were not just in MarshClan, too; they were in all of the clans. And they were this cat's way of destroying the clans.
    She only continued to mock them and ignore the others, until Sandstar could not stand it anymore. He lunged at her, much to Tansyskip's surprise. But he didn't reach her, and he instead landed on the damaged bridge. It ended up giving out underneath him, and he fell into the river below. Tansyskip's breath caught in his throat, and he raced to the edge of the water searching desperately for his leader. More cats gathered around him, desperately looking for Sandstar. Tansyskip hadn't even cared about the mysterious cat, especially when Sandstar came back up from the water gasping for breath. Tansyskip, himself, had to release a breath of relief at the sight of his leader.
    He hadn't even noticed Wild joining the gathering, not until he heard someone call out her name. Tansyskip finally turned to see that the rogue had attacked the mysterious cat. He was shocked to see that she successfully came in contact with her, both of them falling into the river. The cat shoved Wild down into the water, but Sleetpuddle jumped in to attack her and get her off, succeeding in doing so. By then, the rain of the storm began, and soon the sun was coming back out. The darkness was passing, and it took the mysterious cat with it. By the time she was gone, the fire was out and Hope Bridge nothing but ashes.
    Tansyskip was quick to assist Starlingstar and Petaldrift with getting Sandstar out. As Shrewflight ran over to meet her father, he checked over Sandstar's injuries, concerned for his leader. But Sandstar merely shook them off and was quick to join the other leaders with Wild, who had gotten herself out of the water along with Sleetpuddle. Sandstar didn't hesitate to tell the others that MarshClan had already uncovered one of the spies, being Softsnap. As Tansyskip went over to join them, he was surprised to hear Reedstar address Wild, who then began to tell them her story. The mysterious cat was named Blizzardfang. She had manipulated Wild back when she was EmberClan's leader into making all of her bad decisions, including starting the war. Tansyskip couldn't believe is ears. She said that she cut ties with Blizzardfang, but somehow still found herself back in the dark forest where they had been meeting. She had heard her discussing killing Reedstar with some cats before she ran from it herself, and that was about what she knew of Blizzardfang's plans.
    The others were stunned to hear this, not to mention how Blizzardfang had so far managed to succeed. She had pit the clans against each other, caused HailClan to fall apart, and create tension and a lack of trust among clanmates. What were they to do? Sandstar asked if she knew how many spies there were, and Wild guessed there were about seven, based on the voices she heard. The leaders of the other clans, as well as Salmonflight, who had stepped in to represent HailClan, decided to band together to go against this threat and try and weed out the traitors. When asked if he would join, though, Sandstar only said that MarshClan could provide information. However, until the clans could prove that they could do what would need to be done once they found a spy, MarshClan's borders would remain closed. With that, Sandstar called for MarshClan to gather up and head home.
    Once they got back, Tansyskip admitted Sandstar to the medicine den to get his wounds treated. While he had the leader there, Tansyskip reprimanded him for his rash actions, stating that Sandstar shouldn't have acted out without thinking like the way he did. Sandstar, however, didn't seem to be listening to him, in a daze. Perhaps he was thinkng about Softsnap again, or whether a spy still remained in MarshClan. Tansyskip decided it was best to drop it in the end, and once he had Sandstar wrapped up, he dismissed the leader.
    Tansyskip could not focus too hard on weeding out spies, though. His clan still needed him as their medicine cat, not some detective, so he went about his duties healing and consoling his clanmates as well as training Creamypaw. It started with Plovertail. The old queen was still struggling to cope with the loss of his mate, and perhaps hearing about these spies only had him more depressed, knowing that it was likely a spy that killed his sister. He hadn't even been giving his nieces and nephew the attention that he previously gave Dovemask's kits, preferring to rather stay in his nest. It was still difficult to get him to eat, and when Tansyskip or his family could convince him to eat, he never finished his meals. For the longest of time, Tansyskip wasn't sure how to help bring Plovertail's spirits back up. Then, an opportunity opened itself up.
    A young kit was born to a queen by the name of Ripplefeather, but unfortunately, Ripplefeather ended up dying of birth complications. The little tortoiseshell was without a name and without parents, her father dying just days before in a tunnel collapse. Perhaps she was Plovertail's out. Tansyskip told Plovertail about the little orphan, how she was alone in the world and needed someone. He asked Plovertail if he could keep her company, keep her warm, do what he can to make her feel loved. He hoped that, in turn, Plovertail would also feel wanted and have someone there to fill the hole in his heart.
    And it was a success. The little kit quickly had Plovertail wrapped around her paw, and he took her under his wing without a second thought. Plovertail named her Lightkit, and from then on, he became her father. Tansyskip was happy to see the old tom opening up again as he took care of little Lightkit. He began to smile again and leave his nest more, and he even began to play with his nieces and nephew, too. Finally, things were looking right again with Tansyskip's old friend.
    Things continued to look up. The next moon, MarshClan didn't experience any issues. There were no deaths, no speculations, and a thriving clan. It was great not having any bad meetings and the tension dying down, despite the spies around the territories still very much on the loose. In fact, their next meeting was nothing but the naming of new warriors, those being Creamypaw's sister and cousins. Tansyskip reminded Creamypaw to congratulate them all on their own time, and that it would soon be Creamypaw's turn to become a full medicine cat.
    Then Sandstar called another meeting not a day later. And despite worries running through some of their clanmates, it ended up being good news. Sandstar had just finished a meeting with Starlingstar, where he discovered that CloudClan had uncovered two more spies. The spies were CloudClan's deputy, Grasshopperhill, and a warrior by the name of Drakefeather. Both were killed, but not before CloudClan learned that Drakefeather had killed two MarshClan cats before: Dovemask and Spiderbite. Their murderer was finally uncovered, giving MarshClan the ability to breathe again. Yet, some cats began to make comments about how CloudClan killed the spies too soon and how they could have gotten more information out of them. Tansyskip interjected, reminding the cats that called CloudClan names how they were no different, having Softsnap killed before they had the ability to talk more with her. Sure, that was not the decision of all the cats in MarshClan, but it was no better than CloudClan's decision. Not to mention CloudClan likely was going through grief, which only clouded a cat's decision. His words seemed to quiet the others, and he gave Sandstar the ability to continue.
    With the attention of the clan back, Sandstar declared that MarshClan would open the borders and loosen up their restrictions. Though, he reminded their clanmates to remain cautious, he lifted the restriction on how cats can come and go in camp as they would please. Everyone seemed to be pleased with this decision, especially the idea of being able to go out in pairs. Tansyskip certainly noticed a certain pair liking the idea of it. Sandstar dismissed the meeting, though Tansyskip chose to approach him and ask about the escorts that came with him and Creamypaw to the half-moon meetings. Sandstar seemed to hesitate for a moment before saying that they would continue to have an escort with them each half-moon meeting. Though MarshClan likely was free of spies, there were still at least two left, assuming Robinear was one. They couldn't take any chances. Tansyskip was a bit dismayed at this decision, but he ultimately agreed that it was too risky to assume that everything was okay. For now, he would just be happy that Sandstar was finally loosening up again.
    The clan enjoyed the freedom while Tansyskip was able to return to his duties with a brighter outlook on the future. He helped Frostheart give birth to two healthy kits a few days after the meeting. They named the kits Hackberrykit and Cloverkit, and Tansyskip welcomed them warmly to the world. As he was finishing cleaning up and helping the new family settle in, he realized something; Hootsong would be near her own time to give birth, wouldn’t she? He wondered how she was doing in EmberClan, and whether they were treating well. Through gossip, he learned that her mate and the father of her kits was a warrior named Cricketstorm. Tansyskip faintly remembered the tom, and he knew of him to be competent and a good cat. He prayed to StarClan for a safe birth for Hootsong, praying for both her and her kits’ good health in the end of it. He hoped he would get to meet his future nieces and nephews someday.
    The clan celebrated the day that Seaheart’s second litter became apprentices and the deputy was able to return to her duties full-time. Though Sandstar was gradually improving, it was clear that Seaheart was well loved among the clan and was looking forward to her returning to her duties.
    But there wasn’t much time for said celebration as MarshClan began to experience sudden strong currents once again that took many of their clanmates. It started with young Echochirp and Morningshine, and Tansyskip took extra care in comforting his apprentice at the loss of her cousins, along with Hollyspark and Daffodilsplash. He was reminded painfully of when he lost Heavytalon to the same cause, so he empathized with the young cats. Echochirp and Morningshine were not the only ones to be lost though; Rabbitbloom and Cranefrost were also swept away by strong currents, and Canaryflight disappeared after going out to search for their lost clanmates. They never returned, and Tansyskip wondered if they were still out there somewhere.
    As if things couldn’t get worse for Creamypaw and her family, Hollyspark suddenly went missing about half a moon later. With her gone, Daffodilsplash was suddenly the last of her litter. Tansyskip couldn’t imagine losing all of one’s littermates in such a short timespan, and he was glad that Daffodilsplash had Creamypaw and Featherdove to comfort her. Still, Tansyskip made sure that the young she-cat was aware that he was always available to talk to and get consolation, as he was sure that her mentor and friends would be, too.
    The next gathering was one to celebrate and write in the clans’ histories. Reedstar brought the excellent news that Blizzardfang had been killed in the Dark Forest, and the remainder of her spies had been exposed. This meant that her reign of terror was over and everyone could breathe. None of the remaining spies were in MarshClan, which while that was relieving to hear, it still made Tansyskip a bit upset that his sister had been wrongfully accused and exiled. However, he couldn’t stay mad for long, knowing that she had found her happiness in EmberClan. He was pleased to hear Yewberry tell him that she had given birth to four healthy kits, two she-kits and two toms. She named them Hyacinthkit, Parsleykit, Fennelkit, and Primrosekit. Yewberry even made the comment that Fennelkit looked a lot like Tansyskip, which only made him smile. He couldn’t wait to meet his nieces and nephews once they were old enough to come to their first meeting. Until then, though, he would just have to speculate and send his good wishes to his sister on the breeze.
    With Blizzardfang gone, the clans were able to go about their lives without worry. The next moon was uneventful for MarshClan, save for the retirement of Dandelionheart and Darkscar. The clan, personally, welcomed their future moons of retirement, knowing the elders fully deserved it. And with leaf-fall came better news when Turtlecloud was announced to be expecting kits and moved into the nursery.
    There was also one thing that Tansyskip, personally, got to celebrate; the naming of his apprentice. Creamypaw had proven herself in her time as his apprentice, and it was time for her to be named a full medicine cat. He couldn’t have been more proud of the young she-cat, knowing she deserved every praise that she would receive. She was named Creamytail at her ceremony, and Tansyskip congratulated her personally after the half-moon meeting, telling her just how proud he was of her growth. He looked forward to many moons of working alongside her in the medicine den as medicine cats.
    MarshClan was not the only one that thrived, too. At the next gathering, MarshClan learned that HailClan had successfully reformed under the leadership of Salmonstar. It sounded right; the tom was there for HailClan every step of the way, representing it when they had no one else to do so, and it sounded as if it was StarClan’s personal decision to make him leader. HailClan had returned to their territory, freeing CloudClan and EmberClan of their refugees and their wanderers returning over time.
    The clan continued to thrive over the next moon and a half. Tansyskip was happy to see Dapplecrash’s kits become apprentices. Not only this, but new mateships were coming out left and right. It was just moons ago that Batwhisper and Waspcatcher had announced their mateship, and now Beesting and Stoatshell, as well as Mistyshine and Yarrowfoot, were also celebrating their mateships. Beesting and Stoatshell, especially, Tansyskip was happy for; he knew that Stoatshell had chosen to come to MarshClan for a reason, that reason evidently being Beesting, and now they had the privilege to show their love to the rest of the clan. Things were going so well, that it almost seemed like nothing could go wrong.
    Although Blizzardfang and her spies had been vanquished, Sandstar still had an escort come with Tansyskip and Creamytail to the half-moon meetings. Tansyskip had tried to convince him that they would be alright, but he figured paranoia wasn’t so easy to get rid of, and he only gave in. After all, it didn’t seem to be doing any harm, even after the many moons that they had escorts coming. Even the other clans seemed to have gotten used to it, though it was clear that they didn’t necessarily like it, either.
    That half-moon, it was Icefang that had accompanied them to Crystal Falls. Tansyskip remembered not trusting the tom seasons ago when he had first joined MarshClan. Now, he couldn’t see himself trusting anyone anymore than he did the large warrior. Icefang had proven himself to be a very devoted MarshClan cat, despite his past, and he was always eager to serve.
    Tansyskip had the pleasure of meeting Laurelpaw for the first time at this half-moon meeting, too. They seemed young and eager, and he welcomed the young cat to the work that they would be doing for the remainder of their moons. The beginning of the half-moon meeting went off without a hitch, with the medicine cats sharing casual conversation about any injuries or illnesses they were dealing with at the time. It was just like any other meeting.
    So when Crystal Falls was suddenly attacked, it shocked everyone, Icefang included. The medicine cats were shocked to see two cats emerge from the water, one of them dragging Laurelpaw underwater as they did. Tansyskip couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw Snakeheart emerge; wasn’t the tom dead? Even Yewberry and Waverose had confirmed his speculation, yet it didn’t help make any more sense as to what he was doing there now.
    While they were trying to figure this out, Orchidfrost had dove into the water after Laurelpaw, and Icefang had come into the sacred place to check on the cats. Then Snakeheart said the name of his companion: Drakefeather. Tansyskip’s blood ran cold. Wasn’t that the CloudClan spy that killed Dovemask and Spiderbite? But… he for sure was supposed to be dead. How were they here!? Waverose went after Drakefeather when she saw him, and Tansyskip cried for her to stop. But his attention was pulled away when he saw how much Orchidfrost and Laurelpaw were struggling in the water. As much as he wanted to help Waverose, he instead went to help the HailClan medicine cats.
    As he reached desperately for Laurelpaw, he heard paws racing away. They were the familiar steps of Creamytail, and he could only assume she had run to get help. Tansyskip was just relieved that she had escaped as he successfully grabbed hold of Laurelpaw and pulled him out of the water. He was quick to begin checking Laurelpaw over for injuries, but he stopped cold when he saw the water begin to run red. He dared turn to look at the water, and to his horror, Waverose’s dead body had begun to sink into it. Not only that, but Orchidfrost was nowhere to be seen. Where had he gone?
    Panicked, Tansyskip frantically looked around for help. But Yewberry and Icefang were busy fighting the Dark Forest cats, and Creamytail had not yet returned with backup. Tansyskip tried to get someone’s attention, but it was fruitless. He was happy to see Drakefeather disappear in Icefang’s jaws, though, knowing that the tom was gone once and for all. He was about to cheer for the warrior when, suddenly, Icefang collapsed after a loud thud. Tansyskip froze, and the next thing he knew, he was seeing blood coming from the back of Icefang’s head. He raced over to check on the large tom, but by the time he got there, Icefang was already gone…
    He turned to see Snakeheart backing up towards the water. The sly tom said his fun had run out and it was time to go. With another farewell directed to Yewberry, he disappeared in the red stained water, and it was suddenly over. Tansyskip was at a loss, sitting by Icefang’s body with trembling legs as he looked around cautiously. Crystal Falls–it was destroyed. Yewberry was exhausted from his fight, Laurelpaw still coughing up water. Orchidfrost was missing…. And Waverose and Icefang were dead.
    Tansyskip had done his best to pull Waverose out of the water with the help of Bramblewhisper. They had laid her at the edge of the water by the time the backup had arrived, and all of the remaining medicine cats were exhausted. Tansyskip stared blankly at Creamytail and shook his head. It was all gone. There were so many unsolved mysteries from this occurrence… and what of Crystal Falls? What of the half-moon meetings?... What of StarClan?
    After making sure Laurelpaw was okay, Tansyskip and Creamytail slowly made their way back to MarshClan, Icefang’s body in tow with the help of their backup. Back at camp, they prepared a quick vigil for the large tom, where his family gathered around him with heavy grief. Tansyskip glanced over to where Sandstar was watching. This… This didn’t have to happen. Even if the attack occurred, Icefang shouldn’t have been there. Tansyskip stayed for the entirety of the vigil, and by the time the elders were ready to take him for his burial, Tansyskip watched with blurry vision as they left the camp. He said his final farewell to the large tom, thanking him for his service and sacrifice, all while also apologizing to him for dying such a terrible death.
    It was like the destruction of Crystal Falls caused bad luck, because MarshClan suddenly became quickly plagued by it. It began with Darkscar’s death when he ate diseased prey, and Tansyskip told his clanmates to be wary of prey. Unfortunately, his warning would become lackluster as it seemed an early leafbare was quickly approaching and prey grew ever scarcer. The snow built up quickly, and Tansyskip and Creamytail scrambled to gather the last of their herbs before the snow killed them off. Why was this happening? What had they done to deserve this?
    Normally, the announcement of expecting kits would be welcoming, especially when it came from two strong and capable warriors such as Oliveroot and Lichencloud. But Tansyskip was only worried. If the weather was to continue like this, would the clan be able to support the new kits once they arrived? What about the kits they would already have to care for, like Turtlecloud’s new litter of three? His worries grew ever bigger with each snowfall, and he could only pray to StarClan that it would all be alright in the end. Yet… could StarClan hear him?
    At least the clan had something to celebrate when Plovertail’s adoptive daughter became an apprentice. Even Tansyskip grew a bit emotional seeing Lightpaw’s ceremony. Lightpaw had played such a special part in his friend’s recovery, and now she would get to train under Puddlestorm, whom Tansyskip was also quite close with. It warmed his heart to see everything come around in a full circle.
    Things seemed to be going just as bad for other clans, though. One day, Starlingstar approached Sandstar with the request to investigate the potential means of Bramblewhisper’s death. The news itself shocked Tansyskip. Bramblewhisper was dead? But… That meant that CloudClan was without a medicine cat. It wasn’t so long ago that Waverose had died in the attack at Crystal Falls, and now Bramblewhisper had been found dead at the border. He couldn’t imagine what CloudClan was going through right now, nor what they would do about their lack of a medicine cat. He worried for them greatly.
    However, Sandstar was insulted at the idea that MarshClan would have anything to do with her death, especially so soon after the attack at Crystal Falls, where Icefang laid his life down for not just Tansyskip and Creamytail, but the other medicine cats, too. He refused the investigation, and MarshClan even had to chase some CloudClan cats off their territory a few days later. Of course, Tansyskip didn’t think Starlingstar or CloudClan were blaming MarshClan for Bramblewhisper’s death, though he wasn’t sure how to explain it to Sandstar.
    It wasn’t until a strange scent was caught at one of the entrances to the tunnels did Sandstar agree to an investigation, so long as MarshClan joined. After all, perhaps whatever left that scent was the cause of it. Turns out, they had the right of it; the patrol of CloudClan and MarshClan cats decided to begin investigating the tunnels where the strange scent was. What they came across was a bobcat, which was startled and angered by their intrusion. It ended up escaping, but not before injuring many cats and causing the tunnels to collapse.
    When Snappaw came running into camp yelling about the bobcat and the collapsed tunnel, everyone was stunned. Sandstar, likely experiencing some form of PTSD from being trapped in the tunnels himself, had frozen up. When he came to, he seemed to believe the cats were lost to them and dead in there, which scared their clanmates. Tansyskip calmed them down, reminding them that they had their clanmates with them and they would survive it, but they needed their help right away. He helped arrange cats to go with him to the tunnels, looking for as many that could dig and carry herbs as he could. When they were ready to go, he followed Snappaw’s scent trail back to the tunnel. He instructed the cats to be careful when digging, else they risk another collapse. Meanwhile, he got his herbs ready for the injured cats.
    It was a long and gruelly effort, but with everyone’s help, they finally managed to dig the cats out of the tunnel. Tansyskip was quick to address their injuries, starting with the more severe ones like CloudClan warriors Lochjaw and Hazestorm. Lichencloud, too, was in bad shape, though given his lack of pain receptors, he insisted that the others be treated first. Once everyone was safe to travel, Tansyskip had the healthy carry the injured that couldn’t walk, all while instructing the CloudClan cats that were injured to follow them back to MarshClan.
    He did what he could to treat them back at his den, but his herbs were already running low from the early leafbare, and he didn’t have the capacity to shelter all the injured. Though it was with a heavy heart, Tansyskip told the CloudClan cats to head home with the treatments and advice he provided, hoping they could perhaps use the stock that Bramblewhisper left behind to continue their treatments. However, he kept Lochjaw and Hazestorm behind in his den, deeming them too injured to be moved. He promised the CloudClan warriors that he and Creamytail would take good care of them, and with that, the CloudClan cats returned back to their territory with heavy hearts.
    As Tansyskip continued to treat the cats, he still couldn’t believe what he had heard. Lichencloud began telling him in deeper detail about the bobcat and the tunnel collapse, all while he was being treated for his broken jaw. Tansyskip appreciated the information, though he personally wished the large tom would sit still. He worried more and more for the injured back in CloudClan, wondering if they were holding up. It seemed he was not the only one to worry about them though.
    The next day, Creamytail came to him with the idea that she could go act as CloudClan’s medicine cat for the time being. She could treat the injured cats and stand in until they got a medicine cat of their own again. She had only just become a full medicine cat herself, and yet she was already ready to take on such a responsibility. Tansyskip was concerned, reasonably, but he couldn’t hold her back from doing so. After all, it wasn’t like he was the sole medicine cat of MarshClan just outside of his training days. He trusted Creamytail to take good care of CloudClan. So once Lochjaw and Hazestorm were stable enough to return to CloudClan, Creamytail went with them to act as CloudClan’s medicine cat. Tansyskip bid her farewell and good luck, not knowing when the next time he’d get to work with her would be.
    MarshClan spent the next days extensively searching their territory for the bobcat’s location. Finally, they managed to catch its scent and a sighting of it by Lilypad Lagoon. Sandstar and Starlingstar got together to come up with a plan with their warriors, and the plan was then set in motion. Yet, they had no clue that carrying out the plan would result in a fatal error.
    The bobcat was successfully driven out, though there were some serious injuries in the battle. Apparently, a CloudClan warrior had been knocked unconscious during the fight, and Monarchstream, too, was knocked out and raced back to camp. Tansyskip was quick to admit her to his den and get her situated and cared for, but when he heard yelling and a loud thud in the middle of camp, his attention was torn away.
    Sandstar had collapsed in the middle of camp, and he was severely injured. Tansyskip was alarmed at the extent of his injuries, and he was quick to go assess the tom. However, upon further inspection, Tansyskip realized he wouldn’t be able to save his leader. He looked down at Sandstar with a sorrowful look, and it seemed that Sandstar understood. With some final signs to his children, Sandstar passed away to his injuries, his last battle being a heroic one and his death proving his loyalty and care towards his clan. Despite what he had done in the past, the clan still mourned for him. Though, they were also just as happy for Seaheart to step up and become Seastar, ready for her to lead them into a new era.
    Seastar ends up picking Roachheart for her deputy after careful consideration, and it was a decision that Tansyskip approved. Roachheart was one of Dovemask’s kits and Plovertail’s nephew, and despite all he had gone through, he was a loyal and capable tom ready for the position. Tansyskip looked forward to working with him in the future as MarshClan’s future leaders.
    Tansyskip was excited to hear from Creamytail at the gathering, and he was all the more happy to meet her apprentice, Cirruspaw. She had picked the young she-cat to be CloudClan’s next medicine cat, and they had begun training immediately. Tansyskip welcomed Cirruspaw to the position, and he told her that she had an excellent mentor caring for her. She would make a wonderful medicine cat for CloudClan in the near future. Though, Tansyskip would be lying if he said he wasn’t more excited about the prospect of Creamytail returning to MarshClan once Cirruspaw’s training was over, but he reminded himself that that would still be moons to come.
    MarshClan only continued to grow, despite the harsh weather. Mistyshine was suddenly and unexpectedly expecting Yarrowfoot’s kits, and she was quick to be moved to the nursery. Meanwhile, Oliveroot had given birth to three healthy kits. Unfortunately, though, the queen died due to birthing complications, much to the dismay of everyone. Lichencloud, especially, was sad to hear his friend had passed. However, the large tom was not yet released from Tansyskip’s den, as he was still recovering from his injuries in the tunnel collapse and bobcat attack. He reassured the tom that his kits would be well cared for by the other queens until he was able to move into the nursery with them, and Tansyskip told him it shouldn’t be too long now until he could.
    There was, however, the plight of the early leafbare and lack of prey. Teaselfire died of starvation suddenly one day, reminding the clan that they likely would only continue to struggle with prey and food for the next several moons as they got through leafbare. Tansyskip was worried about what the future would hold for them, not knowing yet that Teaselfire would only be the first of many.
    Thankfully, MarshClan would still continue to have its fair share of good news. Seastar’s second litter became warriors a little under half a moon after Oliveroot’s death, being named Rainwillow, Skybreeze, and Riverleap respectively. Meanwhile, Frostheart’s kits became apprentices and moved out of the nursery, which was just in time for Lichencloud to move in to be with his kits after Tansyskip finally cleared him and released him from the medicine den. He seemed quite happy becoming a den dad to his kits, though Tansyskip could tell that he just wanted to play with them all the time. He wasn’t sure how effective of a parent he would end up being, but he was glad the kits would have Willowpool to help teach them manners at least.
    Tansyskip was excited, too, when he got to see his sister again for the first time since she moved to EmberClan. She had attended the gathering along with one of her kits, Fennelpaw, after they had become apprentices. Tansyskip was overjoyed to meet his nephew, and he was even happier to hear him talk about his fish scales collection. It reminded him fondly of his time when he collected snakeskins. Though the older medicine cat didn't do it anymore, he still enjoyed keeping the odd snakeskin once in awhile, and he told Fennelpaw to never let go of his love for scales. He got to hear about Fennelpaw's littermates then, too, and he smiled when he heard that they were all well. He turned to Hootsong and told her that he was glad that she was safe and happy, and he was just happy to see her again with a smile on her face.
    Things continued to look up as another apprentice was named. And then, one apprentice, thought to have died moons ago, suddenly showed up at camp one day. Tansyskip briefly remembered them as Fogpaw, Waspcatcher’s littermate. He was stunned to see them, and before they could enter any further, Tansyskip had raced over to check them for any injuries. Yet, they seemed to have a clean bill of health despite being gone for so long. The clan was overjoyed seeing them again, and a meeting was called to give them a warrior ceremony, where they were named Fogheart and welcomed back to MarshClan.
    But the leafbare only continued to be proven difficult when the snow and cold weather only got worse. Turtlecloud’s son, Gullkit, had gotten lost in the thick snow and eventually was found dead, having died of hypothermia. However, before he was found, Cloverpaw had gone out searching for him in the middle of a storm. She never returned though, much to the dismay of her family. Tansyskip couldn’t believe all they had already lost to the cold weather, and it only got worse when Skybreeze went missing one day on a patrol. She was out hunting with her mother and a large party, and when they all came back together, Skybreeze was nowhere to be found. Poor Seastar was distraught at the loss of her daughter, and Tansyskip did all he could to console the leader and her family in their grief.
    At least they still had something to celebrate, for Mistyshine had given birth to five healthy kits just days before Skybreeze had gone missing. Lichencloud, especially, seemed happy for his former apprentice as he greeted the newborns, and Tansyskip personally was just glad that the birth went without any complications. After all, he was still worried after what had happened with Oliveroot, not to mention the worsening weather. Yet, things went well anyways, and he had to remind himself that these kits would one day be warriors. They would combat this weather and worse in their future, so they would fight just like anybody else did against all odds.
    It was a melancholic day when MarshClan had to say goodbye to the beloved Sunsplash. They woke up one morning to find she had passed away in her sleep. Tansyskip was glad that she went peacefully, though it wouldn’t stop the ache in his chest and the many others that the elder had influenced over her moons. The vigil seemed to be filled with the entirety of the clan; even cats that may not have been close to Sunsplash were there. Seeing them together reminded Tansyskip of all that MarshClan had been through in the past moons, and he smiled knowing that, against it all, they were still bonded to each other and were strong. Though he spoke the words multiple times in his life already, giving the parting farewell to Sunsplash was the first time where Tansyskip felt complete when doing so. Sunsplash had a long and meaningful life, and now she would be respected as MarshClan’s ancestor with StarClan.
    For a bit, things began to look up for the clan again. Dapplecrash’s kits became warriors not long after Sunsplash’s passing, and the clan also got to congratulate a new apprentice named Cedarpaw. As if Monarchstream becoming a mentor wasn’t any better for Plovertail’s family, the old tom got to celebrate the mateship of his son, Murkytrail, with Flywing. The two had been close since their apprenticeships, and it was only a matter of time before they would be announcing it. Tansyskip was happy for them, even more so when he told Flywing that she was expecting kits. Though he was still worried for future kits, given the weather conditions, he began to feel flickers of hope again as she told Murkytrail and his family, and Tansyskip felt so much happiness for Plovertail as his old friend brightened up at the news. He was quick to jump into his duties as queen as he helped settle Flywing, and it was clear that he doted on the young she-cat and was excited to meet his first grandkits. Tansyskip reminded him gently to give her space, though Plovertail admitted to him that he shared Tansyskip’s worries of the weather and only wanted to be prepared for the kits. Tansyskip sympathized with him and told him that he would be there every step of the way for not just his grandkits, but for the rest of his family, too. This seemed to calm Plovertail, and the queen seemed all the better by the time his daughter was made a warrior half a moon after Flywing’s announcement and was named Lightember.
    But the glee in the camp could not last long. Tansyskip’s fears began to come true when Batwhisper and Brookheart ended up passing away from starvation. The lack of prey due to the weather was evidently affecting the clan in their weakened states and thin bodies. Tansyskip didn’t have many more herbs to help keep up strength, and he could only begin giving words of encouragement to the cats as they came to console him. He, especially, was worried for Seastar and Waspcatcher, who had just lost two cats very near and dear to them. He made sure to visit the leader often and ask about her health, or he would stop Waspcatcher in camp once in a while just to check in. But his words, in the end, were just that–words. He could not bring back the dead or the love that they took with them, and he could only mourn alongside his clanmates while also praying that the weather and their situation would improve soon.
    Yet, his prayer was only met with yet another fatal outcome. One day, Splashkit, Mistyshine’s daughter, had found herself out in the middle of the frozen water without realization. The weather had seemed to improve, if just a bit, but it didn’t end up bringing good news. Rather, it had thinned the ice just enough for the small she-kit’s weight to break through it, and she fell into the freezing water. Cries of alarm came from her as she fell, and before anyone else could jump to her rescue, Seastar had dived into the water after her granddaughter. Cats waited at the edge of the hole with baited breath, but a sigh of relief was released when she came back up carrying an unconscious Splashkit. As Seastar set her back on the ground, Tansyskip and Mistyshine crowded the young kit. Tansyskip began to rub the she-kit’s body while Mistyshine took to quickly grooming her, hoping to warm her up. Tansyskip was so focused on Splashkit that he hadn’t noticed his own leader’s condition until he heard her collapse behind her.
    One of the many things that worried Tansyskip for moons was how Seastar didn’t have a second life. There was no Crystal Falls for her to go to to receive one, and she walked a tightrope as MarshClan’s leader for a long time. He just never thought that hypothermia would be her undoing. With Mistyshine’s focus on Splashkit, he quickly went over to assess his leader. Yet, she seemed to understand what was happening as he rapidly tried to warm her with little success. Seastar reminded him that it was okay, and that she would be with her beloved Icefang soon. She managed to stay alive long enough to say farewell to her family before passing on.
    Her death shocked everyone, as it was unexpected. To think they would lose their leader so quickly after she had stepped up as one, yet with only one life, it couldn’t have been so much of a surprise. Regardless, the entire clan mourned for Seastar as Tansyskip arranged the vigil. However, he didn’t attend himself, for now he had a patient in the still-unconscious Splashkit. He promised Mistyshine that he would watch her carefully while she went to mourn her mother. Yet, she wouldn’t wake up until days later. Until then, Tansyskip took extra care of her, all while helping Roachstar adjust to his new duties as leader.
    Splashkit waking up was a sign of good news, though she was still shivering and disorientated when she did. Tansyskip told Mistyshine and Yarrowfoot that her littermates should avoid seeing her until she was relatively recovered, and they agreed. He hated when Splashkit learned of Seastar’s death, though, as the young she-kit was sent into shock and grief days after the vigil. She didn’t even get to say goodbye to her grandmother like the rest of their family did. He comforted her, reminding her that it was not her fault and that Seastar died for her out of her decision. Yet, his words seemed to fall on deaf ears.
    He had to begin splitting his attention between Splashkit and his new patient, Asterkit. The tom-kit was Lichencloud’s youngest, and he was brought to Tansyskip’s den one day with raised alarm when he spiked a fever and a terrible cough. Tansyskip only confirmed his fear when he realized it was whitecough, and he isolated Asterkit to the other side of the den for fear of Splashkit contracting it in her weakened state. But his efforts in saving the young kit was futile, for he passed away from his illness days later. Tansyskip was pained to tell Lichencloud, who struggled to cope with the loss for a while. Though he tried to bounce back for his kits, it was clear that they knew what had happened, especially Alpinekit, his oldest. The tom-kit had continued to visit the medicine den for his brother, even if it meant sitting on the opposite side of the den with Splashkit instead. Asterkit’s death affected the kit heavily, and for a long time, Tansyskip had to provide him herbs for his shock and to help him sleep. He had seen kits grieve for their littermates before, but never quite like this. It worried Tansyskip, though he was glad to see that Alpinekit seemed to have a friend in the despair of it all in Splashkit, who was able to help remind him that Asterkit wouldn’t have wanted him to grieve for the rest of his life over him.
    So Tansyskip was dismayed when he had to tell Alpinekit that he couldn’t keep visiting Splashkit. His worst fears came true when she contracted not just whitecough, but the dreaded greencough. He was not going to risk the other kit becoming sick, so he isolated Splashkit, only allowed brief visits with her mother and father. He worked extensively to try and treat her, terrified at the idea of losing yet another kit to this terrible illness. It reminded him all too well of the epidemic from the last leafbare, and he didn’t dare think about the possibility of it returning.
    Especially when the clan was already dealing with so many other deaths due to the lack of prey. Batwhisper and Brookheart ended up only being the beginning of it, and MarshClan quickly lost more to the plague of starvation. Dawnpetal was the first, and then Rainwillow, who had stopped eating after his mother’s death. Cherryroot and Raventuft followed just days after, and Tansyskip was terrified at the idea of losing anymore. This was not an illness that he could combat, or something he could throw herbs at. He couldn’t hunt for his clan, and even if he tried, there was no prey to hunt. How were they to get through the rest of leafbare, if already it was taking so many great warriors with it?
    When Roachstar named Waspcatcher his deputy, Tansyskip released a small sigh of relief. Without a deputy, he was worried of the idea of Roachstar also dying to starvation and leaving the clan without a leader. He couldn’t imagine MarshClan falling apart like HailClan did, though he had to remind himself that there were no spies to undo them. Rather, he tried to see Waspcatcher’s promotion as a sign of good to come.
    And it seemed his intuition was right. Splashkit, despite all odds, began to improve. Her greencough had lessened into a mild whitecough, and she was stronger now than she ever had been after her initial plunge. And it wouldn't be much longer that Tansyskip deemed her fully recovered. He was happy to reunite a family when he released Splashkit from the medicine den, and even Alpinekit seemed better once Splashkit returned to the nursery.
    And the nursery only continued to grow when Flywing gave birth to a litter of five. While the first four were healthy, the youngest, a small calico she-kit, was weak, with barely a cry from the moment she was born. The family was instantly worried as Tansyskip whisked her away to his den to try and get her up and going. He was thankful to see her last throughout the night, knowing that that first day was going to be a long and difficult fight for the little she-kit. Her parents had come to check on her one Flywing was well enough to move. They told Tansyskip that they named the others: Beetlekit, Claykit, Cowkit, and Pearlkit. He had to wonder how Plovertail felt, seeing his mate influence the name of his grandkit. Then Tansyskip reminded himself that these kits were Plovertail’s new light and how much the old queen was looking forward to them. He had to bring them all together quickly. Murkytrail and Flywing named little Peonykit while they visited her, and despite her weakened state, they loved her just as much as the others and wished for her safe return back to their nest in the nursery. Tansyskip, too, wished for that to come sooner rather than later.
    While he treated Peonykit in his den, Tansyskip continued to celebrate good news with the rest of the camp outside. Frostheart’s remaining kit, Hackberrypaw, became a warrior by the name of Hackberrytoe. In the same meeting, Roachstar performed apprentice ceremonies for Lichencloud’s kits, Alpinepaw and Apricotpaw, even giving Apricotpaw to Frostheart in the same meeting. It was good to see them well and strong, despite the loss of their brother. Tansyskip congratulated all three of them with warm smiles.
    He also got to learn at the next gathering that his niece and nephews, too, had become warriors. He remembered painfully the day that he was by Hootsong of Hyacinthpaw’s tragic death. She had fallen into the water and drowned, which reminded Tansyskip of Splashkit, too. Though Hyacinthpaw’s family mourned terribly over her loss, the others continued to thrive and passed their assessments with flying colors. He got to congratulate them by using their new names the next time he saw them: Parsleyseed, Fennelspots, and Primrosedawn. They had all grown up into such fine cats, and Tansyskip couldn’t believe how well Hootsong and her family had been in EmberClan. He realized that her exile happened for a reason, and he finally came to terms with it moons after it happened when he saw the family all together and smiling. It was even better when they included him, and despite a lake between them, Tansyskip felt connected to his family again, which warmed his heart after so long of it going cold.
    Peonykit continued to improve over the next two moons, too. It was a wonderful sight to see her littermates meet her for the first time, watching as they kicked off their sibling love for each other so quickly, despite having only just met. Though, Tansyskip could tell the little she-kit was extremely conscious about a certain special abnormality she had. It was within the first moon that Tansyskip discovered a strange phenomenon with the kit; Peonykit had two sets of ears. He had never seen anything like it, and he found himself testing Peonykit’s hearing for a long while. It didn’t seem bad, though it wasn’t any better than the average cat’s either. He wondered if the extra appendages truly were a second set of ears, or if they ended up just being cosmetic. Regardless, he reassured Flywing and Murkytrail that they wouldn’t affect Peonykit in the long run. And the family celebrated when, after the two moons of Peonykit being held in his den, Tansyskip finally allowed Peonykit to return to the nursery with her family, confident that she was happy and healthy, despite her small size and her uniqueness.
    During these couple of moons, the clans had decided that it was time to go and investigate the Crystal Falls. It had been moons since anyone had stepped foot in the sacred place, and with the improving feather and new-leaf on the horizon, they figured it was time to check it out. Tansyskip was supportive of the idea, though when the other clans began to mention bringing warriors to help with the investigation, his blood ran cold. When the others turned to MarshClan about their opinion, Tansyskip spoke before Roachstar and Waspcatcher had the time to think about it; MarshClan would go investigate Crystal Falls, but only their high ranks would go. When questioned about it, Tansyskip provided his reasoning. Though it was the Dark Forest that had attacked them, the clans had struggled for moons to receive any form of contact from StarClan since. Tansyskip had always been against the escorts, but he never questioned them until that night. Now, he felt as if they played a part in StarClan’s silence and the severed bound that they had with their ancestors. He would not make that same mistake again, not to mention he would not make another warrior lay their life down at the risk of something bad happening again. MarshClan would not let warriors go.
    Roachstar and Waspcatcher, in the end, supported his decision. They trusted his words and intuition, and the three convinced the other clans that they would not move on this. They didn’t stop the other clans from allowing their warriors to go, though, despite Tansyskip’s reserves in the idea. He just had to hope that StarClan would make the exception while they worked to repair Crystal Falls.
    Seeing Crystal Falls in the state that they had left it sent shivers down Tansyskip’s spine. It was just as bad as when he left it that night, and worse as the wild began to take it over. He couldn’t believe what time had done to the place, but he couldn’t dwell on it for long. There was work to be done. Though they certainly couldn’t finish it all in one day, Tansyskip helped guide the other cats on what they could do in Crystal Fall’s recovery, returning whenever he possibly could to check on the progress. It was slow, and it was grueling, but he prayed that doing this would bring StarClan back to them, and that their bad luck would end.
    The weather continued to rapidly improve in the meantime, with the snow melting and the prey returning. But with the snow and ice melting came the rising of the water. MarshClan was warned to be wary of the water levels and the strong currents that came with it, but it was not enough. Cats began to be swept away, including Houndpaw and Featherdove.
    And this was not all that the clan had to deal with. One day, Puddlestorm was found dead. The terrifying part about it, though, was that he clearly fought in a desperate attempt to survive against whatever–or whoever--attacked him, but it was in vain. Tansyskip couldn’t believe the wounds he saw as he dressed the tom for his vigil. Was this another murder? But… the spies were gone! Right? Who else would want to kill the clan cats? When asking about what they found, the patrol stated that they couldn’t find any traces of the attacker, which worried Tansyskip. It was all happening over again; it was like Dovemask and Spiderbite’s deaths, with no indication to Puddlestorm’s murderer, and leaving the clan tense and high on alert. What was going to happen?
    Tansyskip didn’t have much time to think about it, unfortunately. Birchnose had come down with whitecough once again, and though he had survived it multiple times in his life, Tansyskip devoted his time to the old tom’s recovery. But it was in vain, for the whitecough quickly progressed to greencough, and he died days later. Tansyskip was in shock, and the clan grieved for the loss of the elder. But the medicine cat was more afraid of what he was going to tell Creamytail. Both her father and her sister were dead, and she was not there to say goodbye. How was he going to break this news to her?
    At least there was some good news amongst all the bad. Mistyshine’s kits became apprentices without any more issues, and Tansyskip was glad to see Mistyshine return to her warrior duties. She had not been herself since her mother and her brothers’ deaths, and he hoped that returning to her duties would help Mistyshine recover from the shock that she was forced to sit around with for moons. The clan also got to celebrate another apprentice, Shadypaw, which made Tansyskip smile.
    But the good news could never last. More clanmates died, starting with Turtlecloud to a snake bite. Her last remaining kit, Marigoldpaw, was alone. Tansyskip tried to comfort him as best he could, but it was becoming a chore having to console every clanmate for a loss. Of course, it was in his duties to do so, and he always did so willingly. Yet, Tansyskip hardly had time to grieve the cats himself, especially when they died so quickly.
    A few days after Turtlecloud’s death, Hartfire was pulled under the water. It was what pulled her under that had the medicine cat shivering in his paws. A fish pulled her under. A really big fish that had little issues snatching up a full-grown warrior. What in StarClan’s name was that? He couldn’t make any sense of it. He had never seen a fish that large! He remembered hearing news from EmberClan about a similar thing happening to them, but he didn’t want to believe it. Now, he was forced to, for he saw it with his own eyes.
    He shared with Yewberry at the next gathering about the large fish, praying that EmberClan was doing alright. He couldn’t imagine dealing with that thing on multiple occasions like they were, and he wondered how Yewberry was holding up on coping with such an unknown threat. But they didn’t get to go very much further into it, or any clan news for that matter, when the gathering was interrupted by the sounds of fighting. Tansyskip stayed back at Hope Bridge to keep the cats calm while others went to investigate. When they returned, grief was on their faces. They found Wild dead, clearly attacked by someone and killed by them. Tanssykip was in disbelief. Was it the same cat that killed Puddlestorm? Granted, Wild still likely had enemies after the war, but they were so far past that now that it seemed irrelevant to kill her over it. So just who was killing these cats? No one knew, but the clans still grieved for the loss of the rogue, despite her misgivings so many moons ago.
    One day, a rogue came to MarshClan asking to join the clan. No one quite knew who she was, though she looked strangely familiar. She introduced herself as Pigeon, and something clicked in Tansyskip’s mind; this was the cat that was exiled from HailClan, the very same exile that had caused its split. He remembered hearing that her exile was wrongful, but then why didn’t she return to HailClan? Why did she, instead, want to join MarshClan? He couldn’t make sense of it, but they didn’t turn down the opportunity of a fully trained warrior and welcomed her into MarshClan. She renamed herself to Pigeonwish upon becoming a warrior again, and though Tansyskip was confused, he, too, made sure to help her feel welcomed as a new clanmate as she adjusted to her life with MarshClan.
    The day that Creamytail returned to MarshClan was one filled with both happiness and sorrow. Tansyskip was happy to have his previous apprentice back, knowing that she successfully trained the next generation of medicine cats for CloudClan and that he was no longer alone. But he was sad to know that Creamytail was coming home to a different MarshClan, with no Sandstar or Seastar, no Birchnose, and no Featherdove to welcome her home. He wondered if Creamytail was okay for the first few moons, and he told her she could rest and recoup for as long as she needed.
    Work at Crystal Falls had continued to improve over the moons, though Tansyskip had hardly the time to think about it. The wind had begun to pick up across the territories, and he hadn’t realized the damage it would end up causing. He was shocked to hear of a tree falling into HailClan’s camp, killing multiple of their elders and putting others in the medicine den. That was not all, though; the twolegs had begun to grow active on CloudClan’s territory, with them and their monsters straying from their thunderpaths and tearing up land. Tansyskip asked Cirrusflight if everyone was okay, to which she replied that they had lost some cats to diseased prey likely caused by the twolegs, but they were sure to steer clear of the twoleg activity.
    Tansyskip offered his condolences to Laurelsprout and Cirrusflight. He was especially worried for Laurelsprout, who was still grieving for Orchidfrost after the tom had died one morning. He was shocked to discover that they believed Rippletide to have killed him, and the she-cat had fled from their clan upon being called out. Orchidfrost was her uncle, though, wasn’t he? Why would she kill her own uncle? It didn’t make sense, but Tansyskip didn’t question it. He needed to be there to support the younger medicine cats while they struggled through these troubles, and he reminded them that MarshClan’s borders were open for advice and assistance, should they ever need it.
    Though, MarshClan had their own issues to worry about. It seemed the bobcats were back, and they had multiplied. Was that one bobcat expecting kits, and now they were back to get revenge? Whether it was that or not, they succeeded in causing havoc for MarshClan when they began killing cats. It started with Cicadashell, and then Tawnyshade and Stoatshell. Tansyskip could see the sorrow in Beesting’s eyes, losing her sister and her mate so soon for the same terrible reason. Plovertail assured Tansyskip that he would take care of Beesting, though, knowing that Tansyskip had a lot on his plate as is. He thanked Plovertail, though he reminded the queen that he was there should they need anything.
    The deaths didn’t stop with just the bobcats though. Another potential murder occurred when Shadowstrike’s body was found just outside the forest that lined MarshClan and CloudClan’s border. The patrol reported hearing a voice when she was found, but they could not find any other traces of a suspect. There was also the large fish, which only continued to strike. It was still terrorizing EmberClan, but it also decided to set its eyes on MarshClan, too, when it decided to take Dandelionheart for its next victim. Tansyskip was stunned to silence at this; why was this all happening to them? Even worse, why all at the same time?
    The rain and storms were getting bad, too, and it resulted in the orphanage of three small kits. A large storm had hit MarshClan and caused some damage across their clan. In the chaos of getting to shelter, one of the kits, Fisherkit, had been caught in the water’s current. However, his parents, Oaktalon and Redmarsh, dove in to save him. While they were successful in getting Fisherkit to safety, they were not so lucky as they were dragged under the water and never came back up.
    Tansyskip took care of Fisherkit in his den for the next few days to help him with his shock and to monitor him for any potential on-coming illnesses. Thankfully, it never happened, but it didn’t erase the terrible memories of losing both of your parents at the same time. The queens worked together for a short time to take care of the kits, until Lightember suddenly stepped up and decided to adopt the kits. Having been adopted herself, it wasn’t so surprising that she would pay it forward and take in these kits herself. And Plovertail certainly welcomed it, enjoying having his daughter in the nursery with him. The kits struggled to cope with it, though; while Weaselkit welcomed having a new mother and family, Minkkit and Fisherkit were a bit less enthused towards the idea. Tansyskip hoped they would grow to like Lightember and see her as more than just a caretaker with time, though, especially as they continued to grow up.
    Then, Roachstar was found dead. He was injured in a clear attack, though no one could discern if he was killed by the vengeful bobcats or murdered by a cat. But it didn’t matter; their leader was gone. The clan mourned his death terribly, having still not gotten over Seastar’s death. The lack of an extra life for the leaders was making it extremely difficult to have that padded feeling of comfort for the clan. Tansyskip decided to check on Beesting, despite Plovertail’s previous words, and he comforted her over her recent losses. She was the last of her litter now, the last of Dovemask’s line. He couldn’t imagine what she was going through at that moment. He could only support her as she pushed through the pain of it all and came back, hopefully stronger.
    The water levels in camp only continued to rise, and soon, the cats found some of their dens attempting to float away. Tansyskip wasn’t worried about his den, though he raced around with Creamytail in an attempt to save their herbs. Though they couldn’t save them all, they did manage to protect some after putting them in a dry and safe place until the camp was safer to return to their den. While the clan worked around the rising levels and repaired the camp, Tansyskip and Creamytail grew busy with going out and restocking the herbs that they had lost.
    The rising levels, however, made them all the more vulnerable to the large fish predator. It managed to grab a hold of young Lotuspaw and drag her down into the water, where she never ended up resurfacing. Her family was beyond themselves with grief, especially when they didn’t have a body to sit vigil for. It became so much that Splashpaw, with permission, left the camp to recoup. But her littermates followed her, not wanting her to be alone in her time of grief.
    What happened next was nothing that they were expecting. There were sudden cries from outside the camp from the young apprentices, and before anyone could move to action, Alpinepaw had raced out with Yarrowfoot to find out what had happened. When they all came back to camp, Gelidstorm had joined their group, who had disappeared from camp days ago. But that isn’t what mattered to Tansyskip. What mattered were the terrible injuries that Yarrowfoot’s kits had sustained, from simple yet deep scratches on Finpaw and Stormpaw to Splashpaw’s twisted leg. He ushered them all, including Alpinepaw, to his den, where he and Creamytail worked extensively to treat them. Guppypaw, although looked fine on the outside, had some bad internal injuries, and Tansyskip could only give her herbs and hoped they worked.
    Once they were all patched up and asleep, he went over to help Alpinepaw next, who had suffered some deep wounds in his neck. While Tansyskip focused on applying herbs, Alpinepaw’s eyes didn’t move from his injured denmates. Tansyskip decided to ask him what had happened, and he certainly didn’t expect the answer he was given. There was a mysterious cat that had attacked them, clearly wanting them dead. The mysterious part about it though? She was ghost. No matter how many times they successfully latched onto her or hit her, she could free herself by simply disappearing and reappearing. And once she was too tired to continue the fight, she disappeared all together. Tansyskip was horrified to hear this. It sounded like Blizzardfang, or Snakeheart and Drakefeather. More cats were coming from the dead? Was this cat from the Dark Forest, too? And, most importantly, was this cat the reason for the other strange murders? He couldn’t make sense of it.
    All went silent for a moment until Alpinepaw continued. He told Tansyskip that he felt like he recognized the she-cat. He didn’t know who she was, or what her name was, but her pelt was familiar to him, despite having never seen her in his life. Tansyskip tilted his head in confusion, though he tried to reassure Alpinepaw that the large tom likely wasn’t thinking straight at the moment. After all, he had just helped save his denmates, and he deserved a rest. Alpinepaw didn’t reply, but he did oblige when Tansyskip told him to sleep while the medicine did its job, and their conversation ended there.
    Tansyskip continued to keep a close eye on the apprentices while they healed, and he was thankful to see Finpaw, Stormpaw, and Alpinepaw recover quickly. Unfortunately, Guppypaw and Splashpaw would need to stay in his den for their far more severe injuries. Before he left the medicine den, though, Finpaw confided in Tansyskip about a dream he had. He told him that he dreamt of that ghostly cat once before, too, and he saw her killing Puddlestorm. Tansyskip felt a shiver in his pelt. Was it true? Did that cat kill Puddlestorm? When Finpaw went on to say she was focused on the fact that they were their grandfather, Icefang’s, blood, it seemed to all click. She was targeting Icefang’s family. But why? Could she be a vengeful spirit, one that he had killed before? He couldn’t make sense of it, and what he knew only grew more clouded with each new piece to the puzzle. He thanked Finpaw for this information and told him to continue about his duties. He told him to remain cautious for any sightings of this ghost and to let someone know immediately if he sees her. He then promised him and Stormpaw that their sisters were in good paws with Tansyskip and Creamytail, who he was thankful to have by his side.
    Until she wasn’t again. Creamytail approached him with the decision that she would be leaving MarshClan. She wanted to roam the territories and see more of the world like her uncle, Aster, had done. Tansyskip was in complete shock at her decision, and though he wanted to beg her to stay, he knew he couldn’t. He couldn’t deny her her wish, her journey, her fate. Yet, he was also afraid of being alone again. His apprentice would be gone again, this time, with no say of whether she’d ever return. But he hid it all behind a smile as he told her to go live her dreams and to stay safe. So, Creamytail departed from MarshClan that day, and Tansyskip watched her until she disappeared over the horizon. By the time she was gone, he felt like a piece of him had gone with her.
    While he had been struggling to come to terms with his newfound loneliness, Tansyskip was able to welcome a couple of more kits to MarshClan. One of them was Widowkit, a solo kit in a litter to her mother, Pebblepool. The other litter was also of one kit; the queen, Oceancall, was exhausted after the birthing process, but they didn’t hesitate to look fondly at their kit and name him after his deceased father, Webcreek. Webkit, however, would be left without any parents when Oceancall then passed away. It wouldn’t be long, though, that Lightember stepped up and took him under her wing, making her family of four into five with his addition. Tansyskip was glad to see that she was so welcoming of Webkit into her life, and he had no doubts that he would be welcomed by the rest of the family. He prayed that the young kit’s life, as well as Widowkit’s, would only go more smoothly in the future, especially after all that had happened to MarshClan in the past.
    With Waspstar as their new leader and having no Creamytail to accompany them, Tansyskip and Waspstar led MarshClan to the gathering with a melancholic feeling hanging over them. But upon arriving, they realized they were not the only ones struggling, and they were not the only ones to have lost their leader. EmberClan was recovering from a flood chasing them out of their home, where Tansyskip learned both Reedstar and Yewberry tragically died in the flood, as well as many other cats. Meanwhile, CloudClan had decided to investigate the dens that the twolegs had finished building on their territory. They learned that it was a barn, where the twolegs raised their food and animal companions, as well as grow herbs and other food. But they learned this information at a cost, for the investigation went awry. Starlingstar ended up losing both of his lives when he was stepped on by what was called a cow, and one of their warriors had also been trapped by the twolegs.
    Now with Pikestar and Halfstar leading, Tansyskip offered them his utmost condolences, along with the medicine cats that were suffering along with them. He learned that the new leaders had already picked their deputies: Thrushbriar and Lupinestorm. He was glad to hear that the clans were trying to stable themselves out as soon as possible, knowing full well how terrifying it was to not have that stability. He hoped that they would gain it soon though when Waspstar chose his deputy.
    At the gathering, the clans all shared their usual news. They were pleasantly surprised at Dropletshine dropping into the gathering, though it seemed like it was fate that they did. Every clan announced that their warriors and apprentices were experiencing strange vision-like dreams, some of which had been confirmed to have already come true. Tansyskip decided to point out Finpaw’s vision at that time, too, as well as the ghostly encounter that their clan had experienced. All of this news was terrifying to hear for every clan, but Dropletshine broke the feeling of dread when they announced that they, too, had a vision. Tansyskip urged them to tell the clans what they saw, and they told them that they saw a large clearing with deer and cats, somewhere they had been before. Among the cats, there was one shining like a light, a beacon. They wondered if this cat was important before suddenly saying they could go find them.
    The leaders were also interested in the idea of finding this place and the cat, especially Pikestar, who mentioned she had a vision of deer, too. But none of them were so eager to send Dropletshine alone, and they decided together that a group of warriors and apprentices from each clan would accompany the rogue and keep them safe. Tansyskip and the medicine cats added that they could teach the cats that were going about some herbal knowledge to help aid them, which seemed to relieve Salmonstar of the idea of sending them. So it was decided that, within the next half moon, cats were to be chosen to go with Dropletshine on this quest, in hopes that they could bring home an answer to their plight. Everyone went home with this on their mind, and the excited whispers didn’t escape Tansyskip’s ears for many days.
    It felt like there was a lot of preparation for this quest, but the time flew by. The next thing Tansyskip knew, they were picking the cats to go with Dropletshine. Before they did, though, Waspstar announced his new deputy: Egretbranch. The clan had the chance to celebrate the tom’s new position, as well as Sunnybreeze’s warrior ceremony, before things suddenly got serious.
    It was clearly a difficult decision, but Waspstar ultimately chose four cats to embark on the journey: Fogheart, Cedarbark, Alpinepaw, and Lagoonpaw. Fogheart was a good choice, given his previous experience with unknown territory and survival. Cedarbark and Lagoonpaw, too, would offer variety and were given a great opportunity to go. Alpinepaw, however, stated he didn’t want to go at first. He had duties back here in MarshClan to worry about, and Tansyskip definitely didn’t miss the glance the tom made to his medicine den. He reassured Alpinepaw that Guppypaw and Splashpaw would be alright and that they would be here when he got back. He added that perhaps this quest would give Alpinepaw some answers as to why he thought he knew the ghost. This had the large tom thinking for a long moment before finally agreeing with reluctance.
    Tansyskip urged the cats to his den, where he gave them a rundown of the herbs they likely would see and could use on their journey. It was a terrible crash course though; this information took medicine cats moons to memorize, so he wasn’t sure how the warriors would do keeping it in their minds. He had to hope it was enough, though. After his crash course and his offering of strengthening herbs, the cats departed to go and meet Dropletshine and the other clan cats that would join them. MarshClan bade them a heavy farewell, and Tansyskip prayed just before they left for their safe return.
    The clan would not have long to linger on the departure of their clanmates, though. A day later, the ground began to shake terribly, and when Tansyskip poked his head out to see what was happening, he was shocked to see cracks made in the ground and cats running around in terror. He had heard of this happening before, but never had he seen it with his own eyes: an earthquake. Tansyskip quickly dove into action, telling cats to get to a high ground and to save the kits. Everyone worked quickly, but they were still not without casualties. Duskstorm and Tadpoleskip died in the action, one being thrown into the lake and the other being struck by a stone. And by the time the earthquake was over, other cats had gone missing. Monarchstream, Murkytrail, and Ivytongue were nowhere to be found, and they later learned that Mothcloud had gone into the tunnels before the earthquake began, but she never came out.
    The entire clan was stunned in silence by the event, and Tansyskip could only muster up enough of his own strength to hand out herbs for shock and strength. He was thankful that his herb store was plentiful in those. But it didn’t save the dead, and he could see the absolute heartbreak in Plovertail’s eyes. His own heart broke for the old queen; he had lost three of his four kits to the event, though they could not confirm any of their deaths. Tansyskip was sure to give him, as well as Flywing and her kits, extra care for the time to help them through their losses. But it didn’t help much, as Flywing would constantly go out searching for her mate, and the kits were clearly scared and wondering about their father. Plovertail’s only beacons were his grandkits and Lightember, but even they had a hard time getting him out of his nest.
    That’s why the entire clan celebrated Murkytrail’s return almost a moon later. He was clearly injured and ragged from the event, but he was alive and home. Tansyskip did a quick check over of him before allowing him to be with his family, though he knew he couldn’t keep them apart for long. It was good to see Plovertail on his paws again, thankful that one of his kits was alive. Flywing and the kits, too, clung onto their mate and father upon his return. Tansyskip was thankful for the happy reunion, but he also wondered about those they couldn’t check on. Were the quest cats okay? What about Creamytail? He hadn’t seen her since the earthquake, and he hoped she was alright out there alone.
    He also had the pleasure of releasing Guppypaw and Splashpaw from his den days before Murkytrail’s return. They were finally recovered from their injuries, with Guppypaw’s breathing back to normal and Splashpaw able to walk on her leg with strength again. Their family was just as happy to see them back up and moving, though Tansyskip reminded them that they likely wouldn’t get to become warriors at the same time as their brothers. He didn’t mean this in a way to dissuade them, and he was thankful that it didn’t. Splashpaw was still quite upset that her mentor and friend had left for the quest, so she put all of her time into training. Guppypaw, meanwhile, was just happy to be back to working with Newtgill. All’s well that ends well, Tansyskip supposed, but he told them to watch out for the strange ghost, should she come back. He was glad they would at least be prepared this time.
    The earthquake had lasting effects that continued to harm their clan. For one, Goldenshadow’s body was found in a sinkhole, and the young Sunnybreeze died to a rockslide, likely dislodged from the earthquake. Tansyskip told the rest of the clan to be mindful of where they stepped and to watch their surroundings. Nothing around them was stable anymore, after all, and they could not trust the ground they walked on like they used to.
    At least the clan got to celebrate Flywing and Murkytrail’s kits become apprentices, as well as many other new apprentices. Mallardpaw, Wrenpaw, and Kitepaw were among the new apprentices, and then the clan also welcomed a new, older cat to their ranks. She was a kittypet by the name of Stella, and Waspstar welcomed her into the ranks of MarshClan. However, given she had no training, he granted her the rank of apprentice so that she may learn not only to fight and hunt, but also to learn about the ways of the clan. Tansyskip agreed on this, but he was nevertheless welcoming to the newly named Lavenderpaw. He told her that she had many young denmates, but they were all of equal grounds in terms of knowledge, so she would fit in extremely well. He wished her luck in making new friends and enjoying her new life as a clan cat. With her arrival, he figured that MarshClan was finally getting the good news and new beginnings that they deserved.
    Over time, Tansyskip had begun to get to know Lightember’s son, Fisherkit, more. The young tom-kit was quite a ball of nerves, and he was constantly in Tansyskip’s den to escape the energy of the nursery. He didn’t mind. He welcomed it, in fact, knowing that it helped him. He watched him work with curious eyes, and he only smiled and answered his questions when he asked. He reminded him that he wasn’t getting any younger, and that with Creamytail gone, he would need to begin considering a new apprentice for MarshClan’s future. He found himself staring curiously at Fisherkit, wondering if perhaps this was a path he wanted to take. But he didn’t ask him–not yet, at least. He figured he would give him the chance to be a kit for now, even if most of his kithood would be spent watching him, and when his time came to be an apprentice, he would look more into the possibility of welcoming him into his den permanently.
    He was all the happier to tell Beesting that she would be expecting kits with the help of a donor. It felt like only just yesterday that the queen had lost her mate, Stoatshell. Though she took her time to grieve for his death, she didn’t want to dwell in the past. She always wanted kits, and she decided to take fate into her own paws in having them. Tansyskip was glad to see her so happy at the news, and even Plovertail was excited for his niece. They prepared for the new kits’ arrival, and Tansyskip watched on with content as their clan only continued to thrive. He hoped it would stay this way for a long time, so that their clanmates that were out on the quest or even still missing from the earthquake may return to greater times here in MarshClan.