Please do not post unless you are myself or LichenClan!

Autumn lifted her head and emerged from her den, her mate still sleeping soundly. It was well past sunrise, but the small pack seemed to be still this morning. She could see her son Lightpaw out with Frostleaf near the edge of camp, working on training together. She shook herself, her red pelt losing all of the leaves that had been caught in it.

Walking to the warriors den, she caught sight of Ravenwing, the Delta. "Hello Raven," she greeted. "Get Duskleap and tell her we are going on patrol this morning." The Delta male nodded and swiftly found Duskleap, informing her. The three wolves shook themselves and began their journey through the territory, checking borders and scent marking.

Autumn wasn't sure why, but she had the feeling that something was a bit off. "Do you smell anything funny?" she asked. Raven and Dusk lifted their noses, taking in the smells of the mountainous forest.

"I smell something that wasn't left by us," Raven said, his hackles raising. "Smells like the stench of another pack in our area." Autumn growled before following the smell, traveling briskly. She could feel her two wolves behind her, following her loyally. If they found someone...they would all handle it.

Jupitersmoke walked alongside her sister Cinderstep, their lithe bodies slinking side by side through the thick undergrowth. They had been tasked with hunting. Newleaf was upon them and the forest was teeming with prey. Jupitersmokes mouth watered at the scents that filled her nose as they followed a gametrail towards the southside of their territory. The smell of a doe and her ungulate was rich upon the ground as they moved slowly towards it.

They reached the scent line and stopped, their eyes scanning the area around them. "Over there!" Cinderstep hissed, flicking her tail and pointing her nose towards the trees on the far side of the boundary line. There a doe stood, her head raised and ears pricked towards the two sisters. At her side stood a young fawn, its dark brown fur marked with white spots.

Jupitersmoke sighed in frustration, her tail lashing against the branches of a bush next to her. "Come on, lets see if we can find another tr-" She cut off as a low growl sounded behind them. Slowly she turned around, her eyes widening and hackles rising as she came face to face with a black and white striped creature. "StarClan help us." She muttered.

The badger lumbered towards them, moving with surprising speed as it rushed at her and Cinderstep. They turned and ran, crossing the scent markers quickly. The doe and fawn startled and ran, disappearing into the trees. Once they had a bit of distance between them and the badger the two sisters spun around and moved so that they were seperated and flanking the badger. They snapped and clawed at it, their teeth bared in a snarl.

The badger whipped from one side to another, trying to defend both its sides from the attacking she-wolves. Its teeth met the muscle at the bottom of Jupitersmokes shoulder. She let out a whimpering yelp as Cinderstep leapt onto its back. Sharp claws and teeth dug deeper into her shoulder as the badger started climbing up onto her back, trying to get at her neck and throat. She reared herself upwards, throwing it off and landing harshly on her injured leg. Blood soaked into her gray and brown fur as she limped away.

Cinderstep sent the badger running off with a final nip at its rump. Jupitersmoke was panting harshly, pain throbbing in her shoulder with each pulse of her heart. She lowered herself to the ground her sister rushing to her. "I-I'm okay. G-go get help. I'm not going to be able to make it back to camp on my own and I don't want the both of us walking alone in case it comes back with more."

Cinderstep looked like she might argue but she dipped her head instead, licking at the wound making her sister gasp. "I'll be back soon." She murmured before she raced across the border, leaving Jupitersmoke alone in the shadow of the larg oak tree.

Autumnstar began to growl as she approached the border. She could definitely smell the stench of another clan somewhere close. Close enough to be beyond their own territory borders. With a single flick of her tail, Ravenwing and Duskleap bounded forward into the trees, running towards where the scent was.

Duskleap got there first, immediately snarling and raising her tail in dominance at the intruder. Ravenwing was closely behind. Autumnstar finally joined the group, staring at an intruding female laying under an oak, bleeding. Duskleap and Ravenwing stayed put as Autumn slowly approached the newcomer, her russet pelt spiked.

Her ears were pricked forward and her tail was raised high as she looked at the other female. "Who are you?" she demanded, growling softly. "You're on HollyClan territory, I suggest you return to your own." Her green eyes were full of ferocity, and it was evident that her eerie calmness was just the calm before the storm.

(Sorry this post is so short, I ran out of time)

Jupitersmoke lay in the shade of the tree, fighting to stay awake. She was slowly slipping off into unconsciousness when the scent of more wolves filled the air. Hope that her sister had returned with her Clanmates was quickly dashed as she realized it was coming from the opposite direction of her territory. A low snarl startled her and she struggled to her paws, stumbling with a small whine as she lay her paws on the ground. The blood was still flowing heavily, soaking the dirt beneath her.

"I-I'm sorry. M-my sister and I w-were chased over by a badger. We sc-scared it off but n-not before it got ahold of me." She forced herself to calm down, her heart beating as fast as a rabbits had adrenaline running through her system. "I cant walk back s-so I was waiting for my sister to come back with a couple Clanmates to help me."

Autumnstar was hearing no excuses, her emerald eyes scanning over the other she-wolf. They looked to be about the same age, but even Autumn herself was smaller than the newcomer. Despite her size though, she was full of aggression and ferocity. It was not normal for her to have any sort of compassion, especially when it came to wolves she did not know.

"Save your excuses," she growled. She knew the wolf had to be telling the truth, for the blood and wounds spoke for itself, but she didn't like the fact that there was a wolf from another clan on her territory, scaring off prey with her scent."If it was up to only me there would be no mercy for you, trespasser." If she could have it her way without the word of her mate, she would have chased the injured wolf off as far as she could go, or perhaps injure her worse if she couldn't move. But she and Blackstar at made the agreement to make no big decisions without consulting one another first. Having an injured trespasser on their territory may not seem like a big decision to others, but to them it was. They had only been leading this small pack for roughly two years, and they were both inexpereinced.

"Blackstar will want to hear of this," she growled to Duskleap, her Beta. "Ravenwing, stay here and watch for the others that will surely be returning for their friend. Tell them we've brought her back to HollyClan camp, and that if they wish to see her they need to bring their leader for a formal meeting." The large Delta male nodded, sitting and scanning the treeline.

"You," she barked at the injured newcomer. "Come with us." Duskleap helped the she-wolf to her feet, her large body helping to support her. Duskleap was not too fond of Autumnstar, but she did as she was told, although she was trying to be careful about the wounds on the other wolf.

Autumnstar did nothing to help, but led the way back to camp. She moved slowly in order for the other two to keep up, and eventually they reached camp. The treeline opened into a big circular clearing, dens spotted along the rocky mountain floor and inside of large fallen trees. One cave looked slightly smaller than the rest and was fairly separated from the others. It was here where Autumn would lead them.

"Sageheart, I would like your assistance please!" she called into the den. Normally, Autumn would have brought the injured wolf straight to Blackstar, but she knew her mate would have a soft heart and take her to the Skaara before doing anything else. Might as well knock out this and save some extra steps. A slender and pretty red-brown she-wolf with white markings slipped out of the den, her blue-green eyes landing on the newcomer.

"Oh StarClan," she whispered upon seeing her injuries. "Come in, please. What's your name, new one?"

Jupitersmoke couldn't help but let out a low growl at the harsh behavior of the smaller she-wolf. Had she been fit enough she would have lashed her claws across the females ears in retaliation for her rudeness. But she wasn't, so she couldn't. Letting out a sigh she allowed the black and brown mottled female to help her to her paws, leaning heavily against her as they began the slow trek towards the other wolves camp.

She glanced behind her where Ravenwing was left to wait for her Clanmates. Sighing she looked up at the sky, her tail lashing in frustration. Glassstar was already headed towards the hills on the other side of their territory to speak with their ancestors. He wouldn't be back for a couple of days at the very least.

Jupitersmoke was panting heavily by the time they made it to HollyClan's camp. Her coat was soaked with sweat from the walk and her shoulder radiated heat in waves. Thankfully the lead female let them walk at a slow pace, otherwise she didn't think she would have made it that far, even with the support of the large female at her side.

She was releived when they made their way to what she assumed was the medicine den by the smell of the herbs inside. The pretty she-wolf seemed much nicer than the first, which in itself was heartening. She let them lead her inside, the cool air of the den soothing her aching muscles as she sank to the floor. "J-Jupitersmoke." She whispered breathlessly, her eyes closing in relief as her aching shoulder stopped most of its throbbing pain.

Autumnstar sat down as Sageheart welcomed the female into her den. Jupitersmoke was her name, apparantly. "Stay here with her," she whispered to Duskleap, before padding away to find Blackstar.

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Duskleap nodded to her leader as Autumnstar told her to stay with the injured female. She watched the small alpha stalk off, and she snorted. She disliked Autumnstar. The red wolf seemed to always be angry about something, and she didn't like to extend much gratitude. At least Blackstar was far more gracious and kind. Duskleap ducked into the medicine den, sitting down near the entrance to watch. Sageheart was hurriedly rushing around the small space, taking bundles of herbs into her mouth and dropping them in a pile, as well as sifting through a small hole of cobwebs.

"So...you ran into a badger, huh?" Duskleap asked Jupitersmoke. The large betas voice was somewhat deep and raspy for a female, but despite her rugged appearance, she was much kinder than Autumnstar. "They're no joke. A badger really messed up my brother once when we were pups." The mottled dark female watched as Sageheart began applying some berry juice on some of the wounds and then gently placing cobwebs on them to slow the bleeding.

"What clan are you from?" Duskleap asked, curious. She supposed LichenClan, but wasn't entirely sure. The scent of blood and badger covered up a good chunk of pack scent, so she couldn't quite place it. "I'm surprised Autumnstar even had the sense to bring you here." Duskleap huffed. The young medicine wolf shot her a look, one that told her to watch her tongue. Duskleap rolled her eyes. She knew it wasn't smart to speak of the alpha that way, but she couldn't help but make a few snide remarks. She didn't understand why she had to be so grumpy and aggressive all the time. It often helped no one.

"I'm not sure what the leaders will decide, but I'm sure you'll be home in no time." She said, trying to reassure. "It's likely Blackstar will have mercy, it's obvious you're speaking the truth." It wasn't much longer before Autumnstar returned, stepping aside to let in a huge male wolf. His pelt was all white except for his paws, which were sooty black. His eyes were a pale gold that shimmered in the spotted rays of light that seeped into the den.

Duskleap noticed that Autumnstar didn't even enter the den, but rather sat outside of it, watching with a grumpy look scrawled across her muzzle. Blackstar turned his head to see Jupitersmoke, and greeted her with a polite nod. "Hello," he said, sitting down to not take up as much space in the small den.

"My mate tells me she found you on our side of the border, injured from what you say was a badger?" He asked, his voice and deep calm. "She tells me you said your sister and clanmates were on their way to come get you. Our Delta is stationed there and is told to report to me once they arrive to let us know what they said." He scanned over her wounds, inspecting her. "It's likely going to be quick and easy healing, so I see no problem in keeping you here until we get word of what your clan wants to do."

As Sageheart worked on her wounds she felt her energy returning slowly. Enough that she could converse with the female while she worked. "I'm from LichenClan, just north of here. A badger chased my sister and I across the border. We chased it off but not before it managed to do this to me." She nodded her head towards her shoulder, her nose twitching at the rich scent of herbs.

Jupitersmoke looked up as Blackstar walked in, the white of his fur bright in the dim lighting of the den. "Hello." She greeted, dipping her head in a respectful bow. "Yes, and I do apologize for crossing the border. My sister and I had no choice, it was right on top of us and we had to put some distance between it and us so that we could fight it off." She paused here, wondering how much she should let the alpha male know about the situation.

Sighing she decided full transparency would be best. "Your mate," she nodded towards the female who had brought her in, "Says that I have to stay here until my leader is able to come for a formal meeting with you both." She looked at her briefly, her fur flushed with embarassment at the situation she had found herself in. "My leader traveled to the foothills shortly before sunrise. He won't be back for a handfull of days at the least."