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Brightpaw followed after her mentor Whitestorm, pushing through the dry grass that blocked their path to Snakerocks. The big white tom paused to taste the air. "I smell something, come with me." He gestured with his tail and strode towards the area. Longtail and Swiftpaw followed closely on his tail.
"Tansy is a round, yellow flower and catmint is a purple, leafy plant, right?" Swiftpaw asked.
"Correct" Whitestorm replied.
Brightpaw didn't hear them. She was to busy searching for the scent of the thieves.
Sand swept across the rocky terrain of Snakerocks, as the search patrol scanned the rocks for any clues on the missing herbs. The chilly leaf bare air rippled Brightpaw's soft white-orange fur as she squinted her eyes against the cold wind.
Suddenly, a faint scent hit her nose. Fox!
"Does anyone else scent a fox?" She asked.
"Brightpaw's right, I smell it too. Apprentices, stay close to me." Whitestorm growled.
"Great Starclan! First missing herbs, now a fox on our territory!" Swiftpaw hissed.
A flash of red fur sped through the rocks flanking Brightpaw. She unsheathed her claws, waiting for the fox to reveal itself.
She expected a dangerous, deadly animal to step out from behind the rocks, but instead, the fox limped out and coughed. And to Brightpaws surprise, it was holding the precious catmint in its jaws.
"It's sick! It will be easier to kill now!" Swiftpaw exclaimed. "And look, it has the catmint!"
Longtail turned to Swiftpaw. "Hold on, Swiftpaw, those symptoms look familiar," Longtail flicked his torn ear. "Like Whitecough. Stay back, it could infect you too."
The fox seemed to realize that this was a battle it couldn't win. It turned and disappeared into the undergrowth.
"So that's why it was stealing the herbs! It's sick too!" Longtail said, his eyes sparking with surprise.
"It would be wrong to just kill it, it was only trying to help itself." Whitestorm grumbled. "And it will just keep taking the herbs if it doesn't get better. Swiftpaw-"
Whitestorm was cut off by a cat crashing through the bushes. It was Thornpaw.
"I really hope you found that catmint, because Yellowfang has whitecough!"
Brightpaw froze with horror. "But can't Cinderpaw help her?"
"Not without the proper herbs" replied Thornpaw.
Cinderpaw had just begun her medicine cat apprenticeship, she knew very little, and even though she could be taught the herbs for Whitecough, Yellowfang's death would be catastrophic to Thunderclan.
"Well," Whitestorm broke in. "We know who the thief is. And they're sick too. And worse, it's a fox."
"We have to get the herbs from the fox!" She meowed.
"And, we're going to have to help it" Whitestorm flicked his tail, signaling the direction the patrol would head. "Thornpaw, tell Bluestar we will get the herbs. And about the fox."
Thornpaw scrambled back to the forest as the patrol went their way.
Brightpaw shivered with fear, she sent a silent prayer to Starclan that they would find the herbs before It was too late.