hope is for the hopeless

[frosty]

The quarter moon hung in the clear night sky. Encircling the moon were the dozens and dozens of glittering StarClan warriors. The wind sighed a soft breeze, sending snow whirling into the cool air. Below the dancing flakes was a sleek charcoal spotted she-cat. Moonlight streamed off her feathery whiskers and flickered in her eyes. The light seemed to highlight her features; deep gray rosettes marring her ash coloured fur, strikingly white muzzle, lengthy tail, dull green eyes, petite frame. There she lay, haunches low and back legs tucked in neatly. Her tail spiralled as she gazed upwards

Silverwind shuffled her paws, fluffing out her tabby fur against the chill that bit the back of the breeze. Leaf-bare was among them at last, and in full force. It had snowed frequently since the new moon, and the medicine cat wondered if there were omens to be read in this. So far, her searching eyes had found nothing within the indigo sky. Silverwind was glad that at least the snow had ceased and she could attempt to read the night. She let out the deep breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, feeling somewhat defeated as the water vapor frozen in front of her face.

"Oh Sallowleaf..." she murmured in an almost inaudible voice. Silverwind suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of loss when her mentor came to mind. Her tail dropped, forming an 'S' in the freshly fallen snow. The medicine cat studied a ball of snow that was frozen to her chest fur, and shivered. Not from the temperature, which was well below freezing, but from the sadness in her heart.

Silverwind turned her gaze upwards once more, twitching her right ear. She squinted her pale eyes against the moonlight, once again searching for answers to her questions. How long before leaf-bare brought death to her Clan? How could she protect them? What tragedies would the frigid season bring? Would BrookClan cripple or thrive? As the medicine cat, it was her job to answers the questions that were on everyone's mind.

Her shoulders drooped with the weight of the responsibility. It had only been a moon since Sallowleaf had died, and only two since her father Blackfoot died. Why did Silverwind feel so hopeless? She thought they would be guiding her from StarClan, but she felt more alone than ever.

[Dawn]

A dark shape emerged from the BrookClan warriors den, dark brown fur blending into the blackness of the night. As the shape moved away from the rock wall in which the entrance existed, the moonlight lit upon the tabby markings, the strong muscles, the handsome green eyes. Thick tail flicked as snow landed on the newly exposed form.

Bearheart had been unable to sleep, pushed up against the wall of the den by his seemingly ever expanding sister, Hailfang. Their nests were next to each other, and she always moved around in her sleep. He had been awoken rather unfortunately tonight, as her hind paws pinned him up against the wall. Try as he might, he hadn't been able to wake her up, but he had been able to wake up several other cats in his struggle. He had decided it was probably advisable to leave before he agitated too many of his fellows.

"Stupid fur ball."

[/color] He muttered to himself, noting the areas of his fur that were tangled with bits of rock from the wall of the den. He'd have to mention it to her tomorrow; he didn't know how much more of this he could take. After the last few nights of getting less and less sleep, he could feel himself starting to slip a bit.

"Oh Sallowleaf..."

Bearheart's ears pricked suddenly. He thought he had heard a voice. He looked around, his eyes catching on a form after a couple of glances. He squinted at the form for a moment, trying to discern who it was in the darkness. He finally realized it was Silverwind, the medicine cat, sitting silently a ways away from him. He didn't know how he could have missed her, but her dark fur had blended in pretty well to the night.

He hesitated a moment, wondering if she was receiving a sign from StarClan. The last thing he wanted to do was disturb her if she was learning something important. But then he saw her posture change, perhaps become more slouched. He took this to mean she was not receiving a sign, and padded towards her.

"Hey Silverwind, are you alright?"[/color] He meowed as he reached her, dipping his head slightly as a sign of respect. He remembered Silverwind from when they were young. He was a bit older than she, but they had been in the nursery around the same time, and her sisters had been in the apprentices den with him for a time. Now they shared the warriors den of course, but Silverwind seemed to Bearheart, a world apart from her sisters.
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[Rachel]

Egretheart was finding it hard to sleep anymore. Sometimes it was the stress of being deputy, and other times she was plagued by dreams of Ibisclaw. She had finally stood up to her brother, but even though no one had seen any sign of him in moons, he still stalked her dreams.

Her insomnia had led her to take walks in the woods at night, just to make sure nothing had happened under her nose. She knew it was a bad idea to go alone, and that she could get sick, but she felt bad waking any of the other cats. She also liked the solitude. She had never really been close to any cat other than her brother and mother, but as she walked through the snow under the stars she liked to imagine Craneheart padding along next to her.

As she walked, she let herself relax. She had planned on trying to bring back some prey with her, but as the temperature dropped all of the animals had holed themselves up deep in their burrows. She didn't blame them, after all that is what she should be doing. These walks are silly, she thought to herself, and resolved to ask Silverwind for a herb to help her sleep the following night. She didn't need to be half exhausted every day anyways.

With that resolution in mind she pushed herself harder, running through the snow back towards camp, hoping that the exercise may tire her enough so she could get at least a little bit of sleep before she needed to be up in the morning. She could see her breath huff out in front of her in the cold air, but that just made her run harder. She slowed down to a trot as she reached the entrance, set on heading to the warriors den, but as she entered the camp her eyes were immediately drawn to two cats out in the snow.

She changed directions immediately when she saw one of the cats was Silverwind. If she was receiving a sign from StarClan, Egretheart wanted to know as soon as possible. Also, a part of her just wanted to check on Silverwind. She knew that the medicine cat had lost a lot in the past couple of moons, and she could relate to that. Losing your family was something no cat should go through alone. As she drew closer she saw it was Bearheart with her, and was glad. Bearheart was a good cat. She approached and nodded at the two of them, "Cold night to be out, are you two okay?"

[frosty]

"Hey Silverwind, are you alright?"

The spotted tabby whipped around, fur on end and claws instinctively unsheathed. Silverwind relaxed herself immediately when her gaze rested on Bearheart. Concern reflected in his green eyes, and she sheathed her claws. The medicine cat sat down, drawing a paw over her ear a few times.

"Oh, y-yeah, I'm fine," she meowed, unsure if she should voice her worries to a warrior. Didn't Sallowleaf always talk to their leader, or even Egretheart when something was bothering her? Wait, Sallowleaf had a friend in the Clan who was a warrior... Silverwind struggled to put a name to the face engraved into her mind.

Oakfur... Oakfrost... Oakflower! That was it. Oakflower had died when Silverwind was freshly out of the nursery, but she recalled seeing Sallowleaf and Oakflower together quite frequently when she was a kit. She tried to remember bits of their conversations, but Silverwind was too distracted to remember clear words. But Sallowleaf had definitely confided in a warrior before, so it must be okay for her to do so too.

"Well, actually-."

"Cold night to be out, are you two okay?"

Silverwind flinched, but calmed down when she put Egretheart's face to the voice that called out. She really should have her guard up, especially when she was sitting on the outskirts of camp by herself in the dead of night. She twitched her whiskers, annoyed with herself for not being alert.

"We're fine," Silverwind mewed. "I was just looking for omens when Bearheart came to check on me. I don't know, I'm just worried about leaf-bare, is all."

[Dawn]

"Oh, y-yeah, I'm fine,"

Bearheart doubted that. She seemed jumpier than a mouse, and he sensed a lot of angst behind her attempt at a facade to hide them. He wanted to help her, though he couldn't think of a way to do that. He had often been the one Hailfang would come to with her problems, mostly because she didn't trust others, but her problems were always pretty easy fixes. He could only imagine what kind of stress Silverwind was under.

"Well, actually-."

Bearheart's ears pricked slightly. He wondered what had changed her mind to make her want to confide even a bit of her problems to him.

"Cold night to be out, are you two okay?"

Bearheart looked around at the new voice, not missing Silverwind's flinch to the new addition. His eyes fell on the deputy, Egretheart, and he inclined his head in a gesture of respect. Hailfang often complained about Egretheart, that she was too soft and weak to be the deputy, but Bearheart had a lot of respect for her. He knew some of what had transpired with her brother, and found that he respected her a lot for her loyalty.

"We're fine, I was just looking for omens when Bearheart came to check on me. I don't know, I'm just worried about leaf-bare, is all."

Bearheart doubted that was all, but he had never really been one to pry, especially with other cats around. "I just couldn't sleep. Hailfang can't keep herself inside of her own nest. Seems to like pushing me against the wall of the den."

[/color] He meowed with a roll of his eyes. "I take it you couldn't sleep either?"[/color] He asked, noting her sudden entrance and the fact that it looked as though she'd just gone for a run.
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[Rachel]

"We're fine,I was just looking for omens when Bearheart came to check on me. I don't know, I'm just worried about leaf-bare, is all."


Egretheart nodded her head and noted the word 'looking.' From what she had heard of omens, they did not come when you were looking for them, but when they were needed. Still, she didn't blame Silverwind for looking, the snow was already falling heavily, and she knew it would get worse. If the prey was already hiding, it meant that BrookClan was going to have a hard time finding food this leaf-bare.

She just nodded in response to Silverwind. She didn't need to add on her own worries to the already stressed medicine cat. At least one of them should be able to sleep at night.

"I just couldn't sleep. Hailfang can't keep herself inside of her own nest. Seems to like pushing me against the wall of the den."

She smiled at Bearheart, glad that he changed the subject. "Ibisclaw used to..." she started to respond before stopping herself. Her brother was a traitor, and although she still cared about him she knew other cats didn't want to hear how he used to keep her up at night. "I know what that is like..." she responded meekly, berating herself. She already had a hard enough time proving herself to the Clan, and now they all would think she was telling stories about the good old times with her traitor brother.

It only became worse when Bearheart asked if she wasn't sleeping either. It had been her intention to quietly ask Silverwind for a herb to help her with no one the wiser, she didn't want to appear like she was too jumpy to even sleep. "I just like to run the border to make sure nothing is happening." she mewed quietly, trying to make her voice sound strong, as if she was choosing not to sleep rather than giving in to her insomnia.

[frosty]

"I just couldn't sleep. Hailfang can't keep herself inside of her own nest. Seems to like pushing me against the wall of the den. I take it you couldn't sleep either?"

"Ibisclaw used to... I know what that is like..."

Silverwind forced a purr, detecting the sadness behind the deputy's mew. "I'm glad I don't sleep in the warriors den. Nightfur always used to roll on me in the middle of the night when we were kits. And Stormfrost used to snore. I was the only one who could sleep through the night," she meowed light heartedly. "Thank StarClan I can get some peace in my den, you warriors sound like a rowdy bunch." She waved her tail in amusement, her eyes glimmering.

"I just like to run the border to make sure nothing is happening."

The medicine cat narrowed her eyes. She could tell Egretheart was lying, but didn't want to out her in front of Bearheart in case she became embarrassed or upset. So she shot Egretheart a knowing look, and twitched her whiskers. She wondered if the deputy wanted to discuss whatever was bothering her. Silverwind decided she wouldn't pry. Unless Egretheart came to her directly, or unless she kept mentioning her brother.

She knew Ibisclaw was a traitor. Heck, the whole Clan knew. Heck, even PeakClan knew. Ibisclaw had been exiled moons ago, and Egretheart had risen to power. Silverwind had never gotten involved with the drama that surrounded Ibisclaw, but she did remember Sallowleaf fretting over him one night. She had received a dream from StarClan of an ibis flying over camp, stretching its wings over the clearing. A huge, looming shadow fell over the clearing. Sallowleaf had told their leader, and Silverwind didn't believe it was coincidence when Egretheart had confided in the authorities later that moon.

Losing a cat to death was difficult, but they could always be seen again in StarClan, especially by a medicine cat. But losing a cat to exile was much different, Silverwind realized. She wondered what it would be like for Stormfrost or Nightfur to be kicked out of their Clan, and never heard from again. No wonder Egretheart couldn't sleep. Silverwind would never close her eyes again if she didn't know what had become of one of her sisters.

[Dawn]

"Ibisclaw used to... I know what that is like…"

Bearheart mentally kicked himself. How stupid was he to mention specifically his only sister, when Egretheart was still so affected by Ibisclaw's betrayal? Great StarClan he was stupid. He didn't want to make anyone uncomfortable, let alone Egretheart. She had already been through so much, he didn't want her to re-live it every moment she was around her Clan.

"I just like to run the border to make sure nothing is happening."

Bearheart nodded, seizing upon the chance to rectify his mistake and change the uncomfortable topic. He would have given a moons supply of mice to say that Egretheart was unable to sleep due to the remaining ghost of Ibisclaw's effect on her, but he would never point it out. "Anything unusual? I thought I smelled PeakClan a bit stronger than usual around the border, and StarClan knows Lynxstar would just love getting her paws on some of our territory."

[/color] He meowed, his tail twitching.

Lynxstar had never been one of his favorite cats. She was the first cat he talked to at his first Gathering, a new warrior when he had been made an apprentice. He had disliked her ever since. Something about her smug, self-satisfied personality. He was actually tentative friends with her brother, Bramblepelt. The tom seemed to have gotten all of the humility and social skills that had missed his sister.

"I'm glad I don't sleep in the warriors den. Nightfur always used to roll on me in the middle of the night when we were kits. And Stormfrost used to snore. I was the only one who could sleep through the night. Thank StarClan I can get some peace in my den, you warriors sound like a rowdy bunch."

Bearheart looked around at Silverwind as she spoke and let out a chuckle. "Yeah, you'd probably not get a good nights sleep ever!"[/color] He joked, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Especially with all the dreaming cats. I wonder if the den could do with some expanding."[/color] He wondered out loud, looking back towards the den through thoughtful eyes. "The rock walls don't seem too strong, they could be worn away. It might be a bit too much work just for expansion though."[/color] He continued, glancing down at his shoulder where a couple of small remnants of the wall stuck to his fur. He quickly groomed them away, returning his fur to it's clean state.
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[Rachel]

"Anything unusual? I thought I smelled PeakClan a bit stronger than usual around the border, and StarClan knows Lynxstar would just love getting her paws on some of our territory."

"I didn't see any sign of PeakClan," Egretheart mewed in response, "All was clear. Still, as the snow gets heavier we'll probably need more patrols. Prey will leave their territory before it leaves ours, and we don't want them taking anything that belongs to us." She didn't trust Lynxstar either, her self-satisfied personality reminded her too much of her brother, although from what she had heard, Lynxstar was devoted to her Clan. Still, that didn't mean she wouldn't hesitate to claim any BrookClan territory.

As they moved back to talking about the warriors den Egretheart took a moment to banish thoughts of her brother to the back of her mind. She refocused in just in time to hear Bearheart speak of expanding the warriors den. It wasn't a half bad idea, but right now BrookClan would face enough issues, without wasting much needed energy on digging through the earth for more leg room. Still, she couldn't phrase it like that to Bearheart.

She took her paw and scraped the layers of snow off to show a patch of ground and dragged her claws across it. "It isn't a bad idea to expand it, but it would have to be after leaf-bare. We would dig our paws bloody if we tried to dig through the rock while it was frozen, and I doubt Silverwind would like to patch up all of our paws."

[frosty]

"Anything unusual? I thought I smelled PeakClan a bit stronger than usual around the border, and StarClan knows Lynxstar would just love getting her paws on some of our territory."

"I didn't see any sign of PeakClan. All was clear. Still, as the snow gets heavier we'll probably need more patrols. Prey will leave their territory before it leaves ours, and we don't want them taking anything that belongs to us."

Silverwind rolled her eyes. Warriors, she thought. Always discussing territory! She was glad she was destined for a more peaceful life, though she fought her own kind of battles. However, they were battles that didn't require claws and teeth and blood.

She should be more grateful, though. Silverwind shook her head slightly. If BrookClan lost even a mouse length of their territory, she would lose precious herbs and berries. She was just glad it wasn't her that had to do the fighting. However, it still pained her to watch Nightfur and Stormfrost leave for battle, knowing that neither one of them could come back.

"Yeah, you'd probably not get a good nights sleep ever! Especially with all the dreaming cats. I wonder if the den could do with some expanding. The rock walls don't seem too strong, they could be worn away. It might be a bit too much work just for expansion though."

She shook her head. "Oh no, I need pitch black and dead silence for me to get even a wink of sleep!" Silverwind mewed. She had never realized until tonight what a pain sleeping with dozens of other cats would be. She was a cat that was especially grumpy if she didn't get a full night of sleep.

"It isn't a bad idea to expand it, but it would have to be after leaf-bare. We would dig our paws bloody if we tried to dig through the rock while it was frozen, and I doubt Silverwind would like to patch up all of our paws."

"I'd save any reinforcements for newleaf, Bearheart. Egretheart's right. My herb stock os dangerously low, and I won't be able to replenish it until newleaf, or unless I go into Twolegplace, which I'm not too keen on. Besides, how many kits do you think will be born this season? I pray to StarClan our nursery will remain empty. I feel that this leaf-bare is going to be the harshest one yet," Silverwind meowed, almost ominously.

Suddenly, a light at the edge of her peripheral vision caught her eye. A star had fallen across the sky. Silverwind's dull green eyes became distant as she gazed at the sky, studying it like it was the last thing she would ever do. Just like that, the star was gone and the sky fell still once again. What was StarClan trying to tell her?

Her heart thundered in her chest and her mind was reeling. Silverwind thought she caught a scent of Sallowleaf on the breeze, but she couldn't be sure. Was this predicting some kind of doom for the duo of Clans? She shook her head, trying to flatten the fur that was standing on end at the back of her neck. She was unsure whether or not she should bring up the falling star to either warrior. After all, to them it was just that - a falling star. But it alarmed Silverwind, and just deepened her already prominent concerns.

[Dawn]

"I didn't see any sign of PeakClan. All was clear. Still, as the snow gets heavier we'll probably need more patrols. Prey will leave their territory before it leaves ours, and we don't want them taking anything that belongs to us."

Bearheart nodded slightly, thinking with a sinking feeling about the decrease in prey they would face with this coming season. The amount was already lower than usual, and he couldn't help but worry that it would drop still lower. Lynxstar hadn't been leader last leaf bare, and he didn't know how she and her new regime would act in order to gain more prey.

"It isn't a bad idea to expand it, but it would have to be after leaf-bare. We would dig our paws bloody if we tried to dig through the rock while it was frozen, and I doubt Silverwind would like to patch up all of our paws."

Bearheart snapped back into the present as Egretheart focused onto his suggestion of expanding the den. He nodded slightly, flicking his ears as snow flakes piled up on them. "Yeah, you're right. It's not like it's the most pressing problem we have, right?"

[/color] He meowed, with a slight smile. He looked around as Silverwind began to speak.

"I'd save any reinforcements for newleaf, Bearheart. Egretheart's right. My herb stock os dangerously low, and I won't be able to replenish it until newleaf, or unless I go into Twolegplace, which I'm not too keen on. Besides, how many kits do you think will be born this season? I pray to StarClan our nursery will remain empty. I feel that this leaf-bare is going to be the harshest one yet,"

Bearheart felt a slight shudder go through his body. So Silverwind felt it too, that this leaf-bare would be harsher than others they had experienced. He felt a thrill of unease. "If you want, Silverwind, I could go with you to the twoleg place if you want."[/color] He meowed, feeling a slight raise in his hackles. He shook himself mentally, trying to shake away his uneasy feeling. "And I can lead a hunting patrol tomorrow, Egretheart."[/color] He meowed, looking towards the deputy.

Bearheart then caught sight of Silverwind's sudden movement and turned his face just in time to see a star fall out of sight. His eyes widened slightly and he looked back towards Silverwind, wondering if she had gotten a sign. He didn't sense anything different in the air around them, but perhaps she had. He stopped himself from asking though, in case she was being told something at that moment. He knew that he would hear about it soon enough, if it was meant to be shared.
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[Rachel]

Egretheart nodded as Silverwind agreed with her, but a shiver went down her spine as the she-cat told about her herb-shortage. BrookClan was already short on prey, what would they do if the herbs ran out too? She had had all these grand delusions when she first became deputy, of how she would do things and run things, but it seemed like her enemies were all things she couldn't fight. How could she combat hunger if there was no prey, and how could Silverwind combat disease if there were no herbs?

"If you want, Silverwind, I could go with you to the twoleg place if you want. And I can lead a hunting patrol tomorrow, Egretheart."

Bearheart eased some of her troubles with his suggestions. "That'd be great Bearheart, we could really use the help. And you know Silverwind, if you ever need someone to go with you all you need to do is ask." She didn't know Bearheart too well, but the tom was growing on her the more he offered to help. His sister, on the other hand, was a pain in her bum. She'd avoided Bearheart because she was worried he would be the same. Apparently she had been wrong.

All of a sudden she saw something catch Silverwind's eye. She turned her head to see what it was, but all she saw was the night sky. "Silverwind, what is it?" she asked anxiously, worried it might be an omen.

[frosty]

"If you want, Silverwind, I could go with you to the twoleg place if you want. And I can lead a hunting patrol tomorrow, Egretheart."

"That'd be great Bearheart, we could really use the help. And you know Silverwind, if you ever need someone to go with you all you need to do is ask. Silverwind, what is it?"

Silverwind's gaze had a faraway look in them. She blinked away the glassy look, but light still danced behind her eyes and she felt dazzled. The medicine cat stole another glance at the sky, her mouth frozen in a tense expression. Green eyes darted back and forth, desperately searching for something, anything.

"I-I'm not sure. I didn't get all of the message..." she mewed. "But the falling star... i-it was predicting some sort of doom, but I'm not sure what..."

The silver tabby felt her heart pounding. No, it wasn't a doom for all the Clans. But some sort of traditional would fall, or something major would be broken, she was sure of it. StarClan would never send such a vague sign if they were prophecisizing the end of PeakClan and BrookClan. "No, it's definitely not something apocalyptic, but some major shift is coming. StarClan didn't speak directly."

"I'm sorry for confiding in you two. It's none of your business, and I didn't mean to impose my concerns on either of you. It was the shock of the moment and I apologize," she meowed hastily.

[Dawn]

"That'd be great Bearheart, we could really use the help. And you know Silverwind, if you ever need someone to go with you all you need to do is ask.

Bearheart nodded slightly to Egretheart. He would be happy to help, it was his duty after all. But really, he just wanted to make sure the Clan and everyone in it was alright. If his feelings of foreboding about this leaf-bare were true, the Clan would need all the help it could get if it wanted to survive. He just hoped that he was wrong with the amount of fear he possessed.

"I-I'm not sure. I didn't get all of the message... But the falling star... i-it was predicting some sort of doom, but I'm not sure what…"

Bearheart felt his stomach flip over. Some sort of doom, what did that mean? Suddenly, he felt somewhat sick to his stomach. He wanted to ask, "Doom? How do you know? How can you be sure? Why aren't they sharing more if it's doom?" but he contained his panic, mentally shaking himself, despite the chill that spread down his spine.

"No, it's definitely not something apocalyptic, but some major shift is coming. StarClan didn't speak directly."

Well, at least it wasn't apocalyptic. Bearheart supposed that in itself was a good sign, but some sort of doom was still doom, and it still made his hackles raise, despite his efforts to control them.

"I'm sorry for confiding in you two. It's none of your business, and I didn't mean to impose my concerns on either of you. It was the shock of the moment and I apologize,"

Bearheart shook himself and rested his tail on Silverwind's shoulder. "It's alright, I won't speak a word of it to anyone. I promise."

[/color] He meowed, looking from Silverwind to Egretheart, hoping to convey his sincerity. "Do you think it's something that we should be preparing for?"[/color] He asked before he could stop himself, trying to think of possible tasks that should be completed to prepare for some sort of doom prophecy.
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[Rachel]

Egretheart kept her eyes trained on Silverwind as the she-cat relayed the message.

"I-I'm not sure. I didn't get all of the message...But the falling star... i-it was predicting some sort of doom, but I'm not sure what...No, it's definitely not something apocalyptic, but some major shift is coming. StarClan didn't speak directly. I'm sorry for confiding in you two. It's none of your business, and I didn't mean to impose my concerns on either of you. It was the shock of the moment and I apologize"

Egretheart's eyes narrowed as Silverwind uttered the words none of your business. Wasn't it exactly her business. She was the deputy of BrookClan, and if some sort of doom was coming, she ought to know. Yet, Silverwind still treated her as if she was still an ordinary warrior. Egretheart was not a confrontational cat, but she was about done letting cats walk all over her, even if the cat in question was Silverwind.

"It's alright, I won't speak a word of it to anyone. I promise. Do you think it's something that we should be preparing for?"

Luckily Bearheart spoke before she had a chance to snap at Silverwind, and his interruption allowed her the chance to bite her tongue. She truly believed that Silverwind was wrong not to confide in her, mainly about BrookClan business, however she did not need to say anything in front of Bearheart.

"I suggest we wait until we have more information before discussing this. We don't want panic when we don't know what we are expecting." Her words were stiff and formal, and she meant them more for Bearheart than Silverwind; she knew when she was alone she would ask Silverwind Bearheart's question. She didn't really think the tom would tell anyone, but until Doesn'texiststar had gotten the information, it didn't need to go out to the Clan.