Reputation tarnished or not, Zetiankunzea would always be seen as the traitor no matter where she was, the least she could do was drop her egotistical mask and show this child the maternal side only one in her life ever got to see. She frowned and hurriedly attempted to help the apprentice from crumbling to the ground, the she-cat's bony body chilling next to her own well fed one. She resisted the urge to flinch and nudged her head up with her nose. "Come on, don't give up now. Just a little bit further, then you can rest." She murmured in what she hoped was an encouraging tone, padding toward SpringClan's camp with the frail she-cat half hanging off of her half walking on her own. "You're in no condition to be looking for anyone. Once you're well again, we can talk about who you're trying to find. Maybe we can find them together." Her eyes slid to the corner to look at the she-cat. She couldn't be older than an apprentice, maybe young warrior, but with how little meat was on her bones and how she could barely hold her own weight, she seemed almost like a kitten in the former NightClan loyal guard's eyes.

Zetiankunzea, however, was no mousebrained she-cat. Nor was she hard of hearing. Though it was faint, she was able to detect, along with the movement of the she-cat's lips, the name that she was trying to say and a chill ran up her spine. There could be any number of Chasingpaw's in this forest, she would be a fool to make any assumptions, especially when the young she-cat seemed near delirious. But... She recalled the forlorn look on the young black bengal tom's face back in NightClan, the way he'd stare into the night sky as though somewhere in the stars someone would be looking back at him. She had heard him whispering to himself and promising someone somewhere something he would never explain when she confronted him about it. Her stomach twisted and she shook her head.

Heal her first, ask questions later.

Zetiankunzea shot the young she-cat a worried look, consciously quickening her pace as much as she could without jeopardizing the apprentice leaning against her side. While she couldn't fully make out every word, her confession of feeling warm made her uneasy. She had never spent any time in WinterClan. Her time spent in SpringClan had been when she was young, having left when she was an apprentice and finding herself in NightClan. She shook her head to rid herself of the memories. WinterClan cats were much more acclimated to the cold; what if the warmth of SpringClan posed a threat to her? She winced and focused her sights on the path ahead. They were nearly to camp.

---

"Sakurapaw!" The she-cat snapped out, flinching at the aggression in her own voice and silently, desperately hoping the clan medicine cat wouldn't take it to heart. She had been trying hard to rid herself of the icy exterior she held throughout her time in NightClan, but it would take time chipping away at it.

The white and black spotted she-cat poked her head out of the makeshift camp with wide eyes, glancing to the left and right as though worried about being caught before she hurried over. "Zetiankunzea!" She breathed back, pink and purple gaze zeroed in like tunnel vision only on the patient who desperately needed her help. "Hurry, get her inside and set her in one of the nests. Where did you find her?"

"She nearly ran into me," the SpringClan warrior grunted and followed the healer into the makeshift medicinal area, gingerly setting Subtlepaw into one of the nests, wincing at the mental image of the she-cat's frail bones shifting and creaking with the effort. "She's definitely WinterClan. I don't know why she's so far away from home. She's too out of it to answer."

"I would think so, it seems she's been traveling without stopping for any nourishment breaks," Sakurapaw tutted in disapproval, though her eyes were soft and worried. The medicine cat rummaged through her stores, or at least what she had left – they would need to make another run soon, and returned to the stranger's side with her findings. She leaned forward and inspected the she-cat from head to toe, clicking her tongue here and there in silent comment, "Zetiankunzea, I'll need your help. Gather water, you can use the clean moss over there, she's severely dehydrated. I'll see what I can do with everything else."

Zetiankunzea's purple gaze was trained on the WinterClan apprentice until she felt the medicine cat's mismatched eyes burning a hole in her pelt and she nodded jerkily once, gathering the moss and turning away, padding hurriedly to their water store for their temporary camp.

Sakurapaw glanced up from where she was making a variety of poultices and potions to get the foreign apprentice on the mend, brows furrowing and lips drawing into a small, concerned frown.

“Be still," She murmured, lifting one of the poultices on a beech leaf to the apprentices mouth to drink, “you may speak when you’re better.”

Zetiankunzea returned not long after that, damp moss in her jaws. The healer took it and offered it to her patient, allowing it to dribble and coat the she-cat’s throat.

“You might as well return to your duties,“ the healer sighed at the warrior, "she won’t be miraculously up and chatting away today."

The warrior hummed and nodded, dipping her head and leaving the den. Sakurapaw turned back to her patient, gaze thoughtful.

“Quite the tale is at your back, isn’t it?”

The medicine cat was fiercely thankful the younger apprentice had chosen the moment she was in the den to come back to consciousness. The white she-cat let out a sigh of relief and padded slowly over, so as not to startle her.

"Easy, easy," she murmured, helping the she-cat to a comfortable position in the nest. "You've been asleep for some time now, your body's not quite used to jumping around just yet."

Sakurapaw tilted her head, humming. Padding away from her side for only a moment, she returned with a damp piece of moss, hanging it over the she-cat's mouth so she could wet her undoubtedly parched throat.

"Now," she breathed, sitting back on her haunches and observing the apprentice, "why don't we finally have that talk you were so desperate to have a couple days ago?"

Sakurapaw frowned. Though she was used to such prickly manners from a choice few clanmates, she thought it rather rude that the younger apprentice was behaving in such a manner after all that Zetiankunzea and she had done to ensure her survival. Her jaws clicked together and it took quite a bit of effort for her to maintain her calm and soothing demeanor in her next words. "Unfortunately, these aren't pleasantries. We found you near death in our territory. Whether you like it or not, you have answers to questions that have burned in not only those who rescued you but those who lead our clan as well. If you want to continue on your journey, you'll answer them."

Sakurapaw sighed. She was far too tired to continue circling the same argument with her. "Fine." She stepped back. "Then answer me this one question before you go: Who are you looking for? Maybe I can help."

"Yes." Came the dark growl of another female voice. Zetiankunzea slipped into the den and into Subtlepaw's space, looming over her and glaring down at the apprentice, the expression on her face – and the darkness in her eyes – telling that she was ready to fight without holding back if that was what the apprentice was willing to start. "Who are you looking for, princess? You could barely handle yourself just outside of WinterClan's borders. How do you think you'll fare in an unknown world?"

Zetiankunzea had pulled back slightly as Subtlepaw submitted and began to voice her story. The she-cat's purple eyes narrowed and she tilted her head, jaw clicking. "What is your name, child?" She growled. Sakurapaw watched on, worry growing in her heart. While she had no doubt Subtlepaw had training, the warrior before them had once been a loyal guard of NightClan, a fierce warrior guardian who was deadly and dangerous as much as she was jaded and rough.

Zetiankunzea seemed to stiffen like a board, her purple eyes flashing with an unreadable fury, like lightning in amethyst skies, before she turned on her heel and snapped back at the apprentice. "No. You will remain here." The she-cat looked at the white medicine cat she had momentarily forgotten about, "Do not let her out of your sight."

Sakurapaw frowned, padding toward Subtlepaw to offer what comfort she could, tail resting on her shoulder. "It's alright, you'll be able to leave soon, I promise you. Zetiankunzea's more than likely going to retrieve Jetstar."

It was in the silence of the medicine den, beat after beat after beat passing, time seeming to both slow down and speed up, that there seemed to be commotion out in the clearing. There was shouting, as though an argument had broken out, before the pounding of paws toward the medicine den. Sakurapaw straightened her posture, preparing for a possible skirmish to break out – had there been intruders? did she need to gather her supplies and prepare for battlefield injuries? – but instead, a familiar voice called out.

"Subtlepaw!"

Sakurapaw glanced over at the apprentice still at her side.

"Subtlepaw!" There was a frustrated curse and the male voice seemed to lash out at someone, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"

Suddenly a black furry head pushed into the entrance of the den, before a large body – far larger than what he once was, far more built and defined with sharper lines than what he once was – forced its way through the slightly tight entrance of the den and familiar molten golden eyes gazed down at her.

He breathed, expression looking for lack of a better expression as though the world had stopped turning and nothing else existed but Subtlepaw's own gaze, "I found you."

A grin took over that handsome face and the next moment, he was wrapped tightly around her, his forehead pressed against hers and his eyes closed, enveloping himself in the warmth of her and the scent of her, the feel of her energy intermingling with his own, reminding himself over and over, she's here, it's real, she's here.

The black tom lifted his head and gazed into her eyes, his own seeming to near explode with love, uncaring of the audience they had. He tightened his tail wrapped around her, pulling her closer to him, and a deep rumble sounded within his chest, a raspy purr that seemed oddly placed considering his often light and sweet voice.

"I'll never let you go again." He rumbled, voice darker and richer, "Never. You're back. We're together, where we belong." He nuzzled the side of her head and rested his chin atop her, resulting in placing her ear against his chest, where his heart – that had once been hammering in a frenzy – slowed to a steady and confident beat. "Forever."

Somewhere in the world, a voice cleared.

"Ah..." Sakurapaw glanced at the entrance of the den, where she could sense the guilt – and anger – that ebbed off of Zetiankunzea, though she surprisingly respectfully kept her distance. "That's all well and good... but we have some pressing matters to attend to with Subtlepaw's arrival. We still have questions that need answers."

Chasingpaw's golden eyes flashed open and narrowed, glaring warning daggers at the medicine cat. The white she-cat winced in response.