Challenge for TorrentClan - by Swift
Summary: A tom or she-cat is forced into becoming a medicine cat. They can't remember herbs and their mentor dies. They try to treat a cat, but end up killing it. How do they feel? What do their Clanmates think?
I Should Be A Warrior Instead
Nightpaw's POV
Mistflight was dead. And it was my fault.
My first thoughts. Nothing else mattered except this. I was frozen, locked in an ice block of grief and guilt that chilled me to the bone.
I watched as her mate and kits sobbed over her body. Hawktalon, her mate, wasn't one for emotions, but he had collapsed, eyes bloodshot. Mistflight's three daughters, Oakvine, Xeniabloom, and Iceflame were grooming her for the medicine cat, me, to anoint the body with rosemary and other herbs.
My legs moved without my consent, and they carried me to the medicine den, where I stared blankly at the piles of herbs. Which one is rosemary? I asked myself. Racking my brain, I eventually gave up and chose the sweetest smelling one I could find. I wasn't cut out to be a medicine cat! Taking a deep breath, I exited the den and went over to the limp body of Mistflight.
As I prepared to rub the herb onto her white and gray tabby fur, Hawktalon sprang up and snarled viciously at me. "Get away from her!" I jerked away, startled and hurt.
Dropping my bundle, I murmured softly, "Hawktalon, please let me through."
Xeniabloom was observing the herbs at my paws, and leaning forward, gave them a sniff. Suddenly, her eyes widened, and she exclaimed, "Hey, this isn't rosemary!"
Oakvine exhaled slowly and left her mother's side to go to the medicine den, coming back with a bundle of rosemary. As I realized this, my tail drooped with embarrassment. Hawktalon sneered. "Even Oakvine, a warrior, knows what rosemary is. Call yourself a medicine cat? You don't even know the most basic herbs! You're useless to the Clan!"
Iceflame stepped forward. "Father, please..." Hawktalon curled his lip and pushed his nose into his mate's cold fur.
I let Iceflame draw me away to the side of the clearing. "He's grieving. Give him time and he'll come around." I nodded and began to head back, but the warrior stopped me. "We'll take care of it. Herondive has already offered to say the rites. Go and rest."
Plodding back to my den, I flopped down into my nest, begging StarClan for help. "Why," I whispered, "why did you do this?"
If you are bored with this story, I'll summarize it for you: I was a kit forced to become a medicine cat. My name is Nightpaw, and I'm a 12-moon-old murderer.
Iceflame's POV
I watched Nightpaw go back to her den, tail dragging. I didn't blame her. If I had accidentally killed someone, my conscience would be heavy as well. But on the other paw, Nightpaw was a born warrior, not a healer! Poor cat, I thought. Although I could understand my father and two sisters' anger, I also felt sorry for Nightpaw. She was beating herself up over Mistflight, but she wasn't at fault here.
Swallowstream, the legendary medicine cat of RiverClan, was Nightpaw's mentor. She was a kind she-cat, but she had failed to see Nightpaw's lack of talent for healing from the start. If she had seen it, than maybe she would have taken Oakvine as an apprentice. Oakvine had always wanted to heal and work with cats, not fight them.
Unfortunately, Swallowstream and Mistflight had an ages-old rivalry - they were sisters, and Swallowstream had been a target of Mistflight's friends' teasing. Ever since, she had never forgiven Mistflight for standing by and doing nothing. So when Oakvine wanted to become a medicine cat, Swallowstream had rejected her with hopes that Brooksplash would have a kit that wanted to become a healer.
None of them did, and before Swallowstream died, Willowstar forced the most likely candidate, Nightkit, to become a medicine cat. Nightkit became Nightpaw, and three moons later, Swallowstream died from greencough. Nightpaw had not retained any of the information, and when Mistflight caught the cough, Nightpaw mistook foxglove seeds for poppy seeds, and fed them to Mistflight. Soon after, Mistflight died as well.
The Next Morning: Nightpaw's POV
We had buried Mistflight the night before, and I was preparing to travel to the Moonpool to meet the other medicine cats. I needed help though; I couldn't just travel alone!
With that in mind, I called Iceflame and asked if she wanted to go. "Can't. I've got patrol. But Oakvine might want to."
I sighed and padded over to Oakvine to ask. Oakvine gave me a hard look. "Fine. Somebody needs to." I grinned. "Thanks, Oakvine!"
She mumbled a response and walked away to let Shellstripe, the deputy, know she wouldn't be available for patrols. I was staring at the pile of traveling herbs when Oakvine walked back in. "Don't we need traveling herbs?" she asked. "Well, I, uh..." I stammered.
To my surprise, she purred. "You'll need sorrel, burnet, chamomile, and daisy," she said, and proceeded to scoop out the herbs. Astonished, I questioned her eagerly, "How did you know that?"
Oakvine' eyes were suddenly shadowed. "As a kit, I wanted to become a medicine cat, but Swallowstream didn't let me." I gasped. "What? I can't even remember traveling herbs. I want to be a warrior! Why didn't she let you?"
The warrior pretended not to hear, and instead sorted the herbs into piles. "Who will mentor you now?" she asked. "I don't know," I said with a sigh. "Maybe I'll have to get help from ThunderClan's medicine cat, Snowfall. He'll help us, especially since he and Swallowstream were such good friends."
Falling silent, I leaned forward and swallowed my herbs, grimacing as I did so. Oakvine did the same. And so, in silence, we headed for the Moonpool: and answers.
