It all started when I was just a kit. A small one, at that. Shiningkit was my name then, all those seasons ago... I was named for my bright amber eyes, so they say. Anyway. Ever since I had seen the medicine cat, Leafsong, save a cat's life, I had wanted to be a medicine cat like her. I wanted to smell herbs every day, to speak with Starclan. The problem arose when Gingerkit came. She was a sweet little thing, white and ginger patched, and I took an immediate liking to her, even as a kit. But as she grew older, she became aware of what she wanted. And she wanted with all her heart to be medicine cat.
"Hey, Gingerkit, want to go find some herbs for Leafsong with me?" I called to the ginger-and-white kit. "We can ask. I bet they'll let us go." Gingerkit purred and nodded.
"Sounds fun." We bounded over to the medicine cat den.
"Leafsong!" I called into the den, my voice echoing in little ripples around me throughout the cave.
"Yes?" she responded, poking her head out of the crevice.
"Me and Gingerkit want to gather herbs for you. Can we go, oh please oh please?" I asked, pleading with my eyes. Gingerkit nodded solemnly.
"We promise we'll be good and come back in time. We'll get the right herbs." she smiled. "I know almost all!" I shot her a glance and quickly nodded.
"Me too." It was true. I did. And so did Gingerkit. I sighed, and Leafong gave us a long, suspicious look, but didn't say anything.
"All right," she said after a pause. "Run along."
"Yes!"
Gingerkit and I ran out of camp together, tails twitching excitedly. Along the way, I saw Faint.
"Hey Faint, come with us! We're going herb gathering!" Faint smiled in her serious way. She didn't have a proper name yet, because she wasn't born in the clan. Actually, neither was Gingerkit, but she came to Leafclan very early in her life. Faint had only come recently.
"Sure." And the three of us were off.
"Let's look for marigold," I suggested.
"Or dock," added Gingerkit. Faint just gave us this look. I smiled at her.
"We'll help you find the right herbs," I assured her, and promptly dug up a clump of marigold.
"You just get the flowers, not the roots," Gingerkit pointed out. I blushed.
"Whoops." I tore off the flowers and leaves, because I knew the leaves were important, too, and lay them aside. Feeling foolish, I quickly moved on.
Between the three of us, we eventually gathered substantial piles of marigold, dock, tansy, and juniper berries.
"Wow, we did a good job," I said, examining our work. Gingerkit and Faint nodded in synchronization. Gingerkit shot us a sly look.
"Shiningkit... Faint and I haven't shown you how to tree-jump yet, have we?" I shook my head, curious.
"Well then, come on!" Quick as lightning, Gingerkit was up a tree, and Faint followed her, laughing.
"I didn't know you could climb," I said, bewildered. Gingerkit shrugged a little.
"Well, when my parents left me, whoever they are, they left me in a tree. Did you know that?' I shook my head, uncomfortable with talking about Gingerkit's parents, and struggled up the tree to sit next to the pair of kits.
"Now what?" I meowed, looking around.
"Now," said Faint, "We tree-jump." She dug in her claws, braced her legs against the tree, and sprung to the next tree over. Leafclan was very full of trees. Quickly, she moved on to the next one, and the next one, until she wasn't really stopping at each tree, she was... flying. There was no other way to put it. It looked so graceful and smooth. Gingerkit smiled.
"She can do it loads better than me. Watch." She sprung from the tree, and began to tree-jump. It still looked amazing, even if it wasn't quite as graceful as Faint's. Out of breath, both of them landed on the tree I was perched on. I stared at them, dumbfounded.
"You want me to do that?" They nodded. I shook my head. "I could fall! I can't..." Suddenly, Faint gave me a shove from behind. I went flying towards the next tree, and landed on it with a thump.
"Whoa." I sat there, catching my breath, before bracing my legs, digging in my claws, and leaping to the next tree. It really did feel like flying.
Soon we were all tree-jumping, giggling madly and whizzing by one another. After hours, I stopped on a large, broad-spreading oak tree.
"Leafsong will be worried," I pointed out, and in no time we were down on the ground again and trying to fit all the herbs in our mouths. I jerked my head towards camp, being unable to speak, and we headed back.
"You sure did a good job," Leafsong observed, examining our piles. "What took you so long, though? I was beginning to be worried." We all exchanged glances.
"Nothing," we all said at the same time, and left the den.
The next day, I woke up bright and early.
"Gingerkit! Want to go tree-jump with Faint?" She yawned, her little pink mouth showing.
"Sure." She prodded the black she-cat sleeping next to her, and soon all three of us were out in the woods. I looked up and saw black clouds looming over us.
"Those don't look too good," I said doubtfully, but Gingerkit shook her head.
"Don't worry, Shiningkit, it will be fun. We'll get back before the storm hits." Shrugging, I scampered up a tree alongside the other two and we began. Wind whooshing by our pelts, the feeling of freedom, like you ruled the world... it was all there. And then it started to rain. First it was a trickle, and we kept right on tree-jumping around each other, giggling excitedly. But it quickly mounted to a torrential downpour, and it happened. Faint's sure black paws slipped from the wet branch. And she went crashing down to the ground.
"Faint!" We cried in unison and jumped down from the tree. It wasn't good. She had been cut by the branches, and blood was everywhere. Her leg was at a funny angle, and she was unmoving. Gingerkit and I stared at each other, panicked, and the she snapped into action.
"Marigold. Cobwebs. Rushes." She began rattling off a list of herbs she thought she'd need. I started to help her, but then a piercing cry rang out, from the direction of camp. I looked to Faint, then to camp, Faint, camp, until I was dizzy. What should I do? Gingerkit bit her lip.
"I'll take care of Faint. You go back to camp." I nodded, and Gingerkit nodded back, face set and determined. I could tell nothing would prevent her from trying her very hardest to save her friend's life. I sprinted back to camp as fast as I could, and when I arrived, I saw what was going on. Mistypool was lying in the center of camp, moaning, her swollen belly contracting. She was having her kits.
"Where's Leafsong?" I yowled.
"She went to get herbs," came a panicked reply. That was Silverpaw. "It was a while before Mistypool started... no one knows what to do!" I stared for a second, then snapped into action, putting thoughts of Gingerkit and Faint out of my mind.
"I need cobwebs and borage," I said decisively. Silverpaw nodded and went to fetch them. I knew she had wanted to be a medicine cat apprentice as well. But that dream was over. Wasn't it?
When she had returned, I knelt in the rain beside the queen.
"Take deep breaths," I began. "Focus on relaxing. I have herbs for you, but you have to get through this first, ok?" Marbletail nodded quickly, struggling to breathe more slowly. I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment, then opened them. I had to do this. Suddenly, Marbletail gasped, and out came the first kit. I bit open it's little sac and began licking it, then the second one came.
"Silverpaw, can you lick that one?" I called, and she nodded. She had an envious, sour look on her face that I ignored for the moment. When the third kit came, I could tell it was over. The three healthy kit lay wriggling and squirming until they found their mother, and Marbletail smiled warmly at me. I patched her up with cobwebs and gave her some borage, anxious to get back to Faint, and she spoke.
"Thank you, Shiningkit. You have talent" I glowed from the inside out, and ran back to my friends with a bounce in my step. I had done a birthing! All by myself! But my spirits lowered when I saw my injured friend, her black pelt rain and blood-soaked. Gingerkit was bending over her, and Faint was covered in cobweb bandages.
"You saved her life," I murmured. Faint's eyes were open, and she nodded slightly, wincing and smiling at the same time.
"She did," she croaked. I instantly felt small. What Gingerkit had done was ten times bigger than what I had just done.
"Help me get her back to camp," Gingerkit said quietly, and together, we transported the injured Faint back to the Leafclan camp.