AN: Here is ANOTHER challenge from the Warriors Challenge Forum. The challenge is "A Medicine Cat's [Enter Feelings Here]" by Mossshine. The story is about Whisperpaw, a mute medicine cat apprentice who can only talk in her dreams. Her emotion is communication.

Whisperpaw's POV

Whisperpaw gazed out the medicine den entrance, soft rain hitting her silver tabby fur. Tears ran, combining the two pools.

Whisperpaw had been mute since birth. Her sister, Gempaw, was one of the most popular apprentices, yet she didn't give a rat's tail for Whisperpaw. No one did. Once her mother had discovered her beautiful daughter couldn't talk, she abandoned her to the mercy of the elements.

Whisperpaw was not a ThunderClan cat, and it was painfully obvious. Her thinner fur caused her to feel every prickle in the moss bedding, and she was much quicker than the other apprentices. They didn't race her anymore, because they knew she would win without hardly tiring.

She glanced over to the entrance of the camp, and saw a gaggle of apprentices, happily chatting and giggling after a hunting patrol. Once they saw Whisperpaw, they huddled closer together, and began suspiciously murmuring with each other.

Whisperpaw felt more tears coming, and ducked quickly into the smaller thicket. She curled herself up on her nest and cried herself to sleep.

She woke up in StarClan's hunting grounds, in front of a regal silvery-white queen. The queen smiled at her. "Hello Whisperpaw." Her expression changed- like she saw black storm clouds coming. "Why are you sad?"

"Oh, Grandmother, you know why I'm sad. If you don't, you make a very poor guardian." Whisperpaw snapped, rolling onto her back to survey the stars. Her beautiful dream-voice cracked. "I'm sad because- because- NO ONE UNDERSTANDS!"

"Peace, dear one. It seems hard, but you just have to get around it."

Whisperpaw leapt to her feet, eyes blazing. "Easy enough for you to say! You live up here, all calm and quiet. Nothing ruffles you, you're like a- like a- thing that doesn't ruffle! Not like me! I can't even tell them to shut up! I can't tell anyone anything! Now, remember if you will, the reason my own MOTHER cast me out. Because she couldn't live with a mute daughter, it ruined her image as the deputy. So here I am, the only WindClan cat in the whole of ThunderClan, and silent to boot! Do you think that's easy?"

The silver queen just sat, calmly watching the bitter, enraged apprentice stare balefully into the stream. "I hate them." Whisperpaw muttered.

"No, you don't. You don't understand hatred. You're just frustrated, so you're taking your anger out in the only way you can. Look at me! I was the leader of WindClan, until I bore my kits. And who's kits do you suppose they were?"

Whisperpaw just stared at the silver queen. This was the first time she had shown emotion towards the apprentice.

"They were the medicine cat's kits. My Clan pitched me out, saying I wasn't worthy of the 'star in my name. They renamed me Losthope, and banished me, my kits, and my beloved mate into the wild. I vowed revenge, that I would return and take my rightful name of Snowstar. But before I could-"

Here the old silver leader stopped, tears welling in her eyes. She straightened up, and stared deep into Whisperpaw's eyes.

"Before I could, we were ambushed, and my kits were killed. My beautiful kits- they died for nothing."

Whisperpaw's heart felt like breaking. Why had she snapped at this poor old cat? She hadn't thought, no, check that. She let anger cloud her mind, until all she felt was rage. This was not what she really felt, she realized. She was only confused.

"So, now that I have spilled my entire, depressing life story to you, I hope it changes what you think about your life." The calm exterior was back; if anyone came in right now, they would never guess that Snowstar- or Losthope?- had just had the biggest outburst since she joined StarClan.

Whisperpaw simple bowed her head. "Snowstar... What you have told me made me realize just how good my life is. Even though I'm mute, and the other cats don't like me for it, I have a home, and a Clan that is happy enough to have me. Farewell."

Whisperpaw found herself back in the medicine den, with dried tears cutting darker streaks down her face. She heard a strange noise outside and glanced out the entrance.

A giant two-leg sky-monster was passing overhead. The cats rushed into their dens and looked fearfully out. Thankfully, the sky-monster flew right over, its huge awkward wings stuck out on either side.

The next moment, a frightened wail went up from the nursery. "Aurakit! Where are you?"

The young queen, Snowbloom, raced out, staring wildly around, her eyes wide with fear. "Please, someone, find her! My Aurakit, she's gone!"

Two other kits, Arborkit and Serpentkit, peered out the entrance. Their mothers pushed them farther back, eyes full of sympathy for Snowbloom.

A soft voice broke on the ears of the frightened cats.

"I'll help."

~Intermission~

The Clan whirled around, looking for the unfamiliar voice.

Whisperpaw was standing outside the medicine den, looking incredulously down. She opened her mouth-

"I can talk!"

The other cats milled around her, shouting "What? How?" and "What do you mean, talk?" and "A miracle. A gift from StarClan!"

A terrified wail interrupted them. "Please! It doesn't matter if Whisperpaw can talk, FIND MY BABY! PLEASE!"

The Clan broke up, heading into the woods calling, "Aurakit? Aurakit! Where are you? Come on, come out!"

Soon, Whisperpaw was the only one left besides the queens, desperately trying to calm Snowbloom. The young silver cat was sitting, incredulously touching a paw to her throat. How? She thought.

You reconciled yourself. Losthope's voice resonated in her head. Whisperpaw saw a slight outline of the white she-cat, smiling a secret smile. Now, you shall find the child of the snow in the tree that touches the heavens. Go- tell the others.

Whisperpaw pondered for a second, wracking her brain. The tree that touches the heavens? What could she mean?

It flashed on her- a great spot for soft herbs. The Sky Oak.

Of course- the very place she had been found by Rainstar after her mother booted her out of WindClan.

Whisperpaw bolted out of the clearing, following the scent of the other cats. Her light build and long legs enabled her to easily reach the speed of a terrified rabbit, never mind a desperately searching warrior. Their scent led her to the border with ShadowClan, near the green-leaf Twolegplace.

"No! Come on, she's at the Sky Oak!" Whisperpaw shrieked, leaping wildly through a bramble thicket.

All the warriors in the patrol turned. Whisperpaw yelled, "Come on!" and rushed towards the lake.

Heartbeats later, they arrived at the Sky Oak. The ThunderClan cats were out of breath- however, Whisperpaw was barely panting. She bounded to the hollow under the roots, gazing for the familiar white fur of little Aurakit. The only thing she saw was a pair of lavender-blue eyes gleaming back at her.

Whisperpaw sighed, staring in relief into the shadows. "Okay, Aurakit. You can come out now."

"Really?" A tiny voice asked nervously.

"Yes. Please. Your mother is worried sick!"

At that, Aurakit scrambled out, shaking out her pelt and gazing around. "Am I in trouble?" she asked quietly.

"No, no, baby." Whisperpaw comforted her. "Why did you run away?"

"The sky-monster. It scared me so bad, I ran through the wall and out to the forest. I ran for so long, I got so tired, so I laid down here. But I got lost, and I was scared, but you found me!" She looked around happily.

Whisperpaw laughed. "Yes, of course we found you! But now we need to be getting you back to camp, okay?"

"Okay!"

It took a short while to get back to the camp, but when they arrived, Snowbloom went crazy with relief. She covered her once-lost baby in licks and and promises and comforts, much to the enjoyment of the little Aurakit.

Whisperpaw sat in the background, once more under the canopy of the medicine den. She watched mother and daughter mingle, then go back to the nursery for bed-time.

Whisperpaw felt Snowstar's presence at her shoulder, but when she turned to look, there was just rock wall. She smiled, then turned around and lay back in her nest, ready for the soothing dark.

AN: So! That's that. If you want to do some challenges, go to the Warriors Challenge Forum, it should show up in a Google search.

ALSO: I need cats for a story that I'm writing, so if you have some extra time on your hands, go here: .net/forum/Field_Wood_Gale_Stream_a_creation_forum/110513/

Okay, that's about it! Please review!

~ Bou, or Echostream of the Warriors Challenge Forum