Clouds weighed heavily in the sky, casting one continuous shadow over the forest below. Thunder rumbled through the trees, and a stiff wind pushed through the thick summer underbrush. A swath of bracken shook still as the wind died momentarily, and the gleam of eyes flashed through the green leaves. A mouse scurried through the dust, searching for food at the roots of a huge oak. The bracken stilled, though the flash of eyes remained. Without warning, a sleek gray-and-white blur threw itself from its hiding place in the bush, landing on the mouse. Killing the creature with a cruelly precise blow to the head, the cat leaned down and scooped the fresh-kill up between powerful jaws. Sturdy muscles rippled beneath soft, gray-white mottled fur as she turned her head to face the sky. The she-cat was rather small in size, and consequently was made to crane her neck to see over a nearby bramble patch to survey the approaching storm. Huffing impatiently, she dropped her mouse at her feet, tail-tip twitching irritably. She turned all the way around and faced the bracken from which she'd emerged, jaws slightly agape to test the air.
"Tornadopaw!" The she-cat's musical voice cut the humid air like ice chips, hanging almost tangibly before her in the heat. A small, broad-faced tom with fur the color of dust peeked out through the branches. Deciding that her displeasure was not directed at him, he stepped gingerly from the underbrush, his hazel eyes timidly puzzled. He, too, was small in stature, but he made up for it in muscle. His shoulders were unusually broad, as was his face, and even breathing caused his muscles to flex beneath his pelt. His size suggested that he was young, but this was not the case. In fact, he was approaching his sixteenth moon, and the she-cat was reminded once again to approach their leader, Phantomstar, about his warrior ceremony.
"Yes, Thunderrose?" he asked. His voice was deep and had the consistency of gravel, grating from his throat and cutting at her ears. Thunderrose winced internally; while she had been his mentor for ten moons, she had never quite grown accustomed to his unique voice.
"This storm is moving in faster than I'd thought. Collect this mouse and I'll go back and get the rest of our catch; I'll meet you back at camp." Tornadopaw nodded and brushed past her, wide paws kicking up dust in little clouds. Thunderrose brushed her tail briefly against his ear as she trotted back the way they'd come. The air felt sticky against her fur and she shook it impatiently as if to expel water. Following the scent trail they'd left on their hunt, she eventually made it to a young pine tree, where the pair had buried the rest of their catch. Scraping the dust away from it, she scooped up the prey- a thrush and two voles, all fat with the plentiful greenleaf offerings- and pricked her ears up as another rumble of thunder vibrated through her nerves. She secured her jaw around the fresh-kill and set off at a brisk trot in the direction of the BriarClan camp. Lightning clawed through the sky, causing her pelt to stand on end, and the brilliant flash illuminated the dark trees around her. A violent crash of thunder followed closely, and Thunderrose jumped, eyes wide. She quickened her pace until she was sprinting through the forest, ears flat against her head. Finally, the bramble wall came into view, and a sigh of relief managed to bubble from her straining lungs. Fat raindrops pattered around her with increasing speed as she threw herself into the tunnel. The camp was clearing fast as her Clanmates sought shelter from the storm. Thunderrose threw her prey on the pile and trotted over to the warriors' den, eyes slit against the wind. She sat just inside the entrance, eyes fixated on the tunnel as she watched for her apprentice's return. Now that she was safe, she felt a stab of concern for the tomcat. A chill rippled down her spine from her wet fur and she bent her head to lap away the water in an attempt to warm up.
Her head snapped upright again a little later as a screech split the air outside. A loud, echoing groan followed, and dread seized her belly as she watched a large oak lean heavily and begin to fall. Leaping to her paws, she tore from the den and instantly spotted her apprentice in the path of the falling tree. Throwing herself forward, she sank shrieked out to him. His head whipped toward her as the oak's shadow grew longer as it accelerated toward the earth. She sank her teeth into his scruff and yanked him out of the way moments before it hit. The impact shook her paws and she stumbled sideways as branches from the surrounding trees that had been ripped off by the fallen oak rained down around her. Tornadopaw yowled something to her, but his words were lost to Thunderrose's ears as a branch struck her across the back of the head, sending a blinding flash of pain through her skull. Light seared her eyes as she staggered forward and went sprawling in the mud. She vaguely noted Tornadopaw's presence in front of her eyes as her vision began to blur and fade. His loud, terrified voice paled into the background, and an aching silence closed in on her ears as the world went black.
Thunderrose was dragged into consciousness by a dull ache in the back of her head. Groaning, she opened her eyes, and immediately regretted the decision. Even the faint light from the medicine den burned her eyes and increased the pain in her head until it was sharp and stabbing. She groaned again and closed her eyes, but the pain did not diminish as she'd hoped. Without warning, a cold, wet feeling assaulted the back of her head. Thunderrose's eyes flew open with surprise, but she didn't cry out as she normally would have. Instead, she found herself sighing with relief as the chilly dampness soothed the ragged, throbbing pain in the back of her skull. She tried to turn her head around to see who was behind her, but a paw came to rest on her shoulder, warning her wordlessly to keep still.
"You took quite a beating, Thunderrose. If you move, the pain will get much worse. Your best bet is to stay still." The creaking voice of the elderly ThunderClan medicine cat, Junipersun, felt like sandpaper to her ears, which were made more sensitive to noise than before by the pain. She winced noticeably and he pressed more wet moss to the back of her head.
"Can you see alright?" he asked her in that edgy voice of his. Thunderrose steeled herself and peeled her eyes open. The dim light assaulted her head as if she was staring into the sun, and she hissed at the pain. A few moments passed, and she found that her vision was rather clear, despite the hurt it caused her.
"Yes. The light hurts, though…" She griped. Though she meant for it to sound tough, the dryness of her mouth made it sound weak and papery-thin. She winced internally at the sound of it, and thought longingly of the water oozing through her fur. Junipersun padded around and pressed a wad of soaked moss to her lips. She opened her stiff jaw and lapped at it gratefully, looking up at him to convey her thanks. His gold pelt was unkempt and thin, and his muzzle was graying, but he was still just as good a medicine cat as ever. His apprentice, Eveningpaw, couldn't have asked for a better mentor. He was sweet and funny, with a firm edge and a keen knowledge of his work. When her thirst was sufficiently quenched, Thunderrose twitched an ear, and he stepped away, padding into his store with the awkward gait of old age. She noted this mentally, wondering suddenly if he soon planned to retire. After all, it was only a matter of time before age caught up to him, and he would be forced to step down. A low rumble drew her attention away from the elderly tom and toward her stomach. She hadn't eaten since the morning before the accident, however long ago that was. She made to call out for him, but the tomcat was already padding back to her, a vole in his teeth. She purred appreciatively as he set the food in front of her, and she decided to test his remark about movement making the pain worse. Gingerly, she lifted her head from the moss. The pain caused her to grit her teeth for a moment, but it relaxed its hold after a little bit. She soon found that, if she moved slowly, the pain was tolerable. Junipersun's amber eyes lit up like the sun with pride as she bravely bent her head down and snagged a bite of the fresh-kill, chewing slowly as her jaw muscles loosened. She could feel where the branch had hit her; the pain settled there and stretched with her neck, never really waning. She ignored it, however, wishing to finish her meal before asking any questions. When she'd finished her repast, she settled back, resting her head on the moss again.
"How long have I been laying here?" she asked, looking up at him with her stormy blue eyes. Junipersun thought for a moment, apparently counting the days since the accident.
"Only two days. I must say, I'm surprised you awoke as soon as you did; you took quite a blow to the head. You're very lucky your skull didn't crack." Thunderrose closed her eyes for a moment, recalling the event. Her eyes flew open a moment later as she remembered the panic-stricken face of Tornadopaw.
"What about Tornadopaw?" she asked, a note of worry in her voice. Junipersun rested his tail on her shoulder, and for a moment she was unsure whether it was to reassure her or to comfort her.
"He's perfectly fine. He dragged you out from under that branch after it hit you. Phantomstar is going to make him a warrior as soon as you're well enough to attend the ceremony." Thunderrose sighed in relief, relaxing immediately. It was good to know that she didn't take a limb to the head in vain. Her tail twitched in surprise when the elderly tom nudged a pile of herbs over to her with one paw. She craned her neck forward, ignoring the stabs of pain, and sniffed them tentatively. Junipersun chuffed with amusement at her hesitancy.
"Just a poultice for the pain. If you're going to be awake, I figured you'd want some sort of relief." He looked at her with rheumy green eyes, kindness sparkling under the hazy cataracts. She nodded slightly and lapped up the leaves, nearly gagging on the bitter taste. When she'd managed to force them down, Junipersun flicked her ear gently with his tail tip before turning to leave.
"I'm going to go clean up the stores and look for my apprentice. If you need anything else, just call." With that, the aged tomcat padded stiffly away. Thunderrose pricked her ears up and called his name. He paused and looked over his shoulder with a questioning gaze.
"Could you ask Tornadopaw to come here?" she inquired, wishing to thank him properly. The old medicine cat nodded and continued on his way, calling out Eveningpaw's name with his rasping mew. Thunderrose heard their hushed conversation, and then watched as the slender tortoiseshell apprentice bounded from the store with all the energy of youth. Eveningpaw called out a greeting as she bounced by, her springy tone a welcome respite from her mentor's grating meow. Thunderrose merely flicked her ears as she settled back into her thick mossy nest. Her eyes stared at the stone ceiling, studying the notches and scrapes worn into the rock through time. Her reverie was broken by a deep, gravelly mew very familiar to her. She lifted her head slowly, looking upon Tornadopaw with more kindness than she'd ever shown an apprentice as he approached her. He sat down beside her nest, hesitantly giving her ear a lick.
"I'm glad you're okay," he meowed somewhat awkwardly. She purred and the sound relaxed him a bit. Her eyes sparkled with laughter, a look she'd never given him before. He looked utterly baffled.
"As am I. Next time, though, try not to get in the path of a falling tree," she purred in response, her good humor lighting a smile in his eyes like a spark to dry grass. He huffed with amused embarrassment and shuffled his paws, unsure how to act with this lighthearted she-cat in front of him. She noticed this and flicked him lightly with her tail.
"Come now, Tornadopaw. I owe you a proper thanks for saving me before that tree branch could crush me completely. Besides, you're almost a warrior; don't you think it's time that I treat you less like a student and more like an equal?" Thunderrose meowed good-naturedly. Tornadopaw considered this, and then nodded, his eyes bright.
"You don't have to thank me, though. Any cat would've done the same, I'm sure," he mewed modestly in that gravelly voice of his. It still irritated her ears, but she found herself ignoring this fact as she poked him in the side with her tail.
"And I would have thanked them as well. It just so happens that it's you who saved me," she replied. He shrugged, still humble. This peeved her slightly. Couldn't he just accept her thanks and move on?
"You saved me first." He pointed out, trying to deflect the heroism from himself to her. She scoffed, her old self shining through.
"So we're even. Come on, Tornadopaw. Haven't you ever been thanked before?" she asked somewhat exasperatedly. He shook his head, a little self-conscious.
"No one's ever had reason to. I'm a bit of a coward, you know." And she did know. During their fighting practices, he was on the timid side, not quite sure how to face her. She'd tried to wear it out of him by pushing him hard, but he never really came out of his shell until a few days ago. That was the first time she'd seen him react somewhat impulsively.
"You certainly weren't a coward when you saved me. I'm thanking you and that's final. Just accept it, okay?" She was growing tired of his excessive modesty. He flinched slightly, and then nodded.
"Is there anything you need?" he asked, purposefully changing the subject.
"What I need is to get up and move around…" she began before Junipersun suddenly cut her off. The tom had appeared from nowhere, walking awkwardly across the cave to where the two cats were conversing.
"Absolutely not! You might be awake, but you're by no means healed." His firm side was showing now, seeming even harsher when compared to Tornadopaw's timid diffidence. She affected a sigh of frustration, when internally she was grateful for his insistence.
"In that case, just bring me some water," she mewed shortly. Junipersun pulled some moss from her nest and padded stiffly to a dip in the rock, where a natural pool was formed. He soaked the moss with water and brought it dripping back to her, laying it at her paws. Giving him a pointed glance, she lapped at the water while Tornadopaw sat uneasily nearby.
"What time of day is it?" she asked, pausing in her lapping. The brown apprentice thought for a second.
"Near twilight." His reply was tainted with a bit of guilt. She could sense it in the set of his shoulders and the way he shuffled his paws.
"You're on patrol, aren't you?" she asked him. Her tone was not accusatory; it was hardly even a question, more of a statement of fact. He nodded sheepishly, almost regretfully.
"Then why are you sitting around here? I've got Junipersun for company." The medicine cat nodded, a glint of humor in his eyes.
"I may be old, but I can still hold a conversation," he added, glancing sideways at her. She twitched her ear in thanks- an action noticed only by the elderly tom- and flicked her tail at Tornadopaw.
"Go and do patrol before Jadefeather claws your ears." Tornadopaw flinched at the thought, lurched to his paws, and called a farewell as he trotted from the den. Both remaining cats sighed in relief before glancing amusedly at one another.
"I don't know why you invited him back here, Thunderrose," Junipersun mewed, shaking his head. Thunderrose snorted, flicking her ears.
"I was hoping his act of heroism would shock a little backbone into him; apparently, I was wrong," she replied, lapping a few more times at the soaked moss. Junipersun settled back onto his haunches and her ears picked up the faint sound of his joints cracking as they supported his weight. They settled into some good-natured conversation about whatever. She'd always been comfortable around him, as he was her uncle. She'd spent a lot of time in the medicine den as a kit, and even considered becoming his apprentice for awhile, but the thrill of the hunt and the adrenaline rush that came with a good fight appealed to her too much. When it came down to it, she couldn't really imagine herself stuck inside sorting piles of plants. She lost track of time and was startled when Eveningpaw trotted back into the den. She carried a few pieces of fresh-kill in her jaws, and she purred gratefully as she placed one in front of her. Junipersun ate his surprisingly quickly before stretching luxuriously. Again, her ears were met with the faint cracking of old joints as he rose to his paws.
"I'm off to bed. Would you like some poppy seeds to help you sleep, Thunderrose?" he asked, yawning hugely. Thunderrose shook her head.
"No, I think I'll be okay." She gave him a friendly look. Eveningpaw's ears pricked up.
"Besides, if she needs anything, I'll get it for her. You go to sleep, Junipersun. The half-moon is in a few days, remember?" The elderly medicine cat looked at Eveningpaw in surprise; obviously, the medicine cat meeting had escaped his memory. He merely shrugged, however, and bade the two she-cats good night before padding off into the dark, deeper part of the cave. Eveningpaw sat down and wrapped her bushy orange tail around her tiny white paws, blue eyes glittering with energy as usual.
"Did it hurt when the branch hit you?" she asked. Thunderrose bristled slightly at the ignorance of the question; however, she composed herself after a second and gave the young apprentice a cool, measured look.
"It hurt a lot, actually." Her response was clipped, but if Eveningpaw noticed her open harshness, she took no notice. The fluffy ginger she-cat shifted restlessly, and Thunderrose felt a brief flash of affection for her spry vivacity, and wished, not for the first time, that Eveningpaw was her apprentice and not Tornadopaw. Her liveliness was a polar opposite to his quiet, nervous behavior. The tom was much more suited to a life of plants and healing than hunting and fighting for the Clan. Unfortunately, he was also extremely good at fighting, and even better at hunting, and so he remained a warrior's apprentice. She recalled with a certain degree of relief that his naming ceremony would be held soon enough, and prayed to StarClan that she would heal quickly. She managed to strike up a brief conversation with the bouncy apprentice, but the injured cat eventually conceded that rest was in order.
"I think I'll take those poppy seeds, Eveningpaw," she mewed. Eveningpaw nodded and trotted back into the store to fetch the seeds. Thunderrose stretched luxuriously, feeling the twinging in the back of her skull growing stronger as she did so. Thankfully, Eveningpaw returned with the poppy seeds a few moments later, and the injured she-cat leaned over to lap them off the leaf.
"If you need anything, just call, okay? I'm off to bed as well, but I'm a light sleeper. Those poppy seeds should get you through the night, though," the apprentice meowed. Thunderrose was always amazed at her skill at this position. She was patient and kind, with as much knowledge of the various plants and such as her mentor. Thunderrose nodded, mewing a good night as Eveningpaw turned and padded away. She could feel the hazy fog of sleep drifting lazily over her psyche and lay her head gingerly against the moss, not fighting its advance. Eventually, her eyes drifted shut as the drugged slumber overcame her.