CHAPTER 5

Hawkkit's eyes flickered open.

Sunshine washed at half of the den, just barely reaching her nose.

She glanced around the den. Duskfall was busily sorting herbs by the shadowy wall at the back of the den. The medicine cat looked much better, and less troubled. She wasn't mumbling at the sky anymore.

The storm appeared to be gone, and the sky was cloudless and was a clear blue color.

Hawkkit didn't know how long she had slept, but she had the feeling it was less than a day.

She groggily got to her paws, still a bit sleepy, but she felt much more refreshed, like she could run from here to the Misty Mountains. She padded to the edge of the den.

The camp below was buzzing, as if the troublesome announcement about the fox cubs had never happened.

"Ah, you're awake!" Duskfall padded out from the shadows, her green eyes bright.

"How long was I asleep?" Hawkkit asked.

"Not too long, but it will be sunset soon."

Hawkkit sniffed the air. It felt humid, and hot, like it just rained—which it had.

"I think you should get back to the nursery," Duskfall meowed. "Your littermates will be missing you."

Hawkkit felt disappointed, she wanted to help, but she knew Duskfall was right.

But Hawkkit hesitated.

"Duskfall…?" Hawkkit began reluctantly.

The medicine cat's elegant head turned. "Yes?"

"Um… What happens with a kit becomes a warrior apprentice, but they want to become a medicine cat apprentice?" Hawkkit felt relieved that she finally got the words out.

Understanding sparkled in Duskfall's leafy eyes. She knew that Hawkkit wanted to be her apprentice.

"They consult the medicine cat about it, and the medicine cat will tell the leader. And then at the kit's ceremony, they'll be apprenticed to the medicine cat."

Hawkkit nodded slowly, letting Duskfall's words sink in. Consult the medicine cat.

Hawkkit was about to summon the courage to ask, but Duskfall interrupted a split second before.

"You should be off now. I assume I'll see you tomorrow?" Duskfall asked.

Hawkkit nodded, and then shook the fern leaves off her pelt.

She meowed her good-bye to Duskfall, then hurried down the hill, muttering, "Just ask Duskfall."

But what if she said no? What if SpiritClan had decided a different apprentice for Duskfall? Would the sacred duty of a medicine cat?

With so many thoughts buzzing in her head Hawkkit didn't realize she stumbled into Finchkit.

Her sister's gray fur was fluffed up, and her green eyes shone excitedly.

"Hawkkit, we're being made apprentices!" Finchkit exclaimed.

Hawkkit's jaw gaped in amazement.Now? But I want to be a medicine cat apprentice!

Hawkkit's gaze travelled around camp. Dawnstar was making her way up the Great Rock, while most of the Clan was gathered below. Her brother, Foxkit, was sitting near Cherryfur, his fur freshly groomed, and his eyes shone brightly.

"N-Now?" Hawkkit stammered.

"Yes, now! Aren't you excited?" Finchkit asked suspiciously.

I should tell her now.

"Well…" Hawkkit looked at her paws, then took a deep breath. Surely it wasn't that odd to want to be a medicine cat?

"I want to be a medicine cat." Hawkkit meowed at last.

Her sister stared at her, as if she thought Hawkkit was joking.

"But we're going to train together! We're going to become warriors together, and fight side by side!" Finchkit meowed at last.

Hawkkit winced.

"Why would you want to be a medicine cat anyway?" Finchkit went on. "You must be kidding! Come on, the Clan's waiting for us!"

Hawkkit realized that Finchkit was right. Dawnstar was standing in the shadow of the Great Rock with Foxkit in front of her. The leader was meowing something that Hawkkit couldn't hear.

"Let's go! Foxkit's being made an apprentice without us!" Finchkit scurried down the hill, spraying dust everywhere.

Hawkkit had no choice but to follow. She hurried after her sister, nervousness gnawing at her.

She pushed through the crowd, and stopped at the edge beside Finchkit and Cherryfur.

"Where have you been?" Cherryfur demanded, and began to lick Hawkkit fiercly. "You're going to miss your ceremony!"

Hawkkit squirmed away, and focused on Foxkit.

"…I now name you Foxpaw." Dawnstar's voice rang loud and clear throughout the ravine.

"Foxpaw!" The crowd cheered.

"Nightheart shall be your mentor." Dawnstar dipped her head to Nightheart as he padded out of the crowd to touch noses with his apprentice.

"Hawkkit, step forward." Dawnstar's gaze was set intently on her. Hawkkit thought that she might collapse right then and there. Her heart was beating so fast, Hawkkit was surprised that didn't leap out of her chest.

Cherryfur nudged her in front of Dawnstar.

"Hawkkit, do you promise to uphold the warrior code for all of your life? To hunt for the Clan, and fight for it, to serve DawnClan—" Hawkkit cut her off.

"Wait," Hawkkit's paws trembled.

The gathered cats gasped. No cat dared interrupt a leader, but Dawnstar looked calmly down at her.

"Yes, Hawkkit?" Dawnstar mewed.

"I…I want to be a medicine cat apprentice!" Hawkkit burst out.

Silence.

Hawkkit's heart skipped a beat. What would Dawnstar say? What would Duskfall say?

The DawnClan leader didn't even look surprised. "Very well. Duskfall, will you accept Hawkkit as your apprentice?"

Hawkkit didn't even notice Duskfall was sitting near Dawnstar at the very edge of the crowd.

"Yes, I do." Duskfall replied firmly.

"Then by the poweres of SpiritClan, I name you Hawkpaw, a medicine cat apprentice."

Hawkpaw felt relief, joy, and excitement wash over her all at the same time. The crowd cheered for her as if she hadn't even interrupted Dawnstar, but Finchkit was the only one who didn't yowl her new name.

Her sister looked like she was completely shocked, and it took a few moments for her to step forward when Dawnstar called her name.

Hawkpaw padded over to sit beside Duskfall.

"I suspected you'd be my new apprentice," Her new mentor meowed warmly.

"Really?"

Duskfall purred, then returned to watching the ceremony.

"Finchkit, do you promise to uphold the warrior code for all your life? To hunt for the Clan, to fight for it, until your last breath?"

Finchkit answered clearly. "I do."

"Then by the powers of SpiritClan, I name you Finchpaw." Dawnstar meowed, then added, "Meadowheart will be your mentor."

The brown tabby she-cat slipped out of the crowd, her golden eyes sparkling.

Usually, Meadowheart sent a chill up Hawkpaw's spine. The she-cat was undoubtedly loyal, but sometimes she said some…odd comments. Once, she'd said that she remembered when the Twolegplace was just a vast stretch of grass, or how the territory looked without the monster-path. Hawkpaw knew that the monster-path and the Twolegplace was there for as long as any cat could remember.

She knew Finchpaw felt the same way because when Meadowheart leaned in to touch noses with her new apprentice, Finchpaw hesitsted.

But the uncertainty quickly faded when Meadowheart whispered excitedly, "We'll make a great team."

"What will we do first?" Foxpaw's eager voice sounded from beside Nightheart, who was standing at the edge of the melting crowd.

"I'm going to show you DawnClan territory." Nightheart replied.

"Now?"

"Yes."

Foxpaw scampered after Nightheart as his mentor made his way to the dark crack. He plunged into the shadowy tunnel without hesitation.

Hawkpaw's gaze towards Finchpaw, but her sister was gone. Perhaps she was already busy with her apprentice duties.

"What are we going to do?" Hawkpaw asked once the crowd eventually melted away to small groups.

"Same thing as Foxpaw and Nightheart. I'm going to show you the territory," Duskfall answered. "Mostly where to collect the best herbs."

Hawkpaw felt her fur tingle with excitement. This was it! She was finally a medicine cat apprentice!

"Okay!"

Duskfall purred and led her to the tunnel that led up into the forest.

Duskfall slipped into the tunnel, and her tabby pelt was immediately lost in the darkness.

"Don't worry. The tunnel is completely safe." Duskfall's voice sounded like an echo.

You're not afraid of the dark, are you? Hawkpaw scolded herself, before slipping into the crack.

She couldn't see anything, but something told her where to put her paws so she didn't crash into the stone enclosed around her.

She felt Duskfall's tail-tip brush her nose, and knew that her mentor was close by.

The stone got smoother, and slowly it began to incline upwards.

Finally, she could see golden light ahead. The forest.

Hawkpaw emerged into a small clearing behind Duskfall.

"What are we going to see first?" Hawkpaw asked, prodding a fern with one paw.

"The border between us and MoonClan." Duskfall replied. "It's one of the best places in the territory to find herbs. Especially waterleaf."

Hawkpaw nodded, letting the words sink in. MoonClan. Waterleaf.

"But isn't the border there dangerous?" Hawkpaw remembered the story of Dawnstar's daughter, Russetpelt. She was Russetpaw when she was chased by Sharpclaw, MoonClan's deputy, up the Tall Pine, one of the tallest trees in the forest. Sharpclaw kept on pursuing her, until he finally managed to make her fall off. Russetpaw was killed instantly in the fall, but Dawnstar renamed her Russetpelt during the vigil.

"Not for medicine cats." Duskfall replied certainly.

I'm a medicine cat! Hawkpaw's paws tingled at the thought.

"But just to be careful, stay close to me. MoonClan might not be a threat, but there's still other dangers, like foxes and badgers. I'll have to teach you a few battle moves later." Duskfall meowed cautiously.

Hawkpaw nodded.

Duskfall led deeper into the forest. Leaves and branches formed a thick canopy over Hawkpaw's head, and ferns crowded around every corner. Hawkpaw felt at home in the forest.

Eventually, she began to hear the faint trickle of a stream.

Duskfall and Hawkpaw emerged out into the open.

They were standing on a narrow stretch of pebbly ground, and a clear stream separated DawnClan territory from MoonClan's.

It was hard to believe that two very different territories could be so, so close.

On the other side of the stream were hills, dotted with ancient willow trees. The other side seemed more shadowy, and misty, but not scary.

On the DawnClan side was a vast forest crowded with oak trees, and even with the thick canopy, it still seemed brighter than the misty territory ahead.

"It's like two different worlds," Hawkpaw murmured.

Duskfall nodded. "Get some water from the stream. You'll need it."

Hawkpaw bent her head down to lap up the clear, cool water.

Duskfall was rummaging around the bushes near the stream when Hawkpaw turned around.

Finally, Duskfall stopped when she found a specific plant.

Hawkpaw padded over.

The plant looked fresh and green, and when Hawkpaw leaned in to sniff it, it smelled of fresh streams of clear, cool water.

"This is waterleaf," Duskfall told her importantly. "You'll be using this to sooth belly aches, but it can also be used to help queens during their kitting."

Hawkpaw nodded.

"Should we take some?" She asked.

Duskfall shook her head. "No. It needs more time to grow. If we pluck it now, it won't grow fast enough when we need it later."

"Now," Duskfall padded over to a lush bush dotted with pale blue berries. Hawkpaw realized that she recognized the berries. They were juniper berries, she often spotted them in Duskfall's herb store.

"These are juniper berries," Her mentor announced.

"They're used for belly aches, right?" Hawkpaw gave the berries an experimental sniff.

Duskfall nodded. "You're right. They can also be used to calm a cat in shock."

"Do we need any?" Hawkkit asked.

Duskfall paused in thought. "Yes," she meowed at last. "But we don't have time to get it back to camp."

"Where are we going next?" Hawkpaw asked, her tail flicking back and forth exitedly.

"The Sand Hollow. We'd better get going, we've got plenty to see."

The sun was dropping below the horizon by the time Hawkpaw and her new mentor emerged into camp.

Duskfall had taken Hawkpaw to the riverbank, and to the Sand Hollow, and to many other smaller spots in DawnClan territory. She had explained what nearly every herb was used for, and where to find it, and when it was in season.

Hawkpaw thought that she couldn't possibly remember half the things that Duskfall had said, but she managed to salvage a few things that she could remember.

Marigold for infections.

Juniper for bellyaches.

Comfrey for broken bones.

"You look tired," Duskfall meowed sympathetically.

Until her mentor said it, Hawkpaw hadn't realized how tired she was.

Her paws felt heavy. Her eyes were drooping, and she could barely walk.

"Get some sleep," Duskfall meowed kindly. "We've got a lot to do tomorrow."

Hawkpaw nodded.

Without thinking, she turned and headed for the nursery, her mind groggy and tired.

"Hey, you don't sleep there anymore!" A friendly, amused voice sounded from behind her.

Hawkpaw blinked and turned to see Dewpaw standing behind her, his icy-blue eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Huh?-Oh! Sorry. It's just going to take me a while to get used to sleeping somewhere different." Hawkpaw muttered, her ears hot with embarassment.

Dewpaw purred. "I felt the same way when I became an apprentice. Don't worry, though-you'll get used to it."

Hawkpaw purred, and turned around and headed towards the gentle slope leading up into the medicine cat's cave-den.

On her way up, a cold wind buffeted her fur, making Hawkpaw shiver. Leaf-bare is coming…

Duskfall was sitting by a pile of herbs tucked into a crevice in the den's wall, muttering about herbs.

Hawkpaw glanced around the den. There was no mossy nest for her, and she didn't want to bother Duskfall by asking permission to make one in the den.

Timidly, Hawkpaw sat down and waited for Duskfall to notice her, or acknowledge her.

Eventually, Duskfall did notice her.

"Oh! Hawkpaw, there you are. You can make your nest here in case you were wondering." Duskfall meowed finally.

"Thanks," Hawkpaw puffed.

Duskfall purred. "I couldn't very well have you keep sleeping in the nursery, could I?" then she added, "There's a pile of moss in the corner. If you need anything else, just ask."

Hawkpaw nodded, and headed to the darkest corner of the den. Sure enough, a pile of soft, comfortable moss was stuffed there.

Hawkpaw didn't even bother to make a nest. She just plopped down on the pile, and let sleep overwhelm her.

Hawkpaw expected to blink awake to pale sunlight, but instead, she found herself standing in lush, moon-bathed clearing.

Even though there wasn't a full moon tonight, there it was—a round, mysterious silver sphere floating above in a cloud of bright stars.

It didn't take Hawkpaw a while to figure that was dreaming. Is SpiritClan going to talk to me?

As if on que, a delicate silver she-cat stepped out from the undergrowth.

The she-cat looked delicate yet powerful, and beautiful and fierce, and mysterious, and her fur sparkled with starlight.

"Who are you?" Hawkpaw asked, stepping back a few paces.

The she-cat turned to her, blinking. She had pretty blue, blue eyes.

"My name's Silvermoon," She said. "I'm Moonstar's mother."

Hawkpaw stared at the she-cat in dismay.

She wanted to doubt that the fierce and treacherous Moonstar was this beautiful cat's daughter.

"W-Why are you visiting me? Medicine cats don't share the usual Clan rivalries. I—I have no intentions of hurting your daughter." She stammered nervously.

"Oh, my dear. I know that. My daughter, she's chose a difficult path. I do not wish to avenge her lost Clanmates." Silvermoon said in a kind tone. "I love Moonstar, of course, but I do not wish to be involved in anymore blood-spilling."

Hawkpaw's tensed muscles relaxed a bit.

"Why have you come to me?"

"To warn you."

Hawkpaw tensed again. "Warn me of what? Your daughter?"

Silvermoon shook her head. "No," she meowed. "Of a much greater threat. Sickness. A horrible plague, that will wipe out all the Clans. If you do not act soon, all will be lost."

"What? Do you mean deathcough? We have plenty of catmint." Hawkpaw stared at her, puzzled.

"Not deathcough. Something much worse."

"Like what?" What could be worse than deathcough? It's the deadliest sickness known to the Clans.

"I can't explain much more," Silvermoon said apologetically. "I can only show you what will happen if you don't act quickly."

Suddenly the vision of the moonlit clearing was replaced by a snowy version of DawnClan camp.

Even in the dream, she could feel the extreme cold of snow and wind buffeting her fur mercilessly.

Snow covered the camp's ground at least a foot up, completely covering the dens. Most cats were huddled together shivering, and whispering to each other in hushed, grieving tones.

Hawkpaw peered closer.

They were gathered around a lump of dull brown fur. It was a cat—but you could barely tell. The cat's ribs were jutting out so much, they nearly poked through the fur. The cat had dull green eyes, completely glazed over.

Hawkpaw stared in horror. The cat was Dawnstar.

The proud leader was now reduced to a dead lump of fur in the snow.

The vision was replaced again.

This time, Hawkpaw was showed a big hollow, covered in snow with dead brambles and ferns dotted around. A cliff hung over the hollow. A big den-sized hole smashed into the cliff, and a tall, steep hill erupted from the camp's ground to meet the gaping hole in the cliff. The medicine cat's den.

Many makeshift nests were lined against the den's walls, and a brown tabby she-cat hurried from nest to nest with dripping-wet moss in her jaws.

Weak, sick cats filled the den, coughing every few moments. The she-cat urged a scrawny gray tom to swallow a tiny, green spiky leaf. The tom only groaned in reply. His body gave a small shudder, and his heaving flanks stopped. He was dead. The tabby she-cat bowed her head for a moment, but then the sound of a tiny wail from another nest made her dart over to a tiny, moss-lined nest where a scrawny she-kit lay. The kit's ribs stuck out from her dull tabby pelt, and her chest was fluttering, she was fighting for breath.

"Can't…Breath…" Her tiny, weak whisper was barely audible as a strong gust of wind swept through the den. The tabby nudged a bright green leaf towards her.

"Eat it, it will make you feel better," The tabby she-cat urged, nudging the leaf towards the dying kit. But the kit was still, her eyes staring at something not there. Her breath had stopped.

The brown tabby she-cat shook her head angrily. "SpiritClan help me!"

Hawkpaw bit back a yowl of horror. Was this the future of her Clan? To be trampled by sickness?

The vision was replaced yet again. She was back standing in the lush clearing with Silvermoon.

Hawkpaw felt numb with terror. "Silvermoon! What do I have to do to prevent that?"

"Find the hidden plant," Silvermoon said.

"What?"

"I'm sorry, Hawkpaw. I cannot tell you much."

"Then what can you tell me?" She demanded.

"You must travel under the shadow of death, guided only by the hawk, and the call of frost."