Hola, amigos:) Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I was on vacation(: Ugh it was so warm. I miss it.

Recap: Seven moons earlier, it is revealed that Waterkit, Cedarpaw's brother, had been killed by foxes. Or at least, that's what everyone was lead to believe. In present day, Olivepaw asks him to go on a patrol with her, Emberheart, Frostpaw, and his mentor, Briarclaw. At the ThunderClan border, they meet Bumbleclaw, who requests that Willowfall come to his camp and help take care of a patient. Briarclaw decides to take him back to camp to see what Minnowstar thinks. On the way back, Cedarpaw feels dizzy, and he suddenly has a vision of his dead father, Reedfur, emerging from a river of blood and water. He passes out.

Chapter 6

Coltsfoot

[Frostpaw]

Frostpaw let out a sneeze as she walked with the patrol, keeping her head bent low so she wouldn't get snow in her eyes. She lifted her head slightly, studying the ThunderClan cat who had joined them and was accompanying them to camp. He wasn't saying much, and kept looking around nervously, surveying his surroundings. Maybe he still wasn't completely used to Clan life yet.

"Cedarpaw!" a voice suddenly screeched, causing Frostpaw to flinch. Ears pricked, she whirled around, seeing that a few foxlengths back, Olivepaw was staring at something, eyes wide. It was a light brown lump in the snow... Cedarpaw?

Briarclaw, Emberheart and Bumbleclaw immediately turned to see what had happened, and Briarclaw's eyes widened when he realized what had happened.

"Cedarpaw!" he said, running over to where his apprentice lay. Frostpaw frowned, hastily following. Emberheart and Bumbleclaw remained several taillengths away.

The white she-cat came to a halt when she reached the tom and leaned forward. He was laying on his side, sprawled out in the snow, mouth open and eyes closed, not moving an inch.

"What happened to him?" breathed Olivepaw, looking at Briarclaw and Frostpaw frantically, her voice scratchy with worry. In Frostpaw's eyes, Cedarpaw seemed like he was about the only cat that Olivepaw cared anything for. And she cared about him so much that she was visibly trembling at the sight of her friend collapsed on the cold ground.

"He's breathing," Briarclaw confirmed, clearly trying to remain calm, though his voice quivered. "Olivepaw, do you know what happened?"

"I think he was having trouble walking," the dark brown she-cat murmured. "He started to shake, and he pushed into me. After that, he stopped walking, and he was just staring into space, his eyes wide." She frowned, gazing at the unconscious tom. "A few moments later, he just... collapsed."

"What could have happened?" meowed Frostpaw, but no one really seemed to have heard her.

"Olivepaw, do you know if he's eaten lately?" Briarclaw pressed. The she-cat shook her head.

"N-No, I... don't think so. But he didn't want to eat before the patrol. I asked him."

"Well, we'll take him back to camp and have Willowfall check him," the tom said, tail twitching. "I'm sure he'll be fine." The dark brown she-cat nodded a bit, but the worried frown on her face was firm. The warrior lifted the apprentice onto his back, Cedarpaw's legs falling over on either side. Briarclaw let out a breath, straightening up as he struggled to keep the smaller cat up.

"Let's go," he murmured, nodding to the two she-cats. He trudged through the snow to rejoin with Bumbleclaw and Emberheart, who had been standing a distance away, watching quietly. Olivepaw quickly followed after, and a few moments later, Frostpaw joined them.

When they got back to camp, Minnowstar immediately approached them, eyes narrowed to slits as she watched the group file into the hollow. Others lifted their heads, noticing not only the unconscious Cedarpaw on Briarclaw's back, but also the ThunderClan warrior. Willowfall hurriedly made her way over to them when she saw the apprentice.

"Briarclaw, what's going on?" demanded the leader, looking back and forth between Cedarpaw and Bumbleclaw. "What happened?"

"Cedarpaw passed out," the warrior explained quickly. "And Bumbleclaw wanted to see you. He requests that he take Willowfall to his camp to treat a patent."

"What about Onespot?" pressed Minnowstar. She turned her narrowed gaze to the former kittypet. "Why do you need our medicine cat?"

"He can't figure out what's wrong," Bumbleclaw breathed, nervously looking around at the cats staring at him. "This is a personal request from Honeystar..."

"Of course she won't go with you," was Minnowstar's firm answer. Bumbleclaw's eyes widened in dismay, and he pleadingly looked over at Willowfall. However, the medicine cat gave a quick sigh, shaking her head.

"I have to take care of Cedarpaw," she said. "I'm sorry, Bumbleclaw. You'll have to see if WindClan's medicine cat can come."

"I already asked them yesterday," he murmured, looking at his paws. "...And RiverClan, too. They're both too busy taking care of their own cats who have gotten sick from Leafbare..." He shook his head, lifting his head and looking at her again, a frown on his face. "You're our last hope," he meowed quietly. "Please, Willowfall. It's an emergency."

The medicine cat lowered her head, but then suddenly raised it, looking at him.

"What if I sent someone in my place?"

"What?" hissed Minnowstar immediately. "Willowfall, you don't even have an apprentice! Who could possibly-"

"I'll give them some herbs to take over and tell them what to do," she insisted, straightening up. "Right now, I need to stay here with Cedarpaw in case his conditions suddenly worsen. Leafbare is dangerous to everyone's health."

Bumbleclaw frowned and looked at the ShadowClan leader.

"Please, Minnowstar," he begged, lowering his head a bit out of intimidation. "We'd be in your debt."

The leader didn't answer. She simply looked at Willowfall, somewhat impatiently. She flicked her tail. The medicine cat blinked and looked over at Frostpaw, who happened to be standing right by her.

"Frostpaw? Will you go?"

The apprentice lifted her head in surprise as she suddenly felt the stares of everyone in the hollow looking at her curiously. Uncomfortably, she lowered her head a bit, murmuring, "B-But I have no experience with medicine at all..."

"You'll be fine," insisted the medicine cat. "I'll give you herbs to take and some directions." She lifted her head to the leader once more. "Is that alright with you, Minnowstar?"

The leader narrowed her eyes as she looked at Frostpaw, causing the apprentice's fur to prickle with unease. She felt as if she didn't have any say in the matter at all.

"Fine," Minnowstar said, to everyone's relative surprise. She then looked at Bumbleclaw, pulling her lips back just slightly. "But if I find even one scratch on this apprentice, Bumbleclaw, then ThunderClan had better prepare themselves."

"You can trust me," the warrior said, the bright light coming back to his eyes as he bounced on his paws, a little. "Thank you so much, Minnowstar."

The leader snorted softly. "Just don't take long."

"Frostpaw, come here," Willowfall meowed, leading her towards a clump of bramble bushes at the corner of the camp. The apprentice followed her, whiskers twitching. Briarclaw followed behind them, Cedarpaw still on his back.

They pushed through the entrance to the medicine den, brambles serving as the walls and ceiling, except for one hole through which one could see all the way up to the sky. Apparently, Willowfall could receive signs from StarClan, here, and needed access to the stars. Frostpaw briefly thought about the fact that the medicine cat hadn't announced any signs in... Well, actually, Frostpaw couldn't remember any time when Willowfall had announced any signs.

"Put Cedarpaw down in that bed of moss, there," the light gray she-cat demanded. Briarclaw placed him down. "Now, go take a clump of moss and get some water from the pool near camp."

The warrior dipped his head and headed out with a piece of moss in his jaws.

"Will Cedarpaw be alright?" Frostpaw asked, turning to Willowfall, who looked at the tom, unconscious in the nest.

"I'm sure he will be," she murmured. "But in case his health suddenly takes a turn for the worse, I need to be here." She straightened up, looking at the younger cat. Her eyes were glowing strangely, a small frown on her face. "Which is why you need to go with Bumbleclaw."

"But what do I do?" the apprentice pressed. "I feel like I won't be any help at all."

"You'll be fine," the other insisted as she went to the back of the den, beginning to collect some herbs. There weren't many, since it was Leafbare. But the medicine cat had saved some before the snow had fallen, and she had buried some to preserve them. She came back a second later with a mouthful. Setting them down at Frostpaw's feet, she looked up.

"This is burdock," she explained, pawing at a small root. "This helps with infection. And this is comfrey." Frostpaw looked at the plant; its large leaves were dying and the flowers were just barely still intact. "It helps with broken bones and wounds. This dried lavender will help with fever. I wrapped some nettle, juniper berries and poppy seeds in watermint leaves. The nettle helps with swelling, and the berries and watermint help with bellyaches. And I assume you know what poppy seeds do." When Frostpaw didn't reply, the cat continued, "They help soothe shock and will help numb pain."

"Willowfall, I don't think I'm going to remember all of this," the apprentice murmured, her head beginning to pound.

"Onespot will know what to do with them," she assured. "Oh, I almost forgot- in the watermint bundle I also included a bit of catnip I'd collected from a Twoleg nest. If it turns out to be greencough, then this will help."

"But if Onespot can't figure out what it is, then what makes you think I can help? I'm not a medicine cat."

"Just give him the herbs and if he needs any help, then help him. I'm not expecting you to make some sort of new discovery in the world of medicine." Her face softened a bit. "Don't worry. You'll be fine. I'd come if I could, but I just can't leave Cedarpaw right now." The two looked over at the tom. His breathing was a bit uneasy, and he twitched every now and then.

The cats heard pawsteps outside, and a moment later, Briarclaw slipped through the den, the ball of moss dripping with icy cold water.

"Thank you, Briarclaw," said Willowfall. "Now go, Frostpaw. Bumbleclaw will take you to camp. You'll be fine, don't worry."

Frostpaw dipped her head a bit, picking up the herbs in her mouth, careful not to drop and spill them everywhere.

Stepping out into the cold, she was immediately greeted by Snowpaw, who's green eyes were wide in disbelief.

"Wow, Frostpaw! I can't believe you get to go to ShadowClan! It's like... It's like..." She shook her head, a mischievous grin appearing on her face. "...Like a top secret mission..."

Frostpaw stared at her, irritation sparking through her. She wasn't taking this as seriously as she should have been.

Snowpaw had always been like that. Bouncy and peppy and never taking anything seriously. And though that's the way that Frostpaw also acted around her, it wasn't who she really was. In fact, the two sisters were entirely different, but Frostpaw found that if she acted the way her sister did, it... it made things easier. On everyone. Because Snowpaw didn't really have anyone she was that close to. She only had Frostpaw. And if Frostpaw acted like her sister, then cats wouldn't take her so seriously, either. And that may not sound ideal, but to her, it was. Cats wouldn't expect too much out of her or ask her why she woke up in the middle of the night almost every night with wide eyes, trying to catch her breath. Cats wouldn't see how different from everyone else she really was. Which is what she wanted.

And so, Frostpaw smiled fakely, just as she did every day, masking away her true thoughts and feelings and emotions. No one would ever reach them. And it was better that way.

Putting the herbs down for a moment, she purred, "I know! Maybe I'll find out what happened to Honeystar, too, and why she wasn't at the Gathering."

Snowpaw's eyes sparked with interest, and she mewed, "Yeah! You'd better tell me about everything, okay? Promise?"

"Promise," she grinned back, the tip of her tail flicking. Picking up the herbs, she trotted away, whiskers twitching as she silently made her way to where Bumbleclaw was waiting. The tom looked at her awkwardly before nodding, smiling slightly.

"O-Okay, I'll lead the way." The tom began up the slope, the apprentice close behind.

They walked through the trees, snow still falling lightly, the sun glowing brightly behind thin louds as it slowly began its descent. Bumbleclaw slowed down a few times to look around, as if trying to figure out where he was going. He'd been in ShadowClan for several moons, but it still didn't seem as if he were at all accustomed. Frostpaw was glad that the herbs she was carrying in her mouth gave her an excuse not to talk.

Breaking through a clump of bushes, they reached the Twoleg path. They suddenly stopped, both of them feeling somewhat hesitant to cross over into ThunderClan territory. Bumbleclaw glanced at Frostpaw, swallowing.

"Here's the border," he said quietly. "Just follow me and I'll take you to our camp." Frostpaw nodded rigidly, a bit of excitement and anxiety creeping through her paws. She'd never been to ThunderClan's camp before. She remembered that Minnowstar had led an attack their moons earlier when they had been fighting over territory, but she'd been too unexperienced to go.

They crossed the path and began through the forest, the familiar pines of home having been replaced with oaks and maples and elms that had been stripped of their leaves and now stood completely bare. For some reason, it made it seem colder. She immediately began to recognize the smell of ThunderClan cats as it grew stronger and stronger. It seemed like an entirely different world, here.

Minutes passed, and soon, their scent wafted around her so strongly that she knew they must have been close. When they reached a barrier of brambles, Bumbleclaw stopped. He flicked his tail.

"Well, here we are," he mewed. "Camp is right through this entrance. Uh, follow me..." He slipped into the small opening, and after a moment, Frostpaw followed him in.

When they were inside, the apprentice raised her head, looking around in awe. They were standing at the top of a stone hollow, scarce of any plants or trees at all. Just stone. Across the camp stood a ledge, with a rocky slope leading up to it, towering over the rest of the hollow.

At the bottom were many cats, though they were unusually quiet, even after they had noticed their arrival and had begun to lift their heads up curiously. They were mostly huddling in small groups, frowns on all of their faces. Frostpaw shifted her paws, uncomfortable. In the crowd she recognized Russetpaw, the apprentice she'd seen during her patrol last week. The warrior beside her nodded and began down the rocky slope, followed by the she-cat, who tried not to slip on the way down.

"Willowfall couldn't make it," Bumbleclaw explained. He seemed a bit embarrassed. "But she sent an apprentice in her place."

"What do you mean, she couldn't make it?" came a voice. Through the crowd appeared a familiar face- Sagewhisker. Her gray fur was a bit ruffled as she narrowed her eyes, looking at the two irritably. "We needed Willowfall to come, not this apprentice!"

Frostpaw narrowed her eyes just the slightest bit, but tried not to show her annoyance towards the deputy's attitude.

"She had to stay at camp and take care of one of their own," the tom explained, tail drooping as he lowered his head in shame. Frostpaw pitied him, almost.

"...Fine," Sagewhisker growled, lashing her tail. "Take her to Honeystar."

"Yes, Sagewhisker," he murmured. Glancing at Frostpaw, he led her over to the rocky slope leading up to the Highledge. He blinked and quickly leaped up first. Frostpaw held in her breath and followed after, hoping that Honeystar wouldn't be too mad that she had to take Willowfall's place.

Up at the top, there was a small opening at the back of the ledge where the den was. Swallowing, Bumbleclaw went in. The apprentice followed.

Once she was inside, her eyes widened at what she saw. Laying across a withering bed of moss was Honeystar, so skinny that her ribs seemed to stick out. Her golden-brown coat was matted, and in a few places, she was even losing fur. Her amber eyes were half-closed and dull, mouth open as she loudly gasped for air, a shiver going down her spine.

Frostpaw mechanically put the herbs at her paws, staring open-mouthed at the leader. She didn't know that she was the one who was sick. But then again, it made perfect sense. This is why she wasn't at the Gathering, and why ThunderClan was so secretive about who their patient was.

On the other side of the leader stood Onespot, a lean black tom with a small, white spot on his left shoulder. He tilted his head a bit when he saw Frostpaw, and then glanced over at Bumbleclaw, waiting for him to explain.

The warrior stepped forward, leaning down to nuzzle Honeystar. Frostpaw blinked.

"I got help," he murmured softly. "Willowfall couldn't come-"

"What?" the golden-brown she-cat rasped with a cough. "Why not? I told you to bring her!"

"She couldn't come, Honeystar," he said. "But an apprentice came with some herbs and she wants to help. Her name is Frostpaw-"

"No," she wheezed, lifting her head slightly, widening her eyes as she stared at Frostpaw. The apprentice tried not to flinch. "Get her out-"

"Honeystar," Onespot spoke up, "put your head back down. Just try to relax. We're lucky enough to have anyone here at all. We checked with all the other Clans already."

The leader clenched her eyes shut, laying her head back down against the moss.

"Fine," she muttered. "But if Onespot can't figure out what's wrong with me-" She broke off with a fit of coughing; she sneezed before she continued: "...Then how do you expect this apprentice to?"

"She's here to help," Bumbleclaw said, licking her ear. "We'll figure out what's wrong. And we'll fix it... I promise."

The weak she-cat closed her eyes, a faint smile on her face.

"I love you, Bumbleclaw," she murmured, her leg twitching.

"I love you, too. You don't have to worry."

Frostpaw glanced at Onespot, who gave a tiny shrug before quickly shaking his head. He walked around the she-cat and stood beside the apprentice.

"I see you brought some herbs," he said, inspecting them. "Thank you. These will help." He ripped off a small bit of a watermint leaf and nudged it towards the leader, along with two juniper berries. "Eat these, Honeystar-"

"StarClan, how many herbs are you going to make me eat?" she rasped, opening her eyes just the slightest bit in annoyance. "You don't even know what's wrong with me! What kind of medicine cat are you, anyway?" Onespot shrunk back a bit, and Bumbleclaw quickly stepped in.

"He's just trying to help, Honeystar. Please, just eat the leaf and berries. They'll help."

"Just like everything else helped," scoffed the golden-brown cat, but she ate them, regardless. Frostpaw fought the urge to narrow her eyes. Onespot didn't deserve to be treated like this. She felt sorry for him that he had to deal with this cat at all.

"Frostpaw, please chew up some of this comfrey and lavender," he said while he busily collected the nettle she'd brought. He had a frown on his face and his tail was lashing back and forth. He seemed quite nervous.

"A-Alright." She began to chew up the herbs when Honeystar suddenly began gasping, amber eyes widening with panic as she fought to breathe. Frostpaw raised her head in alarm, immediately dropping the flowers.

Onespot froze, and he quickly grabbed a small flower from a pile he had made. He placed it beside Honeystar.

"Eat this," he said. But the leader shook her head frantically, looking terrified as she continued to gasp and wheeze violently. Frostpaw stared at her, not knowing what to do. For some reason, watching this cat struggle to breathe scared her. She couldn't even move her paws. Bumbleclaw stood beside her, looking back and forth at the cats frantically. Without even thinking, the apprentice suddenly stepped forward, leaning down so she was at the leader's level.

"Honeystar, listen to me," she said, looking right into her eyes. "You'll be okay. Just relax, you're panicking and making it worse. Take in a deep breath." Honeystar trembled and tried to take in some air, but to no avail. She spluttered and gasped and shook her head again, eyes clouding with fear. "Honeystar, you can do it," Frostpaw encouraged. "Take in a deep breath..." After a moment of hesitation, the leader managed to take in a breath, and for a moment, the gasping stopped. "...Now slowly let it out." The leader shakily let out a breath, though she was still shaking.

Frostpaw nudged the flower towards her. "Eat this," she murmured. "It's coltsfoot. It helps with shortness of breath." The apprentice suddenly froze, mouth opening a bit. How did she know that? She tried to remember the herbs Willowfall had shown her. Burdock, comfrey, nettle... No. She hadn't given her any coltsfoot. She hadn't even seen it before. But Onespot didn't correct her. She stared at Honeystar, confused as the leader chewed and swallowed the herb.

"O-Okay," the white she-cat stammered, still a bit dazed. "Do you feel better? Keep taking deep breaths. Lie your head back down." Honeystar nodded a tiny bit, resting back into the moss.

Frostpaw took a step back, glancing at Onespot. The black tom was staring at her, his green eyes shining with surprise.

"That was... impressive," he murmured quietly as he eyed her. "You seem to know a lot about healing."

"I... I don't," muttered Frostpaw, looking down at her paws. "And... I never learned what coltsfoot was."

He looked at her, tilting his head.

"But you were right. It's eaten to help with shortness of breath."

"I don't know how I knew that," she whispered, her head hurting a little. "I've never even seen it before in my life."

The medicine cat looked at her curiously, eyes sparking with interest. "That's strange..."

"...Frostpaw," Honeystar suddenly whispered, her eyes open slightly. Her breathing seemed to have gone back to a somewhat normal state, though it was still fairly shallow.

The apprentice pricked her ears.

"Yes, Honeystar?"

"...Thank you for coming," she said, a very faint smile appearing on her face. "But I'm afraid that's all you can do."

"Honeystar, what are you talking about?" mewed Onespot. The leader looked at him.

"Onespot, take Frostpaw outside and send Sagewhisker in. I have something to tell her." The medicine cat looked at her, but he didn't argue. He turned to the apprentice.

"I suppose it's best we do as she says," he said. He turned. "Bumbleclaw...?"

"I'm staying with Honeystar," he said. The leader didn't seem to have any objections, so the black tom nodded, leading Frostpaw outside the den.

The two trotted down the snowy slope, who met the stares of a few cats lingering outside. They all seemed to be wondering the same thing, but none of them spoke. Except for one cat.

The gray-furred deputy stepped forward, her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Well?" she pressed when she reached the pair. "How is she?"

Onespot frowned. "She... wants to see you, actually. I don't know what it's about."

Sagewhisker blinked, gazing up at the Highledge before nodding curtly.

"Very well. I'll see what she has to say." She swiftly turned, marching over to the slope and up onto the Highledge, disappearing into the den.

"...What do you think is going on?" Frostpaw finally dared to ask. The tom frowned, looking out into the distance.

"...I don't know," he said quietly, though his hesitation made the apprentice wonder if he was telling the truth.

"This is why she wasn't at the Gathering, isn't it?" she murmured. Onespot looked at her, but then he nodded.

"We didn't want the other Clans to think we were weak," he mewed softly. "We didn't want to give them an opportunity to attack us."

"Why would they attack you?" she pressed.

"Maybe you haven't noticed," he replied quietly, "but tensions have been building. With RiverClan especially. Apparently Blossomstar has been trying to take over some WindClan land because she claims they need more hunting territory. And this is making Greenstar tense." He glanced at her. "I would be careful, because she might try to invade ShadowClan, too." Frostpaw frowned, the thought of a war starting in the midst of Leafbare sounding quite unappealing to her.

"I don't see why cats always fight during the hardest seasons," she murmured, looking down. "We have enough troubles as it is."

The tom looked at her thoughtfully. "You sound like a medicine cat," he meowed. Frostpaw glanced at him, wondering if he was right.

Before she had time to reply, a shadow suddenly fell over the clearing. Frostpaw lifted her head to see Sagewhisker standing at the top of the Highledge, her eyes narrowed to slits, her gray fur ruffled a bit. She was alone. ThunderClanners looked up curiously, waiting to see what she had to say.

...And then she announced...

"Honeystar is dead."

Cats gasped in response, looking at each other with horror as chatter began to fill the clearing. Frostpaw's eyes widened a bit; she peered up at Onespot to see him silently watching.

"However," Sagewhisker added, scraping her claws against the cold rock, "before she died, she stripped me of my position and passed on her leadership to her mate, Bumbleclaw."

...Silence.

Cats stared at her, open-mouthed, unsure how to react. Frostpaw's eyes were huge as she looked up at the Highledge, watching as Bumbleclaw appeared from Honeystar's den. He looked a bit uncomfortable.

"But why?" squeaked a she-cat from the crowd. Sagewhisker pulled her lips back, tail lashing.

"Because she loved him, that's why." She turned to Bumbleclaw, eyes suddenly alight with rage. "You don't have half the experience I do," she hissed. "You're a kittypet who can hardly defend himself or even hunt properly." She lashed her tail again, looking out at the crowd.

"I will not let ThunderClan have another kittypet for a leader," she snarled out. "That era ended a long time ago." She stormed down the slope, shoving her way past the cats that stared at her in shock. Scampering up the hill on the opposite side, she stood at the top of the hollow, near the entrance.

"I was supposed to be leader," she growled. "And I will not let this kittypet rule me. I'm leaving this place you all dare even call a Clan anymore. And anyone who agrees with me may join."

Frostpaw stared at the crowd, overwhelmed. A few cats looked at each other, but after a moment, three stepped forward- an orange and black tom, a gray tabby tom, and a calico she-cat. They leaped up the slope, their eyes narrowed as they glared at Bumbleclaw atop the Highledge. Sagewhisker nodded to them before she gave one last snarl at the former kittypet.

"Don't trip," she muttered before she turned, storming off through the entrance and out into the snowy woods, the three following close behind.

The rest of the Clan watched them go, unable to speak. They slowly turned their heads towards their new leader, who stood over them, his light brown fur ruffling in a freezing wind. It was a few moments before he finally spoke.

"...The death of Honeystar has taken us all by surprise," he murmured, looking down at his paws. "Especially me." He lifted his head, his amber eyes suddenly bright with something like determination. "But I swear that I will help this Clan through its loss. As your new leader, I will help us thrive through the harshest season, and I will make sure that Honeystar's legacy is not forgotten." He lowered his head. "I will travel to the Moonpool tonight." He then turned, returning into the den where he would probably continue to mourn for his dead lover.

Frostpaw shook her head with shock before she looked at Onespot.

"You knew this would happen, didn't you?" she whispered.

He blinked softly and responded, "...I had a feeling." He shook his head, closing his eyes for a moment before he looked at her. "Frostpaw, thank you for your help today," he said. "Even though we couldn't save her, you acted so much like a medicine cat..." He shook his head again, as if thinking something over. "It's almost a shame that you didn't decide to train under Willowfall."

She stared at the tom, unsure of what to say. She had never even considered becoming a medicine cat, but her experience with Honeystar made her think. She thought about how she felt when she'd told her to calm down and to take deep breaths. She'd felt so... so in control, so sure of herself. And how did she know about the coltsfoot? Maybe Onespot was right. Maybe there was something special about her that she hadn't discovered until now.

That night, she lay in the apprentices' den, curled up in a tight ball beside her sister. The events of the day wouldn't leave her mind, and ShadowClan had been shocked by the news of Honeystar's death, and how she had demoted Sagewhisker from becoming leader, causing her to leave the Clan in fury. When Willowfall had asked her how she was, Frostpaw had told her how it felt to help treat her, and about the coltsfoot. The medicine cat had lowered her head in wonder, though she'd said nothing else.

Frostpaw let out a sigh, turning over as she tried to sleep. But she knew that the minute her eyes closed, the nightmares she had every night would return to her. Just like always.

...They didn't.

Phew, that was a long chapter. Longer than I expected it would be, anyway. Sorry if it was kinda boring at parts. But it was important(:

Review and get a Frostpaw plushie! It would be ever so appreciated:)

Till next time,

Pearls