Chapter Six

When they entered the den, Flameheart seemed surprised to see them. She and her apprentice, Hailpaw had been gathering herbs together that smelled strange. But then again, all of the herbs smelled strange.

"What's wrong?" Flameheart asked, curling her ginger tail around her front paws as she sat down in front of them, green eyes full of concern.

"Goosepaw thought he saw a cat get hit on the Thunderpath," Pinetrail meowed with a glance at the younger tom, "But I didn't see anything. I thought that maybe you could make sure he was ok?"

Flameheart and Hailpaw exchanged a worried glance, and Goosepaw instantly felt irritated. Ok, so he saw something that wasn't there. It was probably just a bad mouse or the bad smell of the Thunderpath.

"Do you feel light headed Goosepaw?" Hailpaw asked, sniffing along his pelt. Goosepaw flicked his tail at her, annoyed.

"No, I feel fine," he said, shrugging, "It was probably just a bad mouse." Flameheart watched him very closely as Hailpaw continued to inspect him for any sign of illness.

"Seems fine to me Flameheart," Hailpaw meowed, sitting down beside Goosepaw. Flameheart nodded and continued sorting the herbs she had out.

"Goosepaw is probably right then about it having been just a bad mouse," she meowed, unconcerned. Goosepaw looked up in shock.

"Are you sure Flameheart?" Pinetrail flicked his ears nervously. The ginger she cat nodded her head,

"Yes, I'm sure Pinetrail," she meowed, then flicked her tail at Goosepaw, "I need to borrow Goosepaw for a little while, is that alright?"

Pinetrail grazed his claws against the dusty floor of the den and nodded, "What for though, surely Hailpaw can help you."

"I'm heading over to Sunningrocks. Tawnyberry has some herbs that I can't find in our territory, and we have some she wants. So were swapping. I need some extra help getting the herbs there though," She looked up at Pinetrail, a question in her eyes, "Is that alright with you?"

"Does Seedstar know?" the young tom asked, "About you meeting the Riverclan medicine cat?" Excitement coursed through Goosepaw. They were going to Riverclan territory!

"Of course," she narrowed her eyes at him, "And I'm not going to mention anything about Seedstar's plan to take back sunningrocks from Riverclan if that's what you're thinking Pinetrail." Goosepaw glanced from his mentor to the medicine cat, kneading the ground in barely contained excitement. Two moons ago, sunning rocks had been stolen from them by Riverclan. Now, apparently their clan was planning on taking it back, perfect! He might even be able to fight in the battle!

"I just don't want my apprentice thinking we're cozy, cozy with the enemy," Pinetrail glanced over at Goosepaw who instantly flattened his ears in anger.

"I don't think we're friends with them," he protested, "They stole our territory! I can't wait till we take it back!" All three cats turned to him, dead serious.

"If you're coming with us Goosepaw, you can't mention anything about the plan to them, understand?" Flameheart meowed sternly, fixing him in her green gaze.

"I understand," he promised, "I won't say anything about it".

"Good," Hailpaw purred, "Come one, you can help me with the comfrey". The silver she cat motioned to a pile of dark green herbs. Goosepaw padded over and sniffed the pile, wrinkling his nose up in disgust.

Pinetrail laughed, "Bet you wish that this wasn't your punishment don't you Goosepaw?" Flameheart and Hailpaw shot him venomious looks, but the dark ginger tom took no notice. He just rolled over onto his side and continued laughing.

"It just smells foul," Goosepaw shrugged, he didn't like it when Flameheart looked mad. Besides, no matter how much he disliked being around the foul smelling herbs, they were very useful when cats were sick or hurt, and that's what counted.

"Why don't you go hunting Pinetrail, while we get going," Flameheart snapped and picked up a medium sized pile of herbs, while Hailpaw picked up another and motioned for Goosepaw to take the comfrey. Goosepaw took a deep breath and picked up the pile, surprised when the taste didn't bother him that much.

As they left the den, Goosepaw dipped his head to his mentor out of respect and followed the two medicine cats across the camp, towards the entrance. Goosepaw felt several pairs of eyes on him as he followed the two she cats out into the forest.

Flameheart walked calmly and confidently, occasionally pausing to look at a plant, before continuing on. Goosepaw didn't mind her stopping every once and a while, he had never been to this part of the forest before. And Pinetrail hadn't taken him here due to their tour being cut short because of Goosepaw's sighting.

Soon enough a smooth rock slope appeared in front of them, and Flameheart warily padded out onto the surface, ears pricked, nose twitching. He didn't know how she could pick up any scent besides the herbs.

"Flameheart! Over here!" a brown tabby she cat called from beside the biggest stream Goosepaw had ever seen. That must be the river, he thought in awe as Flameheart padded towards the Riverclan cat.

Beside the brown she cat was a beautiful ginger and white she cat with stunning amber eyes. She was holding strange looking herbs in her jaws, while she sorted others beside her mentor.

"Hello Tawnyberry," Flameheart purred after having set down her own bundle. She flicked her tail at Hailpaw, "You remember my apprentice Hailpaw?"

"Yes, and you remember mine?" The Riverclan cat asked, tilting her head towards the ginger and white cat.

"Yes, Gingerpaw made quite the impression on me when she ran into my back end the first time she went to the moonstone". To Goosepaw's surprise, both medicine cats laughed as if they were friends. He remembered that soon they would be fighting this cat's clan, so he kept his jaws firmly clamped down on the comfrey.

"Who's this?" Tawnyberry asked, flicking her tail at Goosepaw.

"This is Goosepaw. He was a little too adventerous as a kit and now he has to help Hailpaw and me out as punishment." Flameheart explained.

"You're training to be a warrior?" Gingerpaw asked him, setting down her bundle so she could speak. Goosepaw felt a tingle run through his pelt, her voice sounded lovely, for a Riverclan cat. Unceremoniously Goosepaw set his own bundle down and nodded.

"Pinetrail's my mentor," he told her.

"You mean Pinepaw?" Gingerpaw blinked in surprise.

"He's a warrior now," Goosepaw meowed, "Are you going to the gathering in a couple of sunrises?" While Goosepaw chatted with Gingerpaw, the other three medicine cats started going over what they had brought, not that Goosepaw had any interest in that.

"Medicine cat apprentices always go," she said proudly, sticking out her chest. Goosepaw flicked his tail, swallowing down a pang of jealousy.

"Lucky furball," he muttered.

"Gingerpaw, get the Horsetail, we can swap it for the Coltsfoot," Tawnyberry said, ending the two apprentices' conversation.

"Yes Tawnyberry," Gingerpaw picked up the strange looking herbs and set them down at Goosepaw's feet while Hailpaw took the Coltsfoot and placed it on the Riverclan cat's side.

Goosepaw leaned down and sniffed the Horsetail, "What's this do?" he asked, his curiousity getting the better of him.

"It's sap is used to stop heavy bleeding." Flameheart explained.

"And the leaves can be used to make a poultice when chewed up," Tawnyberry added wisely.

"What kind of poultice?" he asked, eyeing the plant doubtfully.

"It treats infected wounds, like rat bites," Hailpaw explained before picking up the plants and setting them down a little farther back. Goosepaw twitched his ears in obvious surprise.

"Herbs can do more than one thing?" he meowed. Gingerpaw twitched her whiskers in amusement.

"Why do warrior apprentices always think that herbs have only one use Flameheart?" Tawnyberry sighed with a shake of her head.

"They think claws and teeth are the only answer to everything," she purred, amused. Normally Goosepaw would have been annoyed by the insult, but at the moment he was too preoccupied with this new information.

"And coltsfoot and Comfrey, what do they do?" he asked, sniffing the two different plants.

"Comfrey is used to treat broken bones, coltsfoot is used against kittencough," Flameheart told him, facing Tawnyberry as they continued to swap herbs.

"Curious aren't you?" Tawnyberry purred, turning her head to watch him with her pretty blue eyes, "That's a good trait for an apprentice. I don't think I've ever meant a young cat so eager to learn something outside of warrior training". Flameheart nodded in agreement.

"Goosepaw's always been curious," Hailpaw meowed, suppressing a laugh, "He used to sneak out of the camp all of the time". Gingerpaw looked over at Goosepaw in surprise.

"You must be really brave," she murmured in awe, "I was scared I'd get eaten, so I never set paw out of camp until I was apprenticed,"

"Yeah, I guess so," Goosepaw meowed, feeling proud, and somehow glowing warm as if he'd swallowed the sun. Maybe that was just because he'd managed to impress a cat outside of his clan.

"Come along now you two, we've gotten what we needed. Time to head back," Flameheart meowed, picking up the horsetail. She waved her tail at Tawnyberry and Ginger in farewell and started up the slope, towards the forest.

"Bye Hailpaw, bye Goosepaw, maybe I'll see you at the next gathering!" Gingerpaw called to them.

"Bye Gingerpaw, Tawnyberry!" Goosepaw called back before picking up a herb bundle and racing after the medicine cats.