:D
Warriors (c) Erin Hunter
Cats/Clans (c) Me
"You want to what?" Moonshadow snarled. "You not only want to journey to a different Clan in times of rivalry, but you wish to expose our weakness to rival Clans! You dare call yourself a WaterfallClan cat?"
Whiskerpaw tried her best not to flinch from the agitated deputy's outburst. She quickly glanced at her father, who merely studied his deputy with unreadable eyes. "It's the best for Moonshine and her kits."
Moonshadow hissed, unable to respond to the topic of his daughter.
"Moonshadow does have a point," Goldenstar carefully responded. "Relations between the Clans right now…are difficult."
"I understand," Whiskerpaw insisted, "but I want to do what is best for the future of this Clan. We—I don't have sufficient herbs to treat the potential wounded and nursing."
"Then don't let me hold you back," the golden tabby tom replied. "Take a warrior with you, at least."
"No thanks," Whiskerpaw responded confidently. "I want to do this by myself."
Sensing that there was no point in arguing, Goldenstar reluctantly agreed with a firm nod. "Very well. When will you be leaving?"
"As soon as possible," the Clan leader's daughter meowed. "Dustberry can watch over Mintshard while I'm gone."
"Alright, but be careful," Goldenstar mewed cautiously. He gently pressed his nose into his daughter's neck fur. "I trust StarClan to bring you home safely."
"I promise," Whiskerpaw whispered. She gave her father a quick lick on the ear before leaving his den. She managed to catch Dustberry sharing tongues with her father, Nightstrike, by the fresh-kill pile. "Hey, Dustberry, I have to go to the other Clans for something. Do you mind watching over your brother while I'm away?"
"Sure thing!" the dusty gray tabby she-cat happily agreed. "How long do you think you'll be gone for?"
"Maybe a day or two."
Dustberry nodded. "I'll keep an eye on him."
"Thanks." Before leaving the camp, Whiskerpaw decided to visit her mentor once last time. The black tabby tom was still resting in his nest peacefully, his breath light and his chest was raggedly rising and falling like a perpetual wave. His fluffy neck was covered in tightly bounded cobwebs and a poultice of whatever horsetail or dried oak she had left in storage. She gently pressed her muzzle against Mintshard's cheek for a heartbeat. "I promise I won't let you down, Mintshard."
A border patrol comprised of Meltingice, Reedleg and Adderpaw with Mousethorn leading at the front was just prepared to leave the camp through the reed barrier by the time Whiskerpaw left the medicine cat's den. "Hey, can I walk with you? I need to go to MeadowClan."
Mousethorn happily obliged with a nod. "Of course, Whiskerpaw. You are more than welcome to join us."
Reedleg and Adderpaw didn't seem so optimistic, for they glared thistles into Whiskerpaw's pelt; they most likely didn't want her to slow them down on their patrol. Meltingice didn't say anything, but merely gave the medicine cat apprentice a soft smile and padding alongside her.
"What do you need from MeadowClan?" Meltingice asked, hoping to strike up some sort of conversation as the patrol marched through the forest a tad bit slower than they normally do.
Whiskerpaw could practically hear Reedleg's and Adderpaw's annoyed thought going through their minds currently. "Just some herbs that we require," Whiskerpaw simply put.
Mousethorn glanced back at her over his shoulder. "Like catmint?" he croaked. She knew that he was referring to his mate's death the previous moon. Feathershade had died in her sleep due to greencough that didn't react with Mintshard's herbs. Fortunately for the Clan, it didn't spread so Mousethorn spent his mate's final hours next to her flank, whispering words of comfort in her ear.
"We have plenty of catmint now, Mousethorn," Whiskerpaw quietly replied. "She's resting in StarClan now."
Mousethorn didn't seem satisfied with that answer and he merely focused his gaze ahead. Unfortunately, there were no herbs to heal a broken heart.
It wasn't long until they ran into the river than swept through their territory towards RowanClan. The water seemed oddly low, lower than previous leaf-falls, but it was nothing to worry about; it was bound to rain eventually since it was almost leaf-bare.
Mousethorn lowered himself into the river, swimming easily across, his brown tail waving behind him like a slithering snake. Reedleg gently swam besides Adderpaw as they joined Mousethorn on the other side. Meltingice waited next to Whiskerpaw to see what she would do. Whiskerpaw leapt confidently into the river and gently doggy-paddled to the other side, gently kicking out her back legs and scooping up some with her front paws. Meltingice gracefully swam besides her, making sure she would make it safely across. The water wasn't too deep, but an inexperienced cat could easily drown.
Whiskerpaw dug her front claws in the mud and eased herself out of the water with a breeze. Her father had taught her and her littermates how to swim when they were kits playing the in the stream back at camp, but it's been a while since her last swim. The patrol waited until Whiskerpaw had caught her breath before continuing onward. The trees surrounding them grew sparser and sparser until the forest opened up to a meadow dominated by tall grasses. No a single tree specked the grassy territory and hills dominated the land as far as the eye could see.
After the border patrol finished marking the border, Mousethorn turned towards Whiskerpaw. "Do you want us to wait here for you?"
The pale golden she-cat shook her head. "No thanks. You four can go on ahead."
The ginger and brown tom nodded. "Good luck," he meowed before leading his patrol away.
Whiskerpaw gazed out over the grassy sea. She pondered on whether she should wait for a patrol to arrive or not, and decided on the latter; she was a medicine cat after all, and she had the right to visit the other Clans in a non-threatening way. Since she had no inkling as to where the MeadowClan camp was located, she chose to limp straight through, hoping to run into either their camp or a patrol.
It wasn't long until she heard the thundering of pawsteps and the racing blurs of pelts running behind the tussock grass did she know that she was caught. The leader of the patrol, a black tom with golden eyes, held his tail erect to stop his Clanmates. He gave the air a good sniff. "You're Goldenstar's daughter, aren't you? Whiskerpaw, right?"
"That's right," Whiskerpaw replied. She tried to lie her fur flat so she didn't seem like a threat. With the black tom was a dark fluffy tom, a white she-cat, and a tortoiseshell she-cat. She'd wished that she had paid more attention during the Gatherings so she could identify these cats.
"What does a medicine cat apprentice like you want?" the dark fluffy tom asked with a hint of a growl laced in his voice.
"I-I need to ask Frozenwhisker and Pigeonwing something," Whiskerpaw replied with a stammer, "and to maybe get some herbs?"
"Leave her alone, Fuzzyface," the black tom ordered. "She's just a medicine cat. They have no borders."
"But spies do, Tadpoleclaw," the cat called Fuzzyface insisted. "You remember the threats that Rumblestar placed on WaterfallClan at the last Gathering. What if Goldenstar only sent her here so that she could scope out their next kill?"
"My father would never do that!" Whiskerpaw hissed. "I would never harm any cat."
"Let's just take her to Frozenwhisker and Pigeonwing and get this over with," the white she-cat offered.
Tadpoleclaw nodded in agreement and kinked his tail over his back before vanishing into the tussock grass. The three other members of the patrol quickly darted after him, leaving Whiskerpaw behind.
"Hurry up!" a voice called from the grasses.
They expect me to run after them?! Whiskerpaw knew she didn't have a choice and quickly scampered after them. The four MeadowClan cats were several tail-lengths ahead and they didn't appear to slow down at all. Whiskerpaw forced herself to quicken her pace and not show any weakness like Moonshadow warned her not to. She'd never pushed herself this far before and she wondered if it would cause damage to her shoulder, but she didn't have time to worry about that. Through the grasses, around some boulders and over some puddles did the MeadowClan cats run, and Whiskerpaw followed not far behind. She was nearly five tail-lengths behind them when they halted in a large clearing. She nearly trampled over the white she-cat as she somewhat halted to a stop.
"Not used to running so fast, aren't ya?" the white she-cat purred in amusement as Whiskerpaw was left panting like a dog.
"Not…really…" Whiskerpaw panted. Her shoulder seared in pain, but she didn't want to show her weakness in front of an enemy Clan.
"Whiskerpaw, what are you doing here?" She recognized Pigeonwing's voice and noticed that he was staring at her with concerned eyes. "And did you…run all the way here?"
"I had…to keep up with…the patrol," Whiskerpaw still panted.
The gray and white medicine cat apprentice growled and reared towards the patrol. "Are you four rabbit-brains? You know Whiskerpaw can't run! She might've injured her shoulder while keeping up with you four."
"How were we supposed to know that?" the tortoiseshell she-cat asked.
"She's Whiskerpaw. Every cat knows that she has a permanently injured shoulder, for StarClan's sake, Sorrelpetal!" Pigeonwing hissed.
"Pigeonwing, Tadpoleclaw, what is going on here?" a voice called over and a gray tabby she-cat padded over with concerned blue eyes. "And what's Whiskerpaw doing here?"
"Froststar, these four rabbit-brains just made Whiskerpaw run all the way here," Pigeonwing insisted.
"Pigeonwing, it's okay," Whiskerpaw intervened. "I can fight my own battles." She turned her attention towards Froststar. "It's my fault, Froststar. I should've said something to them about my shoulder. I've only came here to speak with Frozenwhisker and Pigeonwing and maybe receive some herbs."
"Tadpoleclaw, Fuzzyface, Lightberry, and Sorrelpetal," Froststar addressed with a slight growl. "Next time, nicely bring a guest over. Don't make them run all the way here."
"We're sorry, Froststar, Whiskerpaw," Tadpoleclaw apologized.
Froststar nodded, seeming pleased with the apology, and turned towards Whiskerpaw. "You are free to speak with Frozenwhisker and Pigeonwing."
"Thank you, Froststar," Whiskerpaw meowed. Pigeonwing gently guide her with his tail towards a large boulder on the far side of the clearing with a gaping hole in it. She recognized the scent of herbs coming from the den as she and Pigeonwing neared it.
"How's your shoulder?" Pigeonwing whispered, his breath hot on her ear, as they entered the den. Several nests littered the den, one occupied by a black and gray tom. The back of the cavern dipped downward where Whiskerpaw detected the strong pungent scent of herbs.
"It's a little sore," Whiskerpaw mumbled as she sat down in the cold stone. There was no sign of the white medicine cat.
"Let me get you some daisy leaves," Pigeonwing offered. He vanished into the dip before Whiskerpaw could object. He reappeared a few heartbeats later with some small leaves with several extensions on them.
"Where's Frozenwhisker?" Whiskerpaw asked after she licked up the herbs. They tasted tangy in her mouth.
"He's out gathering some blackberry leaves for Maskclaw," Pigeonwing explained as he pointed with his tail towards the resting black and gray tom. "Poor Maskclaw here didn't see the hibernating bees' nest until it was already too late. He should be away for the rest of the day and maybe tomorrow; the only place to find blackberry leaves around here is beyond our territory. So…" He gave his front paw a quick lick. "You mentioned that you wanted some herbs?"
"Yes, if you can spare some," Whiskerpaw replied.
"What do you need them for, exactly?" Pigeonwing couldn't help but question.
Whiskerpaw wanted to answer him, but she couldn't risk exposing WaterfallClan's weakness while Maskclaw was there. She beckoned him into the herb storage with her tail. The dip opened up to a smaller cavern lined with dirt walls. It was roomy, but smaller than the open cave. Several herbs were stacked neatly about and there were two nests in the corner, draped in the MeadowClan medicine cats' scents.
Once she was sure that they had some privacy, Whiskerpaw spoke. "Mintshard…doesn't have a mild cough. He's severely injured on his neck and he hasn't woken up since before the Gathering. We're low on several important herbs, such as marigold, horsetail and tormentil. There's nothing left in our territory." She wanted to stop, but she couldn't cease the flowing words from her mouth. She needed to let some cat who she knew wouldn't judge her know. "I don't know how Mintshard or my Clan is supposed to survive the coming leaf-bare without these vital herbs. I know that I am exposing my Clan's weakness to you, but I just don't know what else to do!" She was left panting at the end, happy that she got all of that off her chest.
"I-I don't know what to say, Whiskerpaw," Pigeonwing murmured. He pressed his nose briefly against her cheek. "You are extremely brave, Whiskerpaw. I can't believe that you've managed your entire Clan by yourself during these hard times. Your Clan is lucky to have you around. What is Mintshard's condition?"
Whiskerpaw took a deep breath, trying to recall her mentor's wounds. "The wound on his neck is starting to smell odd and I fear an infection. The much smaller wounds are fine with the comfrey root that I've applied, but they could really use some marigold. Mintshard…hasn't woken up since the attack. I fear that he's lost too much blood…"
Pigeonwing rested his gray tail on her slim shoulders. "I'm sure Mintshard will be fine. He has you to look after him."
"Thanks, Pigeonwing," Whiskerpaw purred. She was glad to have an ally in him.
"Is there anything else?"
"Well…we have two expecting queens…"
"When are they due?"
"Moonshine's due soon, practically in a few days at the most, and Fallsriver will be due in little over a half-moon."
"That's great!" the gray and white spotted tom purred. "You know what to do, don't you?"
"Ah…no," Whiskerpaw admitted. "Cragpaw and Adderpaw were already born by the time I was made an apprentice. Mintshard briefly taught me what to do, but I've never done it myself or at all."
The MeadowClan medicine cat apprentice thought for a few heartbeats. "Why don't I stay with you in WaterfallClan that is until Moonshine's kits are born? I will help you when she's due."
"You would really do that?" Whiskerpaw asked. "But what about your Clan?"
"Frozenwhisker is fine without me for a few days," Pigeonwing insisted.
Whiskerpaw paused for a while. She was doing just fine on her own back home, but it would be nice to have some help. Unlike her Clanmates, Pigeonwing actually had a reason to help besides her limp.
"Don't worry, I'll still let you do most of the work," Pigeonwing joked when he noticed her pause and then his voice turned softer. "Whiskerpaw, I'm only doing this because I enjoy helping others. It's the reason why I became a medicine cat, after all."
"I don't see why not," Whiskerpaw finally agreed.
"Great!" Pigeonwing purred. He touched his nose to her ear for a heartbeat. "I better go ask Froststar to make sure." He disappeared with a flick of his tail out of the storage area. Whiskerpaw followed him until out of the den, but instead of following him to find Froststar, she sat outside the den. What would her Clanmates think when she brought in an enemy cat? Pigeonwing was different, though, and he was a medicine cat. Medicine cats aren't bound by borders.
A few heartbeats later, a tiny white kit hobbled over on three paws, holding out her front right paw out. "Who are you?" the tiny she-kit asked.
"My name is Whiskerpaw," she replied. "I'm the WaterfallClan medicine cat."
"You come from WaterfallClan?" the she-kit asked in awe. "That's so far away!"
"It is," Whiskerpaw purred.
The kit glanced uneasily at her paw. "Do you think you can fix my paw?"
"Let me see what I can do," Whiskerpaw replied as she glanced at the kit's pink pads. A tiny bramble thorn was latched onto one of the kit's soft pads. "Wow, that's a huge thorn! You must be really brave not to be scared." It was probably the smallest thorn Whiskerpaw's ever seen.
"Meadowdash always says how brave I am," the kit boasted. "She's says that I even braver than Graykit and Stormkit!"
"I bet you are," Whiskerpaw purred. "What is your name?"
"I'm Cloudkit!" the white she-kit purred as Whiskerpaw swiftly pulled out the thorn with her teeth. A tiny bit of blood spilled out, but Whiskerpaw promptly licked the pad clean. "Is it gone?"
"It's all gone," Whiskerpaw soothed. She imagined that Cloudkit was one of her sister's future kits. "You were super brave."
"Thanks!" Cloudkit purred. "I'm going to tell Meadowdash how brave I was! Thanks!" The little kit scampered off to find her next adventure.
"That was kind of you," a voice spoke from behind Whiskerpaw. She jumped and saw a gray tabby tom. At least Whiskerpaw knew who this tom was.
"Oh, thanks Flintstrike," Whiskerpaw replied uneasily. Had he'd been watching her this entire time?
The MeadowClan deputy gazed after Cloudkit, who'd returned to the bramble-protected nursery. "I overheard Pigeonwing asking Froststar if he could stay with your Clan for a few days."
"Are you allowed to overhear conversations like that?" Whiskerpaw questioned.
"If I didn't hear it the first time, my mate would've eventually told me anyway," Flintstrike replied.
"Oh," Whiskerpaw meowed. "Well, thanks, I guess."
Flintstrike nodded as Pigeonwing reappeared from speaking with Froststar. "She said that is was okay, but we have to leave after Frozenwhisker comes back, which, seeing that it is now nearly sunset, could be tomorrow. You'll have to stay overnight, if that is alright with you."
"That is fine. My Clanmates know that I'll be gone for a while," Whiskerpaw responded.
After a quick meal of rabbit (Whiskerpaw actually preferred fish, but she was nice enough not to say anything), she as sleeping in Pigeonwing's nest while the said tom was sleeping in his mentor's nest; Pigeonwing had said earlier that Frozenwhisker wouldn't appreciate the scent of fish drenched in his nest. Comforted by the gray and white tom's scent, Whiskerpaw did not experience a single nightmare.
Ship. Ship. Ship. Ship.