Chapter 9
Sagepaw stumbled beside Fogfur. The tom gently helped her up again and let her lean on his shoulder. Skyclan was on the move again, as soon as Fawnstep had deemed her as fit as possible Skyclan had moved on. But Sagepaw still hurt terribly after the fox attack, partly because of her grief for Thrushpaw's death. She relied on poppy seed to take the pain from her back away, but as they traveled it was becoming increasingly hard to find any.
Snowheart brushed by her, heading for Flamespots. The white warrior and Flamespots were very close now, even though he had ignored Snowheart a little while earlier. Oakstep and Graycloud were carrying Robinkit and Runningkit in their jaws. Yes, Graypaw had become Graycloud while Sagepaw stayed in her nest, barley able to move, so much for Cloudstar's vow to never look to Starclan again.
Sagepaw caught a glimpse of the Skyclan leader as he padded determinedly ahead with Buzzardtail and Fawnstep beside him. Cloudstar had been acting strangely since Skyclan left the forest. He didn't give direct orders anymore, preferring to let Buzzardtail talk and give announcements to the clan. What was more shocking was that he didn't even give Graycloud her warrior name! He had sent Buzzardtail to do it, while the clan elders, mainly Rosefrost and Swiftclaw, muttered about bad omens.
Beside her, Fogfur shivered as a cold wind pierced his fur. Sagepaw barely felt it, she was concentrating on putting one paw in front of the other. Her vision grew foggy and she stumbled again. "How about you rest, Sagepaw. You've been on your paws all day." Fogfur murmured and carefully eased Sagepaw down. He stretched with a yawn and sat down beside her. "But we have to go on! Look, their already going on!" Sagepaw protested, trying to get to her paws again. Fogfur sighed and got up. "Snowheart! Snowheart!" Fogfur called. His sister looked backed, her green eyes filled with understanding. "I'll get them to stop." Fogfur sat down again, and beamed at her. "See, their stopping already."
Sagepaw spotted her mother padding toward her with Fawnstep on her heels. Sagepaw saw worry on their expressions as they came closer. "I keep on telling Cloudstar that we have to take breaks more often!" Fawnstep fumed as she gently laid a paw on Sagepaw's backbone. "I keep on telling him! The kits, queens, elders, and you have to rest. But, no we have to keep on going! I tell him that were going to lose cats this way, but he doesn't care!" the medicine cat took a deep breath to calm herself.
"Does this hurt?" Fawnstep asked while moving her paw up and down Sagepaw's back. Sagepaw nodded mutely. Quickbreeze watched with hopeful eyes. Fogfur was ridged, his eyes wide with worry. Feeling sick with pain, Sagepaw shuddered and laid her head on her paws, closing her eyes. Fawnstep removed her paw and sighed. "Fogfur, please go and get the poppy seeds wrap" Fawnstep murmured and Sagepaw could hear his retreating paw steps.
"Poppy seeds again! Why? I think your giving her too much" Quickbreeze snapped. Fawnstep snapped a reply and Sagepaw sighed and listened for Fogfur's steps. Slowly they reached her ears. Sagepaw opened her eyes and glimpsed him coming up with a leaf wrap in his jaws. He dropped it at Fawnstep's paws. She slowly unwrapped it and pushed two, tiny black seeds up to Sagepaw's nose.
Sagepaw licked them up and almost immediately she became sleepy. Her future wasn't bright, Sagepaw knew that. What if she couldn't become a warrior? What then?