-12-

The moon shone brightly overhead like a glowing orb, not quite full. Cheetahsky crept slowly and silently through the brush, cursing as brambles and burrs snagged in his fur and whiskers. This is for the good of my Clan, he reassured himself, lessening the pain a bit. They needed him, so he wasn't going to let them down. In a few more pawsteps, he'd be out of the tangle of thorns and back into the open, and then he could go gather the catnip Treetrunk so desperately needed. However, much to his dismay, about a mouse-length ahead of him, the pathway through the brambles narrowed noticeably. There was no way he could fit through it.

Cheetahsky despondently began backing out of the tunnel in the thorns. "I should really get an apprentice; they can fit through tighter places," he muttered as his tail felt around for obstacles behind him. Yes, he would have to ask Shreddedstar if he could train one of Tinfur's kits; they were about six moons old now. When he got back to the camp, he'd ask ShadowClan's leader right away if they could hold the apprentice ceremony. Then maybe, just maybe, Treetrunk's life could be saved from greencough.

Cheetahsky breathed a sigh of relief as he finally found himself out of the brambles. He picked a few burrs out of his fur with his teeth before dashing back toward ShadowClan's temporary camp. The wind whipped through his fur, feeling refreshing and unpleasant at the same time. He was panting now, but he was just about there. A patch of reeds was flattened as he padded swiftly into the camp.

His paws immediately carried him over to a pale gray tom covered in scars. The tom turned at the sound of Cheetahsky's arrival, worry covering his face.

"Did you get the catnip?" the gray cat asked nervously, glancing over his shoulder to where Stripedpelt, a white tom with brown stripes, was anxiously watching a writhing ball of matted brown fur.

Still out of breath, Cheetahsky shook his head. When he caught his breath, he meowed "Shreddedstar, Tinfur's kits are six moons old. If you have the apprentice ceremony quickly, then…" Shreddedstar didn't need to hear any more. He bounded up onto a rough, black-speckled boulder and yowled for Tinfur. A silver queen padded up, her two remaining kits prancing after her.

"Bring one of them up here, quickly! Just…just choose one!" Shreddedstar hissed desperately as Tinfur pondered which one to take. She grabbed the dusky brown kit by her tail and deposited it beside her leader.

"This kit is now an apprentice named…" Cheetahsky bit his lip. Treetrunk shouldn't have to wait this long, but now Shreddedstar couldn't remember the kit's name. The ShadowClan leader turned frantically to Tinfur for help.

"Her name's Lynxkit," the silver she-cat hissed.

"Lynxpaw!" Shreddedstar declared, finishing his sentence. "Your mentor will be Cheetahsky." Cheetahsky ran forward to quickly touch noses with his new apprentice, but this was all wasting time! "Follow me!" the medicine cat hissed before bounding back in the direction of the bramble patch, hoping Lynxpaw could keep up.

It took Cheetahsky a matter of minutes to reach the brambles again. He sat down, ready to wait for his new apprentice, but was surprised to see that she had only been a few tail-lengths behind him. He felt a pang of guilt as he realized what a great warrior she would have made. This young kit hadn't even gotten to decide her future; she'd just been pushed onto a path all of a sudden, not having time to ponder which one to take. But right now, Treetrunk needed help.

"Lynxpaw, go through the tunnel in the brambles right there. On the other side, you'll come to a clearing full of green plants with irresistible scents and tastes. Fill your mouth with it, but don't chew, and then come back to the camp with me as fast as you can. Got it?"

Lynxpaw nodded, and apparently seeing the urgency in the situation, scrambled into the tunnel her mentor had indicated.

The only thing Cheetahsky could do now was wait. Time ticked by, and the tom could feel his heart counting it, beating every second. Every second seemed to stretch, making Cheetahsky feel like his heart was only pounding against his chest once per minute rather than second when in reality it was thumping faster than a frightened mouse's pawsteps. The medicine cat almost felt like giving up any hope, but then a small brown shape darted gap in the brambles, kicking up clouds of dust as it sped in the direction of the makeshift camp. Cheetahsky rushed after Lynxpaw, sneezing as dust found its way up his nose.

Upon arriving back at the camp, Cheetahsky quickly padded over to his apprentice and she dropped the catnip at his paws. Without a moment to spare, Cheetahsky picked up a clump of the soft leaves in his teeth. "Open her mouth," he instructed around the herbs. Lynxpaw quickly pried open Treetrunk's jaws, stepping back as Cheetahsky bit down on the catnip, letting the drops of juice drip into Treetrunk's open mouth.

Cheetahsky stepped back, letting the now dry herbs drop to the ground. Stripedpelt eyed the brown she-cat worriedly. "Will she make it?" the tom asked.

"I think so," Cheetahsky replied, relieved. "If she gets some rest, then she'll probably survive."

Lynxpaw looked up at her mentor. "Should we give her some poppy seeds to help dull the pain?"

Cheetahsky looked at her oddly, bewildered for a moment. "How did you know that poppy seeds dull pain?" This was weird; he hadn't taught her anything yet.

Lynxpaw bristled a little. "M-my mother told me," she stammered.

Cheetahsky held her gaze for another moment before glancing at Treetrunk. The she-cat's breathing was getting slightly less labored. Shreddedstar padded to his medicine cat's side, a purr rumbling in his throat.

"Well done. I knew you could save her," he meowed. "For the time being, take her to your…er, den."

Cheetahsky cringed at Shreddedstar's pause. He didn't like to be reminded that in a couple more days, ShadowClan would have to move on again. The places they'd been staying at for a week at the most didn't have enough prey to support the Clan for any long period of time, and they were poorly sheltered. They had now place they could call home.

Home. He hadn't been able to use that word for over twelve moons. Twelve moons was a long time. It reminded him of how old he was getting. He fixed his eyes on Lynxpaw, who was helping Stripedpelt and Shreddedstar drag Treetrunk toward the makeshift medicine cat den as gently as possible. It was probably a good thing that he now had an apprentice, especially since this one seemed to already know a few remedies. Maybe he'd even enjoy her company. But as Cheetahsky looked at the star-sprinkled sky and let memories flash through his mind, he knew ShadowClan had much more to worry about than good company.