A/N: There are only two good reasons for being sick. One, staying out of school. Two, updating! Read, review, and enjoy!
It had been a whole moon since Blossompatch died, and Dovewing was still holding tight to life. It was as if StarClan wanted to take her, but they were waiting until the perfect time to do so.
Since there wasn't a multitude of sick cats that needed tending, Snowpaw learned in the ways of a true medicine cat. Smokewhisker said that she was a natural, as the young apprentice picked up on things quickly.
"Now," Smokewhisker began, "What do I do when, let's say Skykit, is bitten by a snake." Snowpaw thought hard, thinking back to the lesson they had two days ago. Snake bites were seen before in ThunderClan, especially the one that bit Honeyfern as the she-cat saved Briarkit.
"You would give her either snake root or nettle seeds. Then give her poppy seeds for the pain and shock, and wait as the poison is expelled from her body?" Snowpaw recited, bringing the last bit of her sentence into a question.
Smokewhisker nodded. "I have taught you well. There isn't much else I can teach you about the herbs, you know it all. The only thing that I can teach you is about kit birth."
A smile alighted on Snowpaw's face. She had been training for three moons, and it had started to become boring. There wasn't much to learn, and sometimes Snowpaw wished that she had become a warrior apprentice instead. They had interesting things to do every day, instead of sitting in a den. They could have mates and kits. She wished that she wasn't chosen by StarClan to fulfill whatever prophecy they had in mind. However, she might have died with the rest of her kin if that had happened.
"Hm," the dark gray medicine cat mewed. "The only cat I know who will have kits is Sandstorm, but that's about a moon away." She looked at Snowpaw curiously. "But I can't just give you your name unless you know everything about being a medicine cat…"
"I'm fine with waiting, Smokewhisker. I want to make sure I know everything and master it, too," Snowpaw mewed quietly.
Smokewhisker nodded happily, a smile on her face. "Good, I don't want to be upstaged by my own apprentice just yet."
A jay's call broke through the sunny day in ThunderClan. The sun was rising steadily, and Snowpaw was reminded of the duty she had to Swiftfang. "It's such a beautiful day, Smokewhisker. Can I go take a walk by the lake?"
The dark gray she-cat's eyes became warm towards her apprentice, and Snowpaw thought that that was weird. "Sure, just don't fall in. I don't need another cat to take care of. And if you find any herbs, make sure to bring them back."
Snowpaw purred happily. It seems that her mentor's happy mood was catching. She dipped her head to the few cats in the clearing, wondering what in StarClan's name had made her so happy. Usually Smokewhisker was sullen and angry. However, Snowpaw could understand her being angry. It must have been so hard on her to watch all of her Clanmates die, unable to do anything.
The birds sang in the trees, and the green leaves dipped water from the recent rainfall. It smelled like rain still, and Snowpaw breathed it in deep. Just think, she told herself, nine moons old and she would already be a medicine cat!
It seems as if StarClan's blessing was a good thing. They allowed her to live, and to become a medicine cat, where she excelled greatly. If only Sandstorm would have her kits sooner! The ginger she-cat had joined the nursery shortly after Blossompatch's death, to the happiness of Dustpelt. Ferncloud seemed a little less enthusiastic than normal, but it had to do with Dustpelt having another mate.
The sun shone brightly, playing off of the lake's lapping shore. Ducks sat upon its surface, bobbing up and down as they got their food. The pebbles clacked under the pure white cat's paws, making a lot of noise for small stones.
Sure that she wasn't being watched, Snowpaw veered off into the woods again, welcoming their musky scent. Prey skittered around near her, and she wanted to hunt them so badly. If only she knew how to hunt!
The ShadowClan border loomed closer as she padded towards it. The scent that she thought bitter and disgusting as a kit felt welcoming as she inhaled. Swiftfang will be here soon, she told herself. Settling in a patch of wild garlic, she made a mental note to collect it when she went back to camp. It was useful for two reasons. One was that it hid her scent now, and Swiftfang's scent back in camp. Two was that it was pretty much the only plant in this area that was tall enough to cover her white fur completely.
The white apprentice watched carefully through the tall stalks, just waiting for her love to come. Once, she heard cats moving in the underbrush, heading towards her. Snowpaw wanted to jump out and greet Swiftfang, but held herself back. It turned out to be a patrol of Birchfall, Redfoot, Nightpaw, Brightheart and Ravenpaw. The patrol sniffed around the border suspiciously, but then deducted nothing wrong as they marked the borders.
The sun began to dip from its highest point in the sky. Snowpaw began to worry. They had planned to meet at sunhigh, why wasn't he here?
A flash of ginger high in a tree caught her eye. Before she could fully tell what it was, friend or foe, it disappeared. Looking up, Snowpaw saw nothing but green foliage that would start to turn colors in the upcoming leaf-fall.
Suddenly, a weight landed on her shoulders, making her cry out in shock. A white paw was placed on her mouth to settle the cry, and Snowpaw looked up to see a grinning Swiftfang.
"Hello there," he mewed casually, his tail tip swishing and tickling her fur. "Fancy meeting you here," he continued, letting his paw up from Snowpaw's mouth.
Snowpaw laughed happily and loudly, not caring if the patrol that went by heard or not. Here, with Swiftfang, she felt whole, complete. She was just about to go back on her oath as a medicine cat, and train as a warrior when the ginger tom became stiff.
"What's wrong?" Snowpaw asked, voicing her opinions for the first time about their visits together. Ever since that one where Pinewhisker had come with him, he'd been… different. Not as talkative, playful, or loving as he had normally been. And she would know.
"Nothing, nothing," he mewed gruffly, shaking his head. Swiftfang sighed heavily as he looked up at the sun which was peeking through the foliage. It left spots off color on the bare ground, and it danced on their pelts.
The white she-cat licked his shoulder, trying to draw out a response. None came. Something was wrong with him, if only she could find it out.
"I can't –" Swiftfang began, when he paused to cock his head. The lowest sound could be heard, but it was getting louder. The sound of a bunch of cats rushing over pine leaf covered ground, waiting for the right time to attack.
"What?" she asked light-headedly, her world beginning to spin. Swiftfang's head darted between her and the noise, which was steadily getting louder.
"Go," he whispered, pushing her off into the direction of the ThunderClan camp. "I'll try and stall. Prepare your camp for the attack."
It finally hit her. The noises coming from the forest, growing louder with every heartbeat. The way Swiftfang was acting. As the jolt of recognition hit her, she sped off towards camp, forgetting her pile of wild garlic that she had been hiding in.
The forest seemed to want her to get to camp quicker, for the path seemed to open up, and any traces of vine or bramble disappeared. The entrance loomed closer, and just as she was about to enter it, Snowpaw tripped. Landing within the thorn tunnel, her nose became scratched and bloody. Still, she pressed on. "ShadowClan! ShadowClan is attacking!" she screeched, drawing the attention of everyone in the clearing.
Suddenly, at the word attack, all actions in the camp turned defensive. Icecloud picked up the complaining Skykit, while Sandstorm ushered Dawnkit inside. Smokewhisker looked shocked for a second, but cleared her head and nearly dragged Dovewing to safety. The warriors lined up inside the camp, waiting for the deadly attack. Snowpaw almost fell, her exhaustion of the past few days settling in. A sharp tug on her scruff alerted her to her mother, Brightheart, dragging her to safety inside the medicine den.
It shocked her when her mother sat next to her and began licking her fur slowly. "Why?" was the only word Snowpaw asked Brightheart, confused the she-cat wasn't out preparing for the fight.
"Because you're my daughter. My only living kit, I might add. You are so much more important than a fight, never deny that," Brightheart mewed, curling her tail around her daughter. There was a slight hiss and Snowpaw's head snapped up. In the back of the medicine den, Smokewhisker stood, her eyes narrowed in anger.
She hissed once more, than turned her back on the pair, to ignore them as best as she could. Snowpaw knew the reason why her mentor was acting like this. Ferncloud never truly showed any signs of affection to her or her siblings, there were just too many of them. Her jealousy had caused Smokewhisker to become cold.
A screech echoed through the beautiful day, and birds scattered in response. It was from no ThunderClan cat, so it much be ShadowClan. Probably because they didn't expect to have a fully prepared force waiting for them.
Sounds of fighting closely followed the screech, and Snowpaw shuddered into her mother's fur. This was the reason that she could never be a warrior. The fact that she had to pit herself against other cats that she was friends with, to see who would win. Drawing blood, making wounds. That life was not for her. No, it was healing those wounds that were caused, living a better life than a warrior. Being in harmony with the other clan cats.
Seeing her daughter act like that, Brightheart continued her careful licking, lulling Snowpaw into a semi trance. Although her eyes dipped closed, the sounds still reached her ears. Screeches of pain, hisses, and yowls all made her writhe as if the pain was being done to herself.
"It's ok, it's ok," Brightheart whispered between licks. She stopped, and Snowpaw's eyes cracked open. Smokewhisker stood in front of her, a few poppy seeds resting on a leaf. Brightheart dipped her head, and exited the den to go fight.
Pushing the leaf towards her apprentice, Smokewhisker expected Snowpaw to accept without fighting. Snowpaw, however, shook her head and stood groggily on her feet.
The screeches were getting louder, and she head Blackstar announced to Bramblestar the reason why they were here. "We came to warn ThunderClan to stay away from our warriors," he yowled, his cats agreeing loudly, "Because we are proud of our blood, and need not filth."
It was silent. Snowpaw took the chance to poke her head out of the medicine den to assess the damage. It surprised her when she saw the ShadowClan warriors still in camp. Blackstar and Bramblestar were in the center of the battle, both breathing heavily.
The ThunderClan cats glanced around curiously at each other, wondering who Blackstar was talking about. "We have found ThunderClan scent mingled with our own over our border," Blackstar continued. "Even though it may mean that you are stealing prey, it is still a crime punishable by battle."
Bramblestar was taken aback and sat quietly, staring down the ShadowClan leader. "There have been no cat leaving to meet one of yours, I assure you. How do I know? There has been way too much things to do around here for them to disappear for too long without being noticed. And no cat has been hunting on your territory, either. That is easily explained by the fact that we have only normal ThunderClan prey on our fresh-kill pile. No toads or lizards occupy it, as you can so plainly see," Bramblestar mews, the words coming from between his teeth. Snowpaw can see that it is all that Bramblestar can muster not to leap at Blackstar.
"I know what I've smelled, Bramblestar," Blackstar mewed, spitting out the –star as if it were poisonous. The ThunderClan leader bristled. Blackstar was openly challenging his authority over his Clan. "We'll be back if it doesn't stop."
Slowly the ShadowClan intruders file out, led by their white leader. Snowpaw saw Swiftfang, and tried to catch his eye. However, he never looked in her direction. His eyes were focused straight ahead, showing no emotion as he padded out of camp.
"Swiftfang isn't your lover tom anymore," a small, mocking voice whispered in Snowpaw's ear. The apprentice turned quickly to face Pinewhisker, the lithe she-cat passing purposely by her as she headed for the exit. "He has more important things to tend to than you."
Snowpaw was about to screech at the she-cat for exposing her secret when she realized all was still silent. No cat but her had heard the snide remarks.
After the fury ebbed, the white apprentice's heart dropped. Most toms went through a stage after lusting after a she-cat. The stage was often duty to their Clan, in hopes of being promoted or recognized. Snowpaw sighed as she inched back into the medicine den.
Swiftfang didn't care for her anymore. He was in that phase. His Clan was much more important than a she-cat he had been lusting after.
She turned to the injured warriors for comfort. Comfort about her lost love. Comfort on the screeches that still penetrated her ears. Comfort on her broken heart.
Even though the minutes after it had provided only pain and sorrow, Snowpaw was glad she didn't take the poppy seeds. How could she help Smokewhisker if she was knocked out? And how could she tell that the love of her life wasn't worth sneaking out and almost getting caught anymore? No, she would devote her life to StarClan, like she was supposed to.
A/N: Review?