Are you tired of the life, That leaves us begging for more? We got our heads in the clouds, But our feet on the floor We tend to chase everything, That ends up leaving us dry We need a voice, one voice that is amplified Can you feel momentum shifting? Can you hear the sound? We were once among the missing, But we have been found It starts now..." Our Time Is Now, Colton Dixon

Chapter Thirty Six

She watched curiously as the medicine cat struggled to his paws. The Clan needed him now more than ever with leafbare on it's way. Cold weather brought with it a lack of rain, and the river was beginning to dry up. She wasn't the first to notice it, and the entire Clan was getting worried about it.

We need the river, she thought after closing her eyes. Without it we will starve.

True there was prey in the forest they could catch. But the forest prey wasn't the same as fish. She preferred fish over forest prey any day. There was something about fish that she loved. Maybe it was the scales that glittered in the sunlight. Or the fact that fish was harder to catch.

"Dovepaw, what are you doing gaping about?" Otterpool's voice brought her back to reality. Glancing over her shoulder she spotted her mentor glaring at her through narrowed eyes.

"I wasn't gaping, I was thinking," she pointed in annoyance.

Everyone always thought she was just another daydreamer. She hated the fact that they called her that.

"Well, daydreaming or not, we have work to do," her mentor rasped. "Let's get going, the others have left already."

Dovepaw resisted the urge to roll her eyes in annoyance once more. By others she knew Otterpool was referring to her sisters. Aquapaw and Deerpaw were always ganging up on her. Often times she would stop and stare off in the distance.

"Can we do some hunting today?" she asked with an excited skip.

"What? No, we're doing partner training today," Otterpool snapped. "I've noticed that you were slacking yesterday. It's time to see what you can really do in front of your sisters."

Her ears flattened in dismay at the thought of facing her sisters. Aquapaw and Deerpaw, those two were like a bad combination. She often heard Cragheart complaining about them when she was stuck in his den.

With a shake of her head she followed her mentor to the training circle. It was a circular clearing that was kept clean and covered in sand. Bushes surrounded it to keep it protected from predators and Twolegs. Dovepaw actually liked the training circle, when her sisters weren't around. The sand was soft so that if she made a bad landing it wouldn't hurt as much.

"Alright, so how do we deal with a ThunderClan invasion?" Otterpool had stopped beside the other two mentors, Foxshade and Appledusk. Dovepaw watched them curiously, unable to hide her excitement.

"ThunderClan cats prefer fighting in the undergrowth," Aquapaw explained before Dovepaw could open her mouth. "So we move them out into the open."

Otterpool flicked her tail to see how they would pull off such a stunt. She and the other mentors would play as ThunderClan cats. Dovepaw dropped to a crouch and watched as her sisters whispered something. Then suddenly Deerpaw leaped forward and collided into Appledusk, toppling the older she-cat over. Deerpaw was unusually large for her size, giving her a major advantage.

Once Appledusk was distracted Aquapaw took the opportunity to avoid Foxshade's fierce nips. Dovepaw couldn't help but wince at the sight. Foxshade was relentless, and often lived up to his name. But to her surprise Aquapaw managed to keep up, and was actually putting up a fight.

Her observing came to an abrupt end when someone shoved her to the side. Dovepaw let out a hiss of frustration until she realized who it was glaring down at her. Otterpool's eyes were narrowed into tiny slits as she looked at her.

"When are you going to learn to actually pay attention?" she snarled. To her surprise Dovepaw didn't flinch. Instead she only glared back, pelt bristling with frustration.

"Maybe when I get a mentor who actually cares about me!" she retorted. Otterpool actually looked hurt, for a moment. But the look was gone so quickly that Dovepaw couldn't tell.

Without warning she lashed out at Dovepaw with unsheathed claws. Pain seared through Dovepaw the moment they made contact. The impact made Dovepaw stumble into Aquapaw, who had just finished taking down Foxshade.

"What in StarClan's name is going on here?" Foxshade demanded. Dovepaw blinked away the blood that was making her eyes sting. Otterpool stalked towards Dovepaw, but Foxshade prevented her from getting any closer, much to Dovepaw's surprise. "Otterpool, that is enough," he snapped.

"I'm the senior warrior here, I get to do what I want," she hissed.

Now Appledusk and Deerpaw were watching them with interest. Dovepaw's ears flattened in embarrassment when she realized that all eyes were on her. She couldn't lie to her Clanmates. Otterpool did have a right to attack her.

"I think we've had enough battle training for today," Appledusk meowed, trying to keep her voice calm. Dovepaw looked at her thankfully before turning towards the bushes. She knew there were cobwebs and some herbs she could find for her wounds.

Cragheart is already in enough pain, she thought. I can take care of myself.

Soon she had her paw wrapped in cobwebs. It didn't take her long to cover her ear where Otterpool had struck her. The wound wasn't deep, so she had a feeling it wouldn't get infected. Once that task was taken care of, Dovepaw returned to the group.

"When did you learn to do that?" Foxshade asked. Dovepaw looked at him warily, but she noticed that he actually looked genuinely curious. Holding back a sigh, Dovepaw wasn't sure where to start.

"Do you remember those times I spent with Cragheart, when I was a kit?" she asked nervously. The others nodded, Aquapaw and Deerpaw wearing solemn expressions. They remembered it better than anyone else. They were the reason she had been stuck in the medicine cat den for so long. "I was always watching him... I never thought anything of it until I became an apprentice. By the time I did become an apprentice I knew just about every herb there is."

All five cats stared at her in shock. It was a story she didn't like sharing with others. She was afraid of what they would say when they found out. She wanted to learn how to fight. But seeing herself now standing in the gathered crowd, she realized how wrong her dream had been.

"Dovepaw, why did you choose to become a warrior apprentice?" Appledusk's question made her flinch. Otterpool remained icily silent. Dovepaw couldn't blame her mentor for hating her.

I'm probably Otterpool's last apprentice, she realized. She's going to retire soon, and than what? She hated letting others down. Maybe that was why she had become a warrior apprentice. Her father had dreamed of having toms so that they could become fierce and strong warriors. But that dream ended quickly.

"What should I do?" she murmured in despair. What could she do? Cragheart was dying, and once he was dead there would be no one to train her. True she already knew about all of the herbs, but there was so much more to being a medicine cat than herbs.

Appledusk flicked her tail over her shoulder and looked at her thoughtfully. "I would talk with Kindlestar about this," she replied. "I'm sure he'll know what to do about this."

Dovepaw looked down at her paws doubtfully. She had a feeling Kindlestar would have a few choice words for her. He was always looking for ways to make RiverClan stronger. He was desperate to take back sunningrocks as RiverClan's in the end.

With a shake of her head she followed the group back to camp. Camp itself was nestled in the reeds that surrounded the river. The constant sound of the river running always soothed Dovepaw. At a young age she had learned how to swim. All RiverClan kits were taught how to in case the camp ever flooded.

Camp was buzzing with activity when they got back. The sandy clearing was a popular place for kits to play in. But right now the nursery was strangely empty, aside from Starlingsong's plump form snuggled inside. Most of the dens were woven out of reeds and cattails to keep them protected from the elements. The nursery especially was covered in moss, wrapped with cattails and reeds. Dovepaw remembered evening sleeping in a nest that was made of reeds, just so that she would float if the nursery would ever flood.

"Where's Kindlestar?" Otterpool's commanding question made Dovepaw roll her eyes.

Her mentor had always been rude and snappy towards others. Otterpool especially showed her true colors around Kindlestar. Those two were always at each others' throats. Dovepaw could still remember a particularly bad argument between them moons ago. Otterpool still had the scars from that fight.

"He's with Cragheart and Ripplesong," Reedrush, Dovepaw and her sibling's mother, explained. The silver tabby looked confused as Otterpool shoved her way past towards the medicine cat's den. "Dovepaw, what did you do this time?" she demanded.

"She's being a pain in the tail, as usual," Otterpool muttered crossly.

Reedrush gave her a stern look before letting out a sigh of frustration. "I'm sure there's more to it than that," she murmured.

"There is. Mother, can I talk with you and father alone?" Dovepaw's question seemed to catch her mother by surprise. Reedrush only glanced over at Otterpool before looking back at Dovepaw. Finally Reedrush led the way over to the apprentice's den. Out of all the dens in camp the apprentice's den was the most private, as far as Dovepaw was concerned. Thankfully it didn't take Volepelt long to reach them. He was just finishing a discussion with Scorchwind when Reedrush had called him over.

"What's this about Dovepaw?" Volepelt asked in a gruff voice.

She was used to that kind of voice. Volepelt had always spoken like this, even when they were kits.

"I was..." Dovepaw closed her eyes, thinking back to how much knowledge she had on herbs. She loved learning how to fight too though. It was a dream of hers to become leader one day, but she knew that dream would never come true.

Am I really meant to be a medicine cat? she wondered. StarClan give me some answer! Finally she opened her eyes and locked gazes with her parents. Both Reedrush and Volepelt looked concerned when they saw how confused their daughter looked.

"I think I want to train as a medicine cat," she blurted out.

Silence greeted her words. Dovepaw could even hear the buzzing of a bee nearby. She suddenly wished a hole would open up and swallow her. Why had she opened her big mouth?

"Why this sudden change?" Reedrush brushed her tail across Dovepaw's shoulder, soothing her a little. Dovepaw only ducked her head in embarrassment.

"I was..." She wasn't even sure what to say. The Clan needed a new medicine cat, especially with Cragheart on his last legs. And she knew all of the herbs already, from horsetail to goldenrod and all of their uses. "I know all about herbs, and I know what it's like to be a medicine cat," she babbled on. "I feel like StarClan is trying to tell me something."

Embarrassment washed over her as she looked down at her paws. It was something she had never given much thought about. Cragheart had never given her the option. Volepelt was always pushing her to become a warrior. Maybe being a medicine cat wouldn't be such a bad thing.

"Dovepaw, I think that is a wonderful idea," Reedrush mewed. Dovepaw stared at her mother in disbelief. Even Volepelt looked surprised by Reedrush's agreement. The silver tabby shot him a cold look that would have sent any other warrior running with their tail between their legs. "Being medicine cat is one of the most important duties in the Clan. We should be honored that our daughter wishes to train as one."

The embarrassment she felt moments ago was replaced with a sense of hope. Dovepaw finally looked at her mother as Reedrush nuzzled her affectionately.

"Thank you for being honest with us," she whispered. "I shall tell Kindlestar the news right away."

Dovepaw watched on as her mother padded off to find Kindlestar and Ripplesong. She couldn't help but wonder if her mother truly was proud of her. Glancing over at Volepelt, she knew exactly what he was thinking. His whiskers were twitching in annoyance as he looked away. He made his statement obvious.

All she could do now was breathe out a sigh of relief. Her mother approved of her decision. That was all that mattered to her. And she would be helping the Clan in the end. She just hoped that she lived up to her mother's expectations.

AN: So this chapter was a little bonus chapter with Dovepaw from RiverClan. She may not seem important now, but she plays a bigger roll later on ;) So I wanted to thank everyone for making this reach 272 reviews! You guys are amazing!

QOTD: What do you think of Dovepaw or her family?

Wyldclaw - I hope this chapter answered your question. I always try to make sure all the loose ends are tied up.

Skyfrost14 - Oh they'll survive, don't worry :P

Captured Spirits - I could start a huge debate with Marvel and DC. The two are so much alike, but Marvel holds a special place in my heart. Widow and Hawkeye are my two favorite Marvel characters :) And I'm not making any promises on Cragheart ;) Thanks for reviewing!

Spirit of Writing - Hehe, or you could just be over-predicting. Tends to happen to me a lot when I'm reading. And thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying the story!

Willowsong of ThunderClan - Rocket actually was based off of genetic human science. Basically they experimented on him and made him into what he was in the comics and movie, which is sad when you think about it :( Poor guy must've suffered a lot back than. And trust me, you're not the only one who isn't good at paying attention XD I have this little thing called ADHD which causes me to become easily distracted. Apparently that ice-bucket challenge is going viral now Oo

Hidingmangos - That's a good thing, I think. It shows that readers are paying attention to my writing :P And yeah, hopefully both he and Brightstar will feel better in the end, but I do have a tendency to make things worse before they get any better for my characters.

ShadowQuest2000 - Everyone seems to love Marvel better, though I can see why. Teen Titans was one of my favorite cartoons growing up, but sadly that show had to end and be replaced with a crappier version called Teen Titans GO. And XD It's all good, I've made that mistake several times myself. Sometimes I forget who is listed in the allegiance, which is why I need to keep a list in front of me at all times.