"Who knew Paleface was such a great storyteller?" meowed Sleetfur. Riversong purred in agreement. The two she-cats were sharing tongues in the moonlit center of the camp. Racepaw, who never seemed to sleep a night--or day for that matter--in his life, was with them.
"She can't remember anyone's name, but she knows every bitty detail to those stories," the tom mewed in astonishment.
"She'll make a great addition to the elders in their den when she decides to join them," Riversong said, "Froststare's kits will have the time of their lives listening to her when they're older."
"Hey, get resting, you three," came the irate meow from the two warriors guarding the camp, "StarClan knows what Wingfoot will want with you tomorrow."
Riversong shrugged. She got up and padded into the den. Sleetfur yawned and followed. "See you tomorrow," Racepaw mewed after them. He turned and crept silently into the apprentices' den.
Riversong curled up and was almost instantly asleep. She saw Trueheart in her dreams. Riversong had no idea where they were. Suddenly, a dark shape began to move up behind Trueheart. Riversong gave a startled yowl and tried to leap at it. Before she was in the air, the beast slammed Trueheart, who had just become Foxpelt, to the ground and devoured him. The monster lifted its head, and she saw the face of Wingfoot, green eyes glowing maliciously. Riversong shrieked.
"RIVERSONG!" a voice thundered. Riversong opened her eyes. Standing over her was Trueheart. Riversong feverishly looked over both the tom's shoulders, searching for the monster. Trueheart bent down and nuzzled her cheek.
"Riversong! Riversong!" yowled Sunpaw. Riversong looked up at her apprentice. Trueheart stepped aside.
"Sunpaw, get Healingtouch," he ordered. The reddish tom raced off.
Riversong felt dizzy. She tried to sit up, but fell back down. Sunpaw returned with the DuskClan medicine cat a few moments later. Healingtouch was a beautiful, young calico she-cat with pale green eyes. She stepped up beside the warrior.
"It's okay, Trueheart," she murmured after a brief inspection of Riversong, "She's not ill. It's just a little bit of shock left over from Foxpelt's death. Some cats retain their depressive feelings long after the event. Come with me."
Riversong shakily obeyed. She followed the medicine cat to her den. Sunpaw tried to come along, but Healingtouch glared him away. Riversong shook her head. "Let him come...Please," she begged, "I want him to be with me."
Healingtouch looked as though she would like to say 'no' but shrugged and allowed Sunpaw to come along. Riversong flopped down on a bed of heather. Sunpaw curled up beside her, licking her ears gently. Healingtouch sighed at the bond so firmly made already. She turned and called for her apprentice, Seedpaw. Seedpaw appeared immediately.
"Shock," meowed Healingtouch, "Go for it."
The sand-hued tom rattled off his list. "Comfrey to soothe the mind, poppy seeds to aid sleep, and most importantly, sympathy. Oh, and some fresh-kill, maybe."
"Good. Let's get to work now. Sunpaw, get the fresh-kill. Seedpaw, you know where everything is better than I do," Healingtouch meowed. The two apprentices rushed off.
"I'm not hungry," Riversong muttered.
"You're acting like a cat who is," Healingtouch told her calmly, "Now, you seemed very shaken when you saw Trueheart. Is everything all right?"
Riversong told her all about her dream. Healingtouch listened with her normal air of calm fascination. When the gray queen was finished, she nodded.
"I'm not sure what it means, if anything at all. But I can ask StarClan about it at the next half-moon. Is there something you know that I don't, Riversong?"
Riversong desperately wanted to tell her what she knew about Foxpelt's death, but she couldn't. Even if Healingtouch did believe her, there was no chance Brightstar would. She shook her head. Sunpaw returned with a plump young rabbit in his jaws. He dropped it at Riversong's paws. The she-cat purred. "Thanks, Sunpaw."
Seedpaw plopped the herbs down in front of Healingtouch. The medicine cat meowed "Good work!" before nudging them towards Riversong in small quantities. Riversong obediently ate them and curled up without finishing her prey. Healingtouch tried to shoo Sunpaw away, but the young cat refused, digging his claws into the soil.
"I want to stay!" he protested.
"There's nothing more you can do here," Healingtouch told him.
"I beg to differ." Sunpaw lay down beside Riversong, who had slipped into a warm, dreamless sleep. "I can keep her company!"
"Sleeping cats don't need 'company,'" Seedpaw mewed. Healingtouch tapped him with her tailtip. He looked up at her. She shook her head slowly.
"Let him be, Seedpaw," she meowed softly, "He won't do any harm by being there with her. In fact, when she wakes up, I bet Riversong will want the companionship he can offer."
Seedpaw looked as though he would like to protest, but respect for his mentor kept him silent. He nodded. Healingtouch continued, "These two will be fine on their own for the time being. Come with me while we wait for Riversong to wake up again. We need more poppy seeds, as I recall."
"And comfrey, too," Seedpaw mewed, "We had to use the last of it just now. But I thought I saw a good patch of it by the Messagetree when I passed by there a few days ago."
The Messagetree was a large oak that stood almost dead center in DuskClan territory. Whenever a cat had a message to pass along, they left a scent marker on the tree's trunk. It was also on a very fertile stretch of ground, so herbs and seedlings of all sorts grew around it. Healingtouch nodded and set out, Seedpaw trailing behind her.
Sunpaw sighed and looked his mentor over when he was sure the other two were gone. Riversong was truly beautiful. Her legs were long and slender. Her pelt was glossy and full. He sighed. He didn't know why, but to him, Riversong was the most attractive cat in the Clan. He didn't love her in the way a tom loved his mate, but more in the way a younger brother loved his big sister. And maybe Riversong was his sister.
Riversong awoke to the voice of Wingfoot. "Get up," he growled, "Come on, Healingtouch said it herself. You're not sick. You're good for a patrol. Besides, the exercise will do you good."
The blue-gray queen pushed herself up and stretched, yawning. Sunpaw was beside her instantly. "Can I come too?" he mewed. Wingfoot nodded.
"Evening patrol with you, Sunpaw, Blacktip, and Longfang," he meowed and walked away from them. Riversong gave a soft purr of relief. Wing-face isn't coming. Praise StarClan!
Riversong shook herself vigorously. She padded out to the entrance of the camp and saw the patrol. Blacktip and Longfang gave a friendly meow of greeting when they saw her.
"You okay now, Rivershong?" asked Longfang, his oversized tooth impeding his speech. Riversong nodded. Longfang was an odd-eyed black tom. He was the exact opposite of his antisocial brother, Nightwalker.
"That's good," Blacktip meowed, "Everyone was really worried about you. Trueheart said you looked at him like he was a warrior of PlagueClan."
"Bad dream. And the fact that he was in it didn't exactly help," Riversong muttered, "So, who's leading the patrol?"
"You are ackshwally," Longfang informed her. Then, catching Riversong's facial expression, he added, "Yeah, I know. The way he treatsh you, it'sh like you're a pile of foxsh dung."
Riversong stepped up to take her place at the head of the patrol. Sunpaw walked beside her. She wondered where they should go. Maybe go down to Broad River. She turned to Blacktip. "Did Wingfoot say where?" she asked.
"Wherever you wanted to go," the white tom meowed, "If you don't have a particular place in mind, I'd like to check out the Border."
The Border was the boundary between Clan territory and the territory of the Twolegs. Riversong had no clue what business Blacktip would have there. She looked over at Longfang. The black he-cat shrugged his shoulders.
"Pershonally, I have no opinionsh. If Blacktip saysh he wantsh to check out the Border, it'sh fine by me."
"Okay," Riversong said, "The Border it is, then. Sunpaw, we'll take a bit of a detour so you can see at least some of DuskClan territory."
Sunpaw nodded. Riversong looked around her. The others voiced no objections, so she set out at the head of the evening patrol.
((Ignore thís. I'm only tésting.))