I'm back! I have quite a few chapters of this still backed up on Word so I figured I'd publish them over the next few days. I'm aware this is not one of my more popular stories, though I'm not going to cancel it, as it has been enjoyable to write about my characters and I am planning on turning this into a series, but we'll see.
Anyway, onto Cherrypaw's POV, who is admittedly by far my favourite character to write and you'll see why in the coming chapters ^^
Chapter Eight
It had been a quarter-moon since Raccoonpaw's all-night escapade and Cherrypaw was busy mixing herbs, chatting every so often with Halfleaf, thinking continually about her friend, Gladepaw. She had listened to his tale about how unfair his mentor was, more than a few times, fussing over his scratch and doing her best to sympathise with the young tom. Although it confused her; she didn't see how a mentor could randomly lash out for no reason, it was good that the grey tabby now had a new mentor. He didn't deserve a mean one in her opinion.
"How's the scratch?" She asked, as he came trotting in to sit beside her.
"Hurting." He admitted, "Would you mind sorting out the elder's bedding? Nettlestar asked me to do it but my belly hurts." He grimaced, emphasising the pain.
Cherrypaw nodded, sympathetically, her gaze round with concern, "Do you want something to help?"
"No, I just need to rest," It was clear that he was putting on a brave face and the calico tried not to betray her admiration for the strong tom. She wanted to help, though maybe rest would be the best medicine. That would be what Halfleaf would say, anyway.
Watching him leave, Cherrypaw gave a faint smile, though aware that Gladepaw couldn't see her, before turning around. Halfleaf looked uncharacteristically annoyed, his grey tail twitching.
His apprentice, confused by his reaction to Gladepaw's request, tilted her head, not understanding his irritation. There was nothing wrong with helping a friend, was there? "Can I help him?"
The senior feline muttered something to himself before meeting his apprentice's hopeful gaze, "Very well." Halfleaf flicked his tail in the direction of the exit, seeming reluctant. "Be careful." He called as the calico headed out.
She turned around to face him, a questioning look in her eyes, "Be careful? The elders won't bite!" She tried to make a joke to ease the dark look in her mentor's gaze.
He came back to reality, giving his head a brief shake. "It's nothing." There was something that he seemed desperate to tell her and Cherrypaw thought about it as she headed to check up on Gladepaw.
The grey tom was fast asleep, snoring softly, curled up in a ball in his nest. She stifled an amused purr as his paws twitched, Gladepaw evidently in some sort of dream. I wonder what he's dreaming about.
She began to head towards the elders, glancing back a final time at her friend, Halfleaf's words echoing in her mind. She gave her head a sharp shake, dismissing any doubtful thoughts before keeping on going. She didn't need to 'be careful'.
Just as she was about to enter the den, a screech from the nursery neighbouring the elder's den made her freeze. Bluemoon!
A moment later, Halfleaf raced out of the medicine-cat's den, nodding briskly to Cherrypaw, who, slightly stunned by the fast-moving events, followed him into the den.
Pearbranch, the recent resident of the nursery, was speaking soothingly to the other queen, blinking gratefully as her daughter and the medicine cat entered.
"They're coming." Bluemoon told them through gritted teeth, "Already."
"I can see. Pearbranch, find a stick, Cherrypaw, get something to help with the pain." Halfleaf got to work, determination hardening his typically soft features.
Cherrypaw mutely nodded, haring out and towards the den.
Herbs to help with the pain. She mentally reminded herself what to look for as she scanned the dwindling herb store. Leaf-Fall was killing off many of the herbs around the moors, and she dreaded Leaf-Bare, when everything would be blanketed in snow and numbingly cold weather. Bluemoon's kits were not born in the best season.
Poppy seeds! She was unable to find anything else, picking up one of the flowers, careful not to sprinkle seeds everywhere. They would make the kitting queen tired, though maybe one would be fine, it would take the pain away after all.
"It's all I could find." She apologised as Halfleaf scrutinised what she had brought.
To her surprise, the typically kind-hearted tom lashed his tail, frustration clear in his gaze. "Poppy seeds are dangerous for kitting queens. Do you really want her falling asleep during this? Focus, Cherrypaw." His voice softened, noticing the guilt that sparked in the calico's gaze, "Go fetch some thyme and chervil root."
Her pelt burning with mortification, the young apprentice raced out, back towards the den.
Chervil roots, chervil roots. There it is.
She grabbed a heap of roots, unsure of how much she was meant to use. If she remembered correctly, it was for..bellyaches?
There wasn't much thyme left, and so Cherrypaw was only able to get a bit, struggling to carry more herbs. She confidently knew what the small leaves were for, as they were one of the first things that she used.
She muttered a brief apology to Halfleaf, dropping the herbs at his paws. He got the juices from the chervil on top of the slightly sticky thyme leaves and pushed them towards the queen.
"These will help."
The queen lapped it up, relief briefly replacing the pain. Though it was short-lasting as she got closer to kitting.
"It hurts!" The queen gave a wail as her belly rippled with another spasm. "Is it nearly done?"
"I can see the first one." The grey tom promised, watching as Pearbranch dashed in, a stick grasped in her jaws. "Bite down on that."
The queen gave another screech, her jaws clenching around the stick, which splintered alarmingly.
The pain dulled from her gaze and she panted heavily, "Is it done?"
"You've got a son." He nudged the bedraggled new-born towards Bluemoon, who licked it until its fur was bushed out and it was feeding noisily.
Cherrypaw watched from a distance, her gaze warming towards the kit.
The calm lingered for a moment longer before it was shattered by another yowl.
By the time the thin, curved moon was beginning to rise, it was all over, the blueish grey she-cat fast asleep beside three new-borns that were yet to be named. In HeatherClan, names weren't given until they were a quarter-moon old, when their eyes were starting to open, and they had begun to gain a personality. For now they would be called after the way they looked.
Two were toms, one a ginger tabby and the other pure white. The third was a tiny white she-kit with a black ear. Their names would be exactly that, to an extent. Ginger, White and Black Ear, at least until they were ready for a naming ceremony.
"Has she finished?" Her mate, Jaggedshade, poked his head in the nursery, his tail twitching anxiously.
"You've got two sons and a daughter." Halfleaf was back to his calm self, purring softly as the proud father met his kits.
"Thank you," The tom looked up gratefully at the dark-furred medicine cat, his gaze brimming with happiness.
"My talented apprentice helped as well," Halfleaf glanced over at Cherrypaw, who shuffled her paws shyly under the gaze of both toms.
Talented? I just got the poppy seeds and those were wrong! She was doubtful about her mentor's praise, but she left the nursery in good spirits, though they quickly dissipated as she walked straight into Gladepaw.
"Why didn't you help me? Nettlestar's forcing me to do it now despite my bellyache." There was a tone of hurt accusation in the tom's voice and Cherrypaw struggling to meet his gaze, guilty for being unable to help her friend.
"Bluemoon began kitting and Halfleaf needed my help." She said, apologetically. "Do you want to see them?"
The thick-furred tabby ignored the question, "Is a random queen that you've never talked to more important than your best friend?" His gaze narrowed, "I thought you wanted to help me." With that, he stalked off, leaving the calico confused.
It wasn't like him to overreact over her doing something more important. Maybe it's because he's ill? Maybe the bellyache was just a symptom. Trying not to appear to anxious, she quickly padded over to Halfleaf, who was in the process of pulling a thorn from a cat's pad.
"Is it out?" She could hear the brown tabby ask, a worried note in her vocals.
"All out, Briarflash. Just don't go stepping on thornbushes in the future." Halfleaf watched her go, his warm gaze turning to concern as he saw Cherrypaw's fearful expression.
"I think Gladepaw's ill." She blurted out, before the black tom had a chance to ask what was bothering her. "His belly hurts and he snapped at me, which isn't something he normally does."
The tom sighed, turning to head towards their den, waiting for her to follow.
Confused, she obediently trotted after him, moving back slightly as she noticed how stern he looked.
"Have you ever noticed how he's only ever ill when he needs your help?" Halfleaf asked.
Cherrypaw shook her head. Though, now that she thought about it, he did only seem sick when he had things to do. It's just a coincidence. She told herself, pushing away the doubtful voice in the back of her mind.
"First it was a headache when he was meant to be fixing a den. Then it was a sore throat when he was meant to give food to the elders. After that was-"
"I'm sure that he's not pretending!" The calico struggled to defend her friend, but..what if her mentor was right? "Gladepaw wouldn't do that."
Halfleaf sighed, "Just remember to say no, sometimes. A friendship where all you do is help, and he does nothing in return, is not a healthy one."
Subdued, her thoughts whirling, Cherrypaw nodded. Maybe she could say no! After all, if he weren't sick enough to want herbs, then maybe he'd be fine working.
Though as she left, seeing Gladepaw watching her, still with a hurt gaze, all of her former resolve melted away and she walked over, ready to apologise and get on his good side again. Halfleaf was wrong, she knew it.
But if that was true, why did the doubtful voice in the back of her mind refuse to leave her alone?
