The sun beat down into the clearing as Stagpaw lay in the center, soaking up the warm rays. He had just finished battle training with Elkheart, and he was worn out. Twigpaw padded up to him, nudging him lightly.
"Stagpaw, you know you can't just sit here." The brown-and-white tom meowed. Stagpaw rolled over and sighed.
"I guess, but Elkheart has nothing planned for me. What am I supposed to do, hunt for fun?" Twigpaw scowled at Stagpaw.
"Oh my StarClan, you are so difficult. Yes, you are supposed to help your Clan, mousebrain!" The multi-colored tom said to the lounging brown apprentice. Stagpaw rolled his eyes. Why does my littermate have to be such a bother? Go, like, study the Warrior Code or something instead of bothering me! He flashed a fake smile at his brother, standing up.
"You're right, Twigpaw. I should devote every ounce of strength to my Clan, and not worry about myself." He said sarcastically. To Stagpaws surprise, Twigpaw nodded to what he was saying.
"Join me on patrol, then." Twigpaw turned towards where Willowwing was standing and beckoned with his tail for Stagpaw to follow him. Sighing, the large brown tom walked towards the entrance of camp where the two cats were waiting. Willowwing nodded when he joined them.
"Cloudrain! Wolfhaze!" She called to the two toms eating together. "Can you join us?" They both nodded, padding towards the patrol. Stagpaw winced when his Cloudrain joined the company, not wanting to interact with his father.
"Are we patrolling the ShadeClan border?" Twigpaw asked. Willowwing nodded.
"Be on the lookout for other patrols." She said. "We will fight if we have to." Stagpaws ears pricked up at the mention of fighting. Something I enjoy, at least. He followed the patrol as they headed out of GroveClan camp. Twigpaw was, of course, at the front of the patrol as if he was leading it. Wolfhaze dropped back to talk with Stagpaw.
"Sometimes, you just want to shut them up." The gray tom muttered. "It was like that with my littermate, Coyotesnarl. He'd stick to the code so close that cats wondered if he recited it in his sleep." Stagpaw nodded, glad at least one cat understood the suffering he was going through.
"Twigpaw just never. Shuts. UP!" He growled under his breath to Wolfhaze. The gray tom chuckled lightly.
"When he's older he'll mellow out." The warrior said. Twigpaw and Willowwing stopped suddenly, causing the other three cats to almost crash into them.
"We're at the ShadeClan border," Twigpaw said matter-of-factly, like the others couldn't smell the overwhelming stench. Stagpaw started to roll his eyes, but he stopped when he saw Cloudrain glaring at him. The white and gray tabby stalked towards him.
"Would it kill you to be polite to your littermate?" Cloudrain snarled quietly to his son. Stagpaw flattened his ears. His father had always favored Twigpaw over him, purely because his mate died when she birthed Stagpaw, not perfect little Twigpaw.
"Would you two cut it out?" Wolfhaze said, stepping between the fighting toms. "We're on border patrol, and if the other Clans see infighting, they'll see weakness and attack."
"Precisely." A low hiss came from within a patch of bracken across the border. Stagpaw opened his mouth quickly to try and scent the cat, but all he could found was the overpowering taste of bracken. Suddenly, a white cat with an ugly scar on the left side of his face burst out of the plants, about ten other cats with him. They leaped on the GroveClan patrol, shrieking with malice. Willowwing yowled as the lead tom landed on her, slashing at his ears and kicking. Twigpaw turned and sprinted away, leaving the four remaining cats to deal with the rouges. Stagpaw leaped to Wolfhaze's help, who was being doubled by two she-cats. Stagpaw aimed a hefty blow at the first ones face, then turned to face the second. With a screech, the second she-cat reared and brought her claws down on him. Searing pain gripped him as he watched his own blood drip onto the forest floor in a steady flow.
"Stagpaw!" Wolfhaze yowled as the brown apprentices' eyes started to close. Stagpaw drifted into unconsciousness, unaware of the battle overhead.
Stagpaw opened his eyes, pain clouding his vision. He was in Stemdawns den, and the light filtered through the branches that covered the roof. Stemdawn himself was leaning over him with a worried expression on his orange face.
"Stagpaw?" He asked, his blue eyes reflecting the brown apprentices own face. "Are you in pain?" Stagpaw almost choked on his own spit.
"Am I in pain?" He hissed at the orange tabby tom. "Have you got bees in your brain? It feels like I'm burning alive." Stemdawn turned away, newfound sourness in his expression.
"It's called checking in, Stagpaw. You didn't have to be that rude about it." Stagpaw felt an instant prick of regret, but held it back. He had a right to be upset.
"How are Wolfhaze and Willowwing?" He asked, not impolitely. Stemdawn glanced at him, as if silently asking why he didn't inquire about his family first.
"They're doing well. Wolfhaze has an infected scratch on his ear which I put a poultice with chervil on." Stemdawn spoke to Stagpaw as if he knew which herbs where which.
"Sorry, could you explain what chervil does?" Stagpaw asked. Stemdawn looked surprisedly at the apprentice.
"It's good for infected wounds or a bellyache. I used some for Mosscreeks' recent kitting as well." Stagpaw nodded.
"Is that what you used for my wounds, or no?" He asked the medicine cat. Stemdawn shook his ginger head.
"No, that was a mix of comfrey, dock, goldenrod, and marigold." Stagpaw twisted his head and sniffed the wound, recoiling when the bitterness hit him. "Stagpaw, are you interested in becoming a medicine cat?" The orange tabby tom looked at the brown apprentice with sea-blue eyes. Stagpaw shrugged, playing with a stray strand of ivy.
"No, but if i'm going to be around you all the time for a while, might as well know all the herbs." He said dismissively. Stemdawn nodded, understanding flooding his eyes. Suddenly, a voice came from the other side of the entrance.
"Hey, Stemdawn. Can you check out my paw? I stepped on a thorn." Lilypaw pushed her way through the entrance, and Stagpaw immediately turned red. She looked at him and gave him a small smile.
"Hi Lilypaw. Let me just some marigold.." Stemdawn faced his herbs and started rummaging through them. Lilypaw glanced at her paws, then back up at Stagpaw.
"I, um, hope you get better." She stammered. Stagpaw smiled to himself and shrugged, wincing when his neck ached.
"I'm feeling better already." He purred. Stemdawn turned back to them and tapped Lilypaw with his tail when she didn't turn to face him.
"Ahem. As much as I hate to interrupt your littleā¦" His gaze flickered between the two of them, "...bonding session, but I need to get that thorn out." Lilypaw looked away, flustered.
"Oh, of course." She held out her paw, barely wincing when Stemdawn jerked the thorn out of her pad.
"Is that better?" The medicine cat asked, licking a poultice onto the pad. Lilypaw nodded, her blue eyes focused on the ground.
"Can I go now?" She asked the orange tabby tom, twisting her head to face the entrance.
"Sure. Just don't rub the poultice off." Stemdawn bade her farewell and turned to Stagpaw. "I think she likes you."
