Chapter 3


BushClan / Icepaw

"Icepaw, we need to check your sight again." Poppyclaw meowed.

She blinked, looking up. Her once beautiful ice-blue eyes had turned a shade of pale indigo. She no longer had the eyes her father, Pigeonstream, had. With a soft sigh, she got up from where she was sorting herbs by scent to practice for the day her eyes failed her. Colors had slowly begun to blur into one another. Her depth perception had become steadily worse and now, objects were looking as fuzzy as bumblebees.

"I'm coming." she meowed back, finding the familiar shape of her dark ginger mentor.

"Has it gotten any worse?" her mentor sounded worried, something she was not used to hearing.

Icepaw paused in front of him, trembling. She didn't want to admit it. She wanted it to be wrong! She wanted to lie so she can go back to being a warrior, but StarClan was unable to fix it. She nodded stiffly, looking to the white blobs that were her paws. She wanted to see clearly again so desperately. This was decided for her by birth, yet she was afraid.

"I'm so sorry." Poppyclaw meowed sympathetically. "I truly wish Hawksight and I were wrong. However, StarClan is right. I cannot live forever."

"I know." Icepaw mewed softly. "I wish we had more time is all. I would have loved to be a warrior before this happened, but I did the best I could. My fur was a curse from the start and this is only a part of it."

"It could be worse." Poppyclaw mused aloud. "Oh well, there is no helping the past and the inevitable future. Just tell me what you can see."

"Today the colors have blurred and are merging into one another slightly. I can make out moving shapes and shadows. I can see lights at night from the moon, but things are getting a little dark."

"That bad?"

"Up close I can make out shapes better. Like, from right here, I can see you are a cat. Closer inspection I can see the shape of a leaf or fresh-kill." she offered, trying to sound confident.

Yet, her mentor knew her as well as he knew his own herb storage. She wanted to fight against the odds and be a great warrior. They both knew it couldn't happen, but it never stopped the older tom to give her tips on how to use her ears and nose. Telling her to act like she is going after countless prey to fight through the confusion it gave her. Almost as though, the tom knew a thing or two about fighting in the darkness.

She looked up to Poppyclaw, blinking slowly. she wanted to ask, but she could tell the tom wasn't looking to her. He was focused elsewhere. She twitched her whiskers, deciding to try and turn the attention away from her slowly failing sight. She thought a moment, trying to create a question that would be just silly enough to bring up. One flashed into her mind, excited, she nudged the medicine cat.

"Poppyclaw, I know this might sound dumb, but did you ever have a mate before you became a medicine cat?" Icepaw asked.

Her mentor grunted, "Why ask an old cat that?"

"Well, I know medicine cat aren't supposed to have mates, at least that's what StarClan tells us, but you must have had one long before I was born."

She could imagine the glint of amusement in her mentor's amber eyes. "Well, perhaps I did have one. Moons before I learned of StarClan. Moons before Twolegs kidnapped cats in strange cages and with strange tendrils attached to hard sticks. Back then, there was no BushClan. No spirit-cats spoke to me. However, my mate did."

"Who was she?"

Poppyclaw was silent shaking his head visibly. "That doesn't matter. That was in the past. I doubt my mate is still out there."

"What about kits?" Icepaw asked, curiously. "Did you and your mate ever have any?"

"Not exactly." Poppyclaw answered, his tone gentle and warm. "We adopted kits who lost their mother's on the thunderpaths. My last few kits were Leaftail, Morningstar, and Minteye."

"They were your kits?" she asked in surprise.

He nodded, "Of course. Some cat had to look after them and teach them right and wrong. My mate would have loved to care for them, but it was not meant to be. Back then, we did everything for each other, but now time has come and gone. Things changed like the seasons. We can only move forward."

"Like I must do?" Icepaw murmured softly.

"Exactly like what you must do. Paths change like the river. It's long and winding like a snake, but where it ends up will always be where you were meant to be. That is what my mate would have told you, I know that for certain." the medicine cat replied, touching his nose gently to her forehead. "Now, let's hurry. We need to do a check up on the kits for any sniffles."

Icepaw nodded, curiosity tingling in her whiskers. Who was Poppyclaw's mate? Did they not have their own kits? What was he trying to hide? She shook her head, turning back to her herbs to sort, making sure they had plenty for the kits should they get sick. From what she heard, all while during her training, greencough was dangerous for kits and elders. So, they had to be certain they had enough to care for them to keep the next generation and past wisdom strong.

.

Sun-high had arrived when Icepaw finished her herb sorting. She could smell the icy air and feel the cold of it. Something crunched beneath her paws, startling her slightly as she looked to her paws. Blinking, her eyes widened in surprise as she looked down. Something blindingly white was on the ground! She opened her jaws to ask, but she heard the soft mrrow of amusement ahead of her.

"This is snow, Icepaw." her mentor purred, practically chuckling at her reaction. "It's always hilarious to see young cats and kits experience their first snow. It will never get old."

Icepaw felt her ears grow hot with embarrassment, but she shook it off to follow her mentor in the unfamiliar landscape. The snow hid a lot of shadows of pebbles and the like that were in the clearing to trip her up, so she had to pick her way warily. She could hear the scuff of her mentors paws growing further and further away. Looking up, she saw his dark ginger form walking away confidently. Quickly, she followed his paw-steps. Her legs stretching to find the dimples in the snow that lead a nice path to the nursery.

"Quick thinking, Icepaw." she heard Tumbleheart praise from the fresh-kill pile. "I wouldn't have been able to think of doing that in your paws."

Pride surged through her as picking her way was becoming easier. Her legs, still short for a cat, had grown a lot in her opinion. She knew she would have been assessed by Blackdapple by now to be a warrior. Only if she hadn't given into what Bushstar told her along with her former mentor. Doubt crawled its way back into her mind, but she managed to ignore it the best she could. She was going to follow her river-path until she could find her proper place.

"Alright, I will tell you what we will be looking for." Poppyclaw began once she caught up.

"I'm ready." she meowed confidently.

He nodded. "Excellent. Now, we are listening to their lungs. They have to be breathing clearly, without any strange noises."

"How will I know?"

"If it sounds like they're struggling to breathe. Like when you have run a long way or sound watery, and congested, remember when Drizzlepaw had a little cold when you were kits?"

Icepaw nodded, feeling a small pang of grief. "I remember." she meowed, hiding it the best she could. Drizzlepaw had been stolen from them permanently. He would have made a great warrior and protected his Clan. Just as his mentor, Spottedstorm, was training him to be. Nonetheless, she forced it to the back of her mind. She had to check on the kits, listen to their hearts and breathing.

"Now, the air has been getting quite cold and dry, so ask if their throat is itchy. If it is, whitecough might be coming in. However some water and honey will keep it at bay, hopefully." Poppyclaw explained

"Do we have honey?"

"Back in the den, I have a store of it, but it won't be enough. We just have to hope it will be."

Icepaw frowned, but nodded her understanding. She had to use all of her knowledge in order to do her duty properly. She glance to the nursery, a dark pit to her eyes. Focusing, she followed the dark ginger tom into the den. It was warm with faint traces of milk-scent. The kits were mostly weaned, last time she checked at least, but the scent often clung to the branches of the bushes. She could hear the scuffles and sounds of soft snores.

"We can warm up in here and wait for them to wake up." Poppyclaw told her.

Nodding, she found an unoccupied space to lay. Her eyes unblinking as she struggled to see in the murky darkness. She forced herself to blink, feeling like she was straining her eyes in the gloomy den. With a soft sigh, she kept her paws close to warm them up from the snow flurries. She waited until she heard movement.

"Applemist," the medicine cat mewed, "How are your kits doing?"

"They're doing well." she answered groggily. "They're lively. I take it your here to check for whitecough?"

"Of course. We have to make sure they are alright." he replied, approaching her.

Icepaw got to her paws and carefully picked her way through the darkness. She had to use her memory of where she last seen the she-cats and adjust carefully. Following Poppyclaw's scent, she found her way to Applemist's nest. Her kits were only a moon old at best. Back then she was able to see better and could recall them well. They were toms, one a dark ginger tabby and the other who was orange.

Applemist nudged them awake with a warm mew. "Wake up, Maplekit, Blazekit. It's time for a checkup."

The kits grumbled, but yawned sleepily before pushing themselves to their paws. Poppyclaw gave them a soft greeting as he plucked out the bigger kit, Maplekit. They squeaked in surprise as they were put at Icepaw's paws. Without waiting for an order, she listened to the kits chest while Poppyclaw praised him. She could hear the rapid beat of the tom-kit's heart, but it slowed as curiosity took over. Their lungs sounded clear,

"Maplekit sounds healthy to me." she announced softly, not wishing to disturb the other sleeping kits.

Poppyclaw breathed a sigh of relief, "Good. Maplekit's eyes are clear as well."

Icepaw purred warmly, "You did very well Maplekit, you can go back to Applemist now."

The tom-kit was much more awake now, wriggling between her paws. "Thanks! I tried really hard to listen to her! Can we go out to play now?"

"Almost." Applemist purred, "Just wait for your brother and then we can head out for a little bit."

Maplekit climbed back into the nest, while Blazekit tumbled out with a squealing mewl. Icepaw had moved quickly, her paw landing squarely as though she were hunting. Holding him as he slithered out of the nest. He was much smaller than his brother, but they were confident he would grow soon enough.

The little tom got free, shaking out his fur. "I'm okay." he mewed proudly.

Poppyclaw snorted, "Just like his father, a proud kit. Alright, Icepaw listen to his heart and lungs while I check on him physically."

She nodded, leaning down to listen to his heart and lungs. His heart was still pounding, probably from the ungraceful escape of the nest. His lungs seemed to be clear, but she wasn't too sure. "Poppyclaw, can you listen to his lungs real fast? I'd like a second opinion."

"A second opinion?" he meowed curiously, following her suggestion. "Blazekit, do you have a tickle like a feather is in your throat?"

"A little, but I feel fine." he admitted, sounding worried, "Am I getting sick?"

"It sounds like you might, but I'm sure you will be fine. Your a strong kit. Just listen to your mother. If it's too cold to stay out don't complain. We need our brave warriors to stay strong."

"I will! I promise!"

Icepaw looked to Applemist, a murky dimmed ginger and white blob. She could almost see the worry in her eyes, so much so, she nodded to the first-time mother. "It will be alright." she promised with her whole heart. "We will look after Blazekit even if he doesn't get sick."

"I know." she murmured, "Thank you."

Poppyclaw helped the small kit back into the nest and meowed, "Next, we should see Blackdapple's kits."

Icepaw flicked her ears up in surprise. She had forgotten that her previous mentor had became the leader's mate and bore his kits. She followed Poppyclaw's tail to her nest. She had her kits almost a moon before Applemist did. Excitement spilled through her, wishing she could watch these kits grow up. She could hear Blackdapple scolding one of them.

"Lightkit, calm down, you have a health assessment to pass before you can play with Maplekit and Blazekit. Even then, they're smaller than you so you have to be careful."

"I want to play now, though!" Lightkit argued, bouncing on her paws. "I want it to be done sooner so we can go play."

"They're coming and you have to settle your heart, so relax while Amberkit has his done." she scolded with a gentle rasp of her tongue.

"Fine. You better pass Amberkit." she grumbled.

"Well, aren't we lively today, Blackdapple?" Poppyclaw announced his prescence.

"Honestly, Icepaw was much easier to handle than these two. Sometimes I miss her." she admitted playfully.

Icepaw snorted, "I'm still here, just on the other side of camp now."

"I know, check Amberkit first, I'm trying to calm this she-kit for you." Blackdapple explained, going back to cleaning her daughter.

Icepaw began her part of the checkup, listening to the young tom's heart and lungs. Once again, everything was fine. His eyes were clear and he was declared healthy. Warmth spread through her as Lightkit was finally placed into her paws. The she-kit was impatient at times, but she was clearly eager to do so much so fast. Something she wished she had when she was a kit.

Once the checkup was over, they waited for Minteye's kits to awaken. The she-cat had been very upset when she lost what little sight she had left. So much so, Icepaw was surprised she recovered thanks to Twilightsky's love for her. She envied her for it, but she also knew her path had been made for her by the stars. The twists and turns lead her to be a medicine cat apprentice, something she never considered.

Something she wished could change. The blinded queen rose her head, her kits bigger than the others as they were born a little over three moons ago. They were half way into the apprentice's den. Although, that was what she had to hope. She had learned to grow up so much faster and her sight was still leaving her. She wanted nothing more than to become a warrior and fight real battles for her clan instead of fighting battles where it ended up in the paws of StarClan.

"You have come to check on my kits?" Minteye meowed at last.

"Of course, may we see Cinderkit?" he meowed respectfully.

Icepaw listened to the quiet, a soft rustle breaking the silence as she nudged the dark blue-gray tom to them. Without a word, Icepaw listened to their lungs and heart. Poppyclaw checked their physical health. The moved on to Bubblekit, who was still sleepy with a somewhat sour scent and seeming short of breath. Minteye was subdue, obviously having been concerned all night.

"We will take Bubblekit to the medicine den so the sickness won't spread." Poppyclaw decided.

Icepaw nodded her agreement, "It would be best. We still need to check on Birdkit before we do that."

"We might have to also take Blazekit, he might have caught it from Bubblekit." her mentor went on, lost in thought before shaking out his fur. "You're right, let's check on Birdkit."

The kit came on her own accord, seeming to be healthy and strong. Poppyclaw carefully walked Bubblekit out with Icepaw in the rear. She followed slowly, her head lowered to touch the kit's tail to make sure she wasn't going too fast. A gasp escaped them as a cold wind whipped their faces.

"It's sticking to the ground." Poppyclaw whispered in horror.

Icepaw twitched her ears, shocked to see white dominating her darkened world. "There is so much snow."

"Is that what this is?" Bubblekit croaked in awe.

"We must hurry." Poppyclaw decided. "Bubblekit, follow me, I will make a path in the snow. Icepaw, follow him to make sure he stays in line."

"And the wind?" Icepaw asked, almost breathless with fear.

Poppyclaw was silent, his tail waving in the air, slicing through snow flurries and the wind as he searched. Finally, he called out, "Tumbleheart, come here. We need you to block the wind to Bubblekit."

The familiar brown and tan tabby came bounding over, snow falling off in clumps as she didn't bother to shake it off. Without a word, she took her position and they began the march to the den. The she-cat followed, trudging in the snow as it slowly grew deeper and deeper. The wind growing even stronger as they loped. Poppyclaw didn't stop, pushing his paws through the snow as he walked, snow gathering on his dark ginger pelt.

"It's so cold..." Bubblekit wheezed, coughing a little.

"It's alright, just power through it." Icepaw ordered, forcing her voice to be steady as she shivered. "We're almost there."

"How can you tell? All I see is white!" Bubblekit started to wail.

Icepaw was starting to tremble, the icy talons of the wind was reaching her skin as she plodded after the kit. "Bubblekit, remember when I said one day I won't be able to see?"

"Y-yeah?"

"This is kind of like what it's like for me. I can't see clearly through it all, but I can feel it in my paws and heart. I know that we are almost there."

Whether the kit believed her or not didn't matter. She was trying to convince herself that they were almost there. Tumbleheart was focused, bracing herself against the wind as they pushed through. Poppyclaw meowed something ahead of her, but she couldn't hear over the roar of the wind as it grew stronger and stronger.

"It's a blizzard." Tumbleheart meowed loudly, her voice being almost stolen by the wind itself.

Icepaw blinked, fear gripping her like the cold was. A blizzard? I didn't think we had those here, why have I never heard of it before? she thought in confusion as she followed the kit blindly. Soon, the underground medicine den shrouded over her and Tumbleheart. Bubblekit shook off the snow, trembling as Icepaw tried to remove the snow from her own pelt.

"I'm surprised we didn't loose you in that." Tumbleheart joked, "You would have blended in well, Icepaw."

With a snort, she flicked her tail against her friend. "If I collapsed I would have never been found alive." she grunted, before looking to her. "Thanks for helping though. I never expected a blizzard to come here."

"Well, it was just that windy for the moment." Poppyclaw sighed, shaking out his fur. "Tumbleheart, you should stay here with Icepaw to help look after Bubblekit. I'm checking on the elders and giving them some herbs for their joints. This uninvited storm won't be greeting them well, I'm sure."

Tumbleheart dipped her head. "Of course, I would be glad to stay out of that storm a bit longer."

"Icepaw, give some tansy to Bubblekit and if he still has a cough, give him some hawkweed or coltsfoot" He ordered as he gathered some marigold, daisy leaves, and comfrey root.

Icepaw nodded, "I will, Tumbleheart, can you make a nest for Bubblekit while I make sure all the snow is off his pelt and then huddle close to him so he stays warm while I gather the herbs?"

"As long as I can help, you can even tell me to fetch prey." she purred as she began to make a nest for the poor kit.

Icepaw got to work, rubbing her paws over her patients fluffy fur to dislodge snow and warm him all at the same time. He needed all the help he could get as he sneezed out a squeak. Holding back a purr of amusement, Icepaw worked hard, knowing she had to be professional for Poppyclaw. The dark ginger tom padded back out into the snowy gale with a grunt.

She could only imagine how bad it must look outside. Curling her tail over her paws, she was worried about how the fresh-kill pile would be. The white she-cat was positive that it must be half-frozen if not buried in the snow. Which would make it difficult for elders and kits to eat from. Shaking herself out of her worries, she pressed her warmed pads over the kit, touching an ear tip that was practically burning up with fever despite his shivering body.

"I might have to add a little bit of feverfew." she murmured half to herself, thinking over what she could do as Tumbleheart padded back to her.

"The nest is ready, come on Bubblekit, let's get you nice and warm." Tumbleheart mewed gently, guiding the kit to the nest.

Without a word, Icepaw headed to the herb storage, picking out some tansy and feverfew to mix together with a bit of honey to make it easy for Bubblekit to swallow. She folded the herbs together with honey in the middle to stick it together better. Carefully, she brought it over to the newly made nest and placed the small leaf packet before Bubblekit.

"Here, this will help you feel a bit better." she promised as she listened to the rustles and the crunching of the leaves and stems. Soon, she heard the kit grumble about how gross it was. She purred warmly. "It tastes bad because it means it's working, silly." she touched her nose to the kits ear.

The heat radiating off him was worrisome, but she had to hope she did the right thing as she cleaned up after herself. Icepaw even gathered some moss and took some snow from outside to melt onto the patch so her patient had some water to drink when he was thirsty. Twitching her whiskers, she was uncertain what to do now other than wait and listen.

Bubblekit slowly fell asleep, his breathing was raspy and shallow with soft coughs. However, Icepaw felt more relieved to hear him resting. Her paws tingled with uncertainty as she listened, wondering if he had fallen asleep. Finally she had her answer as Tumbleheart confirmed her suspicions. Relief flooded through her as she deflated, laying down and trembling. She wasn't sure if she picked the right herbs, so she had to hope it was alright. She hadn't been a medicine cat apprentice for long.

"You're doing well." Tumbleheart whispered to her softly.

Icepaw shook her head. "I don't think I gave him the right herbs." she admitted.

"I'm sure you did." her friend sounded confident. "Just wait and see, you will make a great medicine cat before you know it."

Slowly, she nodded. How could Tumbleheart be so positive about it when she hardly was certain. She could no longer see the herbs, she had only touch and scent. Frustration filled her veins all over again. There was no way a blind cat could be a medicine cat. It was much too hard to memories things in her opinion. She flicked her tail unhappily, wondering if it was even possible for her when it was so difficult. How could a cat who can't see be able to save lives with confidence? She couldn't fathom it anymore than her own inner desires to be a warrior.

Talonshine was an elder, properly so as well. While Minteye had lost her sight and regained life through having kits. What did she have to offer? How could she be a medicine cat when, obviously, she should be the world's youngest elder? Do the fabled clans StarClan spoke of even kept blind cats? She wished she had answers as she began to drift off, not noticing when her eyes drifted closed and whisked her far away from her troubles.


Author Note:

It is very difficult to write long chapters, so I like this challenge!
I just should have given myself more time to prepare!
Remember everyone: when you set a goal, try to not overestimate yourself. - Nightsky