"Why were you so worried about them when they were at the border?" Thistlepaw asked when they were a significant way back to camp. "Ashstar is the leader, right? She wouldn't break the code."
Raventail's voice was harsh. "Ashstar has a bad track record of sticking to her territory."
"Not to mention that the three of us don't get along in the first place," Featherleg added. "Old grudges don't die until all cats involved pass on."
"What happened?" Badgerpaw asked, curiosity prickling in her pelt.
"All three of us were apprentices at the same time, and we were a bit better than Ashstar," Featherleg meowed. "It's not bragging, it's the truth. She was behind everyone in her Clan. We fought in a border skirmish onceā¦" He shrugged. "Never forgave us. She stopped speaking to us at gatherings, she didn't greet us when our patrols met. Obviously she got a lot better, but she hasn't forgotten."
"I don't know if I would be able to forgive a cat who beat me," Thistlepaw admitted.
"You'll have to," Raventail meowed. "Forgiving doesn't mean forgetting, but part of being a good warrior is moving on."
They arrived back at camp well after sunhigh. Several of the hunting patrols had returned, so the freshkill pile was filled with prey. Most cats were hiding in the shade to avoid the heat, though Turtlestep and Spottedwing sat together in the sun. They didn't look like the words they exchanged were what mates said, but they didn't seem to be arguing. Badgerpaw had a brief thought that she hoped she wouldn't end up in a relationship like that.
"You can take some prey," Featherleg meowed. "The elders have probably been fed. After that, you can rest. It's been a long day for you two."
Badgerpaw sighed in relief. "Thanks, Featherleg."
"I'm going to talk to Palepaw after I grab a mouse," Thistlepaw meowed. "I'm hoping she'll introduce me to the other apprentices. Wanna come?"
Badgerpaw thought for a moment. "No," she decided. "I'm going to see if I can find Birdpaw."
"Alright," her sister said. "See you later, then." She padded towards the freshkill pile, grabbed a mouse by the tail, and trotted to the entrance of the apprentices' den, where they all sat and talked. Badgerpaw felt a slight pang of regret. She should've gone with her sister to get to know her denmates.
She walked forward and grabbed a robin off the pile, then turned to the medicine den to see her friend dozing outside, tail flicking. She padded up to her cheerfully. "Birdpaw!" she mumbled around her meal.
Birdpaw opened one amber eye, the purred and lifted her head. "Hey, Badgerpaw," she meowed. "How was the first day out?"
"I saw so much!" she meowed. "But you'll have to show me where all the herbs are. There were hardly any flowers out just around the forest."
Birdpaw laughed. "Don't worry. Willownose says that there are more flowers at other times. It's just too hot right now."
"Oh, that's good," Badgerpaw meowed, relieved. "I think I imagined it in my head too much. I had too many expectations. But it was so big."
Birdpaw nodded enthusiastically. "There's so much land. It's hard to believe the Clans fight over territory so much, if theirs is as big as ours."
Badgerpaw nodded. "Maybe they just think that that's what we're supposed to do, as Clan cats."
"Well, it is," Birdpaw pointed out. "Cats have claws for a reason."
"Then why don't you use them?" Badgerpaw asked, before immediately regretting it. You weren't supposed to make the position of a medicine cat seem dishonorable. "Sorry. I didn't mean to sound rude."
Birdpaw shrugged. "You're fine. It's just not my path. I'm connected to StarClan. I'll still use my claws when I need to, but I can't resort to them like you."
"I don't think I will," Badgerpaw said. "Resort to fighting, I mean. I want to fight for my Clan, but sometimes I'm afraid to hurt other cats."
"Willownose says that the best warriors are those that have empathy for others."
Badgerpaw tilted her head. "But I thought medicine cats need to be empathetic."
"That doesn't mean warriors shouldn't be. After all, the code states that you should always help kits, and the other Clans, if need be."
"That's true," Badgerpaw meowed. "Why was a medicine cat lecturing you about how a warrior should behave, anyway?"
"Because that medicine cat believes in having a well balanced apprentice," Willownose snapped, emerging from her den. Her blue eyes glittered with distaste for her, and Badgerpaw shrank in her spot.
"Sorry, Willownose," she meowed quietly.
The she-cat continued to glare at her. "What are you doing, blocking my den, anyway?" she hissed. "Run on to the apprentice den to eat that bird."
"Yes, ma'am," Badgerpaw mumbled, taking up the prey and padding away. "Bye, Birdpaw."
As she walked to the apprentice den, Badgerpaw thought about the medicine cat. Was Willownose like that to everyone, or was it just her? What had she done to anger the medicine cat?
