Echoes of the Past: Chapter Five
MISTYPAW
Lilypaw's jaw hung open in surprise. "You think she was what?
"Murdered," Mistypaw repeated herself, uncharacteristically quiet. "Think about it! Water Tribe hasn't reported foxes or badgers, and neither has any cat from this Tribe. Why else would Snowpelt have scratches on her?"
"I guess, but she was such a great cat! Why would someone kill her?" Lilypaw asked.
Mistypaw didn't answer. She had yet to figure this out. It obviously wasn't Fernstar, because she seemed very upset about what happened to her deputy, and the two were very good friends. It wasn't her brother, Frostfoot, because he was distraught. It wasn't any of the apprentices, because Icepaw, Creampaw, and Spiritpaw were Frostfoot's kits and only Icepaw knew how to fight. Besides, Icepaw would never do such a thing. He said himself the only reason he would kill is if his family was threatened.
"Mistypaw! You coming?" Lilypaw's voice ripped her from her thoughts.
"Huh?"
Lilypaw rolled her green eyes. "I thought I told you that we were going to see Maplewhisker and her kits."
"Oh yeah! You did. Sorry. I'm coming." Mistypaw walked out of the apprentice's den and into the nursery with her sister. Maplewhisker was a good friend of Petalfall's and they visited her kits often.
Maplewhisker looked up from her sleeping kits and at the two apprentices. "Oh, hello!" She whispered.
"Sorry, is this a bad time?" Lilypaw was whispering too.
Maplewhisker shook her head. "It's fine. They're probably going to wake up soon anyway; they've been sleeping for a while. You can sit down if you're not too busy."
Mistypaw nodded and sat down. "I've finished my training for today, so I should be fine until the night hunting patrol."
Lilypaw sat down too and curled her long tail around her paws. "I've finished my training too."
Sure enough, a few minutes later, Blackkit woke up, and then put his paws on his sister, Blazekit. "Wake up, Blazekit! Brightkit, Sootkit and Whitekit are playing without us!"
Blazekit sat up, shaking out her ginger pelt that matched her mother's. "They are? Oh! Hi, Mistypaw and Lilypaw!"
"Hey, kits!" Mistypaw crouched down so she could look them in the eyes.
"Hi!" Blackkit said. "Guess what?"
Lilypaw smiled and responded, "What?"
"We only have three moons until we're apprentices!" Blackkit answered, jumping up and down.
Mistypaw smiled too. She loved the kits' energy. "Oh, really? You'll love being an apprentice! Any idea what you'll be yet?"
Blazekit answered first. "I want to be a hunter, just like you!"
"Aww!" Mistypaw grinned at the little kit.
Blackkit piped up, "And I want to be a warrior!" He crouched and sprang onto Lilypaw's tail.
Lilypaw laughed. "You would make a great warrior."
"C'mon, Blackkit! Let's go play with the others! That's why you woke me up, after all," Blazekit told her brother, and they raced out of the nursery to play with the older kits, who were play-fighting outside of the medicine den.
Lilypaw looked at Maplewhisker. "Your kits are so cute."
Maplewhisker purred and watched as Blackkit and Blazekit ran in front of the nursery entrace, followed by Blizzardfur's kits. "Thank you. I'm going to go look after them just in case they get hurt." She got up and padded out of the nursery.
"Okay," Mistypaw answered, then turned to Blizzardfur. "They're going to be apprentices soon, aren't they?"
Blizzardfur nodded. "A half a moon. They're very excited. I've already decided what I'm going to ask Fernstar to apprentice them as."
"And what's that?" Lilypaw and Mistypaw asked simultaneously.
"Brightkit, a warrior; Sootkit and Whitekit, hunters."
"Ooh! I'm sure they'll love it." Mistypaw smiled at the gray and white queen. "Being a hunter apprentice is great."
Just then, Dapplefur walked in.
"Hello," the healer meowed. "I'm here to check on Jaystripe."
The quiet she-cat sat up from the back of the nursery. "Hello, Dapplefur."
Suddenly, a voice called, "Lilypaw! Mistypaw!"
Lilypaw's ears swiveled towards the sound. "That's Petallfall. Sorry, we have to go."
"Alright, bye!" Blizzardfur called to the apprentices.
"I wonder what Petallfall wants," Lilypaw mewed as she and her sister padded to where their mother was standing. Her dappled tail was twitching with excitement. Mistypaw felt like she was looking at an exact reflection of Lilypaw when she looked at Petalfall.
"Hello, my kits," Petalfall looked like she was about to burst of excitement.
"Hi. You wanted to talk to us?" Mistypaw tilted her head, wondering why she was this excited.
"Yes," she nodded.
"Well what is it?" Mistypaw was getting excited herself. Lilypaw seemed to be getting anxious too.
Petalfall burst out, "Heronwing and I are having more kits!"
Lilypaw exclaimed, "You are?!"
"Yes!"
"That's great!" Mistypaw said. "I'm so happy for you!"
Lilypaw asked, "What are you going to name them?"
Petalfall purred and replied, "I don't know yet, silly. We'll have to wait and see what they look like."
"Wow! This is so exciting!" Mistypaw turned to her sister. "We're going to have siblings!"
Lilypaw broke into a wide grin, and so did Petalfall.
• • •
"And...there you go." Creampaw set the herb she was working with down.
"When will I be able to train again?" Mistypaw asked, gingerly moving her injured leg.
Creampaw answered, "Probably a few days. Five or six, at most. Two, at the very least."
"Thanks," Mistypaw nodded, and then put her head down on the mossy nest she was laying in. She tried to sleep, but she couldn't. Her mind was too busy to be able to sleep; she thought about Snowpelt's murder, her mother having more kits, and how she had been such a klutz to fall in that hole while chasing a mouse and spraining her ankle. Luckily, she didn't sprain it that bad, so she could return to training soon.
She realized Creampaw was watching her until she asked, "Do you want any poppy seeds?"
"Oh! Uh, yes please. Thank you, Creampaw." Mistypaw answered. She figured she wasn't going to fall asleep any time soon if she didn't have any.
The medicine cat apprentice went into the herb store and brought back two small, black seeds. "Here, this is all I thought you would need."
Mistypaw nodded. "Thanks. Also, where's Dapplefur?"
"Checking on Jaystripe. She's very close to having her kits. I'm supposed to help with it, and can't wait! They're going to be so cute."
"Yeah, I bet." Mistypaw agreed as the poppy seeds were pushed towards her by the cream colored she-cat. She lapped them up and almost immediately felt very drowsy. Before she knew it, she fell into a deep sleep.
