Ugh! I was going to post tho DAYS AGO! But I haven't had the chance to edit it then. And even now I did a brisk run through. School has literally been taking up most of my time. I feel bad for not keep my word and updating right at the 186 review marker.
Anyway, I would also like to say that last chapter when I asked what everyone though of Spruce, I was looking forward to reading all your thoughts. Everyone was pretty much shocked that Rosepaw took such a weak ally. One reviewer got what I intended. Rosepaw is vulnerable and has no cat to help her anymore. It doesn't make sense for her to flock to a strong cat that could easily double-cross her. Instead she wants an easily manipulated cat, such as Spruce, who blind would follow her.
Fact: A while ago (maybe chapter 10-ish) I wrote Rosepaw a chapter where she was forced to be a medicine cat apprentice and she ended up killing a cat. I wrote it, thought about it A LOT, then deleted it. It struck me that it was not very realistic for that to happen.
Creampaw rolled on her side, enjoying the sunshine. She let out a relaxed sigh, feeling her pelt warm up in the light. In leaf-bare every cat would soak up as much warmth as they could. It just so happened that Silverwhisker gave her the day off when it was sunny. Dapplepaw also got the day off since Streamskip wasn't feeling well and and come down with a cough. However Rainpaw had to go hunting.
"I cannot wait for new-leaf," Foxstep murmured beside her. His eyes were shut and his tail was wrapped neatly beside him. He blinked his eyes open to look at her. The look he gave Creampaw gave her chills.
The look was full of love, affection, happiness. It was the look Creampaw always wanted from him. "Tell me about it," Creampaw meowed back at him, letting out a purr. "I'll be so happy when prey starts running again and the snow thaws." She scooted slightly closer to him so that now they were laying right beside each other rather than just their pelts brushing.
"Yeah. It seems like this is a short leaf-bare though. The last one was far worse," Foxstep commented, giving her ear a lick.
Creampaw shuddered at the thought. "Worse than this?" she meowed in surprise. "It's freezing! Too bad I don't have fluffy fur like Dapplepaw. She never complains about the cold."
"Yeah, but be thankful that you don't have that fur when it rains," Foxstep purred, resting his head on his paws.
Though Creampaw had gotten over her fear of Foxstep chasing after Dapplepaw, she was still relieved that whenever she mentioned her sister Foxstep only acknowledged Dapplepaw as a friend.
Hawkfeather and Rainpaw padded into camp. Creampaw's sister was shaking off snow from her pelt and carrying a few scrawny mice. Hawkfeather excitedly set down her vole before darting into the medicine cat's den.
Rainpaw padded over, surveying Foxstep and Creampaw's closeness. The light grey she-cat sat down, spreading herself out in the sunlight. "Hey," she mewed, shutting her eyes.
Creampaw watched Hawkfeather come out of the medicine cat's den. "What's up with her? I mean, what was so exciting?" She noticed the warrior pad over to where Brackenstar and Nettlepelt were talking.
Rainpaw shrugged. "Well, apparently Streamskip had whitecough, but it turned into greencough. Anyway, Rushwater said that there was no catmint anywhere. We found some. Not much. It was enough to get one cat better. Luckily there is only one sick cat."
Creampaw nodded her head. "Hopefully there won't be any more of them, then." She rested her head down and twined her tail with Foxstep's, letting out a small purr.
"Hey, I never asked...but how do you feel about Daisynose's kits?" Foxstep asked suddenly, glancing at her. "I don't know how comfortable you are with that, you know, since you're related."
Creampaw frowned, her mind drifting to the fact that Daisynose was pregnant with kittens in leaf-bare. Also, the father was Timberfall, Creampaw's father, while Daisynose was not their mother. Maybe it's okay if my mother and father drift apart, but he has just gone to another she-cat right after! Needless to say, she wasn't all too happy with her father.
"Well, I mean, I can't say I'm excited. I mean, Timberfall just left Tawnyfoot." Creampaw snorted as she talked about her parents, hoping their misfortune with love didn't extend to their daughters. It already has, I suppose. I mean, Dapplepaw is in love with Ashpaw, it took me ages to get over my jealousy to finally be with Foxstep...
Daisynose poked her head out of the nursery, her swollen belly easily shown. "Timberfall!" she called out for her new mate. "My stomach hurts!"
Creampaw looked away when she saw her father dart to her side, demanding if she needed Rushwater. "Ugh." She tried to forget about it and focus on the fact that she finally had the love of her life laying right beside her.
As she was just about to relax, she spotted Dapplepaw stagger into the medicine cat's den. She appeared weak and fragile, making Creampaw feel a spike of concern. "Is Dapplepaw okay?" she asked Rainpaw, who was also watching.
"Well, I don't know. I thought she was." Rainpaw got up, followed by Creampaw.
"Stay here, I'll be back," Creampaw told Foxstep before jumping down from the Flat Rocks. She followed Rainpaw down to the medicine cat's den where they spotted Dapplepaw curling up in a nest, trembling. "What's wrong?"
Dapplepaw glanced up, shocked to see them there. "Oh, I just have a stupid feather in my throat that's making me cough. Rushwater is having me stay here just to be safe. I'm fine, though." The she-cat fluffed up her fur and shivered. "Just a little cold, that's all."
Some leaves cracked as another cat entered the den. The cat turned out to be Foxstep. "I was just...looking for Rushwater. I have a bellyache, but that's probably because I ate that bad sparrow earlier."
Creampaw felt her heart drop. "I ate that too, and I feel fine." Panic seized her for a brief moment as she looked at the two cats she loved most, and they were sick. "Sit down. R-Rushwater will help."
As if one cue, the medicine cat appeared. "I will certainly try, but I don't have any catmint. So if it is whitecough, they'll need some." He sighed. "It grew so plentiful last year, so it makes no sense that there isn't a trace of it this leaf-bare." He tipped his head to the side curiously. "Ask Brackenstar if you two can make a trip to SunClan to see if you can get them to give us come catmint."
The medicine cat dipped his head to show his dismissal of the two apprentices. Creampaw glanced nervously at both her loved ones before hurrying out of the den.
Brackenstar was still talking with Nettlepelt, his deputy. Both turned their heads as Creampaw skidded, and nearly crashed, to a halted beside them. "Dapplepaw and Foxstep are sick!" she blurted out quickly, scanning their reactions. "And we have no herbs for them. Rushwater wants Rainpaw and I to go to SunClan to see if they'll give us some."
"No," Brackenstar answered immediately. "We won't be asking them for anything." The leader's tail started to twitch to show his disgust at the thought.
"Well, why not?" Nettlepelt urged, frowning at the leader. She shrugged her shoulders. "We're on good terms with them. It doesn't make us seem weak, either. In fact it shows that LeafClan will put away their pride to save some warriors."
The leader shut his eyes, letting out a long sigh. "Fine. Be back before dusk." With that he got up and padded away from them, his tail swishing to show his displeasure.
Creampaw didn't hesitate. She turned tail and bolted for the entrance, hearing Rainpaw scrambling to keep up with her.
The snow burned Creampaw's paws as she ran at full speed toward the SunClan border. Stupid leaf-bare, she thought, annoyed. Rainpaw gingerly walked on her own paws, clearly cold but refusing to complain.
"She'll be fine," Rainpaw offered up, clearly hoping to reassure her sister. "Maybe StarClan will save her again? I mean, who knows?" She crouched down, leaping over the Fallen Pine.
Creampaw followed after her, letting out a yelp as she lost her footing. Snow fluttered up into the air as she landed on the other side of the large tree with a small thud. "I'm sure they're getting tired of saving her, don't you think? I mean, how many times are they going to save her before they just stop?"
Rainpaw didn't answer. Instead she continued forward until they were on the edge of the border marking. The feline paused, glancing back at Creampaw. "Do we just, you know, step over?"
"No, I think we wait." Creampaw tried to keep her voice calm, but the anxiety inside of her was killing her. Will they even have catmint? What if they don't? What if they won't give us some?
Pawsteps sounded on SunClan's territory. Creampaw flared up her ears and listened. A patrol emerged out of a bush, and Creampaw breathed a sigh of relief to see Ashpaw on the patrol. The other warriors, however, looked a little unsure.
"What are you doing?" an impatient she-act snapped, her tail beginning to flick.
"Flightclaw, calm down," another she-cat meowed to the first. "But she has a valid question...what are you doing here?" She wasn't aggressive, but was clearly ready for an attack.
"Well, one of our cats got sick with greencough, but there isn't any catmint in our territory." Creampaw ducked her head, embarrassed to continue. "LeafClan was hoping that SunClan might have some to spare." She began to second guess this idea of asking another clan for help. Did it really make them sound weak?
The surprise of the SunClan cat's faces was undeniable, making Creampaw's fur heat up even more. "Why send two apprentices? Why not a warrior, or a medicine cat." Flightclaw's voice sounded puzzled. She surveyed them like they were complete mouse-brains.
Rainpaw stepped forward, almost half glancing at Ashpaw. "Well, because it's our sister, Dapplepaw."
Ashpaw's eyes widened with worry, but he kept his mouth clamped and waited for the two warriors to make the choice. He glanced up at them, impatiently waiting for their decision. He was, however, growing noticeable restless.
"Okay, we owe LeafClan. Follow us." The she-cat, who seemed in control of the patrol, started walking toward the inner parts of SunClan territory. Creampaw trailed after her, studying the landscape.
Pine trees were clustered together. Creampaw had difficulty spotting a single maple tree, and in the whole walk only spotted one.
"Here," Ashpaw meowed to them, having fallen back so he could walk beside them. "This is our camp."
Creampaw studied the entrance before ducking in after the cats. She prepared herself for the many stare she and Rainpaw would get from the confused cats.
"What are they doing here?" A yowl broke the silence immediately after they had set foot in camp. "LeafClan cats?"
Creampaw dug her claws into the snow when she saw the source of the loud shriek. It was Rosepaw, who was rolled on her side and resting in the sun. She looked plumper than most cats, like she was eating better.
"Here."
Creampaw gasped as she saw a bundle of herbs at her feet. She was so focused on Rosepaw that she didn't notice Sagewhisker go fetch some.
"Ashpaw will show you out of the territory," Flightclaw meowed dismissively, clearly eager for them to be gone. "You have your herbs, now go."
"There!" Creampaw exclaimed as she dropped the herbs at Rushwater's feet. "This is a lot! It's enough to cure them, right?"
The medicine cat picked up the herbs carefully. "It's enough to cure one of them," he meowed regretfully. "Some of it has been frozen."
Creampaw's heart sank. She whirled around to face the two sick cats, both who looked equally miserable. She barely noticed as Rushwater left the den, leaving them all alone.
"Give it to...t-to...Foxstep!" Dapplepaw coughed, her voice hoarse. She shivered, breathing heavily. "He is...he is way sicker t-than he says."
"No!" Foxstep growled, his voice indeed sounding a tad bit better. "Dapplepaw's on the brink of dying here. Give those herbs to her now!" The ginger tom looked her in the eye, making her look away. How did he expect her to give Dapplepaw the herbs when he looked at her like that.
Dapplepaw shot the tom cat a mean glare before turning around to face Creampaw again. "Like I said, he looks fine, but he isn't. I...I h-have S-StarClan, remember?" She suppressed a cough to the best of her abilities. She winced at the evident pain, but didn't say anything.
"I don't think they'd bring you back another time," Creampaw meowed remorsefully. She shut her eyes, taking in a deep breath. "Can't I split it?"
"No," Foxstep answered with shudder. He curled more tightly into his nest in attempt to get warm."No...we'll...we'll both get half better, but w-without lots of food and warmth we will j-just relapse into this s-state."
"Or you could both get half cured and then heal all the way," Creampaw insisted, her heart shattering as she stared at the cats. "There has to be a way."
Foxstep's eyes twinkled as she spoke. "I love your enthusiasm, Creampaw. I won't eat the herbs if you give them to me." As Creampaw started to interrupt he cut her off. "No, l-let me finish. I know it would hurt you to lose me, b-but losing Dapplepaw would break you."
Creampaw had not realized that she was trembling. She glanced at Dapplepaw, who was trying to get herself together to defend herself. Shutting her eyes, Creampaw pushed the catmint toward her sister, who tried to jerk away from them "N-No!"
Foxstep then turned to the sick she-cat. "Dapplepaw, eat them. I'm...I'm going to be fine."
As if too exhausted to argue, Dapplepaw bent down and reluctantly at the herbs. Creampaw watched her, unsure. What if they didn't work? What then?
"What? Where is the catmint?"
Rainpaw's voice sounded from behind her. Creampaw whirled around in surprise, having not noticed her sister slip into the den. "Dapplepaw...I gave them to her."
Rainpaw's gaze flickered from Creampaw to Dapplepaw, then to Foxstep. "I think you made the right choice."
Creampaw turned away, wincing away from the words. "I didn't choose," she whispered.
It wasn't long until Rushwater returned. The medicine cat gave her a disapproving glare at the fact she had taken it upon herself to give Dapplepaw the medicine. "That was all we had!" he growled, upset.
Creampaw felt too guilty to answer, so Rainpaw piped up. "Dapplepaw is dying! She needed every leaf of it!"
Oh great StarClan, please let Foxstep live. If he doesn't...it's all my fault.
Okay, reviews, please? How about...grr...I have to increase the amount to give me some time to actually write and edit you guys a more entertaining chapter! Okay, 207 reviews.
Also, I would also really like to know your thoughts. I was pretty concerned about your reactions...Everyone seems to be expecting an action chapter. Well, I went on the emotional side with this one.
Next chapter (and yes, some action): While Dapplepaw's condition slowly improves, Rainpaw tries to remain by Creampaw's side while Foxstep's fate hangs in the balance. She also struggles with Dapplepaw's request that she take the "Rosepaw situation" into her own hands, which leads to a confrontation that could change Rainpaw's plan.
Question: HOW DID YOU LIKE THIS CHAPTER?! Did you expect this over an actual fight? Do you think Foxstep will survive, or even Dapplepaw? Let me know!
Side note: We are nearing chapter 20! I will have a little quiz at the end of either chapter 19 or 20. If you answer everything correct, you get to somehow contribute to the story!