Chapter 1
Aspenkit flinched as she abruptly awoke from her strange dream, her cloudy gray-amber eyes blinking back sleepiness before she shakily rose to her stiff paws. It's another weird dream… she thought, terrified. But all she could remember right now was darkness everywhere, a screeching and malevolent voice, and cheers for battle and war. Shuddering, the petite she-kit stretched her limbs and scanned her surroundings. Most of the cats in the nursery were still asleep, the queens` pelts heaving up and down heavily with their tails wrapped around the diminutive bodies of their kits. The only one up was Dovecall, her sweet dark eyes flashing welcomingly as she noticed Aspenkit awake. "You had quite a dream," she purred amusingly, but quiet enough so the others wouldn't arouse. "What happened? You were sweating and fidgeting every heartbeat." Aspenkit flushed in embarrassment, though her dark tabby pelt didn't show it well, much to her relief.
"I-It was nothing," she stammered nervously. "Everything was dark, and there were lots of voices, although I couldn't tell what they were saying." But instead of letting her be, like how Aspenkit wanted Dovecall to do, the queen continued staring at her, concern evident in her eyes.
"Maybe you should go see the medicine cat," Dovecall finally whispered in a serious tone. Aspenkit flinched.
"The medicine cat? But I'm not sick! Really, these dreams happen all the time…" she replied indignantly, her tone raising a bit. But it fell when Dovecall hushed her with a sharp look.
"It's not that. Tell Whitesong about your dreams. Maybe she can predict what they mean," Dovecall purred, her kindness crawling back into her voice. She beckoned Aspenkit toward the nursery entrance, and exit, with her tail, careful not to disturb her litter of toms that snuggled against her warm belly. With a sigh, Aspenkit reluctantly departed from the den and made her way to the large, shadowy cave of the medicine den. It lay on a hefty mountain of thick, flat stones, layered atop one another like steps, which she struggled climbing over. But when she finally made it to the top, her sides heaving as she struggled for breath, she straightened herself up and glimpsed at the view from atop the hill of rocks. Dawn was just breaking, the sun peaking shyly over the horizon, painting the cloudless sky a beautiful shade of gray and pink. Chilly droplets of dew sparkled from the fronds of the large oak trees and ferns surrounding the camp, and the songs of early-rising birds echoed through the forest. Aspenkit closed her eyes, sighing as she let the comfortable tranquility of the forest ease her into relaxation.
"…How may I help you?" a sweet voice suddenly sounded behind her. Swiveling around, Aspenkit stared in surprise at the beautiful form of Whitesong, her snowy-white pelt glittering against the rising sun, her gentle, icy blue eyes matching the azure sky. The breath caught in her throat as she gazed at the medicine cat, envious of her exquisiteness.
"Oh, uh, Dovecall wanted me to see you," Aspenkit stuttered, teetering on her small legs as she began to feel dizzy with unease. Whitesong laughed her light, tinkling laugh.
"And why does she want you to see me?" she purred with amusement, her blue eyes shining as she smiled down on the kitten. "You don't seem sick or injured."
Letting out a nervous cough, Aspenkit replied, "Uh-uh… because I've been having dreams lately…?" The moment the words left her mouth, she immediately regretted it. The twinkling in Whitesong's eyes withdrew, replaced by ominous shadows as she noticed slight circles form under her eyes.
"Yes, come with me," she meowed quietly, leading Aspenkit into the medicine den. She quickly followed, her small paws pattering swiftly against the cool, sandy floor that replaced the hard rock ground. Once they got near the back of the den, which was the darkest area except for the light reflecting off a crystal-clear pool next to the rear wall, Whitesong swirled around and stood over Aspenkit. She leaped back in shock as she noticed how old the she-cat seemed compared to her young form outside of the den, as if she had instantly aged one hundred moons.
"Dreams?" the white she-cat whispered in a hoarse voice. "What kind of dreams?"
Aspenkit stared at Whitesong, eyes wide with fear and bewilderment. "W-well…" she stammered, stumbling over her words clumsily. "Th-the place where I-I was w-was really murky a-and dim… there were s-several vo-voices, but the one th-that stood out the m-most was a really evil f-female one…" Aspenkit trailed off as she noticed Whitesong's expressions slowly exchange from surprise to anxiety to sadness.
"Aspenkit…" she murmured gently, voice barely a breath, her face dimmed by despair. "What's it like to hear?"
Aspenkit stood still, stunned. "What do you mean?" she asked.
Heaving a sigh, Whitesong continued, "I can't hear, Aspenkit." Her blue eyes glazed, matching the glassy pool of water that stood beside her. "Don't you know? Most cats with white fur and blue eyes are deaf. I wasn't fortunate enough to join the group of cats that look like me, but aren't deaf." Aspenkit blinked in wonder. Why is she telling this to me?, she thought
"Then how are you able to understand what I'm saying?" she questioned. "How can you say anything?"
"I wasn't born deaf," Whitesong replied, still in her hushed tone as if she didn't want anyone to eavesdrop on them. "I began to inherit the deafness slowly during my apprentice days. As my hearing became worse and worse, I started getting used to reading other cats` mouths. Luckily, I can still talk, though it's not as well as I was able to hear myself." It took several heartbeats for Aspenkit to process this in her mind. Finally, she gathered enough courage to ask the question that's been weighing on her tongue the whole time.
"Why are you telling me this? Does anyone else know?"
Whitesong shook her head, to Aspenkit's surprise. "I never told anyone, and I don't plan on doing so. What would happen when others knew? They'd treat my like every other handicapped cat that's ever lived. They'd feel pity for me, and not trust me to be their medicine cat," she paused for a minute, then continued. "As for why I'm telling you this… ever since I became a medicine cat I fretted about finding the right apprentice. I've waited 20 longs moons, and no cat has come to me yet, showing even a speck of a sign that they were destined to help me in the medicine den. And when I finally can not speak anymore, and/or move to the elder's den, who is there to replace me? Aspenkit… I can't wait any longer. You are meant to be a medicine cat. Are you willing to be my apprentice?"
Aspenkit's jaws dropped in astonishment as she gaped at Whitesong. After several moments, the medicine cat's hopeful expression dropped, and she murmured subtly, "You don't have to. I'm not forcing you." Aspenkit stared back at her blankly, wondering what to say. She returned her gaze steadily with sad eyes, forcing the kitten to feel pity for her.
Suddenly, images of herself becoming a medicine cat flashed in the back of her mind: illusions of her sorting through herbs, treating other cats… and serving her Clan in a unique way, unlike any other cat could do, without having to spill blood. Her eyes unexpectedly flashed with ambition and excitement, and she meowed in a confident tone, "I'll be your apprentice, Whitesong! I'll help you with your duties for LightClan until the day you move to the elder's den. And when that time comes, I'll continue your work until the day that I receive an apprentice myself, and move to the elder's den; just like you." Her mouth spread in a wide smile, and Whitesong returned it in relief.
"Thank you, Aspenkit," Whitesong half-breathed, half-mewed. "Thank you so much." She turned on shaky limbs to the pool of water and bent down to lap some up. After a few moments, she turned her head slightly to the right and added, "You should go get some rest now. I think this probably took a lot of energy out of." The she-cat straightened up and faced Aspenkit with an exhausted, yet beaming, smile. "At least, it did for me," she laughed.
With a gentle nod, Aspenkit said good-bye and padded out of the murky medicine den, abruptly met by blazing sunlight. She squinted her eyes as she stared up at the bright-blue sky, suddenly realizing that it was sunhigh. How long had she been in there? It had been early dawn when she entered… Rubbing her eyes with a paw to clear away the confusion that befuddled her mind, she leaped clumsily down the stone ledge, suddenly realizing how worn out she was as she plodding her way to the nursery. When she slipped in, she flicked her tail in greeting at the chatting queens before collapsing on a large pile of moss, gaping her jaws in a wide yawn as she gradually drifted into a light sleep.