Firepaw felt his fur prickle as he padded beside his mentor.
Spottedleaf leaned over and licked his head reassuringly. "Don't worry, Firepaw. Medicine cats aren't like warriors, we're all friends and allies."
He nodded, giving her a thankful smile before they reached the edge of the territory.
The she-cat paused, glancing down at the tom. "You ready? I'm sure they're waiting for us now."
Taking a deep breath, he nodded.
She flicked her tail over his shoulders, giving extra reassurance before they pushed through the undergrowth and entered Fourtrees.
Spottedleaf led the way, stopping in the center of the clearing where two other cats waited. She dipped her head in greeting. "Yellowfang, Runningnose. Are the others not here yet?"
The two cats exchanged a look.
The gray she-cat grunted, eyes narrowed. "Barkface won't be coming. Brokenstar has driven WindClan away."
Firepaw blinked in surprise, mouth agape. "What? Why?! I thought all four Clans were supposed to be here!"
Yellowfang looked down at the apprentice, raising a brow. "Spottedleaf teach you that, did she? Yes, they are, but Brokenstar wanted more territory and wouldn't listen to 'lowly medicine cats.'" She sneered the last bit, clearly mocking her leader.
Runningnose smiled gently at the younger tom, his eyes warm and welcoming. "Besides that, though, you're Firepaw, yes?"
He puffed out his chest a little, eyes bright. "Yeah! That's me!"
Spottedleaf still seemed concerned, but nodded. "I told you both of how he was taking care of Patchpelt while I was at the gathering, right?"
Yellowfang nodded, her tail flicking. "Ah, yes, how did that go?"
The apprentice deflated, pressing against his mentor a bit.
Blinking, the ShadowClan tom frowned. "I see."
Sighing, Spottedleaf nodded as she curled her tail around her apprentice for comfort. "Yes, unfortunately he got worse when after I left and. He was Firepaw's first loss."
A new voice sprang up from the edge of the clearing. "First loss? Must be hard for the little one. We usually don't lose a cat so early in our training." A brown tom strode over, offering the apprentice a remorseful nod.
The tortoiseshell frowned, nodding. "I had thought Patchpelt was getting better. If I'd known, I would never have left him on his own."
Runningnose stood, dipping his head. "You couldn't have known, though. As you told us, Patchpelt was beginning to recover before you left. I wouldn't be worried about him either if I were you."
Spottedleaf perked up a little as if remembering something. "Oh, yes! Firepaw, this is Mudfur, RiverClan's medicine cat."
Firepaw looked up at the tom, offering a wary smile.
Yellowfang stood up to match her apprentice, shaking out her pelt. "C'mon then, we're wasting time. Firepaw can't speak to StarClan for the first time if we're not there to do it."
The five cats began to walk towards WindClan territory.
The land was eerie, to say the least.
Bones scattered the ground from decayed prey left to rot.
Claw marks left deep gashes in the dirt.
Firepaw felt his fur prickle as they walked by the abandoned camp.
Dried blood scattered the ground in the sandy clearing.
Spottedleaf moved to block his vision of the gruesome scene.
They continued past and towards Highstones.
Yellowfang eyed the tom at one point, her brow furrowed in thought. When asked about it, she looked away and denied answering.
Runningnose trod beside her, and the two murmured so the other cats couldn't hear.
Mudfur moved to walk on the apprentice's other side, quizzing him on herbs and complimenting his progress.
They stopped outside the cave, Firepaw's fur on end.
Spottedleaf murmured reassuringly in his ear before they entered, the moon nearly reaching its peak.
As the group reached the main cavern, the moonlight poured in and reflected off the crystal sitting in the center.
Firepaw slowly approached it beside his mentor, laying as instructed.
As he touched his nose to the crystal, a chill was sent through his spine and he fell asleep.
...
Firepaw blinked, opening his eyes to see a bright, grassy clearing.
Looking around, he saw none of the other medicine cats beside him.
He walked forward a few steps before hearing a rustle behind.
Spinning, his eyes widened as he saw the tom.
Patchpelt smiled softly, his fur ruffled from a light breeze passing through.
Firepaw's breath hitched as he ran over, barreling into the young-looking elder. He buried his face in the black and white fur. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry.."
Chuckling, the tom gently nudged the apprentice to look up at him. "It's alright, Firepaw. You hold no blame for it, it was simply my time. I've been watching since I passed, to see how you'd take it, and you seem to be doing well."
He blinked away tears, looking up at the elder with wide eyes.
Continuing, the tom sat with his tail curled around the younger cat. "You'll grow into a fine cat, Firepaw. Just trust in what you know and you'll do just fine."
Firepaw shuddered, shaking off his crying and nuzzling into the tom a final time. "Thank you, Patchpelt."
Patchpelt purred, nodded. "Sure."
They sat like that for a bit.
After a while, Firepaw fell asleep.
...
Blinking, Firepaw slowly sat up.
Spottedleaf nudged him to his paws, gesturing for him to stay silent as they left the Moonstone.
Yellowfang looked down at the apprentice with a disturbed look as they stepped into the morning light. "Did you find what you were looking for out of today, apprentice?"
Firepaw blinked up at the she-cat, his head tilted slightly as he regarded her with a calm smile. "Yeah. I think I did."