Chapter 2
A Promise Kept
Pinepaw slept in the medicine cat den. She liked it there with the aromas of leafy herbs and seeds all around her. But tonight she had a promise to keep. She slipped like a shadow around the medicine cat den wall. She quickly ran to the glade they had met before. She rounded the Sandy Hollow and continued until she was at the correct glade. Now that she was an apprentice, it seemed like everything was so much easier! She knew this wasn't true, as only a couple of days ago she had struggled. And she wasn't much bigger now.
As she dashed headlong into the clearing, a strange scent caught her attention. Mouse! Although she had not been taught the hunting crouch, Pinepaw tried to catch it – unfortunately she had no training whatsoever, so it scuttled away while she was still 10 tail lengths from it. It scuttled away...right into the paws of the waiting rogue. Pinepaw meowed a greeting. The grey fluffy tom dipped his head. He hooked the mouse over one claw and laid it in front of her. Pinepaw replied that she would take it back to her clan. The rogue nodded.
Pinepaw finally asked, "Why am I here?"
"Isn't that something only you know?"
"You know what I mean! Why did you want me here?"
"You told me you would tell me about your Clan!"
"Oh...alright. So I'm becoming a medicine cat apprentice. Medicine cats learn all about herbs and treat any members of the Clan that fall sick or are injured. The other members of the Clan are leaders, deputies, queens, and warriors. The leader has nine lives which are given to her by StarClan-"
"StarClan?"
"They are the spirits of our warrior ancestors. When a good cat dies, they join them in Silverpelt." Before he could interrupt she continued. "Silverpelt is the band of stars that you can see through the trees in the sky. The deputy is the leader's second in command, who will become leader if she dies. Queens are shecats that have kits. Warriors are the shecats and toms that fight. But when any of these grow too old to do their part, they go join the elders."
The grey rogue's expression was unreadable for a moment. But before he could utter a mew, LeafStar, Eagleheart, Larchwing, Frogclaw, Dovepaw, and Thornpaw burst into the clearing. Pinepaw cursed under her breath. They must have been attracted by the smell of mouse. And LeafStar herself was there! They must have been out in either the dusk border patrol or a hunting patrol.
LeafStar calmly asked, "Who is this..." she sniffed "...rogue?"
Pinepaw flinched. She didn't actually know his name. When she didn't answer, the rogue came forward to speak for himself. "My name is Rock. Your...friend here was just telling me about ThunderClan."
Pinepaw winced. LeafStar, keeping her eerie haze of calm, said, "Pinepaw? Would you like to live as a rogue?"
Pinepaw's voice was shaking but clear. "No, LeafStar." LeafStar looked puzzled, as if she had expected an explanation. The rogue stepped forward again, but before he could say anything, Dovepaw stepped forward, her tail lashing back and forth angrily. LeafStar was also about to say something, but Eagleheart cut them both off. "Dovepaw, stop lashing your tail; it makes you look like a spiky puffball. LeafStar, perhaps it is not the Clan cat that wants to live like a rogue, but the rogue that wants to live like a Clan cat?"
LeafStar started to say something, but stopped to consider her senior warriors advice. She leaned forward and studied the rogue. "You are young. Still able to be trained. Is Eagleheart right?"
The young rogue looked so taken aback that Pinepaw wondered whether LeafStar had gone crazy. The coal-grey cat answered carefully. "I'm not exactly sure what this means."
"Isn't it obvious? You will live with us, train with us, hunt with us, fight with us, and be part of a Clan. Be careful what you say, I do not make this offer lightly."
"I must have time to think on what you have said," Rock murmured.
LeafStar dipped her head, beckoned to Pinepaw, and the rest of the patrol followed.
Pinepaw's head spun. She knew she should be concentrating on sorting the herbs that Sunfire had given to her to sort, but the fact that LeafStar had readily given an invitation to a rogue to join the clan shocked Pinepaw right down through her paws. Why? What absurd notion had gone through LeafStar's mind to make her do that?
Yes, the rogue was younger than he looked, and showed promise, but why? It didn't make any sense!