Chapter Two – Secrets
"I didn't mean to- I swear to StarClan!" Dragonmist mewed, alarmed. Her ears were flattened against her skull.
Wait… I should just ignore him.. Good idea Dragonmist!
Dragonmist turned away as Darkwave was about to speak, and heading deeper into the medicine cat den, beginning to sort the herbs. Darkwave stepped in. "What?" snapped Dragonmist, whipping around.
"Um..." Darkwave limped in.
"Oh." Dragonmist voiced what she was thinking. Well. I'm not a very good medicine cat.
"I got a thorn in my foot." Darkwave held his injured paw up, letting it dangle in the air.
Dragonmist walked over, sitting in front of him and examining his paw gingerly, before sighing. "This might hurt a little."
Darkwave shrugged. She tugged the thorn out with her teeth, and the grey tom tensed, his dark eyes flashing. Dragonmist dropped the bloody thorn onto the ground, next to the herb supply. She quickly made a poultice of cobwebs and dock leaf, and swabbed the ointment onto a leaf.
"That should be good." Dragonmist said, dabbing the poultice onto the cut, stopping as Darkwave flinched. "Don't strain it and try not to put weight on the paw. Come back if it starts acting up." The apprentice ordered, and Darkwave left, hobbling out of the den. Dragonmist set the leaf on a flat rock.
The silver she-cat yawned, stretching. She fluffed out her pelt, and saw Birdpaw, sitting under one of the bushes near the apprentice's den. The rain had stopped. Dragonmist padded out of the burrow that served as the medicine cat den, racing to the other side of camp while avoiding puddles. "Birdpaw! Birdpaw!" she called, skidding to a stop as she approached the shrub.
Birdpaw opened an eye, "Oh. Hi Dragonmist." She mewed in greeting, getting out of the bush, shaking a few of its green-golden leaves off. Dragonmist flicked her ear. "How's training?" she asked, tilting her head.
Birdpaw shook debris off her cream-colored pelt, flicking her ear. "Not bad."
Dragonmist sat. Birdpaw licked a paw and drew it over her ear. "I really hate clearing out the elders' bedding though." She muttered.
Dragonmist's whiskers twitched in amusement. "Well I have to get rid of their ticks." The medicine cat apprentice stuck out her tongue.
Birdpaw saw her mentor, Stonetail approach, a few fox-lengths away.. "Sorry Dragonmist." Birdpaw said, standing up. "I have to go."
Dragonmist glanced at the grey tabby tom. "Aww…" the silver she-cat flattened her ears. "Bye, Birdpaw." The apprentice shot an apologetic look at her friend before padding to her mentor.
Stonetail was waiting, but his grey tail was flicking in annoyance. Dragonmist watched Birdpaw and Stonetail leave the camp. The silver she-cat yawned, and rested her head on her forelegs, closing her eyes.
Dragonmist wasn't sure how long she dozed, but the sun was beginning to dim by that time.
Did I really fall asleep for that long? The silvery she-cat stretched, yawning. Her gaze searched the Clan, for Tigerlily. The brown tabby wasn't there. She must be in the den. Dragonmist thought, getting to her paws. The apprentice blinked, eyes adjusting to the dwindling sunlight. The night patrol was pacing by the entrance, waiting for the sun to set.
Dragonmist headed into the den, a fox set. The green patches of herbs sat outside the den, and the apprentice poked her head into the den. "Tigerlily?" she asked. Her voice rang, bouncing off the walls of the den. The she-cat stepped in, tail lashing anxiously. She crouched by the entrance.
A brown figure flashed through the entrance, and Dragonmist focused on it, hidden in the shadows of the den. Tigerlily had a bundle of herbs in her jaws, with her tail held high. Dragonmist rose, still half-hidden. Her tail flicked, anxious to greet her mentor. Tigerlily stepped into the den, and the apprentice burst out, tumbling onto her mentor. The brown tabby crashed into the wall of the den, with Dragonmist following. The herbs scattered everywhere. The apprentice quickly scrambled off her mentor.
Tigerlily bushed up her fur, a flustered look onto her face. Her green eyes were bright. What? Dragonmist wondered, bushing up her own fur before flattening it. The tabby she-cat's eyes flashed angrily, irritation on her features. "What was that for, Dragonmist?" Tigerlily scoffed, tail lashing as she stood up, gathering the herbs she'd collected off the ground.
"Where'd you head off to, Tigerlily?" Dragonmist inquired, ignoring the question. The brown tabby she-cat froze for a moment, tansy in her jaws, before recovering and dumping the tansy –Dragonmist recognized the herb- in its correct section.
Tigerlily swiveled around, "I went to gather herbs. The tansy was quite far from camp, and I stopped to hunt." The medicine cat said, as if it was obvious.
Dragonmist asked, "Where's the prey then?" Her tone must have been a little smug, because Tigerlily cuffed Dragonmist's ear, which left the apprentice rubbing her ear.
"I didn't catch it." The she-cat said, "The fish slipped right between my claws."
Dragonmist didn't respond. "Sure." She muttered underbreath.
Dragonmist was unsure what to say, so she kept quiet, thinking about where Tigerlily could've gone. Her stomach rumbled. "I'm going to eat. You hungry?" the apprentice asked. Tigerlily shook her head. "I'm fine." Dragonmist headed out of the den, towards the freshkill pile. The moon had begun to rise and the night patrol had left.
Tigerlily was right. The Gathering is tomorrow night! Dragonmist shook out her pelt, shivering as a cold breeze ruffled her pelt. "Leaf-bare is coming soon." The apprentice watched a leaf swirl in the wind, seeming to take forever before landing on the ground. Dragonmist chose a small fish from the freshkill pile, and settled down in a spot sheltered from the wind, crouching down. She chewed on it, spitting aside the scales.
The medicine cat apprentice finished the fish. She tossed the bones aside into the ferns, flicking her tail. Dragonmist sighed, and thought about Tigerlily. She's been acting weird since she went out of camp… The she-cat shook her head, thinking about her mentor. She smelled like the wind... Dragonmist's eyes widened. "Has she been seeing someone?" she wondered out loud, startled at the thought.
Dragonmist shook out her pelt, and trotted into the medicine cat den, hurrying. The wind was harsh, the camp wall rattling, though she knew it wouldn't collapse. The reeds had grown sturdy over the years.
The she-cat fluffed up her fur, and immediately went to her nest at the back of the den, shivering. Her eyes were trained on her nest, disregarding the alcove that Tigerlily's nest was located. Dragonmist burrowed into the thin layer of moss that weaved into the bracken. I need to get some more moss to line my nest too… she thought, feeling the cold seep past the moss into her skin. She wrapped her feathery tail around herself, closing her eyes.
