I padded in through the dirt place tunnel. I figured It would be best if my fresh scent wasn't in the entrance. I hadn't noticed Foxcatcher was leaving his guard duty.
"Beechpaw? When did you get back?" He asked.
"A while ago. I got the mallow and came back." I replied.
"Did you see Jayfeather?" He asked. I nodded.
"Yes. He had forgotten something, so he told me to stay back while he got it." I lied. I was getting good at that. Foxcatcher's eyes clouded with confusion, but he still nodded and slipped into the warriors' den. I quickly padded into the medicine den and curled up to sleep, as if I had been there since Jayfeather left. It wasn't long before he padded in through the entrance, mallow stuffed in his jaw. I stretched.
"Where were you?" He asked.
"Dirt place." I replied. He shrugged and took the mallow to the herb storage. When he left, a familiar pair of small shapes appeared at the entrance. Goldenkit looked a bit scratched up, his fur matted and torn as if a play fight had gone wrong.
"Me and Goldenkit were playing, but I accidentally unsheathed my claws." Falconkit's ears were pinned back in embarrassment. I glanced at Jayfeather, who had padded out when he heard the kits. He began to examine Goldenkit.
"I'm going to need marigold." He mewed to himself. Before he could stand, I grabbed a mouthful of marigold. I laid it at his feet. Something flashed in his eyes as he chewed up the leaves. "You need to lick the wounds clean. It will stop the bleeding and clean off dried blood. Then we will cover them with this marigold poultice." He instructed. I got to work, carefully cleaning Goldenkit thoroughly. The scratches weren't very bad or long, but some were pretty deep. It didn't take much to stop the bleeding and get rid of the blood.
"Is that good?" I asked. Jayfeather nodded.
"We will cover most of the scratched, but a few of the smaller ones should be fine. I'll show you how to apply it and then you can finish it off yourself." Jayfeather meowed. I nodded and stepped back. He rubbed the poultice on one of the smaller of the bad scratches. Goldenkit flinched and shifted is weight as the poultice stung, but he made little noise. I always had liked Goldenkit. Between his siblings, he was one of the most quiet, but he was spunky. He would bounce around, hardly saying a word, and randomly attack anything and everything. Including me. However, this sometimes got him in trouble. I could remember one time he pounced on Berrynose, who thought he was a ShadowClan attacker. The whole Clan was mad at Berrynose's false alarm.
"Like this?" I asked, taking over as he finished. I could feel Goldenkit flinch, his eyes wide at the stinging. Jayfeather nodded his approval and I finished it off. Goldenkit was covered with stinky goop, but I could easily tell he was relieved as the stinging began to subside.
"Thank you!" He mewed. Jayfeather nodded an okay for them to leave, and they both happily bounded out of the den. That wasn't too bad. I thought, watching my first patient leave the den. Jayfeather was smiling next to me.
"Good job." He slipped back into the storage to finish sorting his herbs. I was a bit relieved he didn't ask me to help. I was tired after my trip to the lake and hurrying back so quickly. I curled up in my nest, but it took a bit for sleep to come.
I woke to Jayfeather's paw prodding my side.
"I'm going to get some catmint from Willowshine. The clump by the old twoleg place died last Leafbare, and never grew back. With Leafbare approaching, I want to be prepared for green cough." He mewed quietly. With a quick glance at the entrance, I realized it was still dark out, probably early morning. "You want to come?"
"Sure." I mewed, stretching. I could see excitement glittering in his eyes. I couldn't tell if it was from the thought of the small journey to RiverClan or the fact I was actually cooperating with him.
"Get something to eat. We will leave when the sun rises so we get there by sunhigh and are back before night falls." He mewed. I nodded and slipped quietly out of the den. Only two cats were awake, Mousewhisker and Honeyfern. They were sharing tongues quietly.
"Morning." I mewed, padding up to join them with my mouse.
"Your up early." Mousewhisker acknowledged.
"We are going to RiverClan to get some catmint. Our supply died last Leafbare and we need to be ready for green cough." I explained. I could see them shiver at the mention of the usually fatal disease. Honeyfern seemed lost in thought.
"I hope few cats get sick this Leafbare." She mewed thoughtfully. I quickly finished off my mouse, catching the sun beginning to rise. A few cats, including Jayfeather and Hollystar, had appeared in the clearing, drowsily eating the almost stale fresh-kill left over from the night before. Even Foxcatcher and Icestorm were out, as well as Berrynose, who stole Honeyfern away to go hunting. Mousewhisker seemed disappointed, but Icestorm offered they go with Bramblepaw. He perked up and nodded. I watched them call into the apprentices' den to find my sister. I watched as her familiar white pelt with the brown tabby splotches appeared and followed them. I couldn't help but notice her muscles, well built and strong. Goldenkit was watching Dewkit and Falconkit play fight. He seemed bored, but his tail twitch signaled he would play if he wasn't so stiff from the marigold. I hadn't notice Jayfeather padding over.
"You ready?" He asked. I nodded, finishing a last bite of the mouse, and followed my mentor out of camp. "We are going through WindClan territory. Medicine cats have safe travel two taillengths from the lake, but not all Clans allow it. Both WindClan and ShadowClan seem to keep an extra eye out just in case." He explained.