Ch.4

"You alright there, Featherberry's beauty?" asked Dovesong, her blue eyes gleamed. "Steady there, you broke your hind leg and twisted your forepaw,"

"Ughh…" Songpaw couldn't stand. Everything hurt!

"How long am I going to be in here?" Songpaw asked Dovesong, despairingly clawing the ground with her un-twisted forepaw.

"Six moons?" suggested Dovesong. "Seven, eight, twelve?"

Songpaw's jaw dropped open. "That means Nightkit and Talonkit will become warriors before me!"

Dovesong snorted. "All I know, is that leg you have right there, isn't going to get better in a moon,"

"But the gathering is tonight!" protested Songpaw and her head drooped. "Am I ever going to get better?"

"Of course you are," snapped Dovesong, her green eyes blazed. "You have no trust in yourself! Yes your leg is going to get better, you just have to go easy on it!"

Songpaw angrily clawed the ground with one of her healthy forepaw. "It's not fair!" she wailed.

"Stop wailing like a one moon old kitten," Dovesong smacked Songpaw in the face with her long haired tail. "It's your fault you climbed the tree and fell off."

Songpaw hissed and whipped around from the old medicine cat. Dovesong wasn't even sympathetic with her! Did she like Wingpaw better?

Just at that second, Songpaw heard pawsteps enter the room and looked up to see Wingpaw.

"Hello Wingpaw," purred Dovesong.

"I was just checking on Songpaw…to see if she was better," Wingpaw was quiet.

"That's alright Blackwing's daughter, make sure she's fine," Dovesong grinned and then frowned. "I have to check on Skyfeather, she's having kits soon," and Dovesong left the medicine cat's den.

Songpaw was about to demand to her sister why did Dovesong like her so much but a hurt look was in her sister's eyes and Wingpaw did not purr a welcome to her, like she would always, and she did not even say hi to her, all she did was nod and walk away.

"Wingpaw," Songpaw mewed, just when Wingpaw was going to leave.

Wingpaw turned around glumly and padded up to her sister.

"What?" her voice was full of confusion and sorrow, or was it just her, Songpaw, that could hear it?

"Something's bothering you," Songpaw narrowed her eyes. "And I know it,"

Wingpaw's eyes brightened and flared with emotion, so many! A feeling of hate, denial, love, admiration and hurt all were seen to Songpaw.

Songpaw took a deep breath and picked up a very faint trance of Featherberry…and wet soil? Had she been underground? She smelled of wet soil and ground.

"Featherberry went into a tunnel and told you something did she?" Songpaw exhaled and looked up at her sister.

Wingpaw looked alarmed. "How did you know?"

"I just feel it in you," snapped Songpaw. "What is it? What did Featherberry tell you?"

"You want to become a warrior at the same time medicine cat," Wingpaw shot back something that Songpaw wasn't expecting. "I know it, your injured leg is bothering you, isn't it?"

Songpaw curled her lip. "Fine I'll tell you first," Songpaw dropped her voice. "My leg's probably not going to get better until Nightkit and Talonkit become warriors," Songpaw buried her muzzle into Wingpaw's fur. "I probably will never be a warrior,"

Wingpaw affectionately licked her sister. "Well, fine," she broke off in a whisper that turned ominous. "Featherberry told me that someone in BirdClan killed Blackwing,"

"No way," Songpaw broke off from her sister.

Wingpaw did the thing Songpaw found annoying. "Yes way,"

"Well, if that's important with the prophecy, I don't see any relationship," Songpaw flicked her tail.

"Shh…" Songpaw pricked her ears. "Dovesong's coming, well see you later Wingpaw,"

Wingpaw rested her muzzle into Songpaw's fur. "Bye Songpaw," and she left the medicine's cat den and then added a whisper to her. "Herontalon told me I'm going to the gathering tonight,"

Songpaw felt a claw of desperation rip her pelt. It wasn't fair! Wingpaw got to go, but what about her? Was she always destined to get left behind?

Dovesong poked into the medicine cat's den and grabbed a couple herbs.

"Can I go to the gathering please, please?" Songpaw pleaded at the medicine cat.

"Oh, you are going to annoy me all night about this are you?" she mewed in her high pitched voice.

Songpaw nodded.

"I don't see why not, walking only to the center of the lake. Just be careful not to slip, or your hind leg injury is going to be permanent," Dovesong warned.

"Thanks!" Songpaw curled into a tight ball, sleeping soundly in the moss nest, in the medicine cat's den.