Mintleaf shoved a few dry leaves, their surfaces riddled with holes from insect feeding, to the side, and left the other leaves in between her two paws, light gray in the afternoon light. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was something in the back of her den, watching her. She glanced backward, but it was melded in shadows that obscured the back wall like a black curtain of stone. Shivering, she stood and stretched, her back paws numb after the long period of sitting. She balanced on three thin legs as she tried to shake the sleeping feeling from her extremities.
As she took a step forward to leave the unfamiliar den she had to call her own, a cat intercepted her. It was Brindlesong, a warrior she had never particularly liked. The feeling was apparently mutual, judging from the ice in her tone as the silver she-cat asserted, "There's a FlareClan apprentice in the camp. Claims she needs to speak with you." After flashing a look of disapproval in Mintleaf's general direction, she left without waiting for a reply. Resisting the urge to stick her tongue out after the stuck-up she-cat, she sauntered out, tail twitching in annoyance.
A small, golden-furred young she-cat sat near the fresh-kill pile, looking very out of place and her eyes clearly said that she would rather be anywhere else. "Lightningpaw. Or is it Thunderpaw?" hesitated the medicine cat, unsure. Snapping back to reality, the apprentice blinked her bright yellow eyes once before replying.
"Lightningpaw. Ravenstar told me to come here; she had a sign from StarClan." Mintleaf's ears pricked with interest. StarClan had been quiet lately. The gray-blue medicine cat waited for Lightningpaw to finish, noting that FlareClan's leader had received her nine lives. "StarClan said I am to be FlareClan's medicine cat." The desolation in her tone was obvious, and to be honest, who could blame her? To have your fate chosen for you, your destiny set along a path you didn't want...It was no cat's dream, but maybe one's nightmare.
"And you've come for training? Why not Snowflight?" Going to the elder medicine cat would make more sense, given SkyClan's proximity to FlareClan, and the white-furred queen's seniority in the ways of medicine and prophecy. Lightningpaw shrugged, her tail brushing the ground and flicking a small pebble to the side. She stared at her paws and exhaled dejectedly. "Well, I suppose we had better get started as soon as possible. Have you been to the Whispering Cave to be officially accepted as a medicine cat apprentice yet?" The gold apprentice shook her head wordlessly. "Well, we'll have to do that tonight. Get it over with. As for now... Well, let's begin your indoctrination." Mintleaf tried to give her a reassuring smile, and failed, but it didn't matter as the apprentice's eyes were still fixated upon her feet.
Mintleaf paused for a minute, not knowing if she should apologize for her the Lightningpaw's undesired fate. "Well, come with me." The older she-cat stood and gestured with her tail for the apprentice to follow her into the makeshift medicine den. It wasn't very well-stocked with herbs yet, and it needed a good clean, but it would make an alright den, in the end. "Let's just get started, okay?" She waited for an answer, but none was given. "Alright then. These leaves are watermint. They're not as good as catmint for curing whitecough or StarClan forbid greencough, but they'll do in a pinch. You see how these leaves are crumbling and have holes from insects? They aren't really usable anymore. Once leaves get like this, they won't do a cat much good at all.. So you throw them out and get new ones." Lightningpaw nodded along, staring off into space. Twitching her tail irritably, Mintleaf snapped, "Lightningpaw! Please pay attention. Lives could depend on whether or not you think herbs are more important than who the cutest tom in the Clan is. Did you get anything out of what I just said? What is this herb?"
Lightningpaw looked hopelessly at the leaves on the ground. "Um... Nettle?" she guessed.
"They're watermint, Lightningpaw. Nettle leaves are three times as big and have ridged edges, not smooth! If you're just going to space out and think about how miserable your life is, you can leave. You think I want this? I never wanted this. I wanted to be a warrior, but I was chosen for this, like you were. And I've saved more lives than you can imagine." Mintleaf knew she was being rather harsh, but she had to get this clear from the start. She was not one for pity fests.
Lightningpaw retorted with a glare, "I can't have a day to think about how I will never have a mate or kits, how I'll never fight for my Clan or have a warrior's ceremony, or an apprentice of my own?"
"No. You can't. Warriors might get a day off, but medicine cats never do. You will learn about herbs and StarClan. You can think about how you will ensure the lives of elders, kits, warriors, and apprentices continue to keep going. You can think about how you will have a connection to your warrior ancestors like no other cat in your Clan. You can think about how one day you will have an apprentice of your own, and guide them to become the savior of your Clan. And you can think about getting your butt up and coming with me to gather herbs, and I expect your mind to be on it!" Mintleaf swept out of the den without another word or a backward glance. She had received much the same speech from Snowflight at the beginning of her apprenticeship, and and it made her realize that being a medicine cat wasn't a hundred percent bad.
As the pair of she-cats left the camp, Lightningpaw asked in a low voice, "You didn't choose to be a medicine cat?"
Mintleaf shook her head. "No. Most medicine cats do, but StarClan didn't think I was going to, so they sent Snowflight a sign."
"But Snowflight's still young! Couldn't another, more willing cat have been her apprentice later on?" she protested.
Mintleaf shrugged as they walked. "StarClan didn't think so. Ah- yarrow! I didn't know it grew out here. Do you know what it's used for?" Lightningpaw shook her head without a clue. "It can be used to bring up poison if a cat has ingested something like that. Deathberries, for example." Lightningpaw looked at her questioningly. "Deathberries are poisonous berries that will kill a cat. Snowflight wouldn't allow them to be in her den, but they can be useful sometimes."
The golden apprentice nodded thoughtfully. Her bright eyes clouded with curiosity as she inquired, "What is borage used for? I heard Jaysong mention it once..."
"It's used for helping queens' milk come, and also for fevers, though I've always preferred to use feverfew for that." Mintleaf told her in between biting off leaves of yarrow.
Understanding, Lightningpaw inquired, "What are we looking for?"
Mintleaf, finished gathering the yarrow, pushed the leaves at the apprentice. "Carry those, please. We're looking mostly for blackberry leaves, burdock, and watermint, but we'll take pretty much anything since Snowflight kept most of the supplies. You'll be taking a bunch of herbs back to FlareClan with you. In fact, I might send a warrior along to help you carry things. any StoneClan cat you miss and want to talk to for a bit?"
"No." responded Lightningpaw. "My mother is in IceClan and my brother in SkyClan, so there's no one really." She mewed bitterly.
Cautiously dodging the subject, not wanting to bring up anything painful, Mintleaf said lightly, "I'll send Redstorm. His apprentice can help if needed."
The she-cats wandered through the whole territory, and towards the end, Mintleaf found a plant that made her cry out happily. "Snakeroot!" She purred, dropping the assorted berries and leaves she was carrying in an Ivy leaf so she could speak. "This plant is better than any other for expelling poisons. We only had one tiny plant in SkyClan, so we rarely had more than a leaf or two. But look: two big, healthy plants, and one baby one that could grow just as big. This is great. I know you're not happy with the situation, Lightningpaw, but this really is a fantastic discovery." the pale blue-gray she-cat carefulyl bit off several leaves, giving half to Lightningpaw.
As the sun slowly sank in the sky, the pair of medicine cats paused in their herb-gathering. "Let's take these herbs and go to the Whispering Cave. You need to be accepted as a medicine cat, and we don't have time to take these back to camp." Mintleaf told the apprentice. She dipped her head, and they picked up the Ivy leaves, full of herbs and sagging with the weight, and walked toward SkyClan.
Lightningpaw closed her eyes in the dark cave, hearing soft rustles and murmurs all around. She tried to relax, like Mintleaf had told her, but the noises kept distracting her, and her ears flicked around anxiously. "Lightningpaw..." a voice whispered, and her eyes shot open. A beautiful silver-grey tabby she-cat stood next to her, her pelt glittering with starlight.
"Welcome to StarClan territory, Lightningpaw. I am Echosong, the first medicine cat of SkyClan." The she-cat with her dainty dark gray paws gazed warmly into her eyes. "StarClan is forever watching, Lightningpaw. we know that you have doubted in us, but now that you do believe. We know that you have very little desire to be a medicine cat, that your heart earns to be a warrior. you think it is unfair that we have chosen you instead of another, one less set in their ways." Echosong informed her. The apprentice said nothing, knowing that all this cat said was true.
Gesturing for Lightningpaw to follow her, she continued, "Let me show you something." The former medicine cat led her to a shining pool, only a few fox-lengths away. "Look into the water." the golden-furred apprentice complied, and within the pool's depths she saw a flickering scene. It was a battle! The fighting was fierce and unforgiving, the cats screeching in pain. Fur was torn and gouges and gashes and rips and scracthes patterned every cat's fur. Blood and fur covered the ground, and a few cats lay still, bleeding profusely, their eyes blank and dead.
The apprentice looked away from the gory scene. "Painful, I know." Echosong said gently. "You saw the fallen warriors, yes? Well, many more would have joined the ranks of StarClan, were it not for medicine cats. They saved many lives after that battle, and without them or their apprentices, those Clans would have been nearly decimated. What you are becoming is as honorable as becoming a warrior, and a thousand times harder. You have to give up so much, and I am sorry that it must be that way, but you will earn the respect of every cat in the Clan, from the frailest elder to the most powerful warrior. Do not take this responsibility lightly, but embrace it, because we have seen your future, and it is the finest destiny you could ask for. We accept you as a medicine cat apprentice, Lightningpaw. Serve your Clan well."
A/N: I am very, very, very, very, very, very sorry about how long it has taken me to update this. I will do my best, however, to keep it going. I hope you will forgive me for almost abandoning this. Thank you.