HHHHHHHHHeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyy.
Recap: Cedarpaw goes on a hunting patrol with Olivepaw, Harestep, Briarclaw, and Weaselfoot. Olivepaw tries to get Cedarpaw to tell her what's wrong, but he doesn't. He strays away from the patrol and is ambushed by some RiverClan warriors, which results in a fight between them and the ShadowClan patrol. Cedarpaw ends up almost killing one of their warriors, and Harestep yells at him, telling Briarclaw to take him back to camp and that he wasn't ready for this. In the medicine cat, Cedarpaw pretends he's asleep and listens to Briarclaw and Willowfall talk about him like he's crazy.
I'm ssooo tired. I feel like I say that in most chapters O O O P S .
Chapter 12
A Gift
[Frostpaw]
It had been snowing hard that day, the wind fierce as it shook the branches of every tree in the forest. The conditions were so bad that none of the apprentices had been taken out for training, and Minnowstar had sent out less patrols than usual.
Frostpaw was sitting in the hollow of the nursery, trying to suppress her shivers as she scooted away from the entrance. It was evening now, and it was dark outside. Quite a few cats had taken shelter here, and were talking amongst themselves. Lightstream, the young she-cat who had just become a warrior before moving to the nursery, lay down beside her mate- and Frostpaw's mentor- Darkstorm. Lightstream's belly was huge; Willowfall had told her that her kits would be born any day now. As happy as Frostpaw was for the queen, she also feared that more mouths to feed would be hard for the Clan. It was getting harder and harder to find food, and Frostpaw found that she was hungry almost constantly now.
Bluepelt was curled around two of her kits, Brokenkit and Icekit, who were sound asleep. Her other kit, Littlekit, was a few taillengths away, playing with a small ball of moss. It wouldn't be long before they'd be apprentices, and the apprentices' den would be more crowded than ever. But it wasn't much of a problem for Frostpaw, who would be getting her warrior name soon.
Nearby, Olivepaw and Ratpaw were sitting with their mother, Bramblestripe, as she groomed her other child- Oakkit. The tiny dark brown tom's green eyes were half-closed; he looked just like his mother and his sister.
Frostpaw's mother, Furzetail, was there as well, along with Icewhisker, who had begun to get more and more friendly with the she-cat. Frostpaw would always watch him carefully, feeling oddly protective of her mother. Owlwing, a young warrior, was there as well; she was good friends with Lightstream.
"...Have you thought of any names for the kits yet, Lightstream?" Bramblestripe was asking the younger she-cat with a kind smile. The group had been talking about unimportant things to pass the time.
"Well, a couple," the she-cat purred, sharing a warm look with her mate. "If there's a tom, we want to name him Darkkit, after Darkstorm."
"What if it looks like you and not him?" rasped Bluepelt, mostly trying to ignore the conversation but chiming in every now and then with snide comments.
Lightstream frowned, glancing down at her light ginger and white fur, apparently too shocked with the possibility that she couldn't even speak.
Furzetail smiled in amusement before she looked at her daughter. "Frostpaw, where's Snowpaw? She's usually with you."
The apprentice blinked. "I don't know," she said. "Maybe she's asleep in the apprentices' den."
As if on cue, a shape appeared at the entrance to the den; eyes turned to watch Snowpaw walk in. Frostpaw smiled at her sister, but Snowpaw didn't look at her. She sat down further from her family and closer to Olivepaw and Ratpaw, who were watching her curiously.
"Hi, Snowpaw," Furzetail purred. "We were just wondering where you were."
"I'm here," the she-cat replied, her voice somewhat empty. Frostpaw caught her glance, and she saw something in her sister's flashing green eyes that she'd never seen before. She was frowning, whiskers twitching before she turned away. Frostpaw blinked, confused with this behavior. Snowpaw never acted like this. Something was wrong.
No one else seemed to notice.
Now they were talking about Cedarpaw. Bramblestripe had asked Olivepaw how he was doing, and the she-cat had flinched slightly, looking away.
"I don't know," she muttered, though by now, everyone had heard what had happened, including Frostpaw. Cedarpaw had been taken out on a hunting patrol, where they got into a fight with some RiverClan cats who had passed the border... and Cedarpaw had almost killed one of them. It'd been a few days since the incident, but Willowfall had made him stay in her den for a bit longer.
They hadn't heard from RiverClan since it had happened, but when Minnowstar had heard what had happened, her face had grown grim, her eyes narrowed. She told ShadowClan that they must always be prepared to fight. Frostpaw prayed that they wouldn't have to, because even though nobody wanted to admit it, the Clan was getting weaker from lack of food. And even though nobody wanted to admit it, everyone was scared. She could feel it. And she was, too. Besides, she didn't like fighting. She knew that it excited some of the other apprentices, but not her. And ever since she was taken to ThunderClan to look after Honeystar, she was beginning to wonder if becoming a warrior was the right decision. But her warrior ceremony was in just a week. She supposed it was too late to change her mind, now.
She decided to try talking with her sister. Scooting towards her, she mewed, "You okay, Snowpaw?"
She thought she could see the other she-cat flinch, just slightly, before she turned to look at her. For a moment, Frostpaw thought she could see coldness in her sister's eyes, and she looked at her, puzzled. Snowpaw blinked a few times, a frown on her face.
She gave a tiny, obviously fake smile before meowing, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired." Frostpaw flicked an ear; she could easily see through her sister's lie, but she knew that this wasn't the time or place to press her.
A little longer passed before Frostpaw announced that she was going go bed. Everyone said goodnight before she left the nursery.
It was hard even just getting to the apprentices' den. Snow fell down thickly and rapidly, the wind loud in her ears as the trees trembled in the wind. Shivering, she slipped into the bush that made the den. She was the only one inside.
Letting out a long sigh, she curled up as tightly as she could and eventually fell asleep.
. . .
She awakened with a start when she heard a loud wail pierce the air. Immediately leaping to her paws, her eyes wide, she looked around in confusion.
The other apprentices had stirred as well; Olivepaw was muttering to Ratpaw in confusion, Snowpaw's eyes wide in alarm.
"What's going on?" murmured Ratpaw, frowning, ears flattened. Frostpaw felt her heart nearly stop; was RiverClan attacking, just like Minnowstar had predicted?
Without another thought, she ran out of the apprentices' den; it was dark and freezing and still snowing as fiercely as it had been that evening.
But the clearing was empty.
Frostpaw let out a sigh of relief, relaxing slightly until she heard another wail, lower this time. Her ears pricked and she looked over at the nursery; her eyes widened in understanding. Lightstream was having her kits.
Without thinking, she ran through the thick snow and into the nursery.
Inside, Lightstream was lying on her side, eyes wide as she panted heavily. Darkstorm was beside her, tail lifted in concern. Bramblestripe was at her side; Oakkit was sleeping beside Bluepelt, who was watching from several taillengths away. Her own kits had been woken up and were now trying to see what was going on.
Frostpaw paused; where was Willowfall? Shouldn't she have been here by now?
"Where's Willowfall?" demanded Darkstorm. "We need Willowfall!"
"D-Darkstorm," Lightstream gasped, clenching her teeth together. "Th-The kits... They're coming... Now... What do I do!" Her mate widened his eyes and stared at her, looking panicked.
Frostpaw stepped forward, feeling strangely calm and in control.
"Don't worry, Lightstream," she said softly, lowering herself to her height. "Calm down. Just take a deep breath... That's it... Let it out. Keep breathing, just like that... That's right. I'm going to go get Willowfall, but I'll be right back, I promise."
Everyone looked at her, confused expressions on all of their faces- except for Lightstream's, who just quickly nodded.
Frostpaw turned and darted out of the nursery. Some cats had emerged from their dens, wondering what was going on. Blinking, the she-cat stopped and called, "Everybody, Lightstream is having her kits. But she needs her space, so please don't go in. Wait outside." A few murmured in surprise, while others looked at Frostpaw and wondered what sort of authority she had to tell them what to do. But no one said anything.
Frostpaw ran into the medicine den, expecting to see Willowfall.
But she was gone.
"Oh, StarClan, no," she breathed to herself, looking around, eyes wide. Where was the medicine cat when the Clan needed her? What on earth could she be doing in the middle of the night, away from camp?
But she couldn't linger on the question. She had to do something.
She ran to the back of the den, nearly tripping on Cedarpaw, who lay asleep in his nest.
Her eyes searched through the piles of herbs. She spotted several small, dried pink leaves; borage leaves. They should be eaten after giving birth.
She grabbed a large, dead leaf that she could use to carry them. Taking a few borage leaves, she placed them on the other leaf. Her eyes drifted to a small pile of dried berries. Juniper berries. They would help calm Lightstream down. Taking a few of those, she wrapped everything up in a bundle, which she grasped with her teeth.
As she exited the den and swiftly made her way back to the nursery, she didn't even have time to think about how exactly she knew what those herbs and berries did. The only thing she was thinking about now was that Lightstream would safely deliver her kits.
She ran into the nursery, halting as cats looked up at her.
"Where's Willowfall?" demanded Darkstorm, staring at his apprentice tensely, voice near a growl. Frostpaw swallowed, putting down the herbs.
"She'll be here in just a minute," she lied, approaching Lightstream. "Don't worry. Just do as I tell you and everything will be okay. Do you understand, Lightstream?"
The young queen, nodded, though her body was quivering.
"I want you to eat one of these," the apprentice mewed, placing a juniper berry beside her. "It will help calm you down and will make everything easier. Are you okay with that, Lightstream?"
She nodded again, leaning over to take it, chew it and swallow it. A second later, she flinched, letting out a low grown.
"They're coming," she breathed, yellow eyes wide. "Like... Like right now..." The cats around them were watching, not daring to say a word.
"Okay," Frostpaw murmured. "Lightstream, you need to listen to me. On the count of three, I want you to push as hard as you can. Do you understand?"
She nodded, looking scared.
"Everything will be okay," the apprentice assured. "Now, on the count of three. One, two, three... Push."
Lightstream let out a loud yowl, eyes clenched together in pain, her whole body shuddering with the effort. She let out a breath of air, looking at Frostpaw desperately, shaking her head hurriedly.
"You're doing great," whispered Frostpaw. "Just once more, Lightstream. You're almost there. Are you ready? One, two, three..."
The queen yowled again, louder this time. But a few seconds later, the tiny body of a kit appeared. It was very pale ginger, eyes shut as it opened its little mouth to let out a mew. Lightstream opened her eyes, craning her head as she tried to see it. Darkstorm picked it up by the scruff and began to clean it.
"Darkstorm," she murmured, a tiny smile on his face. "Her name... Her name is Flowerkit."
A second later, the queen let out another groan, eyes wide in alarm.
"Frostpaw! I-"
"It's okay," she assured her. "You have another one coming. After this, you'll be done. You can do this, Lightstream. One, two, three..."
The queen cried out as she pushed, and it only took a matter of seconds before another tiny bundle of fur appeared. This one was pitch black, and when Frostpaw saw its face, she let out a weak gasp of shock.
The kit was missing an eye.
Lightstream lay on her side, panting heavily, though a look of relief was on her face. The first kit was now at her stomach, suckling.
Frostpaw looked down at the second kit, picking it up by the scruff and placing it beside Lightstream. It let out a tiny mew.
"I... I'm sorry, Lightstream," she murmured, looking away. "This kit was only born with one eye."
The queen didn't say anything. Instead, she pulled the tiny kit- a tom- closer as she started to clean it.
"Darkkit," she whispered, voice scratchy with emotion. A crooked smile broke from her lips as she nuzzled her son.
"Here," Frostpaw murmured, pushing forward some borage leaves. "Eat this. It'll supply you with more milk that will make your kits strong."
She nodded, chewing and swallowing it before she looked at the apprentice gratefully.
"Thank you, Frostpaw," she whispered. "You acted just like a medicine cat."
Frostpaw smiled softly, watching the two kits at her stomach. "Congratulations," she said.
"They're beautiful, Lightstream," purred Bramblestripe, smiling warmly. Darkstorm smiled and licked his mate's ear. Even Bluepelt had just the tiniest smile on her face as she watched from a distance. Her kits had approached Flowerkit and Darkkit and were now watching them curiously.
"What's going on here?" came a sudden, shocked voice. Frostpaw pricked her ears, and everyone lifted their heads, turning to see Willowfall standing at the entrance, eyes wide.
"Where have you been?" demanded Darkstorm accusingly, blue eyes narrowed. "You were gone when we needed you!"
"I-I'm sorry," the medicine cat stammered, flustered. "I... I was out looking for herbs..."
Really? In the middle of the night? thought Frostpaw, but she didn't say anything.
Bluepelt snorted, whiskers twitching. "We're lucky we had Frostpaw here, at least. Looks like this apprentice did a better job than the actual medicine cat."
Willowfall looked too shocked to speak. Her eyes wandered down to where Lightstream's kits were suckling. The medicine cat shook her head softly in disbelief.
"You... You had your kits...?" She turned to Frostpaw, mouth hanging open. "And you delivered them...?"
"And it's a good thing, too," hissed Darkstorm. "At least someone took responsibility. Frostpaw did everything flawlessly while you were off doing whatever you were doing."
"It's okay, Darkstorm," whispered Lightstream, looking at him tiredly. "The important thing is that our kits are safe."
"No, it's not okay," growled the tom. "What if something had happened to them?" His narrowed eyes flashed as he looked at the medicine cat. "Another kit could have died because of her."
Willowfall visibly flinched, whiskers twitching as she tried to keep her composure.
"Don't bring that up again," she muttered, staring at her paws. "What has passed is in the past." She sighed, shaking her head as she looked at the new mother. "I'm sorry I wasn't here for the birth of your kits, Lightstream. It was irresponsible of me and I'm glad that Frostpaw was able to take over."
The apprentice lowered her head, a bit embarrassed.
Willowfall took a step closer and lowered her head, examining the kits. When she saw that the tom was missing an eye, she pulled back slightly, looking at Lightstream in concern.
"Lightstream, this kit..."
"Is perfect," the queen whispered, bringing her kits closer. "Darkkit is perfect."
Willowfall watched her, her frown turning into a tiny smile as she nodded.
"I'll leave you alone for a while," she said softly. "If you need anything, I'll be in my den." She glanced at Frostpaw; "Will you come with me, please?"
The apprentice pricked her ears, confused. The medicine cat led her outside, where several who had woken up were sitting gathered around the entrance, despite the freezing cold. Minnowstar sat with her tail wrapped around her legs, lifting her head when she saw Willowfall.
"Well?" the leader mewed.
Willowfall smiled softly. "Two healthy kits. A tom, Darkkit, and a she-cat, Flowerkit."
Sighs of relief broke from many of their lips as they smiled and murmured excitedly to one another.
"Give Lightstream the rest of the night to rest," the medicine cat continued. "You can all visit her in the morning."
As cats began to sleepily return to their dens, Willowfall nodded to Frostpaw, flicking her tail and beckoning her into the medicine den. The younger she-cat hesitantly followed.
As they stepped inside, Willowfall walked to the back, where the herbs were stored. She stood there, her tail flicking, not speaking for a few moments. Frostpaw swallowed, wondering if she was in any sort of trouble.
Finally, the older cat turned around, blue eyes glowing dimly in the darkness.
"Is it true?" she asked, blinking, a frown on her face. "Did you really deliver those kits by yourself?"
Frostpaw stared at her, trying to tell whether or not the medicine cat was angry with her.
"Y...Yes," she murmured. "I went to go look for you, but... you were gone. I... I thought that I had to do something-"
"Did you give her any herbs?" Willowfall demanded, taking a step forward. Her voice was more curious than accusing.
"I gave her a juniper berry at the beginning to calm her down," Frostpaw said quietly. "After the kits were born, I gave her some borage leaves to help supply milk."
"And who exactly taught you what juniper berries and borage leaves were for?" Willowfall asked, sitting down.
Frostpaw frowned, looking at her paws. "I don't know," she admitted. "I guess I just knew them. I felt like everything I was doing was just so natural. I didn't even think about it..."
Willowfall closed her eyes and let out a long sigh, her light gray fur ruffling a bit in the breeze that managed to slip through the branches. There were a few moments of silence before the medicine cat finally opened her eyes, looking at the apprentice.
"Do you know what this means, Frostpaw?"
The younger cat blinked, shaking her head. "I-"
"It seems that you have an unusually strong connection with StarClan," Willowfall said quietly. "They've given you a gift. And that gift is the gift of medicine."
Frostpaw didn't know what to say. She opened her mouth, but she was so baffled that no words came out.
Willowfall sighed. "I think that it would be a shame to waste such a rare gift," she murmured. "And I have been looking for an apprentice..."
Frostpaw looked at her, nonplussed.
"You want me to be your apprentice...?"
"I know that this is all sudden," Willowfall mewed. "And your warrior ceremony is in just a few days, so I'll understand completely if you say no. You've been working for six moons to become a warrior, and if that's what you want to do, then I don't want to pressure you."
The apprentice blinked softly, looking away.
"I... I've been thinking about it," she murmured. "Ever since I went to ThunderClan to look after Honeystar." She lifted her eyes and locked gazes with the other she-cat. "I... I think I would like to become your apprentice."
Willowfall smiled softly, nodding.
"I'm honored," she murmured, getting to her paws. "Tomorrow night, we'll go to the Moonpool. Sleep with the other apprentices tonight; we'll let everybody know in the morning."
"Okay," Frostpaw breathed, still trying to process everything that had just happened but not doubting her decision. She smiled awkwardly at Willowfall before turning, heading towards the den's entrance. On the way out, she spotted Cedarpaw, curled up in his nest. She'd almost forgotten about him. When she thought she saw his ear flick, she wondered, somewhat uneasily, if he was awake and had been listening to everything.
But as she walked back to the apprentices' den, she found that she was smiling. She thought about what Willowfall had said; StarClan had given her a gift.
And as she curled up in her nest, she swore that she'd use it well.
This chapter marks page 100 :) And by page 100, I mean page 99 and one line. Close enough~
Waaaiillll (That's "well" with a Southern accent), this chapter may not have been the MOST exciting chapter ever, but Frostpaw deciding to become Willow's apprentice is certainly important (: You'll see how that goes later on- and what's going on with Snowpaw, too.
Thank you to everyone who's been reviewing :) You all are the best ever heartheartheart times infinity.
Review and get a Lightstream plusheh? :D ...And a piece of carrot cake.
TNT,
Pearls :)