Chapter 17

Tinyclaw did not plunge all the way into the stream – one of his claws managed to snag against the smooth bark of the tree, sending shooting waves of pain up his forelegs. Though he had a clawhold, the tree's many spiky branches rustled, jostled, and poked him as he tried furiously to keep himself from going under. The tree itself had become a spiky foe, trying to shake him off.

As he breathed in mouthfuls of water, terror made him feel strangely calm. Time seemed to slow as Tinyclaw's mind was split two ways: Struggle up to the tree, or let go and risk the current. Either option meant the possibility of drowning, and though time felt like it was being stretched, Tinyclaw knew he was running out. The water battered at his small body like a dozen warrior blows, and Tinyclaw realized he had no other choice but to endure.

Yet as he struggled to keep his clawhold, he felt his strength fading, failing him when he needed it most. A calmness washed over him, and tiredness dragged at his pelt. He was tempted – so tempted – to just give up and let the current take him into oblivion…

And then the branch gave a violent jerk. Tinyclaw was pulled forcefully out of the water and into the sunshine once again as the tree rolled in his favor. He frantically dug his claws into the branch, blinking water from his eyes as he tried to gauge his surroundings. Water lay on either side of him, and the branch was unstable beneath him. The current rushed beneath him, fast and strong.

StarClan, help me! He thought, gripping the tree as it began to sway.

It rolled once more, dunking Tinyclaw into the water. His nostrils and lungs burned as he was forced into the water without any time to catch his breath. The tree rolled once more and Tinyclaw burst through the water's surface again. He took great gulps of air as he trembled, clinging to the tree for his life.

The tree wobbled a little before coming to a jarring halt. Its shuddering traveled up the tree's entire length until it reached Tinyclaw, jittering his muscles into alertness. Tinyclaw lifted his head to see what had stopped the tree – a large boulder jutted up from the current, strapping the tree near the shore.

It won't stay for long, Tinyclaw realized. But I haven't the ability to move without making it wobble away!

"Kittypet!" shrieked a cat.

A pale shape flashed onto the rock – Longtail! The silvery tabby tom was perched on the rock, his long tail wavering for his balance. Below him the tree scraped and groaned against the rock, and Longtail howled, "Move, kittypet!"

Tinyclaw knew he only had this chance, and surprisingly with Longtail there waiting for him Tinyclaw felt much better. He let go of the tree and balanced himself along its length. After a wobbly moment, he began padding as fast as he could towards Longtail.

The tree gave a terrible groan beneath him, and Tinyclaw felt it jerk. He looked up at Longtail desperately as the tree began to shift and move underneath his paws. Just before the tree gave way Tinyclaw leaped – !

… and felt Longtail's jaws grasp his scruff. Tinyclaw let out a screech of pain – but Longtail managed to hold him steady, dragging the smaller, waterlogged cat onto the stone and out of harm's way.

Tinyclaw coughed up a mouthful of water, his nose and lungs burning and his throat sore. Shivering, Tinyclaw realized that even his eyes hurt from the water. He looked up at Longtail and rasped, "T-Thanks…"

Longtail's eyes flashed. "Don't mention it," he grunted, jaws dripping wet.

"Are you hurt?" called Darkstripe. Tinyclaw lifted his head to find the dark warrior on the shore. Thankfully the rock was close. His yellow eyes were wide with shock. "Can you walk?"

Tinyclaw pushed himself to his paws. His pelt was heavy and every muscle screamed, but his legs supported his weight. He nodded and meowed, "I can."

Longtail leaped onto the shore, and he and Darkstripe waited expectantly as Tinyclaw made the leap. Wobbly though his landing was, Tinyclaw managed it. He thanked StarClan for dry ground before shaking his pelt free of water.

Darkstripe and Longtail stepped away from the spinning droplets. Looking disgusted, Darkstripe growled, "Watch it! We're all wet enough already because of you."

Longtail stepped forward and sniffed Tinyclaw. "We need to get him back," he reported, "before he gets a cold."

Darkstripe nodded, though his lip was curled. "We all need to go back," he decided. "No cat can cross that mess… Tinyclaw proved that, if nothing else."

Tinyclaw frowned. Darkstripe just couldn't help but be snarky, even when his Clanmate had nearly died in front of him due to his decisions. Tinyclaw wanted to throw him into the water and see how well he did, but every muscle screamed for respite and truthfully, Tinyclaw just didn't care about Darkstripe.

Darkstripe led the way back, with Longtail behind Tinyclaw. As they left the roaring river behind them and entered the forest again, Tinyclaw felt his mind well up with suspicion. Darkstripe had been the cat to order Tinyclaw onto the branch – Tinyclaw, not Longtail, who just as easily could have done it. Not only that, but Bluefur had selected him for this patrol… and then suggested Tinyclaw go as well.

Adding to the fact that Darkstripe had been told to try and kill Tinyclaw before, during the battle in WindClan's camp, led Tinyclaw to suspecting that Darkstripe had somehow been responsible for Tinyclaw's little swim.

That worm was trying to drown me, no doubt! He thought. If it hadn't been for Longtail… Tinyclaw flicked his tail. I'm lucky that Longtail's all bark and no bite, elsewise I'd be seeing Redtail in StarClan right now…

He glanced at Darkstripe. The dark cat glanced back, his eyes filled with hatred. Tinyclaw smirked in satisfaction – Darkstripe had tried to kill him again, that was for sure. And he had failed.

Again.

Bluefur won't like that, Tinyclaw thought smugly. Let's see how much of your pelt remains after she's done with you this time…

The sunshine had dried Tinyclaw's pelt by the time the patrol had reached the camp. Though his pelt was dry, Tinyclaw wanted nothing more than to curl up and sleep for a moon – yet he had a feeling that wouldn't be possible as they padded through the thorn tunnel and into camp.

"Tinyclaw!" Sandstorm mewed. Tinyclaw spotted her across camp, her pale fur rising with worry and her green eyes wide. She padded up to him. "What happened?"

"He took a swim," Darkstripe grunted, before Tinyclaw could reply. Sandstorm looked between Darkstripe and Tinyclaw, but said nothing. Darkstripe growled, "We need to report to Tigerstar."

Darkstripe and Longtail padded off, not waiting for Tinyclaw. Sandstorm, thankfully, used herself to help Tinyclaw get to Tigerstar, who was lying just beneath the Highrock. Her warmth flooded through him, giving him the strength to pad on, and he was grateful for her help.

"Well?" Tigerstar wondered, his eyes alert. "Did you find anything, anywhere?"

Darkstripe shook his head. "There's no place we can cross," he replied. "The water's too high."

Tigerstar looked at them in disbelief. "We must attend the Gathering!" Tigerstar growled. "You must have found something!"

Darkstripe sighed, and then recounted Tinyclaw's adventure with the tree and the water. He finished, "He nearly died for it, but at least he tried."

Sandstorm looked at Tinyclaw, concerned – but she simply gave his ear a lick rather than saying anything. Tinyclaw just wanted the meeting done with so he could sleep – no one would believe him if he said that Darkstripe had practically forced him onto the branch.

"It was brave, then," Tigerstar decided, looking at Tinyclaw. "But foolish – and you need to be more careful. Tinyclaw, go see Yellowfang."

Tinyclaw opened his jaws, but he had a feeling that it was an order. He closed them, nodded, and slunk his way to the fern tunnel. Sandstorm did not follow, and Tinyclaw didn't want her to anyway. She didn't need to see him like this.

The medicine clearing was empty, but when he let out a mew Yellowfang appeared. Her orange eyes widened and she let out a mew of shock. She padded out of the gap in the rock and gave Tinyclaw a once-over.

"Did you have a bad time with the river?" she wondered.

Tinyclaw sat on his haunches. "Yes," he breathed. He didn't want to get into it too much – he was too tired to care now. Brackenpaw padded out of the rock and his eyes widened at his former mentor's condition.

"Right," Yellowfang grunted. She sniffed his side and then meowed, "Well… you're a healthy cat so you probably won't take a chill…" She turned to Brackenpaw. "Brackenpaw," she asked, "what do we do when a cat gets a soaking?"

Brackenpaw's eyes lit up and he meowed, "Poor breathing, sickness, fever, and leeches in the fur."

Yellowfang nodded. She mewed, "Get to it, then."

Brackenpaw got to his paws and limped over to Tinyclaw. He began poking, prodding, sniffing at Tinyclaw's side and fur, all while asking questions: "Feel sick?" and "Any pain in your chest?" and "Feel lightheaded, or too wobbly to move?"

Tinyclaw answered no to all of the above. "I'm just really tired," he admitted.

Brackenpaw turned to Yellowfang. "I think he's fine," he reported. "Do you want to check him over?"

Yellowfang's eyes sparkled, and she let out a throaty purr. "All right, Tinyclaw – you can go get some rest. Just don't go jumping into any more rivers, eh?"

Tinyclaw nodded – but Brackenpaw took a step forward and meowed, stunned, "Aren't you going to check him over? See if I missed something, or screwed up somewhere?"

"Nope," Yellowfang purred. "I trust you, Brackenpaw." She stood and gave a nice, long stretch before continuing: "I know you still aren't sure what you want to do, but I just want to say that I've seen so many mouse-brained cats in my time that it's nice to meet someone with some sense. Whatever you think, you've learned quickly… and you're good with the sick and hurt."

Brackenpaw's tail twitched. "Yellowfang…" he breathed.

Yellowfang sighed. "You know that I've been looking for an apprentice, Brackenpaw, and that I've asked you before… but now I really want to know. How do you feel about becoming ThunderClan's next medicine cat?"

Brackenpaw was stunned silent. He looked between Yellowfang and Tinyclaw, his eyes wide. For a moment, Tinyclaw wondered if he was going to say no – but Tinyclaw knew from Brackenpaw's last attempt that hunting and fighting just weren't coming to him as easily as they had before. Deep down, Tinyclaw knew that Brackenpaw wanted to be a medicine cat.

"Do you…" Brackenpaw mewed, "do you really mean it?"

Yellowfang nodded.

"Then yes," Brackenpaw decided. He got to his paws. "Yes. Of course!"

"There's no going back," Yellowfang warned. "Are you sure?"

Brackenpaw's whiskers twitched. "I tried training again – tried being a warrior. I know it's not my leg that's stopping me, but staying with you has made me love what you do, Yellowfang. Herbs, their uses, caring for others… I… I think StarClan wants this for me. If that's what they want, and I feel it's what I want, then yes, Yellowfang – I am sure."

Tinyclaw's heart felt light. Yellowfang touched her nose to Brackenpaw's, and Tinyclaw could hear her rusty purr. She was just as happy as Tinyclaw to see that Brackenpaw had finally decided what was best for him – and with all that Brackenpaw had been through, he deserved this.

He left them to their moment, heading for the warrior's den. Sandstorm was waiting for him, prey between her paws. They shared their meal and settled into the warrior's den together, pressed close to warmth. Tinyclaw slept well and warmly - and when he woke the sun cast red streaks across the sky.

"Tigerstar's called a meeting," Graystripe meowed, a paw on Tinyclaw's shoulder. "Come on."

Tinyclaw nodded and gave Sandstorm a prod. The pale she-cat unwound herself, and together the three of them padded across the clearing. Tigerstar was standing atop the Highrock, Yellowfang and Brackenpaw beneath his shadow. The meeting had already started, but Tinyclaw, Graystripe, and Sandstorm settled down for the best part:

"I am not a young cat," Yellowfang announced to the crowd. "I have decided that it's time I chose an apprentice – and so I've chosen the only cat I can put up with, and the only cat who can put up with me: Brackenpaw will be your next medicine cat."

The Clan let out joyous cheers. Tigerstar silenced them with a flick of his tail before asking Brackenpaw, "Is it your wish to enter into the world of a medicine cat as Yellowfang's apprentice?"

"Yes, Tigerstar," Brackenpaw replied.

"Then at the half-moon you will go to Mothermouth," Tigerstar decided. "There you will see StarClan, speak with them, and become Yellowfang's official apprentice."

Yellowfang stepped forward and touched noses with Brackenpaw. The Clan cheered: "Brackenpaw! Brackenpaw!"

As the Clan gathered close, Cinderpaw surged forward and pressed against her brother, beaming with pride. Thornpaw and Swiftpaw followed, chatting happily with their kin. Even Bluefur came forward and touched her nose to Brackenpaw – possibly grateful for his help during her kitting. It was clear that Brackenpaw was a good, popular choice for this position, and there seemed to be no hard feelings.

Tinyclaw hung back, watching his apprentice being congratulated. He would approach, but later on. While he watched, however, he wished his own problems could be solved so easily…