Bloodflower

Chapter 13

Dawnpaw paced worriedly outside the medicine den, her ears pricked to catch any sounds of the returning battle patrol. Her thoughts returned again and again to her sister, and she prayed to StarClan that Rosepaw would come home safely. I don't know what I would do without her...

Grayleaf's voice broke into her thoughts. "You should be in the den, making yourself useful," the old she-cat rasped. "Pacing won't make the patrol come back faster."

"I'm really worried about Rosepaw," Dawnpaw admitted. "What if she gets badly hurt? Or what if anyone in the patrol is injured?" she gasped. "Quickstorm! He's part of the—"

"Worrying your fur off isn't going to help," Grayleaf interrupted briskly. "If the patrol come back injured, then we have the herbs we need to heal them. That is, if you'll come inside and help me get them ready!"

Dawnpaw's mentor whisked around and back into the den. With a sigh, she followed behind her.

Grayleaf stood in front of a row of herbs. After a moment, Dawnpaw named them: "Marigold, comfrey, dock, horsetail, and poppy seed."

"That's right." Grayleaf glanced back at the herb store. "Do you think we're missing anything important? My memory isn't as good as it used to be."

"Perhaps we should have some feverfew or lavender as well," Dawnpaw suggested. "Just in case the injured cats develop fevers from their wounds."

"Good idea," Grayleaf mewed, blinking at her apprentice. "Anything else?"

"Umm..." Dawnpaw thought hard for anything else they could be missing. "Do we have any goldenrod?"

Grayleaf shook her head. "I used up the last of my stocks moons ago. Goldenrod only grows during leaf-fall."

"Oh, okay. Then I think we have everything we need." Dawnpaw sniffed the herbs laid out, and nodded.

"I'll go check the store," Grayleaf meowed. "I think I've got some feverfew around here somewhere..."

As her mentor padded away, Dawnpaw thought once again of the battle patrol. Two of the only three kin she had were on that patrol. She could not bring herself to imagine what it would be like for her—for the whole Clan—to lose them.

StarClan, please bring them home safe, she begged silently.

She decided to find something, anything, to do. Anything that would keep her busy, and keep her thoughts off the fight that was certainly happening out in the forest.

Maybe the elders need something. She trotted over to the elders' den at the edge of camp.
Inside, Fernstripe and Brokenstem were sharing tongues, while Ashwhisker snored in her nest.

Brokenstem glanced up as Dawnpaw entered. "Hello, Dawnpaw," he meowed.

"Hi, Brokenstem. Just checking in."

"Ah, we don't need anything for now." Brokenstem glanced at Ashwhisker's sleeping form, and his ears twitched. "Rosepaw and Nightpaw brought in plenty of prey earlier. Ashwhisker ate most of it, but we had our fill too."

Ashwhisker opened one yellow eye. "Someone say my name?" she muttered groggily.

"You can go back to napping, Ashwhisker," Fernstripe meowed.

Ashwhisker mumbled something incoherent and closed her eye.

Suddenly Dawnpaw thought of something. "I have a question," she began, settling into a crouch. "Did you ever have siblings that went into battle?"

Fernstripe blinked, her eyes clouding thoughtfully. "I had a brother named Quailflight," she rasped. "He was the fastest runner in all of SunClan."