Warriors: The Fading Light ~Series 1 Book 5~

Chapter 15

Clearlight's POV:

Clearlight was on guard duty to watch over Whitetail incase the seriously injured tom needed anything. Bumblestrike and Mousenose were going to do guard at night.

Clearlight sat outside the entrance to the nursery. The whole camp was silent. Everyone was either on patrol or resting in their dens. Nutwhisker had just left to the Starcave with Watersplash and Shinepaw.

Since Silverstar and Stormflame came down with Whitecough, everyone seemed quiet and unsure what to do. It is quite scary, Clearlight reflected, When both your leader and deputy are sick with a potentially deadly sickness.

Clearlight heard Whitetail shift in his nest and he peeked inside to see his kit's eyes were wide with pain. Clearlight stepped inside and meowed, "Are you okay?"

Whitetail looked up at Clearlight with a wince and whispered to his father, "I'm thirsty."

Clearlight nodded and darted out of the den again. He picked up the moss that lay beside him and trotted out into the forest. He had known Whitetail would ask for water at some point so he had picked up some fresh moss from the forest and placed it beside the den entrance. He trotted towards the river that ran just over the border and dipped the moss in, soaking it. Then he turned around, with the wet moss in his jaws, and trotted back to camp.

He made it back quickly and padded inside the nursery. Whitetail was silent and still. Clearlight bent down and meowed, "Whitetail..?"

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Nutwhisker's POV:

"Welcome to the Starcave." Nutwhisker purred as they arrived at the mouth of the cave that lay far beyond the Magiclan border. It seemed Lightclan were the first ones their because their were no Magiclan scents. Usually, Magiclan arrived first because they were the closest but there was no Magiclan scent anywhere.

Watersplash seemed to be reading Nutwhisker's thoughts because she whispered, "Perhaps Magiclan doesn't have a medicine cat yet."

"I don't know, it seems weird that no one of Magiclan has arrived.." Nutwhisker was distracted by Shinepaw. His apprentice bounded to the mouth of the cave and peeked inside.

"It's dark in there." She meowed, her voice echoing down the tunnel that led to the underground waterfall where they shared dreams with Starclan. "When do we go in?"

"When Monsterclan's medicine cats arrive." Nutwhisker replied and turned around to see two cats running across the moorland towards them.

It was Stripeleaf and Jaypool. The two toms approached Nutwhisker, Watersplash and Shinepaw with soft smiles. "Greetings Nutwhisker," meowed Jaypool, "Is this your new apprentice?"

"Yes," Nutwhisker smiled proudly at the silver tabby tom. He and Jaypool had been made medicine cat apprentices at roughly the same time and they had made a strong friendship over the moons. Stripeleaf went to talk to Watersplash, the two old medicine cats knew eachother well.

Shinepaw trotted up to Jaypool, "Hi! I'm Shinepaw!"

"Hello Shinepaw, my name is Jaypool. Nice to meet you." Jaypool purred at the excited young apprentice and turned back to Nutwhisker. "How long has she been your apprentice?"

"Since this morning." Nutwhisker meowed with a proud flick of his tail, "She already knows so much though. She is a very fast learner. She is also a perfect hunter and good fighter; she used to be a warrior apprentice."

"Ah, I see. It's always tough to change from a warrior apprentice to a medicine cat apprentice. How are you coping?" He asked Shinepaw.

"It's really fun!" Shinepaw grinned and blinked her shining eyes happily. "I can't wait to meet Starclan."