WINTERGAZE'S LIFE

Chapter 6

Winterpaw panted in exhaustion as she was halfway to the Moonstone, her paws felt heavy but she tried to keep up with Smokeleaf, they stopped by the Windclan border and she saw a large blue she-cat with large, glowing green eyes staring at them, a yellow and brown she-cat at her side, who didn't look happy. Winterpaw's ears flicked onto her skull, but Smokeleaf reassured her. "It's okay, that's windclan's medicine cats." The dark blue she walked closer as the younger she followed just behind, a glint of menace in her eyes. Winterpaw looked at her in distrust, but Smokeleaf turned to look at her. "Winterpaw, meet Emeraldheart." She mewed, turning her head to the blue she-cat and giving a dip of her head, Emeraldheart responded with nothing but just a flick of her tail. The yellow and brown cat jumped beside Emeraldheart. "I'm Leafpaw. You are?" She stared at Winterpaw with a blink. "Winterpaw, my name's Winterpaw." Leafpaw snorted. "Lame." She muttered under her breath, but loud enough for Winterpaw to hear. She frowned, shifting her paws against the grass in insecurity. Leafpaw raised her voice. "Why? Did a winterberry fall on you or something?" Winterpaw stiffened, her eyes flashing with hurt. Her name wasn't that bad. Smokeleaf turned her gaze to Winterpaw, a concerned look in her eyes. Emeraldheart stared at her paws, not saying a word. Leafpaw flicked her tail. "What? I just wanted to know." They dismissed the conversation and walked closer to the moonstone, Leafpaw shoved her in the side and spat at the grass right beside her. Winterpaw let out a quiet sniff of pain. Slowing down to lag behind the others as Leafpaw gladly went ahead of her, tail kinked over her head.

They had reached the Moonstone, Winterpaw spotted two she-cat's with sleek pelts, one smaller than the other. Waiting for them. "Hello Beebuzz, Honeypaw." Smokeleaf mewed, dipping her head in greeting. Beebuzz and Honeypaw did the same, Winterpaw looked at Honeypaw, she looked relieved and her fur was ruffled. A slight concern fluttered in her chest as her ears went back as she heard paw steps behind them. A black and white she alongside a calico tom approached the she-cats. It was Beebuzz that spoke. "Frecklepool! Monarchpaw! You two made it!" Winterpaw examined the two cats and assumed Monarchpaw would be the small tom next to Frecklepool. Frecklepool dipped her head and spoke. "Sorry we're late, Monarchpaw here had just finished sorting herbs and we lost track of time." Frecklepool purred. Beebuzz shrugged. "That's alright, come on, Starclan is waiting." With a swish of her tail, she turned and was entering a dark, hollow cave. Winterpaw looked up at Smokeleaf, her pelt itching with worry. Smokeleaf turned her head to look at her. "The dark cave is Mothermouth, I'll explain on the way back to camp, just stay close by to me because it's very dark in there." She set off towards Mothermouth and Winterpaw followed, pressing close to her flank.

Winterpaw bit back a shriek as she felt her paws lose balance as there was a dip down in the cave. She quickly got back up on her feet and felt her whiskers touch the cold stone, then a tail flicked her in the face. She scrunched up her face as she held back a sneeze, taking in the scent of the fur she recognised windclan scent and continued to follow that scent trail till she could see a rim of light. She recognised the cat now. Emeraldheart! Looking around as the cat's continued to walk down, she saw Smokeleaf looking at her amused, shaking her head. Winterpaw trotted up beside her in embarrassment. Smokeleaf whispered in her ear. "You're not the first whose done that." She purred and continued to walk forward. Winterpaw could see the she-cat clearer now and guessed that they were really close to the Moonstone. Her paws itched with excitement. But when they reached a huge, bright stone lit up by the stars. Her eyes shut as the light stunned her. Smokeleaf mewed. "Open your eyes, we're at the Moonstone." Winterpaw blinked her eyes open and squinted them. So that's the Moonstone! She looked up at the hole on the top, staring at the half-moon until she heard Smokeleaf's voice again. "Starclan," she began, "I bring you my apprentice, Winterpaw, I pray you accept her the same way you once accepted me." Smokeleaf closed her eyes, her head tilted to the sky. Then she opened her eyes and laid down beside the stone, the other medicine cats doing the same. Winterpaw copied her mentor and pressed her nose against the stone, feeling herself drift into sleep.

She opened her eyes to a green field and tilted her head in confusion, it was almost leaf-bare though? Winterpaw blinked in confusion until she saw a cat in front of her, they were starry and faded. She was in starclan! This must be a dream. It was a red she-cat with a pelt just like Dahliaheart's, with realisation, she gasped. "Scarletstar!" The leader nodded. "So you're Smokeleaf's apprentice." Winterpaw smiled. "Well she made a good choice, you've got a great life ahead of you, Winterpaw." Scarletstar stared across the starclan fields. "How about we go see a medicine cat, they'll know your path better." Winterpaw spotted a brown and white she-cat sunbathung. "Fawnheart!" Scarletstar called, Fawnheart lifted her head and trotted towards them. "This is Winterpaw, Smokeleaf's apprentice." Fawnheart looked at the apprentice and gave a smile. "Another medicine cat for shadowclan? Just what it needs." She dipped her head. "I can already see you've got quite the future ahead of you Winterpaw." Winterpaw was looking around and her eyes widened as she saw Soulstar, the two cats were following her gaze. "Oh, Winterpaw that's just Soulstar's lives, he can't see or hear us until he's truly joined the ranks of starclan," Scarletstar frowned. "He's only got two lives left..he'll be joining the ranks of starclan sooner than he knows it." Fawnheart looked at the former shadowclan leader sympathetically. "Paintstar is over there. He's got eight lives left so he's hardly visible." She pointed her muzzle. "We don't know about GoldStar and SparrowStar. But th-" her words were cut off by a nudge in the shoulder from Scarletstar. "It's almost Dawn." The two she-cats turned to look at Winterpaw. "We wish you luck as a medicine cat Winterpaw, we will be watching every paw step." Mewled Fawnheart as they both faded away and Winterpaw felt her eyes open as she looked at the other waking medicine cats. None of them said anything to each other so neither did she. Instead Winterpaw got up to follow Smokeleaf up the cave and back to camp. The medicine cats dipped their heads to one another in farewell.

Smokeleaf and Winterpaw had arrived back to camp, they had passed the Dawn patrol and now that they were back at camp all the warriors were already up, including the kits too. Winterpaw let out a yawn. Smokeleaf seemed to have notice because she mewed to her. "Go to your nest and get some rest, I'll be there soon." Winterpaw thankfully dipped her head and walked over to the medicine den, curling up as her tail fur brushed her paws. From the glimpse of her eye she saw the Dawn patrol had came back with tons of prey, she realised how hungry she was but sleep gaped at her like an angry badger. She closed her eyes and drifted into sleep.

Winterpaw woke up to see the Sunrise patrol leaving and realised she hadn't slept that long. She stretched and trotted out of her nest, surprised to see Smokeleaf wasn't there, she saw the medicine cat was talking to Owlfeather and she got closer to listen. Hearing the words. "By Sundown please. We're low on catmint and thyme and we need to get as much herbs as we can before Leaf-Bare." Owlfeather nodded. "I'll be sure to send out quite a few herb patrols this Newleaf." Smokeleaf nodded and walked off to grab fresh-kill. Trotting over to the medicine den and passing Winterpaw, giving her a nod. Winterpaw smiled at her then went to get some fresh-kill for herself, she picked out a toad and heard the yell of Autumnpaw. "Hey Winterpaw! That's my toad you're holding! I caught it!" Her brother purred and Winterpaw saw him sitting down with a frog at his paws, Winterpaw walked up to sit beside him and eat prey together. "I was on the Sunrise patrol! I caught something before Dappledpaw and Tansypaw!" Winterpaw nodded. "Nice job Autumnpaw! That's my brother!" Autumnpaw lifted his chin. "Yea, I guess I am pretty great." Winterpaw laughed. Taking a bite into her toad. "Well, I'm a real medicine apprentice now. My training starts tomorrow!" Autumnpaw smiled. "Yay! You'll be a medicine cat by the time I'm leader." Winterpaw smiled and finished off her toad. "Well, I'll be going now. I need to check the elders for ticks and to make sure the kits aren't sick." Autumnpaw nodded. "Goodluck, mouse bile is yuck!" He stuck out his tongue in disgust. Winterpaw purred in amusement as she went to the medicine den to collect mouse bile, picking up a stick on her way to collect the mouse bile with. She looked at her tail and realised how many sticks are already in it, the dust her tail picked up and sticks are just annoying. Winterpaw frowned and turned her head and kept on walking, once she got the mouse bile she turned tail to the elders den.