WINTERGAZE'S LIFE

Chapter 12

Winterpaw looked at Smokeleaf and then nodded. Winterpaw grabbed goosegrass in one side of her jaw, cobweb on the other.

Smokeleaf nodded. "Good! Those are both good to use." Smokeleaf purred, sitting back again.

Winterpaw smiled. She bent down and sniffed the wound. She then began to apply the goosegrass on his long wound, after she had a free spot in her mouth he mewed. "There's no infection in the wound, so I don't need to use chervil root."

Smokeleaf purred and nodded. "Yes, but there's still one more herb you need before wrapping around the cobweb. Do you know what that is?"

Winterpaw thought for a moment. "Tormentil?" She mewed, not sure of herself.

"Close." Smokeleaf responded, "you would use goldenrod. Though they are sort of for the same thing, goldenrod works better."

Winterpaw nodded. "Okay." She mewed between the cobweb, getting up to her paws and grabbing goldenrod in her jaw. She turned back to Crimsonpaw and placed the goldenrod poultice, after appliance, she wrapped around Crimsonpaw's whole torso around with cobweb.

Crimsonpaw let out a whimper and twitched, then after the herbs soothed his wound, he sighed and closed his eyes again, fur rising and falling as he slept.

Smokeleaf looked at Winterpaw approvingly. "You did well. You are thirteen moons, correct? I reckon just two more moons and you will earn your medicine cat name." She purred.

Winterpaw's eyes shone. "Really?!" Her fur fluffed up in excitement. A few sticks sticking into her large tail. She felt Coalpaw's eyes boring into her fur. Winterpaw turned to look at Coalpaw, then Smokeleaf. "What about Coalpaw?"

"Coalpaw is exceptional for just a 12 moon cat, but a few more moons of experience never hurt any cat." She smiled, looking at Coalpaw and giving her apprentice a nod.

Coalpaw looked at her with big wide eyes, she gave a little soft smile. Her tail twitching back and forth as she slightly fixed her posture and bunched her shoulders. A proud face on Coalpaw.

Winterpaw gave an approving smile at Coalpaw then looked at the sky. "Moonhigh is on its way now, should we get going?"

Smokeleaf gave it some thought then nodded. "Alright, just let's clean up our pelts first."

Winterpaw nodded and bent her head over, drawing her tongue over her shoulder-blades. She stretched to attempt to get that hard-to-reach spot. Getting up after and twisting her head forward as if in attack pose to clean out her tail. Plucking twigs and leaves out of it.

Smokeleaf had itched behind her ear, a fat tick sticking under it.

Winterpaw's ears gave a flick. "Do you want to me to help you?" She stood up and collected mouse bile. Her nose wrinkling as the scent overwhelmed her.

Smokeleaf nodded at her, turning her head to expose the tick, lifting up her right hing-leg and cleaning between her paw-pads.

Winterpaw walked forward and rubbed the mouse-bile behind her ear. Feeling Smokeleaf's fur relax as the tick fell off. She crushed it with her paw and washed them in the puddle sitting in a hollow in the medicine den.

"Alright, let's go." Smokeleaf purred, getting up on her grey paws as her flat ears gave a flick.

Coalpaw got up and followed behind Winterpaw, in the deepest of shadows, her eyes wide as she crouched close to the ground, looking around and avoiding other cats as much as possible.

Winterpaw had excitement shimmering in her eyes as she walked forward, she couldn't believe it! She'll be a full medicine cat in 2 more moons!

Smokeleaf had stopped as they reached the Windclan border.

Emeraldheart was approaching her with Wrenpaw beside her, holding a squirrel in his mouth.

Winterpaw tipped her head, why did Wrenpaw have fresh-kill? She waved her tail at him in hello as he approached.

He dropped the squirrel on the ground. "Surprised I found this guy on Windclan!" He purred "I caught it!"

Smokeleaf stared at him in question. "What? Medicine cat's don't hunt.."

Wrenpaw frowned. "They don't!? Awh man!" He stomped and stared at it. "I'll just bury this then." He dug under and dropped the squirrel, digging dirt over it.

Smokeleaf shook her head and smiled. "I think you'd make a better warrior."

Wrenpaw was silent for a moment. Murmuring to himself. "Maybe..."

Emeraldheart looked at Wrenpaw and gave a flick of her tail with a frown.

Smokeleaf broke the tension quickly. "Let's get on to the Moonstone."

Winterpaw's fur fluffed in excitement as she raced across the vibrant grass, grass folding down as she stepped on it, slipping on a pile of mud and rolling forward, mud on her muzzle. She got up and shook her fur. "Bleh!" Reaching up her paw and taking all of the mud off of it.

Smokeleaf appeared and giggled, chuckling. Emeraldheart and Wrenpaw appeared after them.

Honeygaze and Beebuzz had appeared, Frecklepool and Monarchpaw following quickly after.

Smokeleaf nodded to them all. After greetings she mewed. "Shall we head into the Mothermouth?"

They all nodded and Emeraldheart headed in first, her whiskers touching the sides. The tunnel swallowing her.

Winterpaw followed after Smokeleaf, she had grown used to the Mothermouth, figuring out how to get to the Moonstone. Her paws leading her down as she go deep into the belly of the tunnel. The blue light shining from the stones opening up to her. She squinted her eyes as the Moonstone blinded her.

She walked forward and bent her muzzle to the stone, swirling into sleep.

She woke up, looking at the other medicine cats and getting up with them. She stared at Smokeleaf and Coalpaw and followed them both, Coalpaw lagging behind to stay away.

Exiting from the Mothermouth she yawned, wanting to just curl back up in her nest.

She dipped her head to the medicine cats, being respectful as her fur was flat in the cold night.

She walked through the tall grass of Windclan as she headed back, grateful to have her paws back on the pine forest as she entered.

Entering into the Shadowclan camp she walked through the grass and into the apprentice's den, curling up into her den and placing her tail over her nose. Closing her eyes and drifting into much-needed sleep.