Grasspaw swallowed, nervous to speak to Cloverstar. But then she glanced at the medicine den, and felt that same warm, familiar pull towards it, so keeping her sister's words in mind, she took a deep breath and walked into the leader's den.
The den was dim and cool, lit only by thin cracks of morning sunlight filtering through the bramble walls. Cloverstar was sitting near the back, her pale green eyes gentle yet sharp, studying Grasspaw the moment she entered. The air smelled faintly of pine sap, feathers, and something comforting—Cloverstar's scent, steady and calm, like a warm nest in leaf-bare.
"So, Grasspaw, what brings you here today? Is anything bothering you?" Cloverstar began in a warm, friendly tone that made some of Grasspaw's nervousness melt away.
Her tail twitched, paws suddenly feeling too big for her body. This was it. The moment she had been thinking about every night since becoming an apprentice. The moment she kept talking herself out of. The moment she feared would disappoint her mentor, her parents, the entire Clan.
"Cloverstar..." She began, but felt nervousness creep up in her throat, threatening to choke her. Cloverstar tilted her head slightly, encouraging, patient. Taking another deep breath, she said to Cloverstar, "I'd like to train as a medicine cat... from now on... with Thymeveil and Fablepaw... If I can, that is..." She stammered over her words, and she could hear the fear in her own voice, but there it was. She had said it. The words felt fragile and trembling, but they were out in the open now, no longer trapped behind her ribs.
She felt a weight be lifted off her chest, like those words had been weighing her down, getting a little heavier every day, and now they were gone. Her lungs suddenly felt full again, like she could finally breathe properly. Cloverstar didn't speak, but her gaze softened, and that alone gave Grasspaw the strength to not crumble on the spot.
Grasspaw's mind raced. Even if the answer would be no, she wouldn't have to live with the guilt and regret of not asking. Even if she would never cure even the slightest headache, she would know that it hadn't been an option. She imagined herself watching Thymeveil train other apprentices for seasons while she quietly wished she had said something when she had the chance. She imagined waking up every day to the scent of the medicine den drifting across camp and wondering "what if?" until she was an elder.
This was it. A moment that could turn her life around. Let her follow her passion, and almost certain destiny.
"I'm sorry, but..." Cloverstar began, and Grasspaw felt her dreams be crushed before her leader even finished her sentence. Her heart dropped somewhere near her paws, breath catching. "I don't know if Thymeveil is able to take on another apprentice. I will need to speak to him before I can confirm or deny your medicine apprenticeship."
Grasspaw blinked, stunned—relief flooding her so fast she wobbled on her paws. Not a no. Not even close to a no. A maybe. A chance. Hope once again filled Grasspaw's heart, bright and dizzying, thawing the fear that had frozen her from the inside.
She quickly bounded out of Cloverstar's den after thanking her very greatly, nearly tripping over her own paws in her hurry to escape before she burst into purrs like an overexcited kit.
She could be a medicine cat!
The thought rang through her mind like birdsong at dawn, like a breeze carrying the scent of herbs across camp. For once, the future didn't feel confusing or heavy or too big for her. It felt clear—just a pawstep away.
And for the first time since earning her apprentice name, Grasspaw felt like she was exactly where she was meant to be.
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Time and Thyme
FanfictionThey're running out of time. They need more thyme. Grasspaw never expected her future to change overnight. Becoming a medicine cat apprentice wasn't the path she was supposed to take-but it's the one her heart pulled her toward. Between the scent of...
