Warriors: Rising Storm #1: Robin's Call

Chapter 3

Shadepaw nodded, trying to let her head capture the information. A bright flare of orange caught her attention. "Woah!" Shadepaw exclaimed. "What flower is this?"

Addertail rolled her eyes and walked over to her. "That is marigold," Addertail said, flicking an ear. "It's good for stopping infection and bleeding," she said, picking up the plant with a hooked claw.

Suddenly Bramblepelt burst into the den. "Addertail, it hurts!" He complained, limping to the medicine cat.

Addertail sat down crossly. "Great StarClan," Shadepaw heard her growl under her breath. "What is it now?"

Bramblepelt lifted a paw, revealing a giant thorn. 

"Oh, please!" Addertail scoffed at the sight. "It's not even that big." She began lapping at the tom's paw.

Shadepaw watched with interest.

"Go get some moss and soak it in the puddle," Addertail said between laps.

Shadepaw looked over to where the moss was and dipped it in the puddle, soaking it. She placed it down.

"Now, go get some chervil and marigold and chew them into separate poultices."

Shadepaw stared at her mentor, wide-eyed.  Her mind whirled. "What's chervil?"

A hiss came from the tabby warrior. "I don't want the wrong herbs."

"It's shaped like a fern with small white flowers," Addertail replied.

Shadepaw searched frantically through the herbs. Suddenly a plant with little white flowers caught her eye. She took the plant in her teeth and rushed over to Addertail.

Addertail blinked then walked over to the herb store. "That's yarrow, I need chervil," she said walking up to a plant. "This is chervil." The plant had less flowers, and they were smaller. Addertail walked back over to the complaining tom. "Now chew the marigold and chervil in a separate poultice."

Shadepaw wanted to disappear in the ground and be alone, but she obeyed her mentor. She chewed up the chervil and went over to the bright marigold.

"Now put those on Bramblepelt's wound, I already cleaned it and took the thorn out,"  Addertail instructed.

Shadepaw did as she was told and placed the poultices on the small hole where the thorn was.

Addertail pushed cobwebs over to Shadepaw. "Now wrap it with cobwebs."

Shadepaw obeyed and slowly wrapped Bramblepelt's paw with cobwebs.

The medicine cat turned to Bramblepelt. "You should be healed tomorrow," she purred cheerfully. "Just try staying off the paw, and don't step on anymore thorns!" 

Shadepaw watched as the warrior left, then she heard a snort of amusement.

"Warriors think they're so mighty, but they can't even stand when a thorn gets in their paw!" Addertail broke out laughing. "I know I get scratched up all the time, but there's a thorn in my paw!" She mocked.

Shadepaw purred at her mentor's sense of humor. "You can only tell if a cat's a true warrior if they don't complain when there's a thorn in their paw!" she joined in, her whiskers twitching.

Addertail's tail tip touched Shadepaw's shoulder. "I can tell," she started, her eyes glowing, "I can tell that we will make a great team."

For the first time since she was born, Shadepaw felt like she had a reason to live.

Addertail's fluffy tail disappeared from her shoulder. "Go get some fresh-kill, you must be hungry," she instructed, heading towards the den entrance. "I'm going to collect some more horsetail."