Up Until Now: A Warrior Cat FanFic

Chapter Six*

Eaglepaw's POV

"And what does tansy do, Eaglepaw?" Willowfur asked, his green eyes blinking at me with questioning.

"The leaves can be chewed to relieve joint aches for the elders," I responded, "and the flowers themselves can be used to help with coughs that haven't exceeded to becoming whitecough."

"Good," Willowfur mewed, his voice level. "And what about dock leaves?"

"You chew the leaf up and apply it to scratches to soothe them."

We were sitting in the medicine cat den around mid-day of the half-moon, and Willowfur was quizzing me about all the different herbs I had learned about in my few days as a medicine cat apprentice. I was doing really well, and I knew most of the herbs, although I was still sure that there were so many more that I hadn't learned about yet.

"Alright, good job. I think it's time we head out to the Moonstone. It's going to take us a while to get there."

I jumped up at that, and then sat back down awkwardly. "Sorry," I mumbled.

Willowfur didn't look too upset. Instead, he purred contently. "It's alright, Eaglepaw. You're excited for your first trip to the Moonstone. I remember my first trip with Sweetsong..." He trailed off while he looked into the distance. I let him think for a bit, before clearing my throat.

"Oh, right sorry. I was just thinking of when I was younger." He let out a haughty laugh. "Let's get going, shall we?"

I nodded my head. Willowfur got up, and we left the medicine cat den. On our way out, we ran into Hardstar.

"Off to Highstones?" he asked.

"Yes. It's time for Eaglepaw to be introduced properly as a medicine cat," Willowfur replied.

"Alright then," Hardstar replied. He came over to me, and gave me a gentle lick on my forehead. "Good luck, Eaglepaw. May StarClan be with you, always."

I nodded my head, and let out a purr. "It's not like I'm going away, Hardstar. We'll be back around sunhigh tomorrow."

Hardstar's eyes looked pained though, and I could understand why. I was his son. And now that it was becoming obvious that I was becoming a medicine cat, now that my path was becoming set, it was difficult for him to accept. I was a medicine cat apprentice now. I would be more connected with StarClan than any other cat in the Clan. I would walk a path so different to the one Hardstar, my father, had walked. And that was hard for him to fully understand.

"I'll be alright, I really will," I tried to reassure him. I hoped it worked, because he just gave us a brisk nod to Willowfur and I before walking off.

"It'll be okay," Willowfur spoke. He must've sensed my worry for my father. "He'll come around to appreciating that you're a medicine cat once he needs to be treated well. It's just a little hard for most cats to understand the path of the medicine cat."

I knew what he meant, so I nodded my head.

We left the camp then, and made our way to Four Trees. I'd been here a couple times with Willowfur to pick some herbs. This was a place of peace, and if there were herbs that grew here and were valuable, any cat from any Clan could pick them. It was where we would gather every full moon for the Gatherings, and where everything was sacred. Clan rivalries stopped when we were all here.

Sitting near the Great Rock was a beautiful ginger tabby she-cat with her tail wrapped around her forepaws. Her eyes were closed, and she was perfectly still. I assumed she was ShadowClan, as she had a very pine-ish scent to her. I tried to be quiet, so not to disturb her, but I accidentally stepped on a stick, causing her eyes to flash open to reveal a brilliant shade of green.