WITHERING HERBS || A Warriors Fanfiction

|| chapter ten

Cold air swirled inside of MudClan's camp as Flintpath and Sedgestorm exited the warrior's den. Stonestar sat on top of the highrock, patiently waiting for his Clan to gather. Beneath him, Hazelberry hurriedly groomed her fur.

Owlpaw sat near the center of the clearing, his eyes glittering curiously. What could this be about? The answer pricked at the back of his mind, but he pushed it away, curling his tail over his paws. Flintpath and Sedgestorm sat near each other, heads lowered, whispering softly. They stopped a moment later, both returning their gazes to their leader.

"Where is Heronleap?" Stonestar queried.

As if a StarClan cat had told Heronleap he needed to be at camp, he padded into camp with two hares. Owlpaw knew they were the ones he tried to catch.

"I found him." Owlpaw muttered, quiet enough for only him to hear. Heronleap's eyes widened briefly, but he skirted to the prey pile, swiftly dropping his catches, and sitting down near the apprentice.

"Hazelberry would like to tell you all something." Stonestar mewed, standing up and stepping back. Hazelberry, lashing her tail, jumped onto the highrock. She didn't sit down, her tortoiseshell fur slightly raised.

"Ashkit and Maplekit are dead."

The numbing air that clung to the pelts of the MudClan cats seemed to grow colder and colder by the moment. The sky seemed to become drearier, a paler, warmthless blue, and it appeared that the sun just didn't want to shed useless light onto the camp anymore.

Dark, brooding clouds briefly skirted through the sky, spritzing the camp with little droplets of rain as the cats still were dead silent. Not a word escaped anyone's mouth, however Heronleap's head was lowered and anyone could tell he was upset. Small, soft, and sad-sounding whimpers came from the tom.

"They caught the sickness and they couldn't.. couldn't... fight it... I don't know who's sick in the Clan, or who caught it, but whoever it is," her eyes narrowed. "You killed those kits."

"What?! You can't do that! That's not fair!" Owlpaw heard an outraged exclamation. Then, he realized, he had said it.

Hazelberry looked at him with sharp eyes, and Sedgestorm turned to the apprentice with disappointment glittering in his tired eyes.

"Whoever it was killed these kits!" She repeated, a hiss escaping her.

Owlpaw stood up, his fur bristling. This wasn't allowed.

"Hazelberry, I know you're-"

She cut him off furiously. "You are not a warrior! Do not speak like that to me! You are not allowed to talk as if you are equal to your elders!"

"Hazelberry," Stonestar warned.

"Yes, Stonestar?" She whipped around.

"You are not to speak to the only apprentice in the Clan like that. He has to survive like the rest of us. I know you're upset about the kits, but it isn't anyone's fault. Besides... well, I have another thing to talk about."

Sedgestorm stalked behind the crowd and pulled Owlpaw aside.

"That was unacceptable and unnecessary!" He hissed softly. "Although it wasn't necessary to blame the cat who's sick, you had no reason to do that-"

"But she cannot blame that cat!"

"Owlpaw!" The warrior glared daggers at him. "We will discuss this later. That behavior was unacceptable. Go sit down. Now."

Owlpaw stalked back over, anger boiling in his body. It is unfair to blame someone who was sick for the death of the kits! Hazelberry should be blamed. She couldn't save them. She was the one taking care of them. The only one. Maybe she was the one who got them sick. He thought, and heard a distasteful hiss from Hazelberry.

And now I'm was the one getting yelled at? I'm was the youngest in the Clan. Hazelberry got a little bit of scolding, but not as much as I did! I think the the whole Clan thinks I'm just "another apprentice", so they can belittle me all they want. But that's not fair! I work just as hard as else, if not even more, and I train - still! - with Sedgestorm, even though I'm just about warrior age! He fumed to himself.

And then Sedgestorm pulled me over and started to scold me! And he said we'll have to talk later?! He already scolded me enough, and Hazelberry chimed in on that one! Everyone was watching! I bet when Hazelberry was an apprentice that didn't happen. I bet she was a perfect, kind, lovely apprentice who helped all the cats of the Clan. She always tended to the queens and kits, and replaced the elder's bedding.

He thought sarcastically to himself. Sitting down, he curled his bristling tail over his paws, looking up at Stonestar with concealed golden eyes. Owlpaw felt like the dark, brooding clouds from earlier were hanging over him, pouring down rain and continually getting rainier and darker by the moment as he got punished more and more. The plain gray leader began to speak.

"As you know, the Gathering will be soon, and I must leave one cat behind to guard camp in case anything happens. Is there any volunteers?"

I bet they'll make me stay if nobody volunteers because of what I did, he though irritably. Heronleap lifted up his head, which had been lowered. His eyes were red and his ears were flattened. He seemed to know what Owlpaw was thinking.

"I.. will, if nobody else will.. stay..."

Owlpaw thought, just for a second, he'd volunteer to stay. Then he remembered that Whitepaw would be at the Gathering, and the thought disintegrated like sand in water.

Nobody spoke, though Flintpath gently placed his tail on Heronleap's shoulder.

"Okay, then its settled." Stonestar announced, "Myself, Hazelberry, Flintpath, Sedgestorm, and Owlpaw will attend the Gathering. It will occur in four days. Get plenty of sleep the day of. We cannot be late." He paused, and he leaped off the highrock, his tail lashing as he whipped around and faced Hazelberry. He whispered something to her under his breath, to which she nodded.

"Clan dismissed."