WITHERING HERBS || A Warriors Fanfiction

|| chapter eleven

"Owlpaw, get up. We're speaking now."

What in StarClan's name is going on?

Owlpaw had gone to sleep in his den right after the meeting, not wanting to be punished or talked to. He had slept for a little while, up until right now. Blinking away tiredness from his golden eyes, he sat up, smoothing down tufts of unruly fur.

"Sedgestorm?" He murmured.

"Yes, it's me," his mentor snapped, "now wake up. We need to talk."

The apprentice growled, irritated. "I don't want to. I'm tired and don't feel like being yelled at."

"That's too bad!" Sedgestorm hissed back, his ears flattening. "I've been awake for the last two hours because of Hazelberry and Stonestar's talking. They're practically screeching."

Owlpaw almost said that he didn't care, but he forced his bristling neck fur down and he licked his paw, drawing it over his ear a few times.

"Okay, fine, scold me."

Sedgestorm didn't pay attention to his sarcastic remark.

"What do you think made it okay to do that? Hazelberry is right. You are an apprentice and should never object a superior's words, even if you do not agree. Especially in the middle of a Clan meeting. Your opinion is valued, for you are our only apprentice, but you cannot put yourself above the medicine cat-"

"I wasn't putting myself above her," Owlpaw interrupted, fury building up in him. Did he really have to be scolded again? He already knew the whole 'don't disrespect your elders' spiel. "She cannot blame whoever was sick for the death of Ashkit and Maplekit! In fact, she could easily be blamed. She was the one taking care of them. As the medicine cat, she should be able to heal them!"

Sedgestorm growled, "You know that she is working to find a cure. Do not doubt her abilities. StarClan should be sending a sign soon." The older warrior sighed, resigned. "Come. Since you cannot seem to behave yourself, we're going to hunt and patrol the borders."

Owlpaw could feel it. The forceful, furious thunderstorm building up in the dark, brooding clouds above him. It had been raining angrily, dropping cold rain on his pelt as he spoke, but now it rumbled with foreboding. He shoved the clouds away, getting up and leaving the den as quick as a flash.

He headed out of camp as quick as he'd left the den, his tail lashing as real clouds above floated across the darkening sky. It was quite early for a storm, and the apprentice guessed the majority of the Clan would be awake soon. He scented the air and caught Hazelberry's fresh scent. She'd probably gone out for some herbs.

In his pause, Sedgestorm had caught up to him. The tom took the lead, heading for the PineClan border. It reminded him of the... prey incident, that he'd never told anyone about. Deciding now was not the time, he followed his mentor.

Rain started to fall, first plinking lightly on the ground beneath their thumping paws. It soon turned to colder, bigger drops, and the clouds above growled. Owlpaw was surprised it wasn't snowing. It was definitely cold enough, with nearly everyone shivering as the numbing sir swirled around them. But, for now, it rained. Hard.

•~•~•~•

Owlpaw held a rabbit in his jaws, his mentor following, a mouse and a hare in his mouth.

Entering the camp, the apprentice dropped off the now-soaking prey. The rain hadn't let up when they had gone out. In fact, it had gotten worse. The shivering droplets of water continued to pour down on the territories, and the clouds growled angrily above their heads. Their pelts dripped with the numbing water. The prey was soaked, and as they spotted the prey pile, they saw nothing. There was no prey.

Owlpaw glanced over at the nursery and spotted it collapsed. The strong sticks that held together the woven grasses had fallen. His golden eyes widened. Just the nursery had fallen. That's... strange.

"Woah! Did anyone notice the nursery?" Sedgestorm pointed with his tail at the fallen structure.

"I just saw it," Owlpaw meowed, his voice muffled by the prey.

Sedgestorm asserted, "Let's go drop this off in the medicine cat den so it stays dry and then we'll go check the nursery out." He padded over to the medicine cat's den, dropping off his two prey, and his apprentice soon followed. They went back over to the nursery, curiously observing it.

"It... it literally just fell." Sedgestorm and Owlpaw picked around the edges.

"A branch fell." The dark brown tom noticed, spotting a broken branch that had fallen and probably caused the whole den to collapse. "I'm guessing it was a main supporting branch of the den, and since it fell, the whole den... just fell."

Sedgestorm muttered something under his breath that sounded like "or it could be an omen..." but he turned around, heading back to the medicine cat den. "Dismissed," he called over his shoulder to his apprentice.

Owlpaw, with a flick of his tail, decided he'd go tell Stonestar about the PineClan incident. Ever since it'd happened, he hadn't told anyone. He kept reminding himself to tell someone after he was finished with whatever he was doing, but he'd never done it. He guessed the she-cat he'd met there had told her leader by now and probably planned to mention it at the Gathering, which was now in three days.

He couldn't help but be happy for the Gathering. Hopefully, it wouldn't be raining when it occurred. He'd been told stories of cats catching chills during Gatherings because it'd be raining. He guessed it would probably raining anyway. Wondering briefly if Whitepaw would be there, he remembered the last time he'd seen her. She'd been coughing, almost like she had the awful sickness.

The apprentice, lost in his thoughts, had completely forgotten about the PineClan incident. He didn't tell anyone that day, either. Padding back into his nest, he attempted to lick himself dry. His pelt was still dripping, causing his nest to be soaking. In his moons of changing moss and bringing moss to sick cats, he'd picked up that wet moss caused aching joints.

He definitely didn't want that. Grooming his pelt slowly, he felt the drops of water enter his mouth as he washed himself. With a disgusted ear flick, he continued to groom himself. If the rain would be entering his den through the ceiling...

It didn't work. His pelt was still pretty soaked, and so was his nest. He fell asleep, after tossing and turning, droplets of water splattering all over.