The Dawn of Night | A Warriors Fanfiction ✔

Chapter 6

"Who are you? Where am I?" Bluepaw asked the cats.

One of them replied, "I am Cocoapelt. I have been sent from StarClan. This is Horsetail, Orangekit, Cedarpaw, Adderstrike, and Drippingstar."

"Am-am I dead?" Bluepaw was horrified.

"No, you are simply in a dream," Drippingstar replied. "Your destiny may lie elsewhere, Bluepaw. That is up to you to discover."

The cats began to fade, and Bluepaw saw through them the trees beginning to lose their leaves, and they disappeared completely...

Bluepaw woke, remembering her dream. I better stretch. She walked out of the den and saw Stormshadow organizing the dawn patrol. She turned to go back into the den, and saw Emberfur in the back muttering under her breath. "Catmint, coltsfoot, chickweed, and tansy. That's what we need." She looked to see if Bluepaw was up. "Bluepaw, can you go with the dawn patrol and see if you can find catmint, coltsfoot, chickweed, and tansy? Leaf-bare with be here soon and we need herbs to treat greencough and whitecough."

"Of course, Emberfur. I'll see you later." Bluepaw rushed out to where Stormshadow was finishing getting the patrol ready.

"Wait!" she yowled. "I'm coming to to get herbs there."

"Okay, Bluepaw. Stay close to Oakleaf and Strongheart and don't wander too far away," mewed the deputy.

"Yes, Stormshadow. Thank you." Bluepaw followed the two warriors out of the entrance. They were passing Twolegplace when Bluepaw scented catmint.

"Oakleaf, there's catmint over there. Can you wait while I get it?"

"Sure. Strongheart, you can hunt. I'll watch Bluepaw." Oakleaf sat down just inside the forest. Bluepaw crept along the dirt road and leapt lightly onto the white fence surrounding one of the Twoleg nests. Leaping down again, she padded up to a large clump of catmint. She bit off a big mouthful of the big leafy stalks with a swift nip, then hurried back to the forest, and set down the catmint.

"Thanks for waiting, Oakleaf. We can go now." Bluepaw picked up the herbs and followed the older cats as they started walking. They were marking the scent on another tree when Bluepaw spotted a patch of coltsfoot.

"Oakleaf," she mewed through the herbs, "Can you get some of that coltsfoot for me?"

"Sure. Here - Strongheart, take your mouse so I can get her herbs." He handed the mouse to Strongheart and ran over to the large rock where the coltsfoot was. He dug his claws into the earth and pulled it up by the roots with his teeth. "This enough?" he asked, his voice now muffled from his full mouth.

Bluepaw nodded. They found some more herbs, then soon after they finished with the patrol Bluepaw and the two warriors traipsed back to camp. Bluepaw made her way to her new mentor's den, who was organizing supplies again.

Emberfur turned around as Bluepaw walked in. "There you are," she said. She took the herbs from her apprentice. "Good," nodded Emberfur. "Not much chickweed, but it'll do." She sighed and went back to her organizing. "Littlestripe is complaining about a bellyache again. Next he'll say he's got whitecough." she laughed weakly. "You haven't experienced a proper leaf-bare, have you? Well. It's nearly greencough season." She turned to Bluepaw. "Enough wasting time, though. Do you know what to give Littlestripe?"

"Watermint," replied Bluepaw lazily.

"Right," meow Emberfur. "Something wrong?"

"No, just tired," Bluepaw assured her, running to get the watermint.

"This enough, Stormfoot?"

"Plenty," nodded the warrior. Sunpaw grinned through her full mouth of rabbit. Fogpaw ran up to Sunpaw.

"Leaf-bare's coming, Sunpaw," he said. "I heard Laceleaf say so."

"Well, it had to come sometime, didn't it?" answered his sister. "It's no big deal, really."

"The Gathering's almost here, too," Fogpaw added. They walked back to the den where the other apprentices were.

"Doubt we'll go," muttered Sunpaw. "Maplestar doesn't usually choose that many apprentices to go, does she?"

"Probably only four of us, if you're talking about the Gathering," Falconpaw chipped in. "I hope I go. I've never met anyone from another Clan."

"None of us have," Redpaw pointed out. "We could ask Maplestar if we can go."

"No, let her choose herself," meowed Tinypaw wisely. "Don't pressure her. She's the Clan leader and has a lot to do."

The sun was starting to set now.

"I bet Bluepaw's having lots of fun being a medicine cat apprentice," mewed Beepaw. "Even though she has so much work to do."

Fogpaw nodded. "But nowadays when I see her with Emberfur, she doesn't look as happy as I thought she would."

"She'll get used to it," said Moonpaw sweetly. "All apprentices are like that. Once she becomes a true medicine cat, I'll bet she'll really enjoy it."

"Speak of StarClan," Redpaw meowed. Bluepaw came bounding over, then put her head on her paws.

"Hi," they all meowed together.

"Hi," she answered languidly, resting her head on her bluish paws, her ears flicking. "I sort of miss hunting," she admitted. "It's all going out and looking for herbs and thinking. My head's spinning trying to remember all of these." She looked up at her littermates.

"You'll be fine," Redpaw assured her.

Bluepaw was not sure if she wanted to tell them about the dream she had had. She decided to keep quiet. She flicked her tail in the air.

"Bluepaw!"

Bluepaw's ears pricked up. "That's me," she muttered quietly, and ran away toward the medicine cat's den.

"Maybe you're right, Fogpaw," nodded Falconpaw. "She doesn't look unhappy - she looks  almost depressed."

Fogpaw shrugged and sat down. "Just a theory," he mewed. "But I bet Moonpaw's got a point too."

"About the Gathering, though," Forestpaw added, wanting to change the subject, "I hear that the ShadowClan elder, Morningclaw, has interesting, crazy stories and tales. If I get to go, I'd think I'd like to hear one or two."

"You want crazy stories," Beepaw laughed, "go ask Buttonweasel."

Forestpaw, his sister, nudged him hard.

"It's true," he said. "I heard him telling some kits some fish-and-mouse story about the mouse-famine that wiped out half the population in every Clan."

"That's not entirely false," replied Tinypaw wisely. "Maybe not quite that many... But there was a leaf-bare that did claim many lives. Windpelt knows the full story if you want that." She shot a dark look at Beepaw. "I don't think there's anything wrong with Buttonweasel. He's quirky in his own way, and he's a lot of fun. He told us lots of stories when we were kits."

The other apprentices looked at Tinypaw, who was usually quiet. "Sure," Tinypaw continued, "Some of his tales are rather funny. But they keep it interesting for the kits. You don't need to be judging cats like that." She flicked her tail and curled in her nest.