Warriors || Aspenrose's Goodbye

Chapter Six

Aspenpaw pushed through the brambles into a small clearing after Duskheart's ginger pelt. A structure with rich undergrowth around it stood in the clearing. The abandoned Twoleg nest.
An unfamiliar herb grew bountifully around it. Duskheart padded up to the green leafy herbs and touched a stem with her nose. "This is catmint," she explained. "Do you know what it's for?"
Aspenpaw's insides dropped. She twitched her whiskers. She remembered in leaf-bare when Graypaw had come down with greencough. Duskheart had given him a herb with a lot of leaves. Aspenpaw studied the catmint. It does have a lot of leaves...
     "Is it for coughing?" Aspenpaw whispered. "Like greencough?"
Aspenpaw saw Duskheart twitch her whiskers in satisfaction. She gave a pleased nod. "Watch how I pick it," she reached her head down, plucking it gently by the stem.
"Gather some like I did and meet me back at camp," Duskheart gathered her bundle in her jaws, trotting out of the clearing.
Aspenpaw bent down, trying to pick the soft herbs as gently as she could. The sound of rustling came to Aspenpaw's ears. She swept her eyes around the clearing. A unique-colored tabby stepped into the clearing, her ginger and black stripes glistening in the sun.
"How are you today?" Kinkclaw asked her daughter. Aspenpaw gave a small nod, jaws clamped around the herbs.
Her gaze softened. "I saw the way you looked when you were made the medicine cat apprentice," Kinkclaw's voice was soothing. "Do you really want this? I know Jaywatcher can be a burden, but he only wants the best for you."
Aspenpaw shifted her paws, gaze dropping. Kinkclaw sat down. Aspenpaw stayed standing, not wanting to talk at the moment. Duskheart is waiting for me.
Aspenpaw felt a comforting tail across her shoulders. Aspenpaw met her mother's amber eyes.
She gave a small smile. "Follow your heart, Aspenpaw. That's all that matters."
Aspenpaw gave a great-full nod before turning away. She padded through the brambles. Once out of sight from Kinkclaw, Aspenpaw bounded lightly toward camp. A weird feeling tickled her insides.
The night of the last Gathering filled her mind. The full silver moon. Chants calling his name. Those wonderful copper eyes. Aspenpaw's mother's words echoed in her head. What if my heart doesn't belong in ThunderClan at all?