Leafpool's Choice

Chapter 22

Lionkit struggled free, scurrying to stand with his siblings.

"Today is the day that three kits become apprentices. Hollykit, until the day that you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Hollypaw. Brackenfur, you trained Whitewing very well, and I trust that you will do the same for Hollypaw."

Hollypaw stood up, her eyes shining with joy, and padded to her mentor, touching noses with him.

"Lionkit," Firestar meowed, wincing at the sight of his messy, dirt covered pelt, "until the day you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Lionpaw. Brightheart, you have never had an apprentice, but you have shown courage and persistence despite your struggles. I know you will train this apprentice well."

Brightheart looked so proud to finally have an apprentice, and with her head held high, she padded towards Lionpaw.

"Finally, Jaykit." Firestar turned his attention to the last kit of the litter. "Young Jaykit has chosen a very special path, to become the next Medicine Cat of ThunderClan. Cinderpelt, you trained Leafpool well, and I'm sure Jaykit will become an equally skilled Medicine Cat. Until the day you become a full Medicine Cat of ThunderClan, you will be known as Jaypaw."

Jaypaw looked a bit flustered and embarrassed as Cinderpelt hobbled towards him. "Come with me," she meowed. "You have a lot to learn."

"What do we do first?" Jaypaw asked.

"I'll take you into the forest, and show you the best places for herbs. There should be plenty, in such good weather." Cinderpelt limped to Leafpool. "Do you want to come with us?"

Leafpool looked over at her mate. Crowfeather had been invited to join Hollypaw, Lionpaw, Brackenfur, and Brightheart as they toured the territory with their apprentices. "Sure, I can come with you," she agreed.

The three cats padded (or limped) out of camp.

"Jaypaw, this is the best place to find marigold. We're right by the WindClan border stream, since this plant grows well near water. Here, you can smell the plant," Cinderpelt meowed, placing the plant in front of Jaypaw.

Jaypaw felt the plant with his whiskers, and took a big sniff. "What's it for?" He asked.

"Usually to stop infection and bleeding, but we also give it to the elders for stiff joints. It's chewed into a poultice and placed on the wound," Leafpool answered.

Cinderpelt gave her former apprentice a nod. "Right."

Cinderpelt pointed out herbs as they passed them, collecting stalks in her jaws and occasionally setting them down to talk about a herb or it's purpose. Leafpool noted that she was doing a good job of describing things to Jaypaw without using sight. Instead, she would talk to him about scents or sounds. "This is yarrow," Cinderpelt meowed. "If a cat eats something poisonous, we give this to them and it makes them throw up."

"Like deathberries?" Jaypaw asked.

"Exactly. You can taste it if you want," Cinderpelt offered.

Jaypaw nipped a little bit of the leaf off and chewed. "Yuck!" He exclaimed, spitting the leaf onto the ground.

Leafpool purred with laughter. "Cinderpelt did the same thing to me when I was an apprentice," she recalled.

Finally, every cat's jaws were filled with herbs, so they padded back to camp. "I can smell the other cats," Jaypaw meowed.

"That's right," Cinderpelt purred. "The camp is right in front of us." Cinderpelt slipped through the entrance, followed by the others.

Suddenly, Leafpool was knocked over and rolled onto her back. She tried to get a view of her attacker, but he moved  too fast. She pushed up with her hind legs, kicking the cat away. Leafpool rolled onto her feet and shook the dirt out of her fur. A black shape was lying motionless on the ground a little ways away.

"Crowfeather?" She walked up to him. "Crowfeather, stop. You aren't fooling anyone."

The black shape didn't move.

"Oh no! Crowfeather, I'm sorry...." Leafpool trailed off, nudging Crowfeather with her nose.

Suddenly,Crowfeather surged upward and knocked her away.

"That's not funny, Crowfeather!" Leafpool exclaimed, but she wasn't very convincing.

Crowfeather purred his laughter.

"Squirrelflight put you up to this, didn't she? She played the same trick on me when we were kits!" Leafpool purred.

"I learned so much today," Hollypaw was telling her siblings. "Brackenfur tested me on the Warrior Code, and he said I recited it perfectly!"

"ShadowClan smells so weird," Lionpaw said.

"I learned about marigold, poppy seeds, catmint, comfrey, and so many other herbs. I even got to try some yarrow!" Jaypaw told his brother and sister.

"What does yarrow taste like?" Hollypaw asked.

"Disgusting! It makes you throw up," Jaypaw meowed, "so if you eat deathberries, I can save you."

Sorreltail, who was lying nearby, meowed, "Darkstripe fed me deathberries as a kit, and Cinderpelt saved me with yarrow."

I haven't talked to Sorreltail in ages, but she was my best friend. Leafpool padded to Sorreltail and sat down. "Sorreltail, I heard you had kits since I was gone. They're apprentices now, right?" Leafpool asked.

"Yes," Sorreltail meowed. "Honeypaw, Cinderpaw, and Poppypaw. They're wonderful."

The she-cats sat in silence for a moment, but it was broken by Sorreltail. "I haven't seen you in so long," she meowed.

"I'm so sorry! I hid all of this from you, and I left without warning! I betrayed you!" Leafpool rested her head on the ground, silently waiting for a response.

Sorreltail was silent, but then she whispered, "I forgive you."

The two friends sat in silence for a few moments, just watching. Crowfeather was across the camp, talking with Brambleclaw. 

However, Leafpool soon noticed that they weren't just talking, they were fighting. Both toms were standing defiantly, ears back and tails lashing.

Crowfeather spat something, then stalked over to Leafpool. "We're leaving," he growled.

Leafpool touched noses with Sorreltail, and her kits bounded over to say goodbye. Sandstorm gave Leafpool a lick on the ear, and Squirrelflight meowed a friendly goodbye. 

As Leafpool padded away, she heard one of her kits, probably Hollypaw, yowl, "We'll miss you!"

A/N:

The book's over, but don't archive it just yet!

There are still a few bonus chapters to come! (Probably four.)

Thank you to everyone who has stayed with Leafpool and Crowfeather for this whole incredible adventure!

Thanks to all!

~Hollyfeather