Warriors: The Prophecy of Fire

Chapter Three

The forest was on fire. The trees were covered in smoke and flames, even the lake seemed to be burning. She tried to run but she couldn't she could just hear the cries of cats all around her. The fire was surrounding her, about to burn her alive. 

Hawthornepaw snapped opened her eyes, panting. She looked around and saw rows and rows of herbs. She was in a soft nest, in what she realized was the medicine cat den. She saw a black tom sorting through the herbs. He looked back and saw Hawthornepaw staring at him.

"You're awake! Here, eat this" he said, grabbing some berries. "These will help with the pain." She ate them and then he grabbed some rush. He gently put his mouth around her front right paw and she cried out in pain. "It's ok. I've just got to set it," he said, wrapping the rush tightly around her swollen leg. "You've taken quite a fall. You broke your leg and have some serious cuts and bruises. From the distance you fell I'm surprised the damage wasn't any worse. He chews up a yellow flower and applies it on her cuts. "This is goldenrod. It helps heal the cuts." He then proceeds to go back to sorting through his herbs. Lakeclaw walks in, her eyes full of worry.

"I'm so sorry! I never should have let you climb that tree! We should have just waited for the next day and maybe you could have gotten like a mouse!"

"It's not your fault," Hawthornepaw replies earnestly. "I should have been more careful. Did you get the fish?" She asks, changing the subject. Lakeclaw purrs with amusement.

"After I got you back here, I was stressing out but I couldn't do anything to help you. Pebblestar told me to go get the fish you had gotten so I did. They're in the fresh-kill pile right now. Or, they were. It's been a little less than a quarter moon since you're accident."

"A quarter moon?" Hawthornepaw exclaimed.

"Yeah, that was one tough fall."

"Lakeclaw!" She heard a voice call out.

"I've got to go. Hunting patrol. Feel better."

"Thanks. Good luck!" Hawthornepaw said as he padded away. She was about to curl back up to go to sleep when Reedheart and Sunpelt bolted in.

"We heard you're awake!" The tortoiseshell she-cat called out. She darted over to Hawthornepaw's nest and nuzzled her gently. "I was so worried about you!" 

"We all were," said the yellow tom behind her. "I'm so glad you're ok," Sunpelt said, nuzzling her too. Hawthornepaw purred.

"Of course, I'm ok. I'm so glad to see you!" They purr and curl in close, making sure to avoid Hawthornepaw's bad leg. 

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Mosstail called out, "But she needs to rest." Reedheart and Sunpelt nod to the black tom and say their goodbyes to Hawthornepaw. Mosstail then brings some seeds over to Hawthornepaw.

"Eat these, they'll help with the pain." She nods and eats them, suddenly feeling very sleepy. She curls up in her nest and falls into a deep, dreamless, sleep.

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Hawthornepaw stretched out in her soft nest. She saw Mosstail still working with the herbs and gingerly stood up, making sure her bad leg doesn't touch the ground, she half walked half hopped over to him.

"How can I help?" She asked. She wanted to do something and knew that sorting the herbs was basically the only thing she could do without injuring her leg too much. Mosstail looked over at her, surprised. 

"Well, you could help me sort these. You see those yellow flowers?" He asked, pointing to some flowers that were mixed into a whole bunch of other plants.

"Those are marigolds. They help with infection, bleeding, and can help the elders with their stiff joints. I've been out collecting some herbs while they're growing since they're always difficult to get during Leaf-Bare. Go put them with the rest of the marigolds over there," he said, gesturing with his tail to a pile against the wall.

"Of course," Hawthornepaw replied. She grabbed some flowers and started carrying them in her jaws over to the pile. When she was done she turned to Mosstail.

"What's next?"

"You see those smaller yellow flowers? Those are tansy plants. They help cure coughs and prevent white cough. They can also help with sore throats. Go put them with their pile," he said, grabbing some green leaves and putting them in another pile."

"Ok," she replied and grabs a few of the small flowers. She finishes quickly, but doesn't want to have to interrupt him again. She decides to just help and grabs some green leaves and puts them in a pile that smell and look the same. She does this over and over with different leaves, roots, and flowers until they are all sorted. When they finish, Mosstail looks at her, eyes wide.

"I'm surprised that any cat that hasn't been trained can do that!"

"I just catch on quickly," Hawthornepaw replied shyly.

"Well, just know you're allowed to help out in here any time. Hawthornepaw nods and walks out into camp, making sure her leg doesn't touch the ground. She sees Nightpaw sitting by himself so she limps over to him and sits, keeping her right leg off the ground.

"Hey, Nightpaw," she says casually. He turns around, surprised to see her.

"Hi, Hawthornepaw! I was so worried about you, we all heard about your fall!" Hawthornepaw ducked her head in embarrassment. He sees her looking down and touches her flank with his tail. "It's fine, we all have accidents. I remember when I was a kit I decided to go out of the camp. I had walked over to the stream and was playing on its edge when I fell in. I almost drowned but Dawnsky reached in and grabbed my scruff, saving me."

"Wow," Hawthornepaw replied, her eyes wide.

"Yeah. What did I tell you? I bet that if you went to talk to every cat in RiverClan, they would all be able to tell you some accident they've been in."

"Really?" she asked, no longer quite as embarrassed.

"Really," he replied, his tone and eyes sure. She looked into his sparkling blue eyes, feeling his tail on her flank, and she felt warmth spread from the tip of her ears to the edge of her toes.

"Nightpaw!" a voice called out, breaking the moment, "Hunting patrol!" Nightpaw stood up and took one last glance at Hawthornepaw.

"Feel better," he called out, then raced over to Hawkheart. Hawthornepaw stood up slowly and made her way over to the fresh-kill pile. She grabbed a fish and started eating. She then hears pawsteps behind her and turns around, seeing Silverpaw walking behind her. Silverpaw sits down next to Hawthornepaw.

"How's your leg?" Silverpaw asks ernestly.

"It's ok, it hurts a little but as long as I don't put pressure on it it's just a faint throb. How's training going?" 

"Pretty good, but it's weird doing it without you. Brushpaw keeps beating me in fights and he's becoming a real pain in the tail." Hawthornepaw mrowwed in laughter.

"Just wait till I'm better, that flea-brain won't know what hit him," she said, her eyes glimmering with amusement. She finishes up her fish and they share tongues until moon-high, when Hawthornepaw hears Mosstail call out her name. They say goodnight and Hawthornepaw heads over to the Medicine Cat den. He replaces the old rush with fresh rush and gives her some more Poppy Seeds. She eats them and curls up in her nest, instantly falling into deep sleep.