Larkflower hissed with exasperation. Her apprentice, Flickerpaw was getting on her last nerve. She had been trying to teach him some extra hunting tips before his last assessment, but he was acting up. She wondered if it was because of the younger apprentice, Shallowpaw. Flickerpaw had been observing the younger she-cat for moons and Larkflower was wondering if they were now distracting one another from their warrior duties.
She couldn't really blame him though. After all, she had fallen pretty quickly for her current mate, Snakeshine. The sandy brown tomcat had just been somehow . . . compelling. As if StarClan were daring her to be courageous. Maybe that's what was going on with Flickerpaw. But whatever the cause, he had to try and fix it soon or else her apprentice may stay an apprentice.
"Stop stumbling over your own paws and start using them to hunt!"
Larkflower's long-haired fur swung as she tossed her brown and white head in annoyance. She couldn't help but throw in, "If you like Shallowpaw so much, why can't you at least use her as a motivation!" As soon as the words tumbled out of her mouth, she realized that she had worded her suggestion wrong.
Flickerpaw's eyes gleamed with rage, but he kept his mouth shut. Instead, he whipped around and started stalking down the sandy hill, stomping back in the direction of the BayClan camp. Larkflower watched guiltily as the apprentice stumbled back to the camp, probably off to tell his friends what a bad mentor he had.
And Larkflower couldn't blame him. After all, she had been easily angered lately. Her temper had grown worse and she had no idea why. Maybe I should see Harewing . . . He'll know if something's off with me. And if there is, then he'll give me some bitter herbs for it. Larkflower had always grumbled about taking the tangy herbs whenever she was sick or under rare circumstances was travelling to the Moonpool with her leader.
After a while of staring off into the space where her apprentice had stalked off, thinking sulkily about Flickerpaw, she decided against going to the medicine cat's den. It was probably just the leaf-bare hunger getting to her. That would make sense-after all, Flickerpaw had missed the unusually plump rabbit that they had been chasing. They needed that prey to feed the clan, but Flickerpaw had lost it after he absent-mindedly lumbered through the field so loudly, that Larkflower figured cats all the way from JungleClan had heard him coming-and had probably thought that he was a noisy tiger at that. He must have scared off all the prey for a while after he had pitifully thrown himself to the ground in defeat after he had lost the large rabbit.
Larkflower felt like sitting down with a piece of fresh-kill and then go to sleep until tomorrow, but she knew that she had to feed her clan. Hunger pierced her belly like the claw of a warrior raking their sharp talons across her soft stomach. She hunched over with the pain of starvation-the last time she had tasted fresh-kill, she realized, had been the morning before today. She had gone almost two sunrises without food and felt like she was about to collapse.
After a while of excruciating pain, Larkflower gave in to the comforts of her camp and started walking back in the direction that Flickerpaw had recently run away in. As she made her way down a steep hill, one that she had traversed many times with ease, she slipped on one of her ankles and crashed to the ground. Even though no cat was watching, embarrassment scorched through her thick pelt like a wildfire spreading through the forest.
What was going on? Usually, Larkflower would've caught loads of fresh-kill and been on her way back out on her third patrol, even in leaf-bare, but these past few moons had been rough. She had the balance of a lopsided dung-beetle and felt as if she were about to break apart any second the wind blew.
No-she had to go to Harewing. At least Larkflower could find out what was going on with her. A couple of mouldy herbs would be worth that.
She slowly began to pad through the tall stalks of moor grass, her legs feeling unstable and her belly swinging from side to side. Larkflower frowned. If she had met any other cat, they would've thought that she had been eating every second of every day, but she hadn't eaten in two. Then, Larkflower stopped dead in her tracks. This was what Crowsong and Shroomflare had looked like in the moons before they had given birth. Witheringrose hadn't looked like this only because she had adopted young rogues that she had found in the middle of the freezing moor, but the expecting she-cats had. Did this mean that Larkflower, the headstrong warrior, was expecting kits?
She shook her head, but she couldn't manage to banish the thought from the back of her mind.
She kept picking her way through the slippery morning sand until she reached her home-BayClan camp. Larkflower walked past the tempting fresh-kill pile, feeling as if she were about to pass out from hunger. She kept walking until she reached the medicine cat, Harewing's, den. Larkflower stepped inside the small cave, but then quickly realized that she was not Harewing's only patient. Inside the den were Pebbleslip, Jaysight, and Petalpaw.
"Move," Harewing's voice came from deep inside of the tunnel leading to the main part of the den where the rest of the cats were. Under his breath, he said, "I can't believe there have been so many injuries-except you, Pebbleslip, I was expecting you to come sooner."
Pebbleslip's fur stood on end, embarrassed. "Just because I'm clumsy doesn't mean that I'm always hurting myself," Larkflower pressed closer to her friend, trying to comfort her.
Harewing looked up from his task; chewing up the pulp of some unknown herb. "Here, Jaysight. It's coltsfoot. It helps soothe your broken pads. Just don't-" Harewing broke off as Jaysight dipped his head to try and eat the stuff. "Don't eat it!" Harewing finished in a warning tone.
Jaysight looked equally as embarrassed as his clanmate, Pebbleslip, as he whisked out of the den quickly and headed to the warriors' den, wiping the plant substance on his broken paw pads.
"Now, Pebbleslip, what's the problem?" Harewing shuffled back into the tunnel store, ready to collect a few herbs.
"I just need some comfrey root for a wrenched shoulder. I remember last time I was in here, you were telling Goldenfur to line his nest with it." Pebbleslip responded, her sleek grey coat rippling as she reached forwards to take the comfrey root.
"Good, one less thing that I have to worry about. Now, go! I have more patients to attend to," Harewing grumbled, turning back to Petalpaw. "What do you need?"
"I'm not sure, but I have a bellyache,"
"Here," Harewing crammed a few mallow leaves in the way of the young apprentice. "Sorry, I'm running low on herbs. If you can persuade the other apprentices to go out and find me some more herbs, then I might be able to give you some more later tomorrow if your stomach still hurts."
As Petalpaw left, Larkflower crept closer, a bit nervous to ask the medicine cat whether she was expecting kits or not. "So," she started awkwardly. "I was training with my apprentice over on the sandy hills, and-"
"I don't need your whole story, just tell me what's wrong," Harewing mewed, agitated.
"Oh, right," Larkflower trembled. "Am I expecting kits?" She finished, speeding through her words like a minnow darting under the clear waves.
Harewing eyed her suspiciously, taking in every word. "Are you expecting kits?" He echoed, clearly confused. "Of course you're expecting kits! I thought you knew! After all, you're stumbling around all the time and you look like a kittypet with you're fat stomach."
Larkflower was a bit taken aback, she wasn't expecting this answer. "I'm what?"
"Yes, you're expecting. Now, I would suggest getting a piece of fresh-kill and going to lie in your den, or whatever queens do. I do hope at least one of these kits grows up to be a medicine cat. StarClan knows I need the help," Larkflower thought that Harewing was being a bit rude, but she really couldn't argue with him. After all, what would she even say? Stop being rude to your patients?
Larkflower stumbled out of the den and heading towards the fresh-kill pile. Then, remembering how she had scolded Flickerpaw earlier, she decided to go apologise to him before settling down in her nest and sleeping. As she pushed through the vines that were draped over the den to protect it from any freezing winds, she could make out the distinct shapes of three cats in the den.
"Hey, Flickerpaw?" Larkflower whispered hoarsely. "Are you in there?"
She could see Flickerpaw's long striped tail flitting around as if he were standing up. Then, he started walking towards where Larkflower was.
"Larkflower?" Flickerpaw mewed. When he saw her, his expression changed. "What are you doing here?" he demanded. "I thought you were mad at me,"
Larkflower shook her head slowly. "No, and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped. I'm just tired and . . . can I tell you something?" She paused long enough for Flickerpaw to reluctantly nod. "I'm expecting kits,"
Flickerpaw gasped and his eyes grew wide. "I'm so sorry that I was mad at you,"
Larkflower wasn't expecting this grovelling behaviour from her stubborn apprentice. Flickerpaw seemed to notice her bewilderment and clarified.
"Shallowpaw was telling me that I should be more patient. She seemed to know that you were expecting,"
Larkflower noticed Flickerpaw's wandering gaze, staring at her round belly.
"Oh, yeah, I wonder why," she mewed sarcastically. Larkflower chuckled and dipped her head to lick Flickerpaw's ears softly.
"I'm sorry, Flickerpaw. I promise I'll be more tolerant with you. Although," Larkflower muttered. "I'm not sure I'll have to keep that promise for very much longer."
"Why? Is it because of your kits?"
Larkflower couldn't help but see the disappointment glittering in her apprentice's gaze.
"
No," Larkflower's tail stood up, proud and excited for her apprentice.
"Because tomorrow, you're going to have your warrior ceremony,"
Flickerpaw's eyes grew wide with emotion and Larkflower leaned forwards to brush against him.
"Congratulations," Larkflower mewed, her voice thick with affection. "You're growing up."