"Freckled Pool!"
Freckled Pool's mentor called her name from outside the apprentices' den, and said apprentice groaned, flicking her tail irritably. It was early, Freckled Pool could tell. The soft orange glow of the sunrise was still bathing the packed earth of SwiftClan's camp.
As her mentor called her again, sounding more annoyed, Freckled Pool meowed a quiet, "I'm up."
"Bring Dust Tail and Summer Rain," Sleek Fur said, exasperated. "And if you can manage to wake up Shaded Moss and Bramble Talon without getting into a fight, bring them along. We're doing a joint training session and a couple of the young warriors are joining in."
"I'll do my best," Freckled Pool promised, and, satisfied, Sleek Fur padded back towards the clearing.
Freckled Pool pushed herself into a sitting position and began to wash, trying to be quick but thorough. Halfway through washing her tail, she heard Shaded Moss's voice behind her.
"Freckled Pool? Why are you up so early?" He whined, flicking his ear.
Freckled Pool smiled at her friend. "Joint training session with the others. Can you wake up Bramble Talon for me?"
She stood up as Shaded Moss nodded, and she prodded her brother, Dust Tail, with one paw.
"Come on, lazy butt," she meowed. "Up."
Dust Tail grumbled and rolled over. Freckled Pool sighed, leaned over, and nipped his ear. Dust Tail shot up with a yelp of surprise, and an apprentice on the other side of the den, who Freckled Pool assumed to be Bright Foot, called, "keep it down! Some of us are trying to sleep!"
"What was that for?" Dust Tail hissed under his breath as he sat up, flicking his ear. "You know my ears are sensitive, Freckled Pool!"
"I had to wake you up somehow," Freckled Pool replied, rolling her eyes. "We're doing a joint training session, and I think our mentors want to prepare us."
Dust Tail sighed and began to wash. "Who else is joining us?"
"Summer Rain, Bramble Talon, and Shaded Moss," Freckled Pool meowed. "And a few of the younger warriors. Maybe we'll get Sun Nettle in our training."
"Are you kidding? She's the best ever!"
The two purred together briefly, then Freckled Pool flicked her brother with her tail.
"Hurry up. I'm going to wake Summer Rain and then I'll meet you at the fern tunnel."
Dust Tail nodded and stood, slipping out of the den. Freckled Pool turned to see Summer Rain staring at Shaded Moss, who was persuading a hissing Bramble Talon to get up.
"Summer Rain, come on," Freckled Pool meowed, beckoning her littermate with one paw. Summer Rain looked up and got to his paws, padding to Freckled Pool's side. She licked his ear before heading out of the den herself, Summer Rain following.
They emerged into the weak sunlight that seemed to light the tips of the trees in SwiftClan territory on fire. By the fern tunnel waited Dust Tail, chatting with two of the older kits in the nursery, Turtle Fin and Shivering Aspen.
"Where are you going?" Turtle Fin was asking as Freckled Pool approached.
"Me and a couple of the other apprentices are going training," Dust Tail replied, flicking his tail importantly. "It's a joint session, so we can show off our skills. Some of the younger warriors are joining us too."
Shivering Aspen bounced on his paws, and Freckled Pool couldn't help but let out a brief purr. The kits were so sweet.
"Can we come?" Shivering Aspen meowed excitedly, his eyes shining.
"Maybe another day," said Summer Rain softly to the kits, leaning down at licking Turtle Fin's head. "We're doing some dangerous stuff today. Maybe I'll show you when we get back."
The kits squealed with excitement and bounded back to their mother, Windswept Lily, who looked exasperated. Freckled Pool sent her a sympathetic smile, and the young queen flicked her tail gratefully before turning to Butterfly Wing, who was grooming her stomach, which was swollen with kits. Windswept Lily began to groom her friend, and the pregnant queen purred softly in thanks before closing her eyes and relaxing.
"Freckled Pool wants a mate," teased Dust Tail, making Freckled Pool flinch and whip around to glare at her brother, who was snickering.
"Yeah," Summer Rain agreed, grinning playfully. "I think she's had her eye on Shaded Moss for a while."
"Shut up, you two!" Freckled Pool hissed good-naturedly, flicking her tail at her brothers, who scattered, laughing.
"Talking about me?" Meowed Bramble Talon jokingly, approaching with Shaded Moss at his heels.
"Oh, StarClan, no," exclaimed Summer Rain in mock-horror and Bramble Talon swiped playfully at his fellow apprentice's ear.
"I'm going to kick your butt in training today, Summer Rain," Bramble Talon meowed, and Freckled Pool could hear the smile in his voice as he led the way out of camp.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Alright. Welcome, everyone, to our joint training session."
Freckled Pool flicked her ear. The warriors and apprentices gathered around Owl Tuft, SwiftClan's deputy, were waiting patiently for the brown tom to explain their motive. Beside Freckled Pool, Summer Rain fidgeted a little, and Shaded Moss curled his claws into the hard-packed dirt.
"Today we're practicing two on one. Young warriors, we didn't cover this in your training, so we will now. Apprentices, always be aware of your opponent and remember that they aren't your real opponent. I'm going to get you in groups of three, and the young warrior will be the defender first."
After several minutes, Owl Tuft was standing in front of them all again. Freckled Pool glanced across the training area at Shaded Moss, who was sitting with Dust Tail and Sun Nettle. He twitched his ear to Freckled Pool in greeting before turning back to listen to Owl Tuft.
"Defender, always remember that you are facing two opponents at once," Owl Tuft was meowing. "Remember to check the positions of both enemies at all times, and never let your guard down. You may begin."
Freckled Pool got to her paws and stared nervously at her large clanmates. Clouded Sky had been made a warrior two moons ago, and yet he was nearly twice the size of her. Bramble Talon was also a large tom, and compared to the two of them Freckled Pool felt like a kit.
"Attack me," directed Clouded Sky, beckoning with one paw. "Remember to coordinate."
Bramble Talon crouched low, hissing fiercely. Freckled Pool did the same, feeling a growl rise in her throat. She and her friend circled Clouded Sky slowly, searching for a weak point.
It was Bramble Talon who moved first: he swiped at Clouded Sky, who hissed and took a step back. In the moment of distraction, Freckled Pool turned and kicked at Clouded Sky's outstretched hind leg with her own. Her paw connected and Clouded Sky's leg collapsed beneath him. The fluffy grey tom had barely realized he was down when Bramble Talon let out a screech and leaped on him. The two toms rolled over and over on the packed and dusty earth of the training area for a few moments before Clouded Sky pressed Bramble Talon into the dirt, snarling. Bramble Talon squirmed, but Clouded Sky held fast.
Freckled Pool let out a piercing shriek and threw herself against Clouded Sky's side, throwing the tom off of Bramble Talon. Clouded Sky let out a surprised yelp as he was tossed into the dirt, and then Freckled Pool was above him, pressing her paw into his chest.
"Do you give?" She demanded, glaring down at the blue-eyed tom.
Clouded Sky wheezed out a breathless, "I give."
Freckled Pool climbed off of the young warrior and Bramble Talon helped him to his paws. Clouded Sky smiled approvingly.
"You make a good team, you two," Clouded Sky meowed.
Freckled Pool glanced at Bramble Talon and was pleasantly surprised to see a bright smile gracing his features. Freckled Pool smiled too and said, "yeah, I guess we do."
They practiced the strategy a few more times, changing the defender each time, and Freckled Pool felt quite proud of herself for evading the two toms for as long as she did. Only after a while of struggle did Clouded Sky or Bramble Talon manage to pin her in the dirt.
As they walked home at sunhigh that day, chattering about their training, Freckled Pool limped along behind the group. Her left front paw was sore from landing awkwardly once during training, and she gritted her teeth as pain shot through it.
"You okay?"
Shaded Moss had dropped back to walk beside her.
"I'm fine," Freckled Pool insisted, continuing to walk and trying to ignore the ache in her claws.
Shaded Moss sighed and smiled a little. "Lean against me. When we get back to camp you can go see Shivering Rose about that paw. She'll be happy to help."
Freckled Pool smiled at the thought of how enthusiastic Shivering Rose, their young medicine cat, would be about treating her injury. And of course Whispering Ferns would be there to watch, observing every move Shivering Rose made. It was obvious that the little tom wanted to be a medicine cat.
"Maybe she'll let Whispering Ferns help her," Freckled Pool commented. "He's always so intrigued by the herbs she has in her den and how she uses them."
Shaded Moss chuckled. "She will. StarClan knows how much the little one wants to be a medicine cat."
Freckled Pool purred and flicked her tail. "If he ever has the patience."
"Shivering Rose was like that as a kit," Shaded Moss meowed. "So if Whispering Ferns is like it, then he can still be our healer."
"I would never doubt him," Freckled Pool replied as they followed Dust Tail and Summer Rain into the SwiftClan camp.
Almost immediately, Shivering Rose bounded towards them, followed by Whispering Ferns, looking nervous.
"You're limping, Freckled Pool," she said. "What happened?"
"Just wrenched my paw a bit during training," meowed Freckled Pool, lifting her paw for Shivering Rose to inspect.
"Well, Whispering Ferns? What do you think?" Asked Shivering Rose of the tiny brown tom, who had narrowe his wide green eyes to look Freckled Pool's black paw up and down.
"It's a bit twisted," Whispering Ferns said slowly, trying to get it right. "Any memory of what you did to do it?"
"I messed up a move and landed badly during training," Freckled Pool admitted, flicking her tail. "I was fighting Bramble Talon."
"I see," Shivering Rose meowed. "Whispering Ferns, you handle things with Freckled Pool here, and I'll go check up on your denmates."
With that, she was gone, and Whispering Ferns was beckoning for Freckled Pool to follow him into the medicine den. She did, and a wave of strong smells hit her all at once as she stepped carefully inside.
Freckled Pool had only been in the den once before, when she got an infected paw as a kit from trying to catch baby mice in the bramble wall that surrounded their camp. The whole den smelled strongly of either catmint or horsetail, depending on where she stood, and a row of moss nests lined the rounded wall.
Whispering Ferns directed her to lay down with his tail, his paws down a shallow scoop on the soft earth to reach something. Freckled Pool did as she was told, and lay down on the ground, stretching her aching paw out in front of her.
Whispering Ferns returned to her side, carrying a bundle of a plant that Freckled Pool recognized, but couldn't place the name of.
"Stinging nettle, cobweb, and comfrey," Whispering Ferns meowed, dropping the plants onto the cave floor. "Shivering Rose used them for you as a kit, I think."
Freckled Pool nodded, and Whispering Ferns quickly got to work. He wrapped two leaves of stinging nettle around Freckled Pool's paw, secured them with comfrey, and then stuck it on with cobweb. Freckled Pool stood, amazed at how quickly the kit had done it.
"Now, stay off it for the day," warned Whispering Ferns, as Freckled Pool made to leave. "Maybe lie in the sun of the clearing for a while. You can get up to get food or water, but other than that stay stationed in one spot and one spot only."
"Yes, mister medicine cat," Freckled Pool teased, rolling her eyes, and she hopped out of the den.
Freckled Pool glanced around the camp and spotted Dust Tail, Summer Rain, Bramble Talon, and Shaded Moss sitting in a group, eating fresh-kill. Shivering Rose, who had been speaking to Bramble Talon, straightened and made her way over to Whispering Ferns, who ahs stopped in the entrance to the den.
"What did you give her?" Shivering Rose asked the kit.
"Stinging nettle to ease any swelling," Whispering Ferns replied confidently, "wrapped in comfrey and secured with cobweb."
"Well done," purred Shivering Rose, and Whispering Ferns swelled with pride.
Smiling at the kit's enthusiasm, Freckled Pool limped to the fresh-kill pile and picked up a squirrel in her teeth before making her wobbly way to her friends. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Shivering Rose walk through the fern tunnel that lead out of camp
"How's the paw?" Asked Summer Rain as Freckled Pool settled down next to him, dropping her squirrel and laying her wrapped paw in front of her.
"Better," replied Freckled Pool, flicking her black tail. "The kit did a good job."
Dust Tail purred. "He'll be a great medicine cat when he's older."
"Less than a moon," agreed Shaded Moss, glancing across the camp at the kit, who was frolicking with his brother outside the nursery. As Freckled Pool turned to watch, a flustered-looking Poppy Pelt slid out of the nursery, stumbling and staggering across the camp on her short legs. The black queen nearly crashed into Lightning Stripe, who was crossing her path. Her swollen black belly swung beneath her, and she stumbled a bit as she entered the medicine den. A few seconds later, Butterfly Wing emerged from the nursery and bounded across the camp to the medicine den after Poppy Pelt.
"Is she okay?" Asked Bramble Talon nervously as he watched Butterfly Wing's long white tail dissapear into Shivering Rose's den.
"Poppy Pelt's due to kit in a moon," Shaded Moss meowed. "Maybe she's having pains."
"Do you think she's kitting?" Dust Tail turned anxiously to Freckled Pool.
Freckled Pool understood his concern: Poppy Pelt had been her and her brothers' foster mother since their parents, Rippling Lake and Blossoming Daisy, had been killed by a pair of hungry foxes on a hunting patrol during leaf-bare. The black queen had taken very good care of them as kits, and Freckled Pool owed her so much.
"I'm not sure," Freckled Pool meowed truthfully, feeling a bit nervous herself. "It's too early for her to be kitting, though, she's only been pregnant for a moon."
Dust tail let out a small sound of worry and Freckled Pool touched her nose to his cheek. They sat there for a few minutes in silent comfort.
"Hey, could some cat get up and get me food?" Freckled Pool meowed. "Whispering Ferns told me to stay off this paw."
"Lazy she-cat," teased Shaded Moss, getting to his paws and padding off towards the fresh-kill pile.
"Swellheaded mouse-brain!" Freckled Pool called after him.
Before Freckled Pool had finished speaking, Whispering Ferns had raced out of the medicine den and was bounding towards the group of apprentices.
"Whispering Ferns? What's happening?" Dust Tail demanded.
Whispering Fern's eyes were wild with fear.
"I need to find Shivering Rose," he gasped. "Poppy Pelt is kitting, and it's all gone wrong!"