"Just like any other cat, a medicine cat needs to know how to defend itself," Mintleaf told Midnightpaw as they padded over to the sandy hollow. "That is why I will be teaching you some combat moves today."
Midnightpaw trotted along happily. She hadn't been half-bad at battle training when she was a warrior apprentice. She shouldn't have much trouble.
"Okay," Mintleaf began when they got to the sandy hollow. "We'll be practicing mostly defensive moves, for a medicine cat does not need to attack."
Midnightpaw nodded slowly.
"But first, we'll see what you know already," the medicine cat continued. Suddenly, he rushed forward, toward Midnightpaw. The apprentice dodged and leapt on Mintleaf, making sure to keep her claws sheathed. Mintleaf dropped to the ground, and Midnightpaw quickly got off him as he rolled.
Midnightpaw sprang to offensive, dashing at Mintleaf and sliding under him, nipping his hind legs as she went. When Mintleaf whipped around, she rushed at him again.
But Mintleaf was ready. He swiftly dodged and bowled her over, pinning her down on the side.
"Good," he approved. "You did well. But you need some more practice." He let Midnightpaw get up. "And that is what we are here for." He sat down and started smoothing his ruffled fur. "When you slipped under me, that was a good move. But I probably wouldn't have immediately rushed again after that. I dodged and was able to easily pin you down."
"Why did you pin me on the side?" Midnightpaw asked.
"I made up that trick as a medicine cat apprentice," Mintleaf explained. "When you pin your opponent on the side, they aren't able to use their hind legs to spring up."
Huh, Midnightpaw thought.
"We could practice that if you want," Mintleaf suggested.
"Okay," Midnightpaw agreed.
"So, when you pin on the side, you want to turn your opponent." Mintleaf demonstrated the motion with his paws. "One of your paws will be on who you're fighting, and the other will be beside them. You try."
Midnightpaw paused for a few heartbeats, processing what she had to do. Then she charged at Mintleaf, barreling into him and rotating him. But she fumbled and ended up having Mintleaf's back facing her.
"Try again," Mintleaf told her. "Try to think about how big your opponent is."
Midnightpaw nodded. She backed up and rushed up at Mintleaf, pushing him down by his side with her front paws, and put one paw on the ground.
"Much better!" Mintleaf praised as Midnightpaw let him get up. "Now let's keep working."
***
It was sun-high when Midnightpaw and Mintleaf entered camp, exhausted.
"You did well in battle training," Mintleaf commented. "You can have a break for the rest of the day. Get a piece of prey from the fresh-kill pile— but only one, since it's leaf-bare. Go do something with Silkpaw or whatever you want."
Midnightpaw perked up. "Thanks, Mintleaf." She padded over to the fresh-kill pile and dragged off a vole. As she chewed it on slowly, she looked around the camp. There were some cats missing... Silverfang was there...
Wheatwing and SIlkpaw! Probably on patrol. Midnightpaw shrugged and continued eating her vole.
Sure enough, Silkpaw strode in the camp with Rayfrost, Bushtail, Patchfire, Treetail, Curlyfur, and Mousetail.
"Silkpaw!" Midnightpaw exclaimed, finishing the vole and running to join her sister. "How was the patrol?"
"Good." Silkpaw grinned. "What did you do?"
"Battle training."
Silkpaw's eyes widened wistfully. "Medicine cats do that too?"
Midnightpaw shrugged. "Every cat needs to know how to defend itself. By the way... was Wheatwing with you on the patrol?"
Silkpaw shook her head. "No. Why?"
"Just wondering where she is." Midnightpaw looked around camp again. "She's not in the camp."
"She went hunting with Tussledstorm," Barkstripe mewed. Flamestar had appointed him as replacement deputy while Wavepelt was in the nursery.
"Okay," Midnightpaw replied. "When did they go out?"
"Around dawn," was Barkstripe's answer.
"I hope everything's fine," Midnightpaw murmured.
"Midnightpaw, you worry too much," Silkpaw teased. "They'll be back soon."
"Hopefully," 'Midnightpaw meowed. Silkpaw was right, she did worry a lot, but this time she was sure that Wheatwing and Tussledstorm had been gone too long.
"Are you sure they're not in trouble?" she asked Barkstripe.
Barkstripe's gaze flickered. "If they're not back by sunset, I'll ask Flamestar to go send out a search party." The look in his eyes seemed to say: Yet another search party.
Barkstripe had a point. Flowerpaw had gone missing... and had been killed by rogues. Midnightpaw tried not to think about that part. Why were ThunderClan cats disappearing?
Rogues.
She knew about the story of Wavepelt and Waterfall and the 'rogue Clan'.
What if the rogue Clan is actually becoming a reality?
***
It was now sunset, and Wheatwing and Tussledstorm still hadn't come back.
"Okay," Barkstripe declared. "I'm telling Flamestar." He padded into the leader's den. Moments later he came out with the ginger tom.
"I need cats to go on a search party to find Wheatwing and Tussledstorm, who have gone missing," the ThunderClan leader mewed. "I will send Silverfang to lead it, along with Midnightpaw, Silkpaw, Waterfall, Rayfrost, and Greeneyes."
Midnightpaw glanced at Silkpaw excitedly. We're going together!
"You may go," Flamestar announced.
Silverfang padded out of the gorse tunnel, and Midnightpaw and Silkpaw quickly followed him with the rest of the party.
"I hope this doesn't turn out like Flowerpaw's disappearance," Silverfang muttered darkly. He tasted the air and set off.
Midnightpaw could scent Wheatwing and Tussledstorm's trail pretty clearly in the snow. We should be able to find them.
The patrol trudged through the forest, their paws crunching in the snow as they went. Midnightpaw walked with Silkpaw side-by-side. Midnightpaw's sister's gaze was filled with worry. Midnightpaw understood. Wheatwing's our mother! She's always been there for us...
But what if she isn't anymore?
She didn't want to think about that.
The scent trail led to the RiverClan border, Midnightpaw noticed. Suddenly, fear-scent overwhelmed the trail.
Silverfan'g fur spiked with alarm. "Come on." He shot off, following the scent trail.
Midnightpaw and Silkpaw struggled to match the speed of the warriors, who were bigger and taller than them. They drifted back, but not back enough to hear Greeneyes's cry:
"Tussledstorm!"
Midnightpaw's eyes widened and she dashed to where the patrol was. She gasped.
Tussledstorm was lying in the blood-stained snow unconscious, her pelt torn and scratched. The snow was red and full of tracks. Rogue scent was everywhere.
And Wheatwing was nowhere to be seen.
"Where's Wheatwing?" Midnightpaw cried.
"Greeneyes, Waterfall, Rayfrost, stay here," Silverfang told the three toms. "Midnightpaw, Silkpaw, and I will follow Wheatwing's trail."
Rogue scent mingled with Wheatwing's scent. Silverfang's ears twitched and his eyes widened. "Actually... I don't think it would be wise to do that."
"Why?" Silkpaw asked.
"The rogues...they took her," Silverfang choked out.
"They took Wheatwing."
***
"Where's Wheatwing?" Tussledstorm demanded as soon as she regained consciousness in the medicine den. Mintleaf and Midnightpaw had patched up her wounds.
"We think the rogues took her..." Midnightpaw said softly. She was alone with Tussledstorm now, Mintleaf had gone to speak with Flamestar.
"Oh no... oh no! This is all my fault!" Tussledstorm buried her head in her nest and put her paws over her head. "It's all my fault she was taken! I suggested that we go hunting..."
"Calm down!" Midnightpaw exclaimed. "What happened?"
Tussledstorm looked up sadly. "We were planning to hunt near Sunningrocks. We were almost there when suddenly, rogues sprang out from nowhere, it seemed. There were at least five of them. They went for me first, pinning me down and almost killing me. What could I do against five rogues? I faded into unconsciousness...The last thing I saw was them dragging Wheatwing away...probably to their camp." She sighed. "It's all my fault that we'll probably never see her again!"
"No, we will see her again." Midnightpaw had gotten an idea.
She took some thyme and gave it to Tussledstorm. "Eat this. It'll help cool you down."
Tussledstorm reluctantly ate it, still mumbling to herself. "How will we see her again?" she asked suddenly.
"I...have an idea," Midnightpaw explained. "I need to talk to Mintleaf about it, and I'm absolutely mouse-brained to do it, but I think it could work."
"Anything to see Wheatwing again." Tussledstorm smiled a little.
"My mother. Your friend." Midnightpaw gazed at the she-cat. "We will get her back. Don't worry about that."