"We should get going." Seedclaw mewed once the travelling cats had finished eating their early morning meal. It was just a little bit past dawn, and they were getting ready to continue on with the second day of their journey. Owlpaw took a moment to look at her paws, they were still sore but felt much better than the night before.
Before they continued their journey, Owlpaw gathered the rest of the tansey that she had collected. "Why are you taking that herb?" A curious mew spoke beside Owlpaw. She looked to see that Leopardpaw was watching her with interest.
"It's tansey," Owlpaw explained. "I've had a cough since I was a kit, so I take tansey to help."
"Oh." Leopardpaw blinked. "Why do you have a cough?"
"My littermates were born a moon early and we all got sick pretty much right away. I was never able to get rid of it fully. It doesn't bother me most days, but it can flare up from time to time."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Leopardpaw's eyes expressed sympathy. "One of my littermates died the night we were born." She explained, she didn't seem sad though. Owlpaw guessed it was similar to how she and her littermates felt about Firekit.
"My brother was killed by the sickness, but my three other siblings are fine now." Owlpaw added.
"That's good to hear." Leopardpaw purred kindly. Perhaps I can make a friend after all.
"Leopardpaw, Owlpaw," Berryheart called the two apprentices, stopping their conversation. "It's time to get going." Owlpaw and Leopardpaw quickly trotted over to the rest of the group and they set their paws out, continuing their long journey. While they walked, Owlpaw continued talking with Leopardpaw.
"So what do you think we're looking for?" Leopardpaw questioned.
"I'm not sure." Owlpaw admitted with a shrug. "I know it's happened in the past, but I don't know of any cats venturing out beyond the territories."
"Well, I heard stories of Crowstar, the leader before Shadowstar, leaving the territory so he could find an herb to cure MoonClan of a deadly illness."
"I don't think any of the Clans have a mysterious illness." Owlpaw mewed, then added with a laugh. "Aside from me, of course." They laughed together and continued walking. They padded through a large, empty and silent field. Owlpaw started to hear a low rumble and felt a faint vibration in her paws. "What's that?" Owlpaw questioned Earthpelt.
"Sounds like a thunderpath." Earthpelt replied, looking towards the other warriors for confirmation.
"What's a thunderpath?" Fennelpaw inquired. "Are they those things that monsters live on?"
Seedclaw nodded. "And a thunderpath usually means a twolegplace." Owlpaw could see the old warrior's eyes scanning the horizon. "Let's keep moving, we'll deal with the thunderpath when we get to it." Seedclaw instructed and lead them forward.
Owlpaw exchanged a nervous glance with Leopardpaw. Before they had left, Dawnstar and Earthpelt had explained to her some of the dangers of the world beyond the territories, and thunderpaths were one of them.
The cats finally reached the edge of the field, which then sloped downwards for quite a was. At the bottom was a long black path that seemed to stretch onward forever on either side.
"That's the thunderpath?" Slatepaw spoke up, twitching his ears. "I could cross that thing in my sleep." He scoffed. "And then fight a monster." Owlpaw rolled her eyes at his arrogance.
"You don't fight monsters." Seedclaw glanced over his shoulder, giving Slatepaw a venomous glare. "My father was killed by a monster. In an instant his body was broken and mangled beyond repair."
Owlpaw flattened her ears, could a monster really do that? How could they cross the thunderpath? She looked towards the thunderpath as a monster came barreling down the sleek, black path. It was shaped unnaturally with shiny red flesh and huge, round black paws. It didn't seem to have any eyes or ears.
"That's not that scary." Slatepaw grumbled, twitching his tail irritably.
"They're bigger up close." Seedclaw mewed and began working his way down towards the thunderpath, Owlpaw and the others followed suit.
It didn't take long for them to reach the edge of the thunderpath and Owlpaw was shocked at how big it really was. The surface was dark and rough, with and odd yellow stripe down the center and a horrible, arcid stench wafted from the hot surface. She could feel the heat lifting off of it.
"When we cross," Seedclaw mewed walking up to the edge. "I want all of you to run across as fast as you can. Don't stop until you're safely on the other side, understand? Wait for my call." All cats nodded, even Slatepaw. They faced the thunderpath, anxiously waiting Seedclaw's call.
As they waited another monster tore across the thunderpath. The wind that it caused was nearly enough to knock Owlpaw off her paws. Great StarClan! She exclaimed, her heart pounding.
"Now!" Seedclaw shouted once the monster passed. Owlpaw and the others broke into a spring across the thunderpath. The rough surface scraped at Owlpaw's already damaged paws, but she didn't stop until her paws hit the grass on the other side.
"That wasn't so bad." Leopardpaw mewed between pants. Owlpaw nodded and looked forward, wanting to see what was waiting for them beyond the thunderpath. Ahead of them was a small field, but it led to strange dens, they were jagged with unnatural colors and shapes.
"What are those?" Owlpaw questioned, she could see her travel mates eyeing them curiously as well.
"Twoleg nests." Seedclaw replied with a flick of his tail. "This is a twolegplace." His green eyes scanned the odd shaped horizon. "We'll probably have to cross through, but we should try and go around if possible."
"Scared of twolegs, kittypet?" Slatepaw teased, his smug expression filled Owlpaw with annoyance. Doesn't he ever know how to shut up? Seedclaw turned to face Slatepaw with annoyance in his eyes.
"When twolegs see unfamiliar cats they do one of two things. Capture you or try and hurt you. If you want to go get captured and live your life as a kittypet or have crowfood thrown at your head then be my guest."
Slatepaw let out a quiet hiss but didn't respond. Leafdawn walked up beside Slatepaw and flicked her tails over his ears. "You better start respecting the cats around you." She muttered under her breath. Slatepaw didn't respond to his mentor either.
"Let's get going." Seedclaw led the way forward towards the twolegplace and away from the thunderpath. They walked through the small field, and neared a strange wooden wall with a large gap that lead to another area inside the twolegplace. As they neared the wall, Owlpaw could hear strange, high pitched noises.
"Twolegs." Seedclaw said quietly, holding up his tail to slow their pace. "Be careful." The LichenClan warrior moved forward with caution, pawsteps light and ears on high alert. Owlpaw kept close to Earthpelt, she had never seen a twoleg before but she had a sneaking suspicion that she was about to.
They neared the gap and took a moment to assess what was ahead of them. Owlpaw was shocked at what she laid her eyes on. Large creatures who walked in their hind legs, their bodies were hairless and pale with weird colored pelts hanging loosely on their bodies. "Twolegs are hideous." Fennelpaw said, flicking his tail. "You actually lived with those things?" He cast a glance towards his mentor.
Seedclaw nodded. "It's the life I was born into, kittypet kits don't really get a choice. Many of them are quite friendly towards cats, but living a life trapped inside a small den isn't the life I wanted to live."
Owlpaw could understand, she would hate being trapped. Even exploring beyond SunClan territory had been incredible, the world was so large and she didn't understand how kittypets could live in such a small one.
She continued to analyze what was ahead of them, there were strange, brightly colored structures surrounded by sand. Twoleg kits climbed and played on them, they seemed to be having fun with the happy cries and chrips they were making.
"What in the name of StarClan are they doing?" Leafdawn questioned.
"Playing. We're in a park." Owlpaw noticed Seedclaw's fur standing on end.What's he so worried about? Owlpaw wondered. Surely some twoleg kits can't be that dangerous? As the thought crossed her mind, a big brown creature ran into view, in its mouth it carried something bright and yellow.
"Dog." Seedclaw growled. "Hide." He hissed and the cats ducked down in the grass. "Dogs are our real problem here."
"What do we do?" Earthpelt questioned, her brown fur standing on edge.
"We'll try and sneak around the edge of the park," Seedclaw began explaining. "If the dog does see us then run and try and find a tree, dog's can't climb."
After taking a moment to prepare, they began slinking around the edge of the park, hiding behind parks, bushes and twoleg structures. As they moved deeper into the park, more and more dogs came into view. Some were small, but many of them were very big.
Owlpaw's heart began to pound in her chest, she could see the huge teeth as the dogs barked. She suddenly froze in her tracks as a twoleg kit let out a loud squeal nearby. She turned her head slowly and saw the twoleg kit pointing and running towards the Clan cats. Worst of all, she had gotten the attention of a large brown and black dog.
"Uh oh." Seedclaw breathed out. The dog began snarling and barking wildly once the cats were in its sights. Before Owlpaw could even blink, the dog came charging towards them. "Run!"
The Clan cats broke into a spring towards the twolegplace. Owlpaw ran as fast as her little legs would carry her, blood roaring in her ears. The dog pursued them, letting out loud barks and snarls. The Clan cats exploded into the twolegplace and Owlpaw spotted a tree not too far away. She broke off from the path and racing towards the tree. She sank her claws into the bark and hauled herself up and off the ground.
She stopped on the first branch, her lungs burning in his chest. She couldn't help but cough, but she held herself steady on the branch. After taking a moment to clear her racing mind, Owlpaw realized she couldn't see her travel companions, but she still heard the dog's rabid barking.
Movement caught her eye and she saw the dog chasing a small dark figure. Slatepaw! Owlpaw looked around in a panic, trying to find some way to help him. She looked above her, the branch over her head was thick and jutted upwards, but she noticed the base of it was starting to splinter.
Owlpaw turned on her branch and scrambled upwards. She firmly placed her hind paws on the tree bark and using all of her strength, brought her forepaws down on the base of the weakened branch. She was hoping to break the branch and cause it fall on or in front of the dog, allowing Slatepaw to get away. She brought he paws down again, she could feel the bark cutting her paw pads and her muscles were strained but she didn't give in.
One final blow and Owlpaw heard a loud snap, and the branch gave way. Owlpaw didn't have time to pull back and she began to fall along with the branch. Owlpaw plummeted towards the ground and Slatepaw and the dog were approaching. The branch along with Owlpaw landed square on the dog's shoulders. The dog let out a sharp yelp as its legs gave out. The branch was shoved up against Owlpaw's ribs, she hissed in pain and struggled to regain her balance.
"Owlpaw?" Slatepaw had stopped running and was staring at Owlpaw in bewilderment. Underneath Owlpaw, the dog snarled began to stand up trying to shake both the branch and Owlpaww off its back.
"Don't just stare, run!" Owlpaw jumped off the dog and she and Slatepaw began running.
"There!" Slatepaw veered left and slipped into a hole underneath a small wooden twoleg nest Owlpaw followed him and the two apprentices huddled up in the confined space, listening for the dog.
Owlpaw heard barking, but couldn't see the dog through the opening of their little hiding space. ANother sound came within earshot, it sounded like a twoleg. Owlpaw and Slatepaw stayed hidden in silence for a long time. Owlpaw's lungs burned, breathing was painful but she kept her coughs silent as best she could.
Beside Owlpaw, Slatepaw's entire body was tense and his amber eyes showed genuine fear. This was the first time that Owlpaw had seen anything other than arrogance coming from him.
"Owlpaw!"
"Slatepaw!"
Owlpaw's ears twitched as she heard Earthpelt's and Leafdawn's calls.
"That's our mentors." Slatepaw mewed quietly and slowly crawled out of the hole. Owlpaw followed behind and was relived when she saw Earthpelt, Leafdawn and Leopardpaw. Once the three cats spotted Slatepaw and Owlpaw, they raced over to them and Earthpelt began nuzzling Owlpaw all over. "I'm so glad you're okay!" Earthpelt purred loudly.
Owlpaw stepped back and noticed Leafdawn was doing the same thing to Slatepaw, but he looked less happy about it. "That was amazing how you stopped the dog." Earthpelt mewed excitedly. "But I was terrified when I saw you fall from the tree."
"That part wasn't intentional." Owlpaw mewed bashfully, her pelt burning.
"It was still pretty cool." Leopardpaw complimented. "I never thought I'd see a cat riding a dog." She chuckled.
"Did you happen to see where Seedclaw, Fennelpaw and Berryheart went?" Leafdawn questioned, changing the subject. Both Owlpaw and Slatepaw shook their heads, Owlpaw hadn't seen them since she got into the twolegplace.
"We're over here!" Owlpaw heard the panicked cry of Fennelpaw. The small ground ran towards the sound, finding Seedclaw, Fennelpaw and Berryheart. Owlpaw skidded to a stop and let out a small gasp as she saw Berryheart. The cream and ginger she-cat had a long gash running down one of her hind legs.
Owlpaw and the others ran up to the three of them. Leopardpaw went straight to her mentor. "What happened to you?" Her eyes were wide with concern and worry for.
"While we were running she cut her leg on a sharp twoleg object." Seedclaw explains. "It needs to be treated."
For a moment, Owlpaw struggled to clear her head, trying to remember what herbs Pebblestep had taught her for wounds. At long last she found the information. "We need marigold and cobweb," Owlpaw recited. "And a safe place for her to rest."
"The area where Owlpaw and I hid seemed pretty empty." Slatepaw pointed out, Owlpaw was a little surprised to hear him say something helpful. Maybe he actually understands the situation is quite dire.
"I don't like the idea of staying in the twolegplace." Seedclaw mewed reluctantly. "But we'll do it for Berryheart."
*****
Owlpaw licked the herbs off her paws, she had treated Berryheart and now the MoonClan she-cat was sleeping with Leopardpaw at her side. Owlpaw worried that she had done something wrong, but the bleeding at stopped and she was now resting.
The moon was high in the sky and the travelling cats were starting to settle down for the night. "Hey, Owlpaw." A quiet voice spoke up. Owlpaw looked behind her to see Fennelpaw approaching her sheepishly. "I wanted to thank you for acting as our medicine cat, Roseheart taught me some herbs as well, but everytime we need them I completely forget everything she taught me."
"It's my pleasure." Owlpaw purred. "I'm not a great hunter, or fighter for that matter, so using herbs makes me feel useful."
"Maybe you should've been a medicine cat." Fennelpaw chuckled. "Well, I'm going to get some sleep. Goodnight, Owlpaw." Owlpaw watched the LichenClan apprentice go to Seedclaw. Owlpaw let out a quiet sigh, curling up in her own. She was sleeping by herself as Earthpelt was sitting guard.
Owlpaw rested her chin on her paws. I can't hunt. I can't fight. But, when I work with herbs I feel confident and happy. Could I really become a medicine cat?