"Get up you lazy cat! We are starting training now!" Nightstorm hissed in my ear. "Agh?!" I yowled startled jumping up from my nest. Rain was hitting the camp leaving its gentle song, Ravenpaw was already awake poking at herbs, and Nightstorm was standing right in front of me.
"Get up. We are starting training today," Nightstorm mumbled, turning towards Ravenpaw. I padded towards the piles of herbs on the ground that they were staring at. There were large leaves, dark jagged leaves, tiny dark green bundled leaves, lime green eyes that clenched onto a branch, and countless tiny flowers on bundles of leaves too.
"This is dock, we use to heal small cuts like nettle stings and such." The dark former med cat apprentice murmured. He placed his tail on the broad large leaves. Ravenpaw and I nodded, this herb stuff didn't even seem that difficult. Learn the herbs, and that's all! Then we can help the clan properly, and Nightstorm doesn't have to mentor us any more.
"This is water hemlock, its toxic and has no use is what I later learned after testing it on Smudgepaw." Nightstorm meowed, pointing his tail towards a green stalk of tall leaves pointed in different places, bulbs of pure white flowers grew in the middle of it.
Smudgepaw had lived the attack and died of poison?! Mouse-brain, he should still be alive! My eyes flashed in rage, how could he be so stupid to do something like that! Where did he even get water hemlock, that sounds like something that would grow by water.
"So you killed Smudgepaw with that herb?!" Ravenpaw hissed curling his white tipped tail. "He was in too much pain anyways, plus with that paw he would have to be a med cat too. Best that he is now dead." Nightstorm retorted. Ravenpaw sighed, and I watched as Nightstorm poked a pink and blue star shape flower. "...This is borage or burdock I think.... you can chew up this herb to make more milk if your a queen, and chew it up and place on a wound to stop bleeding I think..." Nightstorm confusedly mewed.
He didn't even know what the herb was or did? How are we to be trained if the former apprentice can't teach us. Even though it was clear that Nightstorm was wrong about the herbs and might be with the last two he told us, either of us said a word. I flicked my black tipped ear as the dark grey warrior placed his even darker paw on a pile of leaves.
"And this for sure is a raspberry leaf! You can tell because of its dark color and jagged edges! I remember this..." Nightstorm yowled with a smirk on his face. That's great mouse-brain. You remember one herb out of your training and don't even tell us what it does.
Nightstorm turned around and mewed,"Spiderpaw go get more herbs for the training and the stock, Ravenpaw is too hurt to go any where. Plus, he's going to be the main med cat so be needs the training, you already know some of this." Great. Send the three legged kit to go search for herbs I don't even know the names of or where they grow.
"Fine, I'll go find the herbs, but when I get back you better teach me more!" I yowled, limping out of the camp. It was still raining from last night, the sky was covered in clouds and the sun was no where to be seen. I padded down the med cat trail from its dangling grasp of the ledge of the rock walls. As I reached the floor of the camp, pools of icy cold water built up in uneven parts of the ground.
Water splashing with every step, I padded towards the north west of the camp. I now that way its safer to climb and that I'm not going to run into some thunder path. Then, I saw Flamepaw and Flarepaw sitting down in the rain, wearily watching over camp without a word. What were they doing? Were they warriors already?
Then a kind voice broke me out of my thoughts. It was Frostpebble! "Hey there Spiderkit, are you ok? I heard there was a wolf that attacked you yesterday- whats that on your leg now?" She asked. "I'm fine", I mewed knowing that wasn't the case for Smudgepaw and Chewpaw however," and this branch I tied is helping me walk."
"Good to hear, you should be in the den its raining and you can get sick!" My mother mewed, nudging me in the opposite way towards the nursery that was just under the med cat den, a little west and within the walls though. "I'm not a-" I tried to mew but Frostpebble cut me off.
"You can go meet Skullkit and Icykit now that they are awake, they are playing a game with Firekit and Wolfkit too!" She meowed, with a final nudge into the den. I stared around the den, Mossspots was huddling Sweetkit and Fishkit, Owlpelt was cleaning Amberkit and watching Firekit play with the others. Amberkit and Firekit were her new kits, they had been born a while ago. Froststorm was sleeping, I guess Icykit and Skullkit must be her kits since Nightstorm was picking out names for them, Skullkit and Icykit had been on his naming list too. At last, Rainpelt was in the corner of the den with Darkkit who was batting at her nose.
I slowly padded into the den, everything here now seemed tiny and crowded other than large and cozy. I didn't belong here, I should be getting herbs right now. "All right! You can be Jaystone, I can be Bonestar, you Icykit can be Rimestar, and Wolfkit you are erm... you can be Parrotclaw the deputy!" Skullkit mewed, circling his large denmates and his sister. All the kits seemed tiny now, was I really that small four or six moons ago?
"But I don't want to be killed! I want to be Bonestar who saves the clan!" Icykit fumed laughing, her light blue-grey fur ruffled as she lunged at her brother. "Rimestar you won't have this great clan if it wasn't for me! Now your going to die!" Firekit leaped at Icykit batting his dark ginger paws at her. I watched the little kit fall over, she was a few days old and Firekit was moons old.
I felt something poking me, I turned towards Frostpebble who was beckoning me out of the den with her tail. She must still think I don't know about Jaystone, as if it wasn't rubbed into my face enough who my father was. "Frostpebble, I'm not a kit any more, I'm an apprentice and I need to get herbs for the clan!" I mewed as she sat down right outside the crowded den taking shelter under the ledge above the den.
"Your a med cat apprentice now?" She mewed tilting her head. Frostpebble shrugged and smiled,"I can go help you get some herbs then, its not save out there with a wolf on the lose and Sapphire Clan too!" My eyes must have lit up at the fact that she was finally going to help me, because she giggled as she helped me out of the camp and over the rocky walls.
We padded down a path north west just like I first planned. The rain didn't even reach us there, it was stopped by what was now a lush cover of leaves. Even the bulbs from New-Leaf grew too, they were now flowers with a light pink hue and golden stems.
The ground however was sticky and murky, mud was everywhere and ferns looked trampled. Was that a twoleg or a wolf that trampled the ferns? I shrugged and kept padding. "Wait, this is burdock, try digging it. I don't know what it does, but I've seen Blade search for it and dig up its root for stuff before!" Frostpebble purred, trotting towards a tall dark plant.
"Ok!" I mewed, closing in on the plant and easily uprooting it due to the soft soil. I lapped the dirt of my muzzle and cleaned the root. "Good, now we need to keep searching. I'll carry that for you." My mother mewed, picking up the half-clean-half-muddy herb.
The rest of the herb gathering went on like this until Frostpebble couldn't hold anything else. Then I had to hold any herbs I could before we finally went back to camp. The rain had finally stopped, and by now you could see the moon which was nearly full now. In a few days, I might be going to the gathering!
At the gatherings, I've heard that we get to meet other clans peacefully. Maybe I'll meet someone like me and they can teach me more about being a med cat too. I padded up the med cat trail towards my den. My paws were aching. My mouth tasted bad from the uprooting of plants. My fur was drenched with rain when I entered the camp. And I was tired.
"Hey there Spiderpaw! Flamepaw and Flarepaw are now warriors did you hear? They are Flamefeather and Flaresplash now!" Ravenpaw mewed padding towards me. He helped me place down the herbs. "No, I hadn't heard, but its good to have new warriors in the clan!" I purred. "There's more herbs at the end of the trail up here, this is all I could carry by myself!" Ravenpaw placed the burdock in a pile, odd shaped leaves that we found on a bush with tiny yellow flowers in its own pile too.
"How did you get all of this? Do you know what half of this does?" Ravenpaw asked, glancing at the herbs and then back at me. I shrugged and mewed,"Frostpebble helped me get herbs. She told me what a few of their names were. Anyway, how was training?"
Ravenpaw sighed, placing down the last of some burnet onto a pile. "Training was awful. Nightstorm is just rude-- I want to just claw off that little smirk he has..." I flicked my ear and tilted my head. What had Nightstorm done? Sure, he was rude, selfish, and bossy; but what could he have done?
"Sorry to hear, anyway you should go get the herbs before they are too damp to use them! They are still outside. I'll sort these out, you get the herbs and something to eat I suppose." I mewed, picking up a bundle of wet moss. He nodded, and trotted out of the den.
Today wasn't that crazy, it was pretty normal in fact. I gathered the herbs like Nightstorm told me to, and Ravenpaw learn some stuff even though there must have been some argument between them. I picked up a bundle of raspberry leaves, that was all the herbs I had.
I turned towards the mouth of the den, Ravenpaw had picked up the herbs-- but not coming back. He wasn't getting anything to eat too. Lightpaw was with him, they were playing in the pools of water. I watched them splash water at another, the herbs Frostpebble had helpped me gather where on the ground, in the water, or still dangling from Ravenpaw's jaws.
Mouse-brains, they are going to get a cold for playing in the water like that. Why is Lightpaw hanging out with Ravenpaw so much, and why is Ravenpaw playing with her even though he is badly wounded? I couldn't tell why, but I just wanted to slap Lightpaw and tell Ravenpaw to get back here to help me with the herbs; even though both were my friends I just felt like it.
However I didn't. I just sat there, lapping at my pale brown chest fur which was moist from the heavy rain fall today. That feeling of slapping Lightpaw just built up, watching to two play together. Why don't I just join them? I would be feeling much better playing than moaning about the two.
Yet, I didn't join them in their little game. Instead I just curled up into my nest, watching the dark sky dot with stars. I yawned, and nuzzled my paws. Everything was so quiet, the only sound in the camp was the sound of slashing water and the two laughing. Why did I feel this way about them? Like if I was just an old ball of moss thrown away and replaced with a new kit toy.
Then, Ravenpaw padded into the den with a limp rabbit and a few herbs in his mouth. I watched as he placed the small dark leaves down and dropped the patched rabbit onto the ground. "Did Frostpebble by any chance tell you any herbs that help neck pain? My neck is aching now..." He mumbled and trailed off.
"I think dandelions help with pain so try eating one, and maybe there is an ointment that can help your neck?" I told the black apprentice, shuffling over the golden flower and scanned the herbs for an ointment that could help. I think the wound from yesterday must have opened again from him messing around.
"Its fine, lets just eat and go to bed. Its been a long day." Ravenpaw mewed munching on the flower and padding towards the rabbit. I guess he was right, plus I haven't eaten all day. I joined him and ate part of the rabbit. It was juicy and fresh, but the rain made it taste like bitter herbs. Or was that the dirt from him dragging it back here? All well, its still better than listening to Nightstorm so who cares?
I stretched, then padded back towards my nest. I curled up and started to drift into sleep. Its been a long day. Yet I can tell tomorrow will be even longer. Something felt, something told me, that tomorrow was going to be dramatic. Something was going to happen, I could now hear the voice that called me into the forest, the voice that told me in the dream, the voice I heard at the wolf's attack clearly now.
Heck, I'm too tired to care right now. Go away voices and let me sleep. Let me sleeeeeep! Everyday is just crazy now, I don't need a prophecy to add on to that! I rolled around in my nest, trying to get that voice away. But I couldn't, the voice kept telling me,"Beware, beware of darkness over flowing the camp leaving no light behind; darkness will only leave night's shadows and thorns to scar them all." Something was going to happen. Just great, as if I didn't have enough problems like on a normal day today! Also, what is that darkness they keep telling me about? What's going to happen to the clan tomorrow?
**Enjoying the story? Remember to leave a comment about what you think shall happen tomorrow! I shall update soon, stay awesome~**