The Dying Warrior

Repaw's paws trembled as she approached the medicine cat's den, the weight of the prophecy heavy on her mind. "Like fire and like ice, two clans will become one. When the stars fall, peace will be achieved at last." What could it possibly mean? She was certain Willowbranch knew more than she let on. Her belly twisted itself into knots just thinking about it.

"Redpaw!" Echobreeze called out from the other side of the clearing as she caught up to her. Redpaw refused to meet her mother's gaze and instead, she cast a quick glance over her shoulder at Hazelpaw, who was surrounded by their clanmates. She watched as Mintpaw eagerly told him all about his duties as an apprentice, but at the same time was speaking so rapidly that he couldn't do anything but nod. The two seemed to have bonded already, and Redpaw realized with a pang of sadness that she was no longer welcome in the apprentices' den. She knew she would miss the warmth of Hazelpaw's fur next to hers more than anything else.

Echosong placed her tail on her shoulder. "I know you're extremely disappointed Redpaw, but don't worry, Emberstar and I will figure something out." She glanced over at the Highrock, where a cave had been etched into the rock. "I'll speak to Flamestar about it. I know how much you wanted to be a warrior."

Redpaw brushed her tail away. "Don't bother," she mewed coldly, "StarClan always gets what they want." Turning away, she trudged towards the medicine cat's den, her tail dragging listlessly against the ground.

As she entered through the fern tunnel, the earthy scent of herbs and the smell of fresh moss immediately filled her nostrils. Willowbranch, the medicine cat, turned to her with a warm purr in her throat. "Welcome!" she greeted Redpaw in a soothing tone, sensing her disappointment.

Redpaw's gaze fell towards the ground. The holly berries were no longer there.

Willowbranch pointed towards a pile of moss near the back of the den. "I made you a nest, I hope it's warm enough for you. It's going to be a cold night."

Redpaw stepped into the nest and curled into a tight ball, wrapping her tail around her paws. She secretly hoped she wouldn't have any more dreams about StarClan.

Willowbranch was in the middle of sorting herbs. Despite the darkness, the moonlight glistened off the frost-covered ferns. Her brows were furrowed together, her deep concentration focused on some dried stems in front of her white paws. Redpaw could tell she was nervous and why wouldn't she be? She just forced a cat to become something she didn't want to become.

"Redpaw, you need to talk to your father." Willowbranch mewed finally, her voice cracked as she spoke.

Redpaw looked away. She didn't want to think about it. What would he say? He wanted her and Hazelpaw to carry on his legacy and become leaders of their clan. Although the chances were unlikely, the odds were even lower if she were a medicine cat. "Isn't he mad?"

Willowbranch turned around, pushing three long stalks of purple flowers towards her. She narrowed her eyes at the dried herbs, trying to see them in the dark.

"This is catmint," Willowbranch meowed, "and this is all I have."

"So?" Redpaw asked.

"It's a herb meant to treat whitecough." She continued, "You're too young to fully understand, but many cats fall victim to it during leaf-bare; it's very deadly. I've spoken to the other medicine cats, but we're all suffering from a shortage right now. If your father falls victim to it, I'm afraid I won't be able to help him."

Redpaw's eyes widened. "But you're supposed to help all cats!" She hissed, "And he's the former leader! You're just going to let him die?"

"HE'S DYING!" Willowbranch shot back. "Why don't you give it up already?" She sighed. "He's on his last life; he left his former role and allowed Flamestar to take his place because of the injuries he sustained from the battle with ShadowClan. I'm surprised he even made it this far."

Redpaw's eyes filled with tears. She hissed at Willowbranch, unsheathing her claws. "I hate you! You're just as bad as Tigerstar and every cat who ever lived in the dark forest! What's the point of becoming a medicine cat then? If you're not going to treat sick cats?"

Willowbranch took a deep breath before responding. "The first thing you need to understand is that as medicine cats, we have to prioritize who to treat. Kits, nursing queens, and elders are more likely to die from illness. I wish I could help every cat, but leaf-bare is unforgiving. It's not unusual for cats to die during this season. If I had more herbs, I could do more, but I can't."

Tail lashing back and forth, Redpaw stepped out of the mossy nest to face her. "What if Hazelpaw gets sick? Are you going to let him die then?" Her voice shook as said this, not wanting to imagine the possibility.

"No!" Willowbranch mewed. "I don't want to! You're not listening to me." Her voice lowered then, replacing its harsh tone with sympathy. "What I'm trying to say is, Redpaw, don't become a medicine cat because you have to. Otherwise, you're going to be miserable forever. Become one to save your father. I know you've been speaking to medicine cats through your dreams. I think they want you to save him."

Redpaw's pelt fell flat, her yellow eyes wide in disbelief. "How did you know?"

"I've had the dreams too. All medicine cats do."

"And they told you?"

"Yes."

Redpaw took a long look at the herbs in front of her and grimaced. She didn't even want to think about becoming a medicine cat after everything that had happened. Was it really so bad? Did she really have to give up on becoming a warrior just so she could find some mouse-brained herbs?

She already knew her answer. She gritted her teeth in frustration as her claws dug into the dirt floor and with a shattered voice she screeched, "No!"

Leaping to her feet, she spun around, bolting out of the den as fast as her paws could carry her. "I'll never become a medicine cat!" She yowled as she ran towards the gorse tunnel. When she saw Ravenstorm guarding it, she picked up her pace. "I'm running away!"

He hardly flinched as she darted past him, forcing her way through the thorny bushes and vanishing into the darkness. Ravenstorm did nothing but watch, his gold eyes blinking against the low light. A moment later a shiver ran down his spine and he sneezed. The night was growing colder.

~

"Mouse-brain! Mouse-brain! Mouse-brain!" Redpaw huffed as she padded through the darkening forest. How can Willowbranch think so selfishly? Emberstar is the leader, no matter what Flamestar says! He's just as important, if not more important, than any cat in ThunderClan!

She opened her mouth to taste the air, confirming no cats had followed her, and carried on through the brush, not sure where she was going. All she knew was that she had to get as far away from camp as possible. As she weaved through the trees, picking her way over exposed roots and around lifeless bushes, the frigid air sent shivers running down her spine. With every paw step, golden leaves kicked up underneath her feet, exposing the cold dirt underneath. She quickly found a thorn bush and curled up beneath it, licking her paws to warm them and figure out where she was. Despite her best efforts, the bitter cold penetrated her fur, and before long, her eyes drifted shut and she fell into an uneasy sleep.

The silver pelt of StarClan showed high above the forest as Redpaw slowly opened her eyes to the darkness. When she lifted her head, the familiar scent of herbs drifted towards her nose again, but a new scent was mixed with it this time. She looked up, narrowed her eyes, and hissed, "Go away!"

The gray tabby cocked his head to the side, his translucent pale blue eyes sparkling with amusement. "Can you be any less rude? You didn't even give me a chance to introduce myself."

"I don't care!" Redpaw spat. "I'm going to become a rogue, then StarClan can leave me alone!" She laid her head back down, shielding her eyes with her paws, and hoped that he'd go away. All she wanted to do was sleep.

The tom sat down next to her, his star-encrusted pelt radiating heat and warming her fur. If Redpaw hadn't known better, she would've mistaken him for a living cat. "You know, I understand how you feel," he began, "I was like you when I was a young apprentice."

Redpaw's ears twitched irritably as she glanced over at him, yellow eyes staring him down in annoyance. "How can you ever understand? You chose to be a medicine cat because you wanted to!"

"I actually wanted to become a warrior at first," the tom began, "But all that changed after I realized that my true calling was to become a medicine cat." He looked up at Silverpelt and continued, "I was born blind, but despite that, I could easily distinguish the herbs I needed and treat my clanmates' wounds..."

Redpaw huffed. Her ears fell flat as she absorbed the tom's words. "So why do I have to become a medicine cat then? Is it because I'm part of that mouse-brained prophecy that Willowbranch told me about?"

The tom opened his mouth, paused for a moment, and then shut it again. "No, but prophecies are pretty mouse-brained. Why can't StarClan just tell us what they want?"

Redpaw gave a small smile. At least one cat understood her.

As they continued talking, the StarClan medicine cat suddenly launched into a long-winded rant, which took Redpaw by surprise. "And when I was given a mentor, Firestar gave me Brightheart of all cats to train me! He thought she was a perfect fit because she had only one good eye, but he was wrong!" Like this, he continued on and on, venting his frustrations about StarClan and his former clanmates.

Suddenly Redpaw interrupted him, "By the way, you never told me your name."

The tom paused and gave her a startled look. "Oh right, I got carried away. My name is Jayfeather." He gave a quick lick to his chest, embarrassed. "I nearly forgot what I came here to do." He padded a few squirrel lengths away and then flicked his tail towards her. "Follow me."

Redpaw rose to her paws and reluctantly followed. This StarClan medicine cat was completely different from Spottedleaf, she realized as she followed him through their territory. She felt comfortable around him, and he actually made her feel better. If only the others could understand her like Jayfeather can.

They padded through the forest for what seemed like an eternity until Jayfeather stopped at a pile of large flat rocks that were sprawled out along the shore of the riverbank. Before they could fully reach it, however, the strong scent of Riverclan rafted towards them, exposing the border's scent markers. "This is Sunningrocks," he mewed, "it was part of Thunderclan territory many moons ago, but Riverclan has since taken it over." He looked around, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes. "Looks like there isn't a patrol guarding it right now." Without a moment of hesitation, he leaped on top of one of the flat rocks, padded over to stand by a crack, and beckoned her over.

Redpaw flattened her ears. Jayfeather was obviously violating the warrior code by crossing boundary lines. "Is this really ok?" she called up to him, "Are you sure we're not going to get caught?"

"What? It's fine. They'll get over it." He waved his tail, dismissing her worry with sheer confidence. He pointed with his ears towards something sticking out of the stone. "You coming or what?"

As she approached the Sunningrocks, Redpaw couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement mixed with fear. She knew that crossing into another clan's territory without permission was strictly forbidden, but the thrill of exploring a new place with Jayfeather was too strong to resist. She jumped up next to him and followed his gaze towards the crack he was pointing at. As she looked closer, she noticed a small patch of white flowers growing in the crevice.

"That is feverfew," he mewed, "Try chewing at the stems."

Redpaw nodded and leaned down, carefully doing as he instructed and removing them from their growing spot. The herb tasted bitter and peppery against her tongue.

"Those are a weaker cure for the whitecough, but they'll at least be useful." Jayfeather mewed.

She gently laid them down. "Will it help my father?"

"It won't cure his injuries, but it will help him last at least another season."

"That's all I want," Redpaw responded before picking them up again in her jaws. When she looked up again to thank him, she suddenly realized that he was gone. She couldn't sense his presence and his scent had disappeared. She knew what she had to do next.

~

"Redpaw, there you are!" Willowbranch stirred from her nest at the back of the medicine cat den, her eyes wide in shock as she spotted the young ginger she-cat standing in front of her. "Where were you?" She asked in concern, rising from her nest. "It's cold!"

Redpaw's breath came out ragged, her fur matted with sticks and leaves. The sun was slowly rising behind her, illuminating the back of her pelt and casting long shadows across the den. She stepped forward and dropped what she was holding at her paws. "Here are your worthless herbs," she said as she pushed them towards her.

Willowbranch slowly approached, sniffing them and inspecting their condition. As she did so, Redpaw coldly passed her by, curling up in her own nest and covering her nose with her tail.

Willowbranch took one last look at her and sighed, safely stuffing the herbs into a crack in the stone wall with the rest of her supplies. The lessons were going to have to wait until tomorrow.