Warriors: Mosspath's Choice (REWRITTEN)

Chapter 4

"Shadestripe! Honeymist has just started kitting!"

The medicine cat flattened her ears and bushed up her fur, her eyes narrowing to slits. "I'll be there in a moment!"

She then turned her attention to the two kits and apprentice, who were looking at her expectantly. "What do you need?"

"Mosskit here has a headache," Sunpaw chirped promptly, nodding towards the dusty kit who averted her eyes to the ground. She didn't want to be in the medicine cat den again for causing trouble.

"I'm not even going to ask how she got it." Shadestripe rolled her eyes. "Kits and their troubles," she muttered under her breath before retreating into the den.

A few heartbeats later, she reappeared with small, soft leaves with furry edges. Mosskit saw that the rounded edges all pointed up to the main center leaf on the top. Going down, the leaves all pointed upwards with their furry edges.

"This is feverfew," she announced around her bundle of feverfew. "Its flowers have white petals around a yellow core in newleaf and greenleaf but now it's leaf-fall so the flowers have wilted. It cools down fever, aches, chills, pains, and is especially good for headaches." Shadestripe added with a pointed look towards Mosskit.

"Just chew its juices and the headache should go away." Shadestripe set down the bundle before retreating into the den again to get herbs for Honeymist's delivery.

"Well, why are you just standing there, Mosskit? Chew it!" Skykit prompted Mosskit, who was standing there staring at the herbs. It's tangy scent flooded her nostrils as she bent down to sniff it.

"What? Oh, okay..."

Mosskit hesitantly picked up a stem and chewed it in her jaws. It had a bitter taste and she curled her lip in disgust. But eventually the throbbing in her head dwindled to a slight ache when she finished the herbs.

"Nice taste?" Sunpaw couldn't help but cut in before Skykit could comment. "I've had it before when I got a fever as a kit." He shuddered before the mischievous look crept back into his eyes.

"Don't you have apprentice duties to do or something?" Skykit glared at the orange tom, who was almost twice her size. Even with her bushed up pelt, Sunpaw was still noticeably bigger, with lean muscle under his sleek furred pelt. "Go away," she spat spitefully.

"No."

"Why?"

"Because it's fun irritating you."

"Well, you're doing a good job then."

"Thank you." Sunpaw's look that he shot the spotted kit was smug.

"You're not welcome."

"That's so rude!"

"That's the point!"

"Sunpaw, don't you have anything better to do than argue with kits?"

A shadow fell over the two quarreling young cats, who sprang apart at the older voice that was full of authority.

"Of course not, Swallowsong!" Sunpaw mewed objectively. "I finished hunting for the elders already."

"Ah, then why aren't you practicing your battle moves?"

"I was practicing my barrel roll until these two furballs got into the way."

Swallowsong shook her head with amusement. "More like you got into their way. Did you ask them to move?"

"Of course!"

"Of course not!"

Skykit glared at the orange apprentice when they had both answered at the same time.