Book One, Batpaw's Courage

Chapter Six

"There we go Batpaw!" Cherryfur encouraged as she tried to stand again. It had been a couple sunrises since what happened at the Great Sycamore.

Ambermoon and Cherryfur were pressed up against her sides and helping lifting her up.

"I-I'm doing it!" Batpaw stammered, I wish my anxiety would dissapear. Cherryfur said that there was no way to overcome it, but she also said how Shimmerstar of RiverClan had anxiety.. and she's leader!

"Ambermoon?" Batpaw asked as Ambermoon and Cherryfur let her stand on her own. "Yes Batpaw?" Ambermoon wasn't paying attention. "You're doing it!"

Batpaw layed back down in annoyance. "Can I talk to you alone?" she murmured, looking down at her paws.

"Uhh sure.." Ambermoon looked at Cherryfur. "I need to collect tansy anyways. Pumpkinpaw?" she called.

The beautiful pale-ginger she-cat padded out from the herb store. "Coming!" she quickly ran out of the den after her mentor.

"Yes, Batpaw?" Ambermoon asked, licking her paw.

"I need to speak with Shimmerstar, she had anxiety, I want to know how she overcame it and became leader." the words sort of slipped out of her mouth.

"Hm." Ambermoon drew her paw over her ear. "I can take you there, but we have to speak to Acornstar first." she concluded.

"O-Okay.." Batpaw was nervous to talk to both Acornstar and Shimmerstar.. what about all the judgmental looks, and how was she supposed to make it all the way to RiverClan territory, in her condition?

"I'll talk to Acornstar, and surely Shimmerstar will step out of camp to speak with us." Ambermoon seemed to have guessed what Batpaw was thinking.

"Okay.." Batpaw mewed. "Can you find Crowpaw for me too?" she asked, trying not to sound desperate.

"Sure." to Batpaw's luck, Ambermoon didn't question her any more. Ambermoon left the medicine den.

A few moments later Crowpaw came into the den. "Hey." he said, staring at her with a cold gaze. "Thanks for leaving me that night." Batpaw returned the gaze back to him.

"How was I supposed to know you fainted?" he said sternly. "I- well you did leave me in the middle of the forest, coldly!" she retorted.

"You rejected me, what do you expect?" Crowpaw spat back before whisking out of the den.

Well that's something he's good at, leaving. "Batpaw, Acornstar said we can go." Ambermoon called from outside of the den, poking her head inside.

Batpaw tried to stand, pushing up with her paws carefully. She padded slowly out of the den. Most of the Clan were out on patrols or hunting.

Ambermoon rested her tail on Batpaw, guiding her to the thorn entrance. They walked slowly up the ravine and down following the river past the Sandy Hollow and down to Sunningrocks.

"So, you're going to have to cross the stepping stones if we are to go to RiverClan," said Ambermoon as they padded down further to the stepping stones.

Batpaw gave her a look of worry. "I.. don't know if I can." she looked down at her paws.

"I suppose I can see if I can convince Shimmerstar to come down here, I have some friends in RiverClan.." Ambermoon trailed off, staring in the direction of RiverClan.

"Okay," Batpaw sat down, relieved. "I can wait." Ambermoon nodded and headed for the first stone. She leaped it, and a few heartbeats passed and she made it to the other side.

Batpaw looked back at her ruffled fur, she didn't want to meet the RiverClan leader looking like a hedgehog!

She licked her paw and drew it carefully over her back, smoothening the ruffled fur.

She then licked her tail, chest and paws before looking across the river. No sign of them yet. I wonder if I should catch something for Shimmerstar.. I don't know how to fish but I've heard rumors of some RiverClan warriors liking shrew!

Batpaw tasted the air, filling her senses with the pungent scents of the forest.

Bracken, stone, shrew, moss... Shrew! Batpaw quickly bent downward, checking her wind, she looked around trying to detect the shrew, then she spotted it, a black shrew hiding beneath some roots of a maple tree.

She crawled carefully forward, watching her paw, and she quickly hooked the shrew up with her claws sending it high up in the air.

The shrew gave out a squeak of surprise as it landed a fox-length away, stunned.

Batpaw pounced quickly and bit it swiftly in the neck. I hope Shimmerstar likes this, I know I would!

Batpaw picked up the still-warm shrew, mouth watering, and carried it back to Sunningrocks.

Fighting the urge to eat it, she layed down and put the shrew beside her to keep it warm.

Soon, which felt like a sunrise, she saw Ambermoon and Shimmerstar leaping over the stepping stones.

They both landed safely on Sunningrocks and both padded up to Batpaw. She sat up and licked her chest fur as it was ruffled.

H-Hi Shimerstar." Batpaw said nervously, shuffling her paws. "Hello young one, Ambermoon says you would like to speak with me."

Shimmerstar's calm, gentle gaze settled on Batpaw's, making her feel less nervous.

"Y-yes, I'd like to speak to you about how to overcome anxiety." Batpaw explained, getting more comfortable.

"One day, I want to be leader, like you and I want to lead my Clan but I can't if I suffer from anxiety." Shimmerstar's eyes grew wider.

"I can definitely help with that, as you've heard, I used to have anxiety and it made training really hard but I found ways to adapt and eventually, it went away." Shimmerstar replied.

"Oh! Um, you can have this shrew if you tell me!" She passed the shrew to Shimmerstar.

She looked down, trying to look grateful but she could see that Shimmerstar really didn't want to eat it. Shimmerstar ate up the shrew anyway in a few swift bites, wrinkling her nose at the stench.

"Thank you, now." Shimmerstar sat down and begun to smoothen her fur. "What I did to overcome anxiety was I tried to get comfortable with a small group of people at a time, and then get used to more and more until my anxiety dissapeared completely."

Batpaw thought for a while. She knew she could do the same. "But it wasn't easy, I had no one to encourage me." Shimmerstar looked down at her paws then rested a determined gaze on Batpaw.

"You need to promise me that you will stay strong and never ever give up, like I did once."

Batpaw nodded her head, feeling determination rise in her chest. "I will try my best, Shimmerstar!"

Shimmerstar curtly nodded and waved her tail, indicating that she was leaving.

"Goodbye, young one, and you're welcome!" Shimmerstar called, leaping across the river, stone after stone.

Ambermoon led Batpaw with her tail as they headed back to camp. "We should probably hunt, are you up to it?"

"Sure!" Batpaw replied, she noticed that her paw wasnt hurting as much anymore.