Warrior Cats SERIES 1: North and South (Book 1)

Chapter 6

"Northpaw!" A call sounded in the tomcat's ear. Meltedfur dropped him and he shook his fur. His pads throbbed when they hit the ground, though the mossy surface of camp floor was soft. Northpaw looked over to see a light grey shecat with white and ginger flecks trotting over to him. Her blue eyes inspected his fur and immediately dragged her pink tongue over the cream-coloured knots on his pelt. She purred a little as Northpaw licked her back. Cottonpaw looked confused when he pulled away.
          "Hey, Cottonpaw. What've you been up to since I was gone?" Northpaw asked, not worrying about her expression too much. She'd have to get over it.
          "Not much. Napping, really. Runningpaw covered for me." Cottonpaw replied. Her tail swished a little and flicked in the direction of the dark grey and brown shecat who was busy washing herself thoroughly. Northpaw smiled and turned back to his best friend.
          "Covered? What did you do?" His grass green eyes gazed at Cottonpaw. "You didn't get into trouble, did you? I was only gone for a day."
          "No." She meowed, but her eyes flitted about to avoid eye contact and Northpaw knew that she was lying. "Oh fine." She realised that he knew she wasn't telling the truth. "So, I may or may not have not sharpened my claws and fell over in some mud puddle. No big deal, really. Just a very dirty pelt." Cottonpaw turned around and showed Northpaw her hip, which was spiked from dry mud.
          "You're joking?" He giggled. "You're such a mouse-brain, honestly." Northpaw padded over to the fresh-kill pile, his stomach yowling with hunger. He sat down and began to eat. "Come here, and I'll help clean you. But don't you dare call me Yolktail, okay?" Cottonpaw nodded and skipped over, her eyes flashing with joy. She was smiling and let out a mrrow of laughter when Northpaw licked her spine, where she had always been ticklish.
          "Stay still!" He groaned and Cottonpaw flinched, glaring at him. "What?"
          "You know what." She replied simply, not waiting for an answer. "You get closer to sounding exactly like Meltedfur every day."
          "Oh..." He muttered.
          "Stay still!" Meltedfur's voice was muffled and she let him down. Northpaw crouched down instantly and curled up, not allowing his paws to touch the ground. They throbbed and blood trickled from the wounds. "Honestly, somecat would say you're about to be eaten by a badger. Now, let me see your feet - there might be some herbs for them around." She leant down and inspected his cracked pads.
          Northpaw remembered the trip back from the Moonpool. He suddenly understood what Cottonpaw meant - he did sound like Meltedfur.
          "I suppose that's what happens when you are with your mentor nearly every moment of every day." He shrugged and stood up. Cottonpaw shook her head.
          "That's not what I meant, Northpaw. You know that-" But Northpaw had already padded away, frustration tingled in his toes, up into his paws. He lashed his tail and trotted over to the medicine den. He ducked under the honeysuckle vines and slipped through the entrance.
          A cool aroma filled his senses, lifting the stress from his shoulders. Northpaw twisted his head and meowed.
          "Meltedfur?" He blinked - where was his mentor? "Where are you? Meltedfur?"
          "Yes, Northpaw?" A quiet voice sounded from behind him, not snappy like it usually is. Northpaw flinched at the unusual tone. He spun around, amber eyes gazing at him, flashing with sadness. He looked down at his paws and shut his eyes, willing himself to prod through Meltedfur's mind, just like Jayfeather had to him. RiverClan is going to fall apart, and nobody even realises it... A voice whispered in his ear, from Northpaw's mentor's mind.
          "Meltedfur?" He meowed. "Are you okay?"
          "No, Northpaw. I'm sorry." She exhaled. "It's just what happened at the Moonpool. Something is worrying me."
          "Was that..." Northpaw prompted.
          "Yes, it was. The dream you invaded." Meltedfur nodded. "How much of it did you hear?"
          "Not anything. Just when you asked for more." He flicked an ear. "Though you didn't sound okay, and nor did Mudfur."
          "You know that tomcat?" She stared at him in horror. "No cat has ever mentioned him - how did you know?"
          "Yes. Jay- Mothwing told me." He replied.
          "Mothwing? Oh, Mothwing..." She shut her eyes.
          "Is there something wrong, Meltedfur?" Northpaw questioned - she looked even more upset than earlier.
          "No, don't worry, Northpaw," She shook her head and continued. "Now. What Mudfur told me was that RiverClan will be destroyed. The prophecy said: RiverClan will fall, and those unknown will rule."
          Northpaw swiftly turned around and sniffed at the shelf. A subtle scent appeared and he glanced at a luxury purple berry. He grabbed it and looked back at Meltedfur.
          "Eat these." He ordered to his mentor. "Shredspot told me they're called juniper berries - used for shock. You're in shock." He glared at Meltedfur, who was breathing harshly and staring at the floor in terror. She nodded and stepped forward, sinking her fangs into the berry and swallowing it.
          "You're brave and smart, Northpaw." She sighed, curling up on her moss bed. Meltedfur mumbled before she fell asleep. "South shall save the clan..."
          "What?" He widened his eyes. South will save the clan? Northpaw fidgeted, desperate to find out what his mentor meant.
          "Meltedfur!" A cat rushed into the den. Northpaw flicked his head around to see Webbedeye.
          "What is it? Meltedfur is sleeping." He frowned, spotting the drenched kit the warrior was holding.
          "Sorry, but this kit is drenched and hurt. We found two badgers in our territory and it was being kitnapped by them." Webbedeye placed the kit down on a dry moss bed when he saw Northpaw flick his tail as an instruction.
          "I can try and help. Shredspot taught me a lot. What symptoms do they have?" He sharpishly meowed. He widened his eyes - Cottonpaw was right, he did sound a bit like Meltedfur.
          "Very low temperature, bleeding, exhausted... Oh! but it's very hot on its head." Webbedeye reported to the medicine apprentice. Northpaw nodded. He turned around to the kit, sniffing its fur. He crouched down and pressed his nose to it. Cold, just like Webbedeye had said. He touched the kit's head with his front, left paw. Hot.
          "Get back." He lowly growled to the warrior who was creeping closer. Northpaw stepped away from the kit. "I think it's whitecough coming on. I don't think we have any catmint. Can you get some?" He swished his tail, asking a question though it was meant as an instruction. Webbedeye nodded.
          "Where do you find it?"
          "Near Twolegs. Specifically the Horseplace." He replied. The black and white tomcat turned tail and ran out of the den. Northpaw looked at the kit, and took some dry moss. He had learnt this trick from Meltedfur, who was dealing with Splashingbreeze and Dustkit's greencough a few days ago. The two were sleeping soundly in the back of the medicine den when Northpaw rubbed the moss over the orange kit. It slowly helped warm the kit and dried it.
          Northpaw quickly disposed of the moss and grabbed some marigold. Northpaw, do you know what marigold is used for? He heard Shredspot meowing from when he went to the Moonpool. No. It's used for healing infections and helps stop bleeding quicker. But it must be chewed into a poultice first.
          "Here goes nothing..." He shakily whispered to himself, chewing up the herb. It tasted sweet and when it was a pulp, Northpaw spat it out onto his paw. He cringed at the aftertaste. Such a bittersweet herb. Disgusting. He thought, then focused on the kit. Northpaw exhaled. This was his first time applying any herb to any cat. He remembered Mothchaser putting the dock juice on to his sore pads, which had healed now, and imitated her movements. He wiped some of the marigold poultice on the kit's large scratches.
          The kit twitched and wriggled, in pain, though it was still unconscious from blood loss. Northpaw smoothed the medicine over the wounds and washed his paw, turning around to the shelf. He quickly rummaged around until his nose found something sticky. It clung to his muzzle and he pulled it off with his front paws. Cobweb. It was the most basic herb, though it wasn't necessarily a herb, and the first one ever learnt. It was used to stop bleeding.
          Northpaw pulled the shiny strands of web over the wounds, covering the marigold poultice. He sighed and stepped back. He could give it a poppy seed, but not when it was still sleeping.
          "Northpaw! We have catmint." Cloudchasm meowed from the entrance of the medicine den. Northpaw bounded over and took it from her, dipping his head in thanks. He dropped it and pulled off the leaves. When he had taken enough off the stalks he padded over to the kit, who was stirring. He nudged it and it woke up, widening its eyes in shock at Northpaw.
          "Don't worry. I'm Northpaw, medicine apprentice from RiverClan. You're in safe paws. Eat this, it'll help your fever. You'll feel better." He mewed with a calm tone. The kit nodded and began nibbling at the catmint leaves very slowly.
          "Is it okay?" Webbedeye queried from behind Cloudchasm, the white molly who had blue-grey markings and socks.
          "Yes, it is." Northpaw dipped his head. "Thank you ever so much, Webbedeye and Cloudchasm. You may have saved its life." He glanced at the kit, inspecting its flaming orange pelt. "You remind me of Mothwing..." He whispered to himself as the two warriors slipped out the den.
          "Go to sleep." Northpaw instructed to the kit after a while, when it finished the catmint. "You need rest." He watched it curl up and fall back asleep. He took the opportunity to smell its pelt again, something odd about its scent, though familiar.
          "Shredspot?" He meowed with dread. It smelt exactly like the ShadowClan medicine cat. Was this kit... "From ShadowClan?"