Bloodpool's Whispers

Chapter 1

Bloodkit leaped over a small reed, and let out a little squeal of excitement as he chased after his littermates, Sandkit, Sparkit, Blazekit, and Firekit. Bloodkit had been named after his dark ginger pelt, which looked like he had been soaked in blood. He chased after his littermates, accidentally crashing into their father, Firefoot. Firefoot's pelt was a dark ginger, and his paws looked like fire in the sunlight."Oh no! A ShadowClan warrior found it's way into our camp!" Sparkit squealed. "Watch out! I'm a hungry ShadowClan cat looking for bad little kits to eat!" Firefoot replied playfully. "Let's get him!" Blazekit mewed in excitement. The kits piled on top of their father, even Bloodkit, who usually stayed away from the play fighting. Firefoot pawed playfully with his kits, cuffing them around their ears, keeping his claws sheathed. "Firefoot! Don't teach them that! This is supposed to be a time of peace in the Clans!" A she-cat with light brown fur fretted, rushing over to her mate's side. "Beechscratch, it's okay, it's just a game. Kits will always play fight, it's just what they do," Firefoot replied, slowly pushing his kits off, so he could get up and shake out his fur. "Don't tell me you never play fought as if another Clan was attacking when you were a kit!" He purred. "Still, don't encourage these games. We don't want to teach the kits that the other Clans are our enemies," Beechscratch replied, grooming Sandkit's fur. Sandkit mewed a protest, scrabbling to join his littermates. "But ShadowClan is icky!" He mewed. "It doesn't matter. I forbid you from playing those games," she told her kit sternly. "What's the matter here?" A she-cat with jet black fur said, padding up behind the queen. "Crowstar! I didn't hear you coming!" Beechscratch responded. "But Firefoot is encouraging the kits to play games where they are fighting other Clans. It's a time of peace! The kits shouldn't be playing these games!" "Kits will be kits, Beechscratch. All Clans are our enemies. Besides, just because it's a time of peace in the Clans doesn't mean that kits can't pretend to fight a warrior from another Clan," Crowstar dismissed the complaint with a flick of her tail as she walked away.Bloodkit watched his mother calmly before he left his littermates' game to visit the medicine den. He always loved talking with Dewpelt and Nightmist, RiverClan's medicine cats. "Dewpelt?" He asked, sticking his head through the entrance. He felt a wince of pain in his paw as if he had stepped on a thorn."What is it, Bloodkit?" He asked, lifting his head from the herb store. "Oh, a thorn in your paw?" He asked. "Here, let me get it out," he said as Bloodkit lifted his paw. "There's nothing there," he added, shocked."But it hurts!" Bloodkit moaned. Suddenly a black warrior with large spots of white on his pelt came limping in to the den."Dewpelt! I trod on a thorn while I was out on patrol!" The tom wailed, limping inside."Quiet down, Cloudynight, you sound like a kit. Sorry," he added, looking at Bloodkit. He took the thorn with his teeth, and with a jerk of his head, the thorn came out. "Now, give it a good lick, and come back if starts to smell sour!" Dewpelt called after the black warrior.Bloodkit's paw somehow felt better after the thorn had been taken out of Cloudysky's paw. "My paw feels better now!" He told the medicine cat."Well, I'm glad it's better! Now go play with your littermates, Bloodkit," Dewpelt replied.Bloodkit padded out and went to go join his littermates in their new game. They were batting around a ball of moss, and Bloodkit raced over, bowling Firekit over. He took a swipe at the ball so it flew high into the air, leaping and batting it down to his siblings. As they were playing, the dawn patrol padded through the entrance. Bloodkit suddenly felt a sharp pain running down his flank. He fell to his side, whimpering in pain."Firefoot! Get Dewpelt! Something's wrong with Bloodkit!" Beechscratch fretted, running her tail along Bloodkit's flank.Dewpelt was already out of his den, racing towards a tom in the dawn patrol with a golden pelt, dappled with darker spots. The tom had large gash along his flank, it was covered in a sticky red liquid that Bloodkit knew was blood. Nightmist was racing through the entrance of the camp, she stopped for a few heartbeats to take in the scene before racing to help her mentor."What happened? Why is Dawndapple wounded?" Crowstar asked, padding from her den in the hollow tree."WindClan happened," a she-cat with a white pelt growled. "We were marking the border when a WindClan patrol just attacked us out of nowhere!" She hissed, lashing her tail."Calm down, Snowfall. Just explain what happened," Crowstar soothed, stroking Snowfall's flank with her tail. Snowfall calmly explained the skirmish at the WindClan border as Dewpelt and Nightmist tended to Dawndapple."Nightmist, get me some marigold and cobwebs," Dewpelt said, running his paw along Dawndapple's wound.Bloodkit lifted his head, and saw Dawndapple unconscious in the middle of the camp. He stood up, determined to help the medicine cats. He had spent enough time with the medicine cats that he knew what the basic herbs looked like. He padded to the medicine den, and helped Nightmist gather the marigold. He nodded to Nightmist, and followed her out, dropping the marigold at Dewpelt's paws. "I'm going to help. I'll get the herbs," he told Dewpelt at his questioning look.Dewpelt nodded, turning his attention back to his patient. He chewed the poultice of marigold before spitting it onto his paw so he could cover the wound with the poultice. Nightmist layered the cobweb over the wound as Dewpelt sniffed for infection. "Bloodkit, please get me some poppy seeds," Dewpelt mewed over his shoulder.Bloodkit raced to the medicine den, ignoring the sharp pain in his side. He licked his paw, then pressed his paw to the storage of poppy seeds, shaking his paw so only two were left. He hobbled back to the clearing on three paws, before dropping the seeds in front of Dawndapple's muzzle.Dawndapple's eyes fluttered open. "Eat the poppy seeds. They'll ease the pain," Dewpelt whispered in his ear. Dawndapple lapped up the seeds before closing his eyes with a sigh. "I can't do much more now," Dewpelt added as Crowstar padded up next to him.Crowstar lowered her muzzle until her breath rustled the warrior's fur. "You'll be okay Dawndapple. You'll be okay," she whispered in her mate's ear. She lifted her head, and looked at Nightmist and Dewpelt. "He will, won't he?" She added, her voice choked with emotion."I hope so," Dewpelt murmured, lowering his head.Nightmist glanced over at Bloodkit. "Bloodkit, may I talk to you for a second?" She asked, padding away, Bloodkit following. As soon as they entered the medicine den, Nightmist turned toward the kit. "What do you think about becoming a medicine cat apprentice?" She asked, her eyes gleaming. "You already know the basic herbs!" She added."Yes!" Bloodkit replied, jumping in delight before stopping himself, scuffing his paws on the ground in embarrassment.Nightmist let out a purr of laughter before waving her tail to Dewpelt.Dewpelt padded over and entered the den. "What is it?" He asked, a spark of nervousness in his eyes."What do you think about Bloodkit becoming a medicine cat apprentice? He already knows the basic herbs," she added.Dewpelt looked thoughtful before nodding his head. "Of course. I will talk to Crowstar.""Thank you, Dewpelt!" Bloodkit mewed happily."Of course," Dewpelt nodded before padding out and beckoning Crowstar with a wave of his tail.Bloodkit raced over to his parents and littermates, hopping in excitement."Why are you so excited? Dawndapple is wounded!" Beechscratch told her son, appalled by his behavior."Nightmist asked me to be a medicine cat apprentice! And Dewpelt agreed!" He squealed in excitement. "Really?" Blazekit asked, his eyes wide in awe."Really!""That's awesome!" Sandkit told her littermate."We can run the Clan together one day, Bloodkit!" Blazekit squealed excitedly, his tail waving excitedly."Now, now, Blazekit, you still need to become an apprentice first," Firefoot purred, resting his tail on Blazekit's back to calm him down. "But that's great, Bloodkit! I'm glad you'll be helping the Clan in your own way," he murmured, pressing his muzzle into Bloodkit's fur."Bloodkit," Beechscratch sighed, sorrow sparking in her gaze. "Are you sure you want to be a medicine cat? You would be a much better warrior, with your sense of smell," she added."But that means he would be able to smell infection better too," a voice mewed behind them. When Bloodkit turned, she saw affection in the cat's gaze. "Nightmist!" Bloodkit squealed."I just want what's best for my kits, Nightmist," Beechscratch hissed. "Don't you remember what happened to Rivereye?""How could I? He was our brother. I would never forget what happened to him," Nightmist hissed back."He was killed! Killed from the same outbreak of greencough he was trying to help Dewpelt treat!" Beechscratch spat. "I won't let that happen to my kit!" She lashed her tail furiously as she unsheathed her claws."That is exactly why I left the life of a warrior behind and became a medicine cat! So I could keep that from happening again," Nightmist told her sister as she took a threatening step forward, unsheathing her claws."Nightmist, stop," Dewpelt called, racing over to break up the sister's spat. "You know medicine cats don't start fights.""I'm not the one who started it!" She spat back, glaring at Beech-scratch."It doesn't matter. You cant start a fight as a medicine cat, let alone a fight with a Clanmate," Dewpelt told her, flicking her ear with his tail, telling her to follow him."What was that about?" Blazekit asked."I dunno," Bloodkit replied, staring in shock at his mother."It's a delicate subject for your mother," Firefoot told them. "I don't want to get in between her and Nightmist when they fight like that."Bloodkit gazed at Nightmist as she padded away. He realized that the pain in his side was gone. He padded over to Dawndapple, and sniffed his pelt. He couldn't smell the sickly sweet smell of death. He's just asleep, he realized as he sighed in relief."What's wrong?" Dewpelt asked, padding up from behind."I felt like something was wrong with Dawndapple, but he's just asleep," Bloodkit mewed.Dewpelt sniffed along the wound for infection before nodding. "You're right, his wound isn't infected. His breathing is regular and deep. The poppy seeds must be working," Dewpelt approved.Bloodkit beamed at the medicine cat's approval."And I talked to Crowstar. She thinks it would be a good idea to make you Nightmist and my apprentice," Dewpelt told the kit as he walked away.