Warriors | A Prophecy Reborn: Book 1. (The Legacy)

~The Legacy: Chapter 6~

The next few nights after Whitepaw and Reedpaw's little domestic, clouds had started to form, bringing rain along with them.
Due to the oncoming storm one of the patrols had spotted, Ashpaw, Spiralpaw and Whitepaw had been forced to stay in camp, while Reedpaw, Flamepaw and Irispaw were out helping the patrols.
Stonestar decided it was best to keep Reedpaw and Whitepaw a safe distance from each other for now, until they sorted the matter out for themselves.
What worried Spiralpaw, however, was Crookedfire. What lies had he been feeding her sister? Reedpaw was not evil.
"I want to go out hunting already," Ashpaw moaned, as usual.
"The prey will be hiding from the rain," Spiralpaw pointed out. "And even if you do manage to find one, I doubt you'd know what to do with it."
"Reedpaw showed us already-"
Ashpaw stopped. He and Spiralpaw had barely been mentioning Reedpaw because of Whitepaw's suspicions, which they believed to be false, still.
As an example, Whitepaw would ignore Reedpaw, barely looking in her direction, when they were to sleep.
"Uh... Let's go to the empty den," Ashpaw suggested.
Spiralpaw nodded, looking back at her sister, who was shuffling on her paws, and left, running alongside her brother to the extra den.
"She feels guilty now," Spiralpaw said. "I'm guessing she thinks her apprenticeship will last longer than it's meant to."
"Stonestar is strict," Ashpaw said, "but he's not Half-Sight. Or those other two leaders, from way in the past."
Spiralpaw knew who he meant. "And it's a good thing he isn't," she said. "If he were anything like them, he probably wouldn't be our leader. Though, it also depends on how you've been raised, too, I suppose. Rockhopper says Stonestar's father was... not the greatest warrior in ThunderClan. And his mother got sick a while after he was born, so he never knew her."
"Do you remember their names?" Ashpaw asked his sister. "I think I was chewing on a finch when they told us that story."
"Stonestar's mother was named Flowerheart, and his father was Duskrunner."
"It's a shame, really. They have such nice names, but we won't ever know them."
"Yeah," Spiralpaw agreed sadly. "Promise me, if you and I ever end up having our own kits, one of them will be called Flowerheart and Duskrunner and prove not every cat with the name Dusk is bad."
Ashpaw laughed, then nodded. "Sure, sure."
The rain outside padded on. This wouldn't stop for a while.
The two siblings sat there in the warmth of the extra den. Originally, they had used the den for sick warriors when the Medicine Den ran out of room, or for extra kits and queens. Eventually, they expanded the Nursery and Medicine Den, however, leaving this den empty.
Suddenly, Whitepaw stumbled in the den.
"Guys, follow me," she said urgently.
"What? Why?" the other two apprentices said in unison.
"Creamfur! I can hear her!" Whitepaw explained.
Spiralpaw and Ashpaw tilted their ears and swiveled their heads in more than one direction, but heard nothing.
"I don't hear her," Ashpaw said.
Whitepaw looked surprised, but shook her head. "Just come on! Something's wrong with Creamfur!"
The three apprentices peeked outside the den. The clearing was relatively empty, aside from Stripedkit, who was pacing outside the Medicine Den, probably waiting for her brother.
"All right, let's go now, while nobody's looking!" Whitepaw whispered.
"Wait, Whitepaw!" Ashpaw said, padding silently behind her. "Shouldn't we just tell Fernfeather and Stonestar and let them handle it?"
"Do you want to be a warrior or not?" Whitepaw growled, and continued, rushing off straight ahead when the exited camp.
Whitepaw hates rain, Spiralpaw thought. Whatever was wrong, she guessed Whitepaw wouldn't be stopped so quickly by bits of water. Ashpaw now looked equally as determined to find Creamfur.
Whitepaw stopped, and Ashpaw and Spiralpaw did the same.
Whitepaw turned her head, her ear flicking off to the right. "Oh, no," she gasped.
"What's wrong?" Ashpaw asked.
Whitepaw turned to her sister. "Spiralpaw, use your nose. Can you smell that?"
Spiralpaw drove in a deep breath, and her nostrils were met with a retched stench. It made her eyes water slightly, and she turned her head right. "That's the-"
"Thunderpath," Whitepaw confirmed. "Hurry up!" she ordered. "Before something bad happens!"
The three apprentices ran desperately, as fast as they could.
The Clans were already cautious enough as it was. ThunderClan couldn't afford to lose a warrior.
Suddenly, something flashed in her mind. There, running beside her, was Reedpaw. 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦! she thought. Then she realised, this version of Reedpaw was much older.
She shook her head as to clear it, then looked back at the older Reedpaw.
But the apparition was gone.
They made it to the Thunderpath in time to see Reedpaw beside Creamfur. Their pelts were drenched in cold water now.
"What's wrong?!" Ashpaw gasped.
"I-I don't know!" Reedpaw said. "She just dropped! There were no monsters or dogs that I could see."
Whitepaw pressed her ear to Creamfur's flank.
"Her breathing is shallow," she observed. "We need to get her to Crookedfire and Russetpaw, or she'll get worse. It's cold and wet out here. Where's the rest of the patrol, Reedpaw?" she added, looking at the black apprentice.
"Flamepaw and Irispaw went with Whiteshine and Swiftflight off that way to scout out the RiverClan border," Reedpaw informed.
"Okay," Ashpaw nodded, running to go get them.
"We need to get her back into the camp," Spiralpaw said. "Whitepaw, help us carry her to Crookedfire. She can't stay out here."
"She can't move, either," Whitepaw said grimly, and flicked her wet, dripping tail at Creamfur's back leg and throat.
Spiralpaw looked at the wounds.
"We'll have to move her, Whitepaw," she insisted. "If we leave her here untreated in the cold, she might die."
Whitepaw grumbled for a moment, and then helped gently lift Creamfur on their backs.
Spiralpaw found her surprisingly light, for her size.
They staggered into camp, hearing footsteps behind them. It was Ashpaw and the rest of the patrol.
Swiftflight and Whiteshine took Creamfur from the apprentices and all of them ran to the Medicine Den.
Inside, it was very warm. Spiralpaw wasn't sure whether it was all the sickness in the room, or if it was just Crookedfire's attempt at soothing the patients.
Russetpaw was sorting out the herbs when they all stumbled in. "What happened?" she gasped, seeing Creamfur.
"We don't know," Whitepaw said, glaring accusingly at Reedpaw.
"She wanted me to practice catching prey over by one of the trees," Reedpaw rushed. "She said she was right behind me, and the next minute, I heard her yowl and I came back and she was hurt!"
Weakly, Creamfur grunted softly, "It wasn't... Reedpaw..."
The brown she-cat coughed slightly, and then her breathing slowed slightly.
"Okay, Spiralpaw," Russetpaw said immediately, "you know herbs, right?"
Spiralpaw nodded.
"Grab me some Poppy Seeds while I get Cobwebs from Crookedfire. The Cobwebs will help with the bleeding, and the Poppy Seeds will ease her pain and shock. But I'll need to clean out her wound."
Ashpaw jumped. "I can get some moss for you!" he said.
"Be quick and careful," Russetpaw pleaded as Ashpaw set out into the rain.
"Reedpaw, if you want to, you can stay," Russetpaw offered. "But Spiralpaw, Whitepaw, I'll need you to leave. The den is already full in the back."
Spiralpaw bowed her head in understanding. Whitepaw shuffled on her paws for a moment, and then rushed out.
Spiralpaw briefly saw Crookedfire looking over from the corner of the den before she left.
When she saw him, he seemed to be...
Smiling.