Warriors: Fire and Ice - Book Two (Completed)

Chapter Three

The night sky turned to a pretty indigo. The stars lit up ThunderClan, making everyone's pelt sparkle in the moonlight. Waterpaw could hardly go to sleep. Her eyes stared into the abyss as she sat by the medicine den's entrance. Yellowfang didn't seem too disturbed about Waterpaw not being inside the den with her. All she could think about was why she agreed to meet Littlecloud. He was a warrior. She was a medicine cat. It's forbidden for a medicine cat to love and have kits, let alone, another clan cat! She finally padded inside, and curled up into her moss nest, spinning around it a few times before laying down. Her plump tail wrapped around her body and laid over her light pink nose. She closed her eyes and drifted to sleep as she listened to Yellowfang's soft breathing.

***

Waterpaw rose to her paws. She stretched out her front forepaws, and opened her jaws wide, yawning. Most of the cats haven't stirred yet, but she saw Bluestar padding to the middle of the clearing. Waterpaw yawned again and padded around Yellowfang and looked outside the entrance. The camp felt quiet and empty.

Tigerclaw emerged from the warriors den and fixed his eyes on Waterpaw. She kept his gaze, not blinking. Her ear twitched, then Tigerclaw looked away as Bluestar padded down from her den. He trekked over to her and murmured something in her ear. Waterpaw didn't strain to listen. She began not caring. Bluestar would never listen to her anyways. She just wanted to stick to her duties of being a medicine cat.

Bluestar flicked her tail as Graystripe and Fireheart padded out into the clearing. Waterpaw could hear silent meows as she padded away to her den. "I have a mission for you two."

Waterpaw couldn't think of any mission that was of importance, unless they were going to look for WindClan? She did miss Barkface. He was rather grumpy of a cat, but she missed his grumpiness. It kept the other cats in line. Waterpaw yawned, wide again, then licked her chest, briefly. The sun was beginning to get high in the sky and she itched to get going on morning duties, but Yellowfang was taking her grand old time. She was flustering around some piles of herbs that didn't need any attention. At least to Waterpaw's knowledge. If Yellowfang taught her more things instead of losing patience all the time, Waterpaw would be closer to being a full medicine cat by now.

"Okay, are you ready?" Asked, Yellowfang, padding to the entrance of the den.

"I was born ready!" She softly growled, annoyed.

Yellowfang didn't comment on her annoyance and just padded on into the forest near the sandy hollow. "Alright," She mewed, sitting down. "Tell me what all you can find with your nose."

Waterpaw closed her eyes and let her senses come to her. The wind began to pick up a little bit and the smell of lavender filled her nostrils. "Lavender." She mewed, looking over at Yellowfang.

Yellowfang nodded her head slowly, then spoke again. "What else?"

Waterpaw sniffed again, letting herself soak up all of the different smells. Her nose twitched as the smells began coming to her. "I also smell marigold." She sniffed again. "It's near the water."

Yellowfang nodded again, approvingly. A smile almost happened as she purred.

Waterpaw looked up at the sky, she was training almost all morning and it was nearly sunhigh. She had to meet Littlecloud. But she had to get rid of Yellowfang first. "Yellowfang," She meowed, "May I go out looking for herbs..." She paused; she noticed Yellowfang's stare of confusion. "alone?" she finished, leaning forward a little bit and not taking her eyes off Yellowfang.

Yellowfang didn't blink. "Alright." She mewed, but don't stay out too late. We have lots of training still to be done."

Waterpaw have a quick nod and bounded towards the Great Sycamore tree. She ran into a bush, making sure that Yellowfang didn't follow her. She saw Yellowfang head back into camp and she sped off towards snakerocks. She sniffed around, trying to find his scent, but he was nowhere. She laid her ears flat and began sniffing around slowly for herbs that might be in this area. She padded around and found some yarrow, picked it gently with her teeth. She pricked her ears, alerted them forward and sniffed the air. She bristled her fur, then she relaxed as she recognized the smell of a ShadowClan cat. She turned around. "Littlecloud." She purred as she looked into his bright blue eyes.

"I was afraid you wouldn't show." He mewed softly.

Waterpaw tilted her head, "why?"

"You know, you being a medicine cat and all."

"Oh, right." She looked down, shuffling her paws.

Littlecloud padded nearer to her, and rubbed his cheek against hers. Their whiskers touched and her eyes sparkled. Littlecloud's eyes softened. Neither said a word for a good, long while. They just sat in silence. Waterpaw leaned against him, gently, softly purring.

"Oh no!" She meowed, rather loudly. "I should get going." She backed away from him.

"Right." He meowed, sadly. "I'll let you go then." He padded away slowly, his tail drooping down. He dragged it against the cold earth as he walked away  Waterpaw stared at him, sadness in her eyes, then she padded the other way, careful not to forget the yarrow she had picked. She trekked into camp and into the medicine den. She put the yarrow away and saw that they had quite a few bunches of yarrow. Surely Yellowfang knew she was up to something now.

"That's what you found in all the time you were away?" Hissed Yellowfang.

Waterpaw slunk back into the corner, not knowing what to say or do. Her eyes were wide and her pupils looked like a full moon. "I-I'm sorry." She finally mewed, pathetically.

Yellowfang swished her tail to and fro, angrily, then her eyes softened. "Well, at least you brought something back." She rasped, gently.

Waterpaw didn't look Yellowfang in the eyes. "I will do better next time."

Yellowfang gave a hard stern, but her raspy meow was still calm. "Get some fresh moss, and mouse bile and go to the elders den. They need some attention."

Waterpaw nodded her head, then padded off with some moss and headed to the elders' den. Even though she wanted to argue, she dared not to. She didn't want to go there, but it would take her mind off of Littlecloud. It had to be better for her, hearing their stories of the good old days.