Flame Rising

Chapter 8

"Your mother will be okay." Puddlekit soothed Elmpaw and Rosepaw gently.

"Yeah." Seedkit added. "Then they'll send out patrols to kill that badger."

"Good." Rosepaw slapped her tail on the ground angrily. "I'd like to give that badger a good wound to think about."

"Yeah," Elmpaw agreed. "Like a big scratch in the eyes." Then he jumped into the air and mimicked clawing the badger's eyes out.

Seedkit shrugged. "Maybe you could ask Stonestar to put you on a patrol?"

The apprentices' eyes lit up. "Really?" Rosepaw asked.

"Let's go try!" Elmpaw dashed over to Stonestar's den, Rosepaw at his heels.

"Well, that worked." Puddlekit pointed out once the apprentices disappeared
into Stonestar's den.

"It sure did." Seedkit agreed, and he motioned with his tail towards the medicine den. "C'mon. Let's go see how Shimmerkit's managing."

Puddlekit remembered that Shimmerkit was helping Yarrowleaf a lot lately. She was sorting herbs, delivering berries, or even helping heal Leafpetal.

"Hurry up!" Seedkit called from ahead. Puddlekit hadn't even realized that he was trailing behind.

As the two kits pushed through the vines to medicine den, they saw Marigoldkit as Shimmerkit chatting, while Yarrowleaf chewed up some herbs to put on Leafpetal's wounds.

"Seedkit! Puddlekit!" Marigoldkit exclaimed when she saw her brothers. "You should listen to Shimmerkit! She knows everything about herbs!"

"Not everything." Shimmerkit argued shyly. "Just some names and uses. Nothing really."

"Nothing?" Marigoldkit's eyes widened. "You know so much for a cat who's going to be a warrior!"

"Actually, I'm not going to be a warrior." Shimmerkit mumbled.

Seedkit flinched. "You're leaving to be a rogue?" He asked, dumbfounded.

"No, mouse-brain!" Shimmerkit batted Seedkit playfully across the ear. "I'm going to be a medicine cat!"

"What?" Puddlekit blurted out, surprised. "Why? Then you wouldn't get to hunt for prey, or defend your Clan in battle!"

Shimmerkit sighed. "I know, but if I'm a medicine cat, I can collect herbs ad give them to hurt and sick cats, and I get to share dreams with StarClan!" Her blue eyes glowed with excitement when she listed the things that she could do as a medicine cat.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!" Stonestar's traditional call summoned the kits out of the medicine den.

"As you know," Stonestar began once all the cats gathered in the clearing. "A patrol had found a family of badgers living in our territory. The mother of this family has injured Leafpetal. We need to find a way to get rid of them." He nodded at Creamfur, who then bounded up the Highledge to join Stonestar.

"Treeleg, Leafpetal, and I were on a border patrol near ShadowClan territory." The cream she-cat explained confidently from the Highledge. "We found a badger set by a hawthorn bush. The mother came out and attacked us. Treeleg and I managed to send it back to it's set unharmed, but it gave Leafpetal some nasty wounds." Creamfur nodded respectfully to Stonestar, and she bounded down from the Highledge to join Robintail in the group of gathered cats.

"The senior warriors will discuss this matter, and hopefully come to a quick decision." Stonestar called once Creamfur joined the group.

Most of the Clan disbanded, whispering in small groups to one another. Only Creamfur, Robintail, Treeleg, Tallfoot, Crowflight, Leopardspots, Flamefur and Snowfrost remained. The senior warriors stood underneath the Highledge discussing the badgers.

"I hope no cat gets hurt." Puddlekit heard Fernstripe whisper to his sister
Frozentail.

"Yeah." Frozentail agreed. "We don't want more cats ending up like Leafpetal."

Puddlekit couldn't help sharing their fears. What if his father, Largestep, got hurt like Leafpetal, or even died!

He shuddered, shaking off the thought, and padded towards the fresh-kill pile, where Grasspaw was gingerly munching on a vole. "Hey, Puddlekit!" she called when Puddlekit was choosing his prey. "Want to help me finish this mouse off? Mintpool says I have to eat before battle training, but I'm not that hungry."

"Okay!" Puddlekit bounded over to Grasspaw, who pushed the mouse carcass with her paw. Puddlekit dug into the prey vigorously. Grasspaw's whiskers twitched with amusement. "You must be hungry!" she exclaimed.

"I was!" Puddlekit licked his lips enthusiastically.

"Grasspaw!" Mintpool walked up to the fresh-kill pile. "I thought I told you to eat the mouse, not Puddlekit!"

Grasspaw rolled her eyes. "I ate some of it!" she complained loudly.

"Fine." Mintpool said, he tail twitching with annoyance. "Hurry up, then."

Grasspaw stood up and started grooming her pelt slowly. Mintpool growled, and Puddlekit saw a playful mischief glittering in Grasspaw's green eyes. Puddlekit let out a mreeow of laughter.

Once she was done, Grasspaw padded over to Mintpool. "Ready!" she meowed with exaggerated enthusiasm.

As Mintpool and Grasspaw walked away, Puddlekit felt sadness prick his stomach. Why did he feel like this every time he saw Grasspaw walk away from him? It wasn't like Puddlekit would never see her again.

I don't know that. Puddlekit told himself. She might never come back.

(Trivia! Guess Shimmerkit's medicine cat name! HINT: Read my other story: Warrior Cats Suffixes on Example 2. It's in there!)