The Rise of a Tyrant

Chapter 2 // Pooldune

Pooldune eagerly pawed through the fresh selection of herbs. This newleaf was beyond promising, there were so many! After all the herbs had been separated into their groups, Pooldune gave a satisfied sigh. Standing up, he shook his fluffy, grey coat and turned to the entrance of the cove that was the medicine den.

"Raventalon, you in there?" Came a sheepish voice. Pooldune shook his head, expecting to see him again.
Instead of who he had expected, however, an uncomfortable-looking white tom stood there instead.
"Oh, Pooldune, it's you." Pigeonwing purred eagerly. "I think I have fleas, can you please help?"
Pooldune took a cautious step back from the tom.
"Yeah, sure." He responded. "Wait there."
Pooldune turned around, happy his herb-gathering was coming to use. He had worked throughout Leafbare to keep the growing herbs from dying, and it had payed off. There was tons of leaves and berries and roots, Pooldune didn't know what to do with them all!

"Now, Pigeonwing," Pooldune began while scanning for the marigold. "First, you're going to have to make sure all those fleas are removed."
"Right, uh..." The tom seemed embarrassed. Pooldune turned around with marigold in his jaws. Im guessing he hasn't.
"Get an apprentice to help." Pooldune mewed.
"I- I'm not an elder!" Pigeonwing scoffed. "I can do it!" He winced then lifted his hind leg to scratch at his neck.
Pooldune rolled his blue eyes. "Yeah, no, get an apprentice to do it."
Pigeonwing lashed his tail in annoyance, then sighed. "Fine. Rockpaw!" He turned and called at his apprentice on the other side of camp. He certainly didn't look excited to be picking out fleas.

Pooldune chuckled to himself, then walked past the frustrated cats, steering to the small brook behind the medicine den. Pooldune dipped the marigold flower into the water, then took it back inside. Placing the wet flower down, he kneaded it against the rocky floor until it turned into mush. Using a cockle shell, Pooldune scooped it up and waited for Pigeonwing to be ready.

"Hey, he's done." Rockpaw's voice sounded from the entrance. Pooldune walked over to check. He stretched his head, inspecting the white tom's flea-bitten neck. It seemed pretty clear, except for one very small flea near the back of his head.
"Missed one." Pooldune murmured lightheartedly, then reached his claw onto the flea, removing it and crunching it in his mouth.

Rockpaw looked ticked. "Well I got so many! Look!" He flicked his tail towards the pile of crushed fleas on the ground below.
Pigeonwing nodded and praised his apprentice. "Don't worry, you helped a lot, Rockpaw. Thankyou." Which seemed to lift the young cat's spirits.

"Okay, move aside." Pooldune ordered, and Rockpaw moved. Pooldune took most of the crushed marigold in his jaws and chewed it into a pulp. Then, spitting it onto Pigeonwing's neck, he rubbed it over all the flea bites. In doing this, the medicine cat could just feel the relief as the tom rested his bristling fur.
"Oh, that's so much better. Thank you, Pooldune." He muttered.
"No worries." The helpful cat responded. Pooldune blinked, then picked up the dirty cockle shell, turning for the brook. He dropped it in surprise when he saw Raventalon there instead of Rockpaw.

"Nice work, Pooldune!" The black she-cat praised her former apprentice. Her dark amber eyes shimmered like bronze in the sun.
"Raventalon! Where were you?" Pooldune gasped. The medicine cat had been out all day, and she didn't appear to be back with a single herb!
"Uh, collecting cobwebs?" Raventalon suggested, nervously. While she would technically be telling the truth, Pooldune didn't think cats collected cobwebs on their whiskers.
"Sure," he responded, unconvinced. "Well, I treated two cats this morning!" He was referring to Pigeonwing, and Hawkpaw- who had somehow got scratched on the tail by a seagull.
"Oh, well done!" Raventalon's mind looked elsewhere, like always. "I'm going to eat some fresh kill, see you!" She turned and walked off.

It's as if she isn't even a medicine cat anymore! Pooldune thought gloomily. What happened to his eager mentor who always loved her work?

"You look troubled." Pigeonwing meowed, startling Pooldune.
"What?" Pooldune said. "Oh, its nothing."
Pigeonwing raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that?"
"I- I guess."

Pigeonwing sat next to the grey tom. "Is it about her?"
Pooldune bristled. "Raventalon is an excellent medicine cat! I'd never doubt her like that."
The tom's grey eyes widened. "I never said anything about doubting her. You sure there isn't something going on?"
Pooldune suddenly felt taken aback, feeling like his thick pelt had suddenly been torn off, leaving him cold and vulnerable. He sighed.

"She's uh..." Pooldune stumbled, thinking about his words. "Just a bit... distracted, I guess."
"By what?" Pigeonwing mewed curiously. Pooldune stiffened.
"It's nothing, really!" He snapped. Pigeonwing said nothing, looking at Pooldune with a stern expression. "She'd never!"

Pooldune felt small, and the words were slipping out of him. Pigeonwing still said nothing, which just infuriated him more.
"Just go!" Pooldune yowled, and the tom's expression finally switched.
"If something's bothering you, you need to speak to Raventalon instead of letting it stir." The senior warrior stated simply, then got up and walked off, leaving Pooldune bristling anxiously.

Tell her? Tell her what? "Hey, mouse-dung, I think you're breaking the warrior code, so please stop!"
She probably wouldn't listen anyway, Pooldune realised. She was once his mentor, after all! And she was never open to criticism.

If Raventalon really was going out with Graybeach that morning, there was nothing Pooldune could do about it. She'd keep seeing him, even if it meant that he had to carry the burden of keeping it a secret. The burden that made him realise things weren't as perfect as they seemed, and felt like they were only going to get worse from then on.

Suddenly, the sky above Pooldune began to shift, shocking him and making him dizzy. What in Cloudclan?- the clouds zoomed and changed. Pooldune became overwhelmed, screaming for it to stop.
The sky finally stopped. But it wasn't a sky anymore. It shimmered with dark blue ripples, the sun reflecting brightly on it.
It was the Skypool, but what in the world was the Skypool doing in the sky? Suddenly, Pooldune bristled as the waves above began to crash into colours of purple... then violet... then a bright red.
"The Skypool is r-red? Wh-why?" The tom whimpered, cowering below the vision.

A mysterious voice suddenly echoed around the medicine cat, sending vibrations that shook the earth.
"This is only the start, Pooldune..."