Warrior Cats; Empty Tide #1

Chapter 2

Marshkit woke up suddenly. The StarClan cats warning remained in his mind.

Featherflight was fast asleep, her silver tail curled around Meadowkit. The tiny grey kit was gently mewing in her sleep.

Marshkit got up, quietly jumped over his sleeping mother and stood by the bramble barrier.

The moon rose above his head and the warriors of Silverpelt fiercely shon in the sky. He wriggled out of the nursery and silently trotted towards the medicine cat den.

Stoneslip was still awake, busy with sorting herbs and keeping an eye on Mottlekit.

"Can I help?" Marshkit asked quietly. The medicine cat span around to face him.
"Yes." She purred and showed him how to carefully move the leaves. Marshkit sat in the medicine cat den and looked around.
The small cave was warm and had a huge stack of moss inside, Marshkit fought the urge to jump into it.

Instead, he quietly watched Stoneslip organise the herbs into various piles.

"See this?" Stoneslip meowed. "Its marigold." She pushed a small pile of yellow flowers towards the kit. "See if there are any dead or wilted ones in their."

Marshkit carefully did as the medicine cat said, trying not to rip the delicate petals as he sorted the pile.

Outside he heard the apprentices Stoatpaw and Violetpaw talking about the days training. Some older warriors were basking in the faint moonlight, discussing battle moves and the best places to catch prey.

"I had a funny dream just now." Marshkit mewed. Stoneslip whisked her tail and flicked her ears.
"Did you?" She said, her voice flat. Marshkit was oblivious to the medicine cats tone.

"Yeah. This StarClan cat came to me in a field and said-" Stoneslip bolted up and looked at Marshkit.

"StarClan? What did they say?"

"He said something about poison flowers growing in the nicest fields." Marshkit replied sweetly to the medicine cat. Stoneslip sat in the den thoughtfully for a bit.

"I think you should go back to sleep Marshkit." She said, breaking the silence.
"But what about the marigol-"
"Your mother will be worried." She mewed, pushing Marshkit out the den before spinning around and stalking back into the cave.

Marshkit quickly groomed the dust and herbs off his fur before sneaking past the warriors and across camp to the apprentice den.

Who needed sleep when there was a camp to explore?

Three apprentices lay in the den, Stoatpaw was eagerly retelling a border skirmish from earlier. Violetpaw was watching him with fond eyes.

"And this RainClan scum comes up to us and tells us we crossed the border! So Flareflash leaps at Mistypelt and next thing I know, furs flying everywhere and Brightpaw's got her claws stuck in my tail!" The brown apprentice waved his tail for added effect and greeted Marshkit.

Stoatpaw was the youngest apprentice, he was the only son of Puddlefoot and Featherheart. His mother had died kitting him and he didn't know his father until he had retired, but there were no hard feelings between the two thankfully.

Violetpaw and Sweetpaw where sisters, Skycloud and Ashstalks first litter. The two she cats had blue grey pelts but Sweetpaws had a pink tinge to it.

"What happened after?" Marshkit squeaked. Stoatpaw's eyes shone as he mimed fighting Brightpaw.

"Brightpaw was determined to take half my fur off, she totally had a thing for me and wanted to line her nest with my fur." Sweetpaw snorted loudly and laughed at his remark. "Oh shut up Sweetpaw. Anyway, Brightpaw was a decent fighter so she was clawing me like I was a tree. I threw her off of me and lunge at her, then Duckface or whatever his name his-"

"Duckfur" Violetpaw coolly stated, swishing her tail.

"Duckfoot," Violetpaw flicked her ears in annoyance but let him continue. "Suddenly pulls Brightpaw off me and yelling at Mistypelt. Flareflash drags us back and Harestar turns us into crowfood." He finished and flopped down on his mossy nest.

"How dramatic." Sweetpaw purred. She wrapped her tail round Marshkit. "You've scared the kit with your tales of bravery."

Marshkit squirmed away from Sweetpaws long fluffy tail as Stoatpaw jumped up with a sudden burst of energy.

"Im so brave my warrior name is gonna be Stoatbrave!" He joked. Sweetpaw flicked her ears in amusement and purred.

"Stoatbrave?" Marshkit tipped his head in confusion at the apprentices sudden warrior ceremony.

"Nah, I'll be Stoatstar." He declared, puffing his chest out proudly and needing his dark paws against the hard ground.

"StarClan gives you a life to shut up and go to sleep, one to stop being annoying, another to go away, a fourth to-" Sweetpaw cut of her sisters crude remark.

"He was only joking Violetpaw." Violetpaw growled slightly.

"You should go kit." Stoatpaw glanced warily at Violetpaw before settling into his nest. Marshkit nodded and left the apprentices to sleep.

He jumped into the ravine, the moon still shon in Silverpelt as he strolled back to the nursery. Featherflight was still fast asleep with Meadowkit.

In the corner of the nursery, the StarClan cat from Marshkits dream sat behind Robinfeather. Watching over the cats as they quietly slept.