Warriors: Powers of The Clans ~ Paws of Life (Book 2/6)

Chapter Ten

(cat featured above is Winterpaw)

Dockpaw blinked open her eyes, light flooding through the den fainter than usual. Have I woken up early? Dockpaw wondered, expecting to see the familiar body of Snowstorm waking her, but nobody was around her. Then she remembered, with a pang of sadness for her former mentor. She was the medicine cat apprentice now. Dockpaw leaped up, glancing around the den, and her heart soaring as she smelt the fragrance of the herbs.

"Good morning, Dockpaw. Are you ready to begin your training?" Tansypool asked, calling her to attention.

"Of course!" Dockpaw purred. "When will I become an official medicine cat apprentice?"

"I spoke with StarClan last night. They told me that there is no rush, so we can wait until the next half-moon to introduce you to the others." Tansypool explained, pawing at a dead dried up leaf.

Dockpaw frowned. She wished it would be sooner. "Alright." She mumbled.

"First job as a medicine cat apprentice is to clean out the old stores." Tansypool explained nosing to holes of herbs. "Check these out and tell me what you think."

Dockpaw smiled, bounding over to Tansypool and sniffing the stores. "We are low on some herbs." Dockpaw commented.

"Yes, as the new warm season is coming we should be fully stocked, so today we can fill up on some we are low on." Tansypool agreed, nodding.

"We only have a leaf or two of this catmint." Dockpaw commented, her mouth watering at its tasty smell hit her jaws. "Woah...that smells amazing!" She purred.

"Yes, everyone thinks so. It's used strictly for coughs, specifically greencough and whitecough because it is very hard to come by in the winter seasons, so don't think about eating any." Tansypool laughed, her voice rasping. Dockpaw nodded, showing her understanding. "I will grab more of those later."

"These are poppyseeds, right?" Dockpaw pointed out small black seeds. "For dulling pain, sleeping and calming down?"

"Very good, Dockpaw." Tansypool praised. Dockpaw felt better than ever. She had never gotten so much right without getting double that amount wrong along with it while she was a warrior.

"These are...are these dock leaves?" Dockpaw purred a laugh, thinking of her name.

"They are." Tansypool nodded, sniffing each leaf. "We seem to have enough for now. What are they for?"

"Well, they are bases for a poultice, and you can also wrap them around legs to keep the bones strong as they mend." Dockpaw tilted her head, struggling to find the answer.

"Correct!" Tansypool purred. "You seem to know a lot about herbs, let's move on for now to your powers. We must practice them, and learn to control them for whatever is coming." Dockpaw shot a fake smile. She hadn't wanted to go over that yet, and just live life like a normal medicine cat. She groaned inwardly. Everyday I thank StarClan for this power, but I wish I could just be normal sometimes.

"Why? My powers are useless to the Clan if we have herbs." Dockpaw pointed out, rolling her eyes.

"Nonsense." Tansypool huffed. "If we are out of herbs, or dont have them with us, you need to know how to use your powers. And what could be a waste of herbs doesn't have to be if you use your power. Besides, herbs can't heal all scars. Remember that." Dockpaw gulped, slightly scared by her mentor's sharp words.

"Do you think...I could have saved my mother?" Dockpaw asked, her voice hardly more than a whisper, her voice shaking.

"You were much too small to have a strong enough power for something like that. It is okay, it was not your fault, Dockpaw." Tansypool soothed, placing her paw along Dockpaws spine. Dockpaw sighed.