Willowpaw's Trip (Warriors Fanfic)

Chapter One

"Hey, you two kits! Get out of the den!"

Willowkit jumped over the patient's nest and called, "Sorry, Yarrowstem!"

"You'd better be," Yarrowstem grumbled. "Your brothers might as well go. You're helping me with Honeywing, aren't you?"

Willowkit nodded fervently. To her brothers, she urged, "Go back to Kestrelfeather and learn about fighting techniques or something. Yarrowstem and I have some work to do."

"Fine," Rowankit shot back. "Come on, Cedarkit, let's go."

Willowkit's siblings padded out of the medicine cat's den and left her alone with the yellow-furred she-cat.

"You really like helping me, don't you, dear?" Yarrowstem questioned sweetly to the she-kit.

"Well, I like working with the herbs," Willowkit admitted. "Plus, I think it's...what I was meant to do, you know? Like, I easily memorized what certain herbs do what. And I like helping other cats, seeing their happy faces once they're cured."

"I'll be happy once you cure me," Honeywing cut in. "My paw is killing me!"

"Alright, alright," Willowkit answered. "Give me your paw."

Honeywing gingerly extended her paw farther. Carefully, Willowkit turned it over and noticed the tiny thorn stuck in-between the claws.

"Don't worry," Willowkit assured, smiling warmly at the newly-assigned warrior. "It's only a thorn. You can pull it out yourself, or if you want me to then I can."

"Oh, it's just a thorn." Honeywing easily plucked it out and jumped up. "Thank you so much! I couldn't really see that thorn there. You're such a good medicine cat's helper, Willowkit--you should be a medicine cat apprentice."

"I'm not so sure..." Willowkit humbly muttered under her breath. "I think I'll still help Yarrowstem, but as a regular apprentice."

"Your duties as an apprentice take up a lot of time," Honeywing warned. "But that's alright, you'll still have time to help your amazing medicine cat."

"Right, thank you," Yarrowstem muttered impatiently. "You're fine now, aren't you?"

"Oh, yes," Honeywing remembered, padding to the entrance of the gorse structure. "Thank you, Willowkit! I hope you help Yarrowstem in the future." When the yellowish warrior left, the medicine cat turned to the she-kit.

"Please sit down, Willowkit. I have to tell you something."

The gray tabby sat down on the dirt floor and licked a paw, wrapping her tail around the other. When she finished the quick cleaning, she asked, "Yes, what do you have to tell me, Yellowstem?"

The medicine cat licked her lips and flicked her tail in anticipation of something. Finally, she started. "Well, you're five and a half moons old. Your apprentice ceremony is coming up soon and, well, I guess I'm trying to say that I want you to be my medicine cat apprentice. Now, I know you told Honeywing about how you'd rather be a regular apprentice and still help me a little bit, but you're good with other cats, and you'd be able to memorize the herbs."

Willowkit thought a moment. Truthfully, she knew that Yarrowstem was going to ask her to be her apprentice, but she decided to wait until Yarrowstem asked herself.

"I don't know," Willowkit finally meowed undecidedly. "I think...I think I'll just have to see."

Yellowstem sighed. "Alright. Just go back to the nursery and think about it."

Willowkit nodded and walked silently back to her den, where her brothers and the other family of cats lived.

"Where have you been?" Cedarkit prosecuted. "Rowankit, Nimblepaw, Mosspaw and I have been organizing a whole battle game with all the apprentices! Of course, the kits will only be able to watch, but it's gonna be awesome!"