𝑺𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑭𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔: 𝑨 𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒓 𝒄𝒂𝒕 𝑭𝒂𝒏𝒇𝒊𝒄

CHAPTER 20

"Well, Silentpaw," Maplethorn asked, breaking the silence. "When do you suppose you will receive your medicine cat name?"

She still internally shuddered as her mind wandered off to last night. She wondered how her mother was faring and whether she had been injured by Mapleshade.

"Oh, I suppose in a couple of moons. After all, I left only after I received the very basics of medicine cat training," Silentpaw shrugged, yanking ferociously at the leaf of another plant.

Maplethorn said nothing as she followed her sister, who was collecting herbs for Ghostwhisper. She wanted to help, to spend time with her sister, but Silentpaw still thought that she would do something fatal, and possibly kill herself.

"I survived the second half of my assessment perfectly fine-" Maplethorn whined again.

"With a fractured shoulder and a couple of cuts. I would not call that perfectly fine in any shape or form," Silentpaw retorted, plucking some deathberries from a shrub.

"I know now that those are deathberries and not juniper berries, at least," Maplethorn shot back.

"Well, you nearly killed yourself when you were a kit, so I could say otherwise," Silentpaw demurely meowed, as she stripped another branch bare of its berries.

"Well, I wasn't going to train to become a medicine cat!" Maplethorn fumed, annoyed that Silentpaw was penning her up like a three moon old kit.

The both of them stayed silent, the rustling of bushes, shrubs and the undergrowth the only sound that could be heard. She flicked her ear as she took in Silentpaw's scent properly, for the first time. She smelled of the same fresh rain, flowers and bright sunshine, mixed with a hint of peace. She smelled like the definition of optimism, warm and pure. But underneath, she could smell the harsh, acrid scent of another clan. Perhaps it was just because she had mingled with other cats too often that her scent wasn't as strong as it used to be in MistClan and shook off any other thoughts brewing up in her mind.

"Maplethorn," Silentpaw meowed. "Since you've wanted to help me so much, you can carry this bundle back to camp. No wait, take this bundle instead. I still can't trust you yet with deathberries."

"I saved myself once!" Maplethorn argued as Silentpaw swapped the bundles around once again and Maplethorn continued to mutter muffled obscenities under her breath as they both made their way back to camp.

As she returned to camp, Waspsting was waiting for her as he glared,

"Come with me, you two."

"Of course, father," Maplethorn spoke graciously, "that is, after we drop these bundles off at the medicine cats' den."

She saw Waspsting's whiskers twitch with irritation but he said nothing as they dropped off their bundles and Maplethorn greeted her injured mentor before following her father.

"Recently, Shadepool has been complaining about the two of you," Waspsting began.

"Oh?" Maplethorn asked, curious to see what profanities her brother had been spewing about to her father.

"He said that the two of you were conspiring against him and that is why the leader has taken less interest in him," Waspsting sneered. "Also, he informed me that you two were slandering within the clan to bring his reputation down."

Silentpaw opened her mouth, which Maplethorn could tell that an apology was to spill out before blurting out on top of her sister, her tail slapped over Silentpaw's mouth,

"Well, my dear father, the leader does not even wish to look at me, let alone talk or listen to me, especially more so after that damned skull was brought in. And, for the slandering part, have you any solid proof? Is such a legendary deputy going to be swayed just by the words of his son? Now that is something that is worth gossiping about."