Warrior cats: The Silent Path

Chapter 4

Shatteredpaw awoke, smelling the afternoon breeze. He overslept. Cats were up and off to their duties. "Quite a sleep there," Saptoes mused. Shattered'Paw shook himself, the prophecy echoed in his mind. What could it mean? Would he have to tell Saptoes? It was silent of a long heartbeat.

"Saptoes," he meowed, sounding rather serious.

"Yes?" His mentor answered.

"Why didn't you wake me, fur ball? He snorted.

"What?" His mentor meowed.

"Never mind," Shatteredpaw mewed. Deciding to tell Saptoes about his first dream, but not the second, he went on, telling Saptoes what had happened in his dream.

"What could it mean," Shatteredpaw meowed anxiously, his teasing spirit had vanished as he spoke.

"I'm not sure," Saptoes replied, his tone was grim and serious. "We'll discuss it later, for now I'm sending you off to get comfrey," his mentor meowed.

"What about Cloverfeather? Can't she get it?" Shatteredpaw objected, his body still half asleep.

"First off, you're the apprentice who overslept. Second, she's with the queens, Dove'Nose thinks Greykit is sick. Oh, on your way out, give these to Addereye, she had sore joints again," he grunted. "Run along, Violetpaw has some more healing to do," Saptoes ordered. Shatteredpaw wanted to object but it was no use arguing.

He grabbed a leaf that held daisy poppy, an extra dose just in case she was unbearable.

"Shatteredpaw!" A voice meowed after him. He stopped and waited for the cat to approach. It was Copperpaw's familiar meow. "Are you headed to the elders?" She meowed. Before he could answer she went on. "I'll help, they're extra grumpy today, partly my fault," she insisted. She trotted towards the elder den before he could respond.

"You may be my kit, but that doesn't mean I'm not incline to-" it was Addereye, the grumpiest of the elders. "Apprentices," she snorted before she finished her snarls. Shattered'Paw felt Copperpaw's fur brush his own and suddenly he was glad she came along. The angry elder didn't care if he was a medicine cat or blind, she was on the last of her days and she knew it. "Well? These joints are killing me," the old she snapped.

"Wish it would take her just a little faster," Thornbelly, one of four elders, quietly muttered. Shattered'Paw guessed the old she hadn't heard him because she would've snapped. He dropped the lead with herbs, unraveling it, but before he could do anyhting Addereye snarled at him. "I can do it myself," she snapped.

Shatteredpaw and Copper'Paw both hurried out of the den. Jaggednose, Addereye's son, apologized as they went out. Jaggednose had been made an elder at an earlier age due to an injury that made it so he couldn't smell. Shatteredpaw shuddered, he couldn't imagine not being able to smell. "Shatteredpaw, can I show you something?" Copperpaw meowed, breaking his thoughts as he padded to the entrance of camp.

"Sure, but I need to get herbs first," he meowed.

"Oh, well I'll come with you," she sniffed.

Shatteredpaw and Copperpaw trotted towards a large stream that went through ShadowClan. He'd learned that comfrey rarely grew anywhere, but there was just the smallest patch down by the stream, where it was quite muggy. Shatteredpaw remembered learning where to find some as a kit. Cloverfeather had twisted her paw and Saptoes turned it into a learning experience, as he did with any problem a cat had. Whenever something was needed or used Saptoes found clever ways into turning it into teaching moments. Shattered'Paw guessed that was just the role of a mentor, but he did wish from time to time he got to play like his former den mates, instead of training, as a kit. Although, training at an early age was unusual, but very useful for missions like this. After a while of silence, other than prey that scurried around and their own paw steps, Shatteredpaw spoke. "What was it you wanted to show me?" He asked as they padded along.