𝒞𝙰𝚂𝙲𝙰𝙳𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝒟𝙰𝚁𝙺𝙽𝙴𝚂𝚂 ─── 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯 1.

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐎

When Dovepaw awoke, Badgertooth and Mapleleaf were gone. Soft dawn light filtered through the bramble screen of the medicine den, carrying a warm breeze. She could hear birdsong in the forest, and the rustling of leaves on the oak trees just outside of the camp. The camp was alive with the bustling of the ThunderClan and FrostClan cats. Leafheart and Owlheart yowled instructions in the clearing to the warriors.

     Dovepaw pricked her ears when she saw a shadow move outside of the den. Lynxstar padded into the den. "Good morning," she mewed. Her eyes were dark. "I heard the bad news. That your leg was permanently broken."

     "What?" Dovepaw could hardly believe her ears. Mapleleaf had said that she thought it was a permanent break, but Dovepaw didn't actually believe her. Medicine cats always assumed the worst. "But I'll be able to walk again, surely?"

     Lynxstar padded over to her daughter and began to give her a fierce wash like she used to do when they were small kits in the nursery. In between licks she meowed, "Of course, my dear. Just not properly. And that also means that you won't be able to become a warrior like your sister. You'll be able to contribute to the Clan in different ways, though."

     Dovepaw looked up at her mother. "That means I can't be a warrior! Mother, what will I do then? Mousepaw and I always dreamed of fighting for our Clan and having a life for ourselves . . . now that is all gone." She buried her muzzle in her mother's soft white fur.

     Lynxstar stroked her pelt with her thick tail. "I'm sorry, Dovepaw. You and Mousepaw are always bouncing about playing those games. I wish that I could make it all better. Don't worry. You are extremely lucky to have Badgertooth as a mentor. And you are lucky because being a medicine cat is a very special experience."

     Dovepaw suppressed a feeble wail of sadness. "That doesn't change anything! I don't want to be a medicine cat, I want to be a warrior like Snowtail and Sparrowfeather and Blizzardpelt, not stuck in a den sorting herbs all day!"

     "Being a medicine cat is not all about herbs," Lynxstar murmured. "It's also about sharing StarClan's knowledge. And making the best choices for the Clan."

     "Isn't that a leader's job?" Dovepaw asked. "Your job?"

     "Well, yes, but medicine cats are like advisers to the leader. They help make big decisions that are most suitable to the Clan."

     Dovepaw sighed. "That still doesn't change a thing. Mousepaw will be a warrior before I finish my training!"

     Lynxstar sighed also. "I know, and I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do to make it better, even if I wanted to. It's the warrior code and logic. A warrior with a crippled leg won't do much good for the Clan unless she is a medicine cat, who interprets signs and heals the Clan when injured, right?"

     "I guess. It's still not fair, though!" Dovepaw complained. "Why couldn't I have been smarter and not have fallen into that river?"

     "Well, the upside to that is you didn't die or end up lame and useless, you know this," Lynxstar meowed steadily. She pressed her muzzle into Dovepaw's scruff. I guess that could have happened, Dovepaw thought grimly. She looked up when Mapleleaf and Badgertooth entered the den with a mouthful of herbs with each of them. "How was it?" Lynxstar asked when they put down their newly collected supplies.