Destiny

CHAPTER EIGHT

“I'll never get it right.” Silverpaw complained to Ivysplash as she tried the underwater clinch again with Rockpaw. All the apprentices with their mentors, except for Mallowpaw, who disappeared with Pikestar, was at the river right outside the RiverClan camp, practicing water combat moves.

“Can't I practice with Bushpaw and Puddlepaw?” Rockpaw complained.

“No.” Ivysplash meowed firmly. I gave you Silverpaw to practice with so you can help her, not to make rude comments.”

Bushpaw, who was happily splashing water in her littermate's face, turned to her mentor, Frostcloud. “Can I practice with Silverpaw then?” she pleaded. “It's boring to practice with Puddlepaw and Rockpaw all the time.”

“Alright then.” Frostcloud nodded. “What do you think, Rainfur?”

Rainfur shrugged. “Doesn't matter to me.”

Silverpaw remembered when Rainfur had a big bellyache, she helped Mapleleaf finding chervil. She could still smell the scent of the herb in her head. Later, when Lilyheart came back, she had also praised her, which made her feel good.

“Thank you!” Bushpaw meowed, and swam over to Silverpaw and Rockpaw. “You can leave now.” She splashed water over Rockpaw's face.

“She-cats.” Rockpaw muttered and padded to the surface.

“Don't worry, Silverpaw.” Bushpaw meowed. “I can help you. Now first, I want you to grab me and hold me below the surface.”

“What?!” Silverpaw blinked. “Won't I drown you?”

Bushpaw shook her head, flinging more water all over the place. “We know how to hold our breath, remember? Just do it.”

Trembling with fear, Silverpaw did exactly what Bushpaw wanted. She used Bushpaw's weight to hold her down while Bushpaw pretended to struggle. Then she burst from the water to the surface, sputtering water that she held in her mouth the whole time Silverpaw held her down.

“You did it!” Bushpaw meowed. “That should be enough to send our opponent running. If not, lure him back to the water and do this technique again.”

Silverpaw shuddered. It really didn't seem right to force someone down the water. What if she held them for too long and someone drowned?

“You did great.” Ivysplash assured her, as Frostcloud nodded in approval. They had both been watching the whole thing. Somehow, Ivysplash's praise didn't give her the same good feeling as Lilyheart's.

“You want to keep practicing?” Bushpaw meowed, jumping back into the cool water.

“I-”

“Hi Lilyheart!” she heard Ivyplash call. “Where are you going?”

The medicine cat seemed to be in a hurry; Silverpaw never knew that she could run as fast as a WindClan cat.

“I need to go over to the Twoleg dens again.” Lilyheart explained. “Catmint has been growing very slow this season, and I want to check if there is still a little left.”

“Do you need an apprentice?” Rainfur asked.

“Hmm...it would be faster if I had one...” Lilyheart agreed.

“I can go!” Silverpaw volunteered. Anything to get away from drowning a cat, she thought.

“Perfect.” Lilyheart waved her tail that meant for her to follow. Turning away from her clannmates, Silverpaw kept pace with the medicine cat as they padded upstream to a deep slope. The patches of grass there were less sodden and the twoleg dens were now in sight, their den covered with dark-leaved plants growing up the walls. But their was one thing in the way between them and the twoleg gardens. A Thunderpath.

“It'll be okay.” Lilyheart assured her, pressing her tail along Silverpaw's spine. “Just follow my instructions and don't run till I tell you to. Lilyheart padded closer to the Thunderpath and stuck her ear up in the air.

“I'm trying to hear the sound of monsters,” she whispered to her. “I think I hear one coming right now.” Suddenly, a large roaring sound became visible, and Silverpaw could finally see what a monster looked like. Big, blue, and noisy, it had big shining sunlight coming out of it. Once it passed them, Lilyheart gave her signal. “Cross it now!” she ordered.

Her heart beating with fear, Silverpaw raced across without a word and didn't look back until she her paws left the cold, hard ground. Panting, she tried keeping her pace until they stopped at the two-leg gardens.

“Twolegs don't come here unless it's greenleaf.” Lilyheart meowed. “So there is nothing to worry about. As for finding catmint, it should be easy. It's a leafy plant that smells very nice and tempting. Try not to eat any. We need as much as we can in case some of our clanmates get greencough.”

By the time Lilyheart finished explaining, Silverpaw already had her mouth filled with catmint. Just like what the medicine cat said, the aroma of catnip was very tempting for non-sick cats to eat. She shook the thought out of her head and dropped the catmint at Lilyheart's paws. “This must be it, right?” she meowed.

“That's exactly it.” Lilyheart purred. “You take a good rest while I get a few more in other two-leag gardens. We want to save some still in the roots so more can grow in newleaf.”

When Lilyheart was not in sight anymore, she heard a rustling sound coming from a nearby bush.

“Who's there?” Silverpaw trembled in fear.”

A pair of brown ears poked out and then the a whole body followed.

“Mouseear?” She sighed in relief.

“Sorry to scare you.” he meowed. “But we have an emergency in ThunderClan.”

“What is it?” And why are you telling me? She wondered.

“I..well...there seems to be some sick cats in our clan with greencough and we need...we need...” The catmint he was eying said it all.

“I'm sorry, Mouseear.” Silverpaw tried meowing bravely. “But we need this catmint for RiverClan in case our cats get sick. Maybe you can ask another clan...”

“Dewpaw has whitecough.” Mousear retorted. “ Whiteleaf is trying, but we desperately need catmint. Please.”

It must be hard for a warrior from another clan to confess their weakness. She sypathyzed. And Dewpaw is my friend. I can't just do nothing. “Alright.” she decided. “I'll tell Lilyheart to come over to give you a portion.

“N-no!” Mouseear blurted.

“What?” Silverpaw was taken aback.

“You can give some to me yourself.” He meowed. “I don't want anyone else to know ThunderClan is struggling...”

“But you told me.” Silverpaw challenged. “Instead of the medicine cat, you told me. Why?”

“I-I, it's because Oakstar trusts you!”

Silverpaw was confused. Oakstar? ThunderClan's leader? She has only met him once at the gathering and he trusts her?

“Just please Silverpaw. Oakstar sent me here to find you. He said that you're different than the rest of RiverClan and that you'll understand what we're going through.”

Silverpaw reluctantly prodded a portion of the catmint to Mouseear and whispered in his ear, “Please tell Dewpaw to get better for me.”

Mousear picked up the catmint, nodded, and slipped away quietly.

Silverpaw planned to look for more catmint to make up for the ones she gave away until she heard a disappointed voice behind her.

“There's no need.