The Shadow Glare

Chapter 6

Riverpaw was sorting through herbs. Quietly she named them. "Chervil . . . Chamomile . . . Catmint . . ." She paused to give the catmint a good sniff to check that it was good. Catmint was very important.
Blackwave poked her head in the den, her blue eyes glazed with worry.
"Are you doing ok?" She asked.

"Yes, fine. We need more tansy and burdock though. Do you think maybe I can go and look for some later?" Riverpaw told her.

"Maybe. Right now I have to deal with Pebblestar. She has white-cough."

"All the more reason to get tansy," Riverpaw muttered. "She'll need it to get better."

When Blackwave had left, Riverpaw waited a few heartbeats before sneaking after her.
She poked her head out of the medicine den just as Blackwave's tail vanished into Pebblestar's den.
She padded quietly over to the den and listened from outside.
Pebblestar was coughing. "I don't know, what to," she broke of in a fit of coughing. "do, about Brownwhisker."

"There, there Pebblestar. He's an ambitious warrior but that doesn't mean he wants to plot against you! A lot of deputies do that sort of thing."
Blackwave mewed.

What kind of thing? Am I missing something? I don't know what it would be. Maybe Brownwhisker has been walking around with his nose in the air pretending he's leader already. That would do it.

"Do you think, I can't tell, when a warrior is acting, strange . . ." She coughed. "All he wants, to do lately, is, go out, into the forest, not for patrols and not for hunting. Something else." Pebblestar growled.

"That doesn't mean he's doing anything bad!" Blackwave protested.
At that moment Pebblestar coughed again. "Riverpaw, we know your out there, come in.
Riverpaw startled. How had they known?
Riverpaw pushed her way through the bramble screen into the den.
Pebblestar was lying on her nest. Her blue eyes were dull. A bundle of fresh catmint sat beside her. Blackwave left as she entered.
"Riverpaw . . . How are you?" She asked.

"Good," Riverpaw told her. "Blackwave is a great mentor and I love learning about herbs! I'm happy to be a medicine cat."

"I'm glad you say that," Pebblestar let out a purr so loud Riverpaw could see her fur vibrating. "A lot of kits think that being a medicine cat is weak and make fun of their littermates when they want to be one. Did that happen to you?"

Riverpaw shook her head. "No, Shadowpaw was completely supportive. She wants what's best and she knows I wanted to be a medicine cat really bad. She helped me, too. I was scared to ask Blackwave at once. I confided in Shadowpaw and she told me that she thought that everycat should do what their heart tells them too. And she knew my heart was set on being a medicine cat."

"Shadowpaw is a brilliant young cat. I would know, I'm mentoring her. She seems to always care about what other cats want. She'll be a great warrior."

Riverpaw dipped her head. "Thank you." She mewed before padding out of the den.