Adderpaw waited outside the medicine cat tunnel. She curdled her tail over her paws neatly. Sandpelt kneaded the ground. "Is she going to be okay?" She tan shecat asked Featherpaw as he padded out.
"She is with starclan now....." He whispered licking her ear comfortingly.
"No!" She shrieked pushing Featherpaw into Adderpaw to get into the den.
"Oof!" Featherpaw fell onto Adderpaw and they tumbled over like kits. "You okay?" The black medicine cat asked helping her to her paws.
"Yeah I just hope Sandpelt can say the same." She mewed starting through the tunnel.
>*<
"Morning Featherwhisker, Tawnypaw." Adderpaw mewed dropping a rabbit for the two medicine cats.
"Thank you Adderpaw." Tawnypaw murmured through a mouthful of leaves.
"No problem, Tawnypaw." She replied. Three sunrises after Fernwhisper died Featherpaw became Featherwhisker and Tawnykit and Fuzzykit became 'paws. Adderpaw padded out and went over to Thrushstripe. "Any patrols today?" She asked.
"I'm not deputy so I don't know." He said flicking her ear with his tail tip. "He's over there." The warrior nodded towards a group of cats near the highrock.
"Stonetail?" She mewed as the cats began to leave. "Am I on patrol?" She asked the massive grey and black tom. He turned his head to face her. "Am I?" She asked hopefully. He shook his head. "Why not!" She complained.
"You have to change the elders bedding, then you have to meet with your father, after that your changing the bedding in the nursery and medicine cats den, and finally you are to help Featherwhisker and Tawnypaw collect and sort herbs. Then maybe you can go on patrol." He said only stopping to take a breath once. As he walked away she sprinted out of camp.
The best moss is on the rocks at Snakerocks. Adderpaw heard Thrushstripes meow in her head. "Snakerocks." She mewed to herself and turned sharply right. She slowed as she neared Snakerocks. She leapt over a fallen log easily. She pricked her ears alert for danger. As she gathered moss a rabbit came out of its burrow right in front of Adderpaw. She waited, then pounced. She bit it's neck and killed it easily. "Now the moss." She meowed to herself laying down the rabbit. She collected enough moss for the elders and nursery before setting off again. She had moss in her jaws with the rabbit and moss under her chin. Back at camp she walked into the elders den and put it all down. She used a paw to divide it equally. It was nearly sunhigh when she finished. She almost forgot. She pulled the rabbit from the pile of moss for the nursery. "Here." She said tossing the rabbit to them. She turned around with the moss and left. She ran over to the nursery. She stopped outside, dropped the moss, ran to get a mouse and vole from the freshkill pile, then she ran back and pushed her way into the nursery. She gave Nightwing, who was on her second litter of kits, the vole, and the mouse to Ashwater.
"Thanks, Adderpaw. You know, I'm surprised you haven't become a warrior. You seem more than capable." Ashwater told her. Tigerkit, Lilykit, and Ivykit bounded into the den, tails sticking out behind them.
"Vole!" Tigerkit hissed to his sisters and they all spread out. He twitched his tiny tail and they all pounced biting into it. "Oh, hi Adderpaw!" The striped tom squeaked.
"Hi!" Ivykit mewed following Adderpaw's twitching tail.
"Hello." Lilykit whispered not looking away from the vole. She took a few bites.
"Adderpaw can we go out to the ravine?" Tigerkit asked. Adderpaw glanced at Ashwater. The black tabby queen nodded. "Yay!" Tigerkit squealed.
Adderpaw rounded up the kits and brought them out of the nursery. The three kits ran around the clearing pushing into each other and tackling other cats. Adderpaw's whiskers twitched with amusement. "Cute, huh? I want to have my own some day." Hawktail's voice sounded from behind her. She spun around and touched noses with the tabby tom.
"Morning." Adderpaw purred. "I am taking the kits out to the ravine." She said as Tigerkit tackled Ivykit in front of her paws. Lilykit bumped into her leg. "Want to come?"
"Where are you going?" Theushstripe's deep mew growled in her ear.
