Warrior Cats Fanfiction- Ripples of Fear

Chapter 16

  "Why is she still asleep? Is she okay?" A small, height-pitched mew rang in Shadedpaw's ears. She opened one violet eye, very slowly and with a great amount of effort, then the other one, then she blinked a couple times. Morningkit stood over her, her tiny tail high in the air, her huge blue eyes dancing in innocent curiosity.

  "Morningkit, leave her alone." Gingerpool called, lifting her head and stretching out her one working paw toward her daughter. "She's very sick."

  Morningkit turned to her mother, ears drooping. "So she won't play with me?"

  "Of course she won't! She needs space! Come over here right now!"

  The ginger and white kit sighed, and padded back over to her mother, and started bouncing about and pouncing at Gingerpool's useless, limp tail.

  Gingerpool sighed, resting her head on the floor ahead of her. The scar over her left eye looked much better, but her heart certainly had not recovered from that day where her whole life changed, her mate disappeared, she became paralyzed, and she lost 4 kits. And what was it all for? She could never survive very long without 3 legs, and she was clinging on to the ledge of life it seemed, with one claw dug into the ground, hopefully long enough to preserve her until her only remaining kit, Morningkit, was apprenticed, at least.

  Shadedpaw opened her mouth, and managed to choke out a few words despite the sickening dryness of her throat. "It's fine. T...tornshadow hasn't said it was c...contagious, yet."

"Shadedpaw! You're awake!" Tornshadow appeared at the mouth of the den, his white-tipped tail slowly flicking back and forth, bright green leaves clamped in his jaws. He padded over to the young gray and black she-cat and dropped them in front of her. "I don't know what good these can do, but just try chewing them. " his yellow eyes were sparked in something like irritation, and his claws kept sliding in and out impatiently. He stalked over to the herb store and began sorting through some of the other herbs he had brought. "Have any of you seen Moonpaw?" He muttered.

"She went out to check on Froststar. Goldenlight came by earlier complaining that he had stiff joints." Gingerpool replied, lifting her dull gaze a little.

"She promised she would play with me as soon as she got back!" Morningkit piped in, popping out from behind her mother. She leaped clumsily over the paralyzed she-cat and pounced on a wad of moss Moonpaw had gotten for her earlier.

Tornshadow ignored them, and sat back again, tail still swishing uneasily across the floor.

Finally, Moonpaw popped her head in. "Froststar's fine, Tornshadow. I don't think we have to worry about him just yet. I told Goldenlight she should organize the patrols to get her mind off him." She gestured with her spotted tail to where Goldenlight was slinking out of the camp with Blackfur, Lioncry, and Flamefur.

  Tornshadow gave his apprentice a curt nod. "Just go play with Morningkit. And check on Shadedpaw."

  Moonpaw dipped her head without another word and trotted over to the delighted ginger-and-white kit, who was hopefully carrying the wad of moss in her little jaws. Shadedpaw watched her with half-open eyes. Moonpaw must be quite used to the sharp tongue and stiff personality of her black-and-white mentor, having been stuck with him ever since her kithood had ended. Drowsily, Shadedpaw propped herself up and began halfheartedly chewing at the nasty herbs before her. Eventually, the tangy taste of leaves still tingling in her mouth, Shadedpaw dozed off.

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  "Froststar!" Goldenlight's voice rang from the camp exit. Her golden head popped into view and she began racing toward the den, while Flamefur, Blackfur, and Lioncry followed more slowly, sniffing at something. Silverpaw raised her head from where she was sharing tongues with Rosepaw. "What's going on?" She mewed to her sister. Rosepaw narrowed her orange eyes at the three toms. "What is that?" Silverpaw followed her litermate's gaze to where Flamefur and Blackfur were nervously whispering to each other. Lioncry stepped aside, and there was... a cat? Silverpaw' light blue eyes widened. A young ginger tom was looking up at Lioncry, meowing nervously to him. The dark golden tom seemed rather suspicious of the younger cat, eying him untrustingly.