Warriors: The Chosen Warrior: The Betrayal (Book 3)

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

It was the day after Leafsong's conversation with Jaypaw.  Why does he want to help me?  Why can't he just stay out of my fur?  She was on the sunhigh hunting patrol with Ashfur, Lionpaw, and Squirrelflight.  Everyone had caught at least one piece of prey but her.

"Is something wrong, Leafsong?" Squirrelflight asked her.  "You usually catch something before anyone else in the patrol."

Leafsong just shook her head, not wanting to talk.  Squirrelflight opened her mouth to say something, but Ashfur broke in.

"We should head back," he said, as leader of patrol.  "This is enough fresh-kill to-" Ashfur's last few words were cut off as he broke into a fit of coughing.

Squirrelflight rushed over to lend him her shoulder to lean on.  "I agree that we should go back.  Leafsong, please carry Ashfur's pigeon."

Leafsong picked up the bird and followed the patrol to the camp.  When she reached into earshot of it, she heard loud coughing inside.  They pushed through the thorn tunnel and saw Spiderleg in the middle of the clearing, crouching down and coughing in the ground, surrounded by cats.  Leafpool and Jaypaw were just racing out of the medicine den with herbs.  Leafpool glanced over at Ashfur, her eyes worried.

"Bring him into my den; I'll be there in a moment," she told Squirrelflight.

She did as she was told and brought Ashfur slowly up to the den with Lionpaw following.  When Leafpool was finished and brought Spiderleg to her den, the cats in the clearing returned to their normal duties.  Leafsong was about to head over to the fresh-kill pile, when she heard her name.  She turned and saw Jaypaw padding towards her.

"What do you want?" she hissed at him.

"Nice to see you, too," the apprentice muttered.  "I wanted to ask you if you could find some catmint.  I think I smelled some in ShadowClan.  Could you get it for me?" he asked.

Leafsong snorted.  "Why don't you get it?  Or maybe ask another medicine cat for some?  No one will attack you!"

Jaypaw's tail tip was flicking annoyingly.  "Asking means that ThunderClan is weak, and I need to take care of the sick cats.  If I leave, Leafpool will rip my pelt off and start using my body as a medicine!" he growled.

Leafsong calmed down for a moment to think about it, but then something came to her.  She tensed her muscles while snapping softly in Jaypaw's face, "No!  This is obviously a set up!  I'm not going in ShadowClan territory-no matter what you do!"

She turned tail, stomped into the warriors' den, and thumped into her nest.  She rested her tail on her nose and closed her eyes, trying to sleep her anger away.

Leafsong felt something prod into her side softly.  A few heartbeats later it came again, this time sharper.  When it came again, sharper than ever, Leafsong snapped her eyes open to look at the cat and yowled, "Will you stop that?  I'm trying to-"

She froze as she recognized the tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with star shine in her fur.  Leafsong gasped.  "Spottedleaf!  I'm sorry, I didn't realize-"

"Hush, Leafsong," she whispered as she brushed her tail tip across Leafsong's mouth.  "I know you didn't mean it.  We wanted to tell you something."

Leafsong glanced around the clearing she was standing in, surrounded by bracken and hazel bushes.  "We?  But I don't see any other cat here," meowed Leafsong confusingly.

Right after she said that two cats, a golden one and a white one, pushed their way through the barrier.

Leafsong couldn't believe her eyes.  She ran towards them.  "Goldenfur!  Whitefang!" she yowled.  "I haven't seen you in such a long time!"

Leafsong was purring so loud that she didn't hear her mother.  "What did you say?" she asked.

"We know your Clan is going through a hard time," she repeated.  "You need catmint.

"Don't tell me," Leafsong muttered.  "It's in ShadowClan territory, isn't it?"

Whitefang sighed.  "Just because Jaypaw told you this, it doesn't mean you don't have to do it.  Jaypaw's going to be the only medicine cat in ThunderClan one day-you might as well start listening to him now.  Plus, StarClan is telling you.  And you're the Chosen Warrior-it is your job to protect the Clans, especially your Clan."

Leafsong sighed slowly.  "Okay, but where is the catmint?"

Goldenfur spoke again.  "There's catmint on the far side of the territory, past the marshes, and next to the RiverClan border.  It is growing underneath a hollow log-ShadowClan doesn't even know it's there yet."

"But wouldn't that be stealing?" Leafsong asked.

Spottedleaf's voice was stern.  "Leafsong, your Clan is infected with greencough!  If you don't get that catmint, the whole Clan will be sick, and then eventually ThunderClan will disappear."

Leafsong thought for a moment longer, and then nodded her head in agreement.  "Okay," she meowed.  "I will go get the catmint, no matter what it takes."

Her surroundings and the three StarClan cats faded away, until all Leafsong saw was black.