Warriors: A New Beginning #1: The Beginning

Chapter 8

Wavepaw sat silently in her nest, gnawing on a vole that Flamepaw had brought her. A couple days had passed since she had rested in the medicine cat den, and she wasn't hurting as much anymore, though her muscles ached from lying down so much. Flamepaw has not come with Mintleaf. Wavepaw hadn't seen the medicine cat since this morning, and she had been too tired to remember Wolfpaw's message.

"Hi Wavepaw!" Wheatpaw bounded up to Wavepaw. "How are you feeling? Can you train again? I miss battle training with you."

"Yeah, because you always beat me!" Wavepaw teased.

"That's not true!" Wheatpaw's tail drooped but she was smiling. Then the tabby apprentice looked around. "Where's Mintleaf? I came in here because I got a thorn in my pad during patrol."

"I have no idea," Wavepaw mewed. "I've been wondering where he is myself, but I haven't seen him since this morning. I need to talk to him."

"Then we both..." Wheatpaw made a face as she shifted her weight, "...need Mintleaf. Where could he be?"

In response, Mintleaf entered the den, carrying leaves of some kind.

"Mintleaf!" Wavepaw meowed. "Where have you been?"

Mintleaf looked at Wavepaw with a questioning look. "Out gathering dock. I'm almost out, and leaf-bare is coming." He glanced at Wheatpaw. "And why might you be here?"

"I got a thorn in my pad," Wheatpaw mewed.

Mintleaf easily grasped the thorn in his jaws and pulled it out. Then he plastered some cobwebs where the thorn had been.

"Thanks Mintleaf," Wheatpaw said, then ran out of the den.

"Mintleaf," Wavepaw meowed, "Can I talk to you?"

"Sure," the medicine cat said. He turned toward the pale grey apprentice. "Is something wrong?"

"No...well, not really," Wavepaw said. "It's just...I had a dream."

"You did?" Mintleaf's ears twitched and he leaned closer. "Go on."

Wavepaw told him all about her dream: Wolfpaw and what he said about the river, and the river drowning her. When she was finished, Mintleaf was silent.

"You were right to tell me this," he finally mewed.

"But why would StarClan choose me?" Wavepaw asked, confused. "That's the part I don't understand. I can't even hunt or fight right now."

"You will be able to fight pretty soon," Mintleaf pointed out. He walked over to the place where he stored...yarrow, Wavepaw recognized. "And that is when we will attack RiverClan."

***

"You're back!"

The first thing Wavepaw heard when she set foot outside the medicine cat den was Bushkit's excited squeal. The brown kit rushed over to Wavepaw. He was getting bigger, the apprentice recalled—he would be an apprentice soon.

"Yes, I'm back," Wavepaw smiled. "I'm almost ready to return to my apprentice duties."

"You are?" Tussledpaw meowed happily. She and Wheatpaw were running toward Wavepaw, Flamepaw close behind.

"Yeah!" Wavepaw said excitedly. "I can't wait!"

"Me, too." Speckledfur walked up to Wavepaw. "Now, what's this about attacking RiverClan?"

"You know?" Immediately Wavepaw regretted asking that question. The whole Clan probably knew. She continued. "Well, you see, I had a dream..."

When Wavepaw finished telling about the dream, Flamepaw padded up to her.