CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
The smell of lavender overpowered the scent of death and blood as Whisperpaw laid Amberpool in a nest in the medicine den. She had wrenched her shoulder and needed to rest it for a while. None of the other wounds were that severe besides the cats they had lost. Her heart ached for Puddleheart who was now sitting limply in the middle of the clearing with Beestar, Slateleaf, and Shadowclaw. She wanted to join them but there was too much to do first.
Please understand, Puddleheart, she thought silently as she crossed the clearing to where Springpaw was sitting beside Birchwing, they had a few scratches she had yet to attend to and then she was done for the night.
"Hey, Whisperpaw," Springpaw mewed softly so he didn't disturb the cats sitting vigil. "Now that Puddleheart has passed, how will you get your warrior name?"
Shock struck her. She hadn't even thought about that. How would she get her warrior name now? Her mentor was dead. She quickly cleared her throat and began applying cobwebs to Birchwing's wounds. "Well I'll have to speak with one of the other medicine cats to see if they'll give me my warrior name," she mewed, not feeling very optimistic about her chances. "Windflower has seen my progress, I'm sure she'd be happy to."
Birchwing muttered something to his apprentice and her brother and Springpaw sat quietly while she applied cobwebs to their wounds. Her mind couldn't get off how she would get her full name now though.
Wintersky was sitting outside the nursery with her two kits who were watching the cats in the middle of the clearing with wide eyes. Stonefang was beside them. Flowerstem and Dovesong were inside the nursery. Nightpaw and Hollypaw were sent to their nests in the apprentices den and the rest of the cats were either sleeping or sitting vigil.
Whisperpaw padded away from Birchwing and Springpaw and towards the medicine den where Amberpool was sound asleep. Whisperpaw climbed into her nest and looked over at where Puddleheart's old nest was. It was empty and her heart lurched a little. He would never be there again.
She curled up tightly and let herself drift into a dark sleep.
"Congratulations, Whisperpaw. You have fulfilled your prophecy with great skill. Exactly what we expected." Yellowfang's familiar body appeared in front of Whisperpaw. She'd came to her once before to give her a prophecy.
She nodded at Yellowfang. "Will I get to keep my voice?"
Yellowfang's eyes narrowed. "Yes, you will. And do not worry about your name. StarClan will give it to you on the half-moon." And then the old medicine cat disappeared.
***
The half-moon shone brightly in the sky as Whisperpaw padded beside Jayfeather and Gingerpaw who were quiet with grief for Puddleheart, whom Gingerpaw had only met a few times.
The Moonpool was up ahead and she could see the other medicine cats, Windflower and Willowshine. They looked surprised as we approached without Puddleheart.
"Is Puddleheart sick?" Windflower chimed in, tilting her head with question. "Are there some sickly cats in ShadowClan? I have some great remedies!" Her smile widened.
Whisperpaw shook her head, struggling to find the words. "N-No, Puddleheart is no longer with us." She closed her eyes and lowered her head and she could feel the shock radiating off the two medicine cats. The happiness was gone.
"Come on, let's get down there," Jayfeather mumbled and pushed the cats down into the Moonpool with him going in last and Whisperpaw going in front of him with Gingerpaw in front of her. Willowshine, who remained silent, let them through the darkness and the tightening tunnel.
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Warriors: Finding Myself: Downcasted (Book Two)
FanfictionWinterkit has always been disliked by every cat in her Clan and always looked down upon, no matter how hard she tries. That is, until she is given a prophecy and tries to save the Clans from the brutal weather by figuring out what must be done. *Boo...
