Warriors: A New Beginning #1: The Beginning

Chapter 39

"Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!"

Smokestorm's voice was faint, but Wavepelt could hear quick pawsteps. He's told them about Ashheart.

Mintleaf was running quickly beside the dark grey warrior. The ThunderClan cats were behind them, and Reedstar's eyes were wide.

"She's in the medicine den." Smokestorm skidded to a halt in the camp.

"We put cobwebs on her wounds," Whiteclaw told the medicine cat once he was in the den. "It stopped the bleeding."

"Good." Mintleaf examined Ashheart carefully. "I need marigold and goldenrod. Can you fetch some for me?"

"Uh... what do they look like?" Wavepelt asked.

"Goldenrod is a plant with yellow flowers, and marigold is a leafy plant."

Wavepelt looked at Mintleaf's herb store. Ashheart's life depends on this... There were berries...mm, catmint... there was a golden-flowered plant! Wavepelt grasped some stalks in her jaws and gave them to Mintleaf. "Is this goldenrod?"

Mintleaf nodded. Wavepelt immediately started to find marigold— 'a leafy plant.'

I guess that's it? she gazed at a plant with leafy stalks.

"That's it," Mintleaf meowed when Wavepelt handed him the plant. "Now I'll need space."

Wavepelt left the den and gazed back.

"Try to sleep," Speckledfur suggested, padding up to her.

"I can't," Wavepelt protested. "Not while Ashheart's still like this."

"Staying awake won't make her feel better faster," Speckledfur told her. "Surely you're tired."

Wavepelt hadn't slept at all yer. She blinked. "I guess." She went over to the warriors den and found her nest. She laid down and closed her eyes, then was asleep in an instant.

***

Wavepelt woke up and yawned. I wonder if I'm on the dawn patrol... Then she remembered Ashheart. She stood bolt upright and raced out of the den and into the clearing.

"How's Ashheart doing?" she asked Speckledfur.

"Mintleaf says she'll recover," the spotted she-cat assured her. "Though it will be a while until she can start her new warrior duties."

What a way to start warrior life, Wavepelt thought. Getting attacked by Berrytail on your vigil and barely surviving. Wow. Ashheart had been through a hard life: getting captured by the Twoleg, having her mentor (Wavepelt) thought dead for a moon, and now the attack.

"Wavepelt!" Waterfall called. "Do you want to come see my kits?"

"Sure." Wavepelt hadn't seen Featherkit and Briarkit in a while. She strode over to the nursery and poked her head in. "Hello, kits!"

"Hello!" Six voices replied to her: Hawkkit, Blossomkit, Frostkit, Mousekit, Featherkit, and Briarkit.

"Are you Wavepelt?" Featherkit tipped her head. "Waterfall says that you rescued him from rogues once."

Wavepelt nodded. "Yes, I'm Wavepelt."

"They're your kin," Curlyfur told her.

"They are," Wavepelt murmured. "Dapplecloud was Bearfur's sister."

She felt a pang in her heart when she spoke her father's name. I really miss you, Bearfur... She also missed Dapplecloud.

"Are you going to tell us a story?" Briarkit asked, his blue eyes sparkling.