WARRIORS : Calling Darkness [Book 1] Swept Away

Chapter 3

The green-leaf sun beat down onto the backs of the returning cats. Tigerpaw bounded towards the fresh-kill pile. "I'm starving," she exclaimed, licking her lips.
Firefeather bounded after, tone gentle, and waved towards the elder's hazel bush. "The elders are your duty, so you must feed them first."
Tigerpaw nodded, blue eyes round. "Of course!" Dipping her head, Tigerpaw reached down to pick out a plump thrush and turned to trot over to where Darkspeck, the Clan elder, lay.
Halfear motioned for Puddlepaw to head to the medicine cat den. "Another way you must help the elders is to clean off their ticks," she waved her tabby tail. "Get some mouse bile from Patchwish."
Puddlepaw scowled at his paws, and padded away. Ryepaw wiggled impatiently, waiting for his mentor to tell him what to do. He wanted to get it over with so he could eat.
Smallolive whisked his tail. "The bedding will need to be cleared out—"
"I did that before training, Smallolive," Goosepaw called from the nursery entrance.
The tan apprentice, two mice in jaws, pushed through the nursery entrance. Probably feeding Goldenlight and Frostdaisy.
Goldenlight, a pale ginger queen, was expecting Onemoon, the deputy's, kits. Frostdaisy, a white queen, was expecting Smallolive's kits.
Smallolive dipped his head. "Very well. You may choose from the prey pile, Ryepaw."
Ryepaw waved his tail happily, dropping his head to pick out a plump sparrow. Ryepaw found a spot to sit beside his mother, Ravenflower.
          Ravenflower waved her tail in greeting, white pelt shinning in the sunlight. "How was the territory?"
         Ryepaw dropped his sparrow at his paws in haste to answer. "Great!" He exclaimed. "We saw the WindClan border and the ShadowClan border and the training clearing!"
       Ravenflower purred. "Really?"
         Ryepaw nodded enthusiastically, reaching down to rip off a chunk of prey. Ravenflower waved her tail, eyes set on the thorn tunnel. A patrol had just returned, with Speckleblotch in the lead.
        "I'm going to go speak with Speckleblotch," Ravenflower murmured, trotting over to her mate.
        Ryepaw shrugged his shoulders, swallowing a bite of sparrow. This sparrow seemed extra juicy, and had an odd tang to it. Ryepaw was about to ignore it, but when he glanced down, he couldn't. A red berry was lying beside his food. Lifting a wing, Ryepaw discovered many red berries tucked into the meat of his sparrow.
         Ryepaw licked his lips, getting another sensation of the odd tang. He wiped his jaws on his paw, and then examined his dark ginger paw. Smeared on his dark ginger fur was a red juice. Probably from the odd berries. Ryepaw was about to ignore the berries and continue eating but a cat gasped beside him.
          He turned to see a pale gray tom with a ginger tail looming over him. "Oh my StarClan!" Onemoon, the deputy, exclaimed. "Ryepaw, come with me to see Patchwish at once."
        Onemoon's voice was firm and commanding, and Ryepaw was afraid he had done something wrong. But his mother was beside him in an instant, peering at his prey.
        Ravenflower's mouth stretched open in exasperation, and she gasped, "Deathberries!"
                            •*•*•*•*•*•*•*•
        Ryepaw blinked open his dreary eyes. He groaned, not knowing where he was. Cave walls were around him, and for a moment he thought he was in the apprentice's den. But this den had a tangy scent to it, and it was bigger.
            The floor was sandy, and lichen hung at the den entrance. Ryepaw rolled over in a moss nest, becoming impatient. Why am I in the medicine cat den?
         Suddenly the lichen parted, and Ravenflower came through with Patchwish. "If he had been in here a few seconds later, he might not have made it."
         Ravenflower's gaze wobbled, but she straightened up. "Thank you, Patchwish."
        Patchwish dipped her head, yellow eyes shadowed. "I gave him yarrow, which worked to make him vomit up the deathberries. I also gave him a poppyseed to help him sleep."
Ravenflower padded up to Ryepaw's nest, stroking him with her tail. "I honestly don't know what cat could have done this."
Patchwish shook her head. "What matters is that Ryepaw is going to be okay. Dapplestar will deal with everything else."
"He needs rest, now," Patchwish started shooing Ravenflower towards the entrance of the den.
Ryepaw felt like he was going to be sick. His stomach and throat hurt, and he was tired. Curling up, Ryepaw tried to welcome sleep. But before he could a thought crept to him, and he bared his teeth. Whoever did this will regret it.