Tadpoledrift's Mistakes

Chapter Seven

Tadpoledrift tossed and turned in her nest restlessly, unable to sleep as her thoughts chased around her head.

She sighed to herself quietly as she set a paw onto her side, her unborn kits had started to kick only a sunrise before and only a sunset after she talked to Coldcloud. The silver and white she-cat had a small smile on her face, she'd never really ever thought of being a mother but now she didn't mind it much, though she had a fear for them.

If the clan was truly as bad as Coldcloud said, and if it was truly going down a darker path, shouldn't she stay to help try and guide her clan to the light?

She shook her head roughly and rose up a bit, no longer resting on her round side but instead upright. Minnowpaw was awake and helping a sick warrior in the other corner of the den, it was sunhigh after all. Coldcloud had managed to sway Minnowpaw into thinking that her mentor was sick with whitecough and needed some rest and catmint.

Laughing came from the corner where the elder and Medicine Apprentice sat, the scarred tom had a smile on his face while Minnowpaw grumbled.

"It's a simple mistake you know." The old black tom sat in between laughter.

"No, it isn't!" Minnnowpaw hissed in annoyance. "I was close to almost poisoning him!"

Tadpoledrift looked at her paws and sighed again, there was only really one way to get the answers to her questions and that was asking Starclan themselves.

She roughly rolled up and onto her paws, quietly padding over to her mentor and apprentice.

"Is anything the matter over here?" Tadpoledrift plopped onto the ground, her legs having already grown tired.

Coldcloud was still laughing while Minnowpaw quietly hissed.

"Nothing's wrong here, just joking around with Minnow-"

"Coldcloud tried to kill someone with a deathberry and said it was 'accidental', who does that?" Minnowpaw's tail lashed from side to side with annoyance.

Tadpoledrift gave a soft glare to her mentor and rose to her paws again, scooting in between the former medicine cat and future one.

"I'll just take over this then, Minnowpaw would you like to try and treat someone on your own?"

The blind apprentice dipped her head. "This one here just has a minor case of whitecough, supposed just like you." Though she was blind Tadpoledrift could tell she was glaring.

The warrior in front of her coughed quietly as if trying to hide it. He had a tortie red and black pattern on his fur, small scars every few spots. She had known him as well as a kit she'd shared the nursery together could be, though he was always closer to Snowflakeflurry.

"Catfishcatcher, did Coldcloud give you deathberries?" She asked with concern.

He shook his head and chuckled roughly. "No ma'am, he was jus' talkin' 'bout somethin' he once did."

"Did you get any catmint from Minnowpaw then?"

"No ma'am, ah never got mah catmint." He shook his head again.

"Well I'll be giving you some, but you'll have to stay here in my den for a few sunrises until you're whitecough is gone. We don't want it spreading even more after all." She stood up again and walked away, walking back to the camp with a clump of catmint in her mouth.

"Alrighty ma'am, jus' tell Eb I ain't gonna be takin' 'im on a walk fer a while."

She dipped her head, knowing that his mate would want to know.

Tadpoledrift got up onto her paws, looking around for where her mentor had gone. He was sitting to the side, chatting with an elderly she-cat who he'd always been close to.

"Coldcloud, could you watch the den tonight? I have something that I need to ask Starclan that can't wait for another sunrise."

The black rosette tom dipped his head down. "I can just don't forget that tonight is the night you'll be testing Minnowpaw."

"Could you please do that? I think it will make me late to the moonpool."

Coldcloud dipped his head again, this time he had a small smile on his face.

"Can do missy." His scarred over eyes looked up at her, he seemed happy to know something but Tadpoledrift couldn't fully understand it.

Tadpoledrift nodded her head slowly, turning back to the other cats in her den. "Until I leave, I'll check over everyone and make sure they get their herbs."