Diverging Paths (Warrior Cats Fanfiction)

Chapter 10

Half a moon later...

"How has she been doing?"

The gray tom, striped with darker gray, sat down beside his mentor. Or, as close to his mentor as he could be. Despite taking as much tansy as possible to prevent it, Nimblereach had still gotten greencough from his patients. Thankfully the tansy had slowed it down and weakened it, but that didn't mean the gray, black-striped cat was safe to be around other cats. Greencough was highly contagious, and there needed to be at least one healthy medicine cat to take care of those that were not infected, but needed treatment for various other things.

Nimblereach glanced at Offpaw with a sad look swimming in his blue-green eyes, a safe distance from his apprentice. "I don't know. Thicketburn seems to be on her way towards recovery, but I worry for her kits."

"At least it isn't spreading?" Offpaw awkwardly smiled, his voice becoming high and somewhat breaking at the end as he knew this was not much of a comfort.

"I suppose so." Nimblereach decided to just accept this flimsy bright side. "Have Tickkit or Humblekit shown any symptoms?"

"No, thank goodness," the medicine apprentice wheezed. "Neither have Spotkit or Mumblekit. I'm glad we were able to catch it on such short notice."

Nimblereach nodded. "All right. I'm going back in to keep an eye on Thicketburn and her kits, and to keep the sickness in the medicine den. Stay outside and don't let anyone else come in."

Offpaw nodded, and watched as his mentor retreated back into the medicine cat den.

*          *          *

"Hello again!" Highwings padded into the den, carrying in her maw soaked moss. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Oh, come in, come in!" Peckingjay twitched her silver-blue tail, smiling at the slim, black-and-white she-cat. "Spotkit and Mumblekit really have nothing better to do."

"Intruder! Attack!" The two three-moon-old kits shot out of the darkness, their sights set on Highwings.

The warrior frowned and stood her ground, as Spotkit began tugging her tail and Mumblekit her paw. "Ugh..." she grumbled.

Peckingjay laughed awkwardly. Any other warrior would be rolling around on the ground playing along, but clearly that was not Highwings' style. "All right, kits, off of her, please."

"But ThunderClan is invading!" Mumblekit mewed.

"Yeah! And Mumblestar gave the order to attack! I can't ignore my leader, mom!" Spotkit complained loudly.

"I'm your Clanmate," Highwings grunted. "And in case you haven't noticed, I'm trying to give your mother wet moss."

"Mom, don't take it! Don't take the moss! I bet she poisoned it!" Mumblekit cried out, standing in front of her mother's face, her dotted back arched and her beige face glaring with a smile towards Highwings.

"Mumblekit, please," Peckingjay laughed, softly moving the she-kit aside. "I know you're bored, but maybe you can play with Popbubble instead."

"Ah-ah-ah! Don't try it!" the newer queen warned with a playful smile. Popbubble had kept her pregnancy a secret from all of her Clanmates, and even went along with the rumor that she was growing fatter so that she would not have to tell. It made the births of Tickkit and Humblekit even more of a surprise to their father, like a nice gift.

Tickkit and Humblekit. As Highwings set the wet moss in front of Peckingjay so she and her kits could drink, she sideglanced towards the litter of kits. So young and small, still snuggled up to their mother's belly, their eyes and ears not even open.