Firestar looked at Graystripe. “You’d prefer this?”
The gray warrior nodded.
Hollypaw jumped to her paws. As a medicine cat apprentice she knew that she must take care of the new arrivals. Their bedding would need to be warm and comfortable, and they should have herbs to help them recover from their long journey.
“Brackenfur, Cloudtail, and Brambleclaw,” Firestar called, “start moving the brambles.”
“Yes, Firestar.” Brambleclaw hurried away to the browned and brittle brambles pushed into the shadows beside the medicine den. Brackenfur and Cloudtail followed.
“Can I help?” Cinderpaw begged.
Brackenfur stopped and turned, ready to answer, but Cinderpaw was already hurtling toward him. She careened into him, and fell backward, tumbling tail over whiskers.
“Sorry, Brackenfur!” she mewed, scrambling to her feet, her eyes filled with dismay.
Brackenfur purred at his daughter. “You’re always a tail-length ahead of yourself, Cinderpaw,” he meowed. “You remind me of my sister when she was an apprentice.”
“Come on, Cinderpaw!” Cloudtail called. “Help me drag this bramble over to the alcove.”
“Sorry,” Cinderpaw mewed again, and raced over to help her mentor.
By the time dawn broke over the camp, spilling pinks and oranges over the cloud-dappled sky, the den was finished. With a sleepy nod of thanks, Graystripe and Millie padded inside.
On the other side of the clearing, Sandstorm and Spiderleg were leading Honeypaw and Mousepaw out of the camp on the dawn patrol. Brambleclaw and Cloudtail headed to their den to sleep. Hollypaw stayed with Leafpool outside the makeshift den and admired their work.
“That moss you collected will keep them warm,” she mewed. Leafpool had gathered a little from each of the dens, and Hollypaw had helped her shape it into a comfortable nest for Graystripe and Millie. Graystripe might be ThunderClan’s rightful deputy; Hollypaw wanted to make his nest as cozy as possible.
“Should I fetch them some herbs?” Hollypaw offered. “Jaypaw said that Millie’s got an infected wound.”
“How did he know?” Leafpool looked at her in surprise.
Hollypaw shrugged. “He smelled it.” She was groping for the name of some leaf or seed that might help, but after all the excitement of building the den, her mind felt too fuzzy.
“We’ll make sure we see to it come sunhigh,” Leafpool told her. “Right now, Graystripe and Millie need rest more than anything else.”
Hollypaw stifled a yawn.
Leafpool gazed down at her. “You must be tired too,” she observed.
“A little,” Hollypaw admitted. In fact, she was almost numb with exhaustion.
“Let’s get some sleep,” Leafpool suggested. She got to her paws and padded toward the medicine den. Gratefully, Hollypaw followed her. She was looking forward to curling up in her nest and closing her eyes.
When Hollypaw awoke, weak sunlight was flowing through the brambles, rippling like water on the sandy earth. Immediately she thought of Graystripe. Firestar had told them nothing would change right now. Did this mean that he planned to replace Brambleclaw with his old friend eventually? Would StarClan expect him to?
She padded from the warm moss, scenting the chilly air. Her belly rumbled.
Leafpool lay in her nest, eyes closed. But as Hollypaw stirred, she lifted her nose. “Awake already?” She got to her paws and stretched, curling her tail till it shivered. “You had a busy night. I thought you’d sleep longer.”
“I’m hungry,” Hollypaw confessed.
“There’s fresh-kill on the pile,” Leafpool told her, scenting the air.
Hollypaw fetched a mouse for her mentor and a vole for herself. She ate ravenously, swallowing it in a few mouthfuls before licking her paws and washing her face. “Shall we check on Graystripe now?” she asked eagerly.
“Is it sunhigh?”
“Not yet.”
“Then let them sleep a little longer,” Leafpool decided. She padded over to the piles of herbs at the back of the den and began sifting through them. “I need you to fetch some borage,” she meowed. “We’re running low, and Graystripe or Millie might have a fever. There’s some lakeward, over the ridge.”
Alarm pricked at Hollypaw’s claws. “You won’t wake them before I return?” There might be a lot to learn from the Clan’s newest patients. She hadn’t had a sick cat to treat since she became a medicine cat. She had tried to learn the names of herbs and what they were used for, but she was looking forward to actually using some. It might help her memorize them a little more easily.
“So long as you don’t dawdle,” Leafpool warned.
“I won’t,” Hollypaw promised.
Leafpool turned back to her herbs, spreading poppy seeds under her paw to count them.
Hollypaw turned to leave, then paused. “The Clan sat vigil for Graystripe, didn’t it?”
“Yes, we did.” Leafpool didn’t look up from sifting through a pile of feverfew leaves.
“Does that mean he’s officially dead? In the eyes of StarClan, I mean?”
“I think StarClan will have noticed that Graystripe’s with us and not them,” Leafpool meowed dryly.
“But what about the warrior code? Is he officially dead according to the warrior code?”
“Did he look like he was dead last night?” Leafpool meowed.
“But if he’s not dead, then surely he’s still dep—”
“We are here to heal.” Leafpool looked directly at her. “Firestar’s problems are not ours, unless StarClan wishes them to be. Now, are you going?”
“Going?” Hollypaw echoed.
“To fetch the borage.” Leafpool sighed. “If you’re not back before sunhigh I shall wake them without you.”
“I’m going!” Hollypaw promised, spinning around and pushing her way out of the den.
Up on the ridge, a cold, fresh breeze was blowing through the trees from across the lake. Hollypaw thought she could detect the scent of RiverClan on it.
Her paws itched to go exploring, but she wanted to get back before Graystripe and Millie woke up. She ducked her head and began to sniff the ground, hoping to find a scent trail that might lead her to borage. She desperately tried to remember what it smelled like in the medicine den, but her nose was too full of the scents of water and wind.
She padded down the steep slope, heading for where the trees thinned. The sun sparkled on the lake. What a great day for hunting! She pushed the thought away. She was hunting. Hunting for borage. Sniffing the ground once more, she picked up a tangy scent that seemed familiar. She followed it carefully, clambering over the low boulders that dimpled the ground, and tracked the scent into some long grass, where she spotted green, jagged leaves growing in a clump on long, thin stems. They carried the scent she had been following. It was stronger up close and more bitter. Was this borage? She had seen this before, she was sure.
She glanced up at the sun. It shone high above her. Leafpool would be waking Graystripe and Millie soon. Quickly she nipped a few stems, breaking them at the base, careful not to swallow any of the bitter sap. She pitied the cat who had to eat such a foul-tasting herb as she picked up the fallen stems in her jaws and hurried back to the camp.
“This isn’t borage.” Leafpool stared in dismay at the stems Hollypaw had placed in front of her. “This is yarrow. This makes cats sick.”
Hollypaw closed her eyes, ashamed and angry. Why couldn’t she remember anything Leafpool taught her?
“Don’t be hard on yourself,” Leafpool encouraged. “There’s a lot to learn.”
Hollypaw couldn’t meet her eyes. Don’t make excuses for me. I should be doing better than this by now!
“Come on,” Leafpool meowed briskly. “We can do without borage. Fetch some marigold leaves and we’ll go and wake Graystripe.”
Marigold leaves! Hollypaw knew what they looked like. She bounded to the back of the cave and picked up a mouthful, then followed Leafpool across t
he clearing to Graystripe and Millie’s makeshift den.
Firestar stood outside with Sandstorm and Honeypaw. Dustpelt, Thornclaw, Poppypaw, and Hazelpaw milled around eagerly. Graystripe and Millie, still ruffled from sleep, sat among them. Millie was staring from face to face, her ears twitching. Even Graystripe looked uncomfortable, like he had forgotten what it was like to have so many cats around him.
“Have you been awake long?” Leafpool asked, weaving through the others to reach Graystripe. She glanced sternly at the cats clustered around the gray warrior and his mate. “I hope no cat woke you.”
“No.” Graystripe drew his paws closer in and tucked his tail tighter around him. “The sun woke us.”
“You can catch up with everyone later.” Leafpool twitched her tail, making it clear she wanted the other cats to leave.
“Let me know how they are when you’ve finished,” Firestar requested before he led his Clanmates away.
Graystripe’s shoulders loosened as they left. Millie looked relieved too.
“Any scratches?” Leafpool asked.
“Millie has a cut on one of her pads.”
“Let’s have a look.”
Gingerly Millie held up her forepaw. “There’s a thorn in there,” Leafpool meowed. “Jaypaw was right; it’s infected.” She flicked her tail at Hollypaw. “My apprentice will pull it out while I prepare some leaves to heal the infection.”
Hollypaw gulped and inhaled a fragment of marigold leaf from the bunch she still held in her jaws. She coughed, spitting the leaves out onto the ground, and glanced anxiously at Millie, who gazed equally anxiously back. Hollypaw knew she couldn’t refuse. This was what she had wanted, a chance to practice instead of simply learning. She peered closely at Millie’s paw. Sure enough, a thorn was buried deep in the pad. To Hollypaw’s dismay she could see blood and pus oozing around it.
“That must be sore,” she breathed. Did she really have to pull it out with her teeth?
Leafpool narrowed her eyes. “Perhaps I’d better do it.”
Self-consciously, Hollypaw backed away and let Leafpool take her place. “Shall I chew the marigold leaves into a poultice?” she offered, her fur prickling with guilt.
“Yes.” Leafpool was concentrating on Millie’s paw with a detached intensity that Hollypaw wished she could copy. Why was it all so difficult?
Graystripe began to wash his face. “It’s so good to see the Clan again,” he meowed between licks. “I always hoped I would find you, but I guess I never knew for sure….”
“How did you know where we were?” Hollypaw asked.
“Ravenpaw told us to head toward the setting sun. We were lucky, and StarClan watched over us.”
“Were you angry at Firestar when you found he’d left without you?” Hollypaw meowed boldly.
Graystripe twitched the tip of his tail. “Yes, I was disappointed, but I can understand why he did it. The forest was in ruins. No cat could have survived there.”
“Ow!” Millie leaped backward and began to lick her paw.
Leafpool was holding the thorn between her teeth. She spat it out. “Press the marigold into the wound with your paw,” she told Hollypaw.
Millie held out her sore paw, which was bleeding and swollen where the thorn had been stuck. Hollypaw shuddered and rubbed her paw in the marigold pulp. She began to smear the juice gingerly onto Millie’s swollen pad. Millie stayed very still, even though it must have hurt.
“Cinderpelt would be proud of you both,” Graystripe meowed.
I wish that were true, Hollypaw thought, forcing herself to hold back the bile rising in her throat. But if Cinderpelt is really watching me right now, she’ll know that I can’t do anything right for Leafpool.
“We’ll do some battle training this afternoon,” Leafpool announced after they had finished treating Graystripe and Millie. “Even medicine cats need to know how to defend their Clan in battle.”
Hollypaw’s heart soared. No pus, no bitter-tasting herbs, no cats wincing in pain—this was going to be fun! They climbed the slope outside the camp, heading away from the lake, and followed the track that led down to the mossy hollow that the apprentices used for battle training. As they padded through the trees, Hollypaw heard energetic mews up ahead. She sniffed the air. Cinderpaw and Cloudtail were already there.
She raced ahead of Leafpool, wanting to know what real warrior training was like. Through the trees she glimpsed the small gray tabby rushing toward Cloudtail. The white warrior twisted faster than a leaf caught in a breeze, and Cinderpaw hurtled past, missing him entirely.
“No, no!” Cloudtail meowed. “Didn’t you hear what I told you? Aim for where you think I’m going to be, not where I am!”
“Sorry!” Cinderpaw panted. “Can I try it one more time?”
Hollypaw padded down the bank and into the clearing. “Hello,” she mewed.
“Are you collecting herbs?” Cloudtail asked.
“No. Leafpool’s going to teach me some fighting moves.”
“Great!” Cinderpaw mewed. “We can train together.”
Leafpool padded to Hollypaw’s side. “Maybe another time,” she meowed. “I think it’s better if I show Hollypaw some basic moves before she joins in with warrior apprentices.”
Hollypaw scowled and scuffed the earth with her paw.
Cinderpaw looked back at Cloudtail. “Can we try that move again?”
Cloudtail nodded. “Just remember—” But Cinderpaw was already hurtling toward him. He whipped around in a circle once more, and once more dodged neatly out of her path.
“Come on,” Leafpool meowed to Hollypaw. “We’ll use that space over there.” She pointed with her nose to the far side of the mossy green clearing. Hollypaw noticed how smooth and soft it looked. Perfect for fighting on. No roots to trip over, no leaves to skid on.
“We’ll start with a defensive move, I think.” Leafpool turned her back on Hollypaw and meowed over her shoulder, “I want you to watch me and then copy what I do.” She dipped her head, twisted around, and rolled onto her back before springing back up onto her paws. The whole move was over in a heartbeat. “Do you want to have a go?”
Hollypaw nodded. “I think I’ve got it.” She ducked her head, twisted around, and rolled over, leaping to her paws again in an instant.
Cloudtail called across the clearing, “Was that your first go?”
“Yes,” Hollypaw answered. “Did I do it right?” She glanced anxiously at Leafpool.
“You did it brilliantly,” Leafpool told her. “Let’s try something else.”
Leafpool demonstrated a few more moves, and Hollypaw copied each one with the same fierce intensity. Although Cloudtail made no more comments, she knew he was keeping one eye on her.
“We could try some combat now,” Leafpool suggested after a while. “Run at me and try to get past me.”
“How?” Hollypaw asked.
“Any way you can,” Leafpool told her. “We’ll discuss tactics afterward.”
Hollypaw crouched down and stared at Leafpool. Her gaze flitted to a sapling at the edge of the clearing behind the medicine cat. That was where she would aim. Leafpool was merely an obstacle to avoid. She darted forward, aware that Leafpool was rearing onto her hind legs, ready to bring her weight down on Hollypaw the moment she tried to slip past. Hollypaw saw that the medicine cat was leaning back a little and guessed that her weight was mostly balanced on one side. With lightning speed, she swerved the other way. Leafpool didn’t have a chance to rebalance herself, and she slammed down a mouse-length away from where Hollypaw flashed by.
Hollypaw felt a rush of triumph as she reached the sapling and spun to see Leafpool blinking with surprise. Then a prick of guilt jabbed her. Was she meant to be faster than her mentor?
“That was very good!” Leafpool panted.
“Yes, it was!” Cloudtail was padding over from the other side of the clearing, Cinderpaw on his heels.
“You were so fast!” Cinderpaw complimented her.
&nb
sp; “Thanks!” Hollypaw trotted back to Leafpool’s side.
Cloudtail dipped his head toward Leafpool. “Tell me if I’m butting in,” he began, “but I think Cinderpaw and Hollypaw should try training together. Cinderpaw has more energy than a well-fed rabbit, and she has more experience than Hollypaw. But Hollypaw knows how to watch and listen, and she clearly has an instinct for judging her opponent.”
Hollypaw was almost too excited to speak. A real warrior was offering to help with her battle training!
“I don’t see why not,” Leafpool meowed.
Cloudtail flicked his tail. “Cinderpaw, why don’t you show Hollypaw that fighting move we’ve been practicing?”
Cinderpaw led Hollypaw into the center of the clearing. The sunshine flooding through the branches overhead dappled her smoky pelt. “You come at me, and I’m going to try to unbalance you.”
Hollypaw took a quick breath, then threw herself at Cinderpaw. Before she knew what was happening, Cinderpaw had knocked one of her forelegs from under her with a powerful front paw, then tipped her over with a rolling shove from her hind legs.
Hollypaw scrambled to her feet and shook herself. “Wow!” she mewed, impressed. “Can I try?” She wanted to try the move in a slightly different way. As soon as Cinderpaw rushed her, she ducked her head, knocking Cinderpaw’s forepaw from under her with her muzzle. She was so low to the ground that it was easy to roll onto her side from there and thrust her hind legs in a powerful kick that sent Cinderpaw flying.
Cinderpaw scrambled to her paws. “I love the way you used your muzzle instead of your paw! It made your rollover much smoother. Can I try it that way on you?”
“Sure!”
Cinderpaw lunged for Hollypaw, this time using her muzzle to unbalance her, just as Hollypaw had done. She finished the move with a hind kick so much quicker that it sent Hollypaw skidding backward across the clearing.
Hollypaw sat up, panting.
“That was great, you two,” Cloudtail praised them.
Cinderpaw licked her paw and drew it over her ear to wipe off some moss that had caught on it. As she went to lick it again her paw twitched as though she were flicking dirt from between her claws. Hollypaw’s whiskers twitched with amusement; Cinderpaw’s little paw flick was something none of the other cats did.