The Unexpected Path of a Kitty-pet

Chaper 3

"So...your a medicine cat?" Honeysplash nodded. While she had healed the young she-cats wounds, she explained clan life. Sometimes Clover was amazed, other times when she was afraid. The thought of having to fight to survived oddly scared her. It wasn't some kit fight with a neighboring cat, it was beasts and rogues who wanted you dead. The herbs burned her nose, they smelt bad. Jeez. I would have preferred that stupid wound cream the Vets use.

"And...the others are all warriors?" Honeysplash chuckled. "Not all of them. For example, Frostpaw. She's an apprentice." The gray colorpoint puffed her fur out.

"Yeah! Sometimes apprentices decide to become a boring warrior instead of being an amazing medicine cat like me." She boasted. Clover frowned. "So being a warrior isn't a good thing?"

"No, it's not a bad thing," said Honeysplash, slapping her bushy tail in Frostpaws face, making the medicine cat apprentice fall over on her side with a grunt. "It's just her opinion."

"Why does Shadestar have a different name than the others? Star seems a bit odd." Clover chuckled nervously, treading carefully with her questions. She didn't want to upset them or anything. They hunt animals for goodness sake, that's something to be afraid off.

"Because he's a leader. And when his old leader died, Starclan gave him nine lives." Clovers ears pricked up in interest. Nine lives!? Why, you could almost live forever!

"I'd love to be a leader someday, sounds like fun! Commanding cats around, leading battles..." Frostpaw and Honeysplash shared a glance.

"It's not all sunshine and daisies, Clover." Frostpaw twirled her paw around her moss nest, digging a hole into it. Honeysplash nodded to her apprentice in agreement.

"But anyways," Honeysplash quickly changed the subject. "I've never met a kitty-pet who'd be so interested in a clan life."

"I haven't even seen a kitty-pet." Piped up Frostpaw. Clover mrrrowed in laughter, flicking her tail in amusement. "Nah. Not many cats like me wander this far from home." Frostpaws eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Do you know where home is?" Clover immediately looked down at her paws. Do I? She wondered. When she had chased the stranger tom through the tall grass, she didn't really think about how she would get home; or how far she was from home. Surely it can't be that hard to find them, just follow the smoke coming from the chimneys. It's pretty simple, right?

"We can help you if you need it. Viperstorm surely knows where your two-leg nest is since he's the reason why your here. Frostpaw, can you go get him?" The gray colorpoint scampered off as soon as her mentor commanded her. Honeysplash chuckled at the she-cats obedience.

"She's expecting her medicine cats name soon. Now she's acting much kinder to me." Clover laughed along with the cream calico, watching Frostpaw leave. "When do apprentices usually get their name?"

"Well," Honeysplash sighed longly. "Warrior apprentices get their full name when they turn 12 moons and pass an assessment."

"A what?" Clover repeats.

"An assessment is what apprentices do as a...how would you say it? A test. They have at least two practice ones during their earlier years to prepare them for the final one, which determines if they should become a warrior or not." Clover listened with her ears pricked towards the medicine cats words, trying to remember every little detail. Clan life seems much more exciting than a kitty-pet life. If I knew about this, I would have left sooner.

Honeysplash looked in disappointment at the kitty-pets eyes, which shone with curiosity.

"Oh dear, you may think living in a clan sounds nice-"

"I do." Clover interrupted.

"But it's not as wonderful as you think," Honeysplash gives her a sympathetic look. "There is death, fights, sickness, corruption, so many things that aren't fit for a cat like you."

A cat like me. Clover wrinkled her nose. A cat like her? Just because she lives with 'two-legs' as Honeysplash calls it, doesn't mean she's all soft and weak!

"I'll prove to you that I'm not as weak as you think I am!" Clover shot out of her nest daringly. Honeysplash eyes widened, although she stayed sitting in her own nest.

"I want to join Meadowclan."