The Rogue Traitor #3 - Two Worlds

Chapter Eight

Thankfully, once Whiskerstar had left the den, there was no more talk about toms or kits or anything else along that line. Flowerstem instead just put the wet moss in front of the apprentice and let her lap it up, which soothed her throat that was still the tiniest bit sore. Once she had drunk, the apprentice shuffled around in her nest and rested her head on her paws, not ready to fall asleep just yet.

"Something on your mind?" Asked the medicine cat from the back of the den.

"Yeah," replied Birdpaw, "it's just ... don't you find it hard knowing that your kits will grow up without knowing who their parents are?" There was silence for a couple of heartbeats before Flowerstem spoke.

"Your mind still on kits?" She joked, though it seemed slightly forced. She hesitated again before continuing, "It is hard. I have always wanted kits of my own, ever since I was a young apprentice, and now I have some. I suppose I should be grateful for at least having kits. I want the kits to know who their parents are but I want to stay as a medicine cat at the same time. I suppose I will tell them when the time is right." Birdpaw nodded and gave the medicine cat a sympathetic glance before slowly closing eyes and falling into sleep. Curse those herbs.

Thunder boomed overhead and the apprentice jumped up, only to find that she was no longer in the medicine cat den, instead, she was in the forest. She looked up and saw dark, daunting black clouds rolling across the once blue sky, wind beginning to whip through the tall trees. Lightning filled the forest with bright light and leaves began to be torn from their branches. Birdpaw looked around, startled, fur caught in the breeze as she tried to spot camp, but it was nowhere to be seen. Thunder boomed again and the lightning cracked the sky, forcing the apprentice into action. She lept towards where she guessed camp was, dodging flying branches as she squinted to try and see towards the horizon. Thunder clapped again and the rain finally began to pour down, soaking her within a matter of seconds. The floor became slippery and Birdpaw constantly fell, fur becoming coated with mud as she tried to find camp again. At about the fifth or sixth fall, she jarred her sore shoulder and collapsed onto the leaf-coated floor, yowling out in pain. There was no answer so she struggled to her paws, looking around, absolutely exhausted and drenched to the bone. She looked over her shoulder and noticed at the last second a dark ginger shape hurling towards her.

Maplestar.

He pushed her down to the ground and put his face up to hers, hissing. She tried to get away but he had a firm paw on her throat, causing her efforts to die down.

"Weak," he growled as she met his eyes, the amber depths filled with anger and fury. He raised a paw and pushed her head to the side, claws shining in the cracking lightning –

"Birdpaw! Wake up!"

The apprentice jumped awake, head bolting up as she took in sharp breaths. White stars dotted her vision and she doubled over as a headache overtook her. She squeezed her eyes shut as something nudged her left shoulder, her sore shoulder. The apprentice hissed and it immediately stopped, though when her vision slowly cleared, she saw that it was Moonflower, her mother.

"Are you okay?" She whispered, concern clouding her striking blue eyes. Stagleap was at his mate's shoulder, leaning in to his daughter.

"Yeah," she mumbled in reply, relieved to find that is had just been a dream. She looked down at her paws just to check, and sure enough, they were dry. She could have sworn she felt the rain soaking her pelt and that someone's paw was on her throat...

Wait. The apprentice sat up abruptly, headache almost splitting as she swung her gaze over to Flowerstem, who was huddled in a corner of the den.

"Birdpaw," interrupted a sharp voice, and the apprentice looked up to see Chiveleaf standing next to her nest, fur brushed up in an agitated way.

"Chiveleaf?" Whispered the apprentice, looking around the den to meet the eyes of her parents, Whiskerstar, Flowerstem and then the grumpy elder, "What happened?"

"That is for you to tell us medicine cats," she replied, eyes narrowed before she swung her head around to the apprentice's parents, "which means you two need to leave." Geez, she was not subtle at all. Moonflower looked like she wanted to argue, but Stagleap gently guided her out of the den, throwing one more look at his daughter.

"You could have been a little nicer," suggested Whiskerstar, stepping away from the shadows. Chiveleaf glared at him and he just shrugged before she turned to Birdpaw.

"Explain," she sighed, glaring at the apprentice, who looked back at her startled. The apprentice wasn't a hundred percent sure if it was a –

"I know a vision when I see one," the former medicine cat sighed again, and the apprentice looked away as she rested her head on her paws.

"Come on," urged Whiskerstar, "you can tell us." Birdpaw continued to gaze at the herb wall before taking a deep breath and launching into the recount of her vision. She looked at the floor for most of the time, but when she looked up at her mentor, she was that his blue eyes were grave when her story finished, saying only two words.

"This sucks."