Super Edition - Lightstar's Wrath

Chapter 12

Dawn had barely cracked when Lightclaw felt something nudging his side. His eyes creaked open to see Vivienne looming over him. "Lightclaw?" She mewed. Her fur was wet from the pouring rain outside. "A-are we gonna train now?"

"No, you two will not be training," Stormshrew responded from across the den. "Lightclaw can't do a damn thing with that injury! He has to let it heal first," The medicine cat reached a paw into his herb storage as another cat walked in. Adderpaw shook his fur out before stepping in.

"Ack! Adderpaw!" Lightclaw winced at the cold droplets hitting his pelt. 

"Sorry, Lightclaw," Adderpaw mewed sheepishly. "Here for my tom-herbs, Stormshrew." The brown apprentice let his gaze drift to the floor. Lightclaw suppressed the urge to hiss at himself. If he had never revealed Adderpaw's real father, things wouldn't be so awkward for him and his siblings. 

Stormshrew placed the herbs in front of Adderpaw, then glossed over to Lightclaw to check his wound. Lightclaw lifted his muzzle so his whisper could reach the medicine cat. "Why not talk to your son?" He suggested.

"What? Do you have bees in your brain?" Stormshrew hissed back. "He doesn't want to talk to me! Why would he want to?"

"Because you're his father," Lightclaw gave a small smile. Stornshrew gave Lightclaw a bat on his ear.

"Shut up while I change your poultice." The grey and brown medicine cat hissed as he continued his work. Lightclaw's soft smile vanished as the sting of herbs once again returned.

"Thanks, Stormshrew," Adderpaw called after finishing his herbs. As he turned around, Stormshrew raised a paw.

"Wait, Adderpaw," He called. The apprentice turned back around, reluctant to meet his gaze. "H-how are you feeling on the herbs? Everything has felt okay?"

"Oh, yeah, everything's fine," Adderpaw rubbed his paw on his leg. You could cut the awkwardness in the air with a claw.

"I, er, hope you have a good day," Stormshrew nodded toward his son.

"Thanks, you too." Adderpaw briefly met the medicine cat's gaze before trotting out. A small grin crept onto Stormshrew's snout.

"That felt nice..." Stormshrew muttered to himself. "Thanks, Lightclaw." 

Lightclaw gave a nod. "It's the least I could do after... you know," The pain was still sharp when thinking about the day he revealed the secret. 

"FLAMEFOOT GET OVER HERE THE KITS OPENED THEIR EYES!" An excited meow sounded from the nursery. Flamefoot rushed into the nursery after hearing Fuzzyleaf's call. Stormshrew finished up with Lightclaw's poultice, his grin being replaced with a frown.

"...stupid rule..." Stormshrew murmured as he put away the herbs. He then sat down with a huff. "Even with a mate and kits, I'm a good medicine cat. Like yeah, the medicine cat code doesn't want us to 'get distracted' or 'choose our mate and kits over others.' But we still have parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, friends" He sighed once again. "That one rule has prevented me from being a good father. Now I'm not even allowed to go near my mate and my kits don't even like me. Not to mention Thistlesong..." The tom kicked a loose pebble on the ground. "None of this would've happened if that rule wasn't there. Maybe it was useful back then, but this is now."

"Well, they're still young. You have time to repair your relationship with them." Lightclaw remarked with a swish of a tail.

"What do you know about being a father? You were just made a warrior!" Stormshrew retorted, but his eyes glimmered with interest. Was he actually thinking? After a heartbeat of silence occasionally broken by distant thunder, the grey and brown medicine cat spoke up again. "Hey, Vivienne, could you grab Leafpaw and Flowerpaw? They might still be in the apprentice's den."

"O-okay," Vivienne murmured as she stepped out of the den. Lightclaw settled his head back into the cozy moss nest beneath him. He didn't need to wait long for Vivienne to return with Leafpaw. "Flowerpaw wasn't in there. She must have already left for training," The former kittypet added. 

"Oh, hey Leafpaw," Stormshrew aloofly mewed, tensing up. He drew in a breath and continued speaking. "Once the rain stops, I was wondering if you and your siblings could help me gather herbs," The older tom kept his gaze lying on the floor.

"Oh, I'd have to check with my mentor first," Leafpaw seemed just as nervous. "B-but, er, if Whitecrash says it's okay, I wouldn't mind. I'm sure Snowfeather wouldn't mind either. But I don't know if Darknose is gonna let Flowerpaw out of training,"

"Tell her it's family bonding," Stormshrew's gaze lifted from the ground and onto his son. He seemed to take a quick glance at the nursery. "I'm sure she'll understand."

Leafpaw was quiet for a moment. "Okay," The brown tabby mewed.

A pair of green eyes peered into the medicine den. "Lightclaw?" A voice said. Lightclaw could recognize his sister's voice from anywhere. "Hey, Lightclaw. Feeling better?" Russetheart stepped in, sitting next to Lightclaw's makeshift nest.

"Yeah, I'm better," Lightclaw responded. Though they still stung, his wounds left less painful than before. The thought that he could've died that night frightened him. 

"I guess I should go now," Leafpaw shrugged. "Whitecrash might be looking for me." The tom was already turning around and began padding out. "Probably just gonna be on camp duty anyway..." He muttered before he trotted out of earshot.

"Camp duty, that's perfect!" A spark clicked in Lightclaw's mind. "Russetheart, why not give Vivienne a formal tour around camp? She could help Leafpaw out with camp duties as well."

"On it, Lightclaw," Russetheart put on a warm smile before turning toward Vivienne. The two of them padded outside, out of earshot. He decided to peer outside, noticing Duststar still in the clearing. Snowfeather and Whitecrash watched their mother from inside the warrior's den. Then it hit him. Duststar's words from the day before rang in his ears. 

"I'm giving you one moon. If she fails the test I give her, you're both out." Her fury-filled hisses still gave him shutters. "I can't train an apprentice on my own..." Lightclaw muttered to himself. "And in just a moon!" He shook his head, stress pricking his pelt. His eyes trailed to the warrior's den, where his own mentor stayed. The poor tom hasn't left his nest in a moon already. Though Thistlesong hasn't spoken with anyone, why not give it another try?

Lightclaw began to stand, but Stormshrew's gaze pierced him. "You need to rest, Lightclaw," The medicine cat sternly mewed.

"I'll be quick. I just want to visit Thistlesong," The injured tom answered, continuing to stand. His shoulder wound hurt and his joints were sore, he just couldn't stand. He flopped down back into his nest.

"Told you so," Stormshrew snorted, turning back to his herbs.

"Fine, I'll just visit him later," Lightclaw groaned. After trying to stand, he felt quite tired. He let his eyes close as he rested up. The medicine den was pretty quiet. He hadn't spent this long in it since he was a kit when that bird almost took Russetheart. "What bird tried to take Russetheart when she was a kit? I forgot." He asked, hoping Stormshrew was listening.

"It was a... hawk? No, wait, it was a falcon," Stormshrew responded. "I don't think you remember, but earlier that day, you asked for jump-ier berries instead of juniper berries." He purred at the memory. "You and your sister were such silly kits,"

"Yeah, I don't remember that," Lightclaw yawned. "The most I remember was that bird trying to take Russetheart, and Snowfeather getting her warrior name. And..." Hailshade murdering Hawktooth. He finished his sentence in his head. Why? He knew there was a reason, a reason that made Thunderpelt mad. But what was that reason? He couldn't quite recall it. "...Why did Hailshade kill Hawktooth?" Lightclaw hesitantly asked, his eyes squinting open.

Stormshrew shuttered. "Because your mother was a stupid, terrible, jealous cat. She killed my littermate over some elder gossip that Hawktooth had a crush on your father, even though Hawktooth stated that she didn't feel romantic attraction towards other cats!" The medicine cat growled, his claws digging into the ground. 

"Jealous..." Lightclaw repeated to himself. He was too tired to keep thinking. He felt himself drift off again, the sound of the pouring rain and distant thunder quite relaxing.