Quickstrike's Darkness

Chapter 4

The sunlight gently rested upon Quickpaw's face. Slowly he blinked awake. He stretched and yawned in his nest, before leaving the apprentice's den and heading instantly to the medicine cat den. Entering the den, he nodded at Flowerpaw to greet her, before looking to Dappleberry. The medicine cat was carefully examining his stores, a confused and worried look in his eyes.

"Do you need anything?" Quickpaw asked.

Dappleberry turned towards him. "Actually, yeah. Do you think you could go get more juniper berries and stinging nettle? I can't find any."

"I thought I got some just the other day," Quickpaw explained, tilting his head in confusion. "We're out already?"

Dappleberry nodded. "I guess so. I have other herbs to help Flowerpaw, but those two are the ones that help the most."

"Yeah, I can definitely go get more," Quickpaw said, beginning to head out of the den.

"Hold on!" Flowerpaw interrupted. "Could Dappleberry go instead?"

Dappleberry shook his head. "I have to be here to help you if anything happens."

"But you've barely left the den since I got sick! Don't you need to stretch your legs and get out of the den?"

Dappleberry gazed away from her. "Fine, you're right. Even a medicine cat needs to keep themselves healthy. Quickpaw, you can watch her while I'm gone. If anything happens, give Flowerpaw coltsfoot and feverfew. Got it?"

Quickpaw nodded his head. Dappleberry smiled at him and left the den. 

"You'll have a lot of training to catch up on when you get better," Quickpaw said with lightheartedness. 

"I haven't just been sitting here doing nothing, you know!" Flowerpaw replied, standing up in her nest. "Dappleberry has let me practice my battle moves."

"I bet there's some that I've learned that you don't know yet, though!"

"We'll see about that!"

With her claws sheathed, Flowerpaw jumped towards Quickpaw 

"Hold on!" Quickpaw called as he leapt out of the way. "Let's just make sure we don't make a mess of the medicine cat den. Dappleberry would get mad at us."

Flowerpaw only took a single moment to nod before circling round to Quickpaw's side and leaping at him before he could counter. Quickpaw dropped to the ground and rolled over, losing Flowerpaw's grip before she could try to pin him. He climbed back up again and tried to tackle his sister onto the ground, but she backed up out of the way as he tried to make his attack. Flowerpaw swatted her paw at her brother's face before leaping into him. 

The two tumbled across the ground until they hit a nest. Quickpaw kicked his back paws against Flowerpaw's stomach until she broke away from him. Then, before she could get to her paws, Quickpaw pressed his paws against her face, burying her into the mossy nest. He moved his paws onto her back, pinning her still. Flowerpaw squirmed to try and escape, but eventually grew limp in defeat.

"See!" Quickpaw squeaked as he stepped away from Flowerpaw. "I told you so-"

As soon as she was free, Flowerpaw twisted around and tackled Quickpaw again. She pushed him against the wall of the den, her two paws against his chest. Quickpaw tried to swat her with his paws, but her face was just out of reach.

"Come on!" Quickpaw whined with a laugh. "That's not fair! I had you!"

"A warrior should always be ready for anything!" Flowerpaw replied, sticking her tounge out at him.

"Ok ok! You win! Let me go."

Flowerpaw laughed as she stepped away from her brother. Quickpaw shook his fur as he got back onto his paws.