WINTERGAZE'S LIFE

Chapter 7

Winterpaw saw Crimsonkit staring at her while she was checking up on the complaining Spikekit who was pushing her with her paws. "Why did you choose to be a medicine cat? Why didn't you wanna be a warrior?" Winterpaw opened her moth to answer as Spikekit stopped her with a hiss. "Back off! I'm not sick!" Winterpaw gave her a last sniff. "I guess not, beside your sick attitude." She grinned as Spikekit growled angrily. "It's your turn Crimsonkit." Crimsonkit blinked. "Okay.." he grumbled, "although, I don't really feel all that sick." Winterpaw rolled her eyes, shifting over to the kit. "You still haven't answered my question, why did you become a medicine cat?" He gave a shiver as the medicine apprentice shoved her nose into his fur. Then she stopped. Why did you become a medicine cat? The question repeated in her head. She closed her eyes and thought of what to say. Crimsonkit mewed. "Winterpaw you haven't answered the question." He mewed sing-song like. Foxfire butted in. "Calm down with the questions, Winterpaw is just here to check for fevers, if you've got questions you can ask questions to elders later." She purred in amusement and gave a nod to Winterpaw. Winterpaw gave a blink in thanks.

As she left she heard Spikekit jump at Crimsonkit as they started to play fight, she crossed Glazesight who was heading back to her sleeping kit Swiftkit. Winterpaw dipped her head as she passed the queen and headed into the Medicine den to see Smokeleaf sorting out rotting herbs and herbs that were doing well. "Say Winterpaw, we're low on chervil, will you tell the herb patrol that? And if you can't find them then collect chervil yourself please." She mewed, turning back to sort through herbs. Winterpaw nodded. "Alright." She was excited, Autumnpaw was on that patrol! She ran outside of the camp, her tail kinked over her head as she raced through the forest, her paws light across the ground. "You run like a Windclan warrior!" Yowled a cat from afar, she could tell it was familiar and she raced toward it, realising it was Autumnpaw! Who happened to be racing towards her to. They raced into each other and both fell back. Finchshade walked up to them and shook his head. "Oh Autumnpaw, first you get us lost from the patrol and now you honk into Winterpaw." He chuckled. "What brings you out of the forest Winterpaw?" Winterpaw stretched. "I came to tell you that we need chervil, but seeing your separated from the patrol that doesn't help." Finchshade purred, "well, I could go look for the patrol and you two could go find some chervil, you two are always too busy to hang out now and I think some kin time would be nice." He nodded and turned, opening his mouth to scent for Dahliaheart and Hallowedwisp. Winterpaw smiled as she trotted beside Autumnpaw, once they neared the lake in-front of Carrionplace they saw chervil growing beside a tree. "Look!" Winterpaw bent her head down to grab a bundle of chervil until she felt something push them aside. "You two aren't getting into trouble again are you?" It was Rippleleap! Winterpaw purred in relief. "We thought you were a different clan cat!" Rippleleap laughed. "I don't blame you. I've still got the wits of a riverclan warrior. Sometimes I wish I didn't though." She sighed, as if memories humming through her brain. Winterpaw sniffed, was that smoke? She turned and saw yellow fur loosely caught on a branch. Fire was lit to the bushes! "Fire!" She hissed, her fur fluffing as her eyes darted around in terror. A bundle of yellow fur shot out of the grass and lunged onto Rippleleap. Autumnpaw turned around in horror, lunging at the warrior. "Get off of my mother." He growled, tearing out a clump of fur from their hind. Winterpaw froze, afraid as her eyes widened and her claws unsheathed against the grass strands. Between the flurry of paws she felt the breath knocked out of her. She kicked and hissed and her eyes opened seeing blue and yellow fur having her pinned to the ground. Rippleleap gave a push and the weight was dragged off of her as Winterpaw gasped for air. She regained her balance and stared at the two cats, she scented riverclan. This was a riverclan warrior. "I don't know what you want! Just leave me alone Sandleap! You left me in enough misery being my mother! Why are you doing this?" Rippleleap cried, Sandleap yowled at her. "You left me, you're nothing but a disappointment to me, you're a horrible daughter," she dug her claws deeper into Rippleleap's fur as she tried to struggle out of her mother's grasp. "You don't deserve your kits." She drew her claws across Rippleleap's throat and Rippleleap let out a screech, her eyes dulled but she breathed still, hazy and ragged. Sandleap looked at her daughter with rage. "You deserve to die slowly, thinking about what you did." Her eyes turned to slits as she swept past and snatched Autumnpaw up in her grasp. Winterpaw reached out her paw and let out a cry, though she was frozen to the ground. "Autumnpaw!" The tom struggled in Sandleap's grasp. "Let me go! Winterpaw!" He cried out for his sister, screaming as he thrashed around his claws unsheathed and flying around in the air. Winterpaw watched in tears as she felt herself lose weight in her legs. She felt pasted to the ground as she shook in fear, her breathing quick and rushed, her fur fluffed. She heard a mew from her mother. "Winterpaw." Winterpaw turned to look at her mother, her eyes cloudy as she looked at her daughter. Winterpaw looked straight back at her mother. "Winterpaw, I want to give you this." Her words were quick and soft, a flower being reached out from her paw. "I was going to give it you when you became a medicine ca, but I guess it's too late." Winterpaw shoved the flower aside and picked up the chervil, speaking in between it. "No! I can heal the wounds! You'll be okay!" Rippleleap stared at her. "Winterpaw," she coughed in between her mewl, "Winterpaw...it's no use..don't waste the herbs on me." Her eyes started to close. "Just take the flowers Winterpaw, remember me with them, I love you." Winterpaw cried, holding her and the flowers close beside her. "I love you too." Her voice shook as she rested her chin on her belly, feeling the rise and fall of her stomach stop. Winterpaw rose her paw and placed it beside her head. Closing her eyes and laying beside her the whole time, the flowers safe in front of her chest.