Sparks of a Fire

Chapter 33

Ghostwish was sorting herbs when her apprentice came running into the den. "What's wrong?" she inquired as she patted over to her scared apprentice. Cloverpaw sighed softly and needed her paws into the dirt.

"Streampool's really sick, like, really really sick! I don't know what to do!" the dark-furred apprentice meowed, looking up into her mentor's navy blue gaze.

"Ok, first of all, you need to take a deep breath and calm down," Ghostwish mewed to the young apprentice. Cloverpaw nodded and took a deep breath as instructed, then she looked back up at Ghostwish.

Ghostwish sighed and flattened her ears, then meowed softly, "What symptoms does she have? If we know that much, then we can get the right herbs to help her." Ghostwish meowed with a flick of her tail.

Cloverpaw nodded her head and quickly meowed, "She's having trouble breathing and she has a fever," the dark tortoiseshell-and-white apprentice informed her mentor.

Ghostwish nodded and mewed, "so, what herbs should you give her?" she quizzed, sitting down and tucking her tail over her paws.

Cloverpaw thought for a moment then she meowed a quick, quiet,

"Some juniper berries to help her breath, some poppy seeds to help with pain, and some feverfew to bring down her fever."

Ghostwish nodded her in approval but suddenly regretted it when the world started to spin and her vision became fuzzy and blurry. She stumbled over her paws, her sides heaving and her breaths came in pants. Cloverpaw gave a startled meow when she saw her mentor stumbling over her own paws.

"Ghostwish?"

Cloverpaw started to panic when Ghostwish didn't respond. And so she did the only thing that made sense, she began to yowl for help. Her startled meowing caught the attention of Shadowfrost, Tigerspring, and Nightshade. The three warriors came racing over to where the apprentice was pacing outside the entrance of the medicine cat's den.

"Cloverpaw?" Nightshade meowed worriedly, "What's wrong?" Cloverpaw's mouth opened but no words would come out. Shadowfrost then called for Mothripple, who raced over to them, followed closely by her apprentice, Softpaw.

"What happened Shadowfrost? What's wrong with Cloverpaw?" Softpaw mewed to the black-and-white she-cat while racing over to comfort her sister. Shadowfrost sighed softly and turned to Blackwing.

"Go check on Ghostwish!" she ordered sharply to the dark brown tom. He nodded and raced into the den, he raced back out shortly after entering the den. "What is it, Tigerspring? Is Ghostwish ok?" Mothripple mewed to the brown tom.

Tigerspring sighed and flattened his ears, then he mewed, "She's feverish and she's panting heavily." Was Tigerspring's distraught meow.

"But she's ok right?" came Cloverpaw's worried meow from beside Softpaw and Mothripple.

"I'm hoping so, I'm no medicine cat, but I do know that she needs rest. And lots of it," mewed Tigerspring sternly. Cloverpaw nodded and stared down at her paws. Softpaw brushed her tail against Cloverpaw's shoulder as a sign of comfort.

"So... what will happen now?" Nightshade meowed. "Who will train Cloverpaw until Ghostwish is recovered?" she continued, looking over at the three other warriors for confirmation.

"First things first, we're gonna have to inform Kestrelstar that our medicine cat is ill." Shadowfrost mewed with a flick of her tail in the direction of Kestrelstar's den. The other cats nodded and made there way to Kestrelstar's den to report what was happening.

"But I want to stay with Ghostwish!" Cloverpaw protested to the black-and-white she-cat. Shadowfrost sighed and licked Cloverpaw in between the ears.

"Listen, Cloverpaw," she meowed in a quiet voice, "If Ghostwish really is indeed sick, then we don't want anyone going near her, do you understand that we're just trying to keep you safe?" Cloverpaw slowly nodded her head and her ears flattened against her head.

"I understand, Shadowfrost," she meowed in a subdued tone of voice. "But what if we need herbs? What will we do?" the dark-furred apprentice quietly mewed after a short pause.

Shadowfrost frowned and twitched her tail back-and-forth in thought. "We'll figure something out, Cloverpaw," she meowed after a short while. "But for now, let's go and talk with Kestrelstar." And with those words, Shadowfrost guided her friend's apprentice to Kestrelstar's den.