Mossdapple's Faith

Chapter 19

   "Broom for broken bones, burdock root for rat bites."

"You got it!" Spottedpaw purred. "My turn."

"Okay. What about dandelion and coltsfoot?"

"Too easy. Dandelion for fever and coltsfoot for whitecough."

"Okay, you win," Mosspaw admitted. "I totally forgot about coltsfoot."

Mosspaw and Spottedpaw stood at the edge of Snakerocks. Ample piles of herbs sat next to them. The sun was beginning to set, casting amber light over their pelts. Mosspaw's paws ached from the journey to the Gathering the night before. The whole thing had passed in a blur, other than when her littermates warrior names were announced. Three RiverClan warriors had been named, too. Morninglight, Splashclaw, and Swanflight. Oakheart said they were Graypool's kits.

"Winner gets first pick of fresh-kill?" Spottedpaw asked hopefully.

"Fine," Mosspaw sighed dramatically.

"We should get these back to camp." Spottedpaw picked up a jawful of chervil. Mosspaw followed, picking up her collection of herbs and trotting alongside Spottedpaw.

Suddenly, a hard gust of wind nearly knocked the herbs out of their mouths. It had a strong, undeniable scent.

"Is that blood?" Spottedpaw mumbled. She dropped her chervil.

Just as suddenly as it had started, the breeze stopped.

"We should follow it to make sure nobody is hurt," Mosspaw suggested. Spottedpaw nodded and picked up her herbs again, breaking into a sprint in the direction the breeze came from. Mosspaw followed on her tail, struggling to keep up. They found nothing.

"Was it an omen?" Mosspaw suggested. "It kind of seemed like it, no?"

"There's no source to the blood scent." Spottedpaw shivered. "We better tell Featherwhisker."

They returned to camp as quickly as they could. Once they arrived, they slowed down, cautious not to arouse too much suspicion amongst their Clanmates.

They entered the medicine clearing.

"Featherwhisker?"

Their mentor was standing by the herb storage, sorting them with his paws. He turned around.

"Yes?" He sounded distracted.

"We have received an omen," Spottedpaw told him, placing the herbs by his paws. He looked up at her.

"A strong gust of wind hit us, and we smelled blood on it."

"Did you look for a source?" he demanded.

"Yes," Spottedpaw sighed. "There was none."

Featherwhisker looked down. "This can only mean one thing. Battle with WindClan is coming."

Spottedpaw's eyes went wide. "Are you sure?"

"They've been stepping over our borders, stealing prey, and bickering at Gatherings. Something has been wrong for a long time."

A wave of guilt washed over Mosspaw. She hadn't even noticed. What kind of medicine cat didn't even know what was going on in her Clan?

"We'd better tell Sunstar," Spottedpaw decided reluctantly.

"Yes," Featherwhisker agreed. "But our herb stores are good, and our warriors are strong. As long as we are prepared, we have a good chance of winning this battle."

"Mosspaw, are you ready?"

Spottedpaw looked down at Mosspaw, who was half-asleep in her nest. She had struggled to decide between practicing battle moves with Snowfur or getting a real night's sleep, but decided to sleep. She knew she needed to be rested for today.