Warriors Super Edition: Duskflower's Guilt

Chapter 1: Herb Lessons & Panic

Duskflower was in the middle of sorting herbs when her apprentice came running into the den. "What's wrong?" She asked while walking over to her scared apprentice. Cinderpaw sighed softly and needed her paws into the dirt. "Copperfoot's really sick, like, really really sick! I don't know what to do!" The gray apprentice meowed, looking up into her mentor's icy-blue gaze. "Ok, first of all, you need to take a deep breath and calm down." Duskflower mewed to the young apprentice. Cinderpaw nodded and took a deep breath as instructed, then she looked back up at Duskflower.

Duskflower 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." Duskflower meowed with a flick of her tail.

Cinderpaw nodded her head and quickly meowed, "She's having trouble breathing and her paw pads look sore." The dark gray apprentice informed her mentor. Duskflower nodded and mewed, "So, what herbs should you give her?" She quizzed. Cinderpaw thought for a moment, then she meowed a quick, "Some juniper berries to help her breath, some poppy seeds to help her sleep, and coltsfoot to help with sore pads."

Duskflower nodded her head 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. Cinderpaw gave a startled meow when she saw her mentor stumbling over her own paws.

"Duskflower?"

Cinderpaw started to panic when Duskflower 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 Swiftstorm, Blackwing, and Darkflower. The 3 warriors came racing over to where the apprentice was pacing outside the entrance of the medicine cats den.

"Cinderpaw?" Darkflower meowed worriedly, "What's wrong?" Cinderpaw's mouth opened but no words would come out. Swiftstorm then called for Darkfeather, who raced over to them, followed closely by her apprentice, Starlingpaw. "What happened, Swiftstorm? What's wrong with Cinderpaw?" Starlingpaw mewed to the black-and-white she-cat. Swiftstorm sighed softly and turned to Blackwing.

"Go check on Duskflower!" She ordered sharply to the black tom. He nodded and raced into the den, he raced back out shortly after entering the den. "What is it, Blackwing? Is Duskflower ok?" Darkfeather mewed to the black tom. Blackwing sighed and flattened his ears, then he mewed, "She's feverish and she's panting heavily." Was Blackwing's distraught meow.

"But she's ok, right?" Came Cinderpaw's worried meow from beside Starlingpaw. "I'm hoping so, I'm no medicine cat, but I do know that she needs rest. And lots of it," mewed Blackwing sternly. Cinderpaw nodded and stared down at her paws. Starlingpaw brushed her tail against Cinderpaw's shoulder as a sign of comfort.

"So... what will happen now?" Darkflower meowed. "Who will train Cinderpaw until Duskflower is recovered?" She continued, looking at the 3 other warriors for confirmation. "First things first, we're gonna have to inform Moonstar that our medicine cat is ill." Swiftstorm mewed with a flick of her tail in the direction of Moonstar's den. The other cats nodded and made there way to Moonstar's den to report what was happening. "But I want to stay with Duskflower!" Cinderpaw protested to the black-and-white she-cat. Swiftstorm sighed and licked Cinderpaw in between the ears.

"If Duskflower really is indeed sick, then we don't want anyone going near her, especially you, Cinderpaw. Do you understand that we're just trying to keep you safe?" Cinderpaw slowly nodded her head and her ears flattened against her head. "I understand, Swiftstorm," she meowed in a subdued tone of voice. "But what if we need herbs? What will we do?" The dark gray apprentice quietly mewed after a short pause. Swiftstorm frowned and twitched her tail back-and-forth. "We'll figure something out, Cinderpaw." She meowed.