𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐍 || 𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘

Dovepaw was just organizing the little herbs she and Badgertooth had just collected. The sun's rays shone onto her back, warming it up. It was almost moonhigh. She sorted the herbs in their assigned areas quickly before turning to do something else. If there was anything else to do. Maybe Badgertooth had something in mind. She stopped in her tracks when Gorseberry came limping into the den pitifully.

"Dovepaw! I've got a thorn stuck in my paw. It's really deep down in there!" Gorseberry complained as he sat on the ground and held out his paw to Dovepaw. "And it's big!"

Dovepaw let out a mrrow of amusement. "A strong, brave warrior coming to my den complaining like a kit about a thorn in his paw? Unlikely! Let's see this thorn." She took his paw in hers and examined it. "It looks pretty small to me. And it's really shallow." She put her teeth around it and began to pull it out expertly.

"Ow!" Gorseberry whined, pulling his paw back a little bit. Dovepaw grabbed it again. "Not so hard!"

"This is the most painful it's going to get, and if you keeping moving then it'll hurt a lot more!" Dovepaw warned. Gorseberry stopped wiggling, and Dovepaw tugged at the thorn, making it fall out. "There. Let me get some marigold to prevent any infection." Dovepaw went and got a marigold poultice. She hurried over to Gorseberry and started to lick the marigold into his injured pad. "There. You can return to whatever you like now. But whenever this starts hurting again, come tell me."

"Okay." Gorseberry disappeared behind the bramble screen and joined Hollyfern. Badgertooth came in after he left.

"Good job," he praised Dovepaw.

"It was just a thorn."

"You've been very distracted lately, and to see you not being distracted in a very simple task is just one step," Badgertooth answered.

Dovepaw stiffened.

"Don't think I haven't noticed," he purred. "I want to talk to you about something. Sit down."

They both sat down, but right then Cloudpaw came into the den. "Dawnsplash wants me to take care of the elder's ticks," he meowed.

Badgertooth nodded and took one of the poultices wrapped in leaves in his jaws and gave it to Cloudpaw. There was another leaf wrapped around it. "Use the second one to put the ticks in."

Cloudpaw nodded, screwing up his face in disgust. "Thanks," he mumbled awkwardly through the leaf in his mouth. He turned and left the den.

Badgertooth turned to Dovepaw again and sat down. "Now. Tell me what has been bothering you."

Dovepaw shifted her weight on both paws. "Well—so—" She gazed at her mentor worriedly. "So, you know what happened yesterday?"

"Of course. Is that one of the causes of why you're so distracted?" Badgertooth asked.