A Vision of Shadows #1: The Apprentice's Quest

Chapter 11

"Is this marigold?" Quickpaw's head popped out of a nearby bush, scattering red and brown leaves over an already-exasperated Alderpaw.

The ginger tom shook his pelt out irritably, finding the answer without any effort. "No, Quickpaw," he sighed. "Those herbs don't even help with infection."

"Oh, sorry." The SkyClan apprentice still looked undeterred. Seeing Alderpaw's annoyed expression, she flicked her tail in front of his face and meowed, "Don't worry, you anxious furball! I'll make sure we find the right medicine-- we won't fail if it's me who's helping!"

Alderpaw simply gave a doubtful grunt as the she-cat went scampering back among the trees. It was true he was eager to find the plants he was looking for, but for a good reason. Sorrelstripe's tail wound needed to be kept from infection as she made her recovery, which was moving along quite well. He, Hollytuft, Echosong, Quickpaw, and her mentor, Ebonyclaw, had gone out to look for the supplies. The medicine cat apprentice had been left with the two SkyClan warriors as the other group searched in another part of the forest.

Hearing his name called, Alderpaw turned to the direction of the noise. It was Ebonyclaw, waving her tail to a shrub she stood next to. Though he had had his doubts about the so-called "daylight warrior", Alderpaw had come to learn that the black she-cat was a skilled hunter and very calm-- unlike her apprentice.

As he approached, Alderpaw caught the familiar scent of a herb. "Is this the right kind for preventing infections?" Ebonyclaw asked, tilting her head at the ThunderClan cat.

Alderpaw identified the smell and nodded in satisfaction. "I think so. I'm not sure if it's chervil or horsetail, but they both have the same uses. I'm sure Sorrelstripe will appreciate this."

"I'm glad to have helped," Ebonyclaw replied with a dip of her head. She stood by as Alderpaw carefully nipped the herbs from the undergrowth and gathered them into one neat pile.

"Alderpaw! Alderpaw! This is marigold, right?" Quickpaw came dashing in moments later, yellow leaves strewn on her pelt. The young tom had to snatch away his own bundle to avoid having them trampled on.

He gently placed the leaves down safely out of Quickpaw's reach. "Those aren't even herbs, just wildflowers," he snapped, patience swiftly ebbing.

Ebonyclaw nudged a few petals from her apprentice's fur. "Clean yourself up and watch where you step. We've already found the herbs we need. Now we should just bring them back to Sorrelstripe." Quickpaw hastily shook her coat out, eyes bright.

"Great! It must be really hard for her, with the journey and all."

"That's right," Ebonyclaw said. Curiosity glinted in her eyes as she glanced at Alderpaw. "I still haven't been told why the ThunderClan cats came all this way, however."

Alderpaw felt his pelt burn at the obvious question. Of course the SkyClan cats were curious about their new visitors, but he was still unprepared for a response. "We heard of a rogue around here that might be dangerous to the Clans," he responded slowly, careful not to reveal too much, or the events leading up to the quest. He did not know what he could trust with the SkyClan cats. Still, he hesitantly countered with a question of his own. "You haven't seen any strangers around here lately, have you?"

To his surprise, Ebonyclaw bristled at his query. But on the word "lately", she appeared to relax a bit. The panicked look faded from her eyes as she responded with a simple shake of her head.

Quickpaw, however, remained tense. Assuming it was just part of the cat's weird behavior, Alderpaw ignored it and began following Ebonyclaw back to camp with the herbs clamped in his jaws. It was warm for a leaf-fall day, and the muted sounds of the forest carried bird-calls and rustling as they walked.