Gingerpelt

Chapter 5

"You must stop getting thorns in your pads! I think you're doing it on purpose! You just love hanging around the medicine cat's den!" Badgertail screeched, padding back to the river to hunt.

I stared down at my paw. It really hurt like usual when I get a thorn in it and I wondered if Badgertail was right. Am I purposefully hanging around the medicine cat's den?

I went back to camp and poked my head into the medicine cat's den.

"Mothwing?" I asked. "I've got a thorn in my paw again." Mothwing recently became the medicine cat because the last one was getting old and sick and Mothwing was the only volunteer. She learned everything from the other medicine cats.

"AGAIN?" Mothwing screamed from inside her nest. She was obviously resting and I disturbed her. "Gingerpaw you must be more careful! I don't want you coming back here because of a lousy thorn ever again. Here, I'll teach you." She meowed, motioning for me to follow her back into her den.

"First, you lick it really well." Mothwing explained. "Then you pull it out with your teeth. It's as simple as that."

"Thanks, Mothwing!" I mew before pelting back to my training session. It still feels weird though. Having a fake mother who's the medicine cat. It goes against the code but I guess it doesn't matter because Flamepaw was her last kit and she became the medicine cat moons later. Besides, the clan was desperate for a new medicine cat.

"Promise me that you'll stop deliberately stepping on thorns!" Badgertail meowed.

"I promise. I'm sorry." I reply, staring down at my paws.

"Back to training. Now, try that move again. But with more power. You're not putting enough strength into this!" Badgertail ordered. It's much too easy to make him furious.

***

"You know, any cat would think you're ignoring me." Flamepaw meowed while we shared a juicy vole.

"Why would any cat think I'm ignoring you?" I asked, looking carefully at Flamepaw.

"Maybe because you only talk to me when necessary! I thought we were friends!" He practically screamed.

"Of course were friends! Possibly even best friends! It's just that I'm in a hurry with Badgertail making me do practically everything! Why can't you do some of the apprentice jobs!" I snapped.

"I do some of the apprentice jobs! It's just that my mentor focuses on training!" He snapped back.

"Are you saying that Badgertail isn't a very good mentor? Because... Well... He it's true. You're so lucky." I sighed.

"I'm sorry." Flamepaw meowed apologetically.

"It's fine. As long as we're still close friends." I mewed.

"We'll always be close friends." He began then got cut off.

"Flamepaw! Stop chatting forever and hurry up! The elders have ticks you need to take care of!" Whitefur, a young white she-cat and also Flamepaw's grouchy mentor.

I giggled a bit when Flamepaw's face looked disgusted for a moment then tried but failed at looking cheerful as he padded over to get some mouse bile.

Finally he's taking care of the elders' ticks! But I felt sorry for him at the same time. Then I realized something.

I turned to see two warriors staring at me. When I saw them they looked away quickly and started whispering. They obviously heard the entire conversation I had with Flamepaw. But why did that make me mad?

As I padded to the camp entrance I froze dead in my tracks as I caught a few words of the two warriors' conversation.

"They obviously love eachother to act like that! He'll definitely be Gingerpaw's mate one day!"

I raced out of camp and hid in a bush.

How could they possibly say that? Is it true? Do I love Flamepaw? I didn't take me long to realize that I do love him more than anything else. But does he feel the same way about me? Whatever. I'm much too young to be thinking about a mate!