StarClan's Wrath

Chapter 5

Brightpaw's vision was fuzzy when he started to open his eyes. He felt like he was burning up until he felt cold water splash his face. He could see Birchpad, Whitepelt, Spottedtail, and Cloudbelly all looking down at him. Immediately he rolled over and got up. "What happened while I was out?" he asked.

"Good, you're awake," Birchpad sounded relieved. "You blacked out after touching the Moonstone," he mewed. "Then, you started twitching and moaning, and Whitepelt got some moss. We didn't want to risk leaving you alone, so we grabbed some straight from the Moonpool. I should take you back to camp. When you get there, go straight to bed."

Brightpaw shook his head. "I'll be fine on my own."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Birchpad stepped in front of Brightpaw once more before he left. "Take some poppy seeds when you get back. They'll help you fall asleep, all right?" Brightpaw nodded. "Remember. Over the hill, across the stepping stones, and you'll then find your way back easily."

Brightpaw was already on his way, making sure to keep his balance, just in case he ever got dizzy. He picked a few dandelions for the medicine supply and marched home. He sniffed the pine trees, enjoying the lovely scent. The other Clans might find it weird, but Brightpaw felt like ShadowClan had the best smells. At the entrance, Highbranch greeted him.

"You're back early. Where's Birchpad?" he asked.

Brightpaw spit the dandelions out of his mouth. "He sent me back. I passed out for a brief moment and had a weird dream."

"Yikes. You'd better get some sleep," he mewed. "By the way, your sister is out for a walk. Just thought you should know."

Brightpaw nodded and picked the dandelions up again. He put them into a pile and noticed the already neatly organized herbs. Funny... they weren't like this when we first left. Shrugging it off, he approached some green seeds, and some black seeds. He had never seen poppy seeds before, nor had he ever seen a poppy itself. Mouse dung. I should have asked Birchpad if he knew which seeds were which. The green seeds looked promising to him. He licked his paw-pad and stuck some seeds to it, then licked them off his pad.

While Brightpaw waited, he decided to go to the fresh kill pile to grab a lizard. "I wonder what Birchpad is dreaming of right now?" he mumbled to himself. He then began eating the lizard. No other warriors were out here right now. He felt lonely, but  a bit happy to be independent. "I'm eating this slowly..." he commented. "But I don't feel sleepy." He went back to the den and took in a mouthful of what he assumed were the poppy seeds. He chewed for a while and swallowed, feeling a little bit queasy. Then, the thoughts came back to him.

"Accept your destiny,"

"StarClan knows best."

"You're not  a warrior,"

"Don't listen to them!"

"Suffer the consequences..."

Immediately, he felt a horrible pain in his belly. Brightpaw rushed back to the den. He swiped a beech leaf and then ran out the den so he could vomit into the leaf. There was slime and bits of prey all over the leaf. With disgust, he pulled the leaf to the dirtplace and went back. Guess those weren't it... Feeling foolish, he took some of the real poppy seeds. He finished the leg of his lizard. It wasn't much left, but it would do for the night. Besides, what if he had to vomit again?

"Brightpaw?" Birchpad's voice surprised him. "Why aren't you asleep yet?"

Great. Now Brightpaw had to come up with an excuse. "I was going to sleep, but I took the wrong seeds... I should have asked you which was which."

Birchpad shook his head. "Oh, Brightpaw. This is why you check with me first. Don't go running off next time." he mumbled. "But... you're possibly going to be a warrior, so I shouldn't go too hard on you."

"I will be a warrior," Brightpaw meowed.

Birchpad looked at Silverpelt with a great deal of reluctance in his green eyes. This was the first time Brightpaw had ever seen Birchpad look at the sky with uncertainty. His flat muzzle shifted a bit, suggesting he was biting his lip. "StarClan is arguing..." he murmured. "But right now it doesn't matter. Go to sleep,"

Brightpaw started feeling sleepy. Yeah, these are the poppy seeds. He laid down in his nest and despite his eyelids being heavy, he just couldn't fall asleep.  His eyes closed and he listened to the sounds around him. Then, he heard arguing.

"What do you mean StarClan is arguing about it? You told me that StarClan initially said that he would be a medicine cat. That's final."

"But they don't like their current duties!"

"Well, they'll have to deal with it! Or else I'll be too ashamed to call them my kits, because they can't follow a simple destiny!"