(Outdated) Warriors: Clouded Skies #2 - Frost

Chapter Eight

"Ravenpaw, fix up that moss into a nest! I need it flat so she can lay out." Mossrain mindlessly flicked his tail in the direction of a large pile of moss, freshly brought in from the hard working paw of Jaypaw. The black apprentice hurried over at his mentor's orders and began to spread it out. Fur brushed his side as Jaypaw came to work beside him, getting the work done much sooner.

Mossrain came back with jaws full of herbs--in his shock, Ravenpaw was suddenly unable to remember if he had learned them, despite his earlier calm--and directed Blossompaw to be set down on the bedding. Boulderclaw and Oakcloud gently lowered their bodies, and Eagleclaw and Maskdapple helped lay her down.

"Silverstrike, see if Snowfern has returned. If not, send an apprentice out to get her. She should be on the forest border to the moor of our territory, coming back home. Quickly!" Boulderclaw's tail was lashing and he forced himself to step back to give Mossrain room.

"Oakcloud, I need Goldenpool here."

"She needs to watch our kits!" the tom said before he could stop himself.

"You can do that! I need my mentor!" There was worry spiked in young Mossrain's voice, showing his youth, and Oakcloud's eyes shined with regret at arguing with the other tom and hurried off with his tail down. Boulderclaw swallowed, ears flattened, obviously discouraged by Mossrain's fear.

"She'll be okay, right?" Ravenpaw couldn't help but ask. Mossrain didn't even bother to try to answer.

"Eagleclaw, send two cats out to find a stick as long as a cat's back that is as straight as possible. I need more moss, as well. Cobwebs, too, and as much bindweed as possible--ask Frostfall, she'll know where to find them. And I need it all as fast as possible."

Eagleclaw nodded and gestured for Maskdapple and Silverstrike, who both stood to attention. "Get your apprentices out searching for cobwebs, then assign any other apprentice you can find to get moss. Silverstrike, you take Frostfall to get the bindweed. I'll take Petalpaw to find the stick."

Maskdapple looked back at Mossrain with a longing gaze, desperately wanting to stay with her young son to help him through his stress, but after a moment she listened to her deputy and hurried off, her mate Silverstrike right at her paws, also having a small hesitation in his step. It was obvious Boulderclaw wasn't going anywhere, so Eagleclaw hadn't even tried. The worry in his gaze made Ravenpaw's chest burn, and he desperately wanted to help his poor father over his pain.

But his work as a medicine cat was more important.

"Ravenpaw, I need some celandine and comfrey roots. And a few daisy leaves!" he added quickly as his apprentice raced to the store. Ravenpaw found the celandine by its soft, calming scent, and the comfrey roots by their location. The daisy leaves were found by their placing, too, just a few herbs over from the roots.

He raced them back to his mentor, sat them down, and anxiously waited for more instructions. Mossrain was leaned over Blossompaw, softly licking at her back as if he was feeling for something underneath with his tongue. He seemed to find it, for he pulled away and touched it with a soft single claw. Blossompaw yowled and flinched and jerked her spine into a curl.

Boulderclaw made a move to come over but slowly forced himself back down with great difficulty. Suddenly, Goldenpool rushed into the den. Mossrain didn't look but obviously scented her, for he backed up just in time for the large queen to crouch down at the nest's edge. "She hit her back hard against a tree. She can still feel pain in her lower back, so I think it may have been a fracture. I think it was here--" he pointed to the spot that he had just touched, near the middle of her back. "And she said she has a blurry vision. That's not from the spine injury, is it?" In this moment, looking small and scared with a flicking tail tip, Mossrain looked like an apprentice again.

"No. She likely hit her head," Goldenpool muttered, sniffing over her side. "We'll need a straight stick, cobwebs, bindweed, comfrey, celandine, and maybe some daisy leaves." Mossrain waited for her to finish with her list, wanting to see if he had forgotten anything. But he had been right.

"Eagleclaw already has cats on it, and the herbs are right here." Mossrain stepped back and sat back down again, waiting for directions.

"Chew. Chew." Goldenpool pushed the roots towards Mossrain and the daisy to Ravenpaw. The two toms instantly listened to their shared mentor and began to chew the roots, while she picked up the celandine. Her trained jaws finished quickly, and using her long, curled claws, she opened Blossompaw's mouth and spit the herb in. She closed the cat's muzzle and rubbed a paw on her throat, forcing her to swallow. The small cat winched mewled but held the herb down.

Goldenpool cleaned a front paw in the water then reached out for Ravenpaw's daisy. He passed it over spitting it onto her pad, and she leaned over Blossompaw and gently began rubbing it along her spine and hips. "Isn't daisy used for aching joints?" Ravenpaw finally asked, now having free jaws.

"Her muscles and bones will be very sore from this injury. We'll have to stock up on herbs like daisy and ragwort to keep her comfortable. Comfrey." She reached her paw out to Mossrain and he gave her the poultice. She spread it along the area Mossrain said was injured. Blossompaw mewled and cried in pain.

Boulderclaw finally couldn't handle sitting back and hurried forward to his daughter's face, giving her forehead a soft lick. "Don't worry, you'll be okay," he whispered like he was talking to a very young kit. His eyes were full of pain and worry.

Then there was a thundering of pawsteps and Snowfern rushed in, fur bristling and eyes wide. She cried out when she saw her kit sprawled out on her nest, and raced over to collapse by her mate's side. Jaypaw and Willowpaw followed in, both mewling in fear. After them, Stonecoat and Shadefur came to check on poor Blossompaw. Outside, Ravenpaw could smell the mingling smells of the whole Clan.

"I need this den cleared out!" Goldenpool snapped suddenly. "All cats except medicine cats and one parent need to get out. I need space." Boulderclaw and Snowfern looked at each other in fear, but then Boulderclaw licked his mate's cheek, tucked his head in her shoulder for a few moments, and stood up. He directed his four kits from the den, despite their complaints.

Goldenpool had Mossrain feed Blossompaw water when she left quickly to check on her kits, and a moment after she returned Eagleclaw came in with a stick, and Silverstrike with bindweed. Goldenpool sighed in relief and took them, straightening the stick against Blossompaw's spine then softly curling the bindweed around her body to keep it in place.

Soon, cobwebs were brought, and she used those to also keep the stick in place, not trusting the bindweed to stay. Then, she sat back, looking extremely tired. Snowfern looked up, eyes scared, then tucked her face closer to her daughter's. "Ravenpaw, poppy seeds," Goldenpool said in a tired voice.

Instantly, the apprentice, his muscles sore from his tense stance, jumped across the den and found a few of the seeds, and brought them back to Goldenpool wrapped in an oak leaf. She took two and put them in Blossompaw's mouth, forcing the kit to swallow them, then gave one to Snowfern. The she-cat looked faintly confused, then licked it up and curled up next to her daughter.

"I'm going to bring one to Boulderclaw, Jaypaw, and Willowpaw," Goldenpool meowed, standing.

"I'll bring them to them," Ravenpaw volunteered.

Goldenpool shook her head and put a poppy seed in front of him. "You've been through a lot today, you need to rest just as much as your kin." Ravenpaw opened his mouth to argue, but then decided against it and took the seed, swallowed it, then went to his mother, curling up at her stomach. She purred weakly, curling closer, but still kept her tail wrapped around Blossompaw's neck.

"She'll be okay," Ravenpaw muttered to his mother, blinking softly. "I know it..."

Started this chapter today...Finished it in like an hour without any pauses. I really don't understand myself anymore. First it takes a month for a chapter, now a day? Writers' block, man.

Question #1: Your thoughts on this chapter?

Question #2: Your thoughts on all the characters in this chapter? (I.E. Mossrain, Goldenpool, Boulderclaw, Ravenpaw, Snowfern, Silverstrike, Eagleclaw, Oakcloud, etc.)