Warriors: Retribution (Book 2)

Chapter 29

"Fang, are you alright?"

"Yes, Eclipse, I'm fine." Fang meowed back.

"Are you sure? You've been acting grumpy and staring outside the cave all day..." Eclipse said with a worried look on her face.

Fang nodded. She didn't understand why she was acting like this. She felt sick, but she didn't tell Eclipse that. Fang didn't want to tell Eclipse that because she didn't want her to be worried and also tell Shredflash who would worry even more.

I'll just go sit by the Ocean Side for a while... she thought, then turned to look at her mother. "I'm going to the Ocean Side," she meowed.

"Don't stay down there for too long, you know how-"

"How Shredflash gets. Yeah, I know." she cut her mother off. "I'm not a kit anymore. Shredflash has taught me how to fight and fend for myself. Can I just do things now without him worrying about me?" she meowed, and then padded out of the small cave.

Eclipse sat there with wide eyes as she watched her daughter leave.

*

Rainpad was pacing around outside the warriors' den. He worried about a certain she-cat and he just wanted to know if she was alright. He noticed another warrior come out of the den, but he didn't mind them at all.

"Rainpad... Rainpad!" the meow caused him to stop pacing and look up at who was calling his name. It was Lightningblaze.

Lightningblaze stared at his brother in confusion. "What are you doing?" he mewed.

Rainpad shrugged and looked towards the entrance of the camp.

"You're waiting for Marigoldpaw, aren't you?" Lightningblaze's look went from confusion to a slight frown.

Rainpad looked back at him and nodded.

"Where did she go?"

"To become a medicine cat." Rainpad meowed.

"Heh, been a while since I've heard you meow something." Lightningblaze gave a smile now. "You must truly want her to be your mate."

"If we become mates, can you please keep it a secret, Lightningblaze?" the white-furred tom mewed to his twin brother.

"I will. As long as you're happy, Rainpad."

"Thank you." Rainpad purred.

"Look at who's at the entrance." Lightningblaze said.

Rainpad turned around to see the golden-furred she-cat. Once she noticed Rainpad staring at her, she looked down at her paws with a blush.

"Go talk to her," Lightningblaze meowed and nudged his brother.

Rainpad nodded and ran over to the she-cat.

A few heartbeats later, he padded up to both Nova and Marigoldfur. "Oh, hey Rainpad!" Nova meowed.

"Hi, can I speak with Marigoldpaw now?" he asked politely.

"Sure! And it's Marigoldfur now, she's a medicine cat!" Nova smiled but got surprised at the fact that Rainpad was speaking.

Rainpad just nodded.

"I'll leave you two be, then! Marigoldfur, I'll be in the medicine den!" Nova mewed and padded off to the Vertexclan medicine den.

Rainpad watched and made sure that Nova wasn't watching the two.

"Marigoldfur," he started.

Marigoldfur looked up with a heavy blush into the tom's eyes. "Y-Yes?" she meowed back.

"Will you be my mate?"

Marigoldfur's eyes widened as she blushed more at Rainpad's question.

*

Why would he want to be my mate? Doesn't he know I'm a medicine cat and we can't have mates? What if I say no? What if I say yes? Questions were surging through Marigoldfur's mind as she stared at Rainpad.

"What about the medicine cat code...?" Marigoldfur mewed, looking around to make sure there were no other cats around them.

"We can keep it secret."

"W-What if Nova finds out and I have to stop being a medicine cat?"

"We'll just make sure she doesn't find out." Rainpad meowed.

Marigoldfur was quiet for a moment, staring at the white-furred tom. She didn't understand why this was happening at all.

"Rainpad, I don't know. I just became a medicine cat and I can't ruin that... This will be on my mind though, and when I have an answer, I'll tell you." Marigoldfur meowed.

Rainpad frowned, not giving a response.

"If you need anything, I'll be in the medicine den with Nova." Marigoldfur brushed past the tom as she started heading back to the den.

"I need you." Rainpad meowed.

Marigoldfur stopped for a second. She heard Rainpad, but then she continued her way to the medicine den.