Warriors: The Trail of Centuries

Chapter 30

     Spottedpath padded across the NightClan camp clearing, her pawsteps leading her straight to the medicine den. Once she reached it, she found herself hesitating; the warrior wasn't sure what drove her here in the first place, or if her presence would be welcome. The overhanging root cast a threatening shadow in the evening sun, and if she hadn't come with such a certain purpose, Spottedpath would have used it as an excuse to leave. With a final, decisive nod to herself, Spottedpath pushed past the curtain of lichen that hung from the entryway and entered the den.

     Inside, the air smelled of sickness, and it made worry well up inside the golden warrior. She quickly pushed it aside though. For how few sunrises have passed since their rescue, Sunpaw's condition has vastly improved, she reminded herself firmly. Tigerflight even said that she may be able to leave the den unsupervised soon, if the progress keeps up. Once she reassured herself, Spottedpath remembered why she came to the den in the first place.

     "Hi, Sunpaw," she mewed quietly when she located the sick apprentice. "How are you feeling today?"

     Sunpaw sat upright in the makeshift nest Tigerflight had made for her, her dark tortoiseshell fur much less matted than the days before. "I feel much better today!" she chirped cheerily before breaking off into a tiny cough. "I'm grateful for all the help I've gotten from Tigerflight, Muddapple, and Brightpelt."

     "That's great to hear," Spottedpath purred, sitting a small distance from the molly. She didn't care if she got sick, but she'd hate to spread it to the rest of the Clans. "Have any of the others visited you?"

     "No, only you," Sunpaw mewed without skipping a beat. While her tone stayed as cheery as ever, Spottedpath felt a bit of pity for her. Silently, she scorned the other Gorge refugees for not visiting their campmate before speaking again.

     "I'll make sure to pester Mudwing or Nightstream into stopping by, then," she purred jokingly. When Sunpaw let out a soft mixture of a cough and a laugh, she flicked her ears anxiously. "None of the medicine cats have been too rough with you, have they? I know they sometimes become rather callous with their work."

     Sunpaw shook her head quickly. "Oh, goodness, no! They've all been very gentle with me, and sometimes they even stop to talk and spend time with me. They told me that they miss seeing Frozenleaf at the Starfalls, too." Spottedpath blinked in surprise at that, but didn't feel comfortable pressing for information on the subject. She heard someone calling for her from the clearing—even worse, it sounded like Brackenclaw. Considering the SwiftClan deputy was a cat that nobody wanted to keep waiting, Spottedpath dipped her head to Sunpaw in a farewell.

     "Duty calls," she joked apologetically with a wave of her tail toward the clearing. "I'll be sure to poke my head in here again once I'm free, okay?"

     "Sure!" Sunpaw chirped before stifling another weak cough. "Thanks, Spottedpath!"

     With a final nod to the sick apprentice, Spottedpath turned and exited the medicine den. She quickly spotted Brackenclaw near the entrance of the camp and bounded to him without wasting a heartbeat; the broad-shouldered deputy was the last cat she'd ever want to cross.

     Before Spottedpath had a chance to ask him why he called for her, Brackenclaw spoke, his eyes narrowed and his critical gaze trained on the younger warrior. "Despite my own objections to it, Fishstar wants you to be among the warriors he takes to the emergency Gathering—we'll be leaving shortly. Along with myself, you'll be accompanying Hollyheart, Muddapple, and Cottontuft, and no, attendance isn't optional."

     Spottedpath bit her tongue to restrain herself from making any snide remarks to Brackenclaw's attitude toward her. Instead, she nodded her head obediently and turned away, searching for any of her friends. When she spotted Nightstream, she rushed to the pretty molly, letting out a sigh of annoyance when she was out of the deputy's earshot.