“What are you doing, Jaypaw?” she called across the den.
“Preparing herbs,” he muttered. “What does it look like?”
“That’s a lot of herbs.” Hollypaw could smell horsetail and marigold. She remembered enough of her medicine training to know that he was preparing for combat wounds. She felt sick. It seemed as though the whole Clan had accepted a battle was coming.
“What’s up?” Cinderpaw called from her nest.
Hollypaw padded to her side. “Has anybody told you what happened at the Gathering?”
Cinderpaw shook her head. “Leafpool and Jaypaw were whispering about something when Leafpool got back, but they haven’t said anything to me.”
“RiverClan is living on the island!”
Cinderpaw’s eyes widened with shock. “Living there?”
“They can’t use their camp for some reason and all the other Clans think they’ll have to find new territory.”
Cinderpaw gasped. “But that would mess everything up.”
“I know.” Hollypaw glanced at Jaypaw, still busy at the back of the den. “And it seems as if everyone is expecting a fight.”
Cinderpaw plucked at the moss in her nest. “I just hope I’m better in time to join in,” she mewed.
Hollypaw stared at her crossly. “There doesn’t need to be a battle!”
“But if everyone wants one—”
Hollypaw cut her off. “Everyone’s just scared about what RiverClan will do. If we can help RiverClan, then everything will go back to normal.”
She padded out of the den and stared around the clearing.
Foxkit and Icekit were play-fighting outside the nursery; Longtail and Mousefur were drawing battle plans in the sandy earth. Firestar was still talking with Brambleclaw.
She couldn’t let her Clanmates get caught up in a battle before they had tried to find a different way to solve the problem. If she could just find a way to help RiverClan, maybe there would be nothing left to fight about.
Chapter 10
Jaypaw heard the brambles swish. “Hollypaw’s gone?” He blinked.
Hollypaw had only been in the den a few moments.
“She must’ve remembered something she had to do.”
Cinderpaw sighed.
“Oh.” Jaypaw went back to wrapping his marigold and horsetail poultices in leaves, preparing for a battle that might never happen. Why hadn’t StarClan warned him? It was not like they were shy about interrupting his dreams.
Suddenly, he felt his pelt begin to warm under Cinderpaw’s gaze. She was staring at him, her mind tingling with curiosity. Irritation made his claws itch. How long was she going to stay here? She was obviously bored and Jaypaw missed the peace and privacy of the empty medicine den. He turned and faced her. “Something wrong?” he asked.
“No.” Cinderpaw sounded oddly thoughtful. “I just think I had a dream about you, and you could see.”
Jaypaw’s ears twitched. She remembered her dream! How much? The camp in the ravine? Being Cinderpelt? He waited for sparks of alarm to flash from Leafpool’s pelt, but the medicine cat was busy soaking horsetail stems in the pool, her mind focused on her task.
Jaypaw padded forward. “What was I doing in your dream?” he asked casually.
“I don’t remember. I was just surprised you could see.”
Cinderpaw fidgeted in her nest.
“Where were we?”
Cinderpaw hesitated. “Some bit of the forest, I think. You were following me and…”
“And what?” Jaypaw leaned close to her.
“I don’t remember.”
Jaypaw flicked his tail. What would happen if Cinderpaw worked out she had been Cinderpelt? Surely all the old medicine cat’s memories must be buried somewhere in the apprentice’s mind?
“Time for Cinderpaw’s medicine,” Leafpool called from the pool.
“Okay.” Excitement sparked in Jaypaw’s belly. This could be his chance to find out if any trace of Cinderpelt remained.
He darted to the back of the cave, ignoring the comfrey that would help Cinderpaw’s bones to heal, and picked up some of the sweet-smelling mallow leaves instead. The mallow would do nothing but soothe her belly. If any of Cinderpelt’s knowledge lingered inside her, she would know it was the wrong medicine and say something.
“Here you are,” he announced, dropping the mallow leaves in her nest.
“These smell nice,” Cinderpaw mewed.
“It’s mallow,” Jaypaw told her. He nudged them closer.
“Great for broken bones.” He searched her mind for any doubt, but nothing stirred except gratitude.
“Thanks, Jaypaw.”
“What are you doing?” Leafpool whisked past and snatched the mallow leaves away. He felt suspicion pricking in the medicine cat’s pelt as she brushed against him. “You should be giving her comfrey.”
“I must have picked up the wrong leaves,” Jaypaw lied.
“Be more careful next time.” Irritation flashed from Leafpool. She didn’t believe him. Had she guessed he had been testing Cinderpaw? “Get back to making poultices,” she snapped. Her voice softened as she spoke to Cinderpaw.
“Sorry, Cinderpaw. It’s not like Jaypaw to be so distracted.”
Jaypaw padded mutinously away to the back of the den. It was so unfair! Leafpool had no patience with him these days, and yet she put up with Cinderpaw’s boredom and fidgeting with unending kindness. He flicked his tail petulantly at the stems soaking in the pool. “Is that horsetail ready yet?” He knew full well that they’d need soaking overnight for the juices to be fully restored.
“Of course not!” she meowed. “Use the ones I soaked yesterday!”
“Okay!” He hooked a soggy stem from a nearby pile and began to gnaw crossly at one end.
Leafpool padded over to join him. Comfrey scent filled the air as she collected a few leaves for Cinderpaw. “What’s the matter with you?” she hissed.
“What’s the matter with you?” he snapped back.
“I’m not the one giving Cinder paw the wrong medicine.”
“I only wanted to see if she would know the difference.”
“She’s Cinder paw, not Cinderpelt!”
“But there must be something there.”
“If there is, it’s not up to us to find it!” Jaypaw felt Leafpool’s breath on his cheek. “We have to let Cinderpaw find her own destiny!”
“What’s wrong with helping her along? Surely Cinderpaw deserves to know that she’s been sent back by StarClan to be a warrior.”
“If StarClan wants her to know, they’ll tell her,” Leafpool mewed.
“So you’re happy to leave it in the paws of StarClan.”
“Of course!” She sounded shocked. “And so should you.”
Jaypaw went back to chewing. The stem’s bitter juice made his whiskers twitch. Why was Leafpool so totally in awe of her ancestors? He’d met them; they seemed no different from cats who were still alive. Did Leafpool really think that dying made a dumb cat wise? They could walk in other cats’ dreams, but so could he. That didn’t mean he knew the answer to everything.
“Jaypaw!” Cinderpaw’s mew rang around the den.
Jaypaw blinked open his eyes. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Cinderpaw sounded wide awake. Jaypaw lifted his muzzle and sniffed. It smelled as though dawn had only just arrived. Couldn’t she sleep a little longer? Or at least let him sleep a little longer?
“Leafpool’s gone to check on Foxkit,” she mewed. “I thought we could have a game while she’s gone.”