republished only so a friend could read it sob

Chapter 8

   Cedarpaw woke up and stretched, she got up and walked out of the apprentice den, she noticed a hunting patrol coming back, it was Tanglepaw and Sprucepaw with their mentors! Tanglepaw's blue-gray pelt and Sprucepaw's gray eyes both shined in the sunlight. They dropped some prey into the fresh-kill pile, Cedarpaw was hungry, but she couldn't eat the day of her trip, she went to sit next to the apprentices, "I'm going to the Moonstone today." She mewed, and the other apprentices looked amazed.

   "Aren't you excited?!" Tanglepaw asked, surprised, "Not really, going to the Moonstone is tiring, and I'll have to go by Windclan territory to get to Mothermouth." Cedarpaw sighed, "I think it's cool..." Sprucepaw mumbled, Cedarpaw now noticed a scar on Sprucepaw's leg, "Sprucepaw, how did you get that scar?" Sprucepaw looked at her leg, surprised, both Sprucepaw and Tanglepaw's eyes widened "I have a scar? Oh, yea, Tanglepaw accidentally clawed me thinking I was attacking him when I snuck up on him! I thought he was a rabbit..."

   She nodded, "Why didn't you come to the medicine den to heal?" Sprucepaw looked down, "Because I was kinda... ashamed. If Frostwhisker saw, he would be angry that I let him down and I felt like I couldn't tell you and Sheepberry. I'm sorry" Cedarpaw nodded again and smiled, she didn't believe him, but she would go along with it for Sprucepaw's sake, "It's okay! I understand, I wouldn't want to disappoint Frostwhisker either!" Sprucepaw seemed to let out a sigh of relief, Cedarpaw smiled, and the other apprentices continued to eat while Cedarpaw sat there, talking about becoming warriors.

   Once it was darker, she and Sheepberry headed out, across Windclan and to Mothermouth, "We're almost there. Hold on a bit longer" Sheepberry said, laughing, "I'm doing fine!" Cedarpaw hissed jokingly, they entered Mouthermouth, both knowing the way through the twisting caves, once they made it to the Moonstone, it was moon high.

   Sheepberry nodded Cedarpaw forth, she touched the Moonstone, falling asleep. "Cedarpaw, amazing to see you. We've been watching you!" Said a shimmering figure of a cat. "We have a prophecy, my dear!" Another cat said, smiling, "The tall pine balancing on the mountain's side, will defeat the frozen in its final battle," Cedarpaw looked confused, "But what does it mean? And why are you telling me?" She called, "We cannot tell you, good luck Cedarpaw." The cat sighed as the landscape around her disappeared.

   She woke up, looking around. Sheepberry looked at her, "What did you see?" She asked as if she knew, "You're a medicine cat, you would know, wouldn't you?" Sheepberry nodded to reply, "Well, good luck figuring it out," Cedarpaw mewed, walking out of the cave, "Wait, won't you help?" Sheepberry said, tilting her head. "No, I'm not an important she-cat or anything!" She replied, Sheepberry sighed to herself, "It's fine anyway, let's just go back to camp!" Once they got back to camp, Cedarpaw curled up in the medicine den, another cat limped into the den.

   "Hello? Sheepberry?" The cat called, whoever they were, they looked like another apprentice, a small, slender figure with warm brown glowing eyes that pierced the darkness. "Sheepberry is outside the den, but I can help, I'm Cedarpaw!" She said through the darkness, the figure said with a lighter, less serious tone, "Cliffpaw, I have a cut on my shoulder from an accident with training practice, you think you can help?" As Cliffpaw continued, moonlight shined on both of them, Cedarpaw nodded, now that the apprentice tom could see her.

   She walked Cliffpaw into the den and sat him down, quickly inspecting the wound and grabbing cobwebs, oak leaves, and one poppy seed. She stopped the bleeding, wrapped it in cobwebs and oak leaves, then she said, "Does it still hurt?" Cliffpaw nodded and she pushed a poppy seed over to him, "Here!" After a while of silence, "How is it being a medicine cat apprentice?" Cliffpaw asked, "Well, it's nice at times, a lot happens but I can deal with it!" She mewed, "How's being a warrior apprentice?" Cliffpaw's tail swished back and forth slowly, "It's nice, dangerous, nothing I can't handle of course!" The apprentice joked, "Oh really? If you're so amazing, how did you exactly get hurt again?" Cedarpaw purred out of amusement.

   The night went on as the two apprentices talked and joked together until both fell asleep, Sheepberry walked into the den and smiled, looking at the sleeping apprentices, then curled up as well to finally fall asleep after the long, long day. The next day Cedarpaw woke up, both of the other cats in the den were still sleeping. She had decided to go out to collect herbs to clear her thoughts, she first grabbed a vole and quickly ate before heading out, now that she was alone her thoughts were filled with the prophecy, what did it mean, and why did Starclan tell her? Another thing to worry about, she already was worried about her medicine cat duties, she was entrusted with helping the clan, and now her mind was clouded with this prophecy!

   She calmed herself down, grabbing more moss from a nearby rock, the prophecy didn't revolve around her, surely, so she didn't have to worry about it. Sheepberry and Fishstar already knew of it anyway. She eventually collected enough herbs for the clan, she walked back to camp, "Good morning Cedarpaw!" Tanglepaw said, smiling in the sunlight, "Morning!" She called, walking into the medicine den and dropping off the herbs, she quickly said good morning to Cliffpaw, she ran back out to the fresh-kill pile and grabbed a fish, she dashed back into the medicine den, holding the fish, she dropped it in front of Cliffpaw.

   "Thank you Cedarpaw!" He said, biting into the fish, "Of course, it's the least I can do!" She purred, sitting down. The two talked for a while since Cliffpaw couldn't leave, and there was nothing she could do in or outside the camp. "Hey, how long do you think I'll be stuck here?" Cliffpaw asked, seemingly nervous. Cedarpaw knew why he was nervous, when a cat is too injured, the cat can't become a warrior due to any disabilities. Cedarpaw thought for a second, looking at the wound, "It was only a cut, it might leave a scar, but otherwise you should get out in a few more days, not even a moon!" She smiled, Cliffpaw sighed with relief and smiled, "Alright, thank you again Cedarpaw!" The she-cat returned the smile, "Of course Cliffpaw!"

Helloooo! Sorry for never posting for a longgg time! I will try to update more frequently but I am currently sharing this computer, so my update schedule got messed up for a bit, I'll try to update more, but it may be more difficult! See you all later!