I raced over to him, nudging him up with my shoulder. He just flopped back on the ground. I wailed "Get up Hailstorm!"
Volewhisker nudged me back "He's dead Rainpaw. There's nothing you could have done."
"No there is! I could have saved him if I had known!" I hissed at Volewhisker.
He turned and growled at me "Really then? How many battle moves do you know? You talk back to me again, and you will be spending the next moon in the elders den!"
My mother came over to me "Not Hailstorm." She gasped.
She turned to Volewhisker "She's just grief-stricken. That's all."
I sighed and sat down. They didn't understand my grief. This battle should never have happened.
"What was that?" I heard a voice say.
Fox dung! I thought. "Nothing. I'm just grief-stricken. That's all."
The voice, Birchpaw, it turned out, nodded "I'm sorry about his death. He was a great warrior. All of the Clans will miss him."
How did my best friend and crush know all of that? Then I remembered. He had gone to a gathering before.
Back at camp, Goldenpaw was flustered. She had spent the entire day learning herbs, and she couldn't remember what they were. I had to help out. She whispered to me "I can't take this anymore. I can't be a medicine cat. Can you be a medicine cat in my place?"
I stared at her. Medicine cat? I didn't think so. I mean, I knew a ton about herbs, but I wanted to hunt and fight. But yet again, I could sense a clean wound from an infected one.
She stared at me "Please? Thornwhisper wants one of us to be a medicine cat."
I nodded "Fine. But you have to make me one promise."
She mewed "What?"
"That you become mates with Birchpaw instead of that fox heart Softpaw, and name a kit after me." I said.
"Then I accept. I love Birchpaw, and I think he doesn't love you like he used to when we were young kits."
I had loved Birchpaw as a kit, but now I was not sure I still did. I thought that Goldenpaw would be a much better mate for him than I could ever be.
We headed to Flightstar's den. We called "Its Goldenpaw and Rainpaw."
We got a muffled reply "Come in."
We entered to see her curled in her mossy nest. She mewed "What is it?"
I nodded at Goldenpaw. She meowed "We want to switch roles."
Flightstar looked up at us shocked "Are you sure? Because I thought Rainpaw hated being a medicine cat, and you hated being a warrior. What made you two change your minds?"
I spoke up "I don't think a warrior would allow me to be free to be who I am. And I feel I will be more comfortable as a medicine cat."
Goldenpaw nodded "I want to be a warrior because I think I could do better as a warrior than a medicine cat."
Flightstar nodded "I'll let Goldenpaw have Volewhisker, and Rainpaw you get Wishberry."