CHAPTER NINE

ROSEPAW | WINDCLAN CAMP

Rosepaw grumbled to herself, lazily sorting a ton of herbs. This was her punishment for not getting honey. She had told the whole story - with Duskface backing her up! - but Rowanmask still flipped out and punished her. He didn't pay any attention to Duskface, but did tell Rosepaw to stop manipulating cats to help her cases.

    "At least I'm not gathering for once." Rosepaw meowed to herself loudly. Rowanmask had gone out to collect the honey himself, and if Rosepaw was being honest, she wanted the murderer to end him. She already prayed to StarClan for that to happen. She was capable enough to heal the Clan.

    The herbs she had been sorting for nearly half of the day had been neatly sorted yesterday by Rowanmask (the day she went to get honey), but he messed them up for her punishment. Now she had to sort through a pile of herbs that had already been organized. To her delight, she was nearly done sorting.

    Pawsteps behind her made her twist around. Rowanmask was back... yay. In his jaws he delicately held a branch of dripping honey.

    "Rosepaw," he snapped, moving the branch to his paws so he could speak. Rosepaw wondered what she did wrong, "fetch me a mouse."

    StarClan, why didn't you answer my prayers this time? You always do... Rosepaw thought, mildly upset as she stomped past Rowanmask.

    She stopped at the prey-pile. There were no mice at the moment.

    He didn't say I had to get a mouse at any cost... Rosepaw grabbed a rabbit, trotting back.

    "I thought I said get a mouse?" Rowanmask asked with contempt.

"There wasn't a single mouse." To her relief, Rowanmask didn't say anything back. He (hopefully) realized he couldn't tell her she failed.

    Rowanmask rubbed the honey on the rabbit. After that, he set the branch against a wall, grabbed a leaf, and wrapped the leaf around the branch's end with the honey. He stopped by the nearly-done herb pile, shooting a questioning glare at Rosepaw.

    "I'll finish it..." she grabbed the rabbit, going to deliver this first. She dragged her paws as she walked out. StarClan, how she hated Rowanmask some days.

    She crossed camp, ducking into the elders den.

    "Darkblossom?" she mumbled around the rabbit. "I'vsh got tshe rabbitsh for you."

    "I didn't ask for a rabbit," a croaky voice replied. Two green eyes stared at Rosepaw.

   "It'sh got honey on itsh. For your tshroat?" she dropped the rabbit, licking her lips, collecting any honey that got in it.

    "Oh, in that case..." a silver paw lashed out, grabbing the rabbit. Darkblossom thanked her before diving into the rabbit.

    The other elder, Twistedbird, smiled at Rosepaw. "Rosepaw, you don't mind grabbing me prey, right?"

    "Of course not." Rosepaw mewed, backing out of the den. She quickly grabbed a vole and gave it to Twistedbird before dashing back to the medicine cat den. The sooner she finished sorting, the sooner she could escape the medicine cat den.

    Rosepaw returned, a little breathless. The taste of honey still lingered in her mouth as she sat down, finishing the sorting.

    "Once you're done sorting, I hope you know how to entertain yourself. You're not leaving this den today." Rowanmask's meow shocked Rosepaw.

    "What?!" she jumped up, leg accidentally hitting her finished piles. "Why?"

    "I can't trust you around other cats. You turned Duskface on me rather easily with that fake story."

    "It wasn't fake! We couldn't collect the honey because it was dirty." Rosepaw whined, frustrated that her piles were ruined.

    Rowanmask's gaze told her this conversation would last no longer. "Seems like you have something to do," he implied coldly to the scattered herbs behind her.

    Rosepaw whipped around, sitting down roughly.

***

    It was dusk by the time she finished again. She was in the worst mood possible. She shoved each herb bundle into their appropriate crags before turning around, nostrils flared.

    "I'm done," she grumbled.

    Rowanmask looked up from where he was relaxing, eyes flitting over to the herb storage. "It's a little messy."

    No 'thank you'? I wasted all of my day to sort those herbs you already sorted! Rosepaw dug her claws into the ground.

    "It's the half-moon meeting tonight. I'd suggest fixing your attitude before we go." Rowanmask added, looking at his claws.

    "Okay," muttered Rosepaw, willing her fur to stay flat. To take her mind off of her anger, she began thinking about the words he had uttered. She had forgotten about the meeting! She'd see Seedpaw and Puddlepaw - wait, no Puddlepaw was Puddlecloud as of last meeting.

    Rowanmask glanced outside. "The sun is dipping down. Let's head out." The sun couldn't be seen, but its orange light mingled with the dark gray storm clouds at the edge of the moor.

    Rosepaw walked out before Rowanmask, energy buzzing through her bones. She felt like she could run to the Moonpool and back and not be breathless.

    Rowanmask swept past her, swiftly walking out of the camp. Rosepaw had to trot to keep up with his stride. She watched his tail flick as the two walked silently across the moor, the wind battering her in the face. She noticed the ground was wet and the sky was covered in clouds. It smelled like fresh rain - her favorite smell.

    "Can the Moonpool flood?" Rosepaw asked without thinking.

    Rowanmask didn't turn to face her. "How would I know?" he replied harshly.

    Rosepaw flattened her ears. He didn't have to be rude every time. "Sorry... just a question..." she mumbled, tail drooping.

    Watching Rowanmask's body language, she swore he flattened his ears ever-so-slightly in guilt, but they perked back up with thunder boomed off in the distance. Lightning flashed out of the corner of her eye, criss-crossing the sky.

    Rowanmask paused at the ThunderClan border. The stream between the two Clans seemed to be flooded, so Rowanmask turned right. Further downstream, there was a log over the flooding stream. Rosepaw uncertainly climbed atop of the wet bark. She had never gone this way before. The stream had never flooded before, so Rowanmask and her usually just jumped over it.

    "Come on." Rowanmask meowed from the other side of the log, watching her like a hawk. "You won't slip."

    Is he encouraging me? First time. Rosepaw thought dryly. She unsheathed her claws and walked stiffly across the log.

    At the end, she jumped off and bumped into Rowanmask. To her surprise, when she looked up, Rowanmask had a small grin on his muzzle.

    "You walked like you wanted to fall in." He told her, voice not portraying the amusement on his face, but it still warmed her up despite the biting wind.

    Rowanmask wheeled around, picking up their pace. Rosepaw rushed after him, eyes scanning the ground wildly before her. There were so many branches scattered everywhere, how did the ThunderClan cats do this? She already stepped on four and nearly tripped on eight others.

    Rowanmask dodged the branches effortlessly, so Rosepaw tried to place her paws where he placed his. Just as she was beginning to mimic Rowanmask, her paw slid on wet grass and she went spinning into a bush.

    Rosepaw let out a yelp of shock. Thankfully nothing hurt (except her pride) as she squirmed out of the bush.

    Rowanmask watched her, eyes betraying nothing. Rosepaw smiled sheepishly and dashed through the forest when he began leading the way again, going slower for the clumsy apprentice's sake.

    After a few excruciating minutes of clumsiness and slipping, Rosepaw arrived at a path that had been trod on by multiple cats before her. Rowanmask whisked past her, paws falling into the pawsteps.

    Rosepaw bounded down the slope, gazing at the Moonpool with wide eyes at the bottom. She never got over it every time; the stars reflected clearly in the beautiful black pool as it lapped slightly at the rocks.

    "Greetings," a voice came from the pool. Rosepaw glanced airily that way, eyes resting on Mistysong, ThunderClan's medicine cat, and Mintleaf and Puddlecloud of SkyClan.

    "Mistysong, Mintleaf, Puddlecloud." Rowanmask mewed each name politely, dipping his head.

    Rosepaw waved her tail enthusiastically at Puddlecloud. Puddlecloud grinned at her.

    "Hopefully nothing has happened to Tawnythorn and Seedpaw or Softfur." Mintleaf fretted. Her specialty, by the way.

    "They're always late." Mistysong meowed dismissively.

    Rosepaw walked over to Puddlecloud, sitting next to the black she-cat. She watched the stars flicker in the Moonpool, eager to share with StarClan.

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