The Apprentice's Quest by Erin Hunter

Author:Erin Hunter
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2016-01-23T08:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 12

“Sandstorm,” Alderpaw meowed, “now that the sun is up, I want to have a better look at your shoulder.”

The old she-cat sighed. “I was expecting you to say that.”

She stayed still while Alderpaw peeled off the cobweb he had applied the night before. A small amount of blood was still oozing from the wound.

“What can we do to help?” Sparkpaw asked, peering anxiously over his shoulder.

Alderpaw was pleased and relieved that he knew exactly what was needed. Leafpool and Jayfeather would be proud of me.

“Comfrey root,” he replied. “Cherryfall, Molewhisker, could you go and find some? It has large, long leaves. The root is black, and it has a tangy smell.”

“The stuff you put on my pad, right?” Cherryfall asked. “I know exactly what to look for. Come on, Molewhisker.”

“Honestly, it’s not that serious,” Sandstorm protested as the two warriors disappeared into the undergrowth. “I’ll be fine.”

“You still need to let me treat the wound,” Alderpaw responded. “It’s important.”

It felt weird to be telling an elder what to do, and he was glad when Sandstorm gave a reluctant nod. “Meanwhile, give it another good lick,” Alderpaw added. “Then it’ll be ready for the poultice.”

The sun had not risen much farther up the sky by the time Cherryfall and Molewhisker returned, carrying plenty of comfrey. Alderpaw set to work at once, chewing up the root, and once it was a fine enough paste he applied it to Sandstorm’s wound. Sandstorm relaxed, letting out a long sigh, as the juices sank in.

“That feels so much better,” she murmured.

“Now the rest of you,” Alderpaw meowed.

“We’re fine, honestly,” Sparkpaw protested.

“You’re fine when I say you are,” Alderpaw retorted, remembering what Jayfeather liked to say to cats who didn’t want to be fussed over.

Sparkpaw twitched her whiskers but stood still while Alderpaw examined her. In the clear light of morning he spotted a scratch on her foreleg that he had missed the night before, and he patted some of the comfrey poultice onto it.

“Thanks, that’s great,” Sparkpaw mewed. “Hey, do you know your ear’s been bleeding?”

Alderpaw hadn’t realized his ear was stinging, distracted first by the stress of the fight and then by the discussion about Needlepaw and the need to treat his Clanmates.

“Daft furball!” Sparkpaw gave him a nudge. “Hold still, and I’ll give it a lick.” Her tongue rasped swiftly over his ear. “Now I’ll dab a bit of that root on it,” she continued. “There! All done. Do you think I’d make a good medicine cat?”

“No way!” Alderpaw gave a purr of amusement. “But you’re going to be a sensational warrior!”

When he checked his other Clanmates, Alderpaw was pleased to find that although the fox had clawed out some of Cherryfall’s fur, she wasn’t actually injured.

“My shoulder still aches a bit,” Molewhisker told him, “but it’s not so bad. I think it’ll be fine once we get moving.”

“I can see a scratch on your back,” Alderpaw meowed, turning to Needlepaw. He felt slightly shy at offering help to a cat from another Clan.

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