Mr. Charles Twining

[amaterasu]

Swanfeather pushed her way into the medicine cats den with a mouthful of leftover herbs. She had been seeing to the queens and elders, and had just now finished her chores as the dusk patrol was leaving. The white she-cat couldn't help but notice that Underpaw was on the patrol. The black tortoise shell had given Swanfeather a look, one the medicine cat couldn't interpret, and then left with the rest of the patrol. Swanfeather sighed as she spat out the herbs.

((So I'm thinking maybe Smokeypaw harasses Swanfeather about Underpaw, and she ends up telling him where she really came from? Then maybe a RiverClan/ShadowClan border battle while this is going on, and Underpaw dies in that so Smokeypaw can't tell her where she's really from? Or do you have other ideas?))

[J I N G O]

(Sounds good to meee. THIS IS SO EMOTIONAL.)

Smokeypaw was sorting out some herbs that he had just collected. Newleaf was going to be over a lot quicker than he would like, and he was trying to help Swanfeather as best as he could by collecting enough herbs from this season as he could. But he couldn't help but think about Underpaw all the while. His thoughts were interrupted by his mentor entering them den and spitting out herbs on the ground.
He sighed deeply and looked back down at his own piles of herbs, and mumbled a very unenthusiastic greeting to the she-cat "Hello, Swanfeather." She had told him that things played out like this for a reason, but he almost didn't want to be the medicine cat apprentice if it meant losing Underpaw. He often found himself wishing that there could be two medicine cat apprentices, instead of just one. He couldn't help but feel as if he had betrayed Underpaw.

[amaterasu]

"Smokeypaw." she greeted, dipping her head to the cat. She started to put away the herbs she had brought back. It was completely silent throughout the task, and Swanfeather couldn't stand it. Both medicine cats had something on their mind, that much was obvious, and she was pretty sure it was the same thing.
When she was halfway finished with herb sorting, Swanfeather asked, "Smokeypaw, have you heard from Underpaw lately?"

[J I N G O]

"No," Smokeypaw meowed, still sorting out his herbs, "she still hates me." he almost wanted to spit the words out at his mentor. He was angry, but didn't want to take it out on Swanfeather, however he also felt like he was going to explode if he didn't get it all out. He stopped his sorting and looked at Swanfeather, his eyes little pools of sadness and asked, "How can I make her stop? I just want my best friend back..."

[amaterasu]

Swanfeather could feel the young cats eyes burning into her. She was overwhelmed with a wave of sorrow, but quickly pushed it away.
"Smokeypaw. Underpaw needs to understand that you were meant to be the medicine cat of ShadowClan! Not her!"

[J I N G O]

"Well isn't there any other way to make her understand without having her hate me? Even Snowpaw is better friends with her than I am! She'll at least talk to her!" Smokeypaw almost wailed out. He was trying his very best to contain himself so that he didn't seem like a whiny kit, but for some reason, it was almost unbearable thinking about how much had changed since his kithood days, when him and Underpaw could talk happily and without a care in the world. He desperately wished for those days to come back, but knew that not even StarClan could give him the ability to go back in time. "I feel so alone."

[amaterasu]

Swanfeather finished her sorting and looked over at Smokeypaw. She felt bad for the cat. He had lost everything because he got to do what he wanted.
"Underpaw grew up getting whatever she wanted, Smokeypaw. Cinderstar made sure of that. But now that the time has come, she's not allowed to do what she wants. You were destined to be medicine cat of ShadowClan, Smokeypaw. Underpaw was destined to be a medicine cat as well, but Cinderstar can't see what I do."

[J I N G O]

Smokeypaw's mind emptied of it's regret and sorrow and now filled up again with curiosity. How did what Swanfeather was saying make any sense? If they were both destined to be medicine cats, why would StarClan send them both at the same time, rather than one after the other? "What do you mean 'Can't see what you see'? How could both of us be destined to be medicine cats?"

[amaterasu]

Swanfeather turned her gaze downward, knowing she had said too much. But Smokeypaw needed to know the truth. That's what Swanfeather repeatedly told herself as she explained, "Smokeypaw...Underpaw wasn't born in ShadowClan. She's not Cinderstar's kit. Cinderstar's kit died before it was born, and Brightpool came to me with a small, sick kit. That was when WindClan had the Great Sickness, if you've heard of that, and the only way that kit could live was if it left the clan. I managed to get it healthy and gave it to Cinderstar. She inferred it was her kit, and I wasn't going to let her think otherwise. She had lost too many kits over her lifetime. Underpaw was destined to be the medicine cat of WindClan, not ShadowClan. But she wouldn't have lived to be the medicine cat if she had stayed there."

[J I N G O]

Smokeypaw suddenly felt dizzy with all the new information swirling around in his head. Brightpool was the medicine cat of WindClan. He'd met the ghostly she-cat about four times before, on the half-moon journey to the Moonpool. She had spoken very briefly of the sickness in her Clan, and informed all of the medicine cats and their apprentices of how to get rid of the sickness if such an epidemic ever happened to them.

"If we were both destined to be medicine cats... and Underpaw can't... what does that mean? What will StarClan do?" Smokeypaw shared his thoughts outloud, hoping that Swanfeather would give him more reassuring answers than what he was thinking.

[amaterasu]

"Smokeypaw, I have no idea. StarClan was just trying to keep her alive when they sent her here. Better an alive warrior than a dead medicine cat. I'd say to send her back to WindClan, but no matter what Underpaw wanted, Cinderstar would wage war on WindClan. No, Smokeypaw, our best option is to let destiny work its way with that young cat. She'll find happiness one day. For now, focus on your own work." Swanfeather ranted.

[J I N G O]

Smokeypaw nodded his head slowly. Knowing all of this still wouldn't help him mend his broken up friendship with Underpaw, and if anything it would pry the two of them apart even more, he thought. He began to work on separating the herbs again, in complete silence as he was chewing over what has happened already and what might happen in the future.

[amaterasu]

Swanfeather was brought out of her thoughts when a black and white tom was carried into the clearing by a few other injured warriors.
"Border Skirmish," Tigerfire explained, setting the tom down, "Bonestep here was hurt pretty badly. We've got a few that went to StarClan out in the clearing, when you get the chance, and a lot of us are injured."
Addertail hissed as he stood next to his brother, thinking about the battle.

Swanfeather nodded her head and moved over to Bonestep. "Smokeypaw, follow Tigerfire and Addertail out and tend to the injured. Ones that are seriously injured send to me. If they can't walk, I'll come to them."

[J I N G O]

Smokeypaw nodded, as he began pushing his piles of herbs to the sides of the den, and rushed out once he grabbed some marigold and cobwebs for the wounded. He also had a small leaf with some poppy seeds wrapped up inside. He struggled to hold the herbs in his mouth as he spoke. "Take me to them." he said with a brisk nod to Tigerfire and Addertail.

[amaterasu]

Tigerfire and Addertail exited the den. Tigerfire nodded toward a line of cats. Some were sitting up, other were laying down, some were even standing. There was about ten cats, more or less.
"Those are the living. Counting me and Addertail."

"Yeah," Addertail added, "And over there by Cinderstar, those are the ones that didn't make it. Stormshadow is probably in a lot of trouble!"

Addertail gave a small chuckle, but Tigerfire silenced him with a glare. "Now is not the time!" he announced, then both toms moved to the end of the injured line.

Other cats were mulling about anxiously. Mudflower and Darkember were over with Cinderstar, where they hovered over two lost cats. They were both black cats, but one has white fur with a tortoise shell pattern on its belly.