Pebblefall awoke in mist. Am I ever going to get a good nights sleep? he thought with a tired sigh. He blinked the groggyness out of his eyes as Ravenpaw appeared in front of him. By his facial expression and the way he held himself, Pebblefall thought he looked proud.

"I just wanted to congratulate you on your decision," Ravenpaw said with a smile spreading across his muzzle.

"Thanks, I guess," Pebblefall replied. His words were laced with more bitterness than he had meant, but he couldn't help it.

Ravenpaw's smile faltered. "You're still upset."

"Of course," he snapped, "I'm still upset." There was no hiding it. He didn't want to be a medicine cat. Ravenpaw knew that. Poolripple knew that. He hoped Sandwh-no, he wasn't going to think about him right now.

Why did he have to pretend he liked it? Ravenpaw shouldn't come here smiling at him like he had just caught a huge piece of prey in the middle of leafbare, which, by the way, he wouldn't be able to do anymore now that he was becoming a medicine cat.

Ravenpaw seemed to sense the animosity off of him because he took a heartbeat or two before he started again. "Look on the bright side-"

"There's nothing bright about this place. We're surrounded by mist," Pebblefall replied before Ravenpaw got the chance to continue.

Ravenpaw waited a few more heartbeats and tried again. "You still get to be friends with Sandwhisker. And you get to rise up in the ranks, if that matters to you. Once you're a full medicine cat, you'll be right below Mudspot."

"Maybe at one point in my life I wanted to be Mudspot. Did you ever think of that?" he started to turn and stalk off. It wasn't much of an argument as much as he was just repeating over and over again what he wanted, but he wasn't having it. He was already sick of this place. He just wanted out. Out of whatever this place was. Out of whatever duties he had now as a medicine cat.

Pebblefall walked only a fox-length or two before he realized he had no idea where he was going. He whipped his head around to see Ravenpaw was no where to be found. Great, he thought. Just great.

"Hello? Is anybody there?" he yowled, half out of anger. When no cat responded he tried again. "Hello?"

"Why should I help you since all you do is get mad?" Ravenpaw's disembodied voice seem to echo all around him. How big really was this place?

Pebblefall let out a hiss of frustration and turned around to walk the way he had come. Maybe Ravenpaw was just still sitting there, and he couldn't see him through the mist. But when he had walked farther in this direction than he did the other, he knew it was hopeless.

"Can anybody help me get out of here?" he yowled again, his voice cracking at the end. When no cat answered him, as was probably to be expected, he let out another frustrated hiss and continued walking. He just kept walking, pretty much wandering around in what was most likely circles. And then trotting. And now he was running. He ran until he was out of breath.

He looked around one last time before he collapsed on the ground and curled up into a tight ball. If I can't get back to my nest, I'm just going to sleep here, he reasoned and it didn't take long for exhaustion to crush him into a dreamless sleep.

~~~~~

Pebblefall woke up to a paw prodding none too lightly into his side. He rolled so the paw would stop jabbing him there before he slowly got to his paws. "I'm awake. I'm awake," he said before he stifled a yawn. He blinked his eyes open, expecting to see Sandwhisker, but instead saw Poolripple's green eyes staring into him.

"Right then. We have a lot to do today." She started to pad over to the nest Mistrose was occupying

Pebblefall stretched before walking over himself. He had to admit, he did feel a lot better this morning despite his argument with Ravenpaw. Maybe all that anger that had been cooped up inside of him last night had finally filtered out.

When he joined Poolripple's side, he let out a surprised meow. "Mistrose, you're awake?"

"Of course she's awake! What, did you think she was just going to sleep here for a moon?" Poolripple quickly responded before turning to Mistrose. "How does your leg feel?"

Mistrose tired to move it a little bit and winced. "Definitely better," she replied.

Poolripple noticed her movements. "It's still going to hurt for a while, but it's a good thing it's starting to feel better. I'm just going to replace the herbs on your leg." With that, Poolripple lead Pebblefall over to her herb storage and pulled out an herb. "I want you to chew this up and put it on Mistrose's wound while I take off the old herbs," she instructed him.

"Wha-me?" Pebblefall asked. Did he even remember how to do it?

"Yes you. You're my apprentice, aren't you?"

With a tiny sigh, Pebblefall took the horsetail from Poolripple and started chewing on it. It didn't taste any better the second time, but he held his best poker-face as Poolripple nodded and started taking off the crusty herb-mush on Mistrose's hind leg.

When Pebblefall was done chewing, he started to apply it to the wound. Poolripple and Mistrose were engaged in small talk, but his mentor still corrected him every time he started to do something wrong. When Poolripple was satisfied, she ordered Pebblefall to get her a piece of fresh-kill off the pile. When he returned with a plump looking fish and gave it to Mistrose, Poolripple left her with instructions to eat the poppy seeds she had laid out in front of her once she was done with her meal. She then proceeded to drag Pebblefall out of the den.

"We need to go look for goldenrod," his mentor decided.

"But you said it yourself. Mistrose is feeling better," Pebblefall argued. "Can't we do it in another day or two?"

"No," Poolripple snapped. "Just because she's better today doesn't mean she'll be better tomorrow. Infections tend to do that sometimes."

"But you said-"

"I know what I said," she quickly replied before he could finish. "But sometimes, it's better not to tell them that they can get worse again. It does more harm than good."

"Besides," she continued after another heartbeat, "what if someone else gets bitten and infected? We can't risk not having remedies available."

Pebblefall just nodded, knowing that she was right. "Can I at least get some prey first?" he asked, but Poolripple was already walking towards the camp entrance. Pebblefall just sighed and followed.

They headed into the territory and started to scavenge it in silence for any sign of goldenrod. After a while, Pebblefall asked, "What exactly am I looking for?"

"It's a long plant with multiple yellow flowers stemming off of it. I'd show you what it smells like, but I don't have any to demonstrate. You'll just have to rely on your eyes," Poolripple replied and it was silent again.

Pebblefall looked hard for the herb. If he found it, at least he would be helping his Clan. After a little more searching, Poolripple stopped and almost caused Pebblefall to run into her. "Did you find it?" he asked after he was a good few steps away from her again.

"Can you tell me what herb this is?" she asked instead of giving him an answer, gesturing her paw towards a bush of purple berries.

"Umm." Pebblefall racked his brain for any trace of the name, but all he did was draw a blank.

"You helped me collect them when I asked you to assist me in collecting herbs," she prompted.

They did look familiar but he still couldn't remember. He shook his head.

Poolripple sighed and while her tone was light when she spoke her annoyance was clear. "I suppose that was too long ago and you probably weren't paying much attention. These are juniper berries. They're great for treating stomach aches."

When Pebblefall nodded to show that he understood, they continued on. That is, until they stopped again so Poolripple could quiz him on yet another herb.

"What are these?" she asked, gesturing towards a cluster of yellow flowers.

Pebblefall tried to recall them, but again drew up a blank and shook his head.

"They're called marigold. Do you remember what they're used for?"

Pebblefall shuffled his paws. "No, I don't," he replied, almost guiltily. How was he ever going to remember which herbs were what, let alone what they're used for?

"They're also used for infections, but can treat other wounds and sores as well."

Pebblefall repeated this information to himself as they continued to move on. They stopped every so often so Poolripple could point out a herb he should have known and quiz him on what it was. Each time, Pebblefall either mixed it up with another herb or couldn't think of anything altogether. And as the day went on, Poolripple's frustration grew greater and greater. They hadn't found any goldenrod either.

At this point they had started searching along the river and Poolripple stopped to quiz him on yet another plant. "What's this?" she asked.

"Umm." Pebblefall thought again, starting to grow frustrated with himself and Poolripple's questions. "Chervil?"

"No!" Poolripple yowled, nearly scaring Pebblefall off his paws. She had been getting frustrated, sure, but she hadn't yelled at him yet. "How can't you not even know this one? It's horsetail! You used it this morning!"

Pebblefall hissed, his temper starting to boil like it had last night. "I'm trying okay! I'm not going to know everything within the span of a day!"

"You should have at least gotten something right!" Poolripple snapped and then sighed before turning away. "Come on, we'll go down this way some more to search for the goldenrod and then we'll go back and check on Mistrose. You can take a break from memorizing herbs for now."

"No!" Pebblefall snapped back. Poolripple turned, and if her eyes could change color they'd be the color of the forest catching on fire.

"What did you say, apprentice?" she growled. Pebblefall didn't think he'd seen her this mad before, but he kept going.

"I said no! If you want to continue looking for goldenrod, then do it without me. I've had enough!" he yowled. His chest was quickly rising and falling and he dug his claws into the slightly damp earth. All the anger from last night rushed back into him and stuck onto him like an infection he couldn't shake off.

"There is no done, Pebblefall," she growled slowly. "You're a medicine cat apprentice, like it or not. This is your job now, as is mine. We talk to StarClan, we collect herbs, we help the injured and sick, and we look for the herbs that we need that are not currently available to us. This is your life now."

Pebblefall sunk his claws further into the ground to keep himself from doing anything he might regret. "Obviously, I'm not good for that life if I can't name simple herbs!" he yowled. "Obviously, I'm meant to be a warrior!"

"You're wrong, Pebblefall!" she yowled again, and he could only hope no cat was close by to hear her next words. "You're never going to be a warrior! And you're never going to be mates with Sandwhisker! You're going to be a medicine cat just like StarClan destined you to be. Talk to me again when your head is out of the clouds." With that, Poolripple stormed off towards camp, leaving Pebblefall alone with his thoughts.

Twice now he angered the two cats who were trying to set him on this path. Thoughts swam in his head like minnows, difficult to grasp onto and kill.

He stared into the water until a fish swam by. You're never going to be a warrior, Poolripple's voice echoed in his mind. He shot his paw out and hooked his claws onto the fish with ease. You're never going to be mates with Sandwhisker. Tossing it into the air with a little flourish, he grabbed it with his mouth and administered the killing bite. Why should I help you since all you do is get mad?, Ravenpaw's voice echoed after his mentor's. He dropped the fish at his paws.

It was a nice, plump, decent sized fish. If only Poolripple and Ravenpaw could see it, then he could show them. He wasn't meant for all this medicine cat fox dung. He was meant to be a warrior, just like Sandwhisker was. He shivered at the thought of him and sighed.

What would his friend say about all of his anger? He normally wasn't an angry cat at all, and it clearly didn't help to take his anger out by running and catching prey. Maybe he just needed to talk to someone. But there was no one to talk to except maybe Sandwhisker, and he couldn't explain this to him, could he?

Scooping up the fish in his jaws, Pebblefall trotted back to camp. Maybe he would give this to Mistrose if she was awake? It was sunhigh, and even if he was angry, he still cared for his clanmates.

Shoving his way through the entrance before the sunhigh patrol made its way out, he walked towards the medicine den. Poolripple wasn't there and Mistrose was still asleep. Setting the fish down next to the sick she-cat, Pebblefall's stomach growled. He hadn't realized how hungry he was.

He made his way towards the fresh-kill pile, selecting a fish for himself, and settled down in a shady spot. Halfway through his meal, Poolripple showed up behind him and nudged him with her paw. Even though it still startled him when she did this, he was starting to get used to it.

He turned, expecting to see the fire in her gaze he had noticed earlier, but all of it was gone. If she wanted to play that game, fine. He could play that game, too.

"I came to inform you that we have to go to the Moonpool in three days," she meowed.

The Moonpool. Pebblefall had almost forgotten about it. Even if he was a lousy medicine cat apprentice, he at least remembered that this was when he would officially become Poolripple's apprentice under StarClan. And when he was going to talk to StarClan, again.

Another minnow swam into Peblefall's mind. He had been getting visits from Ravenpaw almost frequently, but most cats had to go to the Moonpool to talk with StarClan, even the medicine cats. Was that normal?

Pushing the thought out of the way, Pebblefall nodded and swallowed the fish he had been chewing. He'd think about that later. "I caught a fish and left it for Mistrose," he told Poolripple. "I thought she might be hungry when she woke up."

Poolripple studied him for a moment before nodding and walking off, likely towards the medicine den.

Written by Brook. I know this chapter is a bit long, but I hope you guys don't mind since there had been an absence in updates. Hopefully we can get this posted weekly again. :3

Edited by Ren