The Apprentice's Quest

Maybe I’ll be a good medicine cat after all, he told himself. Or at least I’ll be good enough.

Absorbed in separating the catmint from the tansy, and in picking out the wrinkled juniper berries that had lost their healing juices, Alderpaw was startled to hear the paw steps of another cat approaching the den. He turned to see Cherryfall brush back the bramble screen and limp inside.

“Hi,” he mewed, pointing with his tail at Briarlight and signaling to Cherryfall to keep quiet. He was glad to see her, though he didn’t like the pained expression on her face. “Is anything the matter?”

“It’s my paw,” Cherryfall replied, holding it up. “It hasn’t healed yet, and it’s still painful.

Could you take a look at it?”

“Sure,” Alderpaw responded. “But it’s early days for it to heal.”

With a sigh of relief Cherryfall lay on her side in a nest of moss and fern and stretched out her injured paw. Alderpaw examined it, giving it a good sniff and noting that the wound was clean and hadn’t started bleeding again. He was especially careful to look for the signs of infection that Jayfeather had told him about.

It’s not red, and it’s not hot to the touch.

“It’s not infected,” he told Cherryfall. “It’s just a deep cut and it’s taking time to heal.” He hesitated, then added, “That’s normal.”

“I’m glad it’s not serious,” Cherryfall meowed, “but is there anything you can give me to help the pain? It isn’t terrible, but it’s distracting me, and I want to get back to warrior duties.”

Alderpaw padded back to the store and began to look through the herbs, touching each one and trying to remember what they were for.

There were a lot of different kinds, but he knew what he wanted to find. He was sure that comfrey root was what Cherryfall needed. He remembered chewing up the root for a poultice when they first brought Cherryfall back to camp, and Jayfeather had told him that comfrey root helped soothe the pain of a wound.

Soon he spotted the pile of black roots and bit off a piece, remembering the tangy taste from last time as he chewed it into a poultice.

When it was mashed up fine, he spat it out and spread it onto Cherryfall’s wound.

Cherryfall’s pained expression faded and a look of relief spread over her face. Alderpaw watched her carefully, thinking how important it was for a medicine cat to be aware of how other cats were feeling.

“I think it’s already starting to work,” Cherryfall mewed after a moment. “Thanks, Alderpaw. I’m so glad to be rid of the pain.”

“It’s nothing,” Alderpaw mumbled, embarrassed.

Cherryfall got up, keeping her injured paw off the ground, and touched her nose to Alderpaw’s ear. “I’m so pleased you’ve found your place as a medicine cat,” she told him.

“Jayfeather and Leafpool will be very proud of you.”

Alderpaw watched Cherryfall as she left the den, feeling his pelt tingle with pride at her words. I’ve treated my first injury all on my own!

Voices sounded from outside the den, and Alderpaw realized that Jayfeather had returned.

He couldn’t hear what he and Cherryfall were saying, but he could guess.

Cherryfall must be telling Jayfeather what a great job I’m doing!

But when Jayfeather entered the den with a bundle of yarrow in his jaws, his neck fur was bristling and his tail-tip was twitching to and fro. “Is it true what Cherryfall just told me?” he demanded, dropping the herbs. “Did you give out a remedy without asking?”

Alderpaw felt his heart plummeting and his whole pelt burning with shame as he realized he had managed to do the wrong thing again. “Well… y-yes,” he stammered. “But Cherryfall said her wound hurt, and I remembered you said a poultice of comfrey root would help. I chewed it up really well, just like you taught me.” When Jayfeather made no comment, he added more desperately, “I wouldn’t have given her anything if I wasn’t very, very

sure I knew what it would do. But I was certain that’s what comfrey root is for. And it helped! She felt much better!”

Jayfeather let out a long growl deep in his throat. “Yes, it will help with the pain. But sometimes pain is a warning sign, telling a cat that something is wrong. What if Cherryfall had an infection and you dulled the pain? Then her infection would have gotten worse, without any cat knowing. Infections can be very dangerous.”

“But… but…” Alderpaw tried to protest, but he felt so guilty it was hard to get the words out. “I checked for infection, and Cherryfall showed no signs of it.”

I was only trying to help, he thought. I didn’t realize I could have made things worse.

“I’m so sorry,” he mewed miserably. “I never should have done it. I won’t ever do it again!”