Dovewing’s Silence

Briarlight twisted around to look at Bramblestar, who had finished stretching and was licking his chest fur. “Can I sleep in the warriors’ den, Bramblestar? Please?”

The leader frowned. “I’m not sure there’s room,” he admitted. “It’s still pretty crowded in there.”

By now, other cats had woken and come into the clearing, where they were stretching and arching their backs, ready for the first patrols. Purdy had emerged from his den and was listening as he smoothed his sleep-ruffled fur. “She’s welcome to join us in here,” he called, nodding toward the elder thicket where there were sounds of Berrynose and his family stirring.

Briarlight’s head drooped. It was obvious she wanted to join the warriors in their den.

“Why don’t I join you, Purdy, then Briarlight can have my nest?” Dovewing offered.

Bumblestripe came up to her looking startled. “But I’d miss sleeping next to you!”

“It won’t be for long,” Dovewing told him. “Squirrelflight is planning to build a second den for the warriors, remember?”

“Thanks, Dovewing!” purred Briarlight. “Can I go see my new nest now?” When Dovewing nodded, Briarlight hauled herself to the warriors’ den and disappeared inside, leaving a scuffed trail on the earth.

She reappeared a moment later looking serious. “It’s the right size for me, but it needs fresh bedding,” she commented. “Please can I have some pigeon feathers?”

Lionblaze dipped his head. “Why yes, leader. Anything else I can bring you? The finest fresh-kill perhaps? Soaked moss?” His tone was good-humored and teasing.

Blossomfall bristled. “Briarlight has to have the softest nest,” she insisted. “She can’t feel thorns sticking into her, remember? If she gets a wound, it could get infected before she noticed.”

Lionblaze rested his tail-tip on Blossomfall’s shoulder. “It’s okay, I understand. Squirrelflight, is it okay if I take a patrol to fetch bedding for Briarlight? We can go hunting straight after.”

The deputy nodded. “Take Dovewing, Ivypool, and Rosepetal with you. Make sure none of the moss is damp before you line her nest. And feel free to hunt a pigeon so we can use the feathers.”

Dovewing purred. This was a duty she would enjoy!

Briarlight’s blue eyes shone. “Thank you! I promise I’ll be useful. I can wake everyone for dawn patrols, and check nests for thorns while you’re out. There’s no reason I can’t have duties of my own now. I am a warrior, after all!”

Chapter 8

The warriors enjoyed only two nights of peace after the Gathering before Toadstep started coughing. This time Dovewing struggled to feel sympathetic. He knew he was getting sick! He should have gone to Jayfeather!

Hazeltail was still being nursed in the medicine cats’ den, but as Toadstep didn’t seem quite as sick, Jayfeather and Leafpool made a nest for him in the apprentices’ den with Sandstorm. Squirrelflight announced that she was moving back to the warriors’ den, saying that it made sense to let the coughing cats keep themselves awake. But Dovewing saw past the deputy’s lighthearted comment to the strain in her eyes, and she wondered how many more cats would succumb to the illness.

Leafpool stood over the fresh-kill pile, making sure each cat was eating properly. When Dovewing selected a rather scrawny mouse, Leafpool reached out with one paw and stopped her. “I’ll have that,” she meowed. “You and Bumblestripe can share this squirrel.”

Dovewing looked at the plump, fluffy creature. “It’s huge!” she pointed out. “We could eat that for a whole moon!”

“Share it with Purdy, then,” Leafpool urged.

Dovewing dragged the squirrel over to the tree stump, trying not to sneeze as the wispy tail tickled her nose. Purdy licked his lips. “What a feast!” he commented.

“Bumblestripe, join us!” Dovewing called. The big gray tom trotted over with Sandstorm at his heels.

“Is there enough for me?” she asked hoarsely. She looked tired, and Dovewing could count her ribs along her bony sides.

“O’ course!” Purdy grunted with his mouth full. He shifted to let Sandstorm take a bite from the squirrel’s juicy rump. Swallowing, the old tom watched as Toadstep shuffled into the apprentices’ den, followed by Jayfeather with a clump of fresh bedding. “Putting you and Toadstep together reminds me o’ the time Firestar took all them sick cats to the old Twoleg den,” he remarked. “That were a brave thing he did, keeping the rest of us from getting ill.”

Sandstorm’s eyes clouded. “It cost him a life, too,” she recalled.

“Do you think we’ll do that again, if more cats start coughing?” Dovewing asked as she scraped a stringy piece of meat from between her teeth.

Sandstorm shook her head. “I doubt it. I don’t want to infect anyone else, but it wouldn’t help to be in that drafty old den. Better for all of us to be close to the medicine cats.” She looked down at her paws as if she’d lost her appetite, and Dovewing felt bad for making her think back to that terrible time of sickness.