It was very dark, as all dreams should be. Or, in Eaglepaw's case, nightmares. The only thing he could see in front of him was the curled up figure of an indistinguishable cat. He turned around to see if he could spot anything else in the pitch black shadow, and unexpectedly, he did.

It was another cat like the one curled up next to him, only smaller. They both harbored a shadowy haze over their bodies, making only the rough shapes and sizes of their forms visible. Other than that, they could be the same cat for all Eaglepaw knew. He studied the larger cat first.

     Looks to be around my age...

From the looks of it, the cats in front of Eaglepaw shared the sizes of an older apprentice and kit respectively. Eaglepaw plopped down onto his hind quarters and huffed.

      Well what am I supposed to do here? Just sit and wait?

With nothing else to look at, he continued to stare at the cats before him. Eventually, he saw what looked to be a paw shaped marking. Looking down at his own, then back to the marking, he discovered that the shape fit his paws perfectly.

With nothing to lose, and a bit of curiosity, he reached out his left paw onto the older kit shaped cat. At first, it seemed like nothing happened. It's not like he expected anything, but he still felt a tinge of disappointment. That only lasted for a second.

Clouds began to form towards the area above him, which could be thought of like the sky. The clouds were as dark and ominous as the pitch black surroundings, and growing monstrous by the second. In no time, lightning was blasting down from the clouds. Winds grappled with his long strands of fur, blowing in a circular direction, as though where he stood was the center of it all. Rain dripped down from above, quickly turning into flood level waters, though not puddling in any bit of the seeable area around him.

This was all happening too fast for Eaglepaw. He was finding it harder to breathe as the temperature dropped around him, and freezing him inside of his very core. It was like taking in deep breaths after being submerged in cold water. In fact, it was quite literally that situation, with how much the rain poured down.

Before he could remove his paw, a loud burst of thunder caused Eaglepaw to turn his head to the right, a figure standing on top of a large, faraway peak loomed darkly, flashing with the lightning.

Frost started to tip on the edges of his fur as the wind's temperature dropped even further. Eaglepaw immediately withdrew his paw from where it rested.

Instantly, everything was gone from view, as though it was never even there at all.

     What was that!?

He had to catch up with his breath, the cold leaving just as instantly. However, he looked down at his pelt to find himself just as drenched as before, the frost lingering as well.

"This is mouse-brained." Eaglepaw spat out to himself, shivering from the cold that still plagued him.

None of this could be real, he knew that. He frantically looked around, hoping to spot some sort of exit, but it was all back to him, the two shadowy cats, and the pitch black darkness.

     How am I supposed to escape?

He couldn't understand why he was here, this nightmare felt much more involved than his last ones. Much more terrifying.

It was at this point that the paw shaped marking on the larger, unknown cat started to glow. It drew Eaglepaw's attention easily, considering it was his only source of light. He stared at it before sighing, and reluctantly reached out towards the paw shaped mark on the larger cat.

Dark clouds once again began to form, looking just as terrifying as they were the last time. Eaglepaw let out a verbal tsk, knowing what was all going to happen. However, before he could remove his paw, a faint light seemed to shine out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head to the left, spotting yet another indiscernible figure, which stood on a similar peak. The light shined down towards him, drying off Eaglepaw's fur, and melting the frost that still stuck to him. The clouds took on a familiar, comforting gray around the far away figure in the light.

A loud gasp for air could be heard echoing throughout the medicine den, as if the culprit had been holding their breath for ages. Eaglepaw looked around, confused as to where his nightmare had gone.

"Are you alright, Eaglepaw?" A raspy voice drew his attention to the farther inward hollow of the den. Morningdew could be seen tilting her head in Eaglepaw's direction. Behind her could be seen a small bundle of white fur.

"Oh, uh- it was just a nightmare." Eaglepaw brushed off her concern.

Morning squinted at him, "And this happens often?"

"I don't usually sleep too well at night."

     Snowpaw usually kicks me in the middle of the night. Says it's her restless legs or something...

The white and orange she-cat nodded in acceptance of his answer, turning back to the white bundle of fur behind her.

"Well if you're sure, then I'll get back to the more important matters..." She trailed off, "But tell me if this nightmare happens again."

Eaglepaw got out of his nest, giving his own nod of acknowledgment. After giving into a nice, long yawn, he brought his attention back to the bundle in the back that Morningdew had concerned herself with. He tried to peek over to get a good look at what she was doing, but all he could glimpse at was a large variety of herbs he only knew a few of.

     Chervil roots and juniper berries helped with.... bellyaches? I think Morningdew mentioned some other uses too.

The other herbs the old medicine cat kept by her consisted of some chewed up yellow flowers, daisies with the leaves, and some small purple plants. Morningdew felt his gaze boring into her back.

"Oh buzz off and let me work," She grumbled, "Your lesson will begin after you eat something."

It was at this point that Eaglepaw's belly had begun to rumble. He hadn't eaten since after his final patrol as a warrior. The idea made his face heat up in embarrassment before he turned away from Morningdew.

"Oh, and don't forget! I'm going easy on you right now. In a moon's time things are going to get a lot more challenging." She snickered to herself in a light tone. Eaglepaw scoffed in response.

     How hard could a medicine cat's life be?

The dark brown tom exited the medicine den to find a quiet camp. Dew covered the patches of grass, while the stone flowed a faded pink tone in the morning light. He trotted over to the small pile of prey in the corner, paying no mind to the cat beside him.

"Morning, Eaglepaw." The cat greeted in a tired tone, letting out a yawn. It was a male tom with white fur and brown spots. Eaglepaw's, startled by the attention, fur pricked up slightly, before laying flat at the realization of who it was.

"You too, Wildpaw." Eaglepaw sighed, sitting down next to Wildpaw, "Are you the only one awake?"

The rest of the camp was empty except for the two sharing tongues near the prey pile. It wasn't all too uncommon for Eaglepaw to be up at the time, but usually only for dawn patrols.

Wildpaw shook his head, "Silverpaw is out on the dawn patrol with Hawktuft right now, and Tumblepaw is out getting some last minute training with Coldeye. Warrior assessment is coming up soon, or something."

Eaglepaw let out a laugh at the idea.

     She's been eyeing Moonlight since the nursery.

Wildpaw continued, "Sure Willowpaw and Snowpaw are still asleep; came back late from the night patrol."

"Is that so..." Eaglepaw mumbled his response, not too interested in the subject. He turned his attention back to the fresh kill pile, reaching out for nothing in particular.

That was, until, the scent of chinchilla hit his nasal cavity, causing him to reel back in disgust. He quickly shook his head before reaching out for the nearby mouse.

It was a pitiful morsel, not worth more than one or two bites. It could feed an older kit at best, leaving all else unsatisfied. Wildpaw let out a snort at Eaglepaw's strange actions.

"Not up for chinchilla today?"

Eaglepaw awkwardly chuckled, "All the fur on them makes them a disappointing meal."

Wildpaw tilted his head at the excuse, staring at the underfed mouse, "You sure that one's any more satisfying?"

Eaglepaw shrugged at his accusations, digging into his small mouse. As soon as he finished his meal, Wildpaw opened his mouth the banter further.

However, a rough voice echoed from across camp, near the warrior's den. A wiry-furred tom stood from the source of the call, gray-brown fur and black spotting patterned all over it.

Wildpaw shut his mouth and gave into a quick stretch. He looked over to Eaglepaw with a smile, "Nice to see you doing okay. Since, you know, yesterday and stuff."

"Wildpaw!" The voice called out once again, a tired tone seeping through- and clearly written along the facial expression of the caller.

"I'm coming dad, geez, who ruffled your fur?" He teased, running off to his summons.

     I should probably return to Morningdew. Who knows what she'll do to me if I take too long? CloudClan forbid.

He made his way back to the medicine day, mentally preparing himself for another day of herb cram courses. As he made his way inside, he finally found out what it was Morningdew had busied herself with this morning.

The white bundle of fur was a small she-kit. She let out light wheezing sounds that Eaglepaw could only barely pick up on once he got real close to where she rested in the back of the den.

It was Tinykit.

"She'll be fine for now. Her fever's gone down, and her coughing has lessened."

Eaglepaw nodded his head, knowing fully well why she was in the medicine den. Nightpelt's voice rang through his memory.

"On the plus side, you'll be keeping each other company, I'm sure..."

Eaglepaw paused to think for a moment, "Morningdew?"

The she-cat was heading towards the entrance of the den before turning around.

"Mhm?"

"Why does Tinykit get sick so much? I know I only just started this role, but even I know this isn't normal."

"Truth be told?" She began, Eaglepaw staring at her to go on, "I'm clueless myself. It was pretty obvious she was going to be a weak kitten when she was born, pure white pelts just don't see the light of day too often. But whatever is plaguing her, only CloudClan knows."

The thought seemed to bring Eaglepaw's mood down. On one paw, it wasn't like it was a deadly illness. On the other, though, they couldn't cure it without knowing what it was.

"There's nothing you can do with your skill level now anyway," She brushed off the topic for him, "So come on, you're training in the field with me today."

The idea brought a small joy to Eaglepaw's features.

     The field! Does this mean I might be able to continue my warrior training?

It did not, in actuality, mean Eaglepaw would continue his warrior training. In fact, he was nowhere near the valley field where warriors and apprentices trained. Instead, he found himself walking along the river stream, the one leading to the small, center stream in the middle of camp. Morningdew intended for him to learn the common herb locations, and for him to tell her what they do.

"What if you didn't teach me what the herb does?" He questioned, hoping to get some sort of out for if he couldn't name the uses.

"Well, I did teach you all about them, so don't worry." She grinned cheekily back at him, her tail raised high.

Eaglepaw let his head drop in a sigh.

"But," She continued on, "Should I have happened to let this old, forgetful memory of mine slip..."

Eaglepaw looked back up, a way out in sight, hope beaming in his features.

"You can use the surroundings to guess what the herb can do."

Just like that, Eaglepaw went back to moping.

     How am I supposed to guess what a simple piece of grass does by where it grows?

The two soon came upon a few small bushes, each growing tiny, daisy-like flowers. Eaglepaw knew where this was headed.

"Well," Morningdew looked down at him expectantly, "I was using this herb earlier. Oh mouse-dung, now what was it again?"

She made a face, as though she was really thinking hard about what it was she had "forgotten." Eaglepaw knew she was full of it. He also recognized the herb. It was definitely something she had been using on Tinykit earlier. The other herbs she used were for bellyaches, probably, so maybe that's what this herb was for?

Looking around, the herb was located near the river stream. It grew a vibrant green around the area, unlike the rest of the territory, which held a gray-green hue on average. He decided to investigate further. Getting in close to sniff the herb, he felt a mild tangy scent seep out, and when his nose touched the herb, he noticed something.

The small area of herbs around him held its own temperature. Most of the territory was on the cooler side, but here, it felt like it was perfectly balanced.

     Could... could this be used to help balance a cat's temperature?

Eaglepaw closed his eyes for a moment. There were about three other herbs in the medicine den he couldn't remember the use for. He thought long and hard about his previous lesson with Morningdew.

"Um, what does this one do, Morningdew?" Willowpaw asked, poking her claw at the purple herb, "They look pretty."

Morningdew let a soft chuckle escape her jaws, "I've used it to help cure fevers once or twice. They have a very soothing scent, so I like keeping many around in the den."

He removed his gaze from the daisy-like herbs, and looked back toward his mentor, feeling sure of himself.

"It's used to cure fevers, isn't it?"

Morningdew sat there, a smile growing with pride, "My, whatever brought you to that conclusion?"

Eaglepaw hated to admit it, but he did so anyway, "Well, I made some inferences like you said I should..."

The old medicine cat froze on the spot for a moment.

"What?!"

Eaglepaw's face slowly shifted to some sort of confusion.

     Wasn't this what you wanted me to do?

Her tail lashed in annoyance, "You mean I spent all that time talking yesterday and you remembered none of it?! How thick is that skull of yours?"

Eaglepaw hid his face in embarrassment. She must have rambled on about the herb before Willowpaw showed up yesterday. Morningdew groaned out of sheer exasperation.

"I guess we should hold more field lessons like this, then you might actually memorize these things instead of just taking a guess!"

Eaglepaw didn't know how to react, but it was clear she wasn't all too angry at him, just shocked.

"Well, I remember that purple herb you talked about, it smelled pretty, or something!"

Morningdew proceeded to go on another rant, "Is that all you remember, fuzz-brain?!"

Eaglepaw looked across the small stream he sat near the herbs by. To his surprise, he spotted a white tom with dark brown fur centered around his face, and noticeably large ears. The cat was crouched near the edge of the trees and thickets, and out in the open sat an unsuspecting thrush.

Before he knew it, the tom's ear spun in the location of the small bird. He turned to face the prey, and pounced, claws extended.

     What are you doing? You're going to overshoot!

Eaglepaw wanted to correct the cat out loud, but before he could do so, the tom brought his head up to reveal a successfully caught piece of prey.

He had caught it.

Eaglepaw had to stare off with shock for much longer than he had planned, completely tuning out Morningdew. Right after the tom had caught the thrush, two more cats strolled in. A white she-cat with a peach color around her face and a light orange tom with darker swirls had their tails intertwined. Just as soon, a white tom with brown spotting jumped out of the thickets, brandishing a piece of prey himself. Eaglepaw could just barely make out their conversation.

"As keen as ever with your hearing, Echoear." The she-cat purred toward the white tom with a brown face.

"I swear, Sweetsong, he has some sort of gift from his ancestors!" The light orange tom joked loudly to the she-cat, shifting his gaze to the smaller white and brown spotted tom, "And nice catch too, Wildpaw, you're growing into a fine apprentice."

Wildpaw's fur got ruffled up as he let a small grin escape his prey-holding jaws, setting down his catch, "On CloudClan you bet I am, Sunshine! You got lucky with me, I think I've caught the biggest flying squirrel PeakClan's ever seen!"

The sight brought a sense of emptiness to Eaglepaw's core, feeling like an exposed flank. All of a sudden, paws lightly pounded onto his head.

"And that's why you're a medicine cat apprentice, remember! You don't have time for that silly nonsense anymore, you've got a duty to see through."

Morningdew pauses for Eaglepaw's acknowledgement, "I'm sorry about my long rant, I just hope you will listen and learn before it's too late too. I'll give you a mouse-tail for your inference on that herb, though. It's known as feverfew, and as the name would lead you to believe, it helps fevers..."

Eaglepaw gave one last, longing look towards Echoear. He knew his staring had been noticed when gray eyes filled with regret stared back at him- Sweetsong's.

"-Well enough about that, it's already sunhigh, and you still need to know the location of the coltsfoot I used earlier." Morningdew hurried off, following the river farther along, in the direction of the Water's Edge.

     Today's going to be another long day...

Eaglepaw was right, soon the day was going to be one that lasted forever in his memory.