"Well, that was crazy," Olivepaw murmured to herself, staring out at the waves lapping the shore. Was she going mad, seeing warriors from StarClan when they weren't actually there?

You're a medicine cat, she reminded herself sternly. Medicine cats see warriors from StarClan all the time. Don't be a mouse-brain.

But what did Blackstar mean? she wondered as she headed back to camp. I thought I was making the correct choice when I decided to be a medicine cat apprentice. Is that it?

"Olivepaw!" Olivepaw skidded to a halt as Blossompetal and Swallowwing raced towards her. Pine needles sprayed up as they slid to a stop, panting.

"Where were you?" Swallowwing scolded, giving her kit a light cuff over the ear. "Why did you go outside the camp by yourself?"

Blossompetal looked guilty; after all, she didn't question Olivepaw when she went out of the camp. "Yes, take someone with you next time!" she added. "Anyway, why'd you go out at all? Could you not sleep?"

Olivepaw shuffled her paws in embarrassment. I can't tell them I've seen Blackstar, she thought to herself. They'll think I have bees in my brain!

"I couldn't sleep," she lied. "I thought I would take a walk so I could tire myself out. I'm sorry for not bringing anyone with me." She laid her ears flat against her head, her fur burning with shame.

Swallowwing sighed and headed back to camp. "What am I going to do with you?" she muttered.

Blossompetal brought up the rear as Olivepaw went ahead. "Your kit has a way with trouble, Swallowwing," she remarked.

Olivepaw gritted her teeth but stayed silent until she reached the medicine den. She burrowed into her nest, laying her tail over her nose, before something shook her violently.

"Leave me alone!" she hissed, tucking herself in tighter. "Can't a cat get any sleep around here?"

"Apprentices don't go outside the camp without a warrior, Olivepaw. I want to make sure you know that." Wolfclaw's rumbling meow reached her ears. With a groan, she sat up and licked her ruffled fur.

"Your Clanmates might even be more convinced that you're plotting against them! Can't you even try to stay out of trouble?" her mentor scolded. "What will happen when I die and no one wants you to heal them because they think you tried to kill your sister, and maybe someone else?"

Olivepaw fluffed up her fur indignantly. How dare he talk about her like she was a murderer? She was an apprentice, for StarClan's sake, not the next Tigerstar! She felt like she was about to explode, but her body also felt weak. All she wanted to do was to go to her nest and sleep in tomorrow...

"Why don't I just join another Clan, then?" she growled. "Obviously, no one wants me here."

The gray tom's eyes widened and he drew back in surprise. "I wasn't suggesting—"

"You were. No one trusts me, anyway." Olivepaw whipped around and stalked out of the camp, ignoring the cries from her mother. She wanted to transform into a bird as she sprinted out in the forest, letting the wind spread her wings and fly her away to a different place from here. Olivepaw could taste the freedom in the air; she could reach up and make a home in the stars with her warrior ancestors. The waves lapping at the shore could drag her down, and rest her in the algae beds and cover her with a warm layer of sand...

Wait, water? Olivepaw snapped out of her reverie and pawed the pebbly shore. She was back at the lake again!

She recalled Blackstar and their conversation, and felt confused and frustrated all over again."Curse you, Blackstar!" she spat at the water, reflecting the moon on its surface. "'You're not on the right path'? What does that even mean? What path am I supposed to take?" She scored her claws on the ground, growling with anger.

"What am I supposed to do?" she yowled to the sky. "How can my Clan trust me?"

"My daughter." Olivepaw spun around to see a dark-gray she-cat pad up to her.

"Swallowwing?" Dread settled itself into her stomach, weighing her down. Did she hear me?

Her mother sat down next to her and stared out at the water. "You know that your Clanmates don't trust you."

It wasn't a question. Swallowwing was just stating the facts. "Yes, and I don't know why! I mean, I know I accidentally hurt Poppypaw, but I was a kit back then! I'm a grown apprentice, and I've shown no signs of betraying ShadowClan."

"Olivepaw, even if it's unreasonable, we see what we want to see. Right now, ShadowClan sees you as untrustworthy, so I wanted to ask you something." Swallowwing's deep amber eyes moved to hers, and rooted her in place. "Do you... do you want to leave the Clans?"

Horror sprouted in Olivepaw. "Leave?!" she exclaimed. "Why would I leave? I'm loyal to ShadowClan from ears to tail! I would never leave for anything! I have nothing to hide, I have nothing to be ashamed of!"

"All right, all right. I won't make you leave." Swallowwing rested her tail on Olivepaw's shoulders until her fur stopped bristling. Then she stood and beckoned for her to come with her. "Let's get back to camp before the dawn patrol leaves."

Dawn patrol? Olivepaw glanced up. In the distance, the murky black sky was lightening into a soft gray. I guess Blackstar woke me up late in the night.

Warily, she padded by her mother's side before ducking into camp and trotting to her nest. Wolfclaw was fast asleep, to her relief, and she circled in her nest before curling up and surrendering to sleep.

It felt like five seconds before she was prodded awake. "Goodness, Wolfclaw, can't you just let me sleep in?" Olivepaw complained, burrowing in deeper in her cozy nest. Her legs felt sore from her lake journeys, and all she wanted to do was to skip training for the day and stay in her nest.

"It was up to you to go running about last night, so therefore you need to go through the consequences," her mentor meowed.

I had a vision from StarClan! I wasn't 'running about!' Olivepaw heaved herself to her paws and shook out her fur. Should I tell him about Blackstar?

Some voice inside of her said no. It didn't concern the Clan, anyway. It was just about her, needing to make a little switch to make sure she was happy with her life. Or make others' lives happy...

It was easier to stay quiet, so she didn't open her mouth.

Wolfclaw nodded approvingly. "Maybe you're starting to mature. Let me go get some herbs." He whisked away into the herb store, leaving Olivepaw by herself.

What did Blackstar mean? she mused while he was gone. She was in ShadowClan, serving as a loyal medicine cat... what was wrong with that? Well, half of the Clan was convinced she was a coldblooded murderer and she was squeamish, but those would fade away over time.

Right?

Wolfclaw returned and dropped a plant with dark leaves and a sharp smell, which made Olivepaw wrinkle her nose. "This is burdock root," he told her. "It helps cure rat bites and prevents infection from them."

"Burdock root," she murmured, staring at the plant and drinking in its scent, even though her nose stung. "Cures and prevents infection from rat bites."

"Right," Wolfclaw mewed, and placed another plant down. "Coltsfoot. We actually need more, so we're going to go into the forest to pick up some more."

As they shouldered their way out of camp, Olivepaw inquired, "So what is coltsfoot used for?"

"It helps your breathing and even a light cough. It can also be used to heal cracked or sore pads." Wolfclaw veered off the main path and thrust through some bushes. Olivepaw hurried after him.

"It's amazing how one herb can heal so many things," she marveled.

"It sure is. We're lucky to have so many resources, so we are healthy and strong." Wolfclaw sniffed around, then headed right.

"We are also lucky to have plenty of coltsfoot grow in our territory." They came to a patch of what seemed to be coltsfoot. Wolfclaw carefully nipped off the stems and handed some to her. "They can be quite useful."

Olivepaw took the herbs and nodded, even though she was beginning to grow bored. Suddenly, an eruption of squeaks came from behind her, and she spun around to see Duskpaw leaping and slamming his claws down on a squirrel, who fell limp, dead.

"Hi, Olivepaw and Wolfclaw!" he purred, his friendly eyes gleaming. "What are you two doing?"

"Nice catch!" Olivepaw congratulated her brother, but a feeling of jealousy twitched in her gut. She wanted to be the one who caught that squirrel. "We were just collecting some coltsfoot."

"Whatever that is," Duskpaw joked, gathering up his catch.

"I'll have you know, young apprentice, this same coltsfoot cured you of your kitten-cough!" Wolfclaw padded up, his words distorted by the plants in his mouth.

Duskpaw shrugged and began to walk away. "Have fun!" he called before he disappeared into the shadows, his dark-gray pelt mixing right in.

"Hey, Blossompetal, look what I caught!" she heard her brother cry out to his mentor.

She sighed and started to follow Wolfclaw back to camp, until something barreled her over and swiped at her face. "Die, ThunderClan invader!"

Invader! Olivepaw kicked out with her hind legs, trying to dislodge the cat who threw himself onto her. "Did you get your territories mixed up, trespasser?" she snarled until she recognized Badgerpaw, the deputy's apprentice.

The black tom sat back and licked his white muzzle. "Why don't you ever join the other apprentices when we practice, Olivepaw? If you did, you would've been prepared." He twitched his whiskers in amusement.

"Unlike you, I'm a medicine cat," she snapped back while getting back on her paws. I've had enough of apprentices showing off! she thought moodily.

"Yes," the senior medicine cat added, "aren't you too old to be playing those types of games?"

A white she-cat popped out of the darkness and joined Badgerpaw, her blue eyes shocked. "'Too old to be playing those types of games'!" she repeated incredulously. "Why, we were only practicing our battle skills!"

"Yeah, listen to Snowpaw!" Badgerpaw added.

Snowpaw and Badgerpaw. Of course she had to meet them when she was out.

"You always shut yourself in the medicine den, Olivepaw," Snowpaw continued, whipping around to face her peer. "Why can't you come and join us for a while?"

"I'm always busy in the medicine den!" Olivepaw retorted, her fur bushing up. She knew she had time after her training, but ShadowClan hated her anyway. Why did they want to see her so much?

"This is a perfect time to win back your trust." She met Wolfclaw's solemn eyes. "Take it."

"You guys battle-train," she muttered grudgingly. "I can't join."

"We can still teach you some!" Badgerpaw encouraged her. "We do it with Poppypaw and Duskpaw all the time."

Olivepaw twitched her whiskers. "So what? I'm not them."

Wolfclaw gave her a frustrated look that said What are you doing? but she ignored him.

"Obviously, silly," Snowpaw agreed gently. "But that doesn't mean you can't be alike to them."

"Come on! Wolfclaw doesn't mind, right?" Wolfclaw nodded, and Badgerpaw and Snowpaw herded Olivepaw back to camp.

Something new was in the air. Good or bad, Olivepaw couldn't tell, but she allowed herself to take a chance with these apprentices.

Maybe something good would come out of it.