CHAPTER 3 ~Flintpaw's Legend part 8~

Instructions

Chapter 3 Lavenderdawn was nudged awake with a sharp paw to the ribs. “Lavenderdawn. Wake up,” a tom hissed, clearly annoyed. Her eyes fluttered open and she blinked blearily up at Flintpaw. The dim RiverClan medicine cat den smelled of herbs and stale moss. “Uuugh… What do you want now?” she grumbled. “You are being a real thorn in my side.” Flintpaw snorted. “Yeah? At least I’m useful. All you do is sleep.” Lavenderdawn pushed herself up, fur bristling. “If you dragged me out of a dream just to insult me-” “I don’t drag,” Flintpaw cut in smoothly, curling his lip. “I just wake lazy cats up.” He flicked his tail toward the entrance, eyes glittering. “Come on. I need to talk to you. Privately.” Something in his tone made her uneasy, but she followed him out of the den and into the shadows just beside it, where the reeds hid them from most prying eyes. “Fine,” Lavenderdawn muttered. “What is it?” Flintpaw’s gaze swept the clearing. His whiskers twitched, and when he spoke, his voice dropped to a low murmur. “It’s about Bristleclaw.” Lavenderdawn’s ears pricked. “What about him? He I heard he collapsed in Thunderclan camp Lockfoot’s with him right.” Flintpaw shrugged, looking almost bored. “Yeah. I saw.” She frowned. “So? Why wake me up for that?” He turned his head slowly, meeting her gaze with a cold, amused look. “Because I know why he collapsed.” Lavenderdawn’s heart skipped. “What are you talking about?” Flintpaw padded a step closer, so close she could see the faint red stain still clinging to one claw. He noticed her staring and casually scraped his paw against the earth. “Relax,” he purred. “You’re supposed to be a medicine cat, not a scared kit.” Lavenderdawn’s fur prickled. “Flintpaw, what did you do?” He let the silence stretch for a few heartbeats, clearly enjoying it. “Let’s just say,” he murmured, “some cats don’t watch what they eat. And some cats… help with that.” Her eyes widened. “You- You poisoned him?” Flintpaw’s expression flickered, then smoothed back into a smug half-smile. “I helped fate along. That’s all.” Lavenderdawn took a step back, claws digging into the ground. “I have to tell Lockfoot!” Flintpaw moved faster than she expected, blocking her with his tail and stepping into her path. His voice was quiet, but sharp as thorns. “You’ll do nothing.” Lavenderdawn stared at him. “You can’t threaten me.” He leaned in, breath cold on her ear. “Can’t I? Think about it. A young medicine cat, always tired, always distracted… Cats might start to wonder if you mixed the wrong berries. If you left the wrong prey on the pile.” Lavenderdawn’s chest tightened. “That’s a lie. They’d never believe that.” Flintpaw gave a soft, humorless chuckle. “Clan cats believe whatever makes the most sense at the time. And I make a very convincing witness.” He pulled back, eyes glittering. “So here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to keep quiet. I’m going to pretend I know nothing. And Bristleclaw… well. We’ll see if he makes it.” Lavenderdawn swallowed hard, her mind racing. Flintpaw turned away, his tone suddenly light and careless. “Cheer up, Lavenderdawn. You wanted to be a medicine cat. This is just… a different kind of healing.”