Unexpected Grief: Fall of the Birds

Chapter 3

"But I don't want to sleep with Pollenkit!" Streamkit whined, giving his mom his most convincing look.

"She's sick with Greencough!" Goldenkit protests.

"She does not have Greencough sand she is your sister so she will sleep with you!" Sunsetwhisker meows with a little bit of anger hinting at her meow.

"No!" Goldenkit and Streamkit yowl. Pollenkit has a sad look in her eyes. Larkwhistle inches closer to the other queen and whispers.

"Pollenkit can sleep with Sparrowkit and me. Poolkit always sleeps on the edge of the nest, refusing to sleep next to her brother. So I'm sure she wouldn't mind if she were to sleep with you. Would that be okay?"

"I love it. Thank you so much!" Sunsetwhisker meows, feeling relieved that her kits would stop fighting "Kits! We have some new sleeping arrangements for a while."

"Yes." Larkwhistle meows once all of the kits have gathered around. "Pollenkit will be sleeping with me." Poolkit sighs and rolls her eyes towards the small cream she-cat.

"Poolkit, don't get too mad yet. You will be sleeping with me." Poolkit straightens up and smiles to Goldenkit and Streamkit after Sunsetwhisker meows.

"Okay kits let's go to sleep!" Larkwhistle meows. Pollenkit pads over to Larkwhistle and cuddles next to me. Her steady breathing drifts me into sleep.

"S-Sparrowkit." Pollenkit coughs "Do y-you want to p-play
hide-and-go-seek?"

"Pollenkit!" I meow harshly "You need to go see Rosethorn, now!" I push her out nursery and stumble to the medicine cat den.

"What's wrong Sparrowkit?" Rosethorn asks while separating herbs.

"Pollenkit has a bad cough." I meow and right on cue Pollenkit coughs violently.

"Oh goodness." Rosethorn meows. Then she whispers to herself "The first case of the season..." She hands a paw full of catmint to Pollenkit. She coughs and then reluctantly eats the leaf.

"T-thanks Rosethorn." Pollenkit rasps

"Of course." She meows. Then she looks at me "Is any other cat sick?"

"Well she slept with Larkwhistle last night." I meow glancing towards the nursery where she is still sleeping. Rosethorn nods and dashes of to Larkwhistle with a couple catmint leafs.

After a few heartbeats Rosethorn is walking in behind my coughing mom.

"Mom?!" I meow "Are you okay?"

"She's caught Greencough." Rosethorn meows will looking through her herbs "She also has a slight fever." The medicine cat then glances at Larkwhistle "Lay down." Larkwhistle violently coughs a few times and plops down in a makeshift nest.

"Get better mom." I whisper and she smiles weakly.

"Um, Sparrowkit?" Rosethorn meows, a gloom look takes her focused one.

"Yeah?" I mew to the sad-faced medicine cat.

"You have to go. I don't want you sick too." I sit up and put on my bravest face.

"Sparrowkit. Please. You need to go." Rosethorn meows after a sigh "Now." A tear falls and lands on the ground. I sit down and curl up right on the outside of Pollenkit's nest which makes me next to my mom too.

"I'm not leaving. I need to stay with my family." I try to choke out through the tears "These moments... C-could be the... L--" I can't even finish the sentence. I quietly sob with embarrassment flooding my pelt.

"O-okay Sweetie. Just please, be careful. Don't go too close." Rosethorn sighs. I smile and cuddle in between my two favorite cats.

~~~

I wake up but I'm scared to breathe. I'm afraid I have a cough too. Then Rosethorn will never let me sleep in there again. Okay... I can do this... Three... Two... One... Ahhhhh. No cough. Whew.

"Sparrowkit? Can you grab some comfrey for Willowbranch? Ever since I started sleeping in the medicine cat den I've started helping Rosethorn.

"Yeah." I mew and grab the comfrey from behind a moss-covered rock. Although it's really fun to help Rosethorn take care of cats, I don't want to be a medicine cat. I think she really wants me to. I think she's going to ask me soon and I'm going to feel really bad. I shake out my thoughts and run to the elders' den.

"Thanks Sparrowkit." Rosethorn meows on our way back to medicine cat den. Then she stops and looks at me. "You know. You have a real knack for remembering herbs. I know how you feel about Pollenkit but I would really love to have you as an apprentice soon."

"I'm sorry, Rosethorn. I can't. It's some others cat's destiny." I meow quietly.

"You've become so wise, Sparrowkit. And I understand. So do you want to grab some fresh-kill for Larkwhistle and Pollenkit?" Rosethorn meows and I nod. I look at the fresh-kill and grab the juiciest thrush for my mom and the biggest mouse for Pollenkit. I awkwardly walk back to the medicine cat den with my mouth full of prey.

"Hey Pollenkit. Here's your mouse!" I mew quietly to the beautiful she-cat.

"T-thanks." She coughs. But she is sounding a bit better. Pollenkit sits up and takes small bites of the mouse.

"Mom? I got you your favorite!" I mew turning over to look at my mom. She doesn't respond, she just lays there. She must be sleeping. I dig my muzzle into her fur and mew a little louder. "Mom? Larkwhistle? Hello? MOM?"

Uh... Sorry for he cliffhanger. I'm trying to publish every Sunday, what do you think about that? Okay... Thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed! Byeee! ~Swift