Warriors: Rise of the Shadows (Book 2)

Chapter Twelve

Moonpaw shuddered as snow began to fall down on her thin cream tabby pelt. 'Why does leafbare have to be the worst season?' She thought as she pawed at a pile of dry and flaky mallow leaves.

The medicine cat apprentice heard coughing and turned her head to see Frostsky, the deputy, hunched over and coughing relentlessly. 'What's wrong with him?' She thought and hurried over, leaving her brittle leaves behind.

"Frostsky, what's wrong?" She asked, looking at the tom with worry. When he didn't answer and kept coughing, Moonpaw raised her head. "Heatherspring!" She called desperately.

Her mentor shot out of the medicine den and strode across the clearing to her apprentice and the deputy. "What's the matter, Moonpaw?" She asked.

"Frostsky was coughing and he can't speak at all." Explained the worried apprentice as she looked the deputy over. The tom was bony and extremely frail. "I don't think he's eaten anything for days." She reported.

"Get him to a nest in the den and I'll fetch Dewstar," Heatherspring ordered and quickly hurried off to find the leader.

Moonpaw nudged the older cat to his shaky paws and allowed him to lean against her as she guided him to the medicine den. When he got settled into one of the nests, she went to the herb stores and went through a list in her head. 'Honey, honey, honey.' She thought, searching the sticky and sweet substance.

Dewstar dashed into the den, sounding frantic. "What's wrong with him?" She demanded, tail lashing to show her worry.

"We don't know yet, Dewstar." Heatherspring calmly replied, padding over to her apprentice. "Get some tansy for his cough, Moonpaw." She meowed and padded over to Frostsky to speak with him.

Moonpaw's ears shot up and forward as she found honey and grabbed some tansy and made her way to the sick deputy. "The tansy will soothe your cough and the honey with soothe your throat, Frostsky." She meowed as she set the herbs down and watched as he lapped them up, but vomited them back up and his cough got worse.

Heatherspring sniffed the tom and wrinkled her nose. "He's got Greencough," she meowed and looked at Moonpaw. "Do we have any catmint?" She asked, to which Moonpaw shook her head. The last supply of catmint was used on Brackenmist when he came down with Greencough a few days ago.

"Can you get more?" Asked a worried Dewstar, eyes wide and wild.

"The walk to the barn is too far and the catmint will freeze before we get back," Heatherspring replied, sounding a bit nervous. "Moonpaw, are you sure we don't have anymore?"

"We used the last of it for Brackenmist, remember?" Moonpaw meowed, looking to Dewstar. "We'll have to go to one of the Clan's and ask for some catmint."

"That'll take too long, and much too dangerous." Objected Heatherspring instantly. Frostsky began to cough harder and the attention was turned to the sick deputy.

"D-don't waste your herbs on m-me." He rasped, eyes dim and glazed. "I-I'll be joining StarClan and I'll be out of p-pain."

Every cat hesitated before Heatherspring asked gently, "Are you sure, Frostsky?"

The tom nodded weakly and coughed again. "I-if you die trying to s-save me, I'll never forgive m-myself."

Heatherspring laid down and rested her chin on his head and murmured quietly to him, a tear rolling down her cheek as the tom closed his eyes and didn't move. Eyes closed, Moonpaw saw her mentor tense. 

She looked at Dewstar, who was staring at Heatherspring. When her mentor opened her eyes, they were pools of grief. "He's gone," she choked out.