sensitive topics swore i'd never be like them // fainting

[Periwinklebreeze.]

PERFECT LITTLE PUNCHING BAG​

periwinklekit | 02 months | demi-boy | he/they | physically easy (pacifist) | mentally easy | attack in bold #ccccff​

---

It seems like it happens in the blink of an eye.

Peri had been feeling better - or at least, he'd thought he had. Sure, yesterday he'd done little more than trail after his mother... and the day before he'd had no appetite but before that, he'd had energy to play! And he'd been sleeping just fine - well, for him at least. Sure, a few hours at a time wasn't a lot, but it was better than going days without any rest at all. And sure, hyachinth had fallen ill only days before, and the weather had been cold - he could see the chill of his breathe at night, drifting away like a feather in the wind. But that didn't mean anything. Yes, Perwinklekit had been perfectly fine thank you very much - until he wasn't.

It starts with a sneeze - a quiet thing he doesn't think much of, if only for the fact that the moss he'd jumped upon had been dusty. Only it doesn't end there - sneeze after sneeze slips past parted lips until he finds he cannot breathe anymore - the sneezing fit simply wont end, and he feels as though he's forgotten how to breathe. He gasps and wheezes, and then he coughs and it's over. Pale gaze blinks blearily, a paw absently coming up to wipe away any lingering snot. It must have been dustier than he thought. With an absent shrug, Peri stands to grab his 'prey' once more - and promptly topples over, limp.

As the world fades to black, ears ringing and chest heavy, he wonders absently if maybe there had been something wrong after all.

// tldr: peri has a cold and sneezed himself into unconsciousness
@Dandelionpaw

 

[ASPENPAW_]

( ♬ ) As the days grew colder and colder, Aspenkit only grows more excited for her upcoming apprenticeship, though she's lying if she says she's not nervous, too. It's a big step, and something that she's never experienced before, so there's really no telling what could happen. She tries to focus on that excitement the most, and channel that nervous energy into something more useful - practice. Aspenkit was practicing her crouches and her leaps and her stalking so that, when the day arrives, she won't be completely out of her element. Today, she's found herself a corner left unoccupied and unnoticed and has been leaping about as she works first on height and second on grace.

As she's focusing, a sound settles somewhere in the back of her mind, and at first she pays it no mind, instead shifting her stance to more closely mirror the crouch that Hyacinthbreath had taught her. As her paws shift into place and she locks onto her target, the sound becomes more persistent, and her ears twitch towards it even as she tries to stay focused. Aspenkit launches herself up, claws extended towards the leaf she had set fluttering through the air, but she's distracted, and her aim is off - she sails just to the side of the leaf, paws empty. With a huff, she frowns, annoyed with whatever had been distracting her and annoyed with herself for being distracted in the first place, and she turns to investigate where it had been coming from.

Her eyes lock onto Periwinklekit after a moment, and as she recognizes that he's the source of the sounds (that she's identified as sneezes now that she's not trying to concentrate on something else) and she feels her annoyance drain away, instead being replaced with concern as her brother begins to wheeze. She's heading his direction instantly, wanting to make sure that he's okay - after all, nothing like that has happened before - when he suddenly lets out a hacking cough, and then he's slipping to the ground. This makes her hesitate, briefly; maybe he's just tired? But as seconds tick by and he doesn't stir, Aspenkit feels her pelt prickle with alarm. She races to Periwinklekit's side, one paw hesitantly raised as he mind reels.

"Periwinklekit?" she tries, hoping he'll respond and that he's just tired, but when her brother remains silent, panic blossoms in her chest. "Periwinklekit!" she cries, louder this time as she shakily gives him a poke in the side. Nothing. By now, Aspenkit has realized that something bad has happened, and that she has no idea how to deal with it. Eyes wide with fear, she tears her gaze away from her brother, looking desperately around for someone who can actually help. "DANDELIONPAW!" she wails out, though she has no idea if the medicine cat is even nearby. Should she go and find him? Aspenkit hesitates, not wanting to leave Periwinklekit laying there alone - should she go seek out Dandelionpaw herself? Could she find him any faster than someone else? She opts to stay put for now, huddling near her brother. Surely Dandelionpaw would be here soon, and he would know what was going on and he would make Periwinklekit all better.​

( WE'RE ALL JUST SEARCHING FOR SOMETHING ☾ )

 

[Galeforce]

↞ RACE THE WINDS

Feathers billowed by from where Galepaw was sat as the apprentice pulled apart a small bird that he had caught earlier that day. It had seemed like a good time to settle in for a meal whilst all was quiet and he only had the sound of Periwinklekit playing nearby. And sneezing! Damn, that kit could sneeze. He might have remained entirely ignorant to the worsening situation if it hadn't been for Aspenkit's concerned tone, and then the call for Dandelionpaw. It sent a chill through him and in an instant he was on his paws and hurrying over. "What happened? Why isn't he moving?" Oh no, no no no! Panic gripped him, but when he looked at Aspenkit he knew he had to maintain a level head to avoid making her panic more.

"Peri? Periwinklekit? Wake up lil' guy! Right... er... let's get him to the medicine den, yeah? Follow me, Aspenkit." It was the only thing he could really think to do, and it would save the medicine cat time if herbs were required. He aimed to pick Periwinklekit up by the scruff with the intention of carrying him straight to the den.
​

 

[hyacinthbreath]

Resting in the medicine den was Hyacinthbreath herself, sick with a cold that seems to be getting worse by the day. She sniffles as snot runs from her nose, the molly wiping at it with irritation. Her tail is tucked against her stomach, the molly a bit sleepy from the medicine she had been given for the cold. Feverfew, Dandy called it. She huffs at the name, so obvious.

A loud racket stirs her from her dazing off, ears perking up at the sound of her daughter wailing Periwinklekit's name. Hyacinth struggles in an attempt to stand up, maternal instinct driving her for once to protect her child- her son, so fragile and sickly. Though, her own exhaustion causes her to plop down back onto her nest with an audible groan. "Dandelionpaw.. Help him, please." Hyacinthbreath wheezes out to the tom at the back of the den just as Galepaw carries her son inside, Aspenkit following close behind. Her eyes flutter open, seeing the silvery form of Aspenkit- worried for her brother.

"Help him, oh.. Help him.. My son, my poor son.." Delirious, Hyacinthbreath wheezed out her admittance, vision clouded with the illness that overtook her common sense. Aspenkit would be the first to discover such a thing, though Hyacinth probably wouldn't remember this moment. "Someone get Moonshadow.. Our baby.." She whined out, ragged breathing settling as she falls asleep.

// obligatory tag for @~ Zaeya ~ since it won't let me tag Moonshadow's account. uwu Also tagging @Wisteriakit ​

 

[Moonshadow]

ALL THE KING'S HORSES​

---

The sneezing had caught her attention first from where she was resting just outside of the nursery. Her slender head would rise from her paws and frown for a moment as she watched Periwinklekit fall into a sneezing fit. Her whiskers would twitch, wondering if she should bring him to Dandelionpaw for healing when he suddenly collapsed.

Moonshadow felt her throat clench, a vision flashing before her eyes of two small bodies slumping over lifeless as her son just had. The former soldier would scramble to her paws, meowing for an NPC queen to keep an eye on Wisteriakit as she turned to see her son being carried into the medicine cat den by Galepaw and his sister. The queen had to swallow back the feral protective snarl that begged to rip from her throat, Galepaw was a good apprentice. No claws were aimed at her kittens here.

Rushing towards the healers' den herself, Moonshadow entered just in time to hear Hyacinthbreath wheeze out the secret they both shared. And it infuriated her. Shoulders bristled in a rare display of fury towards the lead warrior before she moved to wrap around her children, rasping her tongue along the opposite direction of Periwinklekit's fur, just as she had done at his birth to help him breathe and hoping to rouse him. "Come now my love, wake up for your Mama..." There was a plea in her voice as her plume-like tail moved to pull Aspenkit closer to her and away from Hyacinthbreath.

Now the molly wanted to claim them? Now in a state of her sickness delirium does she claim their kits as their own once they were grown and the work had been done? Moonshadow had many words to spit at the lead warrior at that moment. To snap at the molly's audacity and declare that these kits were hers and hers alone. But instead, the queen would simply ignore the lead warrior. Ignore her as she had done to them for the past three moons, and focused instead on her children and keeping them calm until Dandelionpaw appeared.

//
@Dandelionpaw

​

 

[Dandelionwish]

The sudden flurry of movement and rush of cats into his den had him falter briefly, above Hyacinthbreath's pleading and the sound of his name being called out in rapid order the chocolate sepia quickly deduced what was the main issue. Perwinklekit. His heart gave a brief leap, inwardly irritated at himself for not paying more attention to the kitten who would lapse in and out of sickness so often it was a wonder he still had a functioning nose for how often it clogged. He had no idea what the actual problem was, surely this wasn't just a normal cold? It had to be something more if it was dipping in and out so frequently.
That was a battle to be had another time though, he didn't have a moment to waste thinking of possibilities when the kitten was motionless in the den right now, tucked carefully into his mother's side. "Good. Good-keep doing that." It was just like cleaning a newborn but hopefully it would be enough to rouse the kitten in time; he couldn't give him anything if he was unconcious. Dandelionpaw wasn't about to choke a kitten stuffing dry herbs down his mouth like an adult, it would be fatal moreso than whatever was ailing him.
With a quick whip he turned about, faced his stores and sucked in a breath. Maybe he could find something with a sharp enough scent to stir the kitten awake, but right now something for the cough, throat irritation; easy to swallow to get him breathing right again when he woke up.
For a split second his mind blanked, all his herbal knowledge went out the den and caught the wind and he gripped the ground with sharp claws in alarm. For only a second, he'd lost it all, but he sucked in a breath and swallowed the apprehension down. Don't be stupid.
He knew this.
Honey would make it more palatable and help any throat irritation. Feverfew for the cold, would help the runny nose and clogging. It was time to get a little experimental, he knew most of these herbs were safe to consume and so far nothing had fully put a stop to the kitten's ailments. Catmint was grabbed, it had a soothing scent and perhaps had soothing properties on its own and he plucked up a shred of Marigold as well. It helped outside infections, but maybe he had something inside that was infected. It occurred to him that maybe infection wasn't just surface level, it certainly sunk in deeply if left unattended so perhaps...
Dandelionpaw shook his head, musing later-fix now, he blobbed together the concoction with the honey and brought over the dock leaf he had pasted it on. The catmint was certainly overwhelming most other scents so he tucked it close and waved a tail over it; maybe it would help rouse the kit.
"C'mon Perwinklekit, I need ye to wake up...rise and shine..."

​

 

[POLLENFUR]

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮​

Honeytwist is gone, but her den is still so very full. Somewhere, the former medicine cat's own daughter and Pollenfur's apprentice still resides, recovering from the broken leg she had suffered from the hawk attack. Rosepaw's body, of course, was moved to their cemetery.

Pollenfur herself had recovered. Honeytwist and Dandelionpaw had taken excellent care of her wound, and although deep, it had healed into a thick crimson scar against her shoulder. She can walk and hunting, though her movements are stiff. She had been prepared to follow Honeytwist to wherever she'd gone, limping after her, would have torn the wound asunder to catch up with her...

But it was a pipe dream. It was a dead dream.

Pollenfur is carrying a rabbit to what is now Dandelionpaw's den, sure the sepia tom is hungry. Hyacinthbreath's silvery form lurks within, too, sick and suffering, and she thinks perhaps she can force the lead warrior to eat something, too. And Melonpaw...

But she stops in her tracks as she sees a silvery lump hit the ground, still and dazed. "Periwinklekit?" Her voice is muffled with rabbit fur. Hyacinthbreath's son with Moonshadow, she knows he'd been sickly but --

There's commotion immediately. Galepaw and Aspenkit, the fallen child's sibling, begin to call for Dandelionpaw. A shock to her system still, to think of Honeytwist's feathery form emerging from the den, mouth full of herbs, and instead to see only her apprentice. Pollenfur hears Hyacinthbreath call for her son, and the chocolate tortoiseshell can also see the kits' mother's ire at the audacity.

It's Moonshadow who needs comfort, even though Hyacinthbreath is Pollenfur's friend, and it's her the molly goes to. She would attempt to press her flank to Moonshadow's as she watches Dandelionpaw work. "Let me know if you need any help," she murmurs. "Moonshadow, it's okay. He will be fine. Dandelionpaw had... he knows what he's doing." Her words nearly turn to ashes on her tongue, the haunted glow in her amber eyes telling the story her mouth cannot.

- ,,​