sensitive topics how to save a life | death

[Dandelionwish]

Tw: Symptoms of Blackcough including inability to breath and blood..

He was trying, he was trying and it wasn't enough. He was currently trying to gauge need based on age; prioritizing the weaker cats, the kittens, the elders, the nursing queen. How much chickweed and catmint did he have, who was too far along to spare herbs on, who needed to be given something now or they'd die-it was a weight like he was suffocating and once more he recalls being pushed into the ground by a hawk and unable to move, the threatening burden of claws on his shoulders and a sharp beak towering overhead.

"Dandelionwish..." The voice at the entrance to his den is a rumbling rasp of a noise and he's too engrossed in trying to make a kitten eat their herbs to look up immediately; its not until he feels the sound of something falling sharply does he finally turn.

The silver apprentice had refused his treatment, coughed and snuffled and wheezed all the way back to his duties and around camp and Dandelionwish had repeatedly tried to urge him to take something and rest but he was in a frenzy. Wisteriapaw had always been an angry young cat, the source of his rage his now exiled sire and other mother and there was nothing to be done to offer them any consolation. Hyacinthbreath was gone and with her any lingering filaments of hope that she and her unruly child might one day get alone most than passing glances and cold stares.
And now he was conculsing on the floor of the medicine cat's den. "Tumblekit, GO! Go get-Go get anyone!" The kitten did as told with a shriek, sprinting from the den and out into the camp with a terrified holler and if no cat was aware something was wrong before when the striped apprentice stumbled toward him then they surely were now.

Dandelionwish moved forward, pushed his paws onto the other's shoulder to try and stop the trembling so violent it seemed every bone he had might snap. "W-Wisteriapaw, I need you to not panic-!" The apprentice doesn't here him, thrashing about and making horrifying choking noises and the healer realizes quickly why. Blood dried almost black seems to all but encompass his nose, his mouth is lined with froth; he's gasping like he can't process air anymore. Blackcough-it's blackcough-there's blackcough in WindClan.

His blood runs cold, icy and chilled and his eyes frantically scan his shelved stock from where he stands braced against the sobbing and muttering young cat who's words finally bleed into his thoughts as he tries to figure out what the hell to do.

"Says she loves us, says she loves me. She's a liar…she didn't pick us first…she ignored us, she…she picked Sootstar over us. Am I supposed to forgive her? Even now she LEFT US..she left and she didn't take us with HER! If it's so bad here then WHY-WHY DID SHE LEAVE US?!"
Blood trickles from the young tom's nose, forces its way past the dried blood already crusted around his nostril as he wheezes, "She never loved us…even now she…she took her apprentice with her and not us…"
The apprentice's voice is thick and sputtering, like he's drowning in his own body away from any source of water and when he cries for his mother it is not for Hyacinthbreath but @Moonshadow and it is a strained and stuttering declaration one might expect from a newborn kit.
"M-ma! Mama! I'm scared…."

Dandelionwish, once the shaking had stopped and the apprentice was only wailing in distress, bolted to his collection of herbs and plants and began to frantically dig-there had to be something, anything he could do to stop it. Something for bleeding, something for breathing, something for coughs and chest pains, something for a broken heart. Again he found nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing and frustrated tears bit into the corners of his eyes as he continued to look.
No-no-no-it couldn't all end like this...
​

 

[Moonshadow]

—————————————————【 She/Her | Windclan warrior | 32 Moons 】————————————————

【 ◈】 Moonshadow was just returning with a patrol when Tumbklekit burst from the medicine cat den, hysterical and screaming about....Wisteriapaw.

Her entire body went cold, and the mother sprinted for the medicine cat den only to see her son spasming on the ground, spewing words of agony to the healer and the sound that left Moonshadow was a mix of despair and pain. "No!" The black smoke would wail as she rushed to her kitten's side and wrapped herself around him like a dragon protecting its treasure and she desperately began to lick his fur in the opposite direction like she had when he was first born to help him breathe.

"I'm here, my love. I'm here, please you need to breathe for me, PLEASE." Her pleas were gut-wrenching, the dark sapphires that looked frantically from her son to the medicine cat clouded with panic and a glow of something on the verge of breaking, "Dandelionwish please, hurry..." The words came out in a broken whimper as she curled around her son ever tighter.

He had to live. He HAD TO. Moonshadow would beg the stars above, please, she couldn't lose another one. Not again. Bending her head down, she would do her best to whisper words of love and soothing encouragements to her kit, all the while her mind flashing with images of her first litter. The coldness of their bodies, the blood that left their throats, the wails they made that now echoed in Wisteriapaw's voice and the sob that choked from the mollys' throat would be the sound of a mother ready for death herself.

"Please my love, don't leave me."

[penned by Zaeya].

​

 

[Dandelionwish]

Moonshadow had answered the cry of her kit like her very name sake: a soundless apparation appearing in his den, the very visage of death itself cloaked black and with weary eyes and he wished so desperately he could think to do anything. Even if he had some magical plant to solve the issue, there would be no easy way to force it down a choking and tightening throat and even as he had the idea to force as much catmint as he could on the young silver cat he watched as the body coiled in his mother's side like a newborn simply stopped. The horrific wheezing breaths slowed and then fell silent, the rattling gasp of filled lungs only a faint echo through the den; as quickly as the spasming and crying had started it was over.
"...Moonshadow, I'm sorry.."
Dandelionwish sucked in a breath, held it until it hurt; Wisteriapaw might have been blissfully sleeping away had not the blood clotting his nostrils been so prominent, but his expression had settled into something almost serene; comforted with his mother's presence before it all came to an abrupt stop.
The medicine cat took a single step forward as if to off some condolences, expression strained, but the look in the molly's eyes made him back away and out his den instead into the clear and crisp cold air of the moorland afternoon.

He'd leave her to grieve, dreaded knowing eventually he would have to go in there and force her away from the moonlit apprentice to prepare for burial but right now he sat down outside and stared directly upward in silent horror. It had spread so fast...
It seemed only the other day he had scolded the tom to take the medicine only to be told no in a haughty tone and now he had paid for his refusal and the medicine cat had paid for his lack of assertion. He should have pushed more, he should have forced it, maybe then he would not have to sit out here in the middle of the camp looking shell-shocked, accompanied by the mournful cries of a mother.

​

 

[WEASELCLAW]

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮​

Weaselclaw has never seen a cat get as sick as quickly as Wisteriapaw had. Stubborn to the end, refusing treatment and worsening until the bile he coughed up began to blacken the snow with his insides. He watches from a distance, horror clear on his face, as Moonshadow wails for her dead son, over his cold body that had thrashed with distemper only minutes before.

The tabby warrior moves his gaze to Dandelionwish, who gives Moonshadow her space to mourn, looking almost shell-shocked. The young medicine cat had tried to treat Wisteriapaw, but the angry young tom had been so stubborn.

Weaselclaw closes his eyes, pushing his nose into his forepaws. Moonshadow is no longer his friend, and Dandelionwish never had been, but Wisteriapaw was a Clanmate. A young one who'd been set to become a great warrior someday -- just like his littermate, his apprentice Aspenpaw.

He pushes himself to his paws and nears Dandelionwish. His eyes are round and bleak. "It took him so fast," he mutters, voice hoarse from his own coughing. "Is that... is that what we all have?" Suddenly, it feels even colder to him. He shudders.

- ,,​

 

[Periwinklebreeze.]

IS IT OVER YET - CAN I OPEN MY EYES?​

periwinklepaw | 04 months | demi-boy | he/they | physically easy (pacifist) | mentally easy | attack in bold #ccccff​

---

Forgotten in the back of the den, a frail form watches with dull gaze. He's just... so tired. If it's not one thing its another, he thinks, a hysterical noise somewhere between a sob and a laugh slipping out from his curled lips. Jaw clenches tight, teeth clacking audibly - he thinks he' tastes blood. There is [i[nothing[/i] he can do - nothing an of them can do. Tremors rock his body as he hauls himself to his paws, wobbling and wavering as though he might tumble right on over once more. Wounds ache and pull and he thinks rather abstractly in that not-quite-there way that perhaps he's even reopened one of them.

One paw at a time, step by step, he makes his way over - a slow thing, his mind absent. He stares unblinkingly, uncomprehendingly at the... the thing that was once his brother. Its not him - not anymore. Wist was never that still, never that peaceful. Collapsing at his mothers side, he presses his face into still cooling fur. He thinks he should be sad. Should be crying. He wants to be - he loved his brother, though starclan knows it was a fragile and one-sided thing. But all he feels is... nothing. Not the ache of his bones or the pain of his wounds, not the grief or the sadness he knows moonshadow is experiencing. He doesn't even feel scared, the way weasleclaw does, despite his own recent sniffling.

He feels empty.

He thinks absently, that it might be shock. Or perhaps, a darker part of him whispers, perhaps there's just nothing left to give.

He doesn't know how much time passes before he moves again, numb to the world around him, before he's hauling himself to his paws, ambling back to his nest. A tuft of fur spat out into the mess, joining another tuft of grey also not his own. He says nothing does nothing - can not even spare his mother the comfort she deserves, can not even spare the words to tell dandelion that its not his fault. He can only sinks down into the softness, gaze unseeing, and hope sleep will take him once more.

I hate you. He thinks, bitterly. Why did you leave me behind?

 

[SOOTSTAR]

As a mother the scene is heart wrenching, Sootstar felt sick to the stomach just from hearing the childs wails, she thanks StarClan she hadn't been there to watch him die. By the time she reaches the den Wisterpaw has gone to walk with their ancestors. Blood that has already dried has stained the floor of the medicine cat's den.

Sharing a shudder with Weaselclaw she thinks his thoughts, was this what they would all progress to? Would they all be hacking up blood and dying like Wisteriapaw in the next few days? Sootstar cannot help but panic, she looks to Dandelionwish. "We must do more- you must do more." She isn't blaming the medicine cat even though it could most certainly appear that way, what she really meant though was he needed to act. Whatever he was doing now wasn't enough against this enemy, they needed to do more.

"We cannot allow this to fester and spread further... Green-cough- you called it green-cough, right? All cats with it need to leave- no, just- set up somewhere outside of camp. I don't want this to happen ever again." She meows this all to him as he packs up and leaves to leave Moonshadow to grieve for her son. Sootstar supposes that was the best thing to do... leave all this discussion at least until they are not in Moonshadow's earshot. There was saving other cats, but there was no more saving her child.

Sootstar gives one last look of grimace and disbelief at Wisteriapaw before following her mate and medicine cat out of the den in hopes of further discussing what to do.

---

​

Spoiler: TAGS ★ 12/18

( primary character / "speech" / ic opinions )​

╰ ★ ჻ 001 GENERAL INFORMATION ,

· SOOTSTAR, female — she / her

╰ ‣ 34 moons . pisces. ages on the first

╰ ‣ windclan leader . marsh-born . believes in starclan

╰ ‣ former soldier of the marsh group

╰ ★ ჻ 002 VISUALS & AESTHETICS ,

· DOMESTIC FELINE, smells like heather and wet dirt , status — 100%

╰ ‣ blue smoke . scarred chest, difficult to see through fur . green eyes

╰ ★ ჻ 003 MENTALITY & MANNERISMS ,

· ESTJ-A ❝ EXECTUTIVE ❞ , Slytherin, Lawful Evil

╰ ‣ Cunning, brash, fierce, confident, self-reliant, envious & selfish

╰ ‣ finds great difficulty in relating to others . can be cruel, usually shows mercy to those she can find sympathy with

╰ ‣ sole key to her heart is loyalty, if you have her trust, she often shows a completely different side of herself. Aggression tends to manifest from her extreme paranoia

╰ ‣ Appreciates titles such as "miss, m'am" etc

╰ ★ ჻ 004 INTERACTIONS & RELATIONSHIPS ,

· SOOT CLAW x PEBBLE BREEZE, sister to Pebblenose

╰ ‣ heterosexual. mate to Weaselclaw

╰ ‣ mother to Windpaw & Sootpaw

╰ ‣ mentor to Sootpaw & Coyotepaw

╰ ‣ average fighter . skilled hunter .

╰ ‣ will start fights . unlikely to flee .

╰ ‣ attack in underline . penned by user @ava.

 

[ASPENPAW_]

( ♬ ) Despite being littermates, Aspenpaw and Wisteriapaw could hardly be described as close. She loves her brother - of course she does, but they don't often get along, especially as of late. She can't exactly blame him for his attitude after Hyacinthbreath's exile, however; his anger is certainly understandable, even if she doesn't quite share it to the same degree. Still, it's frustrating not being able to get through to him, hardly able to have a normal conversation, and checking up on his recently-declining health has practically been out of the question, her concerns met only with vitriol. Finally, Aspenpaw had given up asking entirely, letting him sort out his feelings on his own terms while she sorts out her own. In the back of her mind, she still knew he was sick, knew he didn't seem to be getting any better, but she could only trust that Wisteriapaw would take care of himself, that someone else would be more successful at getting through to him where she had failed.

It's still so soon, so soon after the skirmish and Peri's attack and the exile, and she's been doing her best to continue training like normal, to go on as if hasn't just lost her best friend over something so wholly pointless, but between that and the scarce prey and frigid temperatures of Leaf-bare, Aspenpaw's just been so tired lately, much more than she's ever been before. Just when it feels like it's going to be over, when bad things are going to stop happening, something else terrible rears its ugly head, and she's left to cling to whatever breaks come between like a lifeline. All she wants is for things to just slow down, if only for a little bit; if only things could return to how they were just a moon ago, when her family was still whole even if unhappy, when Riverclan was hardly a distant worry and Weaselclaw was still a proud lead warrior, when Spiritpaw was still here beside her. So consumed by her thoughts, Aspenpaw doesn't even think to spare Wisteriapaw a glance as he shuffles his way toward Dandelionwish's den, hardly registers when Tumblekit comes streaking by. It's not until she hears his name, hears Moonshadow's name being called that she finally looks up, blinking away her thoughts at the urgency in the words.

Moonshadow is running and Aspenpaw trails after her, limbs folding unsteadily as she rises from the spot she had claimed to rest for a moment. The disconnect is just long enough that by the time she's made it to the entrance of Dandy's den she can hear Wisteriapaw, sputtering and crying out in equal parts anger and anguish, and the sound freezes her in her tracks. Never before has she heard him sound this pained, this desperate for breath, and it scares her, shakes her to the core. Moonshadow has already curled up around him, trying to calm him, Dandy rushing around to try to find something to help, and with dawning horror Aspenpaw notices the blood crusting around her brother's face, the blood dripping fresh from his nose. She doesn't know what to do, doesn't know what she even could do to help, simply watching as before her very eyes Wisteriapaw seems to weaken, the life leeching out of him until his breathing is so faint she can hardly see his chest rising and falling.

It's at this point the panic sets in, Aspenpaw surging forward to where her brother lay. "Wisteriapaw?" she cries out, trying to keep her voice soft despite her rising fear. There's no response, only a growing silence, and she feels tears start to spill over. "W..Wisteriapaw...?" she tries again, though this time she knows there won't be a response, that there won't ever be a response again. Her brother's body lies there, limp, as Dandy offers his condolences, and it's as if Aspenpaw's world has suddenly narrowed, unable to turn away from the horrific scene in front of her. She doesn't move, hardly dares to breath herself until Periwinklepaw scoots forward, and suddenly the spell is broken and she's falling forward, trying to lean up against Wisteriapaw as if he might still feel it,, might still feel the comfort. As she curls against him, feeling how deathly still his body is, the lack of a reaction almost makes her wail. She wants to beat her paws against his side, wants to beg him to wake up, even to hear him say how much he hates them, but instead there's nothing, and in return she can only lay beside him, beside Moonshadow.

No matter how obstinate, how needlessly hateful Wisteriapaw could be at times, he didn't deserve this. The rest of them didn't deserve this, not so soon after Hyacinthbreath's departure. They hadn't gotten along often, he and Aspenpaw, but already she feels a terrible ache blossoming in her chest, a Wisteriapaw-sized hole, and she can't even begin to imagine life without him. Since birth, Wisteriapaw had always been a constant, something she could depend on to always be there, and yet it seemed like fate had other plans for her brother, other plans for her. Laying there, pressed up against his body that grows colder by the second, she tries to think of what their last conversation had been again, what the last words they had spoken to one another had been. Something stupid and meaningless, she's sure, and a fresh wave of grief washes over Aspenpaw as she realizes that she can't remember the last time she had told her brother that she loved him, had told him anything positive at all. Sobs begin to wrack her small frame as she buries her face in Wisteriapaw's familiar fur, trying to ignore how still and cold he's grown, trying to ignore the blood that still coats his face and the way he had cried out, breaths rattling until they were no more. Nothing else in the world matters to her in this moment, nothing but this terrible sadness threatening to overwhelm her completely.​

( WE'RE ALL JUST SEARCHING FOR SOMETHING ☾ )

 

[Moonshadow]

—————————————————【 She/Her | Windclan warrior | 32 Moons 】————————————————

【 ◈】 As his body went limp and the warmth he once held seeps away into the frozen ground below, Moonshadow crumbles. Her entire frame shakes as she throws her head back and lets out a haunting and ear-splitting wail that echos through the camp and out into the moors, like a banshee's shriek that's nothing but anguish.

The world around her is nothing once her son is dead, the mother only continued her wails of loss for as long as her own throat could manage. Her paws tremble as she finally stops, several minutes after she had started, and she lovingly strokes Wisteriapaws' face. Moonshadow doesn't register the observance of Weaselclaw or Sootstar, only the arrival of Periwinklepaw as he emerges from the nest in the darkness and Aspenpaw who presses against Wisteriapaw's side causes her to look away from her son's face and she quickly curls around them both as well, pure maternal instinct to protect the kittens she had left overcoming her mind completely.

The mother lays there, cooing weakly to the form that once held her son's soul, humming a lullaby that she used to sing to them when they nestled against her belly.

Any cat that was not her family that tried to approach to take Wisteriapaws' body, or came close to either Aspenpaw or Periwinklepaw, would be met with bared fangs that made the molly appear feral and lost as she held her son's body closer to her chest and curled her tail defensively around the other two; as if the act alone would return the heat to his small form and bring him back to her.

[penned by Zaeya].

​

 

[Dandelionwish]

"N-no, I think...I think his was further along but I couldn't tell-he wouldn't let me examine him." He should've forced it, he should've gotten warriors to pin the tabby down so he could shove herbs in his mouth and make him take the medicine he deemed necessary but he hadn't thought this would happen; he'd been warned it was deadly but not to this level, not to whatever livel this horrifying ailment was. How did he fix something like this? How could he do anything in this clan if the cats were to stubborn to stop and listen to him? When he had almost no idea how to manage an illness like this? When they still had to have food, when they had no one to turn to for help, when he was running low of herbs because of all of this...he was just one cat.
He missed Honeytwist and in the same agonizing breath he hated her, he hated her for abandoning him like this; for not being strong enough because he was not strong enough.
The idea of taking an apprentice had never even occurred to him, he was still learning himself, he was too young, he didn't want to force such a heavy roll on a cat knowing what it had done to him. He could not burden another cat with this pain, this heaviness. He'd rather die first...

'Is that what we all have?' The fear might not have been blatant but it was there and the sepia point gave a choked and uncertain, "I don't know..." He didn't. He wished he did, he wished he knew more....wish...wishing, they gave him such a stupid name hadn't they.
Sootstar approached, seeming horrified as well and when she spoke he could only feel more guilt weighting done upon his shoulders-he feels his fur prickle as she at first demands all the sick cats be cast out before changing her mind the last second and demanding them moved elsehwere.

He didn't care if she thought him weak, he didn't care what anyone else thought, he was hitting his limit so when he burst into tears on the spot there was no attempt to stifle it or keep his usual smile up; a cat just died because he failed. He knew it would hurt, but here in WindClan it stung like the biting wind itself; that if only he had tried harder he could. If it had been only a handful of cats sick she would have sent them to die outside the territory wouldn't she have? Too many were sick to just remove the ailing ones and it was all that stopped her.
"I don't KNOW WHAT TO DO..." The chocolate pointed tom blurted out, breaking down into a wail right then and there. Someone had to get that body from Moonshadow, someone had to bury this poor apprentice-was it still contagious-could they even risk burying him near WindClan's rolling stone of a graveyard? Who would take the risk to take him there? How many cats were sick he didn't know about? How many had gone into the nursery?
Were they all going to die....?


​

 

[Irispath]

Yewberry watched in concern that grew into sinking horror as he watched the scene unfold. He watched helplessly as Moonshadow cried over her kit and when Wisteriapaw took his last breath, he sat there in shock and grief next to Weaselclaw and Sootstar. He had never seen just how quick illness could kill someone.

He wished Sootstar hadn't spoken, or at least not the way she did. Do better? With what help? You exiled his mentor-

No. He swallowed the lump in his throat and just as he was about to approach Dandelionwish, The Young tom started to cry.

And it broke Yewberry's heart.

He moved over to him, pressing against him gently and giving him a comforting nuzzle.

"You're not alone. We'll get through this together. It's not you're fault, you're doing your best with what you know." He said.

"If you ever need help, I'm willing to lend a paw." He added. He didn't know nearly as much as Dandelionwish did, but he had never seen Dandelionwish cry before.

He didn't want to see it again.

​

 

[Snowshadow]

[ ☾ ] The cold never let up and the snow continued to float gently down towards the ground which made hunting much harder. The moorlands were so different when it came to hunting as there was nothing to hide them, nothing to keep the chill out like in the mountains. Though there was pride in almost catching a rabbit even if it crossed the border before one could pounce. Duskfire was never going to let that down for certain but the deputy also never caught a rabbit so it was mainly- fair.

A figure moved through the gorse tunnel of Windclans' camp and lifted their head to look around for a moment, emptied pawed from the hunt. Food was harder to come by now and it was uncertain if they would even make it through the winter. There was an influx of sickly cats and it made patrols smaller, but they held out hope. The mountain was much harsher than that of heather and barely.

Fur of snow and shadow twitched slightly at the cold breeze that swept through camp and then those large, pointed ears perked up at a sound that broke the quiet. A cry. While it didn't click right away these bi-colored eyes watched Dandelionwish, Sootstar and Weaselclaw come out from the medicine den. They all seemed solemn and serious, Sootstar espeically seemed rather pissed herself but it was hard to tell if it was true emotion or just how her face looked. Dandelionwish gave out a small wail at the two warriors and this drew them closer to the group, what happened? Did a cat pass away from the sickness that seeme to plague many?

Snowshadow opened their half and half muzzle to speak to the group when their heterochomatic gaze flicked to the inside of the den. They could see the small body of Periwinklepaw in there with the dark coat of Moonshadow, but that was all he could see from where he stood. Was Peri sick again? He always seemed to catch a cold even at the slightest breeze, but this felt- different. There was a dark aura that hunt around the medicine den and as he got closer the sobs of Moonshadow reached his pointed ears.

Wisking past the higher up, the white and black tomcat entered the den with a furrowed brow as the full sight of Moonshadow curled around Wisteriapaw came into view. She had her tail around Aspenpaw and Periwinklepaw and seemed to be violently sobbing, but he couldn't see a reason out right. Snowshadow gave a hesitant few paces towards his family, his siblings and mother, and felt intense horror rush through his bloodstream.

Wisteriapaw laid lifeless in Moonshadows' grasp, blood a pungent scent in the den along with the stiff scent of sickness, and the young apprentice didn't blink. Didn't speak, or even breathe, and Snowshadow knew the worst had come; Wisteriapaw had passed away. His mother lost another kitten, one no older than five moons old, and this one wasn't going to return with a surprise like he did. No, Wisteriapaw walked with Starclan- their ancestors- now and he hoped that the young cat was able to join the mountains as well.

"Mother?" He spoke softly as he got closer and then crouched by her head, "Mom..," Snowshadow nudged her head with a muzzle and pushed his head under her chin as a sign of comfort. Wisteriapaw was a mystery to him. He never got to know the young cat, never knew of their favorite prey or what was a pet peeve, and he realized that it was more than likely he'd never get to know his siblings. Strangers in his own family, and who would be next to pass?

——————————————————[---☾---]——————————————————​

 

[VULTUREMASK]

" He is doing the best he can!." A snarl would come from the apprentice and it was directed at Sootstar. Yes, she had done it now making him briefly lost his temper at her after hearing what she had said and made Dandelionwish cry. It was making his blood boil. The always smiling medicine cat had finally broken down by all of the pressure and he was not gonna let anyone lay this blame on him. Wisteriapaw's death was a tragedy, and this could be the start of a dreadful leafbare for them all but it was not Dandelionwish fault.

Leechpaw send a glance over at the mourning family, his eyes founding Periwinklepaw the kit he had come in here to visit in the first place. He felt for them, knowing the pain of losing a sibling. But he was not good with comforting words, to console anyone in their grief. He would make sure to check up on them later though...if he could. Leechpaw really wasn't good with handling grief which had got proven in the past. Biting down on his lip he would turn his attention to Dandelionwish who was being comforted by Yewberry. In that moment he wished he could be that shoulder for the medicine cat to cry on, to be that friend he needed right now. Sadly, Leechpaw was speechless in situations like this.

[" Yewberry take Dandelionwish outside so he can take a breath. I will...i will take care of the body." He almost wanted to curse at himself for even offering himself for this. What if he got what Wisteriapaw got?. Or worse. What if Moonshadow ripped his fur off just by trying to get close?. His gaze returned to the mourning mother. It didn't matter. It was better that he died when anybody else was here. Moonshadow still had kits to care for, who needed her. Dandelionwish was their only hope to survive this, but him?. Leechpaw knew very well how replacable he was if anything would happen to him. HIs only regret would be that he never would get to see his unborn siblings.

[" Moonshadow you need to step away from your son's body. You need to think about your other kits now they need you. I need to get the body away from everyone to keep everyone here safe. But i promise i will give him a proper burial and...i will tell you where i buried him. " He tried to be gentle with his words but his voice remained firm. He couldn't let anybody else die like this. He couldn't let this happen to Echolight or her kits. He couldn't let Periwinklepaw lose more of his family.

He needed to do this. He could only hope that Moonshadow would understand. Maybe the fact he had saved her son from a fox would serve to his favor here. Maybe.


[
​

 

[SOOTSTAR]

Sootstar barely reacts to Dandelionwish's shout or his breakdown, she was in taking action mode. If Dandelionwish didn't know what to do then she'd try something herself. Leechpaw's snarl at her is what grabs her attention, and she is not happy.

"You watch your tone with me!" Sootstar hisses to the apprentice, spit flying from her maw. "I never said he wasn't, but more needs to be done!" In times like this a cat in Sootstar nor Dandelionwish's status could not take the time to hesitate. Dandelionwish had confessed it himself, he doesn't know if all the sick cats have what Wisteriapaw had. For all Sootstar, Weaselclaw, and any other sick cats they were ticking time bombs before they paid a visit to the stars. At least Sootstar had eight more lives to fight back with, her clan-mates lives were far more fragile. If they disagreed with her urgency with the young and inexpirenced tom they could take it up with StarClan- she had not been the one to assign WindClan a disloyal medicine cat and had not been the one to call Dandelionwish up to plate in her stead.

"Any cats with symptoms will be moved outside of camp, they will stay there and be treated until their symptoms are gone. I don't care if it takes half the clan out of camp, those who can be spared should be!" She starts shouting the expectation but doesn't expect it to go into immediate effect. Wisteriapaw did need to be taken care of and grieved for first, but not immediately, it is why Leechpaw gains another glare of disapproval.

"Leave her, Leechpaw! Her son died mere minutes ago, she is allowed to embrace him while she still can." Why drag a mother and siblings away from their just dead kin? It was cruel, and if she was in Moonshadow's place she would probably spin around to give anyone who dare tell her to move a smack in the head. It doesn't cross her mind Wisteriapaw could still carry disease, even dead.

"Weaselclaw, come with-" She almost tells the tom to join her in discussing where to take these cats with Duskfire... but he's not of her council anymore. She meets his gaze for a quick moment and just shakes her head, "I am going to talk with Duskfire on the safest place to put all these cats. Dandelionwish, join us if you will otherwise, we've got it." Then she hurriedly rushes off to look for her deputy.​

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Spoiler: TAGS ★ 12/18

( primary character / "speech" / ic opinions )​

╰ ★ ჻ 001 GENERAL INFORMATION ,
· SOOTSTAR, female — she / her
╰ ‣ 34 moons . pisces. ages on the first
╰ ‣ windclan leader . marsh-born . believes in starclan
╰ ‣ former soldier of the marsh group

╰ ★ ჻ 002 VISUALS & AESTHETICS ,
· DOMESTIC FELINE, smells like heather and wet dirt , status — 100%
╰ ‣ blue smoke . scarred chest, difficult to see through fur . green eyes

╰ ★ ჻ 003 MENTALITY & MANNERISMS ,
· ESTJ-A ❝ EXECTUTIVE ❞ , Slytherin, Lawful Evil
╰ ‣ Cunning, brash, fierce, confident, self-reliant, envious & selfish
╰ ‣ finds great difficulty in relating to others . can be cruel, usually shows mercy to those she can find sympathy with
╰ ‣ sole key to her heart is loyalty, if you have her trust, she often shows a completely different side of herself. Aggression tends to manifest from her extreme paranoia
╰ ‣ Appreciates titles such as "miss, m'am" etc

╰ ★ ჻ 004 INTERACTIONS & RELATIONSHIPS ,
· SOOT CLAW x PEBBLE BREEZE, sister to Pebblenose
╰ ‣ heterosexual. mate to Weaselclaw
╰ ‣ mother to Windpaw & Sootpaw
╰ ‣ mentor to Sootpaw & Coyotepaw
╰ ‣ average fighter . skilled hunter .
╰ ‣ will start fights . unlikely to flee .
╰ ‣ attack in underline . penned by user @ava.​

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[PALETHROAT]

palethroat hadn't truly taken this illness seriously, before now. he'd laughed it off, chalked it up to being no worse than the seasonal cold. that, within a quarter-moon's time, everyone who'd fallen sick would be back to normal. it just has to run its course, his mother's voice would echo, in the pale dawn light as small palethroat- webworm- complains of a scratchy throat and stuffy nose. now get up, you can't let your skills grow dull over a sniffle.

that's all it had been. a stupid sniffle. not... this, a child writhing as he chokes on his own blood. pitch bile seeps from his mouth, bloody mucous from his crusted nostrils, staining the snow a hideously dark shade. he gargles out a scream, cries for his mother who pleads with dandelionwish to help while cradling her dying kitten. but dandelionwish does... nothing, whispering an apology to moonshadow.

as quickly as it'd come, it goes. the screams fade into silence, aside from the shallow, labored breathing. palethroat watches with horror-stricken eyes, as the apprentice's life is drained from him. wisteriapaw had been fine, just a few days ago. coughing and wheezing, but fine enough to do his duties. how could this illness overtake him so fast..?

is that going to happen to him? is he going to wake up tomorrow morning with bloodied bile rising up his throat and leaking out his nose? is he going to die?

palethroat doesn't need to be plagued by whatever had taken wisteriapaw to suddenly feel as if his chest is being constricted, his rapidly quickening breaths wheezing through his own crusted nostrils. is he going to die? oh, great heavens, is he dying?! he couldn't die-! he's still got so much life to live! he couldn't, he couldn't, he couldn't-

is that what we all have? weaselclaw rasps out the question that palethroat's too afraid to ask, and the cream-furred warrior's head snaps towards dandelionwish. wide eyes begging the medicine cat to say, no, you're going to be fine. but he doesn't. dandelionwish doesn't know if they have this.. this horrific disease! "how do you not know?!" palethroat snaps, frantic with fear. "you're the medicine guy! do something! fix us! give us some, some stupid magical plant that'll make that go away!" the tom jerks his muzzle in the direction of wisteriapaw's still body. he couldn't die. stars above, he couldn't die!

he wants to say more, but he's forced to trail off by a sudden coughing fit. curling in on himself as he collapses, palethroat chokes on air as he gasps for breath between spluttering hacks. is he dying? is it too late for him? the warrior squeezes his eyes shut and fights back a pitiful sob, unwilling to look, afraid that he'd see black splattering onto the ground at his paws. even after the coughing subsides and he's left wheezing, he doesn't look.

sootstar starts to bark out orders, telling everyone that all of the sick cats would be quarantined outside of the camp. but palethroat only whimpers, curling tighter. he doesn't want to die.​

 

[Moonshadow]

( ♬ ) Moonshadow barely registers anything until Snowshadow appears, lifting her chin with his head to comfort her. More tears leave her, but her throat is now too raw to wail any further. The normally strong and stoic molly looked so drained of life as if her own warmth had seeped into the ground after Wisteriapaws'.

She looks down at her living kits, as Leechpaw steps forward and attempts to reason with her, and for a heartbeat, she hesitates. Take the body? Whose body? Oh...He must be speaking of Wisteriapaw...but he's asleep. Surely he could sleep for just a little longer, right? He seemed so peaceful.

Her paw lifts and she delicately closes her son's eyes, making it seem as if he really were sleeping she feels another sob bubble up from her chest as she presses her forehead against his own and whimpers weakly, "I'm sorry my love...I wish...I..." She chokes again, only snapping out of it at Sootstars' voice, and it was finally then that she lifts her head to see all who had gathered, all who were also grieving the loss of her son.

Looking down at Wisteriapaws' body, she would try to breathe in his scent one more time before licking his head and then letting go. She rises to her paws, legs trembling in weakness as she nuzzles Periwinkle, Aspen, and Snowshadow before turning her gaze to Leechpaw, "You...You will be gentle with him...please...He's still so small...He..." More tears, more sobs before the mother takes a breath to regain a bit of her shattered self, "Thank you...Leechpaw...I..." She turns and buries her face into Snowshadows fur before lightly nudging Periwinklepaw and Aspenpaw, "I want you both to be with me tonight...please..." The request is quiet, but without another word, she turns to blink in further heartbreak at Wisteriapaw before slowly leaving the medicine cat den.

Once outside, she notices Dandelionwish and slowly trudges over to the young tom, her head moving to rest lightly upon his shoulder as her tail curls around him, "You did everything you could, young healer." She attempts to coo soothingly, "For that, I will always be grateful to you..." ​

( TELL ME THE REASONS; FOR ME TO TRUST YOU )