pafp DRINK THE WINE || sick

[TWILIGHTFALL]

"Just a minute, Sagepaw," she murmurs to the sienna dusted femme before pulling herself away from the rest of ShadowClan's camp. She can't make herself go back out today, not without something, and she doesn't want her apprentice to see her grimacing in pain.

There's something twisting her guts, something heavy and steely, hard. She winces as she limps toward Bonejaw's den, tasting something strange at the back of her throat. Like bile, but more bitter, bloodied. "Bonejaw, I think there's something wrong with my stomach," she murmurs, and she grimaces as agony lances through her digestive track. It forces a cough out of her, but no blood comes from it -- but it feels like it should have. "I can't imagine what's wrong. I ate a rat yesterday evening before bed, but... I've eaten a thousand rats. No big deal, right?"

Her expression says it all, but she maintains a plaintive tone. "Can you help me with the pain so I can take Sagepaw out?"

// please wait for @BONEJAW
​

 

[BONERIPPLE]

The molly has been staring, her herbs in disarray. Torn, ripped.

She's trashed everything.

It doesn't matter does it. They were just fine before Starclan gave their so called divine intervention. One that has done nothing but forced things no one wanted. Her deadened gaze lifts up then as someone enters, someone familiar and they being speaking. Talking to her about something. About their pain. Twilightfall. That is the woman's name and yet she just stares at the other. Not paying attention, not all there. For a moment she reaches forward as if to help but then her claws unsheath and she damages the leaves more. The poppy seeds falling to the ground. Littering it. "No." The word has bite to it. Sharp and cold as she looks away from the other. Turns her back.

"Fine someone else to help you. I won't. " She's closed off. No longer speaking and she has no thoughts to say anything more. They can go to Windclan. They can go to Thunderclan. But not to her. Never to her.​

 

[TWILIGHTFALL]

Twilightfall is in pain, and the state of Bonejaw's den - her ruined supplies, her stock shredded to nothing - does not register at first. She stares at the molly, who seems to be seeing through her. Grieving still, perhaps, and the black and white queen is sympathetic, but--

But then Bonejaw tells her, "No." It's cold. Deadpan. There's nothing in her eyes, nothing in her face, that indicates empathy, understanding. Twilightfall takes a half-step backwards. Her guts are still twisting, but her face creases with sorrow. "Find someone else to help you. I won't."

"Okay," she mews, eyes clouded. "I... hope you start feeling better, though, Bonejaw. Your Clan still needs you. Pitchstar still needs you."

Find someone else to help you, Bonejaw says. Another Clan. She decides she'll have to try. She's no help to Sagepaw or any of her Clanmates like this.

"Can someone... help me to the Thunderpath? I need a medicine cat..." She shudders, face tight with pain. Can she make it to the Thunderpath? Each step is debilitating now. What is wrong with her? Even child birth had not been this bad, this painful.

// if someone wants to help her to the Thunderpath, that would be cool! either way she's not gonna make it, she ate a poisoned rat <3 her next post, she dead
​

 

[GECKOSCREECH]

❝ holding it together with one loose string. ❝​

fanciful brows would find themselves creasing together slightly, concern shadowing reflective aqua hues as they fell upon the sickened form of twilightfall who was promptly turned away from the medicine den by bonejaw who seemed adamant in her choice to turn a blushed nose away at the position given to her by the stars. geckoscreech couldn't blame the medicine cat, she didn't think anyone could as losing a loved one so suddenly could cause even the strongest of cats to shatter. although, something about this situation, about shadowclan and the direction it was heading, left a sour note on her tongue.

the slender molly would brush it off to the back of her brain for another moment and allowed herself to approach the queen, body brushing up against the other in a soft show of comfort. "come, i'll help and we'll see if we can't find you someone who'll treat those aches." she mummers, a tinge of worry tacking onto the ends of her words.
​

 

[RIBBITLEAP]

Swamp-hued eyes look from Geckoscreech to Twilightfall. His fallen friend's mother had seen better days, and it was evident in her form that something was up. That she needed help.

And yet, Bonejaw refuses. Bonejaw refuses to help Twilightfall.

Ribbitpaw doesn't understand why. Her job was to help, so, she should have been helping, right? Hadn't she learned what happens when ShadowClan's sick get sent off to another clan for healing? The thought makes Ribbitpaw nervous.

He shouldn't think like that. Twilightfall would be fine. She had to be. It probably was just, a stomach ache. Those go away, eventually. Twilightfall would be fine.

But, with his mother offering to aid Twilightfall in her journey to the thunderpath...

"I'll go too," he quickly says, bounding over to the two, standing at the opposite side of the ShadowClan queen, prepared to support her if she were to lose her balance on their trek.

Whatever happens, Ribbitpaw can't let either of them meet the same fate Briarstar did.
​

 

[Frostbite]

"I'll help."

He trotted over to the group, shooting the medicine cat den an irritated look. Bonejaw was the only one with medical knowledge, wasn't she? Why wouldn't she help?

Well, he knew SOME. But not a lot. Not at all.


" If anything, I can carry her to our destination." He said. He was big, he could manage that.




​

 

[spicepaw?]

Mama Twi is complaining of a belly ache and immediately the kitten comes to swarm around her paws, eyes wide as Bone bites forth a bitter no. Spice's face falls as she looks between the two tall women. Theres a small spark of fear in the girls heart as she looks back to Twilightfall, the sorrow in her eyes, the cloudiness- she feels her own stomach begin to ache as she attempts to press in to Twilights legs, ears flattening.

"Mama Twi, does your stomach hurt?" Spice states the obvious but its apparent shes only trying to distract herself from the fear that she could have another Mama go to sleep for a long time. "You ate something silly, so thats why your stomach hurts." Spicepaw would not let them go without her, Spice would stay besides Mama Twi's side through this whole thing. ​

[ A FESTIVE REPRISE ]​

 

[TWILIGHTFALL]

CW ; skimmed over mentions of vomiting + death

She gives the ivory queen who pads to her side an appreciative smile. "Thank you, Geckoscreech," she murmurs. She and Geckoscreech had known loss together, had perservered together, and she feels love burning in heart heart for the other molly. "Perhaps... Sootstar will allow her medicine cat to assist." She grimaces. She doesn't know the ThunderClan leader well, and Cinderfrost is so different than she had been when she'd lived here.

Ribbitpaw, the poor thing, follows at his mother's heels, stating he'll accompany. Frostbite, too, even offers to carry her, and Twilightfall only chuckles weakly at his offer. "I'll walk, but if I fall, I might have to take you up on that."

Spicepaw, the darling child she'd found that day, now an apprentice and asking her if she ate something funny. Twilightfall's mind is clouded with that dull, twisting pain in her stomach, but she leans down to touch her nose to Spicepaw's. "I'm not sure, darling. I'm sure everything will be fine, though."

The small patrol sets out, and each step becomes laborious. Waves of heat, alternating with feeling as though frost is coating her pelt, cause her to become nauseous. She has to pull away and retch, and she's dismayed to see blood in the sick.

"I... don't know if I'll make it," she whispers, panting. She has to lay down, she has to, she's going to collapse if she doesn't, and there are Ribbitpaw and Spicepaw to think about. The last thing she wants to do is alarm them by collapsing.

But as she sinks to the marshy earth, her panting becomes worse. Red speckles her paws again as she heaves. "Oh, I can't..." Her eyes dim. "I'll have to rest," she croaks, and she lays on her side. The pain is receding now, replaced with numbness, and it's a relief. She succumbs to it, welcomes it. Her sight begins to fade, but she's looking at Spicepaw, her silhouette, how small she is.

"I love you. ShadowClan will take care of you... they took care of me," she croaks. Her sight doubles, and then there is another Spicepaw beside the tangible one.

No, it's not Spicepaw. It's not her adopted daughter, but her son. He is not cold and coated in blood as he had been when she'd last held him. He's looking at her with wise yellow eyes, starlight sparkling in his fur.

"Ash?" She whispers. "Have you... come for me?"

He had. She closes her eyes and smiles, blood and spittle bubbling at her maw.

tl;dr she's dead

​

 

[GECKOSCREECH]

❝ holding it together with one loose string. ❝​

it keeps happening, one after the other. residents of shadowclan are withering away like petals upon a rose with bystanders who can do nothing but watch helplessly as the stars claim another one for their ranks.

how foolish it was of geckoscreech to believe they'd have a chance to save twilightfall, to think they'd ever make it to one of their neighbors with the hopes someone could do something. anything.

the party was hardly even a few fox-lengths away from camp when twilightfall grew far too weak to go any further, retching up bile tinged with crimson before sinking into the cooling muddy grounds. it wrenched the ivory queen's heart to listen to how the other's lungs struggled to take in air without having it sound like something is clogging her throat.

"shadowclan will take care of you, they took care of me"

those words rasped out to poor spicepaw, it had left anger to rear it's ugly head around in the pits of her stomach. geckoscreech was hardly aware of the way claws had slipped from their sheathes to dig into the marshy earth.

she was losing a friend.

shadowclan had failed twilightfall.

now all had to watch as the remaining light of life drained from pale green eyes before everything grew still. soon the woman crouched down and ran a bristled tongue between charcoal ears, her voice had become strained with sorrow as she could only muster up a few words.

"i'm sorry. . . "

​

 

[spicepaw?]

Twilight touches her nose against hers and theres that strange fear in her chest again. "Okay, mama." for a second she believes her, nodding as she prances at the groups side. Twilight breaks and bends, says she doesn't know if she'll make it and panicked eyes flit across each member of the small patrol. She throws up bright red, sinks in to the marsh ground. "No, no, nonono, mama, get up." she couldn't- she couldn't have mama Twi sleep forever too. Too many cats, too many cats she has lost to the eternal sleep. Her own bile rises in her throat as she desperately steps forwards.

I love you. ShadowClan will take care of you... they took care of me. Its the sentence that breaks her. Tears begin to roll down her cheeks. This was stupid! So, so stupid! Why? Was she cursed with this? Was she cursed to watch everyone around her fall in to slumber, one at a time? "Mama, mama please," her voice is nothing but a wretched croak, like her own body betrays her. Shes full on sobbing now, pressing her forehead against her adoptive mothers side. "I- I don't want them, I want you! So please, please mama, its not that far- DON'T LEAVE ME!" her voice rises and breaks, shatters in to pieces as Twilight becomes limp.

Theres a smile on her face, Twilights. Shes not moving, shes sleeping, shes so tired and Spice is nothing but selfish as loud cries come from her form. Twilight was the only familiarity she had in this stupid clan, stupid, stupid, stupid, she wants her mama back. She cannot muster anything else to say asides from the hysterical crying. Gecko's voice falls upon deaf ears, its distant, aching, mourning.
​

[ A FESTIVE REPRISE ]​

 

[turtlenose]

Horror would cross her face as she watched the scene progress. Another death was not what they needed right now. Keeping her distance from the crowd, she would wonder what exactly had caused this to happen. By the sound of it, the food they had could potentially be contaminated as well, and there was not much reason for her to think that they could do much about it now. While she wanted to speak out, the way she’d been disciplined by Pitchstar the last time she tried to step up had her feeling less than enthused about the idea of taking charge. “Someone should go through the fresh-kill pile.” Murmuring to a clanmate beside her, the woman would remain keeping her distance as she nibbled on a frog. If I’m not going to be appreciated, I’ll keep to myself. Minimum effort from here on out.
​

 

[RIBBITLEAP]

He takes slow steps alongside the queen, careful eyes locked onto Twilightfall's frame.

They'll make it to the thunderpath. They'll get her help. They have to. They need to.

However, with every step that's taken isn't just a step closer to the thunderpath. No, it's a step closer to the inevitable, of what Ribbitpaw has been fearing.

Twilightfall needs to rest. They slow to a stop.

"Take your time," Ribbitpaw encourages her, "It's okay." But, it's not. It's not okay, because Twilightfall gets worse, and suddenly there's blood, and then.

And then she's gone, beckoned to StarClan by her son. Reunited in the stars.

Tears blur his eyes as he hears Spicepaw's cries, his mother's sorrowful words. He turns away, relieving his eyes of the scene before him. This couldn't be happening. ShadowClan couldn't lose another. Ribbitpaw couldn't lose another.

And yet. Here they all are, yet again. Another member of ShadowClan recruited to the stars.

"She's in StarClan now," he quickly offers to Spicepaw, "She's with Ash. It's okay. It will be okay." He tries to comfort the kid, but hardly believes the words himself. Would it truly be okay?

He hates them, StarClan. Hates them for taking so many away from ShadowClan. Hates them for putting Bonejaw in power, only for her to refuse to treat Twilightfall.

This shouldn't have happened. Twilightfall deserved to still be here.
​

 

[Frostbite]

It all happened so quickly to him. He was choked with anxiety, unable to speak as he watched Twilightfall slip away. He didn't know what to do. Was his clan doomed to suffer? Had they angered the stars?

No matter the reason, the stars could kiss his ass. How was he supposed to have faith in them after all that has happened?

This isn't fair.

He gripped the ground with his claws as he hung his head, squeezing his eyes shut.

It's not fair.
​