private THE BREATH OF CORRUPTION

[RAVENSONG]

He wakes up from another dream, breathing heavily through his sickened nose. Ravensong grips at the feathers that line his nest and realizes a couple of them have been shredded, some of the down still stuck between his toes. Steadying his breathing is an arduous task—he can feel his lungs wheeze and struggle within their cavity. With such little interaction, he feels more alone the longer he spends time with his own mind.

Gathering some semblance of normalcy, he starts to become aware of the other bodily functions he needs. For instance, his throat is dry and it is painful. In any other circumstance he would not think such a simple desire was a matter of life and death, but he worries the longer he lets himself waste away, the more frequent delirium would visit him. Ravensong staggers to his paws, eyeing the stream that ran alongside the medicine cat den. He would only be out for a moment, he reassured himself, there would be no more sick cats today.

@Ratpaw

☾₊ ⊹ темная ночь — dark is the night

•  
• 
  RAVENSONG of RIVERCLAN
  — LH BLACK POLYDACTYL MALE (CARRYING CINNAMON, DILUTE) a tall, slender creature with pitch-black feathery fur, large ears, and a sharply angled skull held up in an aloof manner. smells of dried herb, speaks with a low and rumbly accent and walks with an elegant slinking gait.
  
  — born in twolegplace and orphaned at a young age, he joined riverclan at its inception and began training as a drypaw warrior known for a bitter temperment until beesong made him his medicine cat apprentice. after his mentor's untimely death, he had been named ravensong at the moonstone, young heart revitalized with anger and guilt. he is a somber and thorough medicine cat that guards every word spoken in the confines of his den.
  
  — secretly loves "the stars but not so much what inhabits them"
  — openly suffers from chronic migraines
  — single, but "it's complicated"

​

 

[Moonbeam]

The snow-colored apprentice did not see her opposite in color as a friend, but as a cat that she looked up to, his strength to keep going and keep healing and take care of the clan - even in his own fever-induced hallucination - was something that she respected. As a cat that she respect she had tried her best to take care of him in his time of need, in the young apprentice's own little way of course. She knew not what herbs looked like and didn't dare try to bring random plants to Ravensong's den, but instead she offered to stay around camp and help clean the elder's den, help with tasks that many didn't like doing, just so she could keep an eye on him. She knew she couldn't keep it up for forever - she had training to do, and it would get boring in camp eventually - but Ratpaw just wanted to make sure Ravensong was okay, that he would be fine and no longer speak of things that weren't happening.

She was moving old pieces of nest out of the nursery when she saw him, "Ravensong!" She spoke around the old materials, voice muffled around the various items she now carried in her mouth. Quickly she looked around to find a spot out of the way to put them before dropping the materials, ears pricked as she moved quickly over to the medicine cat and coming to a stop a few paces away, not wanting to get too close just in case. "Are you feeling better now? I can get you some food if you want!" Hopeful smile rest on her face as she looked up towards the other, ready to run and fetch whatever it was that he wanted just in case.

ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ I thought that love would stay a mystery

• 
  ⋆ ratkit - ratpaw - rat???
  ⋆ female - she/her - 4 moons
  ⋆ homosexual - too young for relationship
  ⋆ apprentice of riverclan
  ⋆ attack - speech - thought
  ⋆ penned by tikki

​

​

 

[RAVENSONG]

Ratpaw moves across his field of vision like a white streak. For a moment, Ravensong thinks that he is in the presence of a ghost so his fur is ruffled along his spine by the time she comes to a stop. He blinks watery tears from his eyes and calms once he recognizes Ratpaw's amber eyes. His haunches fall to the ground by the stream of water and he places a paw inside it, feeling the coolness sooth his inner fever.

"No." He rasps. He will not be feeling like himself until the lungwort is returned. And even then, he worries about the damage the sickness could wreck upon his body. He may never be the same again. Ravensong blinks again, surprised that he cannot feel tears coming from his eyes.

Ravensong looks back at the young apprentice, recalling her back when she was a kit with wide eyes and questions of the Moonstone. "Have the elders and queens eaten?" Is all he asks, shaking out his dull coat with a defeated sigh.

☾₊ ⊹ темная ночь — dark is the night

•  
• 
  RAVENSONG of RIVERCLAN
  — LH BLACK POLYDACTYL MALE (CARRYING CINNAMON, DILUTE) a tall, slender creature with pitch-black feathery fur, large ears, and a sharply angled skull held up in an aloof manner. smells of dried herb, speaks with a low and rumbly accent and walks with an elegant slinking gait.
  
  — born in twolegplace and orphaned at a young age, he joined riverclan at its inception and began training as a drypaw warrior known for a bitter temperment until beesong made him his medicine cat apprentice. after his mentor's untimely death, he had been named ravensong at the moonstone, young heart revitalized with anger and guilt. he is a somber and thorough medicine cat that guards every word spoken in the confines of his den.
  
  — secretly loves "the stars but not so much what inhabits them"
  — openly suffers from chronic migraines
  — single, but "it's complicated"

​

 

[Moonbeam]

Eyes flicked over Ravensong as his fur rise along his spine, and for a moment Ratpaw was tempted to back away to help make the other feel better. She watched as teary eyes blinked and a soft frown formed then - he didn't look better - and his own response only proved that he wasn't.

No.

She felt her hope deflate and ears swiveled back onto her skull in disappointment. She knew it wouldn't have been likely that he was better - he had yellowcough after all - but it could have still been possible that with him having the illness he could have found something else that would have helped better. She didn't know how that would have worked, but she had hope within the medicine cat to do what he could - and hopefully not overwork himself or die trying. Have the elders and queens eaten? A nod of her head in response and a soft hum of an "mmhm" could be heard before she got to her paws once more, "There's not a lot to choose from, but since they've eaten that means your next!" He was sick and couldn't hunt for himself, so that meant that he and those in his care were the next ones to be fed, and Ratpaw would gladly forego a meal or two to make sure the one keeping everyone else around them healthy was healthy himself.

Paws shuffled and Rat looked down at them for a moment before she looked back up once more towards Ravensong, face screwed up in thought for a moment before words spilled once more, "Do you think they'll be back soon?" The words were softer this time, said with less enthusiasm as the ones she had spoken before, the "who" of her question going unspoken. They had already been gone for what seemed like forever, and even though she was still hopeful, every day the cats were gone she felt less and less of that hope. Whether it be impatience or something else she didn't know, but the thought was something she was scared to speak out loud - what if they didn't come back? "You said that you saw them before, crossing the bridge..." Thought trailed off as soon as it was said. She didn't know how much he remembered from his delusional state, and didn't want to bring too much up in case he'd rather not talk about it - Ratpaw knew she wouldn't want to if she were in his paws.

ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ I thought that love would stay a mystery

• 
  ⋆ ratkit - ratpaw - rat???
  ⋆ female - she/her - 5 moons
  ⋆ homosexual - too young for relationship
  ⋆ apprentice of riverclan
  ⋆ attack - speech - thought
  ⋆ penned by tikki

​

​

 

[RAVENSONG]

"Hm." He mimics her hum of acknowledgement, but he makes no effort to take any prey for himself. Perhaps that is some of yellowcough's doing, to make even the most appetizing fish unappetizing. That is one way it can kill you—by making you refuse to eat. Ravensong expected nothing less from the terrible disease.

Do you think they'll be back soon?

He bristles.

He has no idea how long it is supposed to be. He sent every and each of those cats to their deaths. They could very well not return at all. They could die—they could find something better. He cannot say. He wishes he could. But although he has the power of the future, he can only see so far as to what the heavens above allow him too.

Ratpaw's question stretches on, unanswered for a while, before Ravensong's eyes grow glassy and his lip curls. "They like to keep their paws curled." He snarled under his breath. "Like to keep us grasping for hope like newborn kits. I hope, for my sake, that they truly are as powerful as they tell me. When I get there—when I see—."

He blinks and he gazes at Ratpaw. A sense of familiarity comes across his raving face and his fur lays flat. "Some nights I see them fallen on sharp stones. Some nights I see them with lungwort. Some nights I see them at the Thunderpath. And then other nights I see horse-size cats with sharp teeth clutching fur in their teeth."

It's morbid and dark, it is what Ravensong had always wallowed in but rarely ever showed. Perhaps the sickness had melted a little of that away. And perhaps he trusts Ratpaw enough to not be afraid of who he truly is. Because what is what one is worth when they are all but beaten down and suffering?

"You can't trust me when I say those things." His eyes bore pleadingly into her face.

☾₊ ⊹ темная ночь — dark is the night

•  
• 
  RAVENSONG of RIVERCLAN
  — LH BLACK POLYDACTYL MALE (CARRYING CINNAMON, DILUTE) a tall, slender creature with pitch-black feathery fur, large ears, and a sharply angled skull held up in an aloof manner. smells of dried herb, speaks with a low and rumbly accent and walks with an elegant slinking gait.
  
  — born in twolegplace and orphaned at a young age, he joined riverclan at its inception and began training as a drypaw warrior known for a bitter temperment until beesong made him his medicine cat apprentice. after his mentor's untimely death, he had been named ravensong at the moonstone, young heart revitalized with anger and guilt. he is a somber and thorough medicine cat that guards every word spoken in the confines of his den.
  
  — secretly loves "the stars but not so much what inhabits them"
  — openly suffers from chronic migraines
  — single, but "it's complicated"

​

 

[Moonbeam]

Frown once more graced the feline's features as she noticed Ravensong not taking any prey, but she'd leave it for now - he knew what he was doing, even in this sickened state. She had to believe that or else there was no hope for those within his care. Ears pinned to head as Ravensong's fur bristled and in that instant Ratpaw regret asking her question, worried for the other and remembering the state he'd been in when they had first found out he was sick. She was not scared of him, but of illness getting worse, and all she could do was listen.

She could not picture fully the dreams that Ravensong spoke of, though chill ran down her spine as the other told her of the things he saw. Not all good, not all bad, instead mixed of the two some she could see being real and others obviously not able to. Even if it was a dream brought on by fever and sickness however, she liked to believe that the one of lungwort was true. StarClan sent the cats to get the plant and so that one must be true, even buried in nonsense.

Relaxed she became as gaze softened and she let out a breath that she hadn't realized had been held and slowly nod her head in response to his words. "Maybe some of your dreams are true, buried in the fake ones." Little spark of hope, an attempt to make him feel better the best she could do, "But we'll find out when they get back," Because they would, they would come back, "And I'll make sure we rush them to you as soon as they do." She knew everyone would want to talk to those coming back - they were all deeply missed - but stories could be shared after the lungwort was brought to Ravensong.

Soft exhale of breath and the apprentice would offer the other a soft smile, despite the current state of the clan she was going to keep her spirits high and try to help with those of the others around her, because she had to.

☾₊ ⊹ give me a ghost of a smile

• 
  ⋆ ratkit - ratpaw - rat???
  ⋆ female - she/her - 6 moons
  ⋆ homosexual - not looking
  ⋆ apprentice of riverclan
  ⋆ peaceful powerplay allowed
  ⋆ attack - "speech" - thought
  ⋆ penned by tikki

​