Beyond The Stars

Chapter 5

As dawn slowly approached, cats began slowly coming out of their dens to begin their morning tasks. It was just the beginnings of Newleaf, but remains of snow still stuck to the branches, shimmering in the sun like moonstones.

Moonsong awoke to the sound of coughing coming from somewhere to her left. Yawning, she turned her head to see the smaller form of Softpaw convulsing as she coughed and gasped for air, breathing heavily as though she were overheated. Her eyes were closed, but they were shut too tightly for her to have been asleep, and her expression was contorted with pain.

Leaping swiftly to her paws, Moonsong quickly got to work examining her apprentice, trying to pin-point what was wrong with the younger cat.

"Oh StarClan, please tell me that this isn't what I think this is!" Moonsong worriedly meowed to herself as she began grabbing different herbs.

But as she gently dabbed some water-soaked moss on her apprentice's forehead, Moonsong's fears were confirmed as she watched the copper-point she-cat struggle to breathe. Knowing what she had to do almost instantly, the silver-gray medicine cat quickly went to the back of the medicine den to fetch some catmint.

Quickly giving the herb in question to the still-shivering copper-point medicine cat apprentice, Moonsong sighed for what felt like the thousandth time that morning and stared worriedly down at her apprentice. Softpaw had greencough. She had greencough, and that meant she could very well be on her way to StarClan if not treated properly or, without the necessary herbs to assist with breathing and coughing.

Shaking her head to banish the negative thoughts slithering in her mind like a restless snake, Moonsong's ocean-blue eyes narrowed in concentration and she turned her attention back to her apprentice.

Moonsong sighed softly and flattened her ears. This wasn't good, Softpaw had greencough and Moonsong knew that she would need to inform Dawnstar of what was happening.

The silver-gray medicine cat in question sighed again and patted out of the medicine cat's den and over to where she saw Dawnstar, who was chatting quietly and sharing a mouse with the FlowerClan deputy, Sweetfoot. .

The pretty dark brown molly looked up as the young medicine cat approached, her green eyes questioning when she saw the bleak expression on her face.

"What's happened, Moonsong?" the brown-and-cream molly asked. "Is everything alright? Did something bad happen?"

"Softpaw won't be able to help me for a while," the silver-gray molly told her grimly.

Dawnstar's eyes widened in alarm. "Why not?"

"She has greencough," she told her weakly. "I think it must have come down sometime last night because I woke up to her coughing."

The dark brown warrior let out a sigh. "Thank you, Moonsong," she murmured, her eyes downcast and sad. "I will inform her mother and littermates, how is she right now?" the FlowerClan leader meowed, her tone sounding very concerned as she stared at her medicine cat.

Moonsong sighed softly and flattened her ears. "Softpaw is contagious right now, I wouldn't recommend going into the medicine den. If you or anyone else need anything, please let me know and I'll handle it."

"What's wrong with Softpaw?"

The three cats all turned in the direction of the small voice. And standing in the entrance of the apprentice's den sat Blackpaw, her beautiful midnight-black fur glinting in the light of the sun and her sapphire-colored eyes shimmering like that of their namesake in the bright, almost harsh, blinding light of the rising sun.

It was known to only a select few cats that the pretty black molly had a crush on the sassy and playful copper-point medicine cat apprentice. But Softpaw was a medicine cat apprentice, and as a medicine cat apprentice, Softpaw can't fall in love.

"Softpaw has greencough," Moonsong told the dark-furred molly. "I better go back and check on her pretty soon. I gave her some catmint earlier but I'd better go see how she's holding up."

Blackpaw's blue eyes lowered and she stared down at her paws. "Can I help you?" the dark- furred molly asked, her blue eyes brightening as she stared up at Moonsong with a pleading look on her face.

The young silver-gray molly sighed for what felt like the twentieth time that morning as she stared directly into Blackpaw's sapphire eyes. "I'm sorry Blackpaw," the medicine cat meowed, her tone sympathetic as he watched her face fall and her ears lower.

"But can I please see her when she wakes up?" Moonsong nodded and that seemed to brighten up her mood. Her tail lifted from its drooped position on the forest floor and she smiled brightly at her before turning and dashing over to her mentor.