salt in the wound || warrior cats

chapter 14

greencough

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DESPITE SKYCLAN'S SCARY threat, there were no attacks. In fact, it seemed as though SkyClan were simply icing ThunderClan out and giving them the silent treatment.

They appeared at Gatherings, though Crowstar would never look Lilystar's way nor speak to her. SkyClan kept closely to themselves, looking right past any ThunderClan cat unless they got too close - then, there would be a scuffle until the two Clans were pulled apart. Violetpaw spotted Sorrelpaw once or twice, standing besides her mentor Oakbounce, her tail whisking through the air.

They never saw SkyClan at the borders anymore. It was like SkyClan had completely redone their border patrol schedule to avoid bumping into ThunderClan cats. When a ThunderClan border patrol passed by, SkyClan's side would always have been already marked.

And, of course, SkyClan's pushing on borders never ceased. Often, border patrols would find that their neighboring Clan had marked trees or rocks clearly on ThunderClan's side of the border, and in an outrage, cats would demand an attack. However, Lilystar, who was looking desperately to avoid war, would always deny them.

"Let them push our borders if they'd like," she'd meow. "In the end, we know what's ours and what's theirs. They're the ones acting like kits. We won't stoop to their level or respond when they're so obviously trying to get a reaction."

Violetpaw, like all her fellow apprentices, felt a rush of pride when it came to defending her Clan. But it was her leader's orders not to engage or react, and despite all the grumblings and decrease of prey that leafbare brought, life wasn't too bad.

In fact, trouble didn't truly begin until the Clans were deep into leafbare. Sunbounce had taken Violetpaw out on a training session early that morning, and as the white she-cat engaged in the drills he'd set for her for the umpteenth time, Swanfrost rounded into Grassy Hollow. 

Violetpaw paused momentarily in her drills, her eyes lighting up when she spotted her mother's soft gray pelt. "Mom!" 

Sunbounce bore an expression of great confusion, but flicked his tail warmly in greeting all the same. The two were good friends, after all. "Swanfrost? What're you doing here?"

Swanfrost's blue eyes looked troubled, sucking in a deep breath as she spoke. "It's your mother."

Instantly, the ginger tom froze. "What's wrong? Is she okay?"

Sunbounce's mother, Blossomsky, had recently developed a cold that was serious enough for her to be moved into the medicine den. The dappled white she-cat was a senior warrior, about to become an elder; her deteriorating health was a subject of great concern recently for her family, as Violetpaw had heard from Brightpaw. 

"Featherpool sent me to come find you. She thought I would understand better-" Swanfrost broke off, wincing. "Blossomsky was coughing up blood this morning, Sunbounce. It's greencough."

Violetpaw had been told once that greencough was the illness that took Sunbounce's late sister, Honeykit, when she was young. Apparently, his parents had never stopped grieving her, and the whole family was tense on the subject of the disease.

Thus, a sheer look of horror overtook Sunbounce's face. "Featherpool will heal her, right? She's got catmint."

Swanfrost hesitated. "You'll have to ask her. I'm not exactly sure-"

That's as far as the gray she-cat got before Sunbounce was on his paws, bounding away into the forest and towards camp, calling a hasty, "Violetpaw, we'll finish the drills later," over his shoulder.