Companions (X men Fanfiction)

Sudden Illness

"Starlight! Starlight come quick," begged Kitty as she darted toward me.

I looked up from where I was laying on the couch in the living room and strode toward her. "What's wrong Kitty," I asked as I detected the terror in her voice.

"It's Keen," she panted with wild eyes. "Something's very very wrong with him."

I bolted to my paws, my eyes wild. "Show me to him," I ordered and I felt my heart leaping in my chest. Coldness spread through me and my breath started to get caught in my throat.

Kitty led us to her room. She then opened it before she brought her hands to her face. "I can't stand to see him like that?!"

I nodded in understanding but I had to go in or I wouldn't understand what was troubling him. I took in a breath and pushed myself in. I looked around and realized that Kitty kept her room unusually neat. I flicked my ears as I heard a wretched sound.

"Keen," I asked as I butted my head gingerly against the bathroom door.

I heard more of the awful sounds and knew I had to go in. I slammed my head against the door and forced myself in. I flicked my ears before my eyes adjusted to the lack of light.

I saw Keen leaning over the toilet. He wasn't that large so he had to stand on his tiptoes just to reach. He wretched painfully, bringing up whatever was in his stomach, even if it wasn't anything. He sounded as if he had been at it for a while.

"Keen," I pressed, seeing if he was responsive. He seemed to want to lift his head but he couldn't before he vomited again harshly. His ears were plastered against his head as if he didn't want to hear the sounds that he was making. His whole body was shaking and his tail was tucked between his legs.

"How long has he been like this," I asked Kitty as I strode toward him and sniffed his pelt. He smelled sour with illness and I didn't understand what was making him so sick.

"I'm not sure. I came into the room and he was like this," Kitty explained at the entrance of the bathroom. "Will he be alright?"

"I'm not sure," I confessed as I strode closer to him. I stretched out my muzzle and touched my nose to Keen's pelt. I jolted back as fierce heat spread through me. He was burning up with fever which was making him weak and fatigued. "What did he eat?"

"Er the same thing that I and the rest of the school ate," replied Kitty as she sat down on the floor, her eyes puffy from crying in fear over her companion. "Is there anything I can do?"

I knew I had to give her something to do before her fear spread to Keen and that would make it worse. "I need you to wet a facecloth in another room so I can try and cool him down," I told her. I watched her before she left the room and I was left alone with Keen.

He wretched against and I realized what an awful sound it was. I didn't understand, he was fine about an hour ago. How could he have gone from bouncing around to deathly sick. It must have been something he ate! However I knew that couldn't be because no one else was sick and he ate the same thing as everyone else.

"Keen you have to answer a few questions for me," I urged as I spoke in a soothing tone that I didn't usually use. He managed to weak nod and when he turned his face a bit I saw his eyes. His eyes were hollow and lifeless and it made my heart ache for him. "Did you eat or drink anything beside what you had for supper?"

Keen raised a weak and shaky paw and pointed toward a bowl of water in the corner of the bathroom. He then turned back to the toilet and shuddered, his tail lashing.

I turned and looked at the water bowl. I tilted my head and strode forward. I lowered my head and sniffed the water. It smelled fine but usually water didn't so that didn't surprise me. It didn't look any different but that didn't mean there wasn't something microscopic in the water.

Kitty came back with a drenched facecloth in ice cold water. She placed it on my paw and I ran it over Keen's body to try and cool him down. Now the cool water was mixing with his sweat and he looked drenched. He began to shiver but I knew that the fever was trying to overcompensate the cold water rush.

"Did you pour that water for him," I asked as I flicked my tail toward the water dish on the other side of the bathroom.

Before Kitty could answer Keen let out a harsh hacking cough. He didn't bring anything up this time but the cough was tight and made his whole body tremble. He kept coughing and he couldn't regain his breath. I pounded a paw against his back until his breath turned smoother and he gulped.

"No I didn't give him that. I didn't even know it was in here," sniffed Kitty as she rubbed the back of her hand against her eyes to wipe the tears away.

"Well that might have been what is making him so sick," I murmured before I laid the facecloth over Keen's ears. I then strode toward the water and looked around madly. I saw a cup with a handle. I scooped up some water and grasped onto the handle with my claws.

"Watch over him and come and get me if anything else happens," I told her sternly. "I'm going to test this water out."

She gave a nod and scooted closer to Keen, rubbing his back as she tried to comfort him.

I turned and flapped my wings and carried the water gingerly with my claws. I flew out of the room and kept flying until I made it to what looked to be the lab that the students attended for science classes, mainly biology.

I pushed open the door with my head and rested the cup down gingerly on the counter. I then pushed a stool toward the lab tables for me to sit at while I worked. I rummaged through the supplies until I found what I had been after, a microscope! I let out a sigh and shook my head. Here went my best attempt at being a scientist.