Love Will Take You Places

This Is Not Okay

It's been at least five moons since LilyPad became an apprentice but she might as well be a warrior. Dream has finally became a full medicine wolf and she insisted on changing her name, her name is now DreamHeart. Her, Deer, Moon, and Storm all stood up one night and announced themselves as having their new mates. Now that DreamHeart and Deer has become mates they started constantly hanging out together, he taught her basic fighting moves, the would hunt, and he would help her with herbs and things like that. Moon and Storm on the other hand were even more inseparable than before they were mates. I sighed gently at the thought of being a grandmother to the pups of my kids. MoonLight came and payed down beside me and I could see the same sense of love and worry reflecting in his eyes. I layed my head down on my paws. He layed his head on top of mine as well. It felt just as good as it did whenever we snuck out to be together as apprentices. I chuckled to myself and he licked the top of my head. I quickly jerked up and startled MoonLight. I started coughing and spasms shook my whole body. My eyes started watering and it felt my lungs were trying to jump out of my body. But after a few quick seconds, that seemed to last forever, it was over and I had stopped coughing. MoonLight was looking at me shocked and worried, "I'm fine dear, I promise, I just have a feather stuck in my throat or something." I could tell he wanted to protest but he could see the stubbornness in my eyes and reluctantly nodded.

I was sitting guard that night and was trying to stay awake and aware. We had found wolf stench everywhere on our border. The wolf knew we were here and was leaving it as a warning. I just wasn't sure if he knew how many of us there was. Another coughing fit broke out from my chest and I heard everyone start grumbling because I kept waking them up. Me being my stubborn self I refused to take any of Dawn's supplies whenever we needed them for the coming winter. I heard a low growl come from the bushes next to me. I jumped up and turned towards it, every hair on my body sticking up threateningly. I growled very low and deep. I could tell you'd be able to see my ribs under my thin fur but I tried to puff my pelt up so that I still looked threatening. A large male wolf slid out from the bushes and lowered himself so that he was nose to nose with me. My eyes flashed with rage as I could tell he was taunting me for my small size. "What do you want from us?" I growled as threateningly as I could. "You're so frail and weak, and I want your prey. You're too weak to fight me." He growled back. He clearly couldn't tell that there was eleven more wolves in the cave behind me. Apparently his sniffer wasn't as good as he thought it was. "No way will you get my prey! Me and my pack have worked hard to catch it!" "What are there two, three of you? I'm guessing all of you are as weak as you are." Before I could answer another coughing fit shook my body. Through gasping breaths I growled out, "There's eleven of us...and the alpha will not be happy when he finds out that some small wolf...has been taunting his mate." "Small?! Who're you calling small?!" "Well compared to me you're large but compared to him," I pointed my tail towards MoonLight's large sleeping figure, "You're as scrawny as a deer." He scoffed. I howled as loud as my sick body would let me and I could hear the rest of the pack shooting up and rushing out of the cave. The wolf's eyes grew wide as we were suddenly all surrounding him. MoonLight stepped up and glared down at him, the wolves snout only reached MoonLight's chin. He started backing up and then turned and tried to escape. I tried to chase after him but before I could get far I started coughing again and this time I fell over as the coughs shook my body. I coughed so hard them at I distinctly remember throwing up the deer that I had eaten. The last thing I remember was MoonLight running up to me and then... it was all black, I had passed out.

I woke up groggily in the very far back corner of the cave. I tried standing up but my legs buckled under me and I was laying back down. DreamHeart came up to me and dropped a small pile of leaves and petals beside my about. "Don't waste your herbs o—" "Don't argue, you need these," then more quietly, "If you don't take them you would just get more and more sick...and we need you right now," She strengthened her voice again, "and plus this is a command, I may be your pup but right now I am in charge of you." I smiled and quickly lapped up the herbs. Deer brought me some soaked moss so I wouldn't have to get up to drink. I lapped at the water quickly. I could feel my fur getting hot, my head was aching, and so was my stomach but I didn't  want them to use more herbs than they needed too. I broke into another coughing fit as soon as I opened my mouth to speak. Deer jumped up and raced towards the hollow tree where the medicine wolves kept their herbs and where they stayed most of the day. My whole body shook while I was coughing. When I stopped my vision had blurred but I could tell that by now everyone was crowded around me, but at a distance as to not get sick themselves. MoonLight was the only one that was right beside me. I could feel him licking my head and could hear he was trying to soothe me. Dawn dropped more herbs in front of me. I ate them reluctantly but I knew that I couldn't leave MoonLight just yet. Right before I went back to sleep I heard Dawn and DreamHeart whispering and I only heard on snippet, "This is not okay... ," but then I was passed out again.