A Cure's Call (ArchStem's Journey)

Prolouge

Three starry cats gathered around a stone, it's large exterior scorched long ago.
The three stared at each other, their eyes cold and hesitant.
Non wanting to start the conversation that had to come.
Moving swiftly another joined them, her gray patchy fur ragged and see through. Her glimmering shadow appeared to be almost nothing.
"SootPounce?" Questioned a black Tom. His golden eyes bore into her flank. "Yes GrayRipple...." SootPounce hissed, her voice low and aggressive.
"You have no business being here." GrayRipple responded echoing the she cats tone.
"GrayRipple... I'm honestly offended." The ragged she cat stifled, a fake look of hurt clouding her face. "Do you think I'd be here if I wasn't invited?"
The she cats face contorted into a smirk as she glared at the tom. "Ok enough both of you we have business to attend to..," a tortoise shell with spiky fur hissed warning the arguing cats.
"Of course...PrickleStar, my apologies," GrayRipple mewed apologetically. Sharing one last glare with the she cat.

The former leader just snorted and turned to the three cats before her. "BreezeClan is in danger... we all know this. They have been infected with a sickness-"
"A deadly sickness that could threaten to wipe out the clan...." mumbled the fourth cat, a small blue tabby tom. "Yes, as I was saying ElmStrike... the sickness could wipe out the clan, we've seen how many new cats have joined are ranks recently and I'm afraid it's not over."
The others huffed in agreement. "Well what are we supposed to do? We haven't seen a sickness like this before, no herbs have helped cure any of cats. What if it spreads to StormClan? Or RippleClan? Or ShadeClan?" SootPounce asked, her curved claws sliding into the stones exterior. "I'm aware of this... what about the ancients? Have they said anything..."
PrickleStar asked, with a lash of her tail, as she shot the other shecat a glare. "No."
ElmStrike answered, drawing a paw up to his ear. "No one has heard of a cure, I've asked most of the medicine cats, the ancients... nothing"
PrickleStar nodded, "what about the founders? They might know."
"Look if the ancients don't know then I really doubt th-"
The glare the former leader gave GrayRipple for speaking could have split an oak. She was desperate to help her former clan. "We will ask, we have to...ElmStrike, can you fetch Bindweed?" The tabby nodded before slipping into the undergrowth, his small frame quickly disappeared.
"Their is nothing that doesn't have a cure ya know?" SootPounce spoke up, making the tortoiseshell to turn to the ragged she cat. "Maybe, let's hope..unless we want three clans and not four..."
***
"PrickleStar!" ElmStrike's Call came from the undergrowth as he burst out followed by a faded tom cat. The former leader pricked her ears "Yes? ElmStrike? Bindweed." "PrickleStar" Bindweed returned the tortoiseshell's gaze. "I heard you need my help..," the faded founder asked. Not dropping his gaze.
"Yes, with the sickness,... your some of the oldest and wisest cats in StarClan, we were hoping you'd have a cute. After all you were one of the first medicine cats."
PrickleStar spoke, a hopeful undertone in her serious voice. The tom thought for a moment, his gaze dropped and eyes glazed over as he searched his memories.
"Symptoms?" He asked.
The tortoise shell shook her head, she should have started with those. "Well-"
"High fever, vomiting, an extreme cough. Causing blood and foam to leak from the mouths of the cats infected with it. They are thirsty yet don't want to drink with a pain in their throats."
GrayRipple and SootPounce stated at the same moment sharing a quick glance.
"Contagious?"
"Highly. Cats have been quarantined and forced to stay from their camps in makeshift dens. It's a miracle MallowPad isn't sick... but she's wearing herself thin."
This time the question was answered by ElmStrike, the small tabbies mouth moving quickly with the knowledge he let loose.
"I believe I know what your talking about. I'm my time, the beginning of the clans. We had an awful sickness that spread through all the clans. We were forced to move territories and leave are dying clan mates... but a few that were sick survived."
Bindweed returned the gazed of the slightly shocked spirits, he blinked in surprise did the other warriors not know the tale? He snorted the way history was lost in time. He clawed a shape in the ground below him. "They found a small flower, it was white with red rims. And a yellow center. It was a very effective herb. We were able to return to are camps after a few moons."
"Back to the old territories?" Asked PrickleStar, earning a head shake from the older tom. "To a territory before that."
He finished his drawing, there was a flower with pointed petals.
"Where can it be found?" The leader immediately shot out. The old medicine cat shook his head. "I'm afraid no where near the current clans... you'd have to send a cat far from any clan to find it. Back to the old, old territories, maybe even the original territories."

The other four cats stared at the tom as he finished his story. "Your serious?" He nodded.
"Then we need to send a message to MallowPad! Or another medicine cat!" GrayRipple shouted. PrickleStar hissed "No! No other clans should know... there would be a wide panic. We really shouldn't! And we can't send MallowPad. BreezeClan needs their medicine cat, unless they want to die quicker."
The She cat stood her back arched and hackles on end. Her bushy tail lashed as her amber eyes glowed with aggression.
GrayRipple shrank back, meeting the She cat's glare. ".. right of course... but the other clans will find out eventually..."
Sighing PrickleStar nodded. "Well... yes I understand but... they should keep it a secret for as long as possible."
The others nodded their agreement.
"If we can't send a medicine cat, who should we send?"
"A warrior"
"But who?"
"ComfreyStream? CopperWillow?"
"ArchStem..."
The others looked around ears pricked.
"He is a strong cat, he can take care of himself... he is the right one. He is capable of this task. He's young and determined to prove himself, he wouldn't return if he failed his task."
"Let's hope so."
***
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