Books » Warriors » Poppyfrost's Dreams
Author: Wonderbat Erin
Rated: K - English - Romance/General - Reviews: 4 - Published: 12-21-11 - Updated: 12-29-11
id:7657048
Yo! It's me again! This is for you, Sparrowclaw of ThunderClan, except that this isn't an extended version ;), but instead another story, same plot from Poppyfrost's POV!
Disclaimer: Nothing recognisable is anything I own.
I glanced over at Jayfeather, admiring his sleek black fur. I knew that he was as prickly as a thorn bush, but for some reason, I desperately wanted to get closer to him.
Then, that day, I went out hunting with Cloudtail and Willowshine. I was already feeling sickly before I went, but when Brambleclaw ordered me to go, I just followed blindly. Suddenly, I saw a rabbit crouching in a clearing, nibbling on a patch of grass. I marvelled at my good fortune, and lowered my body to the ground. Slowly, silently, I glided across the soil. Just when I was about to pounce, heavy coughs racked my body and the rabbit fled in fear. Cross and disappointed, I attempted to catch other prey and finally succeeded, trapping a small robin beneath my paws. However, two more animals escaped me, and all because of my ailment. I then decided to go to Jayfeather for a cure for my cough.
When I returned, I headed straight for the medicine cat's den. Brushing past the tendrils of vine shielding the cave from the burning sun, I padded into the cool shade of Jayfeather's home.
His empty blue eyes gazed into my amber eyes, and even though I knew he was blind, I could hardly suppress a shiver at the cold, burning gaze.
"What do you want?"he snapped, brusque as usual. "Well, I have a cough, and I just thought you would have some herbs to help..."I trailed off, uncertain whether he would growl at me for bothering him.
Surprisingly, he kept silent and slowly stalked over to me. He sniffed me and pressed a paw to my body, before trotting over to an alcove. He took out a bunch of herbs and thrust them at me. "You're fine, it's just a mild cough. Eat these and you'll be fine. Report back to me tomorrow, I'll give you more if it hasn't subsided,"Jayfeather said disagreeably, and returned to taking stock of his other herbs.
Okay, so he doesn't want to be disturbed. That's fine by me, I decided, and hurried back to the warrior's den to eat the herbs he had given to me.
The next day, I woke up feeling terribly ill. My forehead was burning and I could hardly see my paws. Stumbling towards the medicine cat's den, I called out for Jayfeather in an urgent voice.
"What..."he sounded irritated and sleepy, as if I had just woken him up. "Uh... It's Poppyfrost, I seem to have gotten worse, I'm burning up..."
At that, there was the sound of shuffling, and he came out, still yawning. Again, he sniffed me, then his sightless eyes widened in alarm."Oh no! I was so blind!" I refrained from telling him that he was already blind. It would only aggravate him further."What?"I stammered.
"You have greencough!"
This realization stunned me even further. Thankfully, I had seen fit to sleep away from the others, in case I spread the cough to them."I don't think I gave it to anyone. I slept alone,"I comforted him, feeling some of his anxiety drain away at my statement.
"You've got to stay here. I'll do my best to treat you. Thank StarClan it's greenleaf,"he muttered. Hurrying over to a different alcove, he pulled out a few stalks of an unknown herb, then ran to another and retrieved another lot of herbs. He placed them in front of me and ordered me to eat them, then returned to the holes and pulled out another set of the plants and crushed them to make a poultice, which he spread on my forehead to make my fever go down.
For the next few days, he fussed over me, albeit reluctantly. It was overall a boring stay, the only interesting times being when my friends and family members came to visit me, and random Clanmates came in to seek Jayfeather's help.
I tried to be patient and never snapped when the medicine cat jabbed a nasty remark at me, or snapped at me when I attempted to strike up a conversation. Nevertheless, I could feel my patience start to waver. I started to cry when I thought he wasn't looking, begging StarClan to help me. For I had realised why I put up with him. With every passing day, I was more and more convinced of why I had become so fragile and yet so strong.
I loved him.
I loved Jayfeather, despite how prickly he was. Despite all his faults, I was sure that there was some good in him. Although I knew my love was forbidden, the ache inside me was growing, and I could feel it caving in, coaxing me to do what I believed was wrong.
I desperately wanted to show him how much I cared.
I guessed that his bad mood was due to my stubborn fever that refused to abate. My visitors teased me, asking how I could put up with Jayfeather's increasingly bad temper. When I replied hesitantly that he was fine and so was I, they would pull faces and tease me more.
Finally, I started to show signs of recovery. Jayfeather became more affable, and we often found ourselves chatting about minor things, the situation so different from our previous one. Gossip began to spread. I could hear Jayfeather's rare friends teasing him, when I lurked behind the vine curtain to eavesdrop.
At last, I recovered, but I felt no better about it. Strangely, Jayfeather seemed to feel the same about me leaving. Our friendship continued regardless of the distance between us. To narrow it down, I went into his den often, trying to make him see what the turmoil inside of me was by making vague remarks about a tomcat whom I liked while helping him sort out herbs. In turn, he told me of how he hated his mother and why, and how he was pointed at and whispered about because of his blindness.
My dreams came through the very night, the half moon, when I decided to go hunting on my own to catch some prey for us to share.
When I returned, I was waylaid by an anxious-looking Jayfeather."Where were you?"he demanded.
I was surprised by his vehemence, but said in a cheery tone,"Hunting!"
I darted towards his den and dropped a mouse inside. I whirled around at the sound of an angry hiss.
"Were you meeting the tomcat?" was Jayfeather's new barb.
I froze. This was my chance. My chance to reveal everything! All I felt about him! But... Should I?I wondered. If he did not feel the same, he would probably tell Firestar, and my reputation would be soiled. Then I thought about our friendship. The gleam in his eye whenever he talked with me. The thick jealousy in his voice when he had ambushed me that night.
I pulled him away from the entrance of his den, to ensure no one heard my terrible confession. In a soft voice, I replied,"I couldn't have. That tomcat... Is you, Jayfeather."
Astonishment filled his empty, sightless gaze, and it burned through my very soul. I cursed myself for assuming that he felt the same, for imagining simple friendly gestures to mean the very things I felt for Jayfeather, when he replied, just as softly-
"I... I love you too, Poppyfrost,"
I could hardly believe my ears. Still holding my gaze, he took a step forward and licked my forehead. Then he left for the Moonpool.
I knew everything would be a dream once he returned.
For Jayfeather's version, click on this link: s/7640827/1/Heartbreak_for_Jayfeather