Dusktail woke as a tiny paw prodded her in the side. The gray-brown queen's eyes fluttered open, taking in the shadowy den around her. The almost-full moon shone through the cracks between the bracken that protected the nursery.
Another sharp prick made her jolt around. Dusktail turned to see a small kit thrashing in the throes of a dream. The kit's claws were unsheathed and as she jerked they hit Dusktail's flank over and over again.
"Echokit!" the she-cat whispered frantically, crouching beside the frail squirming shape. "Echokit!"
The kit's mouth stretched wide in a silent scream. Suddenly her eyes snapped open, blazing green-blue. Dusktail reeled back in shock, nearly crashing into the walls of the den. Echokit stared up at her. "You might want to check on Fogpaw now," she meowed in an eerily calm voice.
Dusktail stared down at her kit, the only one she had. "W-what?"
"You probably want to check on him, before it's too late," the she-cat breathed. Her eyes were wide and unblinking. "You probably want to get Quickfoot."
The queen gulped. Echokit watched her. "You should go now," she whispered. "Otherwise Fogpaw might not make it."
Dusktail felt horror rising inside of her. What was happening to her kit? She was about to speak when a keening sound rose from the apprentice den, and she spun around. A cry of pain split the night.
Instantly the she-cat was on her paws and running out of the nursery with Echokit staring almost sightlessly after her. Dusktail raced across the clearing of the ThunderClan camp to the apprentice den, her feet throwing up clouds of dust as she ran. She burst into the den and froze as a pale gray body writhed in the moss.
"Fogpaw!"
Her screech rang in the small space. Mistpaw shot up from her nest, blinking her pale green eyes open. "Dusktail! What are you-?" She saw Fogpaw thrashing on the ground. "Oh, StarClan! Fogpaw!" She raised her head and caterwauled. "Quickfoot!"
The other apprentices woke to see their Clanmate twisting around on the dirt. Fogpaw hacked and coughed, bringing up thick mucus. Mistpaw wailed. "Quickfoot!" she cried.
A tabby bounded into the den. "What's happening?" he demanded.
"Twigstar! Fogpaw is-"
Quickfoot rushed into the den. "Are the apprentices all right? Why is every cat here?" Then he spotted Fogpaw writhing in pain, mucus dripping from his outstretched jaws. "Great StarClan!" The medicine cat darted out, towards his store of herbs. He returned with some bitter smelling leaves. "Hurry, make him eat these!"
Mistpaw stuffed the herbs into her brother's mouth. His throat convulsed and he choked, clearly in agony. Dusktail blinked, terrified, as his thrashing stilled and he fell limp.
"I-i-is he dead?" A whisper came from Lightpaw, staring with wide, horrified eyes from the shadows of the den.
Quickfoot bent over Fogpaw. With a pang of relief Dusktail saw a faint rising and falling of the apprentice's chest. "He's breathing."
"Yes," Quickfoot gasped. "We got the herbs in him just in time."
"What was that?" asked Mistpaw. She pressed her nose into her brother's fur, her eyes glittering with tears.
"I'm not sure. I've only seen it once before," Quickfoot admitted. He was breathing hard. "But it's deadly. And it works very fast." He dipped his head. "How did you find him in time?"
"Dusktail came in and woke me," mewed Mistpaw weakly.
All eyes turned to the queen. She shrank back. "I heard him cry out," she meowed, deciding not to tell any cat about what her daughter had said. "I was awake, and he sounded like he was in pain. I came in here and found him on the ground."
"Thank StarClan you did," sniffled Mistpaw. She curled up by her brother's side. Fogpaw twitched, mewling faintly.
"Best bring him to my den," ordered Quickfoot. He gently brushed Mistpaw's forehead with his tail. "He'll be okay, don't worry."
Dusktail nodded and stumbled out of the den. Behind her she heard the cats moving the unconscious apprentice to the fern tunnel, but it seemed far away. With a pounding heart she entered the nursery. It was the same as it had been before, silent and empty except for one black and silver furred kit. Dusktail stared down at her.
Echokit closed her brilliant blue-green eyes.
"What did you do?" Dusktail whispered. "How did you know?"
The kit merely curled up and fell asleep.