This is the TC, FC, LC, CC, RP forum challenge. This takes place in the old territories.
Sparkstar stared into the distance, pondering what was going on in the clan, she knew should couldn't count on any of the warriors, except one.
"Sparkstar?" Ah, her deputy, Owlstorm, he was the one cat she could count on.
"Yes?" She turns her head to the brown furred warrior.
"I'm going to send out some patrols to hunt, also, our medicine cat, Aspentail, would like to have a word with you." Owlstorm dips his head respectfully.
"Of course, send her in." Sparkstar meows.
"Right." Owlstorm exits the den, Aspentail soon taking his place.
"Yes, Aspentail?" Sparkstar's gaze bores into the medicine cat, as if searching for something.
"Um, yes, well I would like to have a patrol sent into twolegplace, for some catmint." Aspentail shuffles her paws nervously, being such a shy cat.
"Of course... take whomever, we need this Greencough cured!" Sparkstar growls. Aspentail nods, and exits the den.
Sparkstar gets up and goes to stand on tallbranch. Her gaze sweeps over the clan warmly.
Windclan, my home. She thinks. Sparkstar leaps down and walks around camp to the nursery.
"Hello, Quailflight." The leader dips her head in greeting to the expecting queen. Quailflight perks 6 as she hears her leader's voice.
"Ah, hello." The queen smiles.
"Is my sister well?" Sparkstar asks. She can already tell by the look on the other cats face that this is not the case.
"She... she appears to have a slight fever, but hopefully it will pass." Quailflight mews softly.
"Oh... I see, and the kits?" The leader stares at Quailflight, almost as if hoping for something.
"The kits are fine, thank Starclan." Quailflight sighs. Sparkstar purrs.
"Thank Starclan." She repeats. Sparkstar stares at the ground, then looks back at Quailflight.
"The kits can live with me for now." She states firmly.
"Of course!" Quailflight nods. Sparkstar brushes past the queen and into the dimly lit nursery. There, lying on the nest in the centre, is Quietsun, Sparkstar's shy sister. She was named for being so quiet at birth, that they almost thought she were dead. It was later discovered that she was mute.
Quietsun nods in greeting, before her body is racked by silent coughs. Sparkstar curls around her, younger by three seconds, sister.
"I'm so sorry this has happened to you." Sparkstar nuzzles her sister. "But I promise, until you're well again, I will take good care of the kits."
Quietsun smiles gratefully. Sparkstar sighs, then gets up and nudges her sister's two kits awake.
Your father was lost in this plague, I will not lose you too. The leader promises mentally. The two kits wake up and smile.
"Auntie!" They squeal. Sunkit jumps up and bowls over her sister, Moonkit. Sunkit's golden pelt shone in the dim light, as did Moonkit's silver one.
"Hello, kits." The leader can't help but purr. "You'll be living with me for a while, okay?"
"Okay!" They mewed, sitting up. Sparkstar led the kits to her den.
"You can play here for a bit, okay?" She mews. The two kits shrug and begin wrestling. Soon, the catmint patrol returns, unfortunately with a small supply.
"We tried, but we couldn't find more than this, I'm so sorry Sparkstar." Aspentail bows her head shamefully. Sparkstar let's out a breath.
"Nonsense. You did your best, and that's all you can do." Sparkstar soon went over to Owlstorm, looking for comfort in her mate.
She didn't notice the jealous look she got from Aspentail.
Sparkstar purred as her mate returned her affections, sighing she got up and headed to her den.
"Let's turn in for the night, hm?" She looks at her mate expectantly.
"Sure." Owlstorm shrugs, following his leader and mate. The two curl up together, sighing, soon, Owlstorm is snoring softly, then, Sparkstar joins him in slumber.
Sparkstar was walking through a beautiful moor. She purred when she scented rabbit, moving toward it slowly, she waited until she was close enough, then, just as she was about to pounce, a weight rammed into her.
"Hey!" She shouts.
"Sorry." It was Owlstorm, giving her his cocky smile. Sparkstar sighed.
"No matter, I'm sure there's plenty more where that came from." The leader gestures toward the rest of the moorland, where there's tuns of rabbit scent criss-crossing the terrain. Owlstorm purrs.
"Right you are." He mews. Sparkstar shrugs. Suddenly, Owlstorm glows and vanishes.
"Wha-" Sparkstar starts. Then the form of a cat Sparkstar thought she would never see again appeared. "Blueflame!"
"This is not real." He says.
"What do you mean father?" Sparkstar cocks her head to the side.
"This is a dream, that I have broken, I need to tell you something." Blueflame shakes his head. "This goes against the rules of Starclan, but, you are about to be betrayed."
"What!?" Sparkstar screeched. "By who!?"
"Alas, that, I cannot say." Blueflame sighed. "Can't break every rule of Starclan, can I?"
Soon after, the dream started to fade, first the moor, then the rabbit scents, until finally, it was just her and Blueflame, standing on nothing. The blue grey cat started at his ginger daughter.
"I love you, and am very, very proud of you." Blueflame looked Sparkstar in the eye. "Never forget that."
And then he was gone to.
Sparkstar was awoken by a weight leaving her nest.
"Owlstorm?" She mutters, vision blurred by sleep.
"I'm just going out for a walk... to clear my head." He assures her.
"Okay." The leader nods, and falls back to sleep.
The next morning she was awoken by Aspentail.
"Sparkstar come quickly!" The medicine cat nudes the confused leader to the nursery. "It's Quietsun! Her fever's gotten worse!"
"What!?" Sparkstar gasps, now fully awake. The two cats raced over to the nursery.
The stench of sickness hit Sparkstar like a plough. Sparkstar retched, but continued into the nursery. Sitting in the same place as yesterday, was Quietsun. Sparkstar looked at her sister pitifully, before wrapping herself around her littermate.
"Quietsun." Sparkstar mutters, tears forming in her eyes. Quietsun looked at Sparkstar, giving her a look, as if to say, 'I know I'm dying'. Sparkstar choked back a sob. "Please, no..." She turned to Aspentail. "You have to save her!"
"It's in Starclan's paws now." Aspentail mutters soberly. "It's will leave you two alone."
The medicine cat exits the den quietly.
Sparkstar turns to her sibling.
"Oh, how I wish you could talk, could reassure me." Sparkstar sighs. "Reassure me... that you'll be okay."
Quietsun let's out a soft grunt, as if saying, 'I wish that too'. Sparkstar smiles.
"And yet, I will always understand you, like sister's should."
Quietsun sighed, her breathing slowing, eyes drooping.
"I promise sister, I will protect you, it's okay, it's okay to rest." Sparkstar tells her. "It's okay to never wake up again, because you tried, and that's all I could ask for from a sister."
Quietsun slowly lowered her head, just as her eyes closed, she gave the softest grunt of contentment, of Goodbye. Quietsun's eyes closed.
Up and down went her chest.
In and out went her breath.
Until her life faded out.
.
.
.
The next thing Sparkstar knew, she was being woken up next to sister's corpse, she was being sent outside, the moments began to blur. All she could recall, was seeing Quietsun's corpse in the clearing, Aspentail's speaking, but nothing coming out, falling onto her nest, eyes drooping, blackness.
.
.
.
Sparkstar woke up alert. She mentally noted that Owlstorm was not beside her. In fact he was exiting the den.
Sparkstar said nothing, this time, she followed him.
