Sparrowcoat gasped, out of breath. Water as far as the eye could see dragged him farther and farther from the shore, his claws desperately gripping at the wet sand beneath the surface. A huge wave of eater engulfed him, dragging the medicine cat under the waves and submerging him in cold, salty water.

Poppy and Grass are blown away, Owl and Pine follow. Together, they will find the Sea and her kin.

He recognized the voice that spoke. Appleheart!

Sparrowcoat felt Appleheart's nose press his, covering him from nose to tail-tip with warmth. He opened his hazel eyes to see a spotted ginger tabby. She blinked at him, and it tore at his heart. Suddenly, he was dry and back in his den.

He felt Appleheart's coat against his for a heartbeat before disappearing. The fact that she wasn't here made him want to scream and cry with despair. A cold breeze entered the medicine den as the sun rose above the RiverClan camp. Sighing, Sparrowcoat stretched and walk out onto the camp, seeing his clanmates stir and get ready for the day.

Sparrowcoat gasped in pain- a sudden headache stabbed his head and Appleheart's voice in his ears again. Images of the cold waves flashed in his head, overwhelming his senses.

Poppy- Grass- blown away- Owl and Pine- the Sea, her kin-

Stumbling with pain and unable to think straight, the chocolate tabby shoved feverfew in his mouth in hopes to soothe the headache. He chewed on poppy seeds, and soon, fell asleep.

Once he woke up, the blinding headache was reduced to a dull soreness. He stretched once more, ready to walk out of the confinement of the medicine den.

"Sparrowcoat!" A trio of voices call after him. Three kits ran out of the nursery, landing at Sparrowcoat's feet. A calico she-kit pounced on him, hooking her front paws around his neck.

"Ah! You got me, Turtlekit!" Sparrowcoat fell to his side, playing along. A kit with a striking resemblance to Sparrowcoat pounced and nibbled on Sparrowcoat's ear.

"Aw, Reedkit, you too?" he laughed. Sparrowcoat stood up, Reedkit falling with an oof. Poppykit hadn't joined in, which was unlike her. The spotted she-kit opened her mouth to speak, but a feeble cough came out instead.

"Are you okay, Poppykit?" Sparrowcoat knew how serious a chest infection could be, especially for a kit in the middle of leaf-bare.

"Let's go to the nursery, 'kay? I don't want you being in the cold for too long." Sparrowcoat flicked his tail, pointing at the nursery.

In the nursery, a white queen groomed her newborn kits. Seeing the medicine cat, Snowfall nodded respectfully. Poppykit padded inside and curled up next to her mother.

"Hello, Snowfall. How are the kits?"

"They are all wonderfully happy." She purred. "What brings you here? Has one of them gotten into trouble? Oh, they just want to be apprentices already. I only have a few moons left with them, but- "

"I believe Poppykit has fallen ill." He hastily cut her off. "I heard her coughing." Horror pierced Snowfall's eyes.

"My Poppykit? Oh, no! Will she be okay? Please, tell me she will!" Snowfall pleaded. She had treated those kits as if they were her own, and loved them as such. As young as she was, Snowfall knew she was meant to be a queen.

"It's probably only whitecough. I have to treat it soon, because it could easily turn into greencough. In the meantime, Poppykit will stay in the medicine den."

"No!" Snowfall stood up. "I won't let you take her. Surely it isn't healthy for a kit her age to be isolated all the time?"

"The healthiest option is to keep her in the medicine den." The aged medicine cat growled, his brown ears twitching. "Besides, keeping her here could endanger the newborns." Treating a newborn in the middle of leaf-bare would be a lost cause! He silently added.

"Poppykit, come."

A pair of blue eyes followed them out.

"Now, Poppykit, you aren't to leave the medicine den unless I allow you, okay? It's really for your own good. The spotted lynx point kit looked up with annoyance at Sparrowcoat.

"It's for your own good!" He sang.

"Can I go play with Reedkit and Turtlekit? Please?"

"No." Sparrowcoat glanced at Poppykit. Seeing the young kit deflated and sad broke his heart.

"Later, okay? Right now, you stay at the den and I talk to Mothstar. Don't leave."

"Okay, fine!" Poppykit stuck her tongue out.

Padding to the leader's den, he sees Eaglehaze, the deputy. He was grooming one of his brown paws and chatting with Spiderfrost.

"Hey, do you know where Mothstar is?" Sparrowcoat wondered if he was interrupting anything.

"Yeah. She's out breaking ice with a patrol, near the WindClan border. We've been getting a lot of fish there." Eaglehaze replied. Spiderfrost picked out a fish for she and Eaglehaze to share.

"Thank you." They nodded at each other.

Sparrowcoat was glad to leave camp and stretch his legs. He bounded to the WindClan border, hoping to alert Mothstar about the prophecy and the possible outbreak of whitecough.

Once he reached the patrol, he noticed that everyone had crowded around one area of ice.

"Help her!"

"Get her out of there!"

"Someone get Eaglehaze!"

Yowls and splashes filled the air. They were so loud; he was worried they would alert WindClan.

"Sparrowcoat! Thank StarClan you're here!" Rainpaw approached the medicine cat with worry.

"Mothstar has fallen into the lake!"

Panic surged through Sparrowcoat as he hurried to Mothstar. She was holding on to the ice with her bare claws, unable to hold on for longer.

"Get her out of there, you stupid furballs! Bigslash, grab her by the scuff! Stonefall, use your teeth to grab her by the base of her tail!"

Blazeslash and Stonefall were the bulkiest warriors of Riverclan. Hopefully, it wouldn't take long to save Mothstar. She could very well die, especially in the cold.

Mothstar gasped for air once out of the water. Exhausted and cold, her fur was all fluffed up. The rest of the patrol helped carry Mothstar to the medicine den.

Poppykit helped groom Mothstar until she was dry.

"How are you feeling?" Sparrowcoat asked.

"Tired. Not breathing well." Was all the leader managed to say. Not breathing well, huh? Sparrowcoat pondered. Mothstar had two lives left—not that anyone would really care if she died. Mothstar was pretty old, and didn't have anything really special. Eaglehaze is a much more popular cat, with she-cats swooming over him and toms looking up at him for

"Chew on these." He pushed some poppy seeds towards her. "For sleep."

"Also, Poppykit, eat this." Sparrowcoat gave handed her some catmint, which she gulped with delight. He wanted to get rid of her whitecough as soon as possible. A shiver passed through the distant tom, but he was sure it wasn't the cold.

I can't let my own kin die.

I can't let someone I love die.

Not again.