Vixenpaw woke up early the next morning to her stomach rumbling loudly. The snow outside seemed to be getting deeper and deeper with every passing day and the air over the moors only got colder and colder. As soon as she stepped outside the den, she was nearly blown over by the frosty wind, making her shiver as the cold easily got through her thin pelt. Stagstar, the Warriors and the Apprentices had stayed in animal dens overnight and judging by the number of cats surrounding Silverbreeze, it didn't look set to change.
Vixenpaw slipped by, going to the dwindling prey pile.
I should get something for Watersplash to try and make up for last night.
Picking out some prey, two scrawny looking mice, she padded back, dropping the mice before him where he was still curled up in his nest. She nudged him, trying to wake him up.
No response.
Vixenpaw waited for him go stir, but the more she waited, the more she realised he didn't seem to be breathing. She scampered out the den again, looking around wildly for help, spotting Woollyfur on the edge of the crowd, starting to push him towards the Medicine Cats' Den.
"Vixenpaw, what's wrong?" The cream tom mewed in suprise, falling into step beside her as she lead him back to the Den, to where Watersplash was still in his nest, exactly the same as she had left him last night.
Woollyfur was silent, padding up to the blue tom and nudging him, harder than Vixenpaw had, starting to shake as Watersplash still didn't respond. He pushed harder, shaking him more, but only when his efforts had brought the Medicine Cat out of his original position did the horrible truth sink in.
Woollyfur yowled an ear piercing yowl of horror, which sent Stagstar, among others, running over to them. He didn't even let Stagstar speak before he spoke.
"Watersplash is dead!"

Vixenpaw sat with Stagstar in his Den as Woollyfur brought Watersplash out into camp. Her ears were folded over, her body drooping. Her thoughts were full of fear.
What about my training?
"I'm very sorry, Vixenpaw." Stagstar interrupted her thoughts, his expression full of greater sorrow than she realised. "Has StarClan spoken to you about what to do now?"
Vixenpaw kept her head low, shaking her head. She didn't feel like StarClan spoke to her that often anyway.
"I see." Stagstar mewed hollowly, beginning to stand up.
Vixenpaw suddenly looked up, nudging Stagstar's shoulder as he was leaving and pointing her muzzle towards ThunderClan, who had two fully trained Medicine Cats.
"You think we should ask ThunderClan for help?" He asked, the young calico nodding her reply. "Well, I suppose we don't have much choice. Do you want to leave now?"
Vixenpaw nodded, but looked back to the Medicine Cats' Den to all the sick cats in the Clan, her mind working overtime to try and remember who was ill and who wasn't.
"Of course, you have sick cats to attend to. Come find me when you're ready to go."
Vixenpaw dipped her head to Stagstar before leaving his Den. She felt weak, like she could collapse any time, particularly when she passed the crowd of cats gathered around Watersplash. Knowing most of the cats in her Den were asleep, she diverted to the Nursery, the sound of coughing making her feel physically sick as she slunk in, finding Dewkit still coughing, but Bluewhisker and Bramblenose starting to look ill too, a rabbit left in the corner of the Nursery from the day before, untouched by the Queens.
"We're sorry, Vixenpaw. We should have come earlier." Bramblenose quietly mewed, careful not to wake up Bluewhisker or Dewkit.
Vixenpaw shook her head with a weak smile, trying to soothe the old she cat, before returning with the very last of their catmint as Bluewhisker woke up. She made sure the two Queens ate their herbs, letting Bluewhisker tear up the leaf to give to Dewkit. She trusted that she would make sure the kit took it.
In her Den, most of the cats had gone back to sleep after Watersplash was taken into the camp centre. However, the two sick Elders were awake, though Hailshade was barely breathing and barely moving but Willowmist was right beside him, her tail running gently up and down his back, like Bramblenose did when Queens were kitting. The brown-grey Elder looked up at the calico as she came in, her eyes clouded in the mutual understanding that Hailshade was soon going to join StarClan. Snowfang too was breathing raspily, the sickly and poorly sighted tom wasn't likely to survive. She handed out what chickweed there was, neither she nor Watersplash had anticipated a breakout like this, before padding over to Stagstar, who was sat with some of his senior warriors, including Whiteblossom and Woollyfur.
"Can I help at all, Vixenpaw?" Woollyfur asked.
Vixenpaw shrugged half heartedly, grateful for the help, but unsure as to what he could do.
"You can stand in for her until we get back." Stagstar told Woollyfur. "We will be back soon."
The thick furred tom nodded, going to the Medicine Cat's Den as Stagstar and Vixenpaw left camp.

When the two cats got to the Moonpool stream, they took a moment to rest before they continued. Stagstar hadn't said a word until this point, only raising from his resting spot by the river to catch a weak rabbit for them to eat, though Vixenpaw noticed he barely ate any of it and didn't drink much from the stream either.
"Is ThunderClan sick too?" Stagstar asked quietly, his voice barely audible against the rushing stream.
Vixenpaw nodded, nodding towards the other Clans as well.
"I see." Stagstar sighed. "I hope Gorsestar will be able to help."
Once they buried the bones of the rabbit, the WindClan cats crossed the stream to the ThunderClan forest.
The sound of just their pawsteps crunching in the undergrowth and the wind whistling through the trees put Vixenpaw on edge, as did the lack of ThunderClan cats. She almost felt trapped in the area, the dense trees preventing her from seeing very far around her, everything looking the same. Stagstar, however, seemed to know his way through ThunderClan territory as well as he did through the moors.
Suddenly, a bird screeched and flew into the air, shattering the quiet and sending Vixenpaw recoiling backwards in surprise, ready to flee back to her own territory.
"Who is there?!"
The two WindClan cats looked over as a patrol of four cats raced up, lead by a white and black tom, Birchbranch, along with Mousepaw, a mostly red tortoiseshell she cat and a dark brown tabby tom. They seemed hostile, but also thin and weak.
"Forgive us." Stagstar spoke quickly before the patrol had a chance to argue. "But we need to speak to Gorsestar and your Medicine Cats. It's urgent."
The patrol visibly bristled at the mention of Gorsestar, but gave nothing else away.
"You better come with us then." Birchbranch mewed coarsely, his patrol flanking the two WindClan cats and practically marching them to the ThunderClan camp.
As soon as they got into the ravine that made up ThunderClan's camp, it became clear why the patrol was tense. Gorsestar laid in the middle of camp, lifeless.
"Wait here. I'll fetch Redstar." Birchbranch mewed, adding a grey she cat to his patrol and sending them back out.
His face twisted in horror and grief, Stagstar padded slowly up to the deceased Leader, sitting beside him and bowing his head, like any other cat would for a deceased Clanmate. Vixenpaw sat alone, looking around the camp as they waited. Her ears pricked as the brambles over the Medicine Cats' Den shifted and Boulderroot came out, taking a second to recognise Vixenpaw sat there, giving her a puzzled look.
When Birchbranch finally came back with Redstar, the white tom disappeared into the Medicine Cats' Den with Boulderroot. Redstar, however, regarded the WindClan cats with indifference, leading the two cats to his Den wordlessly.
"So, what brings you here?" Redstar asked, somewhat coarsely but also forcing himself to be civil.
"We need help from your Medicine Cats." Stagstar mewed. "Watersplash passed away overnight and Vixenpaw's training is not complete."
"Watersplash is dead?" Boulderroot mewed as he and Swallowfang entered the den.
Vixenpaw nodded sadly.
"Yes. From greencough." Stagstar replied.
"What about the rest of your Clan?" Swallowfang's question was directed at Vixenpaw, who winced, shaking her head sadly. She knew that Watersplash wouldn't be the only cat going to StarClan.
"We're having a breakout, I'm afraid." Stagstar answered. "There are a fair few sick cats."
"Vixenpaw's training?" Redstar sharply diverted the subject.
"Apologies." Stagstar dipped his head to the young Leader. "Watersplash didn't get to finish Vixenpaw's training. We hoped that one of you could help."
"I'll go to WindClan." Swallowfang said after a moment of silence.
"Are you sure, Swallowfang?" Boulderroot looked concerned.
"I am. I'm sure you can handle the end of the greencough. I'll be back before you know it."
Vixenpaw's eyes widened as Swallowfang touched noses with his mentor. She didn't feel like she would ever be ready to care for her Clan by herself.
"Thank you for your help, Redstar." Stagstar nodded to the red tom as they began to leave his Den.
"Medicine Cats help each other." Redstar replied coldly. His tone made Vixenpaw wince. She had a feeling the peace between the two Clans was no longer certain.
"Do you need any herbs?" Swallowfang asked before they left and Vixenpaw nodded very keenly, getting some catmint before they left for WindClan.

That night, Stagstar, Swallowfang and Vixenpaw sat vigil for Watersplash alongside Woollyfur, though the Medicine Cats kept a close watch on the sick cats. Willowmist had taken a turn in the night and seemed to be closer to StarClan than Hailshade was. Vixenpaw feared for the other sick cats, especially the Queens, Dewkit and Snowfang. Stagstar too seemed to be falling ill, his breathing irregular and he was wheezing. Not long after they left the vigil, Stagstar came into the Medicine Cats' Den, concerned for his own health and taking a bit of catmint.
Later that day, Silverbreeze brought Owlfeather to the Medicine Cats. While Vixenpaw settled him in and got him some herbs, Swallowfang took Silverbreeze aside to talk to her, but Vixenpaw could hear what they were saying.
"Silverbreeze, I am concerned that Stagstar has come down with greencough too." He gently mewed, but Silverbreeze didn't seem that concerned.
"He has two lives left." She replied. "He won't loose him from this greencough."
I don't want him to loose any lives. Vixenpaw thought coldly.
After sitting vigil, the Den felt colder than ever before. As Vixenpaw laid in her nest, she shivered as she couldn't get warm.
She heard shuffling and soon felt another pelt against hers.
"It's very cold here, isn't it?" Swallowfang mewed sleepily.
Vixenpaw looked back and nodded back to him, shivering a little more, to which Swallowfang moved closer.
"Can't have you getting sick too." He mewed. "Goodnight Vixenpaw."
Her new mentor fell asleep almost instantly, his chest rising and falling peacefully. For the first time in days, Vixenpaw felt reassured that everything would turn out fine.