Uh... Yeah... surprise?

Skyfur's pov

Harsh coughs wake most of us up one night, and I look toward Darkpelt and Snowflight. Darkpelt continues to cough, and Patchfur goes to fetch some wet moss for him while Snowflight stays next to him.

"Is he not going to get any better?," Olive asks. "He's been sick for nearly a moon now."

"I don't think he can without any Catmint," I sigh, laying my head down. "He has whitecough. That is the second hardest disease to cure even with proper herbs and a warm den."

"Is he gonna die?," she then asks, and we hear Lilac whimper.

"I hope not."

"There is a chance he can," I sigh. "Last leafbare, when most of us were kitted, a bout of greencough swept through the clans. There were many deaths, and it all started because one cat got whitecough."

"Guys. Please shut up," Snowflight growls, and I turn to see her glaring at us. I duck my head, nodding.

"Got it."

Darkpelt starts coughing again and by the end he was shaking and breathing heavy. Snowflight just looks back at him, about to lick his head comfortingly when she jumps up, shocked and clearly worried. "Jayfeather!"

The elder wakes up, grumbling, but gets up and pads over. He is a cat-length away before immediately turning. "I need cats to help me find tansy and borage leaves or feverfew. Maybe even some honey. He's getting a fever. It's getting worse."

"I'll go," Honeydrop says, padding forward. Bushfur follows, as does Fluffheart and Badgerstripe.

The five of them leave and I sigh, looking down again. "We're going through such hard times right now."

"Hopefully it'll end soon," Olive says. "We just need to get through leafbare. Then maybe the newleaf weather will help him."

"If he lasts," Mudsplash sighs, and gets up and walks over to Snowflight and Darkpelt, who had started coughing again.

"We may as well get some sleep," Sunfoot sighs. "It's gonna be a long night."

Moongaze's pov

I look back at Darkpelt who was padding with the group slowly, Snowflight still by his side with Firetail on his other side. Jayfeather was padding in front of them, wanting to stay close just in case.

Darkpelt starts coughing and has to sit, and Molefur looks at him before looking at the rest of the group. "Lets stop here for now. We need to keep our strength up."

A few help Darkpelt underneath a small bush where I am just able to see him lay down, and I spot Jayfeather inside too. He exchanges words with Snowflight, who I hear whimper sadly before laying down next to Darkpelt.

Jayfeather exits the den, and sighs. "He didn't have whitecough, and he doesn't have greencough. I have no clue what Darkpelt has, but he's gotten worse. I'm afraid... I'm afraid that he might not make it until newleaf."

We are all silent, but I know that we were all horrified. The kits are the first to react, starting to cry out and press against Hazelstream for comfort.

"They're so young, but they know this is a sad time," Redwing says next to me, sounding choked up.

"They are nearly four moons old," I say. "They should know that we are all upset for a reason. They can sense it. It's making them upset, too."

"I wonder who's gonna mentor them," she says.

"I don't know," I sigh. She sighs too, and looks over at where Snowflight was with Darkpelt.

"I'm gonna make sure Snowflight is okay," she says, and pads off. I watch as she pads into the den, and then look around.

Once I was sure that nobody was watching, I sneak into the bushes and run off.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," I sigh, looking through a gap in some fencing to a twoleg garden. There was a dog laying in it's wooden cave, and I look at it before looking at the catmint planted with all of the other plants.

I'm just about to go through when someone bites my tail and pulls me back, and I jump back, pinning them to the ground. Once I notice who it is I jump off. "Thanks for that Moongaze. What a way to greet your kin."

"Puffpaw," I groan. "What are you doing here?"

She glares at me. "I could ask you the same thing. Should actually. And, I'm also going to ask why you were about to go into that twoleg garden, which, not only has twolegs that must still go in it multiple times a day, but also has a huge dog in it."

"There's catmint in there. Darkpelt has something similar to greencough. Maybe it'll cure him. And, if it doesn't, maybe it'll help him in some way to where we have more time."

"But you were going to risk your life to get it? Why didn't you ask for help?"

"I needed to be alone. It just felt right," I sigh. "Though, I guess you aren't going to let me do this alone now."

"You got that right. I'll watch the dog while you get the catmint," she says, padding past me.

"Puffpaw," I hiss as she enters the yard, and then run after her. "Puffpaw!"

I look through the gap to see her slinking over to the herbs, and quietly follow her. She waits for me once she gets there, and then looks over at the dog. "You get the herbs."

I just sigh, starting to dig up the herbs, not knowing what part of the catmint is needed.

"Try to be quieter," she hisses quietly when a rock hits the ground with a thud, and I hear the dog shift in it's cave.

"Sorry," I sigh, pulling up the first one.

I try to dig out the next one, but the roots went so deep I couldn't get it out. "Puffpaw. Bit of help please?" She turns, biting onto the stalk of the plant while I shove my paws as far down as I can, and together we start pulling it up.

We just put it down when I become aware of the beating warmth behind us, and Puffpaw and I freeze. "Um... Puffpaw?," I ask without turning.

"Yeah?," she gulps.

"Was the dog tied to something?"

There is an excited bark and we gasp. "Okay. Puffpaw. Don't move. You'll tempt it if you do."

"But what if it doesn't go away?"

"We have to hope that it will."

We stand there for a few more minutes before Puffpaw tenses next to me at a small growl from the dog. I glance sideways at her. "Puffpaw-"

"I'm sorry!," she yells, and runs for the gap in the fence. The dog, however, was faster, and gets between her and the fence, trying to bite her as she skids to a stop. It barks and she runs the opposite way, it chasing her. "Moongaze! Help!"

I run after the dog, jumping on top of it and clawing into its skin. The dog yelps and starts thrashing around, and I get thrown off, landing in a patch of the dirt with a thud.

Dazed, I shake my head and sit up. Then I look to where the dog used to be and find it right in front of my face, and hiss, jumping up and clawing it's muzzle.

Despite my best efforts, it backs me into the corner. Puffpaw bites it's back leg, but the dog just kicks out and sends her flying into the side of the twoleg den.

"Puffpaw!," I yell, but she doesn't get up. 'Don't be dead. Don't be dead. Please don't be dead. Mousebelly and Deadeye will kill me. And then Pebblefall will.'

The dog continues to growl before helping and jumping backwards, and I spot a cat on it's back. "Go help the she-cat! I'll take care of the dog!," they yell, and I quickly run over to Puffpaw, standing over her.

"Puffpaw?," I ask. "Puffpaw? Are you okay?" She doesn't respond and I nudge her, making her groan and I give a breath of relief.

After a moment she opens her eyes and looks up at me, dazed. "Moongaze?"

"You okay?," I ask.

She blinks a few times before shaking her head and sitting up. "Yeah. Everything's just a bit... I'm a bit dizzy."

I notice that there was a patch of red starting to grow on top of her head, and swallow. "Hit your head. Makes sense."

We hear the dog yelp and I spin, looking at the dog. The cat was hiding in the bushes with the dog right outside of it. Then there is more light covering the yard, and a twoleg comes out, grabbing the collar of the dog and dragging it inside.

The cat crawls out and runs over to us. "Is she okay?"

Puffpaw looks at her and I see concern go over her face. "Should I know you?"

"No. I don't know you either," I say, turning to the cat, who I now see is a female. In the decreasing light I see she is either brown or a light black. She also has icy blue eyes.

"Oh," the she-cat sighs. "I wouldn't expect either of you to. I barely know you myself."

"What are you talking about?," I ask.

"I'm friends of your mother," the she-cat says to Puffpaw. "She would sneak out of her camp to talk to her mate at the marsh. Who, if I remember, is the littermate of your father?"

She looks at me as she says that, and I nod warily. "How do you know this?"

The she-cat sighs, and opens her mouth to say something when there is yowl.

"Frostpelt?!"

She returns!

This may or may not be the weirdest thing for me, because I'm writing the last few chapters before this story ends.

But fear not! I have something planned for after this finishes, and I am super excited for it. Stay tuned!

Have a great week you guys! Bye!

Ttyl

-TheRealDigiGal