~Briarsong~

A scream tore through the nursery, shattering the quiet of night.

Whatever dream Briarsong had been having was forgotten as the scream plunged a spike of terror into her, forcing her awake. She bolted upright, her eyes wide and frightened. Unconsciously, her arms wrapped around her swollen belly, as instinct told her to protect her unborn kits.

She wasn't the only one woken up. Fennelfur shot to her feet with a growl, her blue eyes searching the hut for any cause of danger. The kits started to whimper, not knowing what the sound meant.

Slowly, Briarsong realized that the scream had come from just beside her, and the sound of sobs followed it. Warily, her gaze met Bloodheart's weeping form. The pale queen was bent over a smaller body. And all of the sudden, Briarsong understood what was happening.

Ravenkit was limp in her mother's arms. Her chest, neck, and face were covered in vomit. Some of the fluid got into Bloodheart's hair, but she couldn't seem to care less.

"My baby," the grieving mother sobbed. She kept rocking back and forth with Ravenkit in her arms, "My sweet little baby."

Fennelfur seemed to snap out of her protective haze, "Oh, Bloodheart…"

Briarsong quickly decided that she couldn't stay in the nursery. The scene was too horrible for her to bear. Her kits seemed to respond to her horror, moving and kicking inside her. She stood, legs shaking, and said, "I…I'll get Cedarnose."

"Make sure he brings lavender," was all Fennelfur said as she moved to comfort their fellow queen.

Outside, into the cold air, Briarsong only managed to take a few steps before she felt her stomach tighten. She heaved once, and vomited. Her hand met the stone wall of the camp, using it for support as her stomach's contents left her and met the ground. There wasn't much, and as the last of it came up, she felt a hand on her back.

"Alright, get it out," the voice was Ravenstrike's. She wasn't surprised that he was there. With the volume of Bloodheart's scream, she didn't know how anyone could sleep through it.

Briarsong finished, wiping the back of her hand across her mouth. She shuddered and looked away from the puddle at her feet, facing the warrior beside her. The concern on Ravenstrike's face was clear, and Briarsong felt a need to soothe him. But that would have to wait.

"We need Cedarnose," she croaked, cringing at the taste in her mouth, "Fast."

With that, she started for the medicine hut once more. If Ravenstrike wanted to ask any questions, he kept them to himself, instead trailing behind her silently. The moment she reached the hut, Applepaw poked his head out. The boy's eyes met hers, and they widened as if he immediately understood what was wrong.

"It's Ravenkit, isn't it?" he asked. He was on edge, almost afraid of what Briarsong would say. Her heart clenched as she nodded in confirmation.

She'd never forget the tears that started rolling down Applepaw's face.

The sun was rising.

Briarsong looked up, seeing that her starry ancestors had vanished, leaving behind a pale-blue sky tinted orange by the sun's light. She prayed that Ravenkit had made it to StarClan safely, and that someone up there was caring for her.

While Ravenkit's spirit had joined the Stars, her body remained in ThunderClan, lying in the center of camp. Cedarnose had been quick to clean the kit up; washing her face and placing what little bit of lavender he had in her hair. When he was finished, Briarsong almost believed that Ravenkit was simply sleeping. And for the first time, she realized what the sickness had done to her.

The kit was tiny, even for a six-year-old. Fennelfur had mentioned her inability to keep food down, and it showed in how bony she was. The space between her cheekbones and jaw was clear to see. The sense of sorrow that Briarsong felt was only emphasized when Cedarnose concluded her cause of death. At some point in the night, Ravenkit had vomited, and had been too weak to lift or turn her head after doing so.

She'd drowned.

Bloodheart was forced to sniff a lot of lavender after that. She wouldn't stop crying, with only the occasional cough breaking through, sobbing that it was her fault. That she should have woken up to the sound of her kit getting sick. But what Fennelfur told her was still running through Briarsong's mind.

"You're ill and exhausted. It's not your fault you didn't wake up."

That was true. Bloodheart was sick, so it made sense that she hadn't woken up. Fennelfur had been worn-out lately, too. Long hours watching over little Rosekit were responsible for that. But what excuse did Briarsong have? She was perfectly healthy and well-rested. And yet, she hadn't woken when Ravenkit needed someone to save her.

A sharp pain snapped her out of her thoughts. Wincing, Briarsong looked down to see that her finger had met a thorn in the nest she was working on. She'd thought she'd picked them all out.

Great, she thought, Now I'm leaving thorns in nests.

"What is it?" Ravenstrike asked. The man had walked over, a bowl of food in his hand.

Darkwater, who sat beside Briarsong, replied, "Looks like a thorn."

Briarsong herself didn't say anything, instead digging the thorn out from a jungle of moss and feathers, dropping it in a pile between herself and Darkwater.

"That's Leopardtail's nest, right?" Ravenstrike inquired, coming to sit on Briarsong's other side. When he received the affirmative, he growled, "Put it back."

Briarsong turned in confusion, "What? Why?"

Leopardtail was Bloodheart's mate, and was therefore enduring the same amount of loss as the queen. Yet Ravenstrike wanted her to leave a thorn in the bedding of the mourning father? The thought stirred something inside her, and she was just about ready to snap when the warrior continued.

"He didn't join the vigil," he said, the displeasure all too clear in his eyes.

Briarsong stared, blinking in shock. Vaguely, she was aware of Darkwater pausing. Leopardtail wasn't the most attentive father, she was certain that everyone knew that. The blonde man made rare visits to the nursery in the past, and had always seemed uncomfortable around his children. But she doubted Leopardtail didn't care for them.

Said vigil was ending now, and Briarsong could see Adderstorm lifting the tiny girl up, preparing to take her to be buried. Bloodheart was close behind, accompanied by Wolfkit and a few warriors who were close friends of the queen. But no Leopardtail.

Darkwater got words out before she could, "I'm pretty sure he and Bloodheart separated not too long ago. Wolfsong mentioned it."

"That's fine," Ravenstrike growled, "But Ravenkit was his daughter. He should have participated."

"Where is he now?" Briarsong asked. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't seen the short man at all since sundown yesterday.

"Hunting," the warrior replied.

Darkwater sighed, turning back to work on Violetclaw's nest, "That might just be his way of dealing with it. But you're right, Ravenstrike. He should have stayed for the vigil."

Ravenstrike only grunted, and Briarsong supposed that he accepted that answer, because he was holding the bowl out to her a moment later. She considered accepting for a moment. But the image of Ravenkit's emaciated form entered her mind, and she blanched.

"I'm good," she declined. Though her stomach was empty, it didn't feel right to eat when Ravenkit would never do so again.

Ravenstrike frowned, "Your night-meal is lying in a puddle by the nursery. That means your body hasn't gotten anything in hours, and neither have the kits. If not for yourself, eat for them."

He tore away a piece of meat, holding it her lips. Briarsong stared at the food, still surprised by what he'd said. Though she knew it was him trying to get her to eat, it was the first time Ravenstrike had spoken out of concern for their kits. It was a momentary distraction from the emotional gloom she felt.

"Open up, it's not that hard," Ravenstrike said impatiently, pressing the meat to her lips.

Briarsong did just that, allowing the warrior to pop the food into her mouth. Chewing, she realized it was a bird. Likely robin or finch. Pleased, she said, "You got a bird this time."

"I know what you like," was Ravenstrike's reply.

"Ooookay," piped up Darkwater, who Briarsong had forgotten was there. The dark-haired warrior stood, "While you two get all romantic and feeding each other, I'm gonna go join the border patrol."

Briarsong turned to him, "You need to finish the nest."

"Just did. I'll be back to start on Bumbleheart's," Darkwater replied, already walking away.

When he was gone, Briarsong turned back to see Ravenstrike holding up another strip of meat. She reflected on what Darkwater had said and told him, "I can feed myself, you know."

"You're already using your hands," Ravenstrike retorted, gesturing to the nest.

Unimpressed but not minding the situation enough to argue further, Briarsong opened her mouth. They stayed like that for a while, Briarsong tugging and tucking materials into place in the nest, trying her hardest not to think about poor little Ravenkit, accepting bites of food as she did so.

Over, under, tuck in some moss; pull it tight, take a bite, do it again.

Eventually, the bird ran out, and Briarsong poured all her attention into her work. Ravenstrike got up and left at some point, though she heard him say something about Hazelpaw. She wasn't sure how much time passed, but her focus was snapped when she felt someone shaking her by the shoulder. Looking up, she saw that Ravenstrike had come back.

"Oakstar's called a clan meeting," he explained.

"Oh," Briarsong replied. She allowed the warrior to help her up, and they made their way to the center of camp, joining the rest of ThunderClan. There was no evidence of Ravenkit's body having been there.

Looking up, she saw the leader standing on the Highledge. Oakstar looked tired, and Briarsong found herself wondering what kind of stress he was enduring with his clan stricken by illness. Despite his worn-down appearance, Oakstar's voice was just as strong as ever.

"My clan, it is after long thought and talking with Cedarnose that I have made a decision. In order to avoid more cases of illness, the sick must be moved into one hut. And it is by my choice that that hut is mine," the leader announced.

Oakstar's words were met with some murmuring, though Briarsong could tell that there was little to no opposition. However, some were surprised by the fact that he was giving up his own hut.

"Is it really that surprising?" she heard Ravenstrike grumble.

Then, Fennelfur spoke up. The queen had been quiet since the discovery of Ravenkit's death, and she now stood with Copperwind at her side. Briarsong's ears perked as she asked, "What about Rosekit? She's getting better. You can't mean to stick her with a bunch of sick cats."

"We discussed that," Oakstar reassured, "She'll be staying in the medicine hut. The same goes for all of those who are recovering."

That seemed to put both parents at ease, and Briarsong turned to Ravenstrike, "Has Copperwind said anything about Rosekit?"

"Like Fennelfur said, she's getting better," Ravenstrike replied, "Still feverish, but she's stopped crying all night."

"That's good," Briarsong breathed, feeling a sense of relief. With luck, Ravenkit would be the only kit who'd die this leaf-bare.

The meeting ended shortly after, and the clan set to moving the ill. Briarsong watched from where she'd gone back to working. Blackmoon, Dawnpaw, Maplewhisker, Rabbitfoot, Owlflight, Bloodheart, and Rosekit. Seven ill patients that would be tended to by Cedarnose and Applepaw inside Oakstar's hut. She noticed shortly after that Oakstar was moving into the warriors hut for the time being.

He's a good leader, Briarsong decided. She owed him just as much as she did Hawkspeck for allowing her to stay in ThunderClan. After her kits were born and she was able to leave them alone for periods of time, she would start repaying her debt. Hunting, building, patrolling—anything that was needed.

Her heart ached at the thought of going back to her warrior duties. She'd only gotten to enjoy her time as a full warrior for two years before getting pregnant. Memories of running through WindClan's vast territory came to her mind. She wasn't sure how easy it'd be to sprint through ThunderClan's forests, which were littered with stones, fallen branches, and plenty of brambles and thorns. Still, she was going to try as soon as she could.

"Briarsong!"

She jumped, shocked out of her fantasizing to see Bloodheart coming towards her. The small woman was leading Wolfkit by the hand.

"Briarsong," the queen said. Her eyes were red from crying, "I can't let Wolfkit get sick. It was me who Ravenkit caught it from. I need you to look after him until I get better. I'm sorry to do this, especially with the other kits and all."

Briarsong quirked her brow, not knowing what Bloodheart was talking about, "The other kits?"

"Yes. Fennelfur is going to stay in the medicine hut with Rosekit," Bloodheart explained.

It took a moment for Briarsong to realize what that meant. Fennelfur and Bloodheart were going to be away, unable to look after their kits. So it was Briarsong who would be in charge of seven kits.

Oh.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A/N: Let us have a moment of silence for poor, little Ravenkit. I'm sure a lot of you noticed that she was progressively getting sicker, and this is what it's all led to. However, her death is playing a very important role, and will shape the rest of the story.

As always, guys, please remember to review! Feedback means a lot to me! Also, please take time to vote on the poll on my profile. Those votes will help me decide what to do once Origin has finished. You can make up to three choices!

Fun-Fact: Oakstar is actually Hawkspeck's cousin. (I don't think I ever mentioned this)

Later, my lovelies~!

- Tina