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Stormfang's POV
Stormfang's eyes stung as he forced them open. He looked around wearily, his surroundings coming into focus. The warriors' den was dark and warm, and Hailwhisker's pelt pressed against his made him wish that he could just sleep for a little longer. With a sigh, he stretched and stood. Hailwhisker stirred a little, but didn't awaken. The ginger warrior wasn't one to get up before sunhigh most days anyway.
Poking his head out into the clearing, the chilly air hit Stormfang's face like a claw swipe, making him wince. The day looked dreary: the sky was dark gray, and fog bordered the top of the stone hollow. He should probably get Mistypaw up too; if he was going to endure going on dawn patrol this morning, so would his apprentice.
Shivering as he made his way to the apprentice den, Stormfang decided that while it was chilly, it wasn't quite like a crisp early leaf-fall morning, nor like a bitter cold during leafbare. Instead the cold hung about much like the fog, not quite seeping into Stormfang's bones, but gnawing away at the edges, threatening to produce more shivers if he didn't keep moving. It was the odd time in between the seasons- neither leaf fall nor leaf bare.
"Mistypaw!" Stormfang whisper-called into the dark apprentice den. "Dawn patrol!" The den was also pleasantly warm, and Stormfang considered going inside and curling up for a moment. Then he shook himself, fluffing out his fur. He was a warrior, for StarClan's sake! He could handle waking up early. Though it was so cold...
Some muffled mewing could be heard within the den, then a yelp, followed by some scuffling. Moments later a terrified Snowpaw pelted out of the den, collapsing a few tail lengths away. Panting heavily, the young white apprentice glanced up at Stormfang, then fearfully back at the den. More slowly, Mistypaw exited, gray fur disheveled from the commotion.
"Well, now Snowpaw's joining us." Mistypaw declared, letting out a loud yawn. Snowpaw narrowed his eyes at her from behind Stormfang. "But why so early?"
"I told you. Dawn patrol." Stormfang replied curtly. He looked toward Snowpaw, who shifted his paw nervously. "Though I'm not too sure about just having two apprentices with me."
"And Invisiblepelt!" Snowpaw piped up, for a moment meeting Stormfang's eyes. Then his eyes returned to his paws. "My mentor. He'll be coming too."
"Of course. How could I forget." Stormfang remarked. Snowpaw studied him, jaw parted slightly. He looked like he was trying to decide whether or not Stormfang was being sarcastic. To be honest, Stormfang wasn't too sure himself. This whole situation was odd.
Glorymask had only passed away two days after Invisiblepelt was made deputy, and the entire clan was again enveloped with grief. No one was sure what to do. Silverstar didn't step up and start assigning patrols, instead referring confused warriors to Invisiblepelt to be assigned. Many grumbled against this, but they couldn't argue. A clan leader's word was law, after all.
But when it was insanity like this? Whether or not Invisiblepelt was real, the clan needed a deputy who could give them tangible reassurance after the death of a deputy who had served for seasons. Not a deputy every cat had been used to mocking the very existence of. At least Hailwhisker seemed happy.
The thought of Hailwhisker brightened Stormfang's clouded mood, like sunshine peeking through the treetops. He and Stormfang had gotten really close lately, and though neither of them had said anything officially, in his mind, Stormfang already called them mates. Sure, they had their differences, namely, Hailwhisker being a much more firm believer in Invisiblepelt, but Stormfang felt like their relationship thrived off of that. He took each difference like a challenge, something that kept each conversation fiery and passionate. And they had their calm moments, when their arguments were a dull roar in the back of their minds. It was the only thing that felt right in all this turmoil.
"Can we get going? My paws are freezing." Mistypaw complained, bouncing on her toes. Snowpaw mewed his agreement, moving his paws in place to keep warm. Stormfang nodded, leading the two apprentices (and presumably Invisiblepelt) out of the camp. Upon exiting, he wondered briefly if Invisiblepelt should be leading, since he was the deputy. He snorted. There was really no way to tell if Invisiblepelt was behind him or in front of him anyway. It was ridiculous to think about it for too long.
"Let's go to the WindClan border first," Stormfang decided, veering to the left.
Checking the WindClan border went well, the patrol renewing any stale markers. They didn't even encounter an enemy patrol, though Mistypaw had noted that the border markers smelled fresh, as if they just missed them. She'd received praise for that- she'd always been a great tracker. But her head sank with the compliment, and Stormfang realized with a jolt that the title had always gone to Flowerbloom. The deceased she-cat had been known to be able to find practically anything.
"Flowerbloom would be proud of you," Stormfang heard Snowpaw whisper to Mistypaw behind him. "Really." Mistypaw mumbled her thanks, remaining silent for a moment before shooting past Stormfang like a whirlwind.
"Let's run to the SkyClan border." Mistypaw called over her shoulder, a tightness in her voice. "I need to escape my thoughts for a little while." Stormfang glanced back at Snowpaw, who shrugged, then dashed after his sister. After a moment's hesitation, Stormfang followed, galloping through the undergrowth. Through the fog he could make out Mistypaw's and Snowpaw's moving forms, but other than the apprentices his surroundings went by in a blur. The wind roared in his ears, and the cool fog dampened his face and pelt, but he was moving so quickly now that he barely felt it. His paws skimmed over roots, and the leaves and thorns seemed to bend back to allow the patrol to pass; even the forest could sense the need for an unhindered run. There wasn't any urgency, instead a sort of freedom. Mistypaw was right, the swift run had left everyone's troubles in the dust, wandering far behind them in the gray fog.
Suddenly, a huge dark shadow loomed on Stormfang's right, causing him to slow. Squinting through the fog, Stormfang studied its rigid structure. It was the abandoned Twoleg nest.
"Hey, we're at the border!" Stormfang yowled, looking around for Mistypaw and Snowpaw. "Make sure you don't cross it in the fog!" Starting to feel worried, Stormfang pressed further into the ever thickening fog, trying to find the apprentices. He took a few steps in one direction, straining his ears and nose for any noise, any trace of a scent.
Curse this fog! Stormfang let out a hiss, swiping at the air in frustration. "Mistypaw! Snowpaw?"
"Over here!" Came a faint call, so faint that Stormfang almost mistook it for a bird or some other creature's cry. It wobbled with grief, immediately making his hackles raise.
"I'm coming!" He yelled, sprinting over. Around the side of the abandoned Twoleg nest, Stormfang could see the shapes of the two apprentices. Getting closer, he saw that they were standing over something, huddled close as they mewed softly to one another. Snowpaw was the first to notice Stormfang arrive, looking over his shoulder. The white tom stepped aside, allowing Stormfang to get a closer look.
A sweet scent hung in the air, and Stormfang looked at the frosty ground. This was where Birchtail and Flakewhisker harvested catmint, which Stormfang recalled was an extremely important herb, though he wasn't sure what exactly it treated. But instead of lush plants, only tiny ripped stalks remained, already browning from the frost and fog.
"The catmint…" Stormfang breathed, exchanging glances with Snowpaw. "How did this happen?"
"Mistypaw?" Snowpaw asked hesitantly. The she-cat was carefully sniffing the ground, stiff with concentration. Slowly she rose, her eyes blazing with green fury.
"SkyClan." She growled, claws unsheathing. "They stole our catmint. All of it! First Flowerbloom…" Mistypaw's words made Snowpaw wince. "...and now this!" She stared at Stormfang. Now her eyes were watering. "How could they do this?"
Stormfang shook his head, feeling dismayed. Would SkyClan never quit, even with leafbare approaching? But he had to consider the other option: what if SkyClan needed the herb, as in they were having a severe outbreak?
"...What does catmint treat?" Stormfang asked. He felt a little stupid for still not knowing, but he was a warrior. He had never concerned himself with medicine cat stuff.
"Greencough." Snowpaw said immediately, earning a surprised glance from Mistypaw, before she returned to furiously staring at her paws. He tilted his head at Stormfang. "Do you think SkyClan might have an outbreak?"
"Despite our trouble with SkyClan in the past, if they really wanted to hurt us, they probably would have gone a different route." Stormfang explained, tapping the destroyed catmint with a paw. "They don't deserve our sympathy. They just put our clan at risk for greencough. But they wouldn't steal it if they didn't need it."
"A-are we going to get greencough?" Snowpaw whimpered, fear shining in his yellow eyes. "We d-don't have any catmint now! What are we going to do-"
"What we need to do-" Stormfang interrupted, staring at the two apprentices seriously, "-Is tell Birchtail and Flakewhisker about this as soon as possible. And Silverstar." And I suppose, if Invisiblepelt is here with us, he already knows.
"And they'll figure something out?" Snowpaw said hopefully.
"Maybe." Stormfang honestly wasn't sure. As he and the apprentices began to hurry back to camp, he wondered if he had lied to Snowpaw. Could Birchtail and Flakewhisker really fix this? Luckily there weren't any cases back at camp yet. But other border patrols could have interacted with SkyClan patrols, and whitecough or even greencough could have passed between them unknowingly. Stormfang's mind raced to think if Redthorn or Bronzefoot mentioned meeting a SkyClan patrol recently. His blood went cold. Hailwhisker. He'd just said the other day that he and a SkyClan warrior were yelling insults at one another from across the border. It had almost gotten physical, until other members of the SkyClan patrol calmed their clanmate down. Was that enough exposure to catch greencough?
Putting on another burst of speed, Stormfang desperately sent a silent prayer to StarClan that it wasn't.
Birchtail and Flakewhisker took the news calmly, but Stormfang knew that they were hiding their worry. As he left the medicine den to go tell Silverstar the news, he heard the two medicine cats nervously whisper to one another behind him. He felt light-headed. How was the clan going to survive the leafbare?
Silverstar sat by the freshkill pile, eating a shrew alone. He used to share meals with Glorymask mainly, Stormfang knew. He felt another pang of sadness for the deceased deputy. Plus a more physical throbbing in his chest. It felt really tight. Stormfang shook it off. He had been running a lot this morning.
"Silverstar?" Stormfang mewed. Silverstar looked up from his freshkill, blinking slowly.
"Ah yes, Stormfang. You were on the dawn patrol?" Silverstar asked, looking Stormfang up and down. "You look exhausted."
"I'm fine." Stormfang responded quickly, giving Silverstar what he hoped was a reassuring trill. "I just wanted to report to you some concerning news."
"Oh?" Silverstar narrowed his eyes with concern.
"Yes, it's about our supply of catmint." Stormfang's head felt like it was filled with clouds again. Was he really so distressed that he was feeling physical symptoms now? He blinked rapidly, clearing his throat. "SkyClan stole it, Silverstar. They took our catmint."
Silverstar's eyes widened. "All of it? None of it is left?"
Stormfang nodded, unable to speak. There was some sort of tickle in his throat.
"And you told Flakewhisker and Birchtail already?" Silverstar prompted. Stormfang nodded again.
Silverstar let out a long sigh. "Alright then. It's… it's in the paws of StarClan now." The leader stared at the gray sky sadly. "There has been so much tragedy for ThunderClan lately…" He closed his eyes. "We don't need this as well."
Stormfang really wanted to cough. Really badly. But he held it in respectfully, throat getting tighter and tighter. He nodded again, managing to croak out a farewell before hurrying away, face burning. He just needed some water. He wasn't going to go near the medicine den. He wasn't sick. He'd just go get some water from the stream a few fox lengths out of the camp.
Crouching in front of the stream, he thirstily lapped up the water, licking his dry lips. The ripples clearing, Stormfang got a good look at his reflection through the gently running water. Wow, I really do look terrible. His eyes were watering and glazed, and his pelt looked bedraggled, clinging to his frame like a leaf about to fall from a tree. He scrambled back from the stream, breathing heavily.
I'm not sick. I'm not sick. He couldn't be. He was feeling just fine this morning. He had-
"Stormfang?"
Stormfang whirled around, causing the cat behind him to startle a little. It was Hailwhisker.
"I was looking for you," The ginger tom continued, scanning Stormfang in a similar way Silverstar had. "You don't look… so good."
"I'm fine." Stormfang rasped, wincing at how scratchy his voice sounded. "Really."
"No, not really." Hailwhisker scoffed, moving closer. Stormfang instinctively moved away, avoiding Hailwhisker's gaze. Hailwhisker sighed, giving Stormfang a knowing glance.
"It's leafbare, Stormfang. Getting a little whitecough is nothing to be ashamed of."
"Yes. Yes it is." Stormfang growled. "I'd be… I'd be a burden on the clan." Why should they waste precious catmint on him? He could handle it. It would be better to save it for weaker clanmates who needed it more.
"Shut up. You wouldn't be a burden." Hailwhisker reassured Stormfang, gently laying his tail across his shoulders. "Come on. You're always taking care of me like a mother badger." He laughed. "Honestly, it is damaging my reputation a little bit. Let me take care of you for once." He went to nuzzle Stormfang's cheek, but Stormfang moved his head away, though he longed for Hailwhisker's touch. He gave Hailwhisker a sideways glance.
"I'm sick, remember?" Stormfang mumbled, finally admitting it to himself. "No use to the clan if you get it too." Maybe encountering the SkyClan patrol hadn't been enough to get Hailwhisker sick. Looking at the ginger tom now, he seemed perfectly healthy.
Hailwhisker nodded, looking at his paws. "Right. Okay then. Let's get you back to camp."
Stormfang allowed his mate to lead him back toward camp, relaxing into a step next to him. Mucus started dripping from his nose, and his pelt went hot with embarrassment. Plus it felt abnormally hot due to the sickness.
How could I have gotten sick? He wondered again. He hadn't encountered any SkyClan warriors. It must have been some other way…
Reaching the medicine den, he immediately collapsed into one of the nests, wheezing. He thought he heard Hailwhisker murmuring worriedly to Birchtail, but Stormfang already felt himself slipping into sleep. Sleep, and it all would turn out okay.