Chapter 2
Starheart padded through the bracken. She had to hide her scent; no one could find her, not even Moonkit.
"Hawkfrost," she mewed quietly. She had a bundle of leaves with poppy seeds, catnip and feverfew inside it.
The cat she loved had greencough and she wasn't a medicine cat. She snuck as much as she could from Leafpool, especially with Leafpool handling Shadowkit it helped.
Hawkfrost was in a nest of moss and bramble. He was sick, and he looked worse. Please don't let it be Blackcough, please StarClan.
"C'mon Hawkfrost, eat up." Starheart mewed.
"Mothwing…" Hawkfrost mewed sickly.
Starheart stared at him. He may have been delirious but he still had his wits. He wanted his sister, a medicine cat, to help him.
"I'll get her." Starheart promised.
---
"Leafpool," Starheart called.
"Mm, hmm." she mumbled. "You haven't seen where all my feverfew went, did you?"
"Uh… no…" Starheart lied.
Leafpool shook her head. "Yeah, what do you need?"
"Do you have to give anything to Mothwing?" Starheart asked.
"You must be psychic. I actually need to give her some juniper but one of Squirrelflight's kits has kitten cough and I have to get some coltsfoot. And I have no apprentice to help me. Could you deliver this to Mothwing while I get the coltsfoot?"
"You got it!" that was exactly what Starheart needed to hear.
"Here you go," Leafpool gave her the branches with juniper.
"Thanks," Starheart mewed.
---
Starheart put one paw on the RiverClan boarder when she got pounced by Leopardstar.
"I need to give these to Mothwing, from Leafpool." Starheart explained.
"Come with me," Leopardstar mewed.
At the camp Mothwing was the cat they saw. Leopardstar went to speak with Mistyfoot.
"These are from Leafpool," Starheart explained.
"Too busy with the kit?" Mothwing asked.
"No, one of Squirrelflight's kits has kitten cough and she needed to get coltsfoot."
"Oh,"
"Look, Mothwing, I need your help."
"With what?"
"It's Hawkfrost, he has blackcough."
"You know where he is?" Mothwing mewed with shock.
"Can you come with me?" Starheart asked.
---
"Hawkfrost?" Starheart uncovered the bramble the tabby was hidden in.
"Did you give him something?" Mothwing mewed.
"Poppy seed, feverfew and catnip." Starheart mewed.
"Honey?" Mothwing asked.
"No,"
"Lavender?"
"No,"
Mothwing grabbed them both from a bundle. "He needs to be inside, the cold will kill him."
"Can't you take him to RiverClan?"
Mothwing shook her head. "I could get killed."
"What about the barn in the outskirts of ThunderClan?"
"Maybe, but I'd have to pass the camp. If I'm seen, I'd be killed."
"Well, that's your best shot." Mothwing mewed.
"I suppose, thanks Mothwing."
"Anything for my brother. Thanks for telling me Starheart."
Starheart nodded.
Mothwing headed off to the lake and swam across.
"C'mon Hawkfrost. You can still walk can't you?"
The tabby tom just mumbled.
Starheart headed to the abandoned twoleg nest until… she saw Birchfur and Spiderleg.
"Getting into trouble again, are we?" Spiderleg mewed.
Starheart just stared at the two toms.
"C'mon," Spiderleg mewed.
Oh, no this is not going to work out to well.
As they got to the camp Spiderleg meowed, "Wait here,"
Spiderleg and Birchfur went to the direction of the camp and left Starheart and Hawkfrost alone.
They waited for a short time when they heard a rustle to see Spiderleg and Firestar.
"Starheart," was the first thing Firestar mewed.
"Firestar-" Starheart started.
"What reason would you have for letting Hawkfrost stay in ThunderClan territory?"
"Would blackcough be a good enough reason?" Starheart mewed.
Firestar sighed, "Come with me,"
--
"Leafpool," Starheart went to get catnip for Hawkfrost.
"How could you do it?"
"What Leafpool? You mean bringing Hawkfrost to camp?"
"No, I can understand that, since you had his kits."
"What are you talking about Leafpool?"
"Either Thornclaw or Hawkfrost is the father."
"How can you tell?"
"That kits eyes. Ice blue like his father's. Unless Thornclaw's the father, then the kit might have inherited Frostfur's eyes." Leafpool explained.
"Do you have catnip or not?" Starheart snapped.
Leafpool grabbed some and gave them to her. "I don't know why you're trying, Hawkfrost has blackcough, not whitecough. Blackcough's fatal. All you're doing is prolonging the inevitable."
"He's not going to die as long as I can stop it." Starheart hissed.
Leafpool just stared.
He can't die, at least not yet.