It was still dark out when Frostpaw woke up. She opened her sleep-heavy eyes, observed that it was still night, and then closed them again, fumy about the idea of waking up early again.

Just before sleep started to overcome her again, however, she heard a noise that caused her to become awake and alert instantly. At first she thought that it was merely the wind blowing, but when she listened harder, she realized otherwise. One of the patients in the den was moaning. She paused to listen for a few moments longer, and she also discovered that the patient appeared to be shifting about restlessly.

A cold fear overcame her. Was one of them suffering? She quietly turned to survey the two injured cats resting closer to the front of the medicine cat den. With her night vision, she first made out Pinepaw sleeping on his back with his paws in the air and a frown on his countenance. Frostpaw felt herself frown as she wondered why he seemed so troubled.

Then her gaze shifted to Fallowclaw, and a mask of horror formed on her face. The deputy was writhing on her moss bed, spreading the moss all across the ground. Spittle constantly rained from her gaping mouth, soaking her fur and torn bedding. What struck her the most was that Fallowclaw's eyes were wide open as she groveled about, wailing softly and painfully. Frostpaw flinched when she saw one of the eyes roll into the back of her head, showing only the whites for one long moment.

Frostpaw remained paralyzed for a moment, taking the scene in with wide eyes. Then she sprung to life, darting to the deputy's side. What had happened during the course of the night that could leave her in such a condition? She seemed a little blank the other day, sure, but she certainly didn't seem immersed in intense pain as she did now. As Frostpaw tried to calm the deputy so she could inspect her more closely to find the cause of the matter, her gaze drifted across the bite wound from the fox, and froze there.

The room was suddenly frigid cold. Panting in brief, panicked breaths, Frostpaw held Fallowclaw still and peered at the injury. The unusual black stripes that Frostpaw had observed the other day had swelled to nearly twice the size; thick, oozing, and eerie. She gently parted the matted fur around the wound and saw that the skin had a black depth beneath it. It was as if the substance was spreading throughout her body…

Frostpaw pulled back, releasing the deputy, who immediately gasped and then began squirming and moaning once more.

The Plague…

No, no, no, not yet! Not now! But the prophecy haunted her, echoing itself in her ears, refusing to let her brush this off as a coincidence. So could it be? Had that savage fox spread the disease onto Fallowclaw? If so, was it contagious? Would she catch it just by standing there?

Thinking this, Frostpaw stepped back at first, not wanting to catch the Plague herself. But then, observing the deputy flailing about in obvious torment, she cursed herself for her selfishness. She was a medicine cat apprentice! A crucial part of her job was to care for the sick and the wounded, and here was a cat in great pain, and she was standing there worried for her own self. She flattened her ears, disgraced at her actions, and moved back to Fallowclaw's side.

But Frostpaw still had to know though, even though she had decided that dying of the pestilence herself meant that she had tried to her very best to stop it. Or…did the Plague cause death? She shook her head, clearing this new thought. Too many questions at once.

She studied the bite marks once more, trying again to hold the deputy in place. As she did so, she recalled how only Fallowclaw had been actually bitten by the fox, and she had gotten, or so Frostpaw sort of assumed, the disease, while Jaggeddust and Rootwind had only been scratched, and they were fine. Therefore she could infer that-

Frostpaw shrieked. Fallowclaw had been especially resistant to her attempts to hold her down just then, and had suddenly made a wild lunge towards her paw. She had pulled back just in time; the deputy's teeth snapped with a crack where her paw had been just a heartbeat earlier.

Frostpaw leaped back, fur stiff with alarm and her eyes wide as moons. She stared at her paw, unable to stop herself from imagining what would have happened if Fallowclaw had not missed. Slowly, gradually, she forced herself to lower her paw and look back at her assailant.

Fallowclaw was back to writhing in her moss bed as if nothing had ever happened. Frostpaw stood still for a long moment, her heart racing. Then she slowly crept back, just beyond physical reach.

What was that all about? She wondered. Bad temper stroke? But as she tried to get herself to inspect the deputy again, to try and find out what was going on, she realized she just couldn't do it anymore. Her body was quivering, she was frightened from the whole scene, and she just wanted to curl up and fall back asleep; to forget this whole night ever happened. But, gazing at Fallowclaw out of the corner of her eye, she also knew she would not be able to sleep while she was still in pain.

What could she do to try and ease her suffering? Poppy seeds! Of course! The deputy should feel much better after eating a few of those. Frostpaw started towards the back of the den, but hesitated when she passed by Shadefur, still asleep. Should she wake him up and see if he had any good ideas of what to do? No, poppy seeds would do the job. No need to disturb him for nothing.

She rummaged through the herb storage, finally making out the familiar shape of the tiny black seeds. She cupped several of them into her paw, holding it still as she hopped back to Fallowclaw.

To quiet her new fear of the deputy, she tried whispering to her. "I've got some poppy seeds here to sooth your pain." She timidly reached forward with her paw, afraid that Fallowclaw might try to bite it again, and dropped the seeds a whisker length away from her spitting mouth.

"Eat up." But Fallowclaw didn't seem to notice her. She continued to moan and roll about and jerk violently. Then of her flailing paws shot out towards the poppy seeds, sending them spinning all over the floor of the den.

Frostpaw wrinkled in her nose, as she knew that Shadefur would make her pick those up later. He was always telling her, "Each herb is a gift from StarClan. Do not waste them."Then she remembered her surroundings, and quickly went back to get more seeds. Her fear was starting to give way to frustration. By the time she came back, more poppy seeds clutched in her paw, she knew what she had to do. Clenching her jaw tight, she approached the deputy yet again.

No more games. She would have to hold Fallowclaw still, even though she risked getting bitten, and force the poppy seeds down her throat. It would be worth it in the end, for then Fallowclaw should at last be able to sleep painlessly.

But just as Frostpaw stood before her, replaying in her mind how she should act, she turned away at the last second. "I can't do it," she murmured, gazing at Fallowclaw. A stillness seemed to come over her. "I just can't."

Frostpaw ran from the den, and outside into the clearing. Not even knowing where she was heading, she soon collapsed behind the medicine cat den where no one else could see her, salty tears streaming down her face and her body trembling violently. Guilt bore down mercilessly on her, and her mind tormented her. Through her mind's eye, she saw Fallowclaw writhing about even more intensely, shrieking at the top of her lungs in terrible, unmatchable pain. She saw her dying; she saw her drowning in her own spittle, she saw her accidently stabbing herself with her own claws, she saw her groveling until she collapsed and never stirred again. Maybe Frostpaw deserved to die, if she couldn't save others. If she was too weak, too pitiful, too pathetic…

By the time the sun had at last pierced through the gloom, Frostpaw had still not moved. She simply lay where she had fallen in the night, staring with unblinking eyes at nothing in particular. She was no medicine cat apprentice. She could hardly even consider herself a Clan cat.

Then her ears instinctively perked up at the sound of paw steps. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Shadefur approaching her. How did he find her? He must be able to see through walls.

"What's wrong?" he asked, looking worried. Wrong? I'm wrong. Now go away.

"Nothing."

Shadefur narrowed his eyes. "You've never lied to me before, Frostpaw." He sat down next to her, his gaze seeming to penetrate her very soul. "Don't start now."

It worked. Somehow, his words broke the transparent seal she had weaved, and Frostpaw broke down again, wailing and trying to speak between sobs.

"Fallowclaw, she, she, sniff, w-was flailing about-"

But Shadefur unexpectedly placed his tail on her shoulder, which was a rare act for him, and meowed softly, "Calm down. Then tell me what happened."

Frostpaw nodded, taking a moment to recover. She took a deep breath, feeling it vibrate through her. Calm, she ordered herself. It's not like you nearly got bitten by a victim of the Plague who you were unable to help or anything.

Then she looked back at Shadefur, opened her mouth, and poured the whole night's events out for him to hear.