When the sun set and Skyfeather was sure that Moonflower was tucked away in her mossy nest, Skyfeather padded silently past Tawnyspot and out of the nursery. The bright moonlight turned her pelt silvery-white as she padded quietly to the leader's den. Her belly was getting larger and larger, and she knew the kits would be coming soon.

When Skyfeather neared the ferns leading into Stormstar's den, she scented Icepaw inside. Dread turned her blood to ice. Is Stormstar sick again? Remembering Firestar's words in her dream, she trotted as swiftly as her swollen belly would allow her through the ferns and into the den. Icepaw was crouched above Stormstar's sleeping form, muttering to himself under his breath.

"Icepaw?" Skyfeather mewed softly. She padded over to the white-and-brown apprentice medicine cat and crouched down next to him. "What's wrong?"

Icepaw looked up at Skyfeather with wide and depressed eyes. "Skyfeather," he mewled, "RainClan is falling apart!"

Skyfeather sighed and pressed her side closer to the trembling apprentice's. "Don't worry, Icepaw," she purred comfortingly. "Everything will be—"

"No!" Icepaw yowled. Skyfeather was surprised when the yowl didn't awake Stormstar. "Everything won't be fine! Greencough is destroying Stormstar's lives, Skyfeather! Leafstripe has it too, and I have no idea what to do! Also, I checked the warriors' den and apprentices' den for sick cats, and figured out that Cherrypaw's missing! So are Snowstorm, Dustcloud, and Frostfur! Skyfeather, Sparrowstripe has greencough, too!"

Skyfeather simply stared incredulously as the small medicine cat spoke these words. She felt a tremendous amount of pity for Icepaw, for all of the Clan's needs had dumped onto his scrawny, white shoulders. "Icepaw," she managed before pressing her nose into his side.

When she realized everything Icepaw had said, she looked up at Stormstar. His dark pelt rose and fell in a staggered sort of rhythm, only it wasn't a rhythm. It was faltered, and every so often her would lift his muzzle and cough a painstaking cough. Skyfeather could only watch in horror as her mate coughed himself to death.

"Skyfeather," Icepaw began, "I think Stormstar's going to lose another life to greencough, but I'm not sure. I'm such an inexperienced medicine cat, and now I have to care for so many cats! I mean, the Clan is already small as it is, but now we're weak and scrawny-looking. Skyfeather, what will we tell the other Clans at the Gathering?"

Skyfeather pondered this for a moment. Icepaw had a point. What would happen at the Gatherings? Both Stormstar and Sparrowstripe were sick with greencough, and most of the warriors were missing. So far, the Clan only had five able warriors!

"Icepaw," Skyfeather started without taking her eyes off the fern walls of the leader's den, "why don't you go back to your den and check up on Leafstripe? I'm sure he won't give up on you."

Icepaw nodded and scurried off through the ferns. Skyfeather ran her pink tongue over Stormstar's pelt many times. "Don't you give up on me, now," she whispered softly. "I can't live without you, remember?"

Skyfeather padded out of the leader's den, Stormstar's scent thick on her fur. The sun was just beginning to rise, and only Littlerock and Darkstep were in the clearing, eating fresh-kill.

"Good morning, Skyfeather," Darkstep meowed gravely. Apparently, he hadn't missed the horrible news of the spreading greencough epidemic in the camp. "How is Stormstar?"

Skyfeather sighed. "He hasn't opened his eyes since last night." She paused to pick a pigeon from the pile.

"But I thought StarClan cured the wound that took away a leader's life!" Littlerock protested. "How come Stormstar is sick?"

"StarClan did heal the wound that took Stormstar's eighth life away," Skyfeather responded. "But he caught greencough again. It's a different wound, yet the same disease."

Littlerock didn't say anything more. She simply chewed a piece of her shrew thoughtfully.

"What's going to happen now?" Darkstep continued. "Both Stormstar and Sparrowstripe are sick, and the Gathering is approaching. Also, the half-moon is tonight, and Leafstripe can't make it. What will Icepaw do?"

Skyfeather had thought long and hard about these few subjects the night before in Stormstar's den. She'd managed to coax a few words out of the leader, and they were enough. He'd told her that she would take charge while they were sick, and act as the Clan deputy, even though she formally wasn't, and couldn't call herself the deputy. She'd also thought of Icepaw's problems, and finally came up with a solution.

"I've decided that Icepaw will act as a full-fledged medicine cat instead of an apprentice until Leafstripe is healed," Skyfeather mewed. "Oh, by the way, Stormstar put me in charge."

Littlerock nodded. "I figured he would."

"But Icepaw has only begun his training," Darkstep protested. "He barely knows what medicine cat's are supposed to do every half-moon!"

"Then I will tell him myself," Skyfeather snapped. "He'll have to get over his fears if he wants to be a good medicine cat in Leafstripe's place."

Darkstep nodded solemnly and finished up his water vole without another peep from his dark muzzle. Skyfeather had silenced him.

"Skyfeather!" The silver queen spun around to see Icepaw galloping toward her.

"What is it, Icepaw?" Skyfeather questioned, her mew suddenly light and calm again.

"I-It's Goldenheart," the white apprentice stuttered. "She has it! She's caught greencough!"

Skyfeather pelted into the elders' den with Icepaw hard on her heels. No! she prayed silently. No, StarClan. I won't let it happen. Goldenheart can't be sick!

But, sure enough, when Skyfeather entered the den, Moonflower was hunched over a lump of unwashed golden fur, breathing and wheezing heavily.

"Goldenheart!" Skyfeather immediately rushed over to the elder's side and crouched down above her head.

Goldenheart creaked open an eye. "Oh, Skyfeather," she breathed. "How are you, love?"

"How am I?" Skyfeather echoed incredulously. "Goldenheart, you should be worrying about yourself, not me!"

"Oh?" Goldenheart mewed, followed by a splutter of coughs. "Last time I looked, the weight of the Clan's troubles just fell upon your shoulders." She paused and took a few wheezy breaths.

"Goldenheart, stop talking," Icepaw meowed firmly. "Try not to speak so much."

"Don't tell me what to do, apprentice," Goldenheart snapped, concluded with yet more coughs.

"Goldenheart," Skyfeather started, "Icepaw will be taking Leafstripe's position for the meantime. He's the RainClan medicine cat now, just until Leafstripe is healed."

"If he ever is," Icepaw mumbled under his breath.

"Don't speak like that!" Moonflower hissed. "You can't be a pessimist and a medicine cat at the same time! Now, listen to me; Leafstripe will get better, and you'll be the one to cure him."

Icepaw was scared into nodding and backed away into the ferns and out of the elders' den.

"Moonflower, you can't be hard on him," Goldenheart rasped. "All in one night, he received more duties than a beginning apprentice should ever see. Most importantly, he doesn't have any help, and his sister is missing.

"Goldenheart, you heard Icepaw," Moonflower muttered, running her tongue over the golden elder's pelt. "Stop talking."

Goldenheart chuckled lightly before following Moonflower's suggestions and keeping quiet. Skyfeather stayed with them for some time before returning to her half-eaten pigeon. She picked up the remnants and dragged them into the leader's den. She plopped the fresh-kill beside the snoozing Stormstar.

"Here you go," she murmured, settling down beside her mate. "I brought you some fresh-kill." She paused. "Stormstar you can't go on me again. If you lose another life to greencough, then you'll only have seven lives left." The silver queen sighed deeply. "All of a sudden, seven lives don't sound all that long."

That night, Skyfeather gave up sleeping and padded silently to the medicine cat's den. Icepaw was in there, muttering to himself while he gathered together many different herbs and concoctions.

"Icepaw, the sun's setting," Skyfeather mewed softly. "Shouldn't you get going?"

Icepaw sighed. "I can't leave my Clan right now," he replied. Skyfeather stifled a purr at the apprentice's sudden strong loyalty and bravery. "Leafstripe, and more importantly, Stormstar needs me. If I leave them now, they could die."

Skyfeather nodded. "I understand, but don't you think we should warn the other medicine cats before they set off without you?"

"But I can't leave," Icepaw persisted. "You'll have to send another warrior to do it." Busily, Icepaw set about again mixing herbs and chewing up berries and adding them to poultices.

Skyfeather chuckled and headed out of the fern tunnel. She met Silverwing in the clearing, sharing tongues with Bluetail.

"If you don't mind, I'm going to go off and tell the other medicine cats that Icepaw and Leafstripe can't make it to the Moonstone," she meowed. "Keep watch for me, will you?"

"Oh, no you don't," Bluetail snapped, pulling away from Silverwing and rushing in front of Skyfeather's way to the camp entrance. "You're going to have your kits very soon, Skyfeather. I'm not letting you leave. I don't even see why Stormstar put a queen in charge of the Clan!"

Skyfeather sighed, but when she thought about it, Bluetail was right. Her kits were due rather soon, and it would be too hazardous for her to leave the camp now. Why did Stormstar choose her?

"Fine, then," she responded. "Can one of you go? I don't want two warriors going, because we only have a few able warriors in the camp."

Silverwing nodded. "I'll go," he meowed. "Where do I meet them?"

"Just along the sugar river," Skyfeather answered. "Sandstorm, Amberleaf, and their apprentices should be waiting there for Leafstripe and Icepaw."

Silverwing nodded and padded to the camp entrance. Skyfeather waited until he was out of sight to trot over to the fresh-kill pile and pick out a small squirrel for Stormstar. The leader hadn't eaten much of the pigeon, but at least he was eating.

Skyfeather dropped the fresh-kill in front of Stormstar' nose so he could smell it. Cautiously, Stormstar lifted his muzzle and sniffed at the squirrel tentatively. When he confirmed it was food, he began to dig in to it. He left a lot of the meat on the bones when he finished and lay his head down again.

Skyfeather finished up the rest of the food and curled up next to the dark warrior. Before she shut her eyes for the night, she barely made out a "thank you" from Stormstar.

Skyfeather had a dream that she wasn't sure was from StarClan or not. She saw Goldenheart lying down in the clearing, and many RainClan cats around her. She smelled strongly of all three Clans, but Skyfeather didn't know why.

Nervously, Skyfeather padded over to the unconscious elder. She wrapped her tail over the she-cat's muzzle and whispered, "Goldenheart." The second she did so, a yowl broke the silence. Skyfeather glanced up to see an unknown cat bursting into the clearing.

Before she could say anything, a battle broke out in the camp. Many unfamiliar cats leaped through the camp barrier, pouncing on the helpless RainClan cats.

Just as a black-and-white tortoiseshell she-cat sprung at Skyfeather, she shot open her eyes to see the familiar walls of the leader's den. Stormstar was wheezing beside her, in the same position he had been in last night.

"Stormstar?" The dark warrior didn't respond.

Skyfeather silently confirmed that her leader was still sleeping, but coughing in his sleep. She got to her paws, stifling a yawn, and padded through the ferns and out of the den. The sun was only beginning to rise when she saw a cat in the clearing.

The tom was light brown, with a jet-black tail that was extra long.

Skyfeather blinked.

Jet-black tail…

Great StarClan! Skyfeather thought silently. She pelted into the main clearing, only then realizing that her belly had grown larger over night.

When the cat noticed her, he got to his paws and darted out of the camp, hurtling right through the thick boundary of ferns and twined twigs and brambles.

Skyfeather stared past the cat for a moment before blinking long and hard. When she opened her eyes, the camp with busy with Clan activity. Icepaw was hurrying around the dens, heeding to all the warriors' needs.

"I need to get back to the nursery," Skyfeather murmured to herself while padding back to the familiar bramble thicket. Tawnyspot was snoozing inside, her belly swollen and rising and falling.

Even though she wasn't tired, Skyfeather settled down in the cold moss that was her nest. She gave her pelt a long wash before resting her head on her paws and closing her eyes.

A/N: ...I was going to say something...right! I know that greencough is a leaf-bare disease, but please forget about that for a moment. It's a very cold newleaf, let's just say that.