INTO THE FIRE

It was a cold leaf-bare morning. I awoke in my nest, shivering and burning at the same time. "Runningpaw, are you okay?" Bluepaw asked me, her forehead wrinkled in worry.

I nodded and fought back a cough. "I'm fine, Bluepaw. Don't worry about me. I'm just a little bit under the weather, is all."

I went out training with my mentor, Stoneclaw, who seemed to be working me harder than ever. "You need to be strong for leaf-bare," he kept telling me.

"Runningpaw!" Stoneclaw snapped while reviewing the rabbit stalk with me. "Pay attention! Why are you so zoned out today?"

"I'm just feeling a little under the weather," I mumbled.

His face softened. "Do you think you should go and see Ivypelt?"

I shook my head. The last thing I wanted to do was to visit our too-sweet medicine cat! "I'm fine, really, just a little stuffy."

"I think you should go, just in case."

"No, really, I'm okay."

"You're going." Stoneclaw took me back to camp and forced me into the medicine cat's den. "Ivypelt? Runningpaw isn't feeling well."

The smoky black she-cat padded into the den. "Oh, hello. Come here, Runningpaw."

I reluctantly let her give me a little check-up, and she finally declared, "You have whitecough."

I groaned, which led to a coughing fit. Stoneclaw looked a bit disappointed. "Well, I hope you feel better, Runningpaw." I nodded my thanks and sat down in a moss nest beside a sick kit, Rosekit, who was asleep. I curled up and let myself drift to sleep…

When I awoke, it was nighttime. There were no crickets chirping; for it was much too cold. I shivered and curled into a tighter ball. "Runningpaw?" someone whispered beside me. I scented the air. "Bluepaw!"

"I heard you have whitecough." Her voice was filled with sorrow.

"Yeah. Where's Ivypelt?"

"In her den."

"Can you fetch her for me, please?"

Bluepaw rose to her paws and padded into Ivypelt's den. A few moments later the two she-cats returned. "What's the matter, Runningpaw?" She checked my paw pads. "Your fever has gone up."

"I was just wondering if I could have a couple poppy seeds. I keep waking up."

Ivypelt nodded, hurried back into her den, and reappeared. She handed me two tiny black seeds. "This should be enough."

"Thank you." I swallowed them and rested my chin back on my paws. Sleep quickly swept over me.

I dreamed about flames. Yellow and orange flames, licking against trees and eating the bark off of them. They swallowed me whole and burned my pelt, scorching it black. Burning pain seared through my body.

"Runningpaw, can you hear me?"

"…Might have blackcough…"

"His fever is higher than ever…"

"Will he die?"

"Maybe."

The voices became clearer. I opened my eyes and heaved a cough. Ivypelt and Bluepaw hovered over me. "Ivypelt," I rasped. "I…will…am I going to die?"

"That's in the paws of StarClan, Runningpaw," she mewed sadly, but I could tell that her real answer would be, "Yes. I'm sorry, I tried."

The fire grew in my body again. "Goodbye, Bluepaw," I whispered. "Goodbye, Ivypelt. Thank you for all you've done for me…"

And I let myself sink back into the fire…forever.

Hmm…unique, actually! Pretty corny at the end, but whatever!

xx-Starfall-xx