Stormsong was sorting herbs when her apprentice came running into the den. "What's wrong?" she inquired as she patted over to her scared apprentice. Torchpaw sighed softly and needed her paws into the dirt.
"Smokewhisp is really sick, like, really really really really sick! I thought she was fine this morning: But she's gotten worse overnight! I'm really scared, Stormsong. Pebblewing and I don't know what to do!" the dark-furred apprentice meowed, looking up into her mentor's calming amber-gold eyes
"Okay, first of all: Torchpaw, you need to take a deep breath and calm down, young one." Stormsong mewed sharply, but not unkindly to the the young she-cat. "You won't be much help to anyone if your panicking like a scared mouse. Just relax and slow down for a moment, Torchpaw."
Torchpaw slowly nodded and took a deep breath as instructed, then she looked back up at Ghostwish.
Stormsong sighed and flattened her ears, then meowed softly, "What symptoms does she have? If we know that much, then we can get the right herbs to help her." Stormsong meowed with a flick of her tail.
Torchpaw nodded her head and quickly meowed, "She's having trouble breathing, and she has a fever." The red-and-brown tortoiseshell apprentice informed her mentor.
Stormsong nodded and mewed, "So, what herbs should you give her, Torchpaw?" she quizzed, sitting down and tucking her tail over her paws.
Torchpaw thought for a moment then she meowed a quick, quiet,
"Some juniper berries to help her breath, some poppy seeds to help with pain, and some feverfew to bring down her fever."
Stormsong nodded her in approval, only for the slate-gray medicine cat to regret it almost immediately. She bit down on her tongue to withhold any sounds from escaping when the world started to spin all around her, along with her vision quickly becoming fuzzy and blurry. She stumbled over her paws, her sides heaving, and her breaths coming in harsh, quick pants. Torchpaw gave a startled meow when she saw her mentor stumbling over her own paws.
"Stormsong?"
Torchpaw started to panic when Stormsong didn't respond. And so, she did the only thing that made sense: She began to yowl for help. Her startled meowing caught the attention of Blackdawn, Copperheart, and Pantherlily. The three warriors came racing over to where the young medicine cat apprentice was pacing anxiously outside the entrance of the medicine cat's den.
"Torchpaw?" Pantherlily meowed worriedly, her leaf-green eyes shining with concern at the healer apprentice's continued lack of response. "What's wrong?" Torchpaw's mouth opened, but no words would come out. Blackdawn then called for Shimmerdusk, who raced over to them, followed closely by her apprentice, Wishpaw.
"What happened, Blackdawn? What's wrong with Torchpaw?" Wishpaw mewed to the jet-black she-cat while racing over to comfort her sister. Blackdawn sighed softly, and turned to Blackwing.
"Go check on Stormsong!" she ordered sharply to the copper-brown tom. He nodded sharply, and raced into the medicine cat's den. He raced back out shortly after entering the den, looking spooked. "What is it, Copperheart? Is Stormsong alright?" Shimmerdusk mewed to the brown tom.
Copperheart sighed, and flattened his ears, then he mewed, "She's feverish, and she's panting heavily." Was Copperheart's distraught meow.
"But she's ok, right?" came Torchpaw's worried meow from beside Wishpaw and Shimmerdusk.
"I'm hoping so, Torchpaw. I'm really hoping so. However, I'm no medicine cat, but I do know that she needs rest. And lots of it. Mewed Copperheart sternly. Torchpaw nodded, and stared down at her paws. Wishpaw brushed her tail against Torchpaw's shoulder as a sign of comfort.
"So... what will happen now?" Pantherlily meowed. "Who will train Torchpaw until Stormsong is recovered?" she continued, looking over at the three other warriors for confirmation.
"First things first, we're gonna have to inform Evningstar that our medicine cat is ill." Blackdawn mewed with a flick of her tail in the direction of Evningstar's den. The other cats nodded and made there way to Evningstar's den to report what was happening.
"No! I don't want a new mentor, Blackdawn. I want to stay with Stormsong!" Torchpaw protested to the obsidian-black she-cat. Blackdawn sighed sympathedickly, and licked Torchpaw in between the ears.
"Listen to me very closely, Torchpaw." Blackdawn meowed in a quiet voice. "If Stormsong really is sick, then we don't want anyone going near her. Torchpaw, do you understand that we're only just trying to keep you safe?" Torchpaw slowly nodded, ears flattening against her head in a show of silent acceptance.
"I understand, Blackdawn." Torchpaw meowed in a subdued tone of voice. "But, what if we need herbs? What will we do then?" the red-and-brown tortoiseshell medicine cat apprentice quietly mewed after a short pause.
Blackdawn frowned sympathetically, and twitched her tail back-and-forth in thought. "We'll figure something out, Torchpaw. I promise." The midnight-black she-cat meowed after a short while. "But, for now though, let's go and have a talk with Evningstar." And with those last few words, Blackdawn gently guided her best friend's apprentice in the direction of Evningstar's den.