Silentmelody's Dream

Chapter 16

Stormwhisker curled up in his nest of moss and bracken, but he shifted around for a long time before he slept, feeling as though ants were crawling through his pelt. How would he ever get over Duskpaw's death?
When at last he drifted into unconsciousness, he opened her eyes and found himself coming back into camp with catmint in his jaws, frost crumpled beneath his paws. Duskpaw was beside him, also with catmint, but a worried look haunted her face. They both headed towards the medicine den, to check on a sick cat who was infected by greencough. This is a memory, Stormwhisker thought, then remembered the sad moment that happened just when Duskpaw became an apprentice. Oh, no, StarClan.....
Mintflower, Duskpaw's mother, infected by the terrible effects of greencough: irregular breathing, streaming eyes and nose, wheezing, and fever. "Eat this," Duskpaw ordered, unconfidently, then looked up into Stormwhisker's eyes. Suddenly, Amber started chocking on the catmint, and Duskpaw dived her paw into her mother's throat, trying to catch the catmint. Duskpaw pulled the leaves out, and threw them out of the den, eyes not leaving her dying mother. Stormwhisker saw himself rush for water-soaked moss for Mintflower, but the coughing and yowls of agony already stopped. "Mintflower! No! Don't leave me!" Duskpaw cried. "I'll be waiting for you in StarClan." She gasped, then fell into a long sleep where she'll never awake from again. Duskpaw sat there motionless. "My first patient that I lost," she said. "My own mother." Stormwhisker rested his tail on her shoulder. "She's safe in StarClan now, Duskpaw."
"It was all my fault!" Duskpaw yowled. "I killed her! I should've saved her! It was all my fault."
Everything went blurry and and dizziness filled Stormwhisker's mind.
With a burn of shock, Stormwhisker gasped and awoke from his memory. Why did StarClan show Mintflower's death? Was it a warning? The question was answerless. Before leaving his den, Stormwhisker checked on Falconpaw's arm, but it was still feelingless, the apprentice groaned, but fell into sleep again, his breathing crooked. With a grunt of sadness, he dragged Duskpaw's motionless body out from his den. Stormwhisker was filled with grief so much that he forgot to tell Moonstar about his apprentice's death to give burial and vigil. He stopped at the mouth of the cave when he saw twoleg marking infront of the entrance. He turned around to see, Duskpaw Will Be Remembered Through ThunderClan Forever. Silentpaw, medicine cat thought. He looked up as Moonstar bounded towards him. "ThunderClan has suffered no worse than bloodcough," she said as she spotted Duskpaw's dead body. Without replaying, Stormwhisker dragged his apprentice into the middel of the clearing.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey come gather here for a Clan meeting!" Moonstar's voice boomed. The dawn patrol just entered, watching at the ThunderClan leader, Stormwhisker spotted Silentpaw's beautiful amber-colored pelt just like Duskpaw's. Wolfheart was right next to her, and the locked eyes, Stormwhisker looked away at his paws.
"Our honored medicine cat apprentice, Duskpaw, had died of a haunted sickness, bloodcough. As Silentpaw has quoted, she will be remembered through ThunderClan always, for she lived a suffering life, losing her whole family, though she got passed it, and never spoke of it again. Now she's with her family, and her spirit is happy in StarClan." A soft murmur rippled through the clearing. Moonstar pointed her snout towards Thunderstrike, Bouncefire, and Shadestripe. "You help Stormwhisker bury Duskpaw. Right at the entrance of his den." She said with a glimmer of light in her eye as she caught Stormwhisker's gaze. Silentpaw looked back at the medicine cat, with a glint of sadness, Wolfheart nudged her up on her paws.
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Stormwhisker didn't leave Duskpaw's place until it was late after sunhigh. He almost forgot about Falconpaw and Silvermist. With one final splash of a tear onto the ground, the medicine cat walked into his den to check on Falconpaw. Surprisingly, the grey apprentice was able to stand now, and he was lapping loose water from moss. "Are you okay?" Stormwhisker asked. Falconpaw chuckled briefly. "I should be asking that question to you." He said, looking into Stormwhisker's dark blue gaze. The old tom shuffled his paws into the ground. "Sit down," he ordered, changing the subject. Falconpaw sat down, coughing slightly. "It aches a little, but I can still stand." He said. With no reply, Stormwhisker rubbed his paws into Falconpaw's arm. There was a huge, hard bump where the ball and socket was, and he figured it was his humerus that slid out, because there was a sudden dent when he reached the ulna and the radius. Stromwhisker told this to Falconpaw, but the apprentice still was confused and didn't understand. "The only way I can fix it is to bite on it, pressing them back together into the ball and socket joint." He warned him. Hesitantly the apprentice nodded, looking away from him, getting ready to feel the medicine cat's sharp teeth. Stormwhisker pawed near the dent, then bit down hard. He felt Falconpaw wince was he heard a pop sound, connecting the ball and socket joint again. Stormwhisker dabbed some cobwebs around the bite, then nodded to Falconpaw, telling him to stand. "It feels great," the apprentice said. "Its like nothing happened."
"But around the bite may be a little sore, so be careful. You may have apprentices duties now."
"Really?!"
"Yes, now go!"
Stormwhisker saw the grey apprentice limped out of the cave. He's been stuck in the den for a while, but was too weak to get fresh air. Now, the bones hardened again, and he was able to walk more properly. The medicine cat sighed, and breathed the air. Silvermist! He remembered. She's having the kits! 
**********
Silentpaw pounced, and killed the vole with a swift blow. She dipped her head to pick it up, as Wolfheart lied his tail on her shoulder. Silentpaw felt the warmness and then again unease as the bushy tail covered her arm, for it was so thick. Once she got up, Wolfheart licked his paw and drew it over his ear. "C'mon," he said. "Time to get back to camp."
I still can't believe what happened to Duskpaw. Silentpaw thought. I hope Stormwhisker's okay.
"Nice hunt!" Thunderstrike commented as Silentpaw and Wolfheart walked into camp. Wolfheart was carrying two mice in his jaws, while Silentpaw a vole and a squirrel. Wolfheart dipped his head in thanks as he dropped off the kill in the pile. Silentpaw dropped the vole, and then headed towards the nursery to check on Silvermist.
Joy flirted inside the amber colored apprentice. Silvermist finally had her kits! There was three in all, bundled up in little fluffy balls as Stormwhisker, Silvermist, and Applewhisker were licking them to keep them warm.
"This is Sparklekit," Silvermist told her, flickingher tail over to the tortoiseshell she-kit. "Coldkit, and Eaglekit," she said as she rested her tail on the two toms, one icy white, and grey; the other a dark brown and golden.  "They're beautiful kits, Silvermist." Applewhisker said. "They'll be excellent warriors."
Stormwhisker saw Silentpaw drop a squirrel at Silvermist's paws. "Thank you," the new mother said.
Stormwhisker grunted and went back to his den to fetch some borage leaves for Silvermist's milk. "Eat these," he said, then the queen ate them. Silentpaw had left, out with Wolheart, and Hawkfire, and Echopaw for fighting training. Stormwhisker wanted to go back to his den to sleep, for the sun was sinking into the branches of the trees. But he still had to watch Silvermist to see if she was okay.
"I'll keep watch over Silvermist," Applewhisker told him, as if she could read his thoughts. "I'll tell you if something happened." The medicine cat slowly nodded, then drifted over to his den to sleep.
He awoke in StarClan's hunting grounds, and he looked around for someone. Are they sharing me another sign? Stormwhisker thought to himself, then started for a dusty trail that lead into a forest. But suddenly something stopped him, Mintflower. The old medicine cat gasped, but then dipped his head in respect. Still, Mintflower didn't say a word. Stormwhisker tried to read her expression, it was sad, and weary, and looked like tears were threatening to spill out of her eyes. Stormwhisker noticed that her beautiful green eyes were filled with blood luring around. Mintflower just stood there, but now her gaze stared behind him. Stormwhisker whipped around to see thick read mist that carried the scent of blood. Not him again, he thought, annoyed. But this time he wasn't hung upside down by one of those thorny vines, he was just falling, deep down. Finally, the medicine cat landed with a thump on the black dusty ground.  "I see Duskpaw had died not long ago," a voice boomed in front of him. Then there was a large dark shape that walked from the thick mist. "Blood here again, and I mean literally!" He exclaimed as Stormwhisker started choking on the thick red liquid that suddenly lured into his throat. Coughing it out, he said, "But you still lied about Falconpaw."
"Hmm?"
"He isn't caught with bloodcough,"
"Ha! You bit unto him, correct?"
Stormwhisker didn't want to answer. "Well," Blood started. "The tinge of bloodcough was in your throat, when Duskpaw died you licked her clean before you buried her. It gets from you throat, to your mouth, on her tongue, then teeth." He laughed again. "So you just infected Falconpaw."
Stormwhisker growled. "Well, you should be going now, toodaloo!" Blood called happily. Stormwhisker walked away from the blood filled territory. But he heard the sound of Duskpaw's voice, so he hid under a fallen tree branch. "Hush, now, Duskpaw. He's not your mentor anymore." Blood said. "I am now."
"Yeah, Duskpaw, Blood teaches us better things than herbs and poultices," someone else said. "DeathClan! Come to me!" Blood screeched. With wide eyes, Stormwhisker scented Owlclaw of WindClan, Tigerfrost and Wildfeather of ShadowClan, Brightstar and Rockpaw of RiverClan. He also scented......no, Sunflame! And Silverleaf....
Stormwhisker knew what blood was doing.
He was creating a Clan with all the ones who died of bloodcough!
So Duskpaw's not in StarClan after all.....