"Take these, they'll make you feel better." Owlbreeze mewed, passing Sparrowpaw the bundle of feverfew. The sickly apprentice begrudgingly ate the feverfew before curling back up in his nest. Despite beating the initial sickness, late last night Sparrowpaw woke up with a high fever and was back in Owlbreeze's den. This caused a lot of stress for Mountainstar, but Owlbreeze wasn't worried about Sparrowpaw. His sickness was not major, the fever was making him miserable but he wasn't getting any worse.
Owlbreeze also had Troutstream, Hazelspring and Poppysong in her den all with white cough and fevers. She was managing them the best she could, and Troutstream was doing the best and she hoped he would be back in the warriors den in the next few days. Poppysong was the worse, teetering on the edge of whitecough and greencough. Owlbreeze felt a bit of nerves due to her, but she was keeping her calm. I have to. Owlbreeze reminded herself over and over. I'm the only medicine cat here, they need me to be at my best.
With all the sick cats cared for, Owlbreeze washed her paws in the cold water and stepped out. The air was brisk and she shivered the moment she left the safety of her den. She looked up towards the sky and saw ominous clouds far away. More snow tonight. She sighed, this leaf-bare had felt like it would never end. Newleaf can't get here soon enough. She could also see the moon faintly in the graying sky, tonight was the half-moon and Owlbreeze would be making the long journey to the Spirit Garden. She was excited to see Pebblestep and Honeyfrost again, but the walk would be long and cold.
I should probably head out here soon. Owlbreeze noted, she didn't want to get caught out in a snowstorm, and the other medicine cats had been leaving earlier as well to spend less time in the cold. She decided to help herself to a mouse to ease her hunger before the long and frigid walk through the forest.
She picked her mouse off the fresh-kill pile and huddled under a small overhang, sheltering her body from the snow. She would normally eat in her den, but the scent of sickness was starting to overwhelm her and she wanted a break, so she would handle the stinging ear tips while she ate.
She was nearly finished with her mouse when a voice called to her. She lifted her head and saw Mountainstar trotting towards her, presumably to question about the sick cats. "How are the sick warriors?"
"They're doing okay for now." Owlbreeze replied after swallowing her bite of prey. "Poppysong is the most at risk for developing greencough, but she's a strong warrior. Troutstream is also on the edge of it, but Sparrowpaw and Hazelspring still only have whitecough."
At the mention of her adoptive son, a shadow of fear crossed her eyes. "Will they be alright while you're gone tonight?"
Owlbreeze nods. "They've been given their herbs and none of them are at risk of dying. I wouldn't be going if I feared for their lives."
"I know, I know." Mountainstar breathed out a sigh. "I trust you to do what's best, it's just hard. After losing Tumbleweed--"
The death of Tumbleweed had also been looming over Owlbreeze, but his sickness had been incurable, there was nothing she could have done, yet that idea didn't do too much to soften the agony of his loss and she could only imagine the pain Mountainstar was feeling, that kind of trauma wasn't easy to shake off.
"Tumbleweed had an incurable illness." Owlbreeze forced herself to speak, she was a medicine cat and it was her duty to keep her leader as calm as possible. "Sparrowpaw and the others don't. Whitecough, and even greencough, are treatable. We have no elders, and while it's not impossible for a healthy cat to die from greencough, I have everything I need. We're a small Clan, and right now that's working in our favor."
Mountainstar's eyes sparkled with hope, but just for a moment. "Thank you, Owlbreeze." She dipped her head for a moment before glancing towards the sky. "You should probably leave soon, I'd hate for you to be late."
"Probably." Owlbreeze stood up, shaking stray snow from her gray pelt and discarding the remains of her mouse. "I'll keep you updated regularly about our sick cats, I promise. If anything changes you'll be the first to know."
"Thank you, I really appreciate it." Mountainstar news gratefully. Owlbreeze bid farewell to her leader and exited the camp, venturing into the cold woods. She quickly crossed MountainClan's territory, feeling her lungs burn slightly as she arrived at the river that bordered the gathering hollow. She quickly crossed the stones, taking great care as to not slip into the icy river below.
Through the snow-covered forest Owlbreeze spotted the pale tabby pelt of Oneflight waiting for her. She only got to see him on the half-moons since Violetstar refused to have MoonClan attend gatherings, so it was always pleasant. "Good evening, Oneflight!" Owlbreeze called to the MoonClan medicine cat who turned his gaze towards her.
"Good evening, Owlbreeze. It's nice to see you again." He greeted kindly, Oneflight was always a pleasant medicine cat to be around.
"You as well." Owlbreeze waved her tail. "Any sign of Honeyfrost and Pebblestep?" She looked past him towards SunClan territory.
"Not yet, but we should probably get going. The weather is getting colder and we don't need to be catching anything. I'm sure we'll be meeting them along the way." Owlbreeze nodded along and the two of them ventured into the gathering hollow towards the Spirit Garden.
Just as Oneflight had stated, Owlbreeze heard pawsteps behind her and turned to see Honeyfrost and Pebblestep approaching them. Owlbreeze greeted them with a purr, excited to see her aunt as well as her former mentor. She trotted up to them. "Good evening." She greeted with a happy purr.
Pebblestep leaned forward and touched her muzzle to Owlbreeze's cheek. "Good evening, Owlbreeze." The medicine cat was also purring, love sparkling in her good eye. "I'm fairly certain you look even bigger than thee last time I saw you. How are you feeling?"
"I'm doing good." Owlbreeze nods as the four medicine cats continued their journey towards the Spirit Garden. "I've been taking plenty of herbs myself while I care for the sick cats."
"That's good to hear." Honeyfrost chimed in. "I hope there hasn't been too much sickness in the other Clans."
"We have a few sick cats." Owlbreeze responded. "But nothing major so far, and Riverstep's gave birth to three healthy kits."
"You really do seem to be thriving." Honeyfrost's eyes softened and Owlbreeze couldn't help but notice that she looked a little sad. She misses me. Owlbreeze thought with an aching heart. But she knows I'm doing better here.
"Living in MountainClan has been great." Owlbreeze purred softly. "How are my littermates? And my parents?"
"They're all doing well." Pebblestep answered. "Your siblings had their warrior ceremony."
Her eyes widened and Owlbreeze felt a sense of pride wash over her. "I'm so excited! That's so nice to hear." Part of her wishes that she could've been there, but she still had no regrets.
"I'd tell you their names," Honeyfrost spoke up. " But your sister wants to tell you herself at the gathering." Owlbreeze understood, she would be looking forward to see all three of her siblings and learning their brand new names.
The four medicine cats grew closer to the Spirit Garden and they found two sets of fresh paw prints in the snow. "Blackstorm, Roseheart and Emberlight must've continued head." Oneflight mewed and the four pressed forward. Owlbreeze noted that Oneflight' voice was tense as he spoke of Blackstorm. They shouldn't let the conflict between their Clans affect their medicine cat tasks. Owlbreeze said silently. For a moment, the blood moon vision flashed in her mind and she felt her body tense.
Her focus on the war between AshClan and MoonClan had been shoved to the back of her mind, it still bothered her in her nightmares, but she had to focus on her Clan. It wasn't fair for her to be the only medicine cat to panic about this omen. She still felt it was unfair that so much had been placed on her and her alone. She didn't want the Clans to break into war, but she couldn't even convince Dawnstar, let alone Timberstar, Riverstar or Violetstar. She was certain the only leader who would actually listen to her was Mountainstar.
She once again forced the ideas of war into the back of her mind as they climbed the steep and icy stone path to the Spirit Garden. Sure enough, Blackstorm as well as the two LichenClan medicine cats were already inside, sheltering from the cold.
"Good evening." Pebblestep greeted and Owlbreeze noticed Honeyfrost giving Blackstorm a soft look, which he returned for a split second before returning to his usual icy gaze.
"Let's not waste any time." He spoke up. "It's cold and I want to go home."
"We could at least exchange pleasantries." Oneflight spoke, twitching his tail with hostility in his voice.
"Don't start this." Pebblestep mewed sharply. "This is a sacred, peaceful place. Do not let the war between your Clans affect our meeting tonight. If you can't speak to each other peacefully then don't speak to each other at all."
As the oldest medicine cat, Pebblestep was certainly well respected so both Oneflight and Blackstorm stayed silent. "I hope all is well your Clans." Roseheart spoke next, ignoring Blackstorm and Oneflight.
"It is, thank you." Honeyfrost dipped her head. They communicated about Clan affairs for a few more moments before it was finally time to begin the meeting. Owlbreeze rested in the soft graze, tucking her legs under her body and closing her eyes. She breathed in the relaxing scent of the flowers, and felt the weariness fall over her body.
A few moments later Owlbreeze opened her eyes, she was in the the Spirit Garden still, but her fellow medicine cats were no where to be seen. "Good evening, Owlbreeze." She heard the familiar voice of Mosscloud. Owlbreeze turned around to see the former MoonClan medicine cat standing at the entrance. "It's good to see you again."
Owlbreeze wish she could be happier to see Mosscloud, but just about every time they spoke she gave Owlbreeze some new omen to stress her out. "I can sense your hesitance." Mosscloud mewed and Owlbreeze instantly felt awkward. "Don't worry, I'm not here about the blood moon or the war, I have a different warning. Each of the medicine cats will be retrieving the same one."
Owlbreeze tilted her head slightly. "What kind of warning?"
"Follow me." Owlbreeze hesitated, but followed Mosscloud. They left the Spirit Garden and Owlbreeze instantly slammed with a wall of bitter, cold air and wind. She struggled to open her eyes as she looked out over the territories, seeing them covered in a thick layer of snow.
"What happened..?" She found it hard to speak because of the cold, harsh air.
"This is what's coming in the following days." Mosscloud seemed unaffected by the cold. In six days the Clans will be hit with a massive, dangerous blizzard. We saw this omen yesterday. Tell Mountainstar, prepare your herbs and prey, because it will be too dangerous to leave your camps. Borders will have to go unchecked, but its that or risk freezing to death."
"Mountainstar will understand." Owlbreeze felt anxiety rising in her chest. "I'll start preparing the Clan right away."
"Good." Mosscloud nods. "I know I'm constantly giving you bad news." She sighed sadly. "I promise I don't want to, I know all too well what it's like to be born with the burden of destiny, but I promise I will always be here to guide you."
Owlbreeze sighed, feeling slightly guilty. She knew that this omens were not Mosscloud's fault, she was just Owlbreeze's guide. "It's not your fault." She sighed. "You're just the messenger, it's just so frustrating sometimes."
"I know." Mosscloud stepped forward and touched her muzzle to Owlbreeze's forehead. "You're a very strong medicine cat, for now just focus on keeping your Clan prepared for the storm."
Owlbreeze felt warmth entering her body and the scent of Mosscloud was replaced with the scent of flowers. She opened her eyes and found herself back with the other medicine cats who were also beginning to stir. They exchanged a look, knowing they had all been given the same warning. "Good luck, everyone." Pebblestep spoke. "We need to prepare for this right away."
"I don't know how Moonwhisker thinks I'd be able to convince Riverstar to stop patrolling borders, especially now." Blackstorm spoke, his voice irritating.
"You'd think she'd care about the lives of her warriors." Oneflight growled. "But maybe I'm wrong."
Blackstorm shot a venomous look at Blackstorm but Pebblestep walked in between them. "Enough." She hissed, then looked at Blackstorm. "Tell her if she doesn't her warriors will die. I don't think she wants that right now, if anyone can convince her, it's you."
Blackstorm let out a huff but didn't respond directly to her. "I'm leaving." He brushed past the other cats and started sighing while Oneflight let out a snort.
"Don't act all high and mighty." Pebblestep lashed her tail. "You were the one antagonizing him, Oneflight."
Oneflight's eyes were . "I'll show Blackstorm respect when his Clan apologizes for killing my father." Oneflight turned away without letting anyone get another word in.
Owlbreeze could feel the sharp tension in the air fade away when he left. Roseheart let out a sigh. "Those two really need to but that aside for medicine cat duties. Their war should be the least of their concerns with the blizzard coming in."
Pebblestep shakes her head. "I understand why Oneflight is so upset, but you're right, it wasn't Blackstorm's fault. It was Riverstar's." She looked to Owlbreeze and the LichenClan cats. "Have you been visited by either one of them?"
Owlbreeze, Roseheart and Emberlight all shook their heads. "It's probably only a matter of time," Honeyfrost chimed in. "Both Riverstar and Violetstar came trying to get SunClan on their side. One of the downfalls of having a large Clan, I suppose."
"What did Dawnstar say..?" Owlbreeze asked nervously.
"She said she's remaining neutral, she won't act unless SunClan is directly threatened and I'd advise your leaders to do the same."
"Mountainstar already has agreed to stay neutral, and we're really small right now so there's no benefit to us joining in."
"Timberstar also wants to keep out." Roseheart added with Emberlight nodding along. "He's done well at keeping out of other Clan conflicts for this long, he doesn't want to break that."
"Good call." Pebblestep dipped her head. "We should head back to our Clans now, we have a lot of preparation to do."