Don’t Look So Bright [c]

If only the morning sunlight’s dance could be reflected upon Silverpaw, instead their mood and health was more akin to the lashing, cruel storm that had berated the clans the last leg of their journey. A chill ran down their spine, one she didn’t bother to hide - what was the point? Almost every other cat was sick anyways. Silverpaw let out a huff that turned into a long bout of wheezing coughs, that left them gasping for air. Her head pounded, and she squeezed her eyes shut, begging to fall asleep so she could dream of a time where she wasn’t hungry and she was not plagued by fever and delirium.

There was no salvation, she felt too ill to even sleep. The last time they had slept had been the night before they arrived at the lake. Without the comfort of sleep Silverpaw had occupied herself with keeping watch. And keep watch she did. A certain ThunderClan tom’s interest in a certain SkyClan she-cat, had not gone unnoticed by the silver she-cat. She was too sick to really care for the implications, but they needed a distraction from the pain, and when the tom in question appeared in her view maybe it was a sign from StarClan to intervene.

“Brightpaw,” she croaked, sitting up to appear larger, with an ounce more of authority than she had ”Back from your rendezvous with Berrypaw?” Silverpaw paused, regaining their breath, such an exertion to even speak. “I may be sick, but i am not blind. I saw you and Berrypaw on the trek here, and from here where I am confined with this plague…” she waved her tail gesturing to what sufficed as a den “… I can see down to the shoreline where you have just come from. I’m sure others will see what is going on soon.” finished Silverpaw accusingly. They sat back down, too tired to keep holding herself upright, but her green eyes remained ever trained, like a hawk’s, on Brightpaw.

Brightpaw came back from the shore, his paws sandy. "How did you know..." He was completely and utterly shocked. He made sure he was far from the clans, but somehow an apprentice he didn’t know very well knew his friend. "Never mind, just please don’t tell anyone." he meowed softly. It seemed as if this apprentice was sick. He was about to speak, but there was no use speaking. What happened? He looked at the sand, starting to cover his paws, then shook the sand off, trying to take his mind off things. "I know they will, but nows not the time, ok!?" He felt quite mad about someone else interfering with the two. "We’re only friends," he burst out Brightpaw, remembering saying the same thing to Berrypaw. He flicked his tail into his paws staring at the forest left behind, then back to silverpaw frowning.

A huff escaped Silverpaw’s maw, and her chest convulsed but she wouldn’t allow themselves to cough. Silverpaw tried to keep her expression neutral, but suddenly everything seemed all too confusing, and her thoughts became a jumble of emotions the she couldn’t pick apart. The feeling of bile rising up in her throat, that over the past few days she had become all too familiar with, threatened them. Silverpaw felt disgusted, with herself, with the sickness and with Brightpaw’s code breaking. Silverpaw screwed her eyes up, trying to ward off the debilitating dizziness.

Silverpaw swallowed. ”It doesn’t matter,” she hissed voice hoarse “You are disloyal-” She began coughing, and she couldn’t breathe, and the bile was rising up, and blood splattered the stones in front of her. don’t vomit. don’t vomit. don’t vomit. don’t vomit. repeated Silverpaw in her head, a mantra she had recently taken up. There was brief respite from her fit and she used that paise to open their eyes, and glare at Brightpaw, before they were taken back under by another round of coughing.

"No, I’m not!" he meowed in a rage. How could the cat say such a thing? He growled, then lashed his tail with unsheathed claws. "As I said, we’re just friends!" He repeated stubbornly. It felt as if all he wanted to do was prove his innocence. He was blinded in rage and fire. With a quick swipe at Silverpaw, he huffed and stepped back, gasping. He had just swiped at a sick cat. "W-wait, I’m sorry!" he meowed aghast. He had just broken the code twice. He felt as if running away. It seemed as if Silverpaw was also about to vomit. He looked worriedly at the she-cat. His blinded rage disappeared; his fur stood on end. He was so indecisive. He decided to attack a clanmate. "Are you ok?!" he meowed warily, pawing Silverpaw.

Brightpaw used front paw strike dealing 6 damage using 7 SP

Brightpaw
Hp: 20/20
SP: 53/60

Silverpaw
Hp: 4/10
SP: 40

A yowl of pain split through the makeshift den as Brightpaw’s claws came down on Silverpaw. Red hot pain ran down Silverpaw’s flank, and she felt the blood seeping into her pelt. Everything felt ignited under the illnesses shadow and she writhed in pain biting down on her tongue, only making it worse. Silverpaw was moving faster than she should have been towards Brightpaw, swaying dangerously instinct to defend herself driving them on.

The young she-cat was in his face lip-curled in a snarl bearing her fangs. “That’s twice you-“ her composure gave way, and a culmination of pain, emotional turmoil and sickness had Silverpaw bent double heaving up the food she desperately needed. Her vision swam, and then their legs were crumpling beneath them as she collapsed to the ground. She hit the ground with an oof. pathetic. Silverpaw’s eyelids felt so heavy, but with the strength she could muster she forced her cold green gaze on him. She wasn’t sure if she felt like being forgiving today.

“No.” snarled Silverpaw, practically collapsed in her own vomit. She wheezed heavily, her chest heaving in effort, but she continued “You’ve proven everything there was to prove.” Another shaky inhale. Silverpaw swallowed, the motion burning her throat. “Look what you have done!” she hissed her voice rising ”You can’t hide this kind of codebreaking.” Silverpaw felt on fire, and yet like she was sinking. There was no going back now after Brightpaw’s actions. Her eyelids became heavy, and she felt herself drifting. The apprentice’s last thoughts were of Quailprowler and how she would explain this. She’d promised her mentor, they’d be okay and now… Silverpaw had passed out before the rest of the thought materialised.

Silverpaw KO cos she’s not particularly fighting fit at all