Throbbing Chills

Ooc- I'm sorry I was gone for so long ;-; school being needy and stuff like that. Inspired by my own on and off headaches.

A mud colored lump lay at the back of the apprentice's den, giving off soft groans every now and again. Deerpaw wasn't sure what had gone wrong; being outside in the cold with a short coat, maybe? Walking in one too many snowdrifts? Well, anyway it happened, this tom now had a smothering headache that refused to set him free from it's grasp. If cats could sweat, the lithe tom would be drenched in the stuff.

Deerpaw consciously muffled his utterances of pain. He swallowed a cough, knowing it would hurt his head. He could power though it. That's what a warrior would do.. right? His muscles were stiff, only moving to shiver for warmth. His orange-flecked eyes would have been dull, if they hadn't been scrunched shut to block out the pain. This was also why he didn't notice a shadow looming from the den's entrance.

Shadeheart was pacing around the camp that night, muttering things about herbs to herself. As she passed the apprentice's den, she heard a soft groan. She padded into the den and went up to Deerpaw, who appeared to be the source of the groaning. "Deerpaw?" she whispered, "Deerpaw, are you alright? What's wrong?"

Deerpaw's ears pricked at the sound of his name. He turned his head to see Shadeheart looking down at him. He put on a fake smile and meowed reassuringly,"I'm fine. Just a little headache, that's all." The tom shifted his black paws around to distract himself from the throbbing of his head. 'Will she buy it?', he thought. Probably not; she was the medicine cat for a reason. Even so, he tried to hide the first symptom of his sickness.

"Alright, if it's just a headache," Shadeheart croaked, "Would you like some herbs for it?"

The brown tom stubbornly shook his head. "I would rather not deplete your herb stores. Other cats might need it more than I." He stood, nearly bumping his head on the low roof. The apprentice almost fell due to a wave of lightheadedness. 'Maybe I do need it..', He thought.