Sick Baby is Sick [open but Honeypaw needed]

Poor Swiftkit. It had been some time since he had been born. His life started out okay but as the chilly air got much colder, the tom found himself feeling exhausted, freezing and coughing. It was awful. It was difficult to breathe as he got up and moved around and he was getting really tired of waking up with his eyes sealed shut from some kind of crusty stuff. Lying in the nursery, he was finally sick of it. With some trouble, Swiftkit got to his feet, trying to find the energy to move to the medicine den. He hadn't met the medicine cats, but he hoped that they would be able to help him. As he trudged over, he poked his head into the medicine den with tired, weary eyes. "H-Hello...?" he called weakly into the den followed by a loud, nasty cough.

Honeypaw, frantically sorting herbs and looking for catmint, was startled at Swiftkit's tiny meow. She dashed over to the small tom. Oh no, not the kits too! With Shimmerheart, Mudfoot and others already sick, she had her paws full. The last thing she needed was another sick cat! "Oh dear, oh dear. Swiftkit, come in here and let me get you something for that cough." She rushed the tiny kit into her den. Why, oh why was she out of catmint now? Why had Alderheart left her?

OOC: "Was sick of it"? Haha, I see what you did there ;D

Also, Honeypaw's ready to be a full MC now if you can find a way to arrange that~

It was a big relief to see Honeypaw in the den beckoning him inside. She seemed a lot nicer than he was thinking for some reason. But then again, everyone bigger than him seemed a lot scarier than they should. Padding in weakly, he found an empty spot in the middle of the den and lay down. Instantly, his mind wandered away from how sick he was as his attention focused on how he had never seen this den before. It smelled funny but it was much bigger than he thought. It was so cool! She lived in here? He wanted somewhere big like this too! Why was he here again..?

Another cough rattled his chest. Oh right."Thank you," he replied to her, maybe a little too late. "I'm Swiftkit. What is your name?" Somehow he had managed to forget that she already knew his name, but he really wanted to know hers. He always wanted some new friends.

The medicine cat apprentice smiled at the kit. "Honeypaw- my name is Honeypaw." She rummaged through her piles of herbs. Oh StarClan, where is some catmint when I need it? "How are you feeling, Swiftkit? Where does it hurt?" She nudged the kit over to the nest where she slept. "Here, lay down and rest. Don't overexert yourself."

OOC: #HoneyXSwift2k16

"O-Oh okay," he mewed, moving over to where he was told. Instantly he was extra comfortable and warm. It was odd how much different it felt from being stuck in the nursery. Without even thinking about it, he lay down, snuggling up into a big ball of fluff. "Are the nests in here always this comfortable?" he asked, poking his head up to look at the apprentice with tired but curious eyes. Poor thing hadn't heard her question about where he was hurting but already he was beginning to feel even ever-so-slightly better.

Honeypaw smiled at the small kit. "I try to make all the nests here as comfortable as possible- it helps cats feel better. And mine is extra-comfy." Because I can't sleep at night. Honeypaw shook it off, getting a little smidge of honey from the comb in the corner by the lavender and tansy. Maybe that would occupy him while she tried to find some herbs in the messy den. Plus, it would soothe his throat. "Here, Swiftkit, try some honey. I bet you've never had any before. I was named after honey, you know, because of my pelt."

When Honeypaw mentioned that she was named after honey and had given him some to try, his eyes flew wide with curiosity as he stared at the thick liquid. It looked so weird but hopefully it was delicious. Opening wide, Swiftkit practically inhaled it, licking it off of his lips as he finished it. It was beautifully sweet and it felt amazing as it slid down his throat. "Mmm..." he sighed as he finished it quickly. "That was delicious! Are all herbs that sweet and tasty?" he asked, a surge of energy flowing through him if only for a second as his throat was finally soothed and he didn't feel like he was going to cough up his lungs.

Tansy, chickweed and coltsfoot. Tansy, chickweed and coltsfoot. Honeypaw recited the herbs she needed in her head as she rummaged in the haphazard piles of herbs. Of course, catmint would help immensely, too, but she didn't have any of that. She laughed a little at the kit's question. "No, sadly, not all of them. In newleaf, sometimes I can sweeten mixtures with heather nectar and honey, but I don't have enough to spare in leaf-bare." She nosed a small pile of herbs towards Swiftkit. "Here, eat these. They may not taste as good as the honey, but they'll help. Make sure to chew them well and swallow, even if it hurts."

OOC: i am so sorry D; I hadn't realized how long it had been since I posted in my topics..

At the sight of the unfamiliar herbs, Swiftkit looked down, tilting his head to the side as he stared at the mixture laid before him. At first, curiosity overcame him as he batted at them lightly, feeling the textures of the foliage before he decided to smell them. Almost immediately his nose scrunched as the powerful smell hit him like a moss ball to the face. Looking up at Honeypaw with a pitiful look on his face, he couldn't help but wonder if he had to eat these. However, she said that they would help and he trusted her. Reluctantly pulling them into his mouth, he began chewing on them, his face twisting at the horribly bitter taste that washed over his tongue as he did so, but he pressed on, chewing them up well and swallowing them hard. "Eugh, that was disgusting!" he pouted.

Honeypaw laughed at the tom's reaction. "Yeah- sadly, most herbs are gross. You think when StarClan blessed cats with healing plants, they'd have made them taste like honey, or heather nectar, or at least fresh-kill." She swished her golden tail across Swiftkit's nose experimentally. "You seem to be getting better, definitely," she purred encouragingly, relieved amber eyes brightening. "Just a good night's rest and you'll be healthy as an apprentice tomorrow." Remembering Darkpaw, the medicine cat suddenly shuddered. The apprentice had died because of her incompetence. Well, it would never happen again.

Still licking his lips to try to get the taste off of his tongue, Swiftkit tried hard to listen to what Honeypaw had to say. She was the medicine cat, after all. She knew what she was talking about. "I'm already starting to feel better!" he mewed through the horrible biting taste of the herbs. "Thank you Honeypaw! I think I'll sleep now, then." With a big smile in the medicine cat apprentice's direction, he let out another short cough before getting up, fluffing up the nest he lay in and curling back up inside of it. It was so warm in contrast to the cold weather around it. It was so nice and cozy... Within minutes due to its warmth and simply lack of sleep, the kit fell asleep.