Dire Circumstances (wide open)

Eye of the Prowling Lion was not as small as he had been when he was first brought to this strange place. He was just a kit then. By now he was the age of the older to-bes of this new Tribe... er, Clan. SkyClan, or something like that. And the to-bes were called something else, but he hadn't paid much mind to Clan terminology. He was too busy trying to regain strength in the healer's den. Lion's Eye, though no longer small, was thin as a rail and bonier than any cat should be in the Time of Freed Water. He had caught a terrible illness while he was being carried to this foreign land, and it had only grown worse with the passage of time. His mother was frantic. Swoop of Fierce Doves had only become more protective and bitter with each passing sunrise, and the young tom was growing weary with the fight to heal.

Lion's Eye exhaled a stuttering sigh, unable to breathe fully without something getting in the way of his throat. He swiped his dry tongue over his lips and glanced out of the healer's den, dismayed that he could not be with the rest of his tribe and make Teller of the Pointed Stones proud. The healer, Rabbit-something-or-other, was kind enough, but she was not his family or his tribemate. The youngest member of the Tribe of Endless Skies settled his head on his paws and stared longingly into the camp, catching a slight glimpse of the territory beyond the clearing entrance.

A young cat padded into camp through the entrance, causing the gap that Eye of the Prowling Lion saw through into the endless forest. She came in with one or two other cats, all having hunted for the Clan. The to-be, as Lion's Eye would call her, dropped her mouse onto the fresh-kill pile. She looked disappointed at what she had found, as everyone else had found something better.

"Dumb fur," she cursed, "always getting caught on thorns or rustling leaves..."

She had sat down when she noticed Lion's Eye moping in the medicine cat den. The apprentice decided to go over to him and say hello. "Hi, I'm Dandelionpaw. And you are...?" she trailed off, hoping he would finish for her. She tried her best to remember all of her Clanmates, but she hardly knew anyone aside from Rippedsky and Rosepaw, her best friend and sister, though that was probably because of her timidness.

So much had happened in such a short time. Stoneteller didn't quite know how to take it or even begin understanding it. Skyclan took them in, then there was news of a crazy cat on the loose (a concept the Healer had never even heard of), then a crazy fire that was put out by a mysterious force. Stoneteller was quick to recognize that it must have been the Tribe of Endless Stars looking over them. He still firmly believed it, but there was something off about it. After looking at the damage done with a Skyclan patrol, it seemed that the fire had devastated other lands. The one they called Thunderclan in particular. Why would the Tribe of Endless Stars only show mercy on one group? From what he could gather, their tribe in the heavens was simply another name for what the clans called Starclan. Would their Starclan be so merciless as to save one clan but let the others burn? 

The leader stopped thinking about it. It was too much to fathom for one cat. Instead, he padded through the camp until his eyes landed on Eye of the Prowling Lion. The poor kit had been through so much over their journey here. It was good to see that he was fighting through his sickness, although it had certainly taken its toll on him. Stoneteller had offered his services to the clan's medicine cats, but they were on the case in an instant. The Healer didn't want to get in the way. However, he figured he could at least check on the kit. Padding over, the Healer acknowledge the other cat who walked over as well. "Hello Dandelionpaw," he purred. "How are you doing, Lion's Eye?" He asked, turning his focus to the kit.

Lion's Eye blinked when he realized the movement was caused by another cat, a young she-cat close to his own age, yet still older. She was carrying a mouse and his interest was rather piqued by it, as he had eaten mostly hawks and rabbits in the Tall Peaks he called home. His head lifted from his paws when he realized that the she-cat was approaching him, and he gave a friendly and welcoming smile to the stranger. "Hello, Dandelion...paw? Dandelionpaw?" He gave a raspy meow and coughed a few times. Clan names were still strange to him, but they also had a certain undeniable charm to them. They were much simpler than Tribe names, it seemed. "I'm called Eye of the Prowling Lion, but lots of cats just call me Lion's Eye."

Lion's Eye's head whipped toward Stoneteller when the kit realized the healer was approaching, and he shifted a little in his nest. Stoneteller was amazing! To the young tom, the Tribe leader was an idol worthy of his attention. The older tom was dedicated to his own and obviously did his best to take care of even the youngest, like Lion's Eye. Lion's Eye was admittedly a bit jealous of the healer's to-be, Cloud that Breaks the Dawn. He glanced up at Stoneteller with admiring eyes and managed to mew past the blockage in his throat, "I'm doing okay, Stoneteller. I do all the things my mother and the Clan's healer tell me to do so I can get better!" He said before a small kitten-sneeze shook his body.

Just like Clan names were strange to... Eye of the something-Lion, Lion's Eye, Tribe names were strange to Dandelionpaw. They were so... long and hard to remember. He just told her his name and she already forgot! Her heart was heavy with worry when she heard his rasping voice, though. She was no medicine cat, but even to her his condition sounded no good. Ever since she could remember him being in SkyClan, he'd been sick. When she'd been approaching apprentice age, she'd hoped he would get better from afar so they could do apprentice things together. Even though she was afraid of the older cats, she was always excited for fellow apprentices. Even though he was a Tribe cat by birth, in her mind he was basically another Clanmate. Thus, her worry showed on her ridiculously fluffy face.

"Yes, I'm Dandelionpaw, one of the... what do you call them? To-bes? Anyways, you looked really sad so I came over to cheer you up. How are you?"

"Good!" the tom purred at Lion's Eye's enthusiasm. It was good to see that he was so filled with energy. He looked so much better than he had when they first arrived. "You keep listening to your mother, okay? Mothers always know what is best!" A chirp escaped him as he sat down next to the two younger cats, listening to them talk. It was good that Lion's Eye was finding a friend. He was the only kit from the tribe that had made the harsh journey. Now that he was getting his strength back, it was almost time for him to become a to-be. He would need company to help him learn.

Lion's Eye nodded vigorously to Stonetller, determined to make him proud one day. They were supposed to live with the Clan cats and treat them like fellow Tribe cats, but it felt odd to think that their leader would have just as much power as Stoneteller. The big black tomcat looked a little scary, and Eye of the Prowling Lion hoped he wouldn't have to interact too much with him. The kit propped himself up to a sitting position and looked back at Dandelionpaw, a friendly smile curling his mouth.

"Well, Dandelionpaw, I'm giving it my best. That's what my mother always tells me to do." He mewed cheerfully, before his expression fell a little bit, evidently in a mixture of embarrassment and disappointment. "But I'm getting a little bored just sitting around and being treated like a little baby. I wanna explore and play! But I have to get better first. I hope my fever breaks soon." Lion's Eye rasped, sighing before a few more coughs disrupted him.

"You'll get better, I promise! Rabbitfoot is the best medicine cat in all of the Clans. I know she can help. But if you're bored... I could chat with you. I've been out, seen the territory. I can tell stories! Have you heard some of the Clan tales? Like the ones about LionClan? You remind me of them. Your bravery, I mean," she said rather bashfully.