Blood on the Pelt (closed for twistedcinnamonrolls)

Ash of the Burning Forest heaved as he struggled to breath as he lay in Windclan's medicine den, his breathing shallow and his lungs filled with fluid. He shuddered, feeling something come up in his throat, and began spluttering out dark crimson blood that patterned his black, white and now red pelt. He had been in here for a few days - after arriving, he had been struck with a severe case of red-cough, and it made it hard for him to breath, sleep, talk and even eat. His throat was raw and bloody from coughing and straining his voice, and he had dried blood covering his chest. He missed his tribe. He missed waking up to the safe, comforting walls of the cave instead of the open surroundings he now lived him.. he missed it all. Suddenly, a familiar figure appeared a few tail-lengths away from him. He lifted his head an inch and nodded to acknowledge Twistedtail's presence before slumping back down.

Twistedtail had been worried about Ash of Burning Forest ever since they arrived. The tribe tom caught something on his way here, and she had watched him sitting in the medicine cat's den over the moons.. It seemed wrong that any cat would have had to go through so much suffering only to suffer more. He will just sit there, all day long, watching with glazed eyes as cats go along with their business, while other cats got much better. So that early greenleaf day she decided to pay the black and white tom a visit. It was the least the she-cat could do.

Grabbing the fattest rabbit off of the prey pile, which was very fat with greenleaf came around, she dragged it over to the medicine cat's den. He looked even worse close up. Blood covered his pelt, along with the area around his mouth. His fur was matted from days without washing it, and his nest was soiled and it was obvious he hadn't gotten off it for a while. A heavy stench of sickness came from him and he was definitely in pain. She wondered in her head if he will even live long enough to see the next moon.

She cautiously dropped the dead rabbit in front of Ash, making sure she didn't accidentally startle him. "No cat should have to go through so much difficulty just to face more," she said as she sat down next to him. "Mind if I share tounges with you? It must be very lonely, away from your tribe and isolated in the medicine cat's den. You know, I used to think I was the cat in the clan who has suffered the most, but you have probably seen things a million times worse." 

Ash of the Burning Forest meekly nodded as Twistedtail spoke, too tired to reply, until she mentioned this 'sharing tongues' thing. Was it like sharing fresh-kill in his tribe, where they would pass it around so everyone had a bite? He hoped so. "O-okay," he croaked, shuddering as the words barely left his mouth. He coughed again, this time blood-free, and weakly smiled at the she-cat, before pulling the rabbit towards him with his claws. He was reluctant to eat this, though. More pain just felt like he was trying to fill an endless hole. It was helpless. But, however, he did take a small bite because he didn't want to upset Twistedtail, staining it's flesh with blood.

Twistedtail watched as Ash of Burning Forest pulled a small, pained bite out of the rabbit. "Here, this should help," she murmured, gently pulling apart the meat with her claws into easily swallowed bits. Once she was done she lied down next to him and started grooming his fur, feeling the metallic taste of blood on her tongue as she worked. "So, how was life for you back then, when you lived up in the mountains?" she inquired after spitting out some loose hairs. 

"... different," he croaked, a trail of blood trickling down his muzzle, "We wouldn't.. wo.. wouldn't eat meals by ourselves, we would pass a piece of prey around so everyone had a share." His head collapsed onto the ground. His throat burned with a searing pain that felt like spiders nibbling at his throat. Talking was hard, and trying to explain things about the tribe to a clan cat was harder.

Twistedtail's eyes sparked with alarm when blood trickled from his mouth and he collapsed. "A-are you okay?! No, that's a stupid question. Of course your not. Don't worry, I'll stay with you." she curled around the tom so they were side by side. She nuzzled him slightly, resting her head on top of his lightly. That moment Ash of Burning Forest seemed very... special to Twistedtail. "You'll be okay, I know.