Tales of Woe - ThunderClan's Punishment

Willowpaw heard a moan of pain outside of the warrior’s den, and padded outside. Her eyes widened as she spotted her mentor, Dawngaze, sprawled in front of the warriors den. “Dawngaze! Are you ok? Dawngaze? Listen to me we need to get you to the elders den.” She coaxed, trying to lift her mentor to her paws. “Come on, there’s water and prey there.” Willowpaw said, hoping that her mentor had enough strength to get to the elders den.

Other sounds came, the sound of urgent meows, worried. Minkstream's rasping breaths mingled with the others rising into the air as he shivered, body burning up, throat clawed raw. Coughing from somewhere close by. No, this wasn't the elder's den... he hadn't been there for... a few sunrises. Then where...? Who...?

"B-Bat?" A croak barely resembling a word forced its way from his maw as he tried to lift his head, tried to sense through the roiling mess of his head her pelt nearby - he'd somehow managed to twitch his way to the edge of their nest. She couldn't be sick, too. She hadn't done anything truly against the Code, even if her opinion of it wasn't what some could consider respectful. But another cough came from close by, a cough like her cough.

A voice came closer as he hacked what felt like his own lungs out, a shadow looming over them. A spark of panic went down his spine for a moment as he looked up, his mind putting a fox's lean shape to its form and foam coming out of its mouth. A moment later his eyes managed to focus enough on the dark shape coming towards them to recognize it as Mossbloom, herbs in her jaws, not a monster with a foaming maw. The world was reeling, sounds like they were coming from underwater as she placed them in front of him and Batbite, but he managed to hear enough as another cat dashed in with something in their jaws.

Not that he acted on it. His stomach felt too tight to get anything down, let alone bitter herbs. "What's happening?" He croaked, glancing back at Bat, then back to Mossbloom, fevered desperation in his eyes. What's going on?"

Nettlefire suddenly became aware of a chorus of racking coughs and sounds of discomfort and pain breaking the silence of the day. She made her way around camp, quickly realizing a number of her clanmates had suddenly taken ill. Very ill. Her steps quickened with worry.

Her clan was under assault by an invisible enemy, one she had no power over, no expertise in combating.

But she didn't want to just sit idly, uselessly by and let everyone else work around her. Especially not now. She had to lead. She had to do something.

She spotted her sister in the clearing, and moved briskly toward her.

"Daisybloom," she said quickly, "I-- do you know why it seems like so many have suddenly fallen ill? And-- and is there anything I can do to help you and Mossbloom take care of them?"

Daisybloom was overwhelmed by all the moans as she carried around her little herb bundles. As her sister came forth, Daisybloom let out a relieved sigh as she realized Nettlefire was alright. ”It’s something Mossbloom has never seen before...it’s like all the worst symptoms you could have. It seems that Starclan is punishing the cats that have switched clans, or joined, or something like that.” relived at her statement, the medicine cat apprentice handed her a bundle of the herbs. ”Anyone sick that doesn’t have one, give this to them. I have more in the den.” she mewed, before walking over to Dawngaze swiftly. ”Here.” she placed the bundle at her feet. She nodded at her, before ducking in to pick up another bundle for someone.

Willowpaw nodded a thanks at Daisybloom as she dropped a bundle of herbs next to Dawngaze. She didn’t want to leave her mentor, and she didn’t know if her mentor even have the strength to see the bundle of herbs in front of her. “Come on, Dawngaze. Eat this. It’ll make you feel better.” Willowpaw knew that the herbs probably wouldn’t help, but she was hoping they would.

Nettlefire narrowed her eyes.

So this was those StarClan cats' doing, she thought Of course it was. The amount of pain they are willing to inflict on the good and innocent never seems to end. Well, as soon as I come face to face with one of them myself, I'll pay them back for everything they've put us through.

But she wasn't face to face with them right now. What she was was with her clan. So she said to Daisybloom,

"Alright. And if there's anything else I can do, please let me know. I want to do everything in my power to make sure we all get through this,"

And took the herb bundle, immediately going off in search of someone who needed it.

"I.... I don't know. I have suspicions, but nothing confirmed. I think this is the next stage of StarClan's punishment. 'Impurities blossom like algae in a riverbed. May these spores infect every nest lined with immorality, in every camp, in every den, until their confession is suitable to the stars.' Thinking about it, the only ones sick are ones who aren't originally from ThunderClan, or.... Well...." She looked to Batbite for a few heartbeats before it clicked. "Or have mated with a cat not from ThunderClan. Those foxhearted, mangy crowfood eaters." She hissed, her tail lashing in frustration at their ancestors. "Please, rest, and eat your herbs. I don't know that they'll help too much, but hopefully they do enough. In the meantime, you are not, under any circumstances, to leave camp."