Overworking, The Sequel [Perchstar]

She'll be fine. She'll be fine. She'll be fine.

The constant mantra that Perchstar repeated endlessly in her head was the only thing keeping her mask from slipping. Everything they had worked for, everything they had made together, the RiverClan they had rebuilt from the ground up after the Dark Forest-- everything seemed to be on the verge of crashing down around their heads. Poppyshine lay ill in the medicine den. How ill? Would she recover? What had happened? Would she need to retire? Would she die? The panicked thoughts had free reign over the leader's limbs as she paced back and forth, back and forth across the floor of her den. She had grown so much and learned so much, all because of Poppyshine. Would that all vanish if Poppyshine vanished? Would she go back to being the pathetic cat she had been? Or had she even really grown at all? Had she simply been fooling herself this whole time? There was no way to tell. There was no way to know. All she could do was pace and fight back the worry and repeat the words she tried to believe in her head. She'll be fine. She'll be fine. She'll be fine.

Her head whipped around when another voice intruded on the ones whispering in her mind. Perchstar's eyes hardened, then softened immediately when they made contact with Dovesight's face. The medicine cat. She would know. She would know what was going on. It took all her self-control not to demand an immediate answer. However, she used the last of her remaining dignity to nod, sit down as if she hadn't been pacing, and draw her tail over her trembling paws. "Certainly, Dovesight. Please, come in." Her torn ear flicked as she waited, one of the few outward signs of her inward panic. The sight of her best friend's body slumped over in camp had been almost too much for her to bear, even with the knowledge she had awoken. Thoughts were too terrible to think, so she didn't think. Perchstar just waited.

"Poppyshine is resting. She is stable for now."

Perchstar felt an immediate weight off of her shoulders. She would be okay... she would be okay. Her legs trembled beneath her with relief, but she straightened them. Her lungs were finally able to inhale and exhale without feeling like they could collapse at any second. This did not solve anything, nor truly fix the dilemma they were in, but... it was a start.

With that terror lifted, the leader was able to fully listen to the rest of Dovesight's words. The medicine cat wanted to... take over some of Poppyshine's duties? Perchstar blinked, trying to reconcile the determined glare on her face with the usually soft, worried cat she often saw around camp. However, though Sandypaw may have been almost a full medicine cat by now, the idea of making Dovesight do more and leaving Poppyshine with less help sent another pang of fear through her heart. "I appreciate the offer," Perchstar said, "but I think I should decline. Your load is already enough, and while Sandypaw may be very competent, she is not ready to handle all of the duties by herself. I don't want to make you do any more than you already have to, especially when..." She trailed off. She did not want to say that her best friend's life was in the medicine cat's paws, even though it may be true. Her last shred of self-control stopped her from laying that potential weight on Dovesight's shoulders. "I have done the work of both leader and deputy before, and I am prepared to do so again. I can always ask another warrior to assist with patrols if necessary. Please, focus on your own duties, and take good care of Poppyshine."