A Cooling Touch [O]

OOC: sprucebark is only mild sick*)


Sprucebark had been doing his best to keep hunting and busy to support his sick clanmates.  Everything was happening too fast.  He would have been doing so much worse if it was not for his lucky self that had recently found out that Scorch also liked him... not only that they loved one another too!

It had kept him going and her happy and positive energy was a great blessing during this troubled set of issues cast upon them all.


One day, while out hunting he thought he saw a beaver or maybe an otter swimming in the lake, that was pretty weird, beavers should be in rivers where they could build their dam and huts for the winter and otters were rare only something he heard of from elder tales.  (I looked it up, there is one species of otter in the UK so I assume it is okay to put here.  If not just pretend he said mink instead idk)

Squinty eyed he tried to make out what the shape was swimming along in the lake... but it did not look very graceful swimmer.  Tilting his head to the side ... since when did beavers or otters have silvery fur anyhow?

Tick, Tick it took him a couple seconds for it to slowly dawn on him that was a cat out there! Stars, they would freeze or worse drown! From the unique colour of the pelt it looked to be Willowsip although he could not be certain due to how much of her was underwater already.

Flashbacks of finding minksplash drown on the riverbank flooded his mind and his paws trembled locking up in place.

Move sprucebark move go get her his mind screamed for his paws to move and budge from their locked position.

He looked frozen in place at the water that he had for so long feared. come on move move!!! This is could be your one chance to save her but you need to go now his mind continued to scream at himself.

what warrior of riverclan are you that cannot even swim?? get over there and drag them back to shore

The hesitation that he felt brought with it enormous amounts of guilt and self hatred, why was he so terrified of the thing that his clan was known for? This was so unfair, and even more unfair for his clanmate that was perishing because of his inability to act.

He forced one pawstep in front of the other making progress, but the progress died in its tracks as soon as his paws stepped shallow into the icy cold water.  His entire being froze and he locked up again breathing heavily already his fear mounting more and more.

you are a failure sprucebark

"GHAAAAAAA" he let out a feral and utter screech of agony all his pain and fear put into it, nothing like this sound had ever been produced by our beloved Mr. rules and formal.  But the inability to act and the dread of all his past was too much.


"MUM, Auntie Kitespring!, Perchstar!!!

"Anyone! help" he cried out as loud as he could.


"ROWANNNNNN ROWANNNNN" his brothers name was easy to scream, and he had plenty of practice yelling it too. Please oh stars let someone hear him

Swanpaw had been coughing and sneezing as many of her clanmates were, but it had become apparent that she was not nearly as ill as some. That meant she was out and about, trying to hunt and help her clanmates while she could. It would do no good for her to sit idle while the cats who had taken her in were so ill, and Swanpaw would do all she could to ensure that her siblings had full bellies as well.

The pale apprentice sniffled as she sat on the shore of the lake, staring down at the cold water intently. There were fish... But the lake was very different than the river she knew back home. Perhaps hunting on land would be easier... Swanpaw lifted her head reluctantly, turning, when movement caught her eye. It startled the apprentice and she jumped slightly, giving her chest fur a lick in embarrassment. What on earth was so far out in the lake?

She focused on the movement... And blue eyes widened in shock at the sight of a familiar pelt. Willowwisp... But wasn't she one of the sick? Did Sandyshell know she was out of her nest?

Sprucebark's screech filled her ears, and Swanpaw stared at him, watching as the warrior stood with paws rooted to the ground. Useless, calling for help instead of acting on the skills that every Riverclanner should have had by rights. "What, turtle got your tail? You see Willowwisp out there right? Get out of the way!" Swanpaw snapped at Sprucebark, shoving past him roughly. "Coward." She growled.

If Sprucebark wasn't going to jump in to save Willowwisp from whatever she'd gotten into, Swanpaw would. The cold water was a shock to her system, piercing through Swanpaw's fur with icy claws, but if there was one thing the apprentice knew it was how to swim. She struck out toward the warrior, calling out as she did so. "Willowwisp! Come toward me - you can't be out here in this, the water's freezing!"

((Skipping Speedy at his request.))

"You think it's hot? Willowwisp, it's about to be leafbare!" Swanpaw couldn't believe her ears at the other she-cat's words. Truly, the sickness must have scrambled her mind something fierce if she thought such nonsense about the cold air and even colder water. "Your teeth chattering say otherwise, too - can you even hear me?" Even Swanpaw was shivering in this, her fluffy fur not enough to keep out the chill of the water.

With a huff, Swanpaw's paws moved, pushing her toward Willowwisp. "Come on, you're coming back to shore. Right now." She demanded. She wasn't sure if she would be able to drag Willowwisp back if she wound up having to... But she would get her clanmate out of this situation one way or another.

Sprucebark stared frozen in his pawsteps as Swanpaw went rushing out to go help Willowwisp.

Swanpaw called him a coward and it stung but he knew she was right. I'm so sorry he meowed to himself closing his eyes shut tight.

Forcing them back open he watched as the appretnice convinced their clanmate to slowly return out of the freezing water.

A big sigh of relief left him as he went to willowwisp's side. "oh no, you are freezing cold my clanmate, let us get you back to our temporary camp"

He gave a thankful look to Swanpaw for being able to act in the face of danger. A slight look of his own shame with it for not being able to act as well. Ever since his sister Mink had died he didnt handle water well.

Seeing his clanmate now dripping and soaking cold brought back all the bitter memories of such. But this time was different... they had saved Willowwisp, - or moreso - Swanpaw had!

Swanpaw could feel her heart hammering in her chest as Willowwisp tried to... lay down in the water. She forced herself to move, herself shivering as her fur wasn't quite enough protection from the icy lakewaters, but Willowwisp had already turned toward her.

"Come on!" She snapped, a growl rumbling in her chest as she stayed behind Willowwisp, making absolutely sure that she would get out of the frigid waters first.

"Thanks for the help." She returned Sprucebark's grateful and slightly-shamed look with a truly venomous glare, a snarl upon her soft features. Swanpaw shivered violently as the water rolled off of her pelt, growl still rumbling in her throat.

"Where's Poppyshine? Or one of the medicine cats? She needs to be back in her nest." She bit out, glancing toward Willowwisp. Perchstar was severely ill, she knew, and Poppyshine seemed to be doing better than most. If anyone could get her back into a nest (and she sure trusted Sprucebark after that display) it would be the deputy, right?

Sprucebark blinked at Swanpaw's gaze. Well wasn't she just cheery right now? The water probably made her angy was all.

The quick orders from his mum rattled him back to the present and he listened as close as he could to the long list of things she needed done. "okay! I can do that!" he meowed nodding and gave one last look to Willowwisp dripping wet soaked pelt before darting off to go do the things on his list.

If there was one thing the warrior it was good at was follow orders and all that. Mum needed him to be fast so he ran as quick as he could back the way poppyshine had come from. Luckily, he had been assigned as one of Sandyshell's bodyguards lately so he knew where she would be mostly.

Going to his sister he waved her down and panted a little explaining everything that had happened. "...so mum needs you right away" he meowed after explaining it to her all.

"I'll get Egretswoop and see about the pelts" he meowed darting off to do just that.

"Egretswoop help help!!! he meowed loudly entering into camp and darted over to his fellow warrior.

"Poppyshine needs some of your pelts cause swanpaw and willowwisp are soaked wet and all cold he meowed in a hurry. He told his fellow clanmates how to find them and then started gathering up the moss that would be needed like the deputy had said.

Sprucebark was ordered to go find help, and at least this time he seemed to be able to make himself useful with Poppyshine to order him to. Swanpaw shivered, her teeth beginning to chatter as she did. "It's so cold." Maybe, she thought uncharitably, next time she would leave her addled clanmate in the water. Just as quickly as the thought came to her, Swanpaw dismissed it. It wasn't Willowwisp's fault she was so ill.

Poppyshine's praise made her ears burn, and Swanpaw ducked her head. "Someone had to. Sprucebark wasn't going to." She added sourly, a growl beginning and then cutting off in her throat. The apprentice gave her head a shake. "...Sorry." She added, glancing between Willowwisp and her mentor.

"Will she be okay? She just..." Swanpaw's voice trailed off as she shook her head. "I wasn't even in there long and I'm freezing." She muttered, keeping pace with Poppyshine as they headed toward camp.

She had tucked herself away, more than keen on simply staying out of the way of her Clanmates. A collection of pelts had slowly grown into a pile just beside the trunk of the tree that she'd found herself taking as her nest, settling amidst the tangles of roots and earth that made a perfect cranny. She didn't have to yelp every time her clanmates moved or coughed, didn't have to be constantly on edge to the point of tears as they struggled with the illness that had Egretswoop herself coughing on occasion. Instead, it was away, quiet, peaceful. Allowed her to work on the pelts she was making for her clanmates to distract herself without being a distraction to the others. Close enough to the fresh-kill pile to provide the meat for those she had journeyed with to feast.

Sprucebark's frantic approach reached her ears before she did, and the snow-colored warrior was up in an instant. Panic darted in her eyes, and his panicked voice did nothing to ease the anxieties that had already gripped her to puffing up into a snowball. "O-okay..!" Her voice shook furiously, and her entire body immediately began trembling as she practically lept beneath her own fox pelt for some semblance of comfort. Quickly, she blinked away the tears that flecked her vision from how loud his voice was and had ultimately hurt her ears. It wasn't his fault.

Choosing the thickest-furred pelts that she could and taking them in her maw, the warrior hardly had to think to make her way to where the commotion was the loudest. With ears flattened purely against her skull, she managed to meet the group close enough. Dropping both pelts that she'd carried, the smaller of the two, a thick raccoon fur, was pulled over Swanpaw's back. The larger, a fluffy fox pelt not too far from her own save for the vibrant orange coloring, was then wrapped around Willowwisp.

"They should help..." Her voice had dropped to a whisper, as if talking too loud would shatter her clanmates. Pulling her chin close to her own pelt, she moved quickly out of the way, but ready to keep an eye on the chance that they needed anything else.