Echo of the Past [Thornstalker]

A tired sigh escaped Beechfang as the warrior padded among her clanmates. Smokepetal was searching for herbs, Wolfblossom and Birdstar searched for stability, and the rest of them were simply surviving. Or trying to. For all the misfortune Beechfang had seen over the years, not being among the sick felt like a blessing.

And a curse. Beechfang had wasted her time as a medicine cat on vengeance, on passion, on bloodshed. Advocating for war that only led to injury and death. Exiled for causing death, and now that she was a warrior, this was the first bout of illness this severe and widespread that she could recall. Something that should have been preventable... That she might have been able to help slow the spread of.

Instead she sat, mere presence enough to spark new threats of war. And for once, Beechfang didn't want it. She wanted to see her clanmates safe and healthy, without the threat of bloodshed looming. Herbs were pitifully scarce, they were starving, and it seemed as if there was no end in sight. At least, one of those she could try and help with... And she was trying. But foxdung if the irony of everything happening didn't make her claws itch.

With a shake of her head, Beechfang approached one of the nests, a thin squirrel hanging from her jaws. A small white and gold she-cat was curled in a nest, heavily pregnant with kits. Her niec-- great-... No, best not think on the specifics of whatever being Falconmoon's made them to her. Family... Of a sort.

"Thornstalker?" Beechfang kept her voice quiet, not wanting to wake the kits if they were sleeping, and set the squirrel down. "How are you feeling? And the kits?" She was sick, that much was obvious... And it seemed Skyclan's queens truly did have a knack for bringing new life into the world in times of chaos. That was life, though, and while not a medicine cat any longer, Beechfang would do what she could to try and help preserve it.

"They are moving around a lot, and its making it rather uncomfortable to get any rest." The warrior stated, her belly still filled with kits. She never imagined that she would end up with kits during a crisis but things happened, and it was hard to avoid it now. All she could do is try and eat no matter how awful she felt she still tried to eat and drink water so that her kits would live. Whenever they came into the world that was. It would be any day now. At least she wasn't delirious at the moment.

"My lungs and throat hurt, my whole body is sore and I can't tell if its from the kits or this cursed illness." Either way things weren't looking good for her right now.

Thornstalker didn't seem delirious as she spoke, and while she certainly wasn't close to being out of the woods yet, that was a good thing. "They'll do that, not exactly comfortable, no." The warrior gave her head a shake, but there was fondness in her voice too. Pregnancy had been terrible, if she was being honest, but she had always loved her kits. "Watching them grow into warriors is almost enough to make you forget about the pain and discomfort." Of course, Beechfang was long past the point of having more kits of her own.

"Being sick definitely makes everything feel worse. All you can do is focus on trying to get better." Which was easier said than done, Beechfang could see that all too well, in every face she looked at. The food was a start, herbs would be even better, for what little good they seemed to be doing. "There was never an illness this severe when I was a medicine cat and fighting it every step of the way. Now I have my head on straight - mostly - and I would give my left paw to help where I can." For what little help that was turning out to be, Beechfang feared the result would be similarly dire. So many lives lost, to be replaced with new life. A vicious cycle.

Thornstalker shook her head. "I don't think I want to go through this again, even if watching them grow up is almost worth all of this." The she-cat chuckled slightly through wheezes. One litter was enough for her. Her small body seemed to hate her every second she stayed pregnant, so she didn't want to risk it again, especially if she made it through this one.

"I'm sure the medicine cats will figure this out in no time.. Things always seem to come out of no where though. How many grand events has Skyclan been through at this point? We pull through fine enough." She wanted to stay positive, that she would be better after everything, especially after her kits show up. Though in that moment she couldn't help the blood she coughed up following her words.