one day more [closed]

Helpless was the only word to describe the way Briarthorn constantly felt, the empty feeling echoing in her chest with each heaving, shaky breath she took. The past few moons had been… something. Between her return to SkyClan being followed by a myriad of poorly timed happenings and her own contraction of the sickness that plagued each Clan, she’d had little time to even think, much less catch up with her Clanmates and family members. Time had thankfully dealt with the most serious of her symptoms, the ones that kept her from carrying out her daily functions, but she was still a far cry from recovered. The stars has no mercy on her lungs, a constant wheezing a reminder of the illness she found herself unable to fend off on her own. She refused to seek out treatment until she knew that there were at least enough herbs for the rest of the Clan, especially seeing as she had only returned so recently. Now that they were back and with tensions still high, she supposed that she’d be more of a burden than anything if she couldn’t start providing for the Clan rather than just taking up their space and time.

A wet cough rattled her lungs as she dipped her head out of respect, entering Smokepetal’s den quietly. ”Smokepetal,” She greeted, careful to avoid any meticulously placed piles of herbs or cobwebs. ”If you’re busy I can come back another time. This cough is relentless, though, so I thought it best to see if you might have enough herbs to help.” Her voice was still raspy, a combination of disuse and the constant barrage of coughing attacks that had no end in sight.

The sickest of SkyClanners had been healed while they were still at the lake. Smokepetal had carefully divvied up the herbs she'd traded for, treated each one of the warriors and apprentices who were the most severe, the most in danger. Unfortunately, the leftover herbs hadn't been enough to carry over to the more mild cases... and though they weren't as rough on the body as the severest of symptoms had been, the constant cough and aches and exhaustion certainly had the ability to wear a cat down. So while the rest of the clan had set to restoring the dens, and reinforcing the borders, the medicine cats had been gathering herbs.

They had enough, now, to treat any of the cats who came to them sick. And today, Briarthorn had finally come to the medicine den seeking treatment. Smokepetal didn't know the older warrior, but what she knew of the she-cat was certainly enough to raise a brow or two. A former ShadowClan warrior, mate of Bloodstrike, turned leader of SkyClan, only to disappear and return as the clan fled the famine. None of that could matter to Smokepetal, though, and she certainly didn't show the intrigue on her face as she moved forward to examine the she-cat.

"You do sound like you're getting worse," she admitted gently. "Have a lie down, let me look at you - what's the worst symptom?"