"I know its cold, but its not freezing. I know your tired but you're not sleeping. Dont close your eyes. Cause your hearts still beating. And down, together we'll fall. Together we'll fall." - Together We Fall by Alec Benjamin

Chapter 7: It Was Just A Cough

A cough interrupted Lightpaws slumber as she turned in her nest restlessly. Her eyes opened slowly into the darkness of the medicine cat den.

"Go check on whoever that is. One of the elders probably has a furball stuck in their throat again." Jayfeather grumbled from his nest across from Lightpaws.

Lightpaw sighed, pulling herself to her paws groggily. Ofcourse Jayfeather wasn't going to check on the elders himself. He had Lightpaw to do all the work he didn't want to do like getting up in the middle of the night to check on the elders. Lightpaw gingerly picked up two juniper berries and headed towards the elders den. The coughing became louder as Lightpaw entered the den. She blinked her eyes to adjust to the gloom and could barely make out Sandstorm sitting up and letting out a cough that shook her whole body.

"Here. These should help." Lightpaw mewed quietly, setting the juniper berries down in front of the older she cat.

Sandstorm mewed her thanks a bit hoarsely and lapped up the berries before settling back down into her nest.

"Now maybe the rest of us can actually get some sleep." Mousefur grumbled from her nest next to Sandstorms.

Lightpaw turned to leave but froze as she spotted a shadow in the corner of the den that looked like the silhouette of a cat. A chill went through her as her fur stood on end. Lightpaw blinked and the shadow was gone. She sighed and quietly exited the den, deciding that she must have imagined it. Lightpaw settled back down into her nest, falling back asleep to the sounds of Jayfeathers snoring.

"Jayfeather!" A panicked mew broke into Lightpaws slumber, the small she cat let out a groan wondering how many times she was going to get woken up.

Her blue eyes opened and she blinked in the early morning sunlight that shone from the entrance. The light was cut off as a cat appeared at the entrance, their mew more desperate than before as they called for her mentor.

"I'm coming!" Jayfeather snapped, pushing past Lightpaw to confront the cat that had so abruptly interrupted their sleep.

"Foxleap is sick!"

Lightpaw could now see the white pelt of Icecloud, Foxleaps sister.

"Calm your fur. Take me to him. Lightpaw you better come too." Jayfeather sighed, seemingly unconcerned.

Lightpaw scrambles after the two older cats. The camp was still relatively calm with only the dawn patrol exiting the camp, their mews dying away as they disappeared among the trees. Once again it was much to early for Lightpaw to be awake. First an elder woke her up with a fur ball and now this! Icecloud was probably just being overprotective. Lightpaw followed her mentor to one end of the camp where Foxleap was sitting right outside the warriors den. Lightpaw soon realized that Icecloud wasn't just being overprotective. Foxleaps fur was a mess, sticking up in awkward places and his eyes were glazed over, his whole body shook with a cough as they approached. Jayfeather instantly was at Foxleaps side, his whiskers twitching in concern. Lightpaw froze, if Jayfeather was worried then something must be wrong.

"He's burning up." Jayfeather mumbled, his mew barely audible as Foxleap let out another cough. "How long has he been like this?"

"Since last night. He started coughing and the warriors were complaining about not being able to sleep. He said it was just a furball! He got up early this morning before the dawn patrols and i found him coughing outside so he wouldn't bother his denmates but he didn't look good at all so I came and got you. It's not just a furball is it?" Icecloud fretted, her eyes wide with worry for her brother.

"I'm fine Ice-" Foxleap began but broke off coughing and suddenly coughed up some liquid.

Lightpaws fur stood on end as she caught sight of the red liquid as the strong scent of blood reached her.

"He just threw up blood!" Lightpaw gasped, normally she knew better than to tell Jayfeather what was going on because the grumpy blind medicine cat usually already somehow knew.

"I know. Now help me get him to my den!" Jayfeather snapped, nudging Foxleap in the medicine cat den direction, Lightpaw quickly followed with Icecloud pressing up on one side of Foxleap, her fear scent strong in the air.

Up until now Lightpaw hasn't dealt with any serious medical emergencies aside from the occasional thorn in the pad or bellyache. Now faced with a serious medical emergency, she just wished she was still safely curled up in her nest and not here watching her clanmate struggle to the medicine cat den.

"Lightpaw!" A sharp mew from her mentor brought her back to her senses.

What kind of medicine cat was she if she froze at the first sight of a medical emergency. The brown she cat scolded herself silently and shook out her fur, rushing herself to Jayfeathers side as he helped Foxleap into an empty nest. Jayfeather felt along Foxleaps stomach as Icecloud watched anxiously.

"He'll have to stay here for observation Icecloud. Make yourself useful and go on a patrol or something. Getting under our paws won't help Foxleap." Jayfeather said sharply.

Although his words were harsh, Lightpaw knew Jayfeather just wanted Icecloud to distract herself. Icecloud opened her mouth to argue but then quietly dipped her head respectfully before exiting the den.

"Is it Greencough?" Lightpaw questioned once she was sure Icecloud had left.

"No...it's much too early in the season for Greencough. This came on all of a sudden and he's throwing up blood. This is something much worse." Jayfeather said quietly, his blind blue eyes troubled.

"What can we do?" Lightpaw whispered, almost afraid her mentor wouldn't know the answer.

She never thought that Jayfeather wouldn't know what was causing Foxleaps illness. Even her mentor seemed powerless.

"Get him some lavender for the fever and Tansy for his cough." Jayfeather instructed after a brief pause.

Lightpaw quickly hurried over and grabbed the herbs, setting them in front of Foxleap who seemed to be barely awake.

"Eat these." Lightpaw murmured, nudging them towards the Tom who was wheezing now as he tentatively lapped up the herbs, making a face at the bitter taste.

He then dropped his head onto his paws, his eyes fluttering closed and his breathing getting deeper.

"Good. He's asleep. All that coughing must have exhausted him. We need to keep him away from everyone until we know what is causing all of this." Jayfeather mewed as Lightpaw nodded in understanding, anxiety twisting her belly as she gazed at the sleeping Tom who just last night had seemed so healthy but now was gravely ill.

A wail sounded from outside the den, a wail laced with grief. It caused the hairs on her back to stand up. At once she dashed out the den with Jayfeather hot on her trail. She crashed through the elders den where the source of the wail was coming from. There stood Mousefur and Millie who crouched over the limp form of Sandstorm. Lightpaws heart clenched as Jayfeather pushed past her and bent to sniff the limp she cat.

"She's dead." Jayfeather choked out, reminding Lightpaw that he was her kin. Sandstorm was her kin as well.

"B-But it was just a cough." Lightpaw stuttered, guilt crashing over her. "She can't be dead!"

Purdy Bowed his head in grief but Mousefur whipped around to face the small apprentice.

"It's all your fault! You should have realized she was sick!" Mousefur spat.

Jayfeather immediately stood protectively in front of his apprentice, his eyes flashing with indignation. "It's not her fault! She had the same illness as Foxleap! It comes on all of a sudden!"

Mousefur turned away, her expression clouded with grief for her den mate.

"It was just a cough. Just a cough." Lightpaw whispered.

"Listen here. You couldn't have prevented this. You did everything I would have too. This is NOT your fault. Now pull yourself together. We are medicine cats and our clan needs us." Jayfeather hissed a bit harshly, snapping Lightpaw out of her misery.

Jayfeather was right. She was a medicine cat. She needed to be strong for her clan. She watched as the elders carried Sandstorms limp form out into the clearing.

"Jayfeather we need to talk." Bramblestar said as he stared sadly at his clan mate.

Squirrelflight wailed, running to her mother and causing Lightpaw to flinch.

"Why her? Why?" Squirellflight wailed, burrowing her nose into her mothers fur.

Scarletpaw and Bristlepaw approached their mother and pressed against her on either side comfortingly while the rest of the clan paid their respects, the majority looking shocked.

"I should get her some thyme for the shock." Lightpaw murmured, moving to go but Jayfeather flicked his tail beckoning Lightpaw to follow.

"Later. Our leader needs to speak with us." Jayfeather said softly, as Lightpaw followed him to where Bramblestar stood.

"What caused this?" Bramblestar asked immediately.

"We don't know. I've never seen anything like this." Jayfeather meowed with a troubled sigh.

"You must figure this out Jayfeather! A sickness so deadly that it causes death this rapidly could destroy the clan!" Bramblestar hissed. Lightpaw had never seen her father so distressed. He had always been such a strong figure to her.

"We're doing our best." Jayfeather snapped, his eyes flashing as he lashed his tail.

The two cats padded away and Lightpaw paused by Sandstorm and gave the old she cat a sorrowful lick.

"You'll be missed." Lightpaw whispered.

She gave her grief stricken mother a reassuring lick on the ear before quickly rejoining Jayfeather in the medicine den.

"Starclan help us." Jayfeather whispered.

Lightpaw turned to her mentor, who for the first time ever looked fearful at the uncertainty of what sickness was attacking his clan mates.

"What are we going to do?" Lightpaw whimpered, sounding almost like a frightened kit.

"We just need to hope for a cure and hope that more of our clan mates don't fall sick." Jayfeather sighed in defeat.

But more of their clan mates did fall sick in the days to come. And more deaths were to follow. The scary thing was, Jayfeather and Lightpaw we're powerless to stop it. Their fate was in the paws of Starclan now.

So theres sickness in the clan! I know, I know... I killed Sandstorm. I love her so dont hate me! It just fit the story line. Do you guys have a favorite cat so far? Please review! The faster the reviews the faster I update ;)