Firetail sighed as she changed the she-kit's rancid bedding for the third time, gathering the old moss in a bundle. Leopardkit laid curled up in the soft, fresh nest, her flank rising and falling faintly with each weak breath. The spotted she-kit had been asleep for the past two days, drifting between life and death.

    In those two days, great tensions had arisen within ThunderClan. ShadowClan had indeed trespassed and destroyed their main supply of catmint, taking everything they could. Firetail was furious and devastated at the realization. She knew that Patchtail, ShadowClan's medicine cat, had always been a bit prickly. But was he truly bitter enough to allow his Clan to utterly destroy Firetail's most precious herbs? It was outrageous.

ThunderClan was infuriated upon hearing the news of ShadowClan, although they seemed more concerned about the fact of the enemy clan's trespassing rather than the lost catmint. The warriors had their claws unsheathed, itching to spill blood and take vengeance.

Just wait until winter, when the coughing starts, Firetail thought grimly as she carefully removed Leopardkit's soiled bedding from underneath her. She had many dark memories of bitterly cold winters filled with the sounds of dry coughing. Then they'll realize the true curse that ShadowClan has put upon us.

Firetail shuddered at the thought. Most warriors expected to die honorably during battle. But sickness was the silent, unexpected killer that took the lives of far, far too many.

Along with the discovery of ShadowClan, Redpaw unfortunately stumbled upon another horrid surprise that day.

When he returned to the medicine den after speaking to Darkstar, the nerve-wracked tom nearly tripped over the unconscious body of little Leopardkit, choking on her own vomit.

Firetail glanced back to her timid apprentice. Redpaw was watching her and Leopardkit from the back of the den, a sheen of worry over his green eyes and red pelt fluffed up to ease his fears.

The old gray medicine cat turned away, feeling a rare pang of guilt. Redpaw's constant nervousness had always irritated her, but she had to give him some grace for saving Leopardkit's life. If he hadn't found her in time and held her upright by the scruff while she vomited, the she-kit would have suffocated and died.

Firetail realized Redpaw cared deeply about his Clanmates and was scared to fail them. He was hard-working and serious at all times. Once he learned to never doubt his own abilities, he would be an exceptional medicine cat.

Firetail felt a shred of guilt. Had she ever given Redpaw the chance to prove himself? She had always dismissed him to do little chores that she felt he could handle without messing up. But when a life-threatening problem suddenly appeared, he was quick to act and show that he was ready.

Pondering on this thought, the gray she-cat glanced back and waved her red tail at her apprentice. "Come here," she croaked. "You can help give her water today."

Redpaw's green eyes widened in surprise. "O-Okay..." he meowed uncertainly. Although nervous, Firetail noticed a flash of excitement in his emerald eyes as he padded toward her.

Firetail gently pried Leopardkit's mouth open with a paw. She nodded to her apprentice. "Moss."

Redpaw obediently fetched the soaked wad of moss from the back of the den and brought it forward.

Firetail gestured with her red tail toward the motionless spotted she-kit. "Hover directly over her jaws. Make sure to avoid the nose."

Redpaw nodded. Very stiffly, he leaned down until the moss was dripping over Leopardkit's open jaws.

Firetail nodded solemnly. "Now squeeze."

Redpaw immediately bit down hard on the moss, sending a gush of water into Leopardkit's opened mouth. The she-kit started to choke, startling the red tom, but eventually swallowed.

"Less next time," Firetail snapped. She noticed that Redpaw flinched at her words. She quickly, gruffly added, "And good job."

Mousekit had immediately confessed to giving Leopardkit the death berry. He pleaded that he didn't realize what it would do, and thought it might taste good. Firetail was so angry she wanted to claw the ears off senseless kit. What kind of mouse-brain would think it's acceptable to eat random herbs from the medicine den? He was no longer allowed one paw in the den.

Although it pained her, Firetail had delivered the news to Sandstreak. As horrible of a mother as she was, the medicine cat knew she had a right to know what happened to her daughter. It didn't really matter in the end, because Sandstreak hadn't shown a shred of emotion when Firetail told her. The medicine cat still could not understand how the queen could be so cold. Even after what had happened to her in the past.

On the other hand, Darkstar was nearly beside himself when he found out. The leader wanted to visit Leopardkit constantly, but Firetail didn't want him to disturb the fragile she-kit while she was still recovering. The medicine cat also didn't want him to draw too much attention, because this tragic incident was still unknown to the rest of the Clan. To anyone who cared to ask, Firetail explained that Leopardkit just had a cold.

Firetail knew it was deceitful to hide Leopardkit's accident, but she did not want the Clan to target Mousekit. When she was born, ThunderClan had been a noble and honorable clan. Every cat was respected for their contribution to the Clan. Yet, as the seasons passed, the collective mindset of her Clanmates began to change. They became prideful and disdainful of others, eager to pin the blame on someone else if it made them feel more powerful. The little black tom, although mouse-brained, showed extreme remorse for his actions. He didn't deserve the hatred of this Clan.

And Firetail knew they could be hateful.

    Firetail furrowed her brow as she stared down at Leopardkit. Redpaw carefully trickled more water into her open jaws. The old medicine cat still wondered how the she-kit could have been so gullible to consume a plant she knew nothing of. Firetail had been impressed when Leopardkit demonstrated her knowledge of herbs that she had picked up on, but was her intelligence not enough to stop her from eating a death berry? Firetail felt that something was very wrong here. Very wrong.

     Wars raging in her mind, Firetail stepped away from the she-kit. She gazed at her apprentice. "Can I trust you to finish this?"

    The wet moss filling his jaws, Redpaw hesitated, then nodded eagerly. His tail was lifted in pride and his green eyes shone.

    "Good. I'll check back on you in just a moment." Firetail padded toward the back of her den. She paused at the pool of water, staring down into it. It rippled as tiny drops fell into it from a crevice above, distorting the reflection of her face. Her scruffy gray fur was flecked with white around her muzzle, her ear tips scarred, and her amber eyes heavy with wisdom.

     Firetail had lived through many seasons, surviving dreadful winters and deadly battles. She had gone hungry many nights, fell ill as she cared for her own patients, and suffered her own battle wounds. She had helped queens birth kits and watched as those same kits rose to be leaders and deputies. The old medicine cat had lived a full life; nothing about it was dull.

    And yet, Firetail felt with a tingling in her red tail that more was to come. Something significant was on the horizon, and it would outshine any other event that had occurred in her long lifetime.

    As Firetail pondered on the future, a single drop fell into her pool, and it bloomed bright red. The medicine cat's breath caught as she watched the crimson slowly spread, blotting out her own shocked reflection. An icy chill crept up her spine, making her fur bristle.

     The omen was clear. Something was coming. And Firetail would not be here to see it.

    "Firetail!"

    Redpaw's cry startled the old medicine cat, and she whirled around, tail fluffed out and back arched.

     The fluffy ginger tom was nearly bouncing on his paws. "She's waking up!" he meowed, eyes buzzing with excitement.

      Firetail took a deep, rattling breath and forced herself to calm down. She glanced over her shoulder to the clear pool. The water was clear as ever, crystalline and still in the dark corner of the den. The drops continued, slow and steady. Drip. Drip. Drip.

     Shaking her head to rid the troubling thought, Firetail turned to focus on the more important matter. She quickly padded after her apprentice to the lonely nest.

    Leopardkit's tiny curled body was in the same position, but her eyes had peeled open, staring blankly at the world through half-closed lids.

    Firetail leaned down to her and licked her head, gently trying to rouse her. She didn't budge. "Leopardkit," she rasped quietly in her ear. The she-kit's ear fluttered. A good sign.

"Stay here," Firetail commanded to Redpaw. "Keep speaking to her. I'll be right back."

The gray medicine cat padded over to the herb shelves. She stood on her hind legs to reach the top shelf, wincing as her old joints flared in pain. The bloody omen flashed back in her mind. Perhaps it is well past my time.

A sudden thought occurred to her, making her stomach sink. She glanced back to Redpaw, amber eyes shadowed. She couldn't leave ThunderClan with this nerve-wracking, inexperienced young tom. Of all the duties that she had served well to ThunderClan, training an apprentice was the one she had failed at. Twice already. Her patience was lacking.

But now, there was no time to waste and no room for failure. Redpaw's training would need to be hastened, starting now.

Firetail quickly pawed the bundle of herbs off the top shelf and caught it in her jaws. The scent made her own nerves tingle, but she had developed a strong resistance to the enticing catmint over the seasons.

The gray she-cat dropped down to the ground, grunting, and displayed the herb to Redpaw. The ginger tom cocked his head curiously, his fluffy fur stuck out in all directions.

"Name his herb," Firetail demanded. She placed it on the ground and nudged it toward him. "Take a closer look if you need to." The she-cat noticed his whiskers tremble as he sniffed it.

"Marigold?" he guessed.

"Great StarClan!" Firetail groaned. This was going to take more work than she realized. "Catmint! It's scent and taste is addicting, but it's a precious herb and should never be consumed unless you have whitecough or greencough."

The gray medicine cat approached the sleeping Leopardkit. "And another use I've discovered for it is waking up a cat who's going under." Firetail grasped the bundle in her jaws and held the jagged leaves a hairsbreadth from the she-kit's face.

As she expected, Leopardkit began to stir. Her noise began twitching madly, and saliva oozed from her jaws. After a few moments, her eyes opened a bit wider. "Fire...tail?" Her tiny voice cracked as she spoke.

     "Yes, I'm here." Firetail dropped the catmint and hovered over the small she-kit, quickly licking the top of her head to keep her awake.

    "Where...is she?" Leopardkit asked groggily, her eyes searching the medicine den.

    "Where is who?" Firetail asked slowly as she continued rasping her tongue over the lethargic she-kit. The fiery kitten had grown much stronger and healthier since Firetail had been monitoring her feeding, but she was afraid that Leopardkit would suffer from stunted growth for the rest of her life. Firetail felt her lip curl in a smile, knowing it wouldn't affect the strong personality inside her.

     Leopardkit locked eyes on Redpaw for a moment, her amber gaze swimming and confused. Firetail quickly gestured for him to exit with a flick of her tail. "Give her a few moments." The ginger tom obediently rushed out of the den.

     "Where is who?" the old medicine rasped again, even slower this time. Leopardkit might be been delirious at the moment, or her confusion might be permanent. Firetail had never had a patient that ate a death berry, regurgitated it, and then recovered. She had no idea what the side effects would be.

     "The she-cat..." Leopardkit breathed. She turned her neck and looked at Firetail, her gaze focusing in and out. "The one who saved me."

     Firetail brushed down her ruffled spots with a paw. "There was no she-cat." The medicine cat was certain of that. She had scoured the entire den for traces or scents of any other cat—StarClan forbid someone had tried to poison the she-kit. However, she had only found Mousekit's, confirming his story. "You ate the yarrow and saved yourself."

    Leopardkit blinked. "There was..." she whispered, drifting off in thought. "She was beautiful. She had long blue fur."

     Firetail's fur prickled uncomfortably at the description. A curious thought prodded at the back of her mind. I wonder... "What color were her eyes?"

     Leopardkit closed her eyes as if remembering. "Her eyes were blue. Like the sky." She sounded wistful, her voice quiet with awe.

Firetail's old heart began to thump. Sky blue eyes. A chill rattled through her body and her eyes. It couldn't be. Impossible. The old medicine cat stared down at Leopardkit, her eyes clouded. How valuable was this little kit, to require intervention from the stars themselves?

     Leopardkit sensed her change. She gazed up at Firetail curiously. "I've never seen her around here before. Do you know her?"

Firetail swallowed. "Yes. Her name is Bluesky. And she died many moons ago."