Visiting [STARLIGHT]

[Regalpaw]

He remembered back when he had first become an apprentice. The intense amount of pride that had swelled in the young tom's chest was so massive it would have burst through. And then Wildstar announced who his mentor was and he nearly passed out. How was there any way that he had the deputy for his mentor! He was so excited. Of course, he would never let anycat see him as anything other than the calm cat he had made his reputation out to be.

But he was so eager to start his training. Lightfur was such an amazing mentor and he'd learned so much from her. And then it happened.

It was all so jumbled in his mind and he could hardly keep everything strait. A mysterious cat appeared in the camp and everycat seemed happy and excited until he'd given the news about the Leopards. Then everything went downhill.

Not a month later, his mentor had fallen into a fit of uncontrollable vomiting and spazzing. Starlight had rushed to her side and with the help of Ashpelt, Sleetfoot, Stonepelt and Falcontail, they moved her to the Medicine Cat's den.

Starlight spent the next couple of moons looking after the She-cat. She was getting better-less spazaming and vomiting until one day, she closed her eyes and they didn't open again. The deputy was not dead-her chest still moved slowly as she inhaled and exhaled but she slept constantly-she never woke. Regalpaw couldn't help the emotion that swelled in his chest now-and it was far from pride.

He visited his mentor every day and would often sit with her for hours. That’s where he was headed to now. He couldn't always tell if Starlight liked having him in there or if she was a bother, but it didn’t really matter to him.

Regalpaw stepped from his den and looked around the silent camp. He padded quietly toward the freshkill pile and pulled out a plump sparrow and headed to the Lightfur's prison. He curled up next to her and spoke softly into her ear.

"Lightfur? I'm here, don't worry. We'll help you get better. Look” He pushed the food toward her, bumping her gently in the nose with the animal's carcass. "I brought you food. Won't you please wake up Lightfur so you can eat? We don't like shoving the food down your throat... Please wake up Lightfur..." He buried his face in her flank. Regalpaw had never been a terribly emotional cat. In fact, the only cat who ever really saw him as anything other than perfect was Willowpaw, and even that was incredibly rare. But he could no longer keep up the facade. It wasn't worth it. Other than Wildstar, he was the most effected cat by Lightfur's illness and he was allowed to show his depression.

The stony-hearted cat aloud a tear to fall from his eyes and trickle onto the orange she-cat's fur. He was so caught up in talking to Lightfur that he didn't hear the medicine Cat approach.

[Starlight]

Starlight watched in silence for a few moments. She still wasn't entirely comfortable, being the one everycat looked to for comfort when their friends and family became ill. But it was a job she was determined to perform well. Eventually, she set down the bundle of herbs in her mouth on one of the rock shelves and spoke. "I know this is hard on you, Regalpaw, but at this point I don't think anything we can do will wake her up. Only Lightfur has the power to return to us. May StarClan give her guidance."

[Regalpaw]

Regalpaw's head snapped up at the sound of the other cat's voice. He did his best to wipe the few tears from his face and onto his shoulder, not htatit mattered-she knew he'd been crying. He only half listened to what she'd said but when it final sunk in, he was in a rage. "How can you say that! You are our medicine cat! You can't give up on her!"

He was in a rage. Of course, the tom knew that wasn't what she had meant. He knew in his heart that she meant that no living cat could wake her in this state and she had to fight through it herself but thats wasn't what his subcontious had picked up. All he'd really heard was that Starlight had given up.

[Starlight]

This was something else Galaxyfur had warned her about. She remembered his words now. In a dark situation, a hopeless cat will oftentimes turn their anger on their medicine cat and blame them for not being able to help. Don't argue. Don't apologize. The cat knows better, but is blinded by his pain. He needs an outlet for his emotions. So Starlight sat quietly and listened, confident in knowing that she was doing all she could for the deputy.

[Regalpaw]

Regalpaw was ooutraged be her silence. He glared at her before he realize he would get her to say nothing. He sat angrily and curled back up around his mentor. An awkward silence filled the cave.

After a few minutes of the silence he sat but up again and looked at his medicine cat. He wasn't going to appologize. he was too good for that, but his tone was calmer and less angry. Now, it was just tired. "Can we please feed her?"

[Starlight]

"Yes, I suppose it's time for that again," Starlight agreed, acting as though nothing had happened. She took the freshkill and began to tear into it. It wasn't pretty work, feeding an unconscious cat. Starlight had to chew the food for her, and wash it down with water squeezed from damp moss until Lightfur swallowed. Luckily, in all but the coldest weather, there was a constant trickle of water in one corner of the den, gathering in a small pool before disappearing down a crack in the ground. The water was painfully cold, but at least she didn't have to go fetching water all the time. And if she left a bit of water-soaked moss in a patch of sun for a minute or two, the water became only mildly cold.

((Totally made that up just now, but it sort of makes sense that the medicine cat den might have a source of run-off water. Or maybe Galaxyfur invented pipes…))

Wildstar: What, is Galaxyfur the Da Vinci of Warriors? xD

[Regalpaw]

Regalpaw did his best to assist the medicine cat but pulling Lightfur's head away from her shoulders, making it easier to stroke her neck to cause swallowing. It was dificult work because they could never be sure when she'd had enough and the didn't want to overfeed her, causing her stomach aches. Despite this, they still had to try.

[Starlight]

When they had finished the demoralizing work, Starlight sat back on her haunches and watched the deposed deputy sadly. After a moment of silence, she looked back at the visiting apprentice. "Regalpaw, would you mind watching her for me today? I need to get ragwort and juniper for the elders--their joints always stiffen up in this weather, and I'm running low on poppy seeds." This was all true, but it was also an excellent excuse to give the apprentice a little alone time with his mentor.

[Regalpaw]

Regalpaw looked up at his medicine cat and nodded. "Of course, Starlight. I will always watch over her." He looked back down at his deputy and mentor and flicked his tail as Starlight in a kind goodbye and a silent good luck on finding her herbs. He curled his tail around her and laid his head on his paws, never letting his blinks last longer then a second.

[Lightfur]

Lightfur was lost. She was swimming through- no, drowning in- endless swirling clouds of darkness, night impinging on her vision with no hint of starlight to ameliorate the stark blackness. She felt as if she were suffocating. Time was meaningless here- she could have been here for merely a moment or for a thousand years. She felt infinitely distant from her beloved Clan, even from StarClan- there was nothing here.

She drifted, aimless. How long had she been drifting? Where was she? What was going on? The questions remained unanswered for a long time.

Then, a glimmer broke through the enshrouding darkness. Lightfur shook off the despair that had fallen over her and looked towards the glow. It looked like… stars. "Oh, StarClan," whispered Lightfur, a sudden flood of hope choking her up.

It was StarClan! Specifically her mother, Iristail, who had died in StormClan. "Lighfur," murmured the cream-furred she-cat, lashing her tail in the starry glow that emitted from her fur. "Lightfur, you have to wake up now. You've left your Clan alone for long enough. You are needed, Lightfur."

"But, Mother-" protested Lightfur, fully prepared to argue that she didn't know how to wake up, and if she had, she would have done so long ago-

"Hush." whispered her mother, and touched her muzzle to Lightfur's forehead. "You must go."

And all around, the blackness receded, replaced with familiar warmth, light, comfort.

--

Lightfur's nostrils flared, and she gasped in a huge, shaky breath. Blinking groggily, she tried to sit up and almost fell over, unused muscles protesting the sudden movement. Shifting into a more comfortable lying position, Lightfur tried to focus on her surroundings. The medicine cat's den? She vaguely remembered being dreadfully ill, but then nothing but that terrifying blackness… What had happened?

There was a familiar presence beside her, but it was not Starlight, despite her location… "Regalpaw?" Lightfur croaked, coughing as her throat and chest flexed in ways they had not for weeks.

[Regalpaw]

Regalpaw could feel the body start to quiver slightly but he thought nothing of it. After the first three or four false alarms he had learned that she wasn't waking up. Still, he couldn't stop the heart palpitation when she moved.

It wasn't until the body moved, as in tried to sit up that he really took notice. Leaping to his feet in a defensive position, his hackles were raised, but his fur was flat. He had no idea what she would be like if she actually woke up. They had all presumed her gone forever and if she had been, he didn't know if perhaps the wrong cats spirit had found its way to her body.

Regalpaw had never been to spiritual. He wasn't even sure if he truly believed in StarClan, but he had always known there was a possibility Lightfur could come back wrong. It wasn't until tthe she-cat spoke with the unmistakable Lightfur voice that he dropped his guard. His haunches fell and a heavy sigh escaped his lungs. He ran to her, using his own body to brace hers as she attempted to sit before deciding laying was best. He sank to the ground in front of her.

Her body was still cold, but he could feel her blood starting to pulse through her quicker, warming her up. "Lightfur?" His call was quiet and still disbelieving.

[Lightfur]

At the confirmation of her apprentice's presence, his familiar voice and supporting weight, Lightfur made another effort to sit up, and leaning a little on Regalpaw for aid, she managed to sit all the way up and remain that way, although extremely shakily. "What happened?" the deputy asked, her voice coming easier now but still harsh. "How long have I been… like this?" She looked down at herself, and winced inwardly. Beneath her fur she was almost skeletal, and her once-shiny fur was dull- even her once-glorious tail looked ragged and dusty. Obviously she had been out for a while… "What's going on with the Clan?" she asked, concern in her voice. "Who has been acting as deputy? Are all the cats all right? And oh, Regalpaw, who's been handling your training?" Lightfur felt as if her heart would break… She couldn't fathom that she had been anything but replaced, and that idea was crippling even more than her physical weakness.

[Wildstar]

Ooc: Okay, I can't read this and not post. Srsly.
btwz, Starry, the cave sounds pretty much what I wanted it to be. Awesome! :3

Bic:
Defence measures for the attack were underway. Cats were training and patrolling almost all the time, and it was difficult to find a moment to herself. It had been many days since her best friend and deputy, Lightfur, had mysteriously fallen ill, and it had been almost as long since the black she-cat had last visited her. Fortunately no cat had approached her for most of the day, and she had made sure let Sleetfoot know where she was in case of emergencies. She was long overdue to visit Lightfur.
Wildstar had spent many nights arguing and trying to get answers from StarClan, but there hadn't been any, and even the faithful she-cat was beginning to lose hope. The least she could do was tell her deputy not to give up.
Upon entering the cave she could hear voices, and hung back until she saw Starlight leave--it would be easier to see Lightfur when she was alone. She didn't realize until too late that Regalpaw was still there, and that Lightfur was… awake?
She padded up silently to the mentor and apprentice, and sat next to the frigid tom, awestruck. As usual, she didn't show it, and refused to answer her friend's extensive questioning. "Welcome back, Lighftur."

[Starlight]

OoC: It's 'cause I have awesome mind-reading powers. XD

[Regalpaw]

Regalpaw was about to wake up and answer some of his mentor's questions when a rustling sounded behind him and he couldn't hel but think that Starlight was back. The cat he saw, however, didn't have a patch of white fur on her chest.

The apprentice dipped his head respectfully, and a little resentfully. He had wanted time alone with his mentor now that she was awake but he realized he had no place. Lightfur and Wildstar had been good friends forever and Lightfur was her deputy. if anyone deserved alone time, it would be the black leader. "I should go."