Night Whispers

Poppyfrost met him when he wove his way through. “Cherrykit can’t breathe!”

Jayfeather pushed past the queen and hurried across the clearing. He could hear the kit’s paws scuffing the snow outside the nursery.

Anxiety sparked from Daisy. “We kept her outside like you told us, but now she’s wheezing.”

Jayfeather stopped Cherrykit with a flick of his tail and pressed his ear to her flank. There was thickness in her chest that rattled every time she breathed in. “Has she been coughing?” he asked Poppyfrost.

“A little,” the queen answered.

“Take her inside.”

“What about the fresh air?” Daisy demanded.

“She needs rest now.” Jayfeather nosed Cherrykit toward her mother. “Wash her. Keep her damp. It’ll keep her cool.”

Cherrykit yelped with indignation as Poppyfrost scooped her up and squeezed into the nursery.

Daisy trotted after Jayfeather as he headed for his den. “Are you fetching herbs for her?”

“I will, if she gets worse.”

“Why not now?”

Jayfeather turned. “I don’t have enough,” he hissed under his breath.

“What about the leaves Rosepetal brought in?”

“That was yarrow,” Jayfeather explained. “Only good for expelling poison.”

“But whoever found those leaves might be able to find tansy or catmint.”

“When I find out who it was, I’ll ask them.” Jayfeather wanted to get back to his den and check Sandstorm.

“Is something wrong with Cherrykit?” Sorreltail was hurrying toward them.

“Just a little wheezing,” Jayfeather told her.

“Is Cherrykit sick?” Jayfeather prickled with frustration as Dovepaw dropped a sour-smelling squirrel and joined them.

“Just some wheezing!” he repeated.

Daisy’s tail swished. “He sent Mousewhisker to his nest earlier because he was coughing.”

“And Bumblestripe was coughing half the night,” Sorreltail added.

Leafpool’s mew sounded close by. “Sandstorm hasn’t left the medicine den all morning.”

Was the whole Clan going to join in? Jayfeather lashed his tail. “Stop worrying! I can—”

Dovepaw cut Jayfeather off. “There’s greencough in ShadowClan,” she mewed.

Leafpool’s breathing quickened.

“Greencough?” Daisy’s mew was barely a whisper.

Jayfeather thrust his muzzle toward Dovepaw. “How bad is it?”

Dovepaw’s pads brushed the snow as she shifted her paws. “J-just Littlecloud.” Her mew was suddenly awkward.

“No one else?” Jayfeather pressed. She must have been listening in to the ShadowClan camp. He knew how uncomfortable she was about spying on other cats.

“No.”

“Good.” He flicked his tail. He needed to distract the others before they started wondering how Dovepaw knew what was going on in ShadowClan. “Why don’t you and Sorreltail fetch Cherrykit a wet moss ball?” he suggested to Daisy. “And Dovepaw, put that stinky old squirrel on the fresh-kill pile before someone trips over it.” He headed toward the medicine den.

Leafpool followed him. “What are you going to do?”

“About what?”

She was almost treading on his heels. “About Littlecloud?”

“Pray to StarClan.”

“Is that all?”

“What else am I supposed to do?”

“Help him!” Leafpool’s mew was sharp.

“Why?”

“You’re a medicine cat!”

Jayfeather halted and faced Leafpool. She didn’t know that StarClan had ordered him to cut ties with the other medicine cats, and he wasn’t about to tell her. When she’d given up being a medicine cat, she’d given up the right to share with StarClan. But he understood her. He’d shared tongues and gossip with Littlecloud at the Moonpool enough times to have formed a bond with the old ShadowClan cat. He lowered his voice. “There’s enough sickness here without worrying about other Clans,” he murmured. “My supplies are low. I need every scrap to treat our Clanmates.”

Leafpool didn’t reply. Her silence made his pelt prick. “There is nothing I can do, even if I wanted to,” he hissed. He turned and headed for his den.

Could you let a cat die because StarClan told you to? Mothwing’s words echoed in his ears.

Leafpool’s gaze burned his pelt. Jayfeather could see her thoughts, clear as dreaming. They were focused on the patch of herbs he’d nursed beside the old Twoleg nest. Would she steal them to help Littlecloud?

No!

Yet he couldn’t risk it. Her connection with Littlecloud was long and deep. He veered away from the medicine den, tasting the air. Brambleclaw was below Highledge, talking with Spiderleg and Berrynose.

“Brambleclaw?” He padded toward the ThunderClan deputy.

“Yes?”

“I need to ask you something,” Jayfeather whispered.

“What?” Brambleclaw lowered his voice.

“There’s sickness in the camp,” Jayfeather began. “Only whitecough, but that’s enough. The herb patches I’ve grown are more precious than ever. I want you to post a guard around them.”

“A guard?” Surprise sharpened Brambleclaw’s mew. “You don’t think anyone would steal them?”

“There’s sickness in ShadowClan, too,” Jayfeather explained. “They know about the herbs. They were planning to take our territory to get their paws on them, remember?”

Brambleclaw’s tail swished through the air. “That was part of Ivypaw’s dream,” he growled.