‼️‼️NOTE: The rest of this side moon will be written instead of fully drawn with a guest artist next part! Please enjoy‼️‼️
The white tom’s ear flicked anxiously. The greenleaf sun beat down upon the forest, the only salvation being the lush trees above. Weed stood before them, head tilted. Why hadn’t winterberry said much when he came. Wasn’t he going to ask about ajuga’s condition? With a claw, he opened the leaf bundle, watching the contents spill onto the dirt. Red gleaming berries gleamed in the sun, the telltale black hole staring back at the loner like eyes.
Deathberries.
Weed’s smile faded as he took in the sight. Poison. That was poison. He looked up, confusion etched on his muzzle. “Winterberry what- what is this? This better not be what I think you mean.” The medicine cat averted their gaze, taking a breath. “I’m sorry, weed. I really am, but when I had that dream from starclan…they told me there is nothing I can do. All I can do is to just..” a gesture to the damned poison . “Make it quick.”
It felt like the world had gotten colder. Weed’s voice caught in his throat as he tried to reason with what he was told. No, no there had to be another way! Winterberry jolted as the loner leaned forward, jaws moving quickly. “No- no there has to be something I can do! Maybe starclan- didn’t know of a cure here, but there would be one somewhere else! Somewhere they didn’t check!”
His mind ran a million miles an hour, winterberry tried to speak up. “Weed-“ and was quickly interrupted. “No! Why didn’t they send me a dream?! I could have looked farther, I know traveling healers, they could know!” The grey tom paced in place, occasionally looking up in desperation only to meet the medicine cat’s saddened eyes. “I did the work! I learned the herbs! I even listened to your code and stuck to it! Why didn’t they send me anything-“
“Weed I-“
A step forward, begging almost. “are they ignoring me?!”
“Weed-“
“What can I do better that-“
The medicine cat reared up, fur fuzzed up on his back, eyes burning with a emotion weed couldn’t read. He flattened himself down, eyes wide.
“BECAUSE YOU’RE NOT A MEDICINE CAT WEED!”
The words came out more aggressive than he wanted. Weed stopped talking, eyes wide and hurt. Winterberry flinched. The clan cats ears pinned back, and he cowered down a bit. He bowed his head, apologetic. “I-I mean- you never did the trials! The- the moonstone, you never went to it. I didn’t mean-“
His words were cut off with a snarl, as the larger scruffy tom was suddenly above him, glaring down with his teeth barred. Almost as if he wanted to tear them apart with their eyes alone.
“I know what you MEANT. You meant..” Weed paced, holding back. Despite his rage, despite his pain he could not, WOULD not harm his mate over this. “You meant the clans, that starclan doesn’t want a Mangy loner for a healer. Someone who’s not, pure of blood. That it? They don’t wanna taint their stupid CODE?!”
Winterberry stared up, trembling. The warm air suddenly felt smothering, suffocating. A bird chirped overhead, a single noise among the panting of weed’s angered breaths. “..I don’t think you would taint it weed..” A soft admission that he truly meant. The loner stepped back, eyes harsh as he snarled an accusation. “But your clan would. That’s why they gave you the berries? Less loners to deal with?”
“No! Stars no weed, even if they did I would never do that! This sickness, foam fever, it’s not able to be cured! We can’t do anything!” Winterberry pleaded, voice cracking in sadness. “Please….” Weed stopped, fur still spiked on his back. Claws digging into the dirt, itching to tear the stars themselves from the sky just to spite the clans. His voice lowered, grave and harsh. “Fine. If the clans want to sit and do nothing. I’ll fix him myself.”
Winterberry stepped forward , but was met with a paw to the muzzle. His head jerked back, claws instinctively flexing out- only to realize the paw had no claws. He had simply been shoved back. He opened his muzzle to speak, but was cut off once again by weed snarling. “Maybe it’s for the damn best the clans don’t have me! If starclan wants him dead, he’ll have to pry him from my cold dead claws!”
The birds above fled the trees as the yowl rang out. A rustling somewhere far behind winterberry startled them, and they looked back to see a small patrol from their clan coming their way. His ears pinned back and he looked to weed. And weed knew the look. The ‘I don’t want to be seen with you’ look. The patrol ran over and a large grey tom weed never saw before hissed out as claws came out. “Who are you- stay back winterberry! This is Apple clan territory, get off our land!” The medicine cat stammered, eyes flicking back and forth from the warriors, to weed.
But he never spoke. He just looked down, ashamed. Weeds heart broke, it felt like the ground had been dragged from under his paws. He wasn’t even going to defend him? Of course he wouldn’t. What they had, what winterberry did, and what weed had been....was forbidden. According to these stuck up bastards, weed thought bitterly. With a hiss, he turned away and began down the path. “Don’t worry. I’m not coming back.”
Winterberry cried out, startling the patrol and trampling the deathberries. “Weed- weed I still love you! Please I..” weed stopped. His head raised as if he was going to turn and respond..but he simply vanished into the bushes. Winterberry crumbled to the ground, paws in his face as he sobbed. The warriors voices faded as Weed ran, and ran, and ran.
Weed ran for what felt like eternity, until he stopped next to the water. He couldn’t smell the Appleclan border anymore, and assured himself he was out. The realization of what happened came crashing down on the loner all at once. He sat, tears rolling down his muzzle as he yowled, clawing angrily at the dirt. “Why- DAMNIT WHY!” His choked sobs smothered out the sound of the babbling creek.
Eventually, he stood. Crying would get him nowhere, and certainly wouldn’t help. He had to get back to the barn, to help ajuga. He stared up at the sky, and despite the stars not being out, he hissed to them. “Please! I did everything you wanted! Show mercy to Ajuga! Show me how to fix him!” The sky did not respond.
Hopelessness set in, which turned to anger. He swiped at the dirt, running along faster. “Fine! I don’t need you! Screw off!” He screamed at the sky, bounding off rocks to cross the river. As his paws carried him further and further home as the sun began to set, a odd smell caught his nose. Metallic and smokey. The usual smell of a monster parked.
As he climbed the hill, peering down at the barn and farm below, his blood went cold. The barn was open, and he could hear the panicked yowls of kudzu inside. A monster was sat in front of it, and the lady and the farmer stood next to it, talking to another twoleg holding a odd object. It was the cutter. His mind snapped out of the panic to hear a few words that kudzu screamed, sending him fleeing down the hill faster to get to them.
“AJUGA STOP!”
He was running out of time.
LYSSAVIRUS
Moon intermission 3/4
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