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You'll be the Patient, I'll be the Surgeon

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My late assignment for Highclan. Nightkit is looking after Harmonykit while she's in the medicine cat den for heat sickness.


Nightkit quietly slunk out of the nursery, all the while peering over his shoulder, making sure his mother hadn’t seen him go. He wished he could tell her that he wouldn’t do this if he didn’t have to. In fact, the young tom hardly left his nest at all since the incident at his apprentice ceremony. All the shame it had brought on caused the irrational fear that if he were ever to show his face in the clearing again, he would be greeted by only laughter and jeering.

“Look! There goes the kit who thought he could be a medicine cat!”
“What’s it like knowing Starclan thinks you’re unworthy?”
“Have fun dying in whatever war Talonstar drags us into next!”

The heat wave hadn’t helped things either, and his dark pelt made venturing into the sun even more treacherous.

Nevertheless, he had a job to do.

Harmonykit, his only friend in the forest, had fallen ill. Noiseflame was caring for her the best he could, but he also had the numerous other sick cats to worry about. He couldn’t be there for her every moment of the day. Nightkit hissed under his breadth. And there was no way he trusted Fleetingpaw to look after her. Thusly, it was up to him to make sure the small she-cat had enough water.

Only he, a kit, was not allowed to leave camp, so he had to be creative when it came to getting Harmonykit’s water…


Nightkit watched from behind a large stone as a flame colored apprentice entered the clearing, carrying a clump of soaking moss in her jaws.  The she-cat was Daypaw. Nightkit had never spoken to her, but he understood that she was his half-sister. Clearly she had been sent to fetch water for the clan today. The soon to be warrior dropped the bit of moss as one of her friends approached her. She seemed to forget all about her duties as they started to chat.

Nightkit licked his lips. Now was his chance!

Casually, the gray tabby padded past the two apprentices, traveling near enough to brush pelts with Daypaw if he wanted to.  With all the subtlety he could muster, he knelt down and picked up the dripping pile of moss. Without either cat even glancing in his direction, the dark tom had made all the way to the medicine cat den with his prize. He sat at the entrance of the den and gave himself a brief wash before entering. It didn’t take long for him to find his black and white friend stretched out on the stone floor
“Hi, Harmonykit. How are you feeling?” the tabby asked as he pushed the moss towards the she-cats muzzle. “I brought you some water”


Harmonykit hadn't realised she was getting ill until it actually happened. It was the funny thing about getting sick, or at least this type of sick, it just snuck up on you. Heat Sickness was what her father said it was called, and it had taken a lot of coaxing on the part of Hollowgaze to get him to leave her side so he could tend to his other patience and not leave Fleetingpaw too overworked.
The older tom had been helping to keep her cool and making sure she had enough water, he was an ex-Medicine Cat apparently, having retired when her father had become old enough to take on the position himself.
But he wasn't here today, he'd been needed in the Nursery to give the Queens and Kits tips on keeping cool to make sure they didn't get sick either.
Crashkit had been to visit a few times, but Harmonykit couldn't help but feel a little hurt that Melodykit had been nowhere to be seen, surely her sister wasn't worried about catching anything off her?

Nightkit had been helping her out as well. In all honesty, Harmonykit had been a little surprised when he'd first turned up to bring her water, and even more when he turned up again, but slowly she'd been growing accustomed to the visits. When she was well enough to speak properly again, she'd told him how unfair she thought it was that Talonstar had offered him the position of Medicine Cat Apprentice then pulled it away from him. It wasn't that she disliked Fleetingpaw, in fact she rather liked the sandy coloured she-cat, but it still felt unfair.

She looked up when she heard the dark tom enter, tongue already hanging out of her mouth in antisipation of the soothing water.
For a moment she didn't speak, occupied entirely with taking in the water she'd been brought. But when she was finished, and had licked what was left from her whiskers, she nodded to the tom.
"Better I think" she told him, "and thank you again for the water," then she added, because she always felt it was polite to do so, "You know you don't have to help me like this. I wouldn't want you getting sick on my account, when you could be resting in the Nursery with the others."

"Don't worry about me." Nightkit mewed, looking on hungrily as Harmony lapped up the water. He had shared some water with his mother before visiting the medicine cat den but already he was thirsty again. His trek had taken a lot out of him. The tom forced himself to make eye contact with his friend, however. He could always get water for himself later.

Starclan, it was hot! the kit's fur felt like it weighed a badger's worth heavier in this weather. Looking for any form of escape, the tom followed Harmonykit's example and spread out on the smother surface next to her. The cave floor did cool him off somewhat, but not by much.

"I like the company better in here anyway. All Sorrelkit and Ivykit ever do all day is whine about how hot it is," he sneered, "As if the rest of us aren't suffering too!"

"But I'm glad you're doing better. How are your brother and sister holding up by the way?"


Harmonykit smiled softly and discretely as Nightkit mentioned his own littermates making a fuss about the heat.
"I think Crashkit is a bit uncomfortable, but dad's making sure he stays inside, but that of course creates a whole new set of problems. He's friends with your brother Sorrelkit and the she-kit Carrotkit," she'd met Carrotkit once herself, and was a little uncertain of her, but she seemed to make a good friend for her brother, they were quite similar in a way.

She avoided telling him about her sister, as she didn't have anything to report, but didn't want to sound like she was complaining herself when she'd be forced to admit that her sister hadn't actually come to visit her. Without having to say anything about, she was hopeful that Nightkit would understand and not press.

"Hopefully the heat will die down soon, or at least become less intense" the white and black she-cat nodded instead, "It should be easier once we're Apprentices and can go and cool off in the water somewhere," she tilted her head questioningly, "Your Ceremony is going to be very soon isn't it?"

"Oh yes, she was the one that helped your brother start that awful mud war" Nightkit nodded, wrinkling his nose at the memory. That day would forever live in infamy. The poor tom had ran himself ragged trying to dodge the muddy paws of his brother and sisters and when it was all over, he still had to spend the night cleaning himself.

"They're a pawful, those three." He said with the faint trace of a smile appearing on his muzzle. "I feel bad for whoever gets them as apprentices"

But as soon as Harmonykit mentioned his ceremony, the tabby's smile retreated back into the depths of his features.

"Yes. It is," he mewed gravely. The day his life as a warrior would be set in stone. "Does... Does your father ever mention me? Does he talk about what happened?" the kit asked, his amber eyes wide as he searched for any last slivers of hope.


"I remember" Harmonykit sighed. It wasn't exactly that she disaproved of her brother having messy friends, they were the sorts of people he got on with after all, but she really hated it when he came back covered in mud, as she was always the one that had to clean him.

Harmonykit hesitated when he asked her about her father. She didn't want to lie to him, but at the same time he looked so hopeful that he'd been mentioned. It was truly an awful thing that had been done to him.
"I-I think dad's been so busy with all the sick cats that he hasn't had any time to talk to me about things like that, he might have mentioned it to Fleetingpaw though..." This at least was sort of true. She hadn't seen too much of her father over the last moon, and when she had, it was usually just so he could inspect her and ask her what he health was like.

"But... I'm sure you'll make a great Warrior too..."

She also was a little selfishly grateful that she'd know someone when she got to the Apprentice's Den herself as well.
Nightkit would have made an excellent Medicine Cat, and it was a crime of Starclan that he hadn't been chosen, but she was sure that he'd make the most of it. He seemed like a good tom after all.
And maybe... maybe she could talk to her father, ask him if it was possible to take on two Apprentices, after all, surely the Clan needed them.

Nightkit looked away in disappointment. There went his last chance at happiness.

He listened as Harmonykit offered some encouragement. While he appreciated the gesture, the young tom took no solace from it.

"Tch. Thanks but we both know that I'm going to be a rotten warrior. The only skill I have is organization, and thats not going to help me when it comes to catching mice or fighting off an enemy." The tabby decided to leave out that on top of everything that he was the biggest coward in the clan. That every time he saw his parents' scars he felt sick to his stomach and that he was sure he would run the first moment he was flung into battle. No, that part of him had to remain a secret. It would lose him the little respect cats had for him.

"Nightkit!" the kit was pulled from his thoughts when he heard his mother's call.

"Mouse-dung" he hissed, flashing his friend an apologetic look afterword. After their various meetings, Nightkit had begun to notice that the she-cat looked uncomfortable whenever he used that word.

Reluctantly, the tom rose to his paws and smiled at the younger kit before sighing, "It's back into the inferno I go"

He padded away but stopped at the mouth of the cave to add, "Is there anything else I can do for you before i go?"


Harmonykit hesitated, he was right, she didn't see how it could. But then again what did she know about being an Apprentice, perhaps it would come in useful.
"I suppose it means you'd always turn up to your training sessions on time" she suggested, still trying to help Nightkit see the positive side of this. She still couldn't help but feel that somehow she could have done more to help, more to ensure he got the position. She could have pestered her father more, talked him up to the point where her dad would have ignored a sign from Starclan just to have Nightkit as his Apprentice.

However before she could say much more, Nightkit turned his head. A she-cat was calling him, probably his mother by the way he reacted.
"No, I'm fine" she told him, "but I'll see you tomorrow right?" She just wanted to be sure that he'd be back to keep her company then. It was nice to have someone other than her brother to chat with.

"Of course. I'll visit you everyday until you're better. He assured her. It only seemed right as he saw himself as partly responsible for Harmonykit's sickness. She had only been out in the sun because she was visiting him in the nursery. It was strange for him now to think that their friendship had started because the tom had wanted to get closer to Noiseflame. Now he preferred the blue-eyed kit to some of his own family members. Despite how amusing Nightkit found the circumstances, he decided to keep this part of himself a secret too. If Harmonykit ever found out he'd had ulterior motives for befriending her, she might not find it as funny.

"Nightkit!" his mother called again, sounding more worried than she had before. Rolling his eyes, the dark tom left the she-cat with some parting words.

"See you tomorrow. Until then think cool thoughts. I'll be doing the same." He flashed his friend a smile and then he was gone.

Nightkit left the medicine cat den in a better mood than when he'd come in, but all the talking had worsened his thirst. Hopefully Splashleaf had some water waiting for him back at the nest.





Nightkit - Me ^u^
Harmonykit - sparkeythehamster 
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MistDapple's avatar
my goodness gracious this is adorable ; u ;