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It was the tail-end of leaf-bare and WhistleClan was as busy as ever. Cats were in and out of camp going on various patrols. Since leaf-bare was just ending, many cats were in the medicine cat’s den. Some were sick, while others were injured. That’s relatively normal for the clan given the season.
Sleepingcall was on his way to visit his child, Heatwavepaw, who was in the medicine cat’s den, since he had caught greencough. For some unknown reason, Sleepingcall couldn’t sleep, which was odd. Either way, he decided he'd check on how his child was doing.
He carefully stepped around the other cats, who were fast asleep in their nests, careful to not wake them. He reached the nest where Heatwavepaw was sleeping, which was in the back part of the den.
Sleepingcall leaned down and pressed his nose to his child’s fur, startled by how cold it was. He pulled back and looked down at his child. Panic rose in Sleepingcall’s chest as he frantically searched for any sign of breathing. When realized Heatwavepaw wasn't breathing, he scrambled to get Lizardnose, one of WhistleClan’s medicine cats.
He nudged Lizardnose awake, babbling random, incoherent sentences in his panicked state. Giving up on trying to formulate a sentence, Sleepingcall hurriedly led Lizardnose over to where Heatwavepaw lay, unmoving, in his nest.
Pressing her nose to Heatwavepaw’s pelt, she could quickly tell that the apprentice had succumbed to greencough. She slowly raised her head and turned to look at Sleepingcall, giving the tom a sympathetic look.
Sleepingcall felt as if his entire world shattered. He couldn’t even make a noise as tears streamed down his face. He collapsed to the ground, burying his head in Heatwavepaw’s fur.
After a few minutes, Sleepingcall rose to his feet. He gently grabbed Heatwavepaw by his scruff and with the help of Lizardnose, carried his child out into the clearing.
At that moment, it was as if the full realization of what happened finally sank in, and Sleepingcall let out the most heart-wrenching cry. He once more collapsed to the ground, sobs wracking his entire body.
Other clan members emerged from the dens to see what happened. Most were either concerned, confused, or both. However they quickly realized what had happened when they saw Sleepingcall sobbing next to a lifeless body.
Some of the members carefully approached Sleepingcall, attempting to comfort him, even if just a little bit. Others kept their distance, either unsure of how to react or sympathizing with Sleepingcall.
Bushbelly watched from the entrance of the medicine cat den. Seeing her friend absolutely devastated hurt her a lot, and she wanted nothing more than to comfort him, but she didn’t know how. She also couldn't help but notice Maskstar’s absence from the clearing. She thought he’d be out here mourning the loss of his son and comforting his mate. Instead, he was nowhere to be found.
As if reading her mind, Sleepingcall looked around, scanning the clearing for his mate. When he couldn’t find a single trace of the pale ginger tom anywhere, his ears flattened back, anger evident in his eyes. Their child just died, and Maskstar wasn’t even grieving. He probably didn’t even know his child was dead for Starclan’s sake!
Sleepingcall was beyond upset. He was pissed. He knew that him and Maskstar didn’t have the best relationship, but that’s no reason for Maskstar to be completely absent from Heatwavepaw’s life.
Bushbelly was angry too. She was angry at her leader. He was just going to leave his mate absolutely devastated in the clearing. Sleepingcall had just lost his only child, his pride and joy, and Maskstar wasn’t there to comfort him or bury his own child. That’s just a shitty move. The least he could do is comfort his mate, and he can’t even do that.
And so, Bushbelly approached her friend, offering him some form of comfort. She helped him smooth Heatwavepaw’s fur and sat vigil with him. She filled the place where Maskstar should’ve been. Sleepingcall deserved better, and so did Heatwavepaw.
Bushbelly prayed to Starclan that Heatwavepaw was at peace and that Sleepingcall would heal and move on, and hopefully cut things off with Maskstar.