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Ever since Splashtail’s defeat, Frostdawn had seemed off.
At first, Whistlebreeze had assumed Frostdawn had simply caught a cold or was just tired while recovering from the confrontation with Spashtail. But, despite almost dying, Frostdawn recovered with miraculous speed and Mothwing never mentioned Frostdawn coming down with anything. Instead, as soon as she was able, Frostdawn had come to all the gatherings and half-moon meetings without complaint. She always smiled and chatted cheerfully with anyone who tried to talk with her; from the outside, everything seemed completely fine.
But Whistlebreeze knew better. She could see the heaviness her friend was carrying, even if Frostdawn tried to hide it.
The only thing was, there wasn’t much Whistlebreeze could do to help. Harestar had discouraged any involvement with RiverClan, saying that they needed time to rebuild their Clan. Even the medicine cats were encouraged to keep things strictly about medicine cat business and to ignore the friendships they shared with each other. And even if things were back to normal, Frostdawn herself had been distant. It wasn’t just from Whistlebreeze, either. Her friendships with Shadowsight and Nightheart seemed to be strained as well. Frostdawn didn’t seem to be talking to anyone right now, much to Whistlebreeze’s dismay.
Still, Whistlebreeze kept trying in whatever ways she could to reach out. And Frostdawn, in turn, kept insisting everything was fine. They eventually reached a stalemate.
Until the night Mothwing retired.
The announcement was received well by the crowd. Most cats liked Mothwing and even the ones that didn’t had a begrudging respect for her. This had been a long time coming anyway, considering how long Mothwing had been RiverClan’s medicine cat for. Then it was announced, unnecessary as it was, that Frostdawn would be taking her place as RiverClan’s primary medicine cat. This was also received fairly well. As cats turned to look at her, Frostdawn sat up proudly, but her eyes still looked weary and tired.
As soon as all eyes were off her, Whistlebreeze leaned over and whispered, “Are you okay?”
And to her relief (and sadness), Frostdawn finally whispered, “No.”
…
Frostdawn carried herself like she was hauling around giant boulders on her back. Her posture was slumped over and her tail dragged along the ground. Whistlebreeze matched her pace, even though it would be much more comfortable for the WindClan cat to run or even trot. The two walked in uneasy silence to the Moonpool.
The Moonpool wasn’t the most comfortable place, per se, but it was the only place two medicine cats could go alone without getting too many questions.
Frostdawn’s depression turned to anxiety as they walked through WindClan territory. Her pace drew faster and faster until they finally reached the Moonpool. Frostdawn cautiously looked around before sitting beside the pool. Whistlebreeze sat down next to her, close enough their pelts brushed together.
“Do you wanna talk about it?”
Frostdawn shook her head. “Can… Can we just sit here for a while?”
“Sure.” Whistlebreeze sighed. She tried not to let her disappointment through too much, but it was impossible to mask all the way.
Still, this was what Frostdawn needed, not what Whistlebreeze thought Frostdawn needed.
They sat there until Whistebreeze’s paws started to go numb. She almost suggested going home when Frostdawn tentatively leaned against her. When she was sure Frostdawn wouldn’t move, Whistlebreeze gently wrapped her tail around the RiverClan molly.
Frostdawn gently, almost too quietly to hear, purred. After a moment, she whispered, “I feel so alone. And like I can’t do this. I don’t know what I’m gonna do now that Mothwing is an elder.”
“You have your Clan. They’re with you no matter what,” she chose to ignore the many, many times the Clans turned against their own for petty reasons, “And you’ve still got Mothwing. And all the other medicine cats, they’ll always be there to help you when things get hard. And— And you’ve got me. I’m always gonna be here for you. No matter what.” There was an implication there that Whistlebreeze also chose to ignore.
Frostdawn picked up on it, though. “You can’t say that. We’re… It’s against the code.”
“I don’t care.” Whistlebreeze said flatly. Frostdawn flinched. “None of that matters to me. I’m here for you, Frostdawn, no matter what.”
Frostdawn thought for a moment. “You promise?”
“I promise.”
And Whistlebreeze gently led Frostdawn to lie down. Whistlebreeze curled herself around Frostdawn, something that wasn’t difficult to do, as Frostdawn was smaller than her. Not by much, but enough to be noticeable. Almost instantly, Frostdawn began to fall asleep. Whistlebreeze groomed her fur, purring gently all the while, until Frostdawn was completely asleep.
She hadn’t planned on sleeping at the Moonpool tonight, but she certainly wasn’t complaining.