SotS || I Sure Would Like Some Sweet Company..

Azure: Quietly organizing the herbs in the ever silent medicine den, sat a very bored little blue-gray tabby tom, shuffling a pile of coltsfoot off to the side. As he started pushing the herbs back inside their little niches, he sighed to himself, unsure of what to do. Crowstripe had gone off that day to collect herbs on his own, leaving Frostpaw with a list of chores to do, like change their nests and sort the herb stash. He'd very quickly done so, but he was now listless and forlorn, unsure of what he could do with himself.
Making up his mind, he stepped out of the den, walking briskly out into the open air of the camp. He hopped forward a few steps, and paused, regarding the camp in gentle observance. Dark eyes flickered to each den entrance, crossing out places to visit, before they paused on the elder's den. He smiled to himself, darting over to it, and poking his head inside.
"Hello?" he chirped, cheerfully bouncing inside. He looked about once more, grinning to himself. He knew of a very pretty she-cat that retired in here, and he'd wanted to visit for some time.

King of Smut: There was a soft sound of rustling as the young white feline tossed and turned in her feather-lined nest. After unfortunately spending the night up coughing quietly, she was so tired. Even now, laying here trying to nap she simply couldn't fall asleep with this burning feeling in her throat.
Hissing softly in irritation, Cottonpetal lifted her bushy tail up and covered her blue-eyes; hoping darkness would somehow convince her brain it was time to sleep. After a few heartbeats of no clear reaction, the mute elder sat upright in frustration, just as a familiar head poked in through the entrance of the den, catching her off-guard.
Cotton nearly leaped out of her skin, her already fluffy fur spiking out in alarm. With her wide eyes she quickly realized it was the medicine cat apprentice, Frostpaw. No threat. Her cheeks tinted red softly in embarrassment for acting like that and plopped down into her soft nest, throwing her thick tail over her face once again.

Azure: Chuckling to himself in embarrassment, Frostpaw padded over in front of Cottonpetal, sitting upon his haunches. He smiled upon the pretty little she-cat, and lay down in front of her. Tilting his head, he began to speak.
"I'm sorry for surprising you; I should have given you some sort of warning!" He mewed, a worried tone lacing the edge of his voice. He scooted over to her, pressing his warm side to hers, and whispered to her.
"Come on sweetheart, I don't mean to hurt you or nothing," he murmured, nuzzling into her. He paused the movement, scooting back an inch. "Agh, I feel like such a jerk. I'm so sorry Cottonpetal. If you want me to go, I'll leave..."

King of Smut: The young elder listened, still keeping her flushed face hidden under her thick, fluffy tail. Her small ears flickered as she listened to him apologize, but kept her face under her fluffy white tail. She didn't want him to see her blush and get the wrong idea. Not to mention with her sore throat came a fever, and she didn't want him to find out and go tell Crowstripe.
Cottonpetal flinched slightly as she felt Frostpaw's warm fur against her's. Even though she felt like she was steaming, everything else felt so cold she could shiver. His warmth was nice. She couldn't help but stiffen when he nuzzled against her, but quickly regretted it when he moved away.
Lifting her head up, Cottonpetal look at him with sad blue eyes and shuffled over, pressing herself against him this time. Her long tail flickered softly at her side and she closed her eyes, forgiving the tom for the little scare he gave her moments ago.

Azure: A warm smile spread over Frostpaw's features, and he couldn't help but chuckle just a wee bit at the adorable she-cat pressed up to him. As a kit, he'd looked up to her, but now it seemed that the roles had been switched!
Blushing lightly, Frostpaw leaned more into the warmth of Cottonpetal's fluffy pelt, sighing gently as her fresh forest scent filled his nostrils. He knew this was rather inappropriate, and that he should really pull back before someone saw, but it was too nice here, beside the mute she-cat. He nuzzled her again, gently, licking her forehead. He noticed something was off though, what with the pitiful look she-d given him, and how her pelt, when close enough, felt like it was burning. He reluctantly pulled his head back, looking at her with a worried look in his eye.
"Cottonpetal, you feel warm, are you okay?" Frostpaw murmured quietly, licking her forehead once more to check her temperature. She felt so hot, he realized, and he grew a bit more panicked. "Why didn't you come sooner? You could be sick!"

King of Smut: The small she-cat closed her crystal blue eyes blissfully when she felt his body press up against her's in return, and relaxed her tense muscles. Frostpaw was always so kind and friendly... Sometimes the young elder felt lucky he was going to be Shadowclan's medicine cat in the future.
Feeling his rough tongue over her forehead, the pearly white-furred feline smiling and sighed silently from this friendly gesture. For a brief moment Cottonpetal pondered where or not it would be appropriate to doze off for a short nap, seeing how relaxing and secure she felt with her pale pelt clashing against Frostpaw's darker one. Surely he wouldn't mind?
Her little idea was shattered when the medicine cat apprentice pulled away, and Cotton reluctantly fluttered open her eyes to see the worried expression that swept over the tom's face. It almost made her stomach churn, and the feverish she-cat shrunk back in defense and alarm as Frostpaw went on. She pulled her bushy tail tightly to her side; a feeling of shame washing over her as he pointed out that she should have came to him sooner. She didn't want to get in trouble for being ill, or swallow more of those horrid tasting herbs! Cottonpetal tore her gaze away from the younger feline and looked down at the ground, keeping her small ears flattened to her skull to show her apologies.

Azure: Noticing the panicked expression on Cotton's pallid face, Frostpaw's dark eyes softened, and the guilt hit him like a monster. He flattened his own ears, and looked away, staring at a small crack in the walls of the den. He trailed the line with his eyes, before closing them in a movement to relax.
Opening them once more, Frostpaw looked over at the little frightened she-cat beside him. He sighed sorrowfully as he noticed that she wouldn't look at him, and nudged her just a slight bit. "I'm so sorry, Cottonpetal, I just got really worried! You're not in trouble, I promise," He mewed softly, slowly, in a whole-hearted attempt to soothe her.
"I do need to check you out, figure what's wrong. I don't think it's anything too serious, but it's much better to be safe and do it now," he explained to her, his short tail twitching nervously. What if she didn't want him around her? He didn't think he could take that, he'd grown to really like her calm presence, even prefer it against the rushed urgency of the rest of the clan.

King of Smut: Keeping her eyes on the ground, the pearly white elder listen to Frostpaw and tried to take in his words. If she wasn't in trouble, why did he seem so panicked? What if he went into the medicine cat's den and told Crowstripe that she had gotten sick again and didn't tell any cat? With these thoughts spinning around her head, and having not eaten in a few days due to her soar throat, the pale feline felt rather light-headed. Shuffling her position, Cottonpetal rested her head on the ground while still avoiding looking up or in Frostpaw's direction.
For a moment she wondered what she would have to eat this time. Probably more foul tasting leaves like always... The thought of having to swallow bitter leaves again made Cotton's throat itch, and every breath made it worse until she broke into a coughing fit. The fur along her spine rose and her flanks heaved as she coughed and sputtered.
After a few heartbeats, Cotton quickly clenched her jaw in an attempt to stop herself, although there were a few more coughs that managed to escape her throat. The small she-cat slowly glanced over in Frostpaw's direction, her tail tip flickering against her flank. He said it probably wasn't anything serious... but what if it was? What if something happened like when she lost her voice? Although she wasn't sure what else she could lose, this thought made her heart pick up with panic.

Azure: Sighing softly, Frostpaw rose to his paws. He gave Cotton a few gentle licks on the forehead, and urged her to sit up. His silver paws shuffled nervously as he looked back at Cotton's face. A nervous cough escaped him, as he opened his mouth to speak.
His words were interrupted by a loud, painful series of hacking coughs coming from the mute elder before him, and Frostpaw yelped in alarm. Heart thumping erratically, he rushed to help Cottonpetal out, rubbing her chest to soothe the young she-cat, to ease the painful fit. His dark eyes glanced  to her face nervously, and his worry only grew. It really did look like it hurt, and if anything, he was certainly starting to doubt his earlier expectations on the seriousness of the sickness.
As Cotton's coughs eased up, Frostpaw nuzzled the she cat gently, murmuring soft mews of encouragement, all while thinking about his next course of action. He pulled away from the too-hot form of Cottonpetal, and stood in front of her. He sighed once more, and began to speak once more. "Alright, Cotton, we can do two things. One, I bring you to the medicine den, but only if you feel strong enough to do so. If you don't feel strong enough, I can leave you here for a bare moment, and return with the necessary items." His whiskers twitched nervously, and he shuffled his paws once more.

King of Smut: When she heard Frostpaw's sigh for the second time, Cottonpetal looked at the medicine cat apprentice with a soft frown. She didn't mean to worry or frighten him with her coughing…
Shuffling her paws to balance herself, Cottonpetal thought for a moment about what the blue-hued tomcat had suggested. She really didn't want to run into the medicine cat, and have to have Frostpaw explain that she was ill. Was Crowstripe even in camp? Would Frostpaw be here if he was? Cotton dragged her gaze back down to the ground as she started to get lost in thought, and gently swayed back and forth from the light-headedness.
Then again, if she stayed in the den and Frostpaw went to go get the herbs, what if Crowstripe noticed the missing herbs when he came back and wondered who needed them? Stifling another cough, Cotton lifted her icy blue eyes back to Frostpaw's darker ones and laid back down in front of him, this time curling up into a small ball on her nest. She could wait while he brought the herbs here. The elder pulled her tail up to cover her muzzle, still keeping her pitiful gaze on the medicine cat apprentice.

Azure: Quietly keeping his dark orbs on the she-cat before him, Frostpaw drifted off in thought. He should have thought his actions through a little more. Cottonpetal should really be in the medicine den, but she really looked as if she didn't want to leave, and she  appeared to be too weak to do so anyway. Crowstripe may be a little pissed with him later, but Frostpaw had already decided.
Resigning himself to his decision, Frostpaw licked her forehead, smiling softly at her. He turned and padded over to the entrance. Pausing at the opening, he turned back to look at her. "I'll be right back Cotton. That's a promise," He grinned brightly, and leapt out of the den.
Dark paws padded swiftly over to the medicine den, and Frostpaw hurried to grab the necessary herbs. Honey, a bit of borage, coltsfoot, feverfew, a bit of heather nectar to sweeten, and a few juniper berries were mixed up and put onto an ivy leaf. Frostpaw picked it up in his mouth, and carefully began to walk back to Cottonpetal. He began to worry that he'd taken too much, but he quickly remembered that as it was still Greenleaf, not many cats would get sick for the time being. Also, the herbs that he did grab, they were growing quite nicely at the moment, and Crowstripe was already grabbing some more.

King of Smut: Cottonpetal closed her eyes, still feeling pretty light-headed. When she did, her mind began to wander a bit. Although she knew swallowing the herds would be painful, at least Frostpaw was trying to make her feel better. Then she would be able to eat right again and her fever would be gone and the pain in her throat.. She probably should have come to Frostpaw sooner. He was so kind to her after finding out she was ill and didn't tell any cat.
The feverish elder flinched a tad when she felt his tongue rash over her forehead, but quickly relaxed and fluttered her eyes open in time to see him leave the den. Lifting her head slightly, she watched until his tail tip disappeared and began shuffling around in her feather-lined nest. Since he was being so nice to her, she decided to make some room for him to lie down in her comfortable mossy nest too, instead of the cold ground.
Using her small paws, Cottonpetal gently kneaded the moss under them, getting it nice and soft again. It was much easier than getting up and fetching new moss. The pearly white she-cat curled up on the edge of the nest, leaving a bit more than half of it open for the blue-ish medicine cat apprentice. Choking softly, Cotton rested her head back down, screwing her eyes shut in pain. Oh how she wished she would have told some cat sooner.. At least she didn't have anything to lose; her voice was already gone. She couldn't think of anything else she could lose from a sore throat.

Azure: Quiet footsteps filled the silence, as Frostpaw walked back into the dim den of the elders. He spotted Cottonpetal in her nest, all curled up on the edge. His heart stopped for a moment, until he noticed that she was indeed breathing. Sighing in relief, he pushed all thoughts and what-ifs to the back of his mind, and walked over to the ivory she-cat.
Placing the bundle of herbs down before his patient, he gently nudged her, letting out a soft mew to alert her of his presence. He didn't need a scare like the one he'd given just a few moments ago. "So I've got the necessary herbs before me now, all blended into a mixture. There's also some sweet nectar and honey to make it taste a bit less nasty, so it shouldn't be too bad..." Frostpaw explained clearly, presenting the paste to the elder. "Just lick it up, and I'll bring you a mouse if you feel up to it, alright?"
Noticing the empty space of the nest, Frostpaw stepped into it, carefully pressing himself to Cottonpetal's side. He shifted around a bit, he settled onto a easy silence, filled only with a quiet, ongoing purr of encouragement. Comfortable, he licked the fur under Cottonpetal's ear, smoothing it of any kinks that may exist. He closed his eyes, taking in the moment.

King of Smut: Feeling him nudge her gently, the pale elder lifted her eyelids to look up at the apprentice, slightly surprised that he gathered the necessary herbs so quickly. As he spoke she looked down at the mixture on the leaf before her, sniffing it with curiosity. She always loved honey.. It always had such a warm, filling feel to it and made her sore throats ache go away whenever she had them. Hopefully it would help ease the pain in her throat when she swallowed the mix.
When he finished explaining, Cottonpetal wearily glanced towards him with cautious eyes, to make sure it was okay for her to eat it. When she felt his warm flank press up against hers and heard the rumbling of his purr, the ill she-cat smiling slightly and leaned against him, before lowering her head to take a finally sniff of the herb mixture. Just a few licks and then it would make her pain go away... She knew she was making a big deal out of nothing, but she dreaded pain. Just sitting here, the throb in her throat was manageable, but whenever she swallowed it seemed like her throat was on fire.
Deciding to get this over and done with, Cottonpetal closed her eyes, and quickly lapped up the herbs in front of her. Although the honey and nectar masked the foul taste of the herbs, it still ached badly going down her throat. The young elder recoiled slightly and ducked her head over to press her cheek against Frostpaw's chest; just as she does with her sister to hear her heartbeat for comfort.

Azure: Opening his eyes to watch, a grimace passed over Frostpaw's face as he watched Cottonpetal lap up the herbs. He knew for himself just how horrid the mixture felt, and watching his patients down it was terrible in itself. He could practically taste it himself, just by seeing the she-cat's reaction.
Purring ever louder as Cottonpetal leaned her head on his chest, just over his heart, he looked down upon her. She was really just so adorable, and he smiled a bit, without even realizing the action. He bent his head just a bit, licking the top of her head in a soothing manner, gentle, long strokes that worked to bring her fever down just a bit. A thought did occur to him, one that caught him unawares. Here he was, lying with a beautiful she-cat, in the way of a close friend, relative, or even a lover. And she was fine with that. He grinned widely, in the excited manner of a kitten, and closed his eyes once more in bliss.
"Well, that wasn't too bad now, was it?" he murmured, softly as to not break the moment. He rested his head gently on hers, and sighed, comfortable. Cottonpetal's nest was surprisingly soft, like her fur, and he felt perfectly at home in it. It was nice here, peaceful, warm, and loving.

King of Smut: Once the mixture had travelled down her throat and into her stomach, the fiery pain in her throat dulled down from the honey and the ill she-cat opened her eyes a bit. A few tears clung to the corners of her eyes from the pain in her throat, although she managed to resist breaking down into tears on Frostpaw. She was just glad the worst part was over.
The young elder shuffled a bit closer to the blue tinted tom, craving his warmth while curving her body against his. It was nice to have a cat such as him comfort her like this... Even though she hardly knew anything about him, this seemed like a nice place to start. Curled up beside him, listening to his heartbeat as if they where life-long friends or family. Not every cat seemed okay with showing such kindness towards others they hardly know.
Hoping to show her appreciation for his help, the small elder lifted her head ever so slightly-- having a bit of difficulty as his head was rested on her's-- and began rasping at his luscious soft chest fur. She ran her tongue through his pelt a few times in soft, short strokes, before giving up and resting her head back down against his chest to hear his calming heartbeat. The herb's had yet to being working, but his presence was enough to take her mind off of the pain just for now.

Azure: Lifting his head to allow Cottonpetal to accomplish whatever it was she was trying to do, Frostpaw opened his eyes, but only so much. A few gentle licks were felt, and warmth blossomed in Frostpaw's chest, heart swelling at the affection Cottonpetal was giving him. This was indeed the best thing he could have ever thought of receiving. Yes, Cottonpetal was not able to convey her thoughts and emotions audibly, but that just gave her actions so much more meaning. One could perceive grooming as such a simple action, but with her, he could see the thanks she was sending, the relief and appreciation she wanted to give, and he welcomed it.
He began to lap at the top of her head once more, working his way around her ears, neck, and the junction between her neck and spine. His easy pace lasted a long while in the silence, and he never rested until he finally was satisfied. Pulling his face away, he whispered to her, voice resonating with a wondrous calm. "Are you hungry? Or would you rather rest?" He paused, continuing. "I could stay here with you, for the night. You need to keep warm to break your fever and whatnot."

King of Smut: Feeling him rasp at the top of her head and around her ears made Cottonpetal smile some-what dozily. It felt as though he was trying to get her to drift off to sleep, from his warmth to his calming heart rate and the rheumatic grooming.. A silent yawn rolled out of the snow-white feline's maw and she relaxed her stiff body, only leaving her bushy tail flickering softly at her side with complete bliss. There were few things Cotton loved more than having others groom her fur. The spontaneous feeling of their rough tongue running through her thick fur was so pleasing and helped her calm down so much... There was often times she'd accidentally fall asleep during grooming sessions with her sibling.
When the patched tomcat pulled away, the elder instantly fluttered her eyes open in despair. His whisper caught her off-guard and oddly enough sent chill down her spine, making her fur fluff out slightly and stirring her a bit more awake than she pleased. Although, she was hungry. With the flaming pain in her throat the elder had found it painful to eat anything in the last couple days and thus didn't. The herbs she swallowed early still didn't have they're full effect, so there was still the throbbing pain. Shaking her head slightly, Cottonpetal lifted her head up to rasp at Frostpaw's pretty blue-ish fur once more, as if to persuade him to stay for the night. She doubted her needed much persuading; he was the one who suggested it, after all.

Azure: Frostpaw carefully observed Cottonpetal, waiting for her response to his delicate question. He shifted his body a teensy bit, fidgeting himself into a more comfortable position for resting. He really should have at least waited a little while and tell Crowstripe about his plans for the night. Ah well, he really didn't give a rat's arse about anything right now, he was much too relaxed and comfortable at the moment.
Dark eyes traced the subtle movement of Cottonpetal's head, and he nodded in return, eyes sliding shut at the gentle gesture. He shifted himself once more, lying down, still curled around Cottonpetal. He twined his short tail around hers, a rumbling purr resonating from deep within his chest. Purely relaxed, he began to ease Cottonpetal towards an easy slumber, soft whispers and gentle murmurs emanating from his mouth. His voice resembled a song, a melody lulling Cottonpetal to rest peacefully.

King of Smut: As the medicine cat apprentice's body curved with her's, the small white feline allowed her eyes to slowly slide closed once more. She pulled her paws up to her chest and rested her head down against the blue-ish tom's chest, smiling blissfully. It was hard to tell whether the herbs she had swallowed moments ago had actually begun to work, or if it was just Frostpaw's heartening presence that was making her so eager to doze off. From his friendly purr to his body warmth to his sweet murmuring lullaby, Frostpaw could very well be the reason.
Feeling his shorter tail curled around her longer, bushier one, Cottonpetal smiled faintly as she started to fall in and out of consciousness, sub-subconsciously fighting the urge to fall asleep just to spend some more time enjoying this moment. Unfortunately her efforts soon failed, as the dizzying darkness of slumber was too tempting to fight any longer. Her flank heaved up and down softly as she slipped into the world of sleep, the last thing she heard for the day were Frostpaw's gentle whispers.