Staring down at the mouse in front of her, Sablerose swallowed down the bile that rose in her throat.

     She hadn't eaten all day, but she was by no means starving- the anxiety that came with a sick mate and the worry that Finchnose might die anytime had taken its toll on her appetite. However, knowing that it wasn't worth it to let any piece of prey go to waste- especially in leafbare, when even the ever-present shrews seemed scarce- she'd managed to choke down at least some of her food. But instead of comforting her, the feeling of meat on her tongue made her feel sick.

      Above her, the skies churned with the threat of rain; dark gray clouds rolled over each other with frightening speed, shot through here and there with flickering blue lightning. It would be late afternoon right now, Sablerose reasoned, though she had no way to tell. With the sun absent from its usual territory, it seemed more like twilight.

     "Sablerose?"

      She whipped around instantly, the half-eaten mouse falling from her jaws. A gray-and-white tomcat sat behind her, just within the entrance to the Magi's den, his features carefully arranged to hide any emotion they might otherwise give away. She recognized him as Cloverear, a favorite playmate of hers when she was younger; but now his appearance gave her no joy.

     He averted his eyes, watching his paws intently, and dread roiled in her gut. Despite her instincts, however, she trudged over to him, hoping that the faint hint of sorrow in his eyes wasn't some kind of warning for what he was about to tell her. The first raindrops began to drum against her back, the sound of their impact echoing in her ears. Lowering her ears with annoyance, she padded faster, coming to a stop at Cloverear's side.

     "What did you want to tell me?" she asked, her voice shaking. It was nowhere near its usual deep rumble, but instead a broken mirror of the sky above her- tempestuous and nervous, jagged with cracks and petering out into a soft whimper.

     Cloverear's eyes met hers, the sadness in them gentle yet overwhelming. "It's Finchnose," he whispered hoarsely, his paws tapping against the ground, the only outlet for his anxiety. "She's... gotten worse. It's unlikely that she'll make it through tonight. I- we- can't do anything else for her now."

     And with those thirteen words, Sablerose's entire world shattered.

     "Liar!" she screeched, her eyes blazing with rage. Her claws curled into the mud, her heartbeat pounding in rhythm with the now-downpour outside. "You can heal her- I know you can! You know how to cure green-cough like the back of your paw!"

      "Sablerose.." Cloverear's voice cracked, and he was forced to look away again. "You know I'd never lie to you; it's in the Magi's code of honor... and there are some cases even we can't cure. I now you might be feeling angry right now, but please try to understand-"

      It all happened so quickly. One second Cloverear was trying to tell her something, his voice calm and clear and- Sablerose was sure of it now- made of nothing but lies. The next second, blood was trickling -no, pouring- down his cheeks, down from his eyelid... and down from her claws. The ground was stained with scarlet as she took a step back, even more furious with him; and it reddened still as she aimed swipe after swipe at him. He flinched back from her onslaught, eyes wide, an explanation on his lips, but she was neither ready nor willing to listen to it.

     The world blurred and tilted as Sablerose was tackled to the floor of the Magi's den, her head slamming against the hard-packed earth beneath it. Screeching, she turned to face her newest attacker, eyes wild. But the Berserker who was standing in the entrance, rain pouring down her pelt, had no sign of fury in her expression- only contemptuous shock. Cloverear cowered behind her, his frame trembling, and for a split second she felt something akin to pity.

     "What in StarClan is wrong with you?" she yowled, tail raised protectively. "It's not Cloverear's fault that Finchnose is sick, and it's definitely not something to attack him over!"

     Sablerose tried to answer with a sharp retort, but all that came out of her lips was a seething hiss- high-pitched and dripping with irrational anger, the byproduct of a spur-of-the-moment decision she would soon come to regret. Whipping around, she forced her way out the den's back entrance, ignoring the  Berserker's angered yell of "Get back here, you piece of mouse scat!"

     She didn't stop running until the forest thinned out and the lake glittered before her. Already, the storm was disbanding, pieces of orange sunset sky shining through the gaps in the clouds. It was beautiful, the way the rain shimmered in the sun's last moments; the unmatched display of fiery light and dissolving darkness as the storm and the day died together.

     Finchnose would have loved to see this.

     And, with that one thought, the sunset's beauty was shattered. Now, it seemed nothing but lonely, a bleak taunt of what her life could have been; a cruel reminder of Finchnose's numbered hours. Even the sun seemed to be intent on destroying her happiness today. When will it end? she thought, watching the sun fall with tears in her eyes.

     When will it ever end?

[ written by catty ]