How low am I willing to dive to save her? Sablerose pondered as she padded through the territory with a solemn gleam in her eyes. The entire Astral Tribe knows about my dedication to her, so what's holding me back?! I can't strike another deal because a perfect cat like Finchnose would definitely interest those starry cats. She's mine... why can't life just be simple and easy as those tales always said it would?

And to her utter disappointment, two apprentices wandered onto her path, happily chatting the time away as it ticked on for her, echoing throughout her hollow mind with an icy sneer. As the high, soft-spoken voice of Lichenpaw and the bold, outstanding tone of Sorchpaw rang through the air like birdsong, the black-furred she-cat stiffened a groan.

At least it wasn't Cavepaw or Meadowpaw shoving their pesky noses in her business.

"And then, she was cured! It was like someone placed a gentle paw over her suffering eyes, and she was healed!" explained Lichenpaw, skipping a little as butterflies boosted her excited leaps. With the sun practically emitting from her tiny body, Sablerose couldn't help but question what the two were talking about - it'd surely be something other than her assured fate to occupy her mind with.

The calico apprentice giggled and looked up at the glittering sun as it began to set behind the trees, shying away from the judging views. The sky now absorbing and mixing shades of fire orange, bright yellow, and burning red, Sablerose felt like she stuck out and the two apprentices would notice her staring.

However, they didn't and stuck in their own dream-filled world, they continued to recite their conversation like it was an ancient tale.

"And when she woke up, she could finally be free to do what she wanted!" Sorchpaw finished, puffing her peach chest out proudly, basking in the dusk. "But even if she was all alone, she was free. She was finally cured of her sickness but paid the price of..."

"A lot of moons!" Lichenpaw urged. "How about... what's a large number? Oh! I know! She was asleep for one hundred moons!"

"Of sleeping for one hundred moons!" Sorchpaw added, grinning at her friend. "But she could start over. She had a blank slate and didn't need anyone to tell her anything anymore! Free! That's what I want to be one day." The she-cat stared at the setting sun with a wide grin in her admiral eyes, one that put the stars to shame. Sablerose tried not to imagine her mate in the little apprentice.

"Sleep, surrounded by blessed herbs," hummed Lichenpaw, twirling her tail in the air as if she were dancing. "When the moon rises ever so softly and lets its silver rays flow onto her resting place, that's when the herbs come to life and blossom."

Sablerose nearly gave her position to the fantasy-loving apprentices. Living in dreams and imaginations satisfied the weak-minded, beliving that the hidden world inside a mind could counter the harsh realities present at their paws. While they smiled and hoped for better times, it sucked away at their life like a leech, continuing to play a broken record. The moment their eyes opened and they saw the ruined world, what would they do? She snorted, wondering what the apprentices' faces would look like when their ideas shattered like glass.

Living in the present, no matter how hard it was and how much the world fought against her, she would accept. Through raging storms, blistering droughts, and painful promises, Sablerose pushed through. Even if the Astral Tribe looked down at her and Shadowdusk's deal sung in her ears throughout the cold night, she had something to look forward to.

And nothing in any kind of dream world could ever compare to the beautiful she-cat that always turned around with a welcoming smile.

However, she thought as she leaned forward, paws taking her forward without her notice. I'm willing to do anything for her. Lichenpaw and Sorchpaw perked their ears at her arrival and greeted her with a reassuring grin.

"Hi, Sablerose!" Sorchpaw greeted, jumping. "What are you doing out here? Is Finchnose around, too?"

"No," she stated flatly, "I'm out here by myself. What's wrong with a little space between us?"

"N-nothing at all!" The peach-colored she-cat corrected, shaking her head.

Lichenpaw sighed and took over. "She's just being grumpy and tight because Cavepaw came back with a mouthful. Don't mind her. Can we help you? Or are you out searching for a gift for Finchnose?"

That little apprentice...! she cursed, gritting her teeth while forcing her fur flat. "In a way. Tell me more about this story I overheard. I wasn't spying on you; I was just trying to clear my mind and you happened to talk, loudly."

Lichenpaw and Sorchpaw flattened their ears at the last word but didn't snap back. They were jumpy, quick to apologize, but neither of them could raise their voice when it came to defending themselves - except for the latter, but even then the she-cat had doubts of her own since her last outburst had her spending two nights outside alone.

Finally, the calico she-cat stepped up, clearing her throat. "W-well... it's just a little tale we were trying to adjust. We didn't like how it went originally so we changed it how we wanted it. It's about a she-cat who got really sick and in a desperate attempt, she surrounded her nest in flowers, hoping to be cured. The stars saw this and granted her a second chance one hundred moons later, where she could be free to do the things she wanted without a sickness chaining her down."

Sorchpaw scoffed and spat nearby. "The original had the she-cat die at first and she was forced to watch time go on without her, being known as the cat who did nothing. All she could do was watch flowers grow. Eventually, she wished that she could have a second chance but never got it. The stars did, however, let her speak to the living once a moon."

Surrounded by flowers and then cured overnight. The words brought waves of hope but she could already hear the others and their mocks at believing the simple tale, a changed tale. Sablerose felt her paws tingle and shake, knowing that their stares would surely drag her down - if nobody knew other than these two apprentices. Would they keep their mouths shut?

"Hey, what kind of flowers did this she-cat surround herself in?" she asked, adamant.

They look confused, but nevertheless, answered.

"Well... we just said she used her favorite flowers. Why? Did Finchnose or you get sick?" Lichenpaw's eyes flashed with worry.

"I'm just curious," she claimed, revealing nothing else. Favorite flowers... I just happen to know where a patch of violets are. Then her heart fluttered as red petals swarmed her vision, hidden behind a thicket of thorns. If this doesn't work... I can always say it was a surprise gift. She'd surely love it.

"Hey, I---"

Sablerose didn't stay for the rest. She gathered the information she needed and didn't see any reason to stay behind with the two star-loving apprentices. Lichenpaw's soft huff sung in the wind while Sorchpaw stomped her paws on the ground angrily but moved on a second later. Her paws took her deep into their territory where she stumbled upon a small field, littered with purple petals and a sweet aroma.

She breathed in the lovely scent and bent down, beginning to carefully pull them out, shaking away the dirt that still clung to the roots. One by one, she pulled every flower out and set them in a pile, admiring their lavender color. Finished, she grabbed them in her mouth and made her way to another scheduled area, spotting her treasure beneath the scars.

Choking the plant by the stem lay tiny thorns and she set the violets down before making her way over. Carefully, she reached a shaking paw out and took the plant, making sure she didn't touch the bristles. Then she yanked it out and looked at the rose and the red petals that curled together like a frightened kit. She set the flower down and tried to remove the thorns without destroying the blossoms too much.

It's okay, it's for her, she thought as she continued this process until she had a pawful of roses and violets. Sablerose looked up at the setting sun, noticing the silver glow of the moon appearing from the trees, ready to shine. In response, the mark on her forehead began to twitch, almost aching to bask in the calming rays.

"Please, work for me," she silently prayed along with the world.

---

She had placed the petals and stems around her nest in a fancy way, making it stand out. She had held her tongue many times when her paws didn't arrange them the way she wanted, but the only reason she hadn't snapped aloud was the sleeping cats around her. The flowers hardly stood out in the darkness but she hoped the thought counted. Sablerose had placed one rose and one violet together, tying their stems together the best she could and stared at the bundle until her eyes finally shut.

That night, she dreamed of an open field of purple and red flowers surrounding her. The stars illuminated blue and green above, the stars twinkling softly and gently, meaning no harm. The moon didn't mock her and her forehead didn't seem weighed down by the crescent symbol. A pool of water was at her feet and when she looked at her reflection, she hadn't found the white mark on her fur.

But when she awoke, she knew the mark was still on her forehead and time continued to fall through her paws like grains of sand.

She was about to move when she froze, noticing a familiar brown pelt beside her, a purr behind each breath she took. Sablerose smiled at her mate and closed her eyes once again, letting the flowers and Finchnose surround her. She had woken up to see the tiny she-cat, that was perhaps the only thing worth all the trouble from last night.

Maybe she wasn't cured of her emblem. Maybe all the pricks from the thorns still stung when she tried to move her paws. Maybe she was still exhausted from all the work. Maybe all of it was just in her imagination and she was still dreaming. Sablerose didn't care, she had woken up in her own nest, surrounded by violets and roses, ones that shone like fireflies, and there was Finchnose, beside her.

Perhaps that was her cure.

Written by Solstice
Edited by Talon