I could try talking to the Sun Priest, Sablerose thought with a grim smile and sick feeling to her stomach. That'd be what Finchnose would tell me to do anyway. The black-furred she-cat looked up at the Sun Priest's Den that stood higher than the others. The pale comparison between that den and the den she slept in was like comparing a mouse to a fox. Even the mere thought of the delicate she-cat made her heart flutter as she admired her beloved like a blue butterfly - only to remember that the certain butterfly was close to her deathbed. Sablerose felt her stomach drop to the pits of the ground below her paws.

Sablerose took a shaky paw toward the den and halted mid-step. Sorrow filled into her stomach. She should be with Finchnose, by her side, in the den. That's what a good mate would do. Sablerose bit her tongue to stop herself from crying in the middle of the quiet camp. Fate seemed to have a blind eye to her, she assumed. Finchnose getting sick was the first attack, the next followed moths to the sun. Her mate's condition worsening, unable to cure Finchnose and forcing her to remain on a straw nest instead of running through the fresh air and feeling it hug you close.

Fate is a fickle thing, Sablerose concluded, setting her paw back on the ground. If the Sun Priest could cure Finchnose, why didn't they? She raised an eye at the den, hoping to spot the Sun Priest's pelt. Maybe then they could cure Finchnose so she could be happy. Like that's going to happen.

Her options were limited and with each option failing before it even started, Sablerose felt her feet and tail drag across the ground more often. Life seemed almost colorless without the pretty brown she-cat in her life to light up her world with a splash of color. The black she-cat stepped over to the den where she lay, silent as ever. With a quick peek inside of the den, her heart shattered.

Finchnose lay on the nest with her chest moving the slightest. Life was being drained away from her by the savage tentacles of the sickness. They stuck onto the she-cat like leeches and wouldn't let go until the food they sought for was eaten and then leave their host. Sablerose could see how it would spread throughout the den next and touch another cat, wrapping their invisible but fatal thorns around them.

The Moon Priest. Sablerose's ear twitched and her attention was dragged over to the other side of the camp. If her heart could live on its own, then she figured that it would run over to the Moon Priest's Den and demanded them to cure Finchnose's condition. Yet her body remained planted on the ground, still haunted by the rules that hovered over her like the dark ominous clouds overhead.

In the Astral Tribe, there was one single rule that stood above all like a shadow to a flame. Whatever side you were born on, the Sun or Moon, that's where you stayed. Entering the other side results in death or exile -- and outside the camp, you could be killed before you even knew what was going on. Sablerose had been cursed and also gifted to be born on the Sun side. Had she been born on the Moon side, she might've never had met the love of her life. Then again, if fate seemed to favor her, maybe she would've met Finchnose either way and be able to save her without reaching her neck out.

But if the Sun Priest isn't doing anything about it, Sablerose flattened her ears and heard a low growl arise in her throat. Did he not care about the tabby's life? Was Finchnose's life not worth saving? Was any cat's life in this tribe worth saving or lifting a paw for? Sablerose whirled around and faced the den and held back her laugh. Of course, the Sun Priest could be sleeping while Finchnose is falling further and further away from my grasp. They're not going to do anything about it.

Determination flared through her like wildfire. Sablerose marched over toward the border of the camp, ignoring the curious glances she received from the others around her. The black she-cat stood there and looked at the other side of the camp. It seemed to lure her in, whispering 'come here' or 'you have to save Finchnose'. Sablerose causally glared behind her to see if any wondering clanmates were still interested in her being. To her luck and relief, not that she'd show it, they had returned to their normal business or had retreated to their den.

"Sablerose?" Her mind spoke in the sweet delicate voice of Finchnose as the memory played by like a sparrow's morning song.

Finchnose and her were running throughout the fields playing a small game. With her brown pelt against the green terrain, Sablerose had never seen a better sight. Anything regarding the small warrior made her heart burst with love. Sablerose pushed away the memory with a massive amount of energy. It was like she was pushing away Finchnose.

Just wait, Finchnose, Sablerose promised and stepped over the border onto the Moon side. I'm coming.

Written by Solstice who is excited to announce that she has worked hard and with the other admins and Mack, this book will be continued! I'm excited to see how you guys will like it, after it kinda got abandoned for two years or so... Anyway! I hope you're just as ready for the next chapter as I am! (A/N: I tried to mimic Catty's writing style and add my own into it, what do you think?)