This idea has got to be one of the lowest things I'll ever do, Sablerose thought with disgust, feeling the regret start to rise. Other cats saw her as arrogant and self-centered, she knew, but the side that Finchnose saw was one that loved and cared like a mother protecting her kits. However, she wouldn't deny the fact that she despised asking for help -- regardless if her lovely mate was in the picture. Granted, the more that she thought about it, she assumed she'd be stubborn about it while the petite she-cat would straight up ask for it.

She stood at the entrance of the Sun Priest's den, tail curled around her paws expectantly. Cats around her simply watched and acknowledged her existence, but they never stopped their daily tasks and duties to ask what the black-furred cat was up to. The answer probably would be up to no good, but by now, Sablerose hoped that the cats from the Sun Tribe would understand her motives.

Right now, the hardest thing was making herself seem unsuspicious. Lingering around the Priest's den wasn't something she normally did, and it stuck out like a red cardinal during leafbare; that she, of all cats, would reside beside the hidden den. As the sun fell, she found herself wandering in her own thoughts, lost and moving onto other solutions to her problem. She questioned how someone like her had come up with an idea such as asking for help. Maybe Finchnose finally rubbed off on her.

Not that she was mad about that.

It did annoy her that some other toms had finally managed to see Finchnose's rare beauty, and they crowded around her like vultures ready to dive in and pick away at their prey. That would never happen as long as she was alive. To her, if they couldn't see her beauty before she fell ill, then they were just as blind as a bat if they saw it now. One look at her mate and Sablerose could see faint outlines of that sickness lingering around her like a cloud, the only thing protecting her was the crescent moon on her forehead that held enough power to fight that never-ending sickness.

And she, for one, didn't want to go back to a tasteless world where every piece of prey that went down her throat only made her stomach worsen, or when she opened her eyes, all she saw before her were simply black and white shapes and sometimes, she'd get a sense of an unknown feeling thriving in the cats around her. Sablerose didn't want to drag her paws through the mud each day just to get up and survive. Living a life without Finchnose seemed...

Bland.

So get over your pride! She thought, forcing her ears to her skull as her teeth clenched. No matter how hard she tried to focus on her mission, her mind wandered. It felt horrible, knowing that her mind was being carried somewhere else other than Finchnose, the love of her life. The one who made her heart flutter like a bird rising into the sky for the first time. How could her own mind betray her? Why did she think of other things rather than the sole purpose of her life?

Both physically and literally, she grimly said to herself, worry creeping on her. Where her thoughts went to, that was unknown. A blank slate that kept coming back in a full circle. Sablerose swallowed the lump in her throat, hoping that the feeling of dread would snap her awake. But her mind had already sealed away from those appalling ideals and memories.

There was absolutely no way she could ever return to a life like that.

"I heard Finchnose's been getting better," a she-cat whispered in her dolce voice. Sablerose's ears immediately turned toward the voice that had been no louder than a cricket. Sitting on a smooth surface sat a cream she-cat, fur freshly cleaned. Her inferno-colored eyes blazed with affection and relief for her clanmate's safety and well being, which the impish black she-cat couldn't find a reason to berate. Kesteralfern let out a smile to the broad-looking tom next to her.

"Soon enough, she'll get back to the rhythm of things," the tom commented, licking a paw before resting it to his side. Wrenthistle extended himself in the sun, exposing his black and white underbelly to the bright sun. The two cats continued on with their idle chat as the sun overhead beat down warm rays.

It gave Sablerose a light and fuzzy feel inside of her that there were cats who praised her mate as well. Obviously, she would still get defensive if they ever tried to hit on Finchnose, but for now, the two cats were genuinely relieved that one of their clanmates had gotten better. She turned her attention toward the Sun Priest's Den, biting her lip, a surge of confidence soaring in her.

You can't hope to change a thing if you can't strive to do something. With that in mind, Sablerose marched into the den, not waiting for the tom inside to say or react to her sudden arrival.

Unlike Shadowdusk and how he seemed to be a walking corpse, Lightdawn was grooming himself promptly, picking out each little tick that buried themselves into his clean pelt. The Sun Priest practically glowed, and Sablerose almost inched away, deciding that standing in the same space as the tom would be enough to make her faint. Her presence wouldn't go unnoticed, obviously, since she was standing in front of a creamy pelt that could be the color of snow. His sandy eyes looked at her and lit up, not entirely bothered she entered without permission.

Sablerose stood there, keeping her mind quiet as Lightdawn got up, stretching out his lean body. The way he moved around her made her uneasy, the fact the Sun Priest tried to twist and turn his body in every way possible. Just watching him get up from a relaxing cleaning session made her own bones and body ache. Finally, the lean tom finished bragging and sat up, puffing his chest out proudly. She felt ready to hurl over and vomit, but she figured vomiting in his gaze would be enough to banish her.

And if she was banished, she wouldn't get to see Finchnose ever again. Unless StarClan welcomed her into their land, but Lightdawn was the living StarClan to the Astral Tribe. He could talk with those starry cats and persuade them to let her fall into the darkest parts of a black thicket. So, Sablerose bit her tongue and forced the raw bile down her throat and back into the pits of her stomach.

Lightdawn stared at her lazily, taking in her feature through those indolent, sandy eyes. He seemed old and young, shoulders sagging as if two mountains were placed on them, yet they stayed upright and proud. His pelt was clean and she couldn't spot a single hair out of place on his glossy pelt, and Sablerose couldn't help but think of his counter partner, Shadowdusk. The two toms both had power over the Astral Tribe, but from what she saw, both of them seemed like arrogant toms who jumped for the leader position.

It's too ironic, she huffed, furrowing her brow. This is too fake, it can't possibly real. Sablerose wrinkled her nose in disgust and Lightdawn blinked.

"Is there something you'd like to say to me? Or did you come just to mock me?" he challenged with a defensive voice like a kit, flicking his tail. Lightdawn drew himself back, tail curling around his front paws ever so slightly.

This is painful. Complete polar opposites, even. Cold and cunning and arrogant and self-centered.

"Not at all, I just have something on my mind," she replied, hiding her thoughts with her sharp tongue. Lightdawn, seeming to be as easy to fool as a kit, smiled brightly at her and bounced over, light like a rabbit. Sablerose inched back when the creamy tom approached her, skinny and bright frame looming over her -- when she stood over the Sun Priest, but she didn't want to burst his bubble.

"What's that? Something I can help with?"

And Shadowdusk would say something like, "Am I talking to a kit? Solve it yourself." Sablerose shrugged and the Sun Priest leaned forward, eyes lingering for the question. Lightdawn pulled himself back, restraining himself as he sat down. That's when his eyes lit with realization and before she could tell him her problem, words spilled out of his mouth.

"Ah! You're Sablerose! Finchnose's..." Sablerose gave him a threatening glare if he said anything wrong. Lightdawn gulped and batted a paw. "Finchnose's lovely mate!"

"Good," she sighed. "I know you don't want to spend time with me anymore, so I'll make this brief. Ever since Finchnose woke up, my body feels strange. I just feel like I've got only a moon to figure out what's wrong with me."

"Oh? Have you talked to a Magi?"

"No, it's not exactly a sick feeling to my stomach. I don't know if there's any herbs that are used to cure this."

"This? Is it some sort of sickness?"

"Maybe, but I don't have time to visit a Magi. I want to spend time with Finchnose while I have her," she argued, hoping her point would be valid. Lightdawn settled down and considered her words through his head, muttering stuff under his breath. Sablerose kept herself still, refusing to let the grim wish burst out of her chest.

Come on, Lightdawn. I know that Shadowdusk has powers, you have to have something useful. If you don't, then you're even more disappointing than what you come out to be. Sablerose kept her pleads inside, but the longer the Sun Priest took pondering, the more her hope and anxiety rose. Lightdawn, too caught up in his own thoughts to realize her increased fidgetting, hardly looked up. She was about to say something when he suddenly looked up, a bright smile plastered across his face.

Then she heard her words and her heart froze. Sablerose went quiet, heart starting to pound against her chest, demanding freedom. What if she hinted a little too much about the moon? He wasn't blind; any cat could see the crescent moon on her forehead now, and he shouldn't be any different - right? There had to be stories where cats cross to the other side of the Astral Tribe to get a wish. Could Lightdawn be smart enough to see through her? Finchnose could do that any day, any time, could he too?

Well, maybe he wouldn't, but it could be a way to throw her off. Acting like this aloof leader and then turning out to be just as merciless as Shadowdusk. Sablerose felt her suspusion grow as they remained in tight silence, neither uttering a word as two minds fought. Lightdawn looked lost while she kept her guard up, ready for a counter-argument if he asked any further questions.

"Oh yes, I see. You just want to ask Finchnose something really important, don't you?" he said giddily, standing on his toes. Sablerose felt her face go blank, her mind twice as blown how the Sun Priest missed the fat bird that screamed, 'Catch me' and still, he missed by a landslide. Lightdawn stayed obvious to the truth and awaited to hear praise.

What?

"A moon, right? I'm sure what you're feeling is a sense of love. You're already mates, so why are you shy? You should be open.

Now this made her angry. Sablerose thought it was absurd that he was telling her what to do with her relationship when the old tom wasn't even in one himself. She was about to snap at him when she stopped herself short, growling.

"You got me," she forced out like it was venom. "I..."

"All I have to say is be honest with her, and I'm sure Finchnose will love you no matter what. I don't think you came here to ask me that question," he hinted, making her freeze. Lightdawn had a slight twinkle in his eyes. "But you just don't know how to word it."

And... He misses. I thought he was onto something, looks like I was wrong. He's as blind as a bat.

"Don't worry about it. Worrying only makes things worse, you know," he stated, this time more serious than previously. "If you worry, everything seems worse than what it actually is. I think you're overthinking it, but I don't know what goes on in your mind. If I were you, just be honest and true." He snorted. "You've heard that many times before, haven't you?"

She nodded, "Almost every day."

"Then make this day different. Do something, you know? Keep your mind away from whatever is bothering you or whatever you think about most - unless it hurts you that much."

"Just don't worry?"

"That's right," he answered, giving her a prompt nod. "Don't worry, and everything seems better. That's the first step, and the rest will be laid out for you."

Is this help or a lecture?

Lightdawn pointed his tail toward the exit. "It's been nice talking to you, Sablerose. I do hope that I'll get to see you grow into a better warrior someday." The Sun Priest escorted her toward the exit and shoved her out rather forcefully. Sablerose whirled around, about to tell him something else, but the tom blocked the entrance and gestured toward the cats scattered among the camp.

And almost as if fate pulled her, Finchnose perked her tiny head up and smiled the moment the two of them locked eyes.

The Sun Priest smirked at her, which made her half tempted to attack him now. Instead, Lightdawn placed the tip of his tail on her shoulder and then quickly stepped back into his den to groom himself.

"Listen and remember, Sablerose, you'll never stop worrying unless you stop caring, but you'll never stop caring if you never stop worrying. So, let go of your burden, and you'll find yourself standing taller."