Lakepoppy hated being sick. Her head ached, her thrust was so swollen she could hardly speak, and her nose ran a constant dribble of snot and mucus.

It was horrid.

Lakepoppy felt as though she had slept an eternity. But she felt no better. The medicine den was stuffy and made it hard to breathe, but she was forbidden from going outside.

She sniffed and coughed and sneezed for a while, feeling worse with each movement.

The worst part about it? This happened regularly. About once every other moon. She was so sick of being sick.

She noticed the mediocre cat moving around the den. They were quickly sorting herbs, flowers, and berries with only a glance to identify it.

Lakepoppy was able to do that with feathers... which she had none of. They were all in her nest in the warriors den.

When she wasn't sleeping (which was like 90% of the time) she was staring off into space. It was so boring in he medicine den.

She turned around in her nest so the motion of the medicine cat wouldn't keep her awake.

But sleep was far off for her.

She tossed and turned, sniffled and sneezed, but she was no closer to sleep.

She stared at the stone walls of the den, observing the chips and cracks in the rock.

It was boring.

She noticed the medicine cat leave at some point, and then another cat entered the den.

"The medicine cat left." She said, assuming it was another cat complaining of bellyache or a thorn in their paw.

Much to her surprise, the mystery cat leaned over her nest and purred at her.

"I'm not here for the medicine cat."

It was Lionstep. Lakepoppy's pelt heated up immediately out of embarrassment. He had to see her at her weakest moment, sick in the medicine den.

Lionstep sat down next to her nest. "You're not contagious, right?" He asked.

Lakepoppy laughed softly. "Nope."

"Great!" The sandy tom's grin lit up the dim den.

"Well then lets go!" He said, standing up.

"Wait... go where?" Lakepoppy asked, quite confused.

"Feather hunting." Lionstep responded.

"But the medicine cat said I can't leave the den." Lakepoppy protested.

"Whatever. You're not getting better by sitting in a damp, crowded den all day. Let's go get some fresh air!" He bounded out of the den, and Lakepoppy shakily followed.

When she walked out of the den, she concluded that Lionstep was right. The fresh air filled her lungs, and she immediately felt much better.

She followed the sandy tom out of the camp and into the forest. They traveled in comfortable silence for a while before arriving at a clearing.

There were many leaves and feathers scattered around, and Lakepoppy bounced towards them.

When she got to a small pile of mixed leaves, she stopped and had a sneezing fit.

Lionstep looked highly concerned when she finally stopped. He dashed to her side.

"Are you alright?" "Y-yeah. Just... let me rest for a moment."

Lionstep sat with her while she regained her breath, his pelt just brushing hers.

"It's ok if you want to go to camp." He murmured in her ear. Lakepoppy shook her head.

"We're already out here. Let's enjoy it."

They sorted through feathers and leaves until Lakepoppy was exhausted.

"I wish I didn't get sick all the time." She muttered angrily.

Lionstep paused for a moment. "It's your imperfections that make you beautiful." He said finally.

Lakepoppy felt herself flush crazily. "Why do you mean by that?" She asked, embarrassed.

"Your stutter is cute. I love your passion for nature. I like it when you're sick. It means I get to care for you more. Lakepoppy, I could go on and on all day about you."

Lakepoppy dipped her head. "Th-thanks."

Lionstep purred. "Your stutter is adorable."

Lakepoppy shuffled her paws in the dirt. "It's annoying, r-really." She slapped her tail over her mouth. She had done it again!

Lionstep sat near her, draping his tail over her shoulders.

"The sun it setting." He said softly. And so it was. The two watched the sun until it was almost completely gone.

Lakepoppy was spent. She leaned her head on Lionstep and closed her eyes. The sandy tom smiled slightly.

"Goodnight, sweet dreams." He whispered, licking her cheek as she fell fast asleep.

•••

I don't think this one was my greatest, but it's still sweet. Lionstep seems a tiny bit out of character, but I'll let bailsoffrails be the judge of that.

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