Jade Fern Grove lobos en el bosque

this time she made it away from riverclan. in the cool dark hours of the morning, in the deep greenweald and the snow that surrounded it, silvertongue found herself terribly ill. she vomited several times, scratching drifts and mud over each small pile as she pushed into the heart of the territory. she sweated; it stood out upon her brow as her empty stomach clenched a fifth time. silvertongue sequestered herself in the long shadows of a great tree, retching and crossing her face with a paw, hoping only that the place she had found would not lend itself to discovery — by anyone.

tag for ref

bjarna found a terrible chasm within herself.

worse than when she thought how horrible she looked compared to others. somehow worse than when family trickled away.

the yawning expanse of it left her tired, weary. perhaps @Gunnar had noticed in the way she seemed to only work. hunt, plan, patrol.

and now she scouted, wishing it to help fill the void and finding it did no such thing. only brought her to a familiar face with a sickly scent among the air. the heart of a caretaker beat rapidly within her chest and she offered a lowly cooing sound.

asking to be let near.

but alas! it was not to be a time of loneliness for her! eventually silvertongue lifted her head to see the figure of the young and fluffed leader who had assumed leadership of kvarsheim. "bjarna," she said hoarsely, too weak to even offer a flick of her tail in reassurance. "do you have —" the words, overcome by a thin stream of bile. silvertongue turned her head away and refused to think that this was more than an illness of the belly.

bjarna, who had raised siblings younger than her, was not easily jarred by the bile that streamed over words.

only concerned for the knowledgeable silvertongue of riverclan.

she moved close, prepared to be a soothing presence at the side of the woman. also aware she might be met with teeth or harsh words! yet she could not let her friend and ally be alone in these sick moments.

sick, her voice was small, hoarse in her throat. bjarna care. this offered with a tired look and the hope that silvertongue would not decline.

"you shouldn't," silvertongue choked, vomiting again until her shoulders shook and she trembled beneath bjarna's nearness. "you should just let me —" but the sentence remained unfinished, unfinished as her retching ended and she slid into soft, quiet sobbing, as much for the ache in her gut as what this sudden sickness might mean. she thought of satsu; she thought of ash paw. and then her mind flew to crowfeather and how the look in his eye for germanicus was not one she could have ever hoped for herself. and she hadn't, not until — not until now.

let her cry.

bjarna reached with thin arms beneath her thick fur. prepared to hold and soothe as she may. it mattered not if the woman would need to empty the contents of her stomach again. bjarna was not scared of the sickness, only here to help.

a soft shh from between her heavy lips as she kissed a warm temple. a reminder of how she cared for her own brother when he trembled without cause.

and so it went on, silvertongue alternating between the thin tears and the racking of her stomach, until at last her brow was wet and the illness had passed. oh she feared it would return, and held bjarna as if the poor young girl could save the star from the fate she had in the moment so willingly wished.

bjarna made a mental list of things she could grab. things that might heal whatever ailed the star of riverclan.

yet for now she was only emotional support. here to offer soothing sounds between the sounds of release.

rest, she said softly now. a blue-toned tongue swept out to clean up a streak of tears. bjarna care.

can fade, timeskip, have another, or bts the rest! <3

the touch to her face soothed silvertongue more than she would have imagined. she nodded and lay her head across her forelegs, eyes closing. she tensed in fear the illness would return, but it did not, and soon the star was asleep, slid into a dreamless state that held her in stasis against all she must say and do now.

time skipping <33

silvertongue rested.

bjarna went and gathered things. returning with herbs she knew for this kind of sickness. minimal, but a start she figured. and if the star of riverclan continued to heave her stomach, it would do no good to load her full of things anyway.

a soft lullaby hummed in the back of her throat, content to wait until the woman woke.

she unwrapped her bundle to expose juniper berries and old, less potent dandelion leaves.

the girl returned with herbs. the sharp sweet smell of them stung silvertongue's nose, but this time she did not retch. the glassblue eyes were lifted to bjarna in wonder and acceptance. if these things helped, she would take them without hesitation. "gracias, flor de nieve."

they did not need a share language of their tongue in those moments.

they language they shared here was compassion and caring. the bond between riverclan and kvarsehim was not for just show or pack strength. it was personal. woven around the heart of the nornir.

eat, she offered softly as she ceased her lullaby.

little amounts at first. a berry or two and a leaf.

then waiting to see if the star could stomach them.

she ate. her stomach clenched but did not rebel, and hope grew with each moment. when the dosage had been consumed, silvertongue at last sat up, laying weakened limb upon her soured belly. "some bad food, i think," she offered in a tone brighter than she felt. "thank you, bjarna."

can fade whenever ur ready <3

bad food.

bjarna nodded softly with understanding. she had been victim to it once or twice. everybody would be eventually, she imagined.

the wrong berry or meat just a touch over.

bjarna care. no thank.

if there was anything she wished for silvertongue to leave with knowing, it was that bjarna would always be here for her. for all of riverclan.

<3

bjarna took a role in silvertongue's life that day, hardly a child but one who still guided kvarsheim. she had acted as ally and friend. the star's face was tearstained as she reached softly out to the pale companion with a press of her paw. no thanks, then. her eyes would say it, and she would stay here a time with bjarna until she felt well enough to return.