Sun Mote Copse I'm not about to fight until the last of me dies

Following her bloody coughing fit at the Blackthorns' den, Wildfire had retreated to her own. Part of her wondered if she should go into solitude to avoid spreading her mysterious illness. But, deep down, the Sovereign knew her ailment was as contagious as it was curable: that was, it was neither. She couldn't explain how or why she knew this; the knowledge simply sank into the marrow of her weary bones. She had made herself as comfortable as possible in the dim of the den after asking @Eljay to keep an eye on @Elfie and @Weejay so she could nap. But she didn't sleep. She lay there in the dark, facing her own mortality.

A few days later, she emerged for the first time to accomplish more than a quick potty break. She felt weak and depleted (she hadn't eaten much these past few days), plus a little feverish on top of that. But she'd actually managed to get some sleep last night through to early this afternoon and she felt a little revived. Wildfire knew better than to read too deeply into that or to let herself hope. But she definitely wanted to take advantage of it and looked around for any sign of her mate and pups. Surely they wouldn't be far. And maybe @Kiwi would make a reappearance too.

Setting for 5/20.