--Then perhaps, StarClan will forgive me at last"--

       As the moon hides it's light to the bright yawn of morning, Maplepaw rose from her slumber. Feeling as if she had gotten a good nights rest for the first time in her whole apprenticeship.

       Looking next to her, was the sleeping Ripplepaw. His grey pelt gleaming in the fragile light of the sun. Her pelt felt at ease and her mind felt clear.

      "Good morning Ripplepaw." Maplepaw meowed to the tom as he sifted in his sleep- turning to her amber eyes half asleep.

      "M-Maplepaw?" He asked as he blinked fully awake to realize he wasn't in his nest. "I uh, sorry, I forgot to leave your nest." He meowed as he licked his chest with embarrassment.

      "Don't worry about it." Maplepaw meowed smiling at his embarrassed state. "Where's Breezepaw this time?" She asked looking around the apprentice's den to see her best friend's den empty.

      "Most likely she is put training or something. Trying to out pace you." Ripplepaw meowed with a laugh as both of the apprentices got up to exit the den.

       The morning light was very bright despite the fresh snow on the ground. Maplepaw's ears twitched as she heard a loud coughing noise coming from the medicine cat's den.

      "Do you hear that Maplepaw?" Ripplepaw asked his tone now serious and set with worry.

       "Yeah." She answered thinking about who might be sick. Maybe whitecough had come to one of the cats. "Wait, what if that's Breezepaw!" Maplepaw meowed as panic made her belly feel restless and uneasy.

      "Let's go see." They both said as they ran to the noise, with their ears catching the vigorous coughing sounds.

      "Is Breezepaw okay!? Does she have whitecough!?" Jumping into the den like a crazy kit, Ripplepaw asked about his fellow apprentice to see no one else but Silverwhisp and Jayfeather.

       "Breezepaw is who your worried about right now!? Honestly, how mousebrained can you be!" Jayfeather hissed as he coughed between sentences. He looked like a ghost.

       "I smell something weird coming from Jayfeather." Maplepaw meowed as she grew closer to her trusted Clanmate.

       "Don't get- closer than you- have too Maplepaw!" Jayfeather warned his body shaking from the stress of his coughing fits.

        "But I've never smelled this scent before. I was just curio-"

       "Maplepaw, I don't want any other cat to catch this!" Silverwhisp hissed, her normal strange and frantic attitude was now angry and hostile as she growled with anger.

        Maplepaw tucked her tail between her legs and sighed in defeat. What had Jayfeather caught for her to be so on end?

       "What did you catch? Whitecough?" Ripplepaw asked. Silverwhisp shook her head sadly. Her face was filled with greef and she looked almost as wary as Jayfeather.

        "He caught death disease." She meowed as Jayfeather wobbled back to his nest with a 'thud'.

       "Which is?" Maplepaw meowed wanting to know the old cat's condition.

       "Something you can't cure. Jayfeather. . . Jayfeather will die." Silverwhisp meowed as her head dropped low to the ground.

       Maplepaw's world seemed to stop. Had she heard right? Jayfeather was going to die? An incurable disease? Jayfeather? Why him! StarClan had cursed her!

        "Maplep-"

       "Don't touch me Ripplepaw!" Maplepaw hissed baring her teeth to the apprentice. His eyes widened as he took a pawstep back.

       "You need to calm down Maplepaw!" Jayfeather hissed though he did not move from his nest, and his coughing continued.

       "Calm down!? How in StarClan can I be calm Jayfeather!" Maplepaw hissed. Her pelt was now bristled with anger and greef for the old tom. "StarClan has cursed me with misfortune!" She hissed running out of the den blindly.

       She heard Ripplepaw call for her to come back, but she ignored his words and ran farther away from the medicine cat's den and into the middle of camp. The worry and shock was now so obvious cats looked at her confused about what was wrong.

       "Calm down Maplepaw, tell me what's wrong." Bramblestar meowed from behind her with a soft and calm voice trying to ease her, but she was too frantic for him to calm her now.

       "Jayfeather has death disease! He's going to die and there's nothing we can do!" Maplepaw yowled out as every cat stared in shock.

       "It can't be."

       "Jayfeather's going to die for sure?"

       "How horrible."

       "Poor Maplepaw, she saw Jayfeather as a father."

        Maplepaw couldn't listen to her Clanmate's words for much longer. She could feel heat rising to her head as anger overtook her as well as greef.

   "Curse you StarClan." She whispered as the sunlight was replaced by the darkness and chill of hanging clouds. The snow now began to fall again, replacing her pawprints. "Curse you."