Darksnake|| A Warriors One-Shot.

"Medicine cat! Get out here!" Seedstar's voice whipped through the den, breaking into my train of thought. I put down the herbs I was sorting and tirelessly padded from the den. The sight before me shocked me.
"Help him!" pleaded a misty-gray she-cat. I took a small pace back.
"Move back, all of you," I ordered. Seedstar raised his head arrogantly. 
"Move back!" he called. The gathered cats stepped back and Seedstar stepped up beside me.
"I give the orders," he hissed in my ear. I ignored him and, carefully, approached the twitching black tom on the ground. The misty she-cat was still beside him; grief rolled off her in waves.
"You need to step back, Willowjay," I said gently, guiding her away. When she was safely back, I returned to the tom's side. I pretended to examine him, yet the evidence was all there. Foam, horrific black and green foam, frothed at the edges of his mouth. He twitched uncontrollably. His eyes were dull and full of agony.
"Help..." His almost silent plea met my ears. I stepped back, then looked to Seedstar.
"I-I'm sorry," I stammered. Seedstar's ears flattened and his gaze hardened.
"You're sorry?" The murderous look in his amber eyes almost made me cringe away.
"He was either bitten by a snake, or..." I trailed off.
"Or?" snarled Seedstar.
"Or this is some sort of plague. Some new Greencough." Fearful meows rippled through the cats. I looked down at my paws, faking grief. I was really hiding a smile.
"Then treat him as if it is a snake bite!" Willowjay's mournful, angry mew split the air. I shook my head.
"Too much Snakeroot will kill him."
"He'll die anyway!" Her pleading eyes met mine. I dipped my head, feigning reluctance. Turning, I padded into my den. 
"Now... Snakeroot, Snakeroot, Snakeroot," I muttered. Taking longer than I needed, I grabbed the root and, careful not to let my teeth sink into it and let out the deadly juices, I padded to the tom. I unsheathed my claws. I used my claws to slice off a small piece of Snakeroot. Just enough... I looked at the tom, deadly serious. His pained, dull gaze turned on me.
"You need to eat this. All of it."
"Will it..." He gasped for air, his voice barely a whisper. "Kill me?"
"No," I promised. "It will heal you." The trust in his eyes almost made me stop. Almost made me tell him no, to let me get the true cure. Almost, but almost is not good enough. His jaws closed around it. The root's juices dribbled from the sides of his mouth, mingling with the foam. He swallowed, wincing with effort. He got shakily to his paws.
"B-Blackstorm?" Willowjay's disbelieving voice echoed around.
"I feel... fine," the tom replied huskily.
"You saved him!" As the happy, relieved congratulations came from the misty she-cat, the weight of my error hit me. This had been my one chance. If they saw this disease again, they would know I could heal it. I didn't know; I'd never known. Snakeroot had healed him. It had reversed the effects of the Water Hemlock. It had stopped the effects of the Foxglove Seeds. Then, Blackstorm's expression changed. He doubled over in pain. He convulsed- once, twice. Then his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed. Willowjay tried to run to her mate, but I forced her back.
"No cat come any closer!" For once, even Seedstar didn't question my authority. I grabbed Blackstorm's scruff in my teeth and dragged him to the far edge of camp.
"We do not know what disease this is. Any cat who feels ill, over-tired or begins to froth at the mouth, come immediately to me." I whisked away into the medicine den, revelling in the fear. I was wanted, needed. And no cat would ever know the cure was really as simple as some Yarrow.