[Abyssopelagic]

Sedgestorm trudged through the snow, never the more thankful that he lacked ears that could be bitten and whipped around by the wind. He sniffled, turning his gaze to search the area.
As much as he wished to return somewhere closer to the Clan's, the snow had been steadily piling itself and leaving him stranded in this unfamiliar place.
He hated it.

The only upside to being near Two-legs was their absolute wastefulness. Tossing out food and materials that he'd gotten a habit of scrounging for, and making use of.
Plenty of good, warm nesting materials left outside to go to waste, so much food that would have spoiled had it been the warmer seasons.
Tossed out without a second thought.
It baffled the large warrior to no end, but he supposed he shouldn't complain, when he benefitted greatly from these silly habits.
The traveling to obtain materials also boosted the chances he ran into other cats and chat about ways to reach his goals. He had learned, however, that many of the cats in the area were kittypets, well taken care of and with access to the wonderful medicine of their house folk. It seemed not too many had need of healing, much less would be willing to eat weird plants for an unknown purpose.
The last kittypet he'd spoken to recently had pointed him in the direction of another wandering cat, one that had made herself at home in what they called a barn somewhere a distance away from the last den.
From what he'd heard, she was heavily scarred and nearly disabled by her old injuries, a wonder that she was still surviving out in the wilderness of her own still.

When he neared the end of the directions that had been given to him on how to find this cat, he began looking through the trees, and harvested the bark from 3 different trees, carefully stripping the inner bark into near piles for him to carry along, in preparation for this visit. And to seem more legitimate should she treat him with suspicion.

[ +1 poplar bark , +1 pear bark , +1 walnut bark ]

When an old, decrepit barn came into view, his paws stopped, the sudden image of it bursting to flames, and a searing heat spreading through his haunches haunting him.
He shook his head, and looked again, reminding himself it was not the Waterbarn. That it had burned seasons ago, and he was safe here and now.
No fire burst forth at him, but the feeling of his skin being set ablaze did not abate.

He approached the building, cautiously craning his head to make sure the roof wouldn't be caving in on him. His attention is taken from his worries when he hears a series of harsh, sputtering coughs.
He makes his way to the pitiful, moldy clumps of hay that remain and finds the remnant of a nest pieced together with a mixture of old two-legs objects and ferns and heathers from before the plants had all died. At the center, huddled among what was left of the hay scattered among the attempt of a nest lay a she-cat that might have been pretty at one point. What was left of her fur was a pale chocolate and sand colour with patches of fur dark as the night sky.
She wheezed, and turned to face the large tom, eyes widening.
"Who.... What do you want?" She rasped, another cough forcing itself from her lungs as she did.

The black furred tom set down the bark he'd collected and lowered his head to be level with the other cat.
"I'm someone with an interest in healing, and I heard you weren't doing very well, and I wanted to extend my services, if that's something you'd want."
She wasn't really in a position to decline him. It seemed whatever cough she'd caught awhile back had only worsened in the chilled environment.
Untreated, she was sure to be a goner. He couldn't even be sure that any amount of help would save her as is.
But he could try, and he could use new plants, and study if they affected whatever was going on with this cat. But first, she needed to agree.
He wouldn't force her if she simply wanted to die.

She seems to think about it, her eyes narrowing as she stared Sedgestorm down.
"Why."
He blinked.
"I'm sorry?"
The smaller cat rolls her eyes with a wheezed cough.
"Why help at all? Me."
He tilts his head as he sits down, thinking about how to respond.
"I'm.... Trying to find new uses for herbal plants. Medicine can always evolve, and I'm wanting to... Expand what is known. I'm hoping that by helping others, I can do just that."
He nervously balled his paws as he watched as the other rolled the idea in her head.

"Sure. You could hardly do any harm more to me. Taffeta. You?"
He breathed a sigh of relief and shuffled closer, daring to allow his tail to cover part of her back.
"Sedgestorm. I've some remedies with me now. If they don't work in a few hours, I'll go out and get something I know works."
Taffeta let out a harking sound and she curled up to absorb the heat that the larger cat offered.
"So, Stormy. Giving me the experimental stuff first? Hah—!
Don't want to make my chances too high —hagh?"
Sedgestorm simply brought the different barks closer to Taffeta.
"I'll need you to eat these," he murmered.
Groaning, the tortoiseshell leaned forward and lapped up the spongey wood samples and struggled to swallow them down in between coughing fits. Once they were down, she stared at the dark mass of her new companion.
"What now?"

Sedgestorm took mouthfuls of nesting material and tried to wrap his new charge as snug as he could, hoping to shut out the cold and increase her body heat retention.
"We wait. If nothing happens in a few hours, then we try something new. You'll stay, I'll leave to search for something I know works. Until then, I can warm you, or pace the barn."
Shivering, the smaller cat hooks her claws into Sedgestorm and tries to pull him closer.
"Cold. And don't touch my stuff. You'll just make a mess."
With a sigh, the large tom allowed himself to sink down beside Taffeta, and scooted so he was pressed against the makeshift wrap he'd put her in. It was kind of funny.
But he resisted the urge to laugh.
"Sure. I'll stick around. You tell me if there's anything new, alright? Anything, no matter how small."
The tortoiseshell murmered an agreement and tucked herself closer to the large mass that made up Sedgestorm, and relished in the slight warmth he was able to provide her. It wasn't enough, though.
She still shivered violently and had to keep her teeth from chattering. It was better than her situation before, she had to admit. Much better.

It was quiet for a few more minutes, and she'd nearly begun to doze off when a whisper caught her attention, and her eyes peaked open once more.
"Sorry to bother you again, but I had one last question. Were you having any issues in addition to your fever and cough?
So I can keep track of... Well, I think you know."
Irritated, Taffeta turned and coughed right in the large, scarred male's face as a rebuttal. He flinched, eyes closing and holding his breath.
A moment passed, then another before he responded.
"I probably deserve that. I would .... Still like an answer, if it's all the same to you. Since the damage is already done and all."
With a yawn that made the canals of her ears ache and the pressure in her skull feel like it was about to explode, the lithe cat blinked blearily as she prepared to answer.
"Mm.... Nausea. No dry heaving or vomiting, just the threat of it."
Sedgestorm nodded.
"Alright. I appreciate it. You can sleep now. I might get up to get you something to drink, but if you wake and I'm not here, I promise I haven't abandoned you."
If she wasn't so tired, she might have laughed.
"Wouldn't be a first...."
He frowned, tucking her head beneath his chin and pulling her closer, trying to get rid of the way she was shivering. With a sigh, Taffeta closed her eyes again, and her coughs slowly faded as sleep took her.

 

Poplar, Pear, Walnut
Do nothing to help fever, coughing, or nausea