HOME | DD

Description
NOTE: READ AUTHORS COMMENTS FIRST. THERE IS A REFERENCE IN THIS STORY TO ANOTHER SHORT FANFIC SO PLEASE READ THAT ONE FIRST **link and details in description**

--

--WARNING. THIS FANFICTION CONTAINS A LOT OF DRAMA. POSSIBLE SADNESS MAY OCCUR, AS WELL AS SOME PEOPLE BEING ANNOYED BY HOW SOPPY IT IS.--

The smoky black tom cat lay in his dry bed of moss, his breath coming out in soft wheezes, and his tail tip twitching slightly. His head rested on his paws and his eyes were closed. Everything seemed calm. A light gray-tabby she-cat sat next to him, eyeing him carefully. She let out a sigh and looked at the tom, setting her tail on his old flank. "Well, Blackclaw, there isn't anything I can do. I don't expect you to make it another night so I would be prepared and talk to all the cats you would like to." The she-cat meowed softly.

Blackclaw opened his eyes slowly. His voice rasped as he spoke, and he ran out of breath quickly. "Thank you, Willowshine. I have lived a long, fulfilling life of a warrior, I suppose it is my time, and I will be honored to join the ranks of the stars."

With a nod, the medicine cat apprentice left the den, and after a moment, the RiverClan leader, Mistystar, slipped into the den. "So tonight is the night, eh?" She murmured, sounding a bit sad as the cat she grew up with would be leaving her soon. The black cat lifted his head stiffly and nodded. "Well, you served your clan well, RiverClan were proud to have you," Mistystar purred, sort of bowing to the old tom before turning away to exit the Elder's den. "Wait, can you do me a favor, Mistystar?" The tom rasped, his amber eyes dull. The gray she cat cocked her head. "Could you get Flameface and send her here?"

--

The she cat was old, the most senior warrior in all of RiverClan. She was way past her age of retirement but she would always refuse moving to the Elder's Den and say that the day she died would be the day she stopped her duties as a warrior. As she got older, her skills were surprisingly the same, just a bit dulled, which would make them more like the normal cat's senses. She had always had her special strengths, those which StarClan had given her. She was a gifted fighter, and hunter. Now that she was older, she still hunted though her joints often became stiff. But she never complained.

Now she sat at the edge of the camp, watching water flow in a tiny stream surrounding the camp. A few pebbles washed away here and there, and even the occasional leaf. It reminded the ginger she cat of her life, different things always floating by, and other things floating away from her, out of her life. She felt a tinge of sadness at the thought.

Flameface heard her name and turned around to see Mistystar, a cat whom she had known all her life, bound over to her. "Flameface," she meowed again. "Blackclaw is old as you know. Willowshine said that this is going to be his last night and he wa-" Mistystar never got to finish her sentence as Flameface raced to the den, crashing through the entrance, and skidding to a stop at the edge of Blackclaw's nest.

The black tom blinked slowly, then raised his head to look up at the she-cat he had always loved. "Ah, so you came after all. I was worried that you would deny coming to talk to me…" he meowed slowly, moving his head down to stare at his paws. Every movement he made caused his old joints to ache. Flameface stared at him in horror as he spoke, shaking her head ever so slightly from side to side.

"Please don't think that way," she whispered. "Of course I came. If this is your last nigh-" she couldn't finish the thought. It was too painful. He was going to leave her, again. And this time she would never get to see him again, smell his scent, watch his pale eyes gaze at her.

Blackclaw sighed. "You know, I have to say I lived a good life, but if you made me promise that I would have no regrets as breathe my last breath, I would not be able to accept that promise, nor would I be able to keep it. In this lifetime, I have always made mistakes, every cat does. But my greatest regret is something that will never leave me. It shakes me to make me think that I was coward enough to ever do such a thing, or so cowardly now that I couldn't even apologize to you for being so horrible. It is something I will regret for as long as I am a sliver of a being. And if I may not rest peacefully, I deserve it." The tom's voice began to rasp more and more as he went on, becoming nearly inaudible.

Flameface shook her head, her eyes pure anguish. Tears welled up heavily in them and wet the fur on her face. Never in her life had she looked so frantic, not even the day Blackclaw had said he regret, the day he left her as his mate. "No, Blackclaw. I-I knew why you did it. It made me sad but I accepted it and deep in my heart I hoped you would come back. I never stopped loving you, you know. You can't leave me like this again!" The she-cat's voice was shaky.

Blackclaw turned himself in his nest a bit and reached up enough to put his nose into her white-furred chest. "You were not alone in that love. And if you understood like you said you did, then you knew that too. I wish for you to suffer no longer. I may be leaving, but I will be in your heart forever," his voice turned into a whisper, and he fell back into his nest, losing the strength to even hold his head up.

Flameface shook her head, false anger that was simply her pain filling her voice. "No. I won't accept you leaving me! I don't see why you can't stay. Just a little longer. Please…for me…" her voice faded away. She buried her muzzle into his fur, inhaling his scent deeply. Familiar. Comforting. How she longed it not to fade as it already was.

His amber eyes were hazing over fast, his breath becoming even more shallow. He felt tired, a lifetime of rest awaiting him. All he had to do was simply close his eyes and fade away. The outline of a cat began to appear. Silverleaf, my daughter, could it really be you?

The spirit of his daughter smiled and nodded her head. StarClan awaits you, please follow me now.

Blackclaw looked down at the ginger cat who had curled up next to him, her head still burrowed in his dark fur. He seemed to think, What about Flameface? Will she really be alright without me?

Silverleaf stepped closer to her dying father, her green eyes as well as her fur were full of stars. She will be fine. It is not her time yet, but it will come soon.

That seemed to be all the assurance Blackclaw needed. With that, he closed his eyes, letting out a final breath before lying still. He seemed to walk out of his own body, over to his daughter, touching noses with her lightly. After a moment, Flameface knew he was gone, and lifted her head, seeming to look right through the spirits to gaze blankly at the wall of the den.

"Can she…?" Blackclaw tilted his head at his daughter. Silverleaf smiled again. "For most cats it would be, 'no, but they know that you are gone', but for her, yes. She can see only your outline as it fades into the stars. Come along, we must leave now." The two cats faded away, leaving Flameface all alone besides the dead body of her cat she once knew as her mate.

Description
NOTE: READ AUTHORS COMMENTS FIRST. THERE IS A REFERENCE IN THIS STORY TO ANOTHER SHORT FANFIC SO PLEASE READ THAT ONE FIRST **link and details in description**

--

--WARNING. THIS FANFICTION CONTAINS A LOT OF DRAMA. POSSIBLE SADNESS MAY OCCUR, AS WELL AS SOME PEOPLE BEING ANNOYED BY HOW SOPPY IT IS.--

The smoky black tom cat lay in his dry bed of moss, his breath coming out in soft wheezes, and his tail tip twitching slightly. His head rested on his paws and his eyes were closed. Everything seemed calm. A light gray-tabby she-cat sat next to him, eyeing him carefully. She let out a sigh and looked at the tom, setting her tail on his old flank. "Well, Blackclaw, there isn't anything I can do. I don't expect you to make it another night so I would be prepared and talk to all the cats you would like to." The she-cat meowed softly.

Blackclaw opened his eyes slowly. His voice rasped as he spoke, and he ran out of breath quickly. "Thank you, Willowshine. I have lived a long, fulfilling life of a warrior, I suppose it is my time, and I will be honored to join the ranks of the stars."

With a nod, the medicine cat apprentice left the den, and after a moment, the RiverClan leader, Mistystar, slipped into the den. "So tonight is the night, eh?" She murmured, sounding a bit sad as the cat she grew up with would be leaving her soon. The black cat lifted his head stiffly and nodded. "Well, you served your clan well, RiverClan were proud to have you," Mistystar purred, sort of bowing to the old tom before turning away to exit the Elder's den. "Wait, can you do me a favor, Mistystar?" The tom rasped, his amber eyes dull. The gray she cat cocked her head. "Could you get Flameface and send her here?"

--

The she cat was old, the most senior warrior in all of RiverClan. She was way past her age of retirement but she would always refuse moving to the Elder's Den and say that the day she died would be the day she stopped her duties as a warrior. As she got older, her skills were surprisingly the same, just a bit dulled, which would make them more like the normal cat's senses. She had always had her special strengths, those which StarClan had given her. She was a gifted fighter, and hunter. Now that she was older, she still hunted though her joints often became stiff. But she never complained.

Now she sat at the edge of the camp, watching water flow in a tiny stream surrounding the camp. A few pebbles washed away here and there, and even the occasional leaf. It reminded the ginger she cat of her life, different things always floating by, and other things floating away from her, out of her life. She felt a tinge of sadness at the thought.

Flameface heard her name and turned around to see Mistystar, a cat whom she had known all her life, bound over to her. "Flameface," she meowed again. "Blackclaw is old as you know. Willowshine said that this is going to be his last night and he wa-" Mistystar never got to finish her sentence as Flameface raced to the den, crashing through the entrance, and skidding to a stop at the edge of Blackclaw's nest.

The black tom blinked slowly, then raised his head to look up at the she-cat he had always loved. "Ah, so you came after all. I was worried that you would deny coming to talk to me…" he meowed slowly, moving his head down to stare at his paws. Every movement he made caused his old joints to ache. Flameface stared at him in horror as he spoke, shaking her head ever so slightly from side to side.

"Please don't think that way," she whispered. "Of course I came. If this is your last nigh-" she couldn't finish the thought. It was too painful. He was going to leave her, again. And this time she would never get to see him again, smell his scent, watch his pale eyes gaze at her.

Blackclaw sighed. "You know, I have to say I lived a good life, but if you made me promise that I would have no regrets as breathe my last breath, I would not be able to accept that promise, nor would I be able to keep it. In this lifetime, I have always made mistakes, every cat does. But my greatest regret is something that will never leave me. It shakes me to make me think that I was coward enough to ever do such a thing, or so cowardly now that I couldn't even apologize to you for being so horrible. It is something I will regret for as long as I am a sliver of a being. And if I may not rest peacefully, I deserve it." The tom's voice began to rasp more and more as he went on, becoming nearly inaudible.

Flameface shook her head, her eyes pure anguish. Tears welled up heavily in them and wet the fur on her face. Never in her life had she looked so frantic, not even the day Blackclaw had said he regret, the day he left her as his mate. "No, Blackclaw. I-I knew why you did it. It made me sad but I accepted it and deep in my heart I hoped you would come back. I never stopped loving you, you know. You can't leave me like this again!" The she-cat's voice was shaky.

Blackclaw turned himself in his nest a bit and reached up enough to put his nose into her white-furred chest. "You were not alone in that love. And if you understood like you said you did, then you knew that too. I wish for you to suffer no longer. I may be leaving, but I will be in your heart forever," his voice turned into a whisper, and he fell back into his nest, losing the strength to even hold his head up.

Flameface shook her head, false anger that was simply her pain filling her voice. "No. I won't accept you leaving me! I don't see why you can't stay. Just a little longer. Please…for me…" her voice faded away. She buried her muzzle into his fur, inhaling his scent deeply. Familiar. Comforting. How she longed it not to fade as it already was.

His amber eyes were hazing over fast, his breath becoming even more shallow. He felt tired, a lifetime of rest awaiting him. All he had to do was simply close his eyes and fade away. The outline of a cat began to appear. Silverleaf, my daughter, could it really be you?

The spirit of his daughter smiled and nodded her head. StarClan awaits you, please follow me now.

Blackclaw looked down at the ginger cat who had curled up next to him, her head still burrowed in his dark fur. He seemed to think, What about Flameface? Will she really be alright without me?

Silverleaf stepped closer to her dying father, her green eyes as well as her fur were full of stars. She will be fine. It is not her time yet, but it will come soon.

That seemed to be all the assurance Blackclaw needed. With that, he closed his eyes, letting out a final breath before lying still. He seemed to walk out of his own body, over to his daughter, touching noses with her lightly. After a moment, Flameface knew he was gone, and lifted her head, seeming to look right through the spirits to gaze blankly at the wall of the den.

"Can she…?" Blackclaw tilted his head at his daughter. Silverleaf smiled again. "For most cats it would be, 'no, but they know that you are gone', but for her, yes. She can see only your outline as it fades into the stars. Come along, we must leave now." The two cats faded away, leaving Flameface all alone besides the dead body of her cat she once knew as her mate.