Ashtail

[Fallinggaze]

Ashtail was sick. He had a terrible fever, he wheezed coughs,
and his chest felt tight all the time now. He had greencough, he
knew it. He was young for an elder, he had to retire early.
Although he was still fine and young with so, he knew that his
time was to come soon. He wheezed at these thoughts, and he
finally gazed at the moon. In the sky, he could have sworn that
he saw the faces of two cats in the sky. But at the same time,
Ashtail found that he was in a dream.

He ran into the sky as if he were a kit running on forever. He met
up with his two littermates, Flowerpelt and Owlface. They
greeted Ashtail happily.
"I haven't seen you in seasons, Ashtail!" mewed Flowerpelt
excitedly. Flowerpelt had died a terrible death when she had
been made a warrior. She had been walking on the way back
from a Gathering, suddenly, she smelt trespassers on FrostClan
territory. It was damp out, the ground was slippery. Flowerpelt
slipped and fell straight into a deep lake that was a puddle
earlier that moon.

"Welcome to your new home!" Owlface happily said. Suddenly,
Ashtail knew that he had died of greencough. His eyes
widened. How dreadful! He licked his lips to rid the horrid taste
of morning. He had lost his battle scar on his lip. It was true. He
truly was dead.

"Can I look at FrostClan to see my body peacefully?" asked
Ashtail. His voice was breaking, but it was still somewhat firm. He
looked deep into his litter-mate's eyes, and with mourn, they
realized how much he was upset. They nodded, and Ashtail
made his way down to the ground. He was in StarClan.
StarClan! He walked into the FrostClan camp and into the den
he used to live in for a brief while. He saw his body peacefully
spread across the floor. He looked as if he were sleeping.

He had an idea, however, he made his way over to the
apprentices' den. He woke up Firepaw as if he were in a dream,
he was in a dream, he was the dream. Firepaw's eyes grew
large noticing that Ashtail was in his dream. He was Firepaw's
old mentor until he had been attacked by badgers.

"Firepaw, when you wake up, I need you to check on my body. I
have tragic news for you." Ashtail continued as Firepaw leaned
forward obediently. "I am dead." the words flew out of his mouth
unexpectedly. Firepaw's eyes widened and his skin dipped
closer to his eyes to create a devastated look.

"You're- how can you- but you're- how did you die?" Firepaw
had a mix up of words and many questions to be asked. Ashtail
closed his eyes and knew that Flowerpelt and Owlface would be
waiting for him.

"Greencough." Ashtail choked on his words. He still couldn't
seem to grasp the idea that he was dead. He looked into the sky
in which he saw Owlface staring down at him. The tabby was
staring down upon Ashtail; waiting. The tom had died on a
rainy day, much like how many of his kin had. He chased and
killed a squirrel in a tree, and slipped and fell out.

Firepaw dipped his head in respect for his former mentor. As
soon as Firepaw was to wake up, was when he was to tell his
leader. But then, Ashtail found himself next to his kin. Firepaw
had waken up. Ashtail watched as the small brown-orange
shape he had been looking for made its way to the Elders' Den.
Soon, it rushed out and into Seastar's den. Ashtail closed his
eyes once more, and muttered under his breath several times,
I am where I belong now... I am where I belong now...

I dedicate this post to Alva Hall