Shadepaw's death

The cats murmured throughout the small den, their voices were loud and distressed, but I didn’t have enough energy to keep my eyes open, I just wanted to sleep. Not even the hard crust thick on my pelt, what I could only fathom to be my own blood could bother me now. I wanted to sleep. Poppy seeds sounded good right about now. They’d help me sleep really well, maybe I’ll be all better when I wake up, I’ll finally eat some fresh kill and me and Sootpaw will be made warriors and everything will be ok, right?

Sleep drifted me further and further away, the proding paw on my side was doing less and less at keeping me awake. Till a familiar scent drifted past, it wasn’t the same with the reek of herbs everywhere, but it was her. I felt a warm body familiar curl up next to me, just like in the cold apprentice’s den. “Shade? Shadepaw?” I heard her sniff, “you’ll be okay”. I wanted to say something but words were blurring together. I reached out a paw towards her when a horrible cough shook my body and had one of the medicine cats running over, I wasn’t aware that I had spat out blood. But I didn’t care, she was still at my side, “it wasn’t supposed to be like this” I heard Sootpaw wine, and felt gentle licks across my head. “We were going to be warriors!! Live happily ever after! Just like you promised” She almost sounded betrayed and it stung my heart like a thorn in my pad. But even the black of my closed eyes was beginning to fade, “It’s too late,” I heard the medicine cat say somberly. I heard Sootfur cry again. Don’t cry, I’ll be okay, I’ll make it, but the world was growing heavier and heavier around me. 

My paws were growing still and breathing was growing harder and harder. But I had to try and tell her “I-...love-- cough cough…cough -you” trailing off at the end when Sootpaw's cries grew while the world went silent.

Soft grass was below my paws, the scent of prey was thick and fresh air filled my nose for the first time in days. The pain in my side was gone along with Sootpaw’s warmth that I now longed for. I opened my eyes to a bright brilliant world, my paws were light and dusted in stars. Starclan? That's not right. I was supposed to go to the Darkforest. I broke the code, Jaggedclaw said- “Shadepaw!” I heard a cat shout in the distance. The cat raced towards me and I jumped up with my pelt bristled and hissing. They came to a halt a fox length away. It was a cat I didn’t recognize, bright white pelt and blue eyes only got me so far in my guessing game.

“Oh, guess you don’t know me so well” The cat said softly, almost laughing at herself “no matter, I’m Cottonear, welcome to starclan '' She stood there smiling for a moment while my pelt flattened. I don’t spend much time in astral plane’s outside of the darkforest but I could assume I wouldn’t need to claw anyone’s face off here. “Come along, you shouldn’t be this close to the darkforest, it took me ages to find you. Don’t need you wandering around in there” Cottonear turned in the direction she came, while I looked behind me. A forest of familiar massive dark trees and a muddy river that separated me from the place I should have been. Staring into the black fog that coated the dead trees. “Best not look at it, hurry along we must get you to the rest of the clan” Cottonear said at my side, using her tail to gently prod me away from the Darkforest. 

While we walked the dark forest seemed to still be calling my name, calling me back to restless nights and training in the black fog with the dead warriors of the past lurking in the shadows to see us train and kill us all at any moment. I shuddered and Cottonear immediately noticed, her bobbing tail was beginning to annoy me but then she started asking questions of all things. “It’s not right for an apprentice as young as you to be sent to that awful place,” She said as if reading my mind, “How did yo-?” “Lets just say, you aren't so foul at heart.” Cottonear walked a few paw steps ahead, and I was left to listen to my thoughts. I suddenly longed for Sootfur, I wanted to tell her I was alright, go back and play in big tree, and see the clan again.