Summer Days Gone {Rain/OPEN}

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Don't Say Goodbye

The medicine cat was laying in her den, feeling more dreadful than she ever had before. Her breaths were loud, deep and hoarse , echoing around the walls of her den. She was sure that even cats outside the den would be able to hear her, but there was nothing she could do about it.

Dappledfrost's condition had gotten worse since the last medicine cat meeting. At the time, it had only been a slight cough. It could have been a piece of squirrel caught in her throat for all it had been. But after that night it had gradually become more frequent and with more of a hack. Then her limbs had grown tired and weak, so that she came into her own den more and more often. They were like ash- threatening to blow away and disintegrate at any moment. Only they were also heavy to the point of numbness.

The brown she-cat had been defying age for many moons. She'd ignored it completely, not even giving it the slightest thought. She'd kept herself busy with gathering herbs and thinking about how her apprentice, Rainwing, was doing in RiverClan. How he was, what he was doing, how well he was serving the Clan. She tried to purr- the old medicine cat was proud of him. She knew he'd do well. StarClan had been right all along, even when it had seemed like he would never accept his role in the Clan- but it turned into another round of horrible coughs.

Her blue eyes, once so bright and beautiful, were now dulled with knowing. But they managed to look up to the roof of her den, where the twigs gave way to the night sky above. She could see Silverpelt from there, and a glowing moon. Dappledfrost smiled. Her time was coming, and she knew her ancestors would welcome her. But she had to hold on. Rainwing had not returned from RiverClan. She couldn't just abandon her Clan alone, not after... Her eyes closed. Another truth was in her mind.

No doubt the other cats had noticed as well, but Tanglestar had gone without a trace. No announcement had been made, because no cat knew if she was dead. She had just vanished. There was no body, and no tracks to follow. All Dappledfrost knew was that she had gone out on a patrol and not returned. The leader, who must've been he her own age, must have been spirited away by a fox or two-leg. She couldn't believe that the caramel colored she-cat would abandon the Clan she loved so dearly. But no matter what had happened, she was gone, and ThunderClan was leaderless. What would happen if they were without a medicine cat, too?

I have to hold on. Just a little while longer. Just a little... While.

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Riddlehawk...no... Riddlestar padded into the medicine cats den. His paw was troubling him again, and he hadn't been able to dig out the thorn that was embedded into it. He limped in, the young, muscular tom sitting down near Dappledfrost. "Hello, Dappledfrost... Can you help me get this thorn out? I haven't been able to dig it out." He asked, lifting the injured paw off the ground. It was his bad paw with the thorn in it, thank goodness.

He had been a bit troubled since Tanglestar had gone and disappeared, but he was running the clan as best as he could until the next Clan meeting where he could be talk with the other leaders. He was young, but the other leaders knew he was strong. Not one to be messed with. They knew of the fued he had had with Froststorm, and how it had ended badly for the other tom.

He just was still a bit shaken up by the disappearance of Tanglestar. Sure, the she-cat was getting on in years, atleast the age of Dappledfrost and Kestralspot, if not maybe a bit older. Maybe a fox, or badger, or wolverine had gotten her. Or she'd fallen into the river. Or maybe she just went off somewhere and died. He didn't know.

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The old elder was slowly padding in, but he still looked like a warrior; He was walking like one. He still wanted to be one, but he knew that he had to be with the elders, well, he was the only one.

He dipped his head to RiddleStar respectively, smiling softly.

"Why, ello' there."

He grinned a bit, soon sitting down shortly behind RiddleStar. He groaned, and rasped his pink tongue over his fur-less flank.

"DappledFrost, min' tendin' to the elder afterwars?"

KestralSpot smacked his tongue around his muzzle, acting like he was tasting a wonderful mouse.

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Here To Serve

Dappledfrost opened her eyes at the sound of voices and tilted her heavy head back so that she could see the two toms. Their bodies were a bit blurred around the edges, loosing their defined points, but she could still tell who they were. With a stressed grunt she managed to pull herself back onto her paws, trying to ignore the rusted feelings in her joints. "Of course, Riddlestar. Now let me see that paw." The brown she-cat bent her neck down to observe the paw he was limping on. "Alright, just hold on a moment. That's it, tilt the paw a bit..." Sniffing the leader's pads, she found the thorn well wedged in there. It's base was good sized, making it easier for the old she-cat to pull out. She gingerly grabbed the end with her teeth, then gave as hard a tug as she could manage, pulling out the sharp black thorn and tottering backward a couple steps. The medicine cat turned her head toward the back of her den and spit it out in the corner out of the way. "There you go. Sorry if this seems incompetent of me, but would you mind getting the cobwebs for me? I just need a couple to wrap around that paw so it doesn't get infected, but walking between dens has become kind of a chore for me, lately." Her words ended with another hacking cough, and she had to turn away so not to cough on the leader and elder.

Once the bought had come to an end, Dappledfrost turned back and smiled at Kestralspot. "So what do you need me to do?" she asked simply. "Do you have a bellyache, headache, a cut somewhere?"

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Home. Finally, he was home.

The young, strong medicine cat apprentice knew nothing of his home clan. He wasn't even sure if Tanglestar would take him back after their last encounter. She hadn't been too open minded about him going to help another clan. He had been so focused on Riverclan and Windclan, he had no real chance to come visit his home clan very often. But he thought about them, even Sunlight couldn't help his homesickness. He had no knowledge of the disappearance of Tanglestar or that Riddlehawk was filling in for her at the moment. Or how sick his mentor was.

He padded through the territory happily, with a quick pace to his step. His pelt was slick and glossy from the fish he ate and the Riverclan territory he had been living on. But underneath the smell of fish, the Thunderclan scent was still strong on his fur. He finally made his way to the entrance of camp, but didn't see anyone around.

"Hello? Riddlehawk? Dappledfrost?"

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To See You Again

Dappledfrost pricked her ears at the sound of the new arrival, and her head swiveled toward it as quick as a young warrior's. Her smile widened into a grin. "Rainwing! You've returned." It was meant to be a purr, but it sounded rough and choked through her throat. She padded over to her grown apprentice and nuzzled his cheek, her eyes narrowed peacefully. Perhaps this wouldn't be as long a fight as she'd imagined. The medicine cat sniffed his pelt curiously, then pulled her head back with a wrinkled nose. "Great StarClan, you smell more like a fish than you did at the last meeting." Her eyes sparkled with a hint of life that still remained in her, and she wrinkled her nose. Shaking her fur in a humorous attempt to get rid of the RiverClan scent, she had to stop and turn her head to cough three times. They were becoming painful now, her throat was so dry.

Dappledfrost then turned back to Rainwing with a smile still in place, but it faltered. "Rainwing... A lot has changed since you were here. Even since the medicine cat meeting."

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[sizee=1] Rainwing's eyes lit up at the sight of his mentor, a strong, deep purr sounding from his chest. "Dappledfrost!!" He called out as a smile broke across his face, nuzzling her shoulder and licking her cheek. Oh, it was so good to see her! He laughed at the fish comment, shaking his head. "That's all they had to eat, how should I not smell like it?" He asked playfully, but even with all this happiness, he could still tell something was wrong. At her last words, he pulled back with a frown.

His eyes searched her face, noticing how much older and more fragile she looked now. "Stuff has changed in Riverclan too but....Dappledfrost, what's wrong? You're....you're sick aren't you?" His ears drooped at the realization. [/size]

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Riddlestar nodded, wrapping some cobwebs around his paw while she tended to Kestralspot. His gaze turned to Rainwing when he heard the young tom come in. He heaved himself up, padding towards Dapplefrost and Rainwing. For Dappledfrost being old, she still had a hitch in her giddy up.

He looked at Rainwing wearily, knowing that all too soon he would have to call a meeting. "Hullo, Rainwing. Dappledfrost is right. Alot has changed." he said, sitting down and curling his tail around his paws. His single gold eye watched carefully, as he cleaned his bad paw with his rasping tongue.

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I'll Wait Here

The medicine cat's eyes softened, and she slowly swayed her tail. "I'm afraid so," she mewed. "But its not the kind of sickness I can heal." Dappledfrost's voice echoed with a tired sigh. Feeling the strain on her legs grow stronger, the brown she-cat sat back on her hunches before turning back to her apprentice. "But that's not important. StarClan will take care of me for now, with any luck." No, she wasn't afraid of death. She had lived a good, full life. She'd had two apprentices, one who was now a full medicine cat and the other with StarClan. She'd seen a new, strong leader made for ThunderClan, and kits be born. Soon she would be with StarClan, and she could watch over her Clan with her ancestors. The brown she-cat wasn't begging for death's door to open, but she would smile it when it opened.

Dappledfrost pushed the matter aside. Rainwing needed to know more than just her ailing health. "But there's more news," she rasped, "about Tanglestar. She's been missing for a moon... We think she's dead." The medicine cat's head fell so that she was staring at her paws. It was hard to think that the cat who'd lead ThunderClan for so long was just gone. "No cat could find any trace of her. So Riddlehawk- sorry, Riddlestar has taken control." She put on a smile. She knew Rainwing had been the scarred tom's apprentice many moons ago, and had been close to him.

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Rainwing looked up as his former mentor came up beside Dappledfrost. He looked in the eyes, then dipped his head in respect. As he became medicine cat, their views had changed and they had grown apart some, but they still respected and cared for each other. He glanced back to Dappledfrost with a frown, his pelt prickling with unhappiness and the old defiance for Starclan. Why did they want to take her away now?! When he just got back....wasn't there something they could do? But when he looked in her eyes, his ears and tail drooped. He knew they answer, even if he didn't want to accept it.

He glanced between the two as he heared the news of Tanglestar, eyes widening in disbelief. "She's.....gone?! But how?" He couldn't believe it. He had finally come back home and everything was unravelling. He sighed, shaking his head in a daze before looking up to Riddle...star. "Alright...well...as leader now...am I allowed to come back, Riddlestar?"

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Facts of Life

The medicine cat gave a rough purr at his last question. "He will if he knows what's good for him, and the rest of the Clan, too. You're their medicine cat after all. Tanglestar was just... Upset." She twitched her whiskers. She didn't want to say anything bad about their lost leader after such a fresh loss, but Tanglestar's 'banishment' of her apprentice had been an overreaction on her part. The leader had thought that instead of temporarily filling in for Miraclefur, he had tried to swap Clans all together. "Every thing's fine. I know your heart is with ThunderClan, and Riddlestar does too." Dappledfrost gave quick, smiling glare to her leader, but then felt her forelegs start to give way. With a few grunts and a groan, the medicine cat readjusted herself so that she could lay on her belly.

"There, that's better. But as for Tanglestar, no cat knows. We weren't able to find a body or track her scent. She just suddenly wasn't here one day. The same goes for... Mousefur," she added gently, knowing that the she-cat warrior had been the scarred tabby's mate.

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KestralSpot's whiskers flickered, taking a few steps back. He did that a while ago though, to give the cats a bit of space. He didn't need any attention, he can handle himself for a bit longer.

He flicked his ears a bit, and kept looking at the cats, curiousity plastered on his old tom face.

"Oh, DappledFrost, I just had a few bone aches here and there, and cracked pads."

The old tom rose his right pad up to her face, his large fan-like ears giving another amusing flick.

"I'm fine though, keep talkin'."

He gave a raspy purr, but then frowned.

"DappledFrost, come to the elders den with me for a while.. you deserve some rest."

He said jokingly, but it was rather true. He could tell that she was not well, and that she needed some rest. He gave the old she-cat a raspy lick on her siamese cheek, and gave a soft purr.

"RainWing can handle things now, can't ya' big boy?"

He joked but was serious at the same time, giving him a soft playful nudge on the shoulder.

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Rainwing smiled lightly, glad to be welcomed back home. He purred slightly, nuzzingly Dappledfrost's cheek affectionately. "I'm still their medicine cat apprentice you mean. You're still here Dappledfrost." He said, not wanting to let go as he looked her right in the eyes. He then glanced to Riddlestar, frowning at the news of their leader and his mate. "No signs of them at Riverclan....I'm sorry Riddlestar.." He murmured softly.

He looked to the elder, Kestralspot, as he padded up. He watched his exchange with Dappledfrost with sad eyes. Dappledfrost couldn't be ready to leave him...it wasn't fair. At the nudge from Kestralspot, he smiled faintly. "Yeah....get some rest Dappledfrost. I can manage for a bit."

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Wake Me Up When September Ends

Dappledfrost wanted to protest, to refuse Kestralspot's offer, but she knew she couldn't. She was stiff and sore, and could practically feel the weight of age pressing down on her body. "Thank you, Kestralspot," she mewed, "That sounds nice." This time the medicine cat tried to hold in her dreadful fit of coughing, but the suppressed motions rattled her inside and out, making her look like she was merely swallowing an accidental mouse bone. Then the old she-cat looked to Rainwing with a soft expression. "Come, now. You're as much a medicine cat as I am by this point, and a good one at that." Dappledfrost let out a purr, and managed to do so without a cough or a rasp. "Take care, Rainwing... of ThunderClan, and all, while I'm asleep." Her smile and eyes were calm as she rose to slowly and carefully make her way over to the elders den. It never seemed so far, she mused, thinking back to her own apprentice days, when she had had more energy in a single bound than she did at that moment.

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KestralSpot quivered his whiskers, and gave a nod at RainWing.

"I'll talk to ye later."

He rose to his paws, and gave one lousy cough, and blinked slowly.

"I'm not of importance at the moment. Catch ye up."

He quivered his whiskers again, amusement in his eyes of himself.

"Ah, don't worry about ol' DappledFrost. I'll take care of 'er."

The old elder mew'd slowly with a soft purr. He slowly padded out of the den, with a soft limp, since to him it felt like his left paw was raw. He ignored it though, slowly catching up with DappledFrost, letting the she-cat lean against him.

"Com' on, I got ya."

He purred softly in her ear, and gave it a raspy lick. He was trying to comfort her, and he was good at it, for the most part.

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