Summer Days Gone {Rain/OPEN}

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Taking Over Me

It was a good thing the elder had came when he had, for Dappledfrost had just been tilting after a back paw tripped over a spare stone. When Kestralspot's body was suddenly there, she roughly purred in gratitude. "Thanks for that. I feel like I can't tell where those hind paws are going anymore." She said it good-naturedly, but the thought made her sad. Her vision might have been going, but she could still so clearly remember days of youth! The sickness had seemed to come out of nowhere, and fully exposed her age when it had, taking all that energy and ability away from the medicine cat. Before, she'd never let age get to her. Age was just a number and the brown she-cat had never been anxious to retire from her position. But now she had no choice by to acknowledge its existence.

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The fur-less tom quivered his whiskers with amusement.

"Ah, I remember. But, I will let myself be helpful to you, for you were always helpful to me."

The tom sighed slowly, slowing down so he didn't go so fast. Oh, he was still a bit young but old at the same time, but much younger than DappledFrost herself.

He purred softly, letting him try to not to limp so she wouldn't fall at all.

"Youth was a gift, but old is a gift as well. Being old can help you through times, let your mind help others still."

He purred, still trying to be comforting.

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Days Go By

Dappledfrost smiled, flicking her tail. "That's my job as a medicine cat. I've never regretted that choice, you know. I'd rather help cats than fight them." She tried to straighten up so that she wasn't depended so much leverage on the old tom. It caused more stress on her part, but she had to remember the tom's pad still needed tending to. Rainwing will get to him soon, hopefully. Kestralspot deserves all the help we can give him. Such a sweet tom.

The old medicine cat purred at his next remark. "I guess so. But I don't even know how much longer I'll be around to share what I know. No apprentice right now is all that interested in learning from an old medicine cat like me, anyways. They'd rather hear grand stories about battles and bloodshed." The brown she-cat shrugged good-naturedly. "But it inspires them to be good warriors, in the end."

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He winced a bit, since of the tender spot on his pad, but he still moved on. He was still taking his time, and felt her try to move up a bit. He sighed, and shook his head.

"Com' now, I may be old, but I can help ya."

He purred softly to what she said, and grinned wickedly.

"I'm sure they would. I mean, you can say how you healed the best warrior in all of the clans! How the blood was just too much, but you still did it!"

He chuckled at his remark, but it was true. Some cats could be fascinated by that, which, he kinda would of enjoyed that when he was younger. He sighed a bit, mostly of great joy, for he loved speaking like this to friends.

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Keep Holding On

Dappledfrost laughed lightly. "Right. But something tells me that it wouldn't be that interesting of a story. I don't think I would even stay awake to hear it." The medicine cat then had to stop, turn her head, and release another round of vicious coughs. Each one proved worse than the last, making her throat burn with effort and dry air. When she was able to stop to breathe again, the old she-cat took a deep breath and kept going.

"Old age might suit other cats who don't have to put up with this dreadful cough all day and night, but for me its gotten rather strenuous." Dappledfrost realized they had made it to the entrance of the elders den, so she again straightened up to walk in on her own, fighting against the protests of her legs until she reached an empty, unused spare nest. She felt immediate relief spread through her limbs, and she sighed contentedly. "How does being an elder treat you?" she asked. "Does it get dull, or is it nice to relax?"

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Grief struck his heart badly, he felt for the old she-cat. He always liked her, maybe not in a mate-type way, but he did for whom she was. He still helped her, and when she stopped to cough, he couldn't help but reach over and give her a lick on the back of her neck.

"Girl, you need rest, that's what ya need."

He helped her to her nest, messing it a bit with his tail before she sat herself down. He gave a big toothy grin at her, liking the last question.

He always enjoyed being an elder, but it did hurt. He wanted to roam the forests once more, but being rested was fun, and seeing the little youngsters leaping into the den.

So, he openned his mouth slowly, choosing his words carefully.

"DappledFrost, girl, You can't go wrong with restin'. Hun, It's a swell thing to do, bein' an elder' and all. Well, It may be a rough', but that's life. Believe me, Hun, You'll love it, but hate it at the same time."

He sat next to the she-cat, and gave her shoulder a soft lick.

"Believe me, you'll enjoy it."

He gave her a big grin.

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Why Am I Here?

Feeling the old tom's tongue rasp her shoulders, Dappledfrost lowered her head to her paws, feeling the cool and calming sensations spread to her tail-tip. "I see... I never really thought about it. No cat does, I guess. Being an elder is something young cats don't even consider until it happens." Her darkly colored tail gently swished across the ground behind her as she pondered the matter of age. She was feeling awfully contemplative at the moment.

"As a medicine cat, I still can't see myself retiring. I'm not like a warrior, who would be excluded from fights or patrols. My job is to treat cats with herbs, to gather those herbs in order to heal others. If I can't do even that-" Dappledfrost yawned, feeling the silky grasp of sleep pull at her eyes, "-you may as well put me out of this misery now." She wasn't really sad or miserable, though. But being a medicine cat was what she had lived for. Retiring didn't sound like a positive option for her.

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The old tom frowned at her, and laid down beside the old she-cat. He pressed his fur-less flank against her's, and let out a soothing purr.

"I understand that, but hun..."

He chuckled a bit, feeling older than her at this moment.

"Gotta heal yourself before you heal others, think about that.. Now get some rest."

He purred softly, and nuzzled her shoulder gently, and placed his head down upon his fore-paws.

"I'll sleep by ya, until you heal yerself, but until then, I'm not movin', and I'll help you all the way."

He purred.

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Let Me Stay

The old medicine cat smiled, her eyes drooping all the while. "Come, now, Kestralspot. You need that paw seen to. I can manage a good sleep without help." She gave a friendly purr to show she meant no harm by those words. Dappledfrost took another glance around her, the canopy of the elders den high above his head. The thought occurred to her that she might never wake up in the ThunderClan camp again if she let her energy slip away now. Such an idea seemed to make her sad for just a heartbeat, but she knew that whatever happened, she would be in good paws. "Go on, give an old she-cat some peace of mind."

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The old tom winced a bit, knowing it meant no harm, but it hurt. It felt as if a thorn was piercing through his other paw, but he ignored it with a snort.

"Alright, although I think it's fine."

He heaved himself with a groan, but gave her a sly smile. He could awfully tell that this may be her last night, which is why he offered to stay, but he ignored it.

"Alright, I'll be back soon."

He purred softly, and made slow steps out of the elder's den and to the medicine cats.

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The Time Is Now

Dappledfrost watched him go through the last slits of her blue eyes. She smiled softly, hoping he hadn't taken her words too harshly. The old medicine cat was still a medicine cat all the same until her last breath, and she wanted the kind tom to live out his life longer than she knew she would. Such a caring tom, his health still good with or without fur. The her eyes closed, and she breathed a peaceful sigh.

~***~

She slept for some time without the disturbance of dreams or restless tosses in her nest. And at some point in time, the brown she-cat found herself half awake and half asleep. She could feel herself breathing, each one slower and fainter than the last, but her eyes refused to open. The medicine cat felt this way for some time, occasionally feeling more like she was asleep, but without much further change.

~***~

At last- StarClan knows when- Dappledfrost blinked her eyes open, feeling better than she had in moons. But instead of laying in that soft, cozy nest, she found herself standing beside her own still body. The sight made her paws prickle, but then she looked down at them. She could see right though her paws, but could also see stars dancing on her dark fur. There was no strain on her legs, no aches in her joints. The medicine cat felt like a young apprentice. She turned her head to look behind her, and there saw her old mentor. "Owleyes," she purred, padding around to give his ear a friendly lick. "It's so good to see you!"
The lighter brown tom purred in response, giving his apprentice a welcoming touch on the nose. "I was wondering when I was going to greet you," he mewed. "I had hoped it would be a little longer, for your sake."
Dappledfrost pulled back and shook her head, a smile still in place. "There's no need for me to linger on as an elder. Rainwing is fully capable to take care of ThunderClan. They're in good paws with him as their medicine cat."
The tom's eyes gleamed in approval. "I see. Well, I'm sorry if this seems rushed, but we can't stay here forever. It's time we went back to StarClan's territories."
The darker she-cat blinked in surprise, then understood. "Oh... Alright. I guess it is."
Owleyes gave her a look. "You said you were ready. Do you want to make some sort of goodbye to Rainwing?"
She hesitated, then shook her head. "No. You're right, I'm ready. I'd happy to join our ancestors in the stars." Her mentor then flicked his tail, and closed his eyes. Slowly he disappeared from even her view. Dappledfrost supposed that all she had to do was will herself away and it would end her time in ThunderClan. She glanced back through the opening on the den, seeing the medicine cats den- once hers, now Rainwing's- and purred quietly. "Goodbye, Rainwing. I'll watch over you from StarClan." The medicine cat then closed her eyes, and felt her mind slip away, until the blackness behind her eyelids sparkled with starlight.

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