[ti]Open[/ti]Carry Me Away

[silverfang218]

The pain seemed like it lasted forever; every hour seemed like moons. Emberfoot is curled in her nest in the medicine cat’s den, her tail twitching slightly as spasms of pain sear through her body. At this point, poor Ember was just waiting for some beautiful StarClan warrior to come down and whisk her away to a place where there is no illness and there is no leafbare. That will be nice.

It’s not all bad though; she got to see her beautiful grandbabies. She got to live a happy life. Now, she’s done and she’s ready to hunt with Foxpaw in StarClan's pretty starlit forest. I’ll have to chew Foxpaw out for being so late though. Shame on him for keeping me waiting.

[Cosima]

Nightface

For once, Nightface laid in complete silence. The agony of sickness had taken away his confidence. His fur began to develop gray hairs, something that usually happened way further in life. He wasn't boasting to some pretty she-cat about his past battles and hunts. He wasn't shaking out his long fur to perhaps catch the attention of Emberfoot, no. He was laying in complete and utter silence.

He thought about his wrong-doings in his life. He thought of how he had led Emberfoot on for moons before running away once reality had set in. Nightface was far too young at the time, everyone knew that for a fact. He was blinded by the realities of life. For so long, he had believed love was just something you feel when you look at someone. He probably would've known better if he was brought up by a good father... could Nightface even call himself a good father?

He thought of his kits. Dawnbriar, Duskflame, Olivenose, Badgerfang, and Foxpaw. Nightface thought of Foxpaw a lot, more than a healthy cat should think about their deceased child. He had lost his son in the wildfires that brought him back to his family. He had never met Foxpaw because of his own fear of settlement. He had never played games with any of his kits. He had never watched them become apprentices. He had the opportunity to watch their warrior ceremonies, but he was not present then, either. All of his kits except Olivenose have since left Ivyclan or are too busy with other things.

He thought of Olivenose and Blackheart, the mother and father of his grand-kits. When he had found out Blackheart was to be his daughter's mate, he at first disliked the tom. It wasn't because he was going to be her mate, no. It was out of envy. He was envious of Blackheart because he knew he would be an amazing father. A better father than Nightface could ever imagine being.

He thought of his grandkits. Beetlekit, Owlkit, Rookkit, Raccoonkit, Waspkit, and adopted Milkkit. They were the most precious things ever in his eyes. He had spent many hours playing with them, telling them stories, and enjoying their presence. He would give his life in the blank of an eye for any of those fluff-balls.

Nightface looked beside him and saw his mate. He watched her pelt rise and fall slowly, without haste. Even while sick, blood dried in her unwashed pelt, she was the most beautiful being he had ever laid eyes on. Realization had hit him like a rock to the head. They were going to die of this illness. "Oh, Starclan," He cried. He mustered all the strength in his body to move closer to her in her nest. He was not going to let this ticking time-bomb keep him away from the love of his life.

"Emberfoot, I think this is the worst time to say this, but I am the sorriest cat alive right now," He purred. "I should have stayed with you and the kits..." His voice was taken away by a fit of coughing. He tried his best not to cough on her, like it mattered at this point. "Perhaps you have long forgiven me, but I have yet to forgive myself. I've wasted my life, Emberfoot. I should have spent it with you and the kits. All this precious time... gone." His body seized and ached with pain. "Emberfoot, I love you."

[silverfang218]

Emberfoot’s eyes had been closed until Nightface’s voice reached her ears. Ember’s eyes flicker open only after her old mate addresses her, and she slowly lifts her head to look Night in the eye. She listens in silent, her ears slightly back due to the pain. Her silence continues for a couple moments after Night falls silent. His sudden spill of regret took her by surprise, and Ember needs like 5 seconds to figure out how to respond.

After those 5 seconds of silently absorbing Nightface’s speech, Emberfoot stifles a cough and slowly does a little crawl over to Night’s side. A weak smile appears on her face as the she-cat leans against her mate’s long fur. “You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting to hear you say that, Nightface.” She whispers. “I think I can forgive you, but only if I can hear that last part again.” She wants him to say that he loves her again. She needs that.

“It’s all okay, Nightface.” She continues, “We can spend our time in StarClan together.” It only just now dawns on her that Night has never met Foxpaw. “I’ll introduce you to our Foxpaw. He’ll love you, I know it. We’ll….. Be a family again.” She purrs softly, resting her head on Night’s side as her eyes slide shut for the last time, a soft smile gracing her content expression.