Is This The Real Life? Or Is This Just Fantasy?

The moon was starting to sink low into the sky. The sky had splashes of orange, yellow, and pink like a painter's canvas. A few thick, grey clouds were scattered here and there. Kestrelflight sat in the middle of the camp, her cloudy green eyes faced towards the sky. She inhaled a deep breath, smelling the scent of rain. Slowly, she let out the breath, a round of painful hacking following. She sputtered, a sickly green mucus splattering on the ground. The once beautiful she-cat sat up, her chest heaving to catch her breath. With a small sigh, her feeling of being alone changed.

Spinning slowly, she scanned the clearing, searching for the two pairs of eyes that used to watch her carefully. With another sad, small dispel of breath, Kestrelflight stood sadly, looking down at a spot in the ground. 'I shouldn't think about them anymore. They left.' Everyone had left her. Silentfeather, Flamestar, Lilacstorm, even Redheart. Lifting her gaze up, she found the entrance to the camp with her eyes, and trotted slowly to the gap.

Once she was out in the forest, a light rain started to fall through the gaps in the trees. Droplets splashed around her long legs, hitting her and dampening her patterned matted fur. Even the short walk was tiring her out. But for some reason, the old cat felt the need to carry on. To walk her home once more. Her eyes remained on the path of the ground. Slowly, the rain started to pick up pace, so Kestrelflight picked up hers too, starting to run through the dead leaves. Kestrelflight stumbled here and there, tripping over her tired paws. Weariness tugged at her eyes, and her lungs fought to breathe. Over the last few moons, her health had gone way down hill.

Finally, the elderly female reached a small clearing filled with light green, soft grass that reached to about half of her legs. Squinting against the down poor of water, she glanced around, spotting three small trees that grew close together. Trudging through the field, dragging her paws, she made it to the soft bed and plopped down, panting out her exhaustion.

She felt so tired. So, so tired. She curled into a comfortable ball, her paws curled towards her stomach, her head on the side, and her tail curled on top of her paws. The rain pounded without mercy on her frail body. One of her eyes peeked open, the little light slowly fading.

As she rested there, shaking, she could feel the life literally drain away. She was so cold. So, so cold. Kestrelflight laid there for StarClan knows how long, the drops falling from the sky, weakening her. Finally, she let out a small sigh, closing her eyes into the serene darkness of her mind. With her eyes closed, she muttered silently, barley a whisper. "I crave the silent." Her body stilled, and for once, she felt peaceful.

Opening her eyes once more, she found herself in a unfamiliar clearing with no rain. Instead, in front of her stood a brown tabby with white paws and chest. Happiness fluttered in her chest. "Coldheart!" she cried out happily, looking around. Happily, she noted her adoptive father, Flamestar, there. Her old mentor was there as well.

She didn't even notice the tom she had loved, the tom she promised to meet in StarClan, as not there to greet her.

Kestrelflight has died on April 25th, 2013.

Coldheart stood there to welcome her adopted daughter to Starclan. "Kestrelflight. Your time has come. Skyclan will honor you for your service, and Starclan welcomes you to your new life." As she rested her nose upon the she-cats' head, her eyes were glowing with pride. "I am so proud of you." As it was time for Skyclan to avenge the death of their medicine cat, but also soon time for the ceremony for one to take her place.


~~~~

Upon Skyclan...

Larchcloud had came in the pounding rain when she found Kestrelflight motionless. "Kestrelflight... No, no..." Raising her head to the sky, she saw what seemed like a bright star. But, as she mourned her death herself for what seemed like a few seconds, which was really a few hours, she finally carefully dragged her body to camp. But, the cat couldn't stop mourning her death. Putting her in the center of camp, she braced herself. As she got upon the Sky-rock for her first, and only time, she yowled. "All of Skyclan. Gather in the center of camp to mourn the loss of a brave member of Skyclan." Leaping down, she felt a little unauthorized to go up on that rock, but she had to.