Ashes, Daybreak [open - mourning topic]

OOC: This is a topic in which WindClan can discover and mourn Aspenheart’s body. His actual death is here: Empire’s Embers.

If you don’t want to read the entire thing: Aspenheart passed away in his sleep due to a seizure. That’s all any cat knows or will ever know. What really happened last night is a secret for Finchstar and Aspenheart to keep.

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”The sun burst from the gorge bushes with such graceful ferocity, lighting the sky with hues of change… Red waves meant with those of orange, crashing together in a beautiful longing. Yellow light streaked over the grasses, illuminating Aspenheart’s mortal frame, striping his pelt with the shadows of heather.”

As cats began to stir, stretching and yawning in the grassy center of camp, one body did not move. Aspenheart’s body still lay with eerie stillness, splayed out on his side. In the first few moments, no one noticed. After all, that was just how he slept. The birds began to squawk, and light filled the clearing to illuminate his body. He had died in the night, from the affliction that had plagued him for longer than most cats could recall. His deterioration had been no secret, but his energetic, impish personality had given nothing away about the extent of his struggle.

As in life, his rips protruded, his legs were stick-thin and muscular, and his cheeks looked ghostly hollow. Grey flecks on his muzzle and twisted whiskers accented his grisly look. But, for all that was old and weak about him, he had died smiling. For the first time in his life, he was quiet and still.

Since being named deputy, Olivestone had resigned herself to a lifetime of getting up early, as much as her body begged her to catch those few extra hours of sleep. She'd been vaguely aware of Aspenheart finally making his way to the sea of nests dotting the far side of the clearing where the Clan slept, and had drifted back to sleep soon after he'd finished seizing for the first time since emerging from his den. She, like the rest of the Clan, knew well enough about Aspenheart's condition, and had grown so used to it that she didn't think of it out of the ordinary.

She was one of the first few cats awake as per usual, fighting against her body and mind protesting to go back to sleep, curled up against Zinnia, among their Clanmates. She pushed herself slowly to her paws, and quickly groomed Zinnia's head for a few moments before turning to gingerly pick her way around her sleeping Clanmates to get to the unoccupied part of the clearing. On her way past, she slipped by where Aspenheart was sleeping-
She paused in her tracks as the scent of death reached her nose, and turned abruptly, looking back at the splayed form of the medicine cat. She crept closer to him, the scent emanating from him, and a quick glance at his flank, still and cold, confirmed what scent had already told her.

She dipped her head in respect, touching her nose to his forehead, and turned to find Softbreeze.

Amberkit had barely slept since being allowed to leave the Nursery, spending every moment possible outside. So, when she peeked out of the Nursery in the early morning, she was surprised to see Aspenheart splayed out on the ground. It wasn't unusual for him to do this, she had gathered, but the smell...It did not bide well.

Before anyone else came, Amberkit pelted over towards where Aspenheart lay. Her nose twitched, and her eyes rolled over his form. He lay still. And when she poked him, he felt...Cold. Unlike how normal cats felt.

For some reason, this reminded Amberkit of the Fresh-Kill that lay in the middle of the camp.

She ran a paw over Aspenheart's body again, frowning as she gathered information quickly. Was he asleep? He can't be, this was a step further from asleep, she was sure. What did the Warriors call it...

Dead?

Spotlake laid besides Crowspirit as she slowly waked up. She lifted her head but sadly instead of seeing and smelling the sleeping pelts of her clanmates, she smelled death. She sniffed the air and traced it back towards Aspenheart's body where the scent of Olivestone strong while Amberkit was looking at the dead medicine cat. The calico turned her gaze towards the young kit realizing that the kit had just seen a dead cat the first time. "Amberkit you know how death works right? Well just in case you don't, please do not worry. Aspenheart is in Starclan now." She said.

The she-cat turned her gaze towards the sleeping bodies of her clanmates. "I'll go wake everyone up." Said Spotlake running off towards the sleeping cats. Oh Starclan I wonder how poor Softbreeze will deal with the death of her mentor.

Ever since his warrior ceremony, Clearstone had built up a routine of going out at the crack of dawn for an early morning run to stretch his legs and get his mind ready for the day. Maw parting in a deep yawn, the lanky tom exited his nest with a stretch, preparing to go out. An unfamiliar scent reached his nose, however, and his brows furrowed. It was...a death stench, one that wasn't like the familiar smell of fresh-kill. His head swiveled around, searching for the source as a stone of apprehension dropped into his stomach.

Spotlake, a kit, and Olivestone were hovering around the medicine den. Clearstone swallowed hard at the dawning realization of what had happened. Aspenheart's condition was well-known in the Clan, but they all had a feeling it would eventually take him away from them. The pointed tom padded over to where the old silver medicine cat lay unmoving, face etched deep with sadness. Pushing back the uncomfortable lump in his throat, he crept closer and pressed his nose to the cold fur of Aspenheart. While he had never spoken with Aspenheart a lot, the wisdom the medicine cat had shared with him on their way to the Moonstone would stick with the warrior forever, and he respected him greatly.

"May StarClan light your path and fill your days with the breezes of the moor, Aspenheart. You did good, now you can rest." he whispered into the silver fur, giving the tom's head a final respectful lick before backing away. The Clan would dearly miss their medicine cat, that was for certain. Softbreeze...She would no doubt do a good job, but the pain of losing the crotchedy silver tom would settle in WindClan's hearts for some time. Clearstone cast a pitied look towards the sleeping form of Softbreeze before he turned on his heel and made his way out of camp.

He really needed this run now, to clear his head and his heart for the grief that was to come today.

Well. Spotlake had much to work on in terms of teaching kits things. Amberkit managed to gather that Aspenheart was, in fact, dead. But she didn't really understand what it actually meant.

She sniffed at Aspenheart again before seeing Clearstone coming up. She shifted aside to make way and watched what he did curiously.

So...Aspenheart was at rest? So was it like a very deep sleep or something?

Perplexed, Amberkit sat down nearby to see if anyone would do something else that would give her more insight.

Grousefrost woke as he always did. To wretched silence. His ears twitched when he awoke. His head lifted in a yawn to begin another day. That was when he saw them. They were crowded around something on the ground. His head tilted. Was it something the night patrol found? The scent of death reached him when he rose. A glimpse of the pelt between legs, and his heart sank. Ears flattened, and his body moved.

He shoved past Clearstone in his rush. Frantically put a paw on the old tom’s shoulder and pushed. When the tom didn’t respond, he did it with both paws. Goldengale’s brother… one of the few cats he knew. A bitter yowl choked from his throat, turning towards Olivestone.
“H-HELP HIM!” he yowled. His voice shallow and weak from disuse. His pelt was raised, but the tears that fell to the ground gave his feelings away.

One of his few friends was gone.

Haypaw blinked away at the sound of voices, curling her paws to her stomach as she gave her legs a little stretch. She was sprawled out on her back, although she rolled to the sign at she tried to listen in on the voice. It was Spotlake who was speaking, mentioning waking up the others. ...Why did everybody need to be awake? The apprentice tilted her head as she finished the roll and rose to her paws, padding from the tall grass that had sheltered her throughout the night. The first thing she noticed was the odd scent in the air - familiar...Barely. Her nose winkled as her turned her attention onto Clearstone who had spoken - now noticing that the Clan was gathering around...A body.

Slowly, she came to realize that the smell was the smell of death - something she had only truly smelled before when Finchstar had been brought in. She quickly darted around to get a glimpse of who it was and her heart sank as she recognized it as Aspenheart. The medicine cat was...Dead? She didn't smell any blood - had it simply died in his sleep? ...Was that a possibility? Her fur prickled as she found herself speechless - not having known the tom all that well. Out of the two medicine cats, she had often only dealt with Softbreeze who - oh. Oh no, Softbreeze...Her gaze flickered toward the medicine cat den, heart sinking. She raised a paw, ready to go check on her friend when the sound of pounding paws caused her to jump.

She spun to see Goursefrost now standing over Aspenheart's body, gently shoving the tom as if to try to wake him up from a nap before he whirled to face the deputy and - he spoke. Haypaw's ears slicked back as her eyes widen, having never heard the tom utter a word. In truth, she had believed he was mute along with being deaf - not that there was anything wrong with that but to hear him speak... But then she saw the tears that trickled down his face. She hesitated, looking once more at the medicine cat's den before she crossed the clearing and pressed herself against Goursefrost's side. "I'm sorry," she murmured, although she knew her words were falling on deaf ears. "I can't...I can't imagine your pain - I didn't know him that well but... Things are going to be okay, I'm sure of it. He is in...StarClan now, isn't he?" she questioned, eyes flickering toward Olivestone for confirmation. She had done her best to learn what the Clans believed, even if it didn't make complete sense to her yet. But...She knew she had heard that part - that cats went to StarClan when they died. "He will be happy there, I'm sure of it. We should be happy that he can be happy forever...Shouldn't we?"

The young apprentice stirred in her sleep while the noisy commotion continued in the background. Having to clean the elder's den and their ticks plenty of times hearing what it was usually like in their little hole this was just too much. Most of the elders were quiet though or it had to have been something else. Having enough Fogpaw gave her self a shake in her nest, her senses adjusting to a bright new day ahead of her that some cats could never come to experience.

The pale she-cat slowly got up making sure the other apprentices were spared from her usual antics. She treaded lightly out of the apprentices den without getting swiped at taking a peek outside of the entrance. Her head lowered at the ruckus being made, her initial estimate of it being in the elders den wasn't correct but in the medicine cats den. What followed next was her jaw dropping recognizing a familiar stench that was just like the fallen windclan leader. A ghastly reminder of Finchstar's mourning played in front of her eyes - the gathering cats, the wailing, the somber air. Was this the life that awaited her? A life that awaited her clanmates? Nonetheless she stood by the apprentices den, her head hanging there stunned by the sheer distress and shock of it all.

Soon, the Clan rose after her, and so soon, she'd noted. Olivestone had hardly tuned away from Aspenheart when a pawful of her Clanmates had approached the still body of the medicine cat. She'd expected as much, but what caught her off guard was Grousefrost's yowl of pain and anguish. Since he'd been deafened, the deputy hadn't heard him speak once, but she turned back towards him with a mild look of surprise, to see Haypaw press against him, murmuring words of comfort that the deaf warrior couldn't hear.

Olivestone dipped her head in response to Grousefrost's call, and looked to the sky at Haypaw's mention of StarClan. With a small smile, she murmured,
"Yes, I'm sure he's in StarClan now. He's probably running the starry moorland with our Clanmates that have passed before us. His place in StarClan is well deserved. He's earned it time and time again."

With that, she approached Aspenheart's cooling body, and touched her nose to his forehead again.
"May StarClan light your path. We will miss you, but the stars will treat you well. Rest well, Aspenheart. You deserve it."

Catching Grousefrost's gaze, she gestured with her paw towards Softbreeze, indicating that she was going to wake the other medicine cat. Dipping her head towards the older warrior, she turned and approached the sleeping form of Softbreeze, before gently prodding her, hoping to wake her without too much trouble.
"Softbreeze, wake up. We need you."

The yowl of an unfamiliar voice in camp had been enough to jolt Flashpaw awake, but the scent of death the breeze brought to his nose was what really brought him to his paws. He shouldered his way out into the morning air, his heart beating fast and his fur standing on end as he nearly bowled Fogpaw over in his attempt to see what was going on.
"What's happened?" He asked her, turning to see the growing number of cats gathering round the center of camp. Through the pelts of his clanmates he could see Aspenheart's body.
"Oh, Aspenheart, no," he breathed out. Some of his earliest memories were of the old medicine cat tending to his mother after he and his littermates were born-- and after they had died. His ears flattened to his head and he cast a glance up at the sky, sending up a silent prayer for the newly departed medicine cat.

OOC: Will edit with/post later with Foxspirit

Briarthorn was waken up the scent of death. He rushed out of the warriors den, looking around. Who had died? The crowd seemed to be gathering at the medicine den. Oh no... Briarthorn moved through the group of cats to the body, lying peacefully, as if sleeping. He froze in place staring at Aspenheart's body with wide eyes. A few tears fell from his eyes as he looked at the medicin cat. He had been a crucial part of the clan for so long. But then he realized. He's only a moon or two older than me! He replaced me as a medicine cat when I became a warrior! Am I going to die too?! No. NO! It must have been the stress. He was always stressed! Yes, That's what it was! I'm still young! I can still fight. Protect! Be useful! More tears began streaming from Briarthorn's eyes, but they werent for Aspenheart, or even Softbreeze. He pushed his way out from the mass of cats, his vision swimming. He ran for the camp barrier, and out onto the moor. He didn't stop running.