Warriors: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳 (Book 2)

𝐅𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 (𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟕)

"LET THE FESTIVITIES BEGIN!"

As Sun'star called, everyone begins to eat their prey, play moss ball, it was great. Oleander'paw and Dusk'paw (Seven) battled each other. Milk'paw and One'paw chased the winds together, trying for a race. While Silver'paw (Nome) and Night'paw just watched the sky. Emerald'gaze felt proud for his brother, and Bridget who is extremely competitive would try and battle apprentices from other clans. With the sun shining, everyone was all smiling, finally enjoying their peace, but one.

Dust'star still felt bad for what happened last night, he wanted to go and apologize before it'll be his time. As he sat beside Emerald'gaze, he turned his head at him. "I know you may be mad at me; I get that." Dust'star said, Emerald'gaze just looked at the kits with a bland facial expression. "No need for an apology. Me and the kits we'll be on our own now..." He said, Dust'star looked at the ground, explaining his wronging. "I only hid this from you because I never wanted for you to know sooner. By now this will be the right time to tell you all of this." He said, but Emerald'gaze still hasn't forgiven him, yet. 

They sat together until sunset, until the fourth moon appeared.

Dust'star eating his meals with his family was the best he could have. Appreciating life, and the family around him. He'll be saddened enough to leave this world and never appear again. But this was all worth it in the end, he couldn't run off anymore longer. As the loud whistle remained in his ears, it calls for his time. As he begins to cough uncontrollably, everyone got concerned for him. Oleander'paw looked at his father. "Dad? Are you okay?" He asked, Dust'star shoved him away. "I'm fine...I'm fine-" he coughed out skin from his mouth, and strange black liquid. He starts to breathe heavily,  Sun'star walked up to him with the Med-cat.

"Dust'star, are you seriously, okay?"  He asked, but the old tom pushed him away. He looked at the moon rising at the sky, he didn't want anyone to see him fade off. So, he ran, where Oleander'paw and Emerald'gaze followed him. Through the dark forest and up to the cliff, where the dusk skies are shown. And the stars, but there were crows watching him sitting at the cliff. Oleander'paw and Emerald'gaze stopped at where the cliff is shown, where he begins to fade off at the fourth moon that death himself promised. "D-DAD!?" Oleander'paw whimpered, he hasn't spent the longest days with him since he was gone for most of the time.

Emerald'gaze start to cry looking at his father figure, suffering. But dying in a peaceful place, he slowly walked up to him where the moon shines at the sky. Where Dust'star turned around at him, he didn't want to leave he didn't. But it was too late now.

"𝙄'𝙢 𝙛𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙀𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙙'𝙜𝙖𝙯𝙚." Said with an unfazed voice. 

Emerald'gaze had no other choice but to lean in and hugged. Oleander'paw watched, he then ran and hugged his father too, screaming. "𝙒𝙃𝙀𝙍𝙀 𝘼𝙍𝙀 𝙔𝙊𝙐 𝙂𝙊𝙄𝙉𝙂!?" He cried, Dust'star just put his paw over his son's head. He had a raspy, broken voice and barely couldn't speak.  "𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦.." He said, but Oleander'paw still cried. "𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙬𝙚'𝙫𝙚 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙩! 𝙄𝙩'𝙨 𝙩𝙤𝙤 𝙨𝙤𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙪𝙨.." He wept, Dust'star shed a tear. "𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙." Dust'star nudged his son by the head, he then looks at Emerald'gaze hugging him tightly. He realized he was halfway fading and hugged both of his sons quietly.

As Emerald'gaze fell down holding the remains of his father, he gave one last word of him.

"𝙄'𝙢 𝙨𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙮." He said.

One last smile came from Dust'star before he turned nothing but remains of a dust who used to be.