Warriors || Aspenrose's Goodbye

Chapter Twenty-Three

       The red blazing sky was striped with small trails and wisps of clouds. New-leaf was coming to an end. The grass was tall and green and lush. The heather was at its fullest, and the air was still and silent. It was as if StarClan knew that there had been mourning in the heart of WindClan.
       Aspenrose stood in the middle of her den with Firepool beside her. Her ginger mentor had taken a nasty bite to the hind leg, and was set to bed rest for the next couple days. Fawntail had a bite on her shoulder and stood before Aspenrose now, awaiting her treatment.
         Aspenrose fumbled through the herbs store, picking out some marigold petals. She delicately chewed them up, then turning to her deputy after, applied it to her wound. There wasn't much bleeding, so Aspenrose decided against putting cobwebs over the bite.
"There you go, Fawntail," Aspenrose sighed inwardly. "Remember to take it easy today, and then by tomorrow you should be able to return to normal duties."
Fawntail nodded curtly, "Thanks." She turned and left the den through the cleft, ginger-tipped tail swishing as she went.
Frozenheart squeezed through next, amber eyes glazed over with grief for her sister. Aspenrose felt sympathy tug at her heart, but couldn't find the words to explain it to her Clanmate.
Frozenheart had only a minor cut to her ear, which Aspenrose stopped the bleeding by placing cobwebs on it. After the blood flow stopped, Aspenrose plastered a small amount of what was left of the marigold on Frozenheart's ear.
Once done, Aspenrose only flicked her tail in acknowledgment of so. Frozenheart kept her sorrowful gaze to the ground, but retreated slowly out of the den without saying a word.
When Aspenrose stepped out of her den, lavender bundled in her jaws, what lay before her made her insides twist. Silverleaf lay in the center of the camp, green eyes shut as if she was asleep. Frozenheart crouched over her, nose buried in her sister's white fur.
The rest of the cats stayed more at a distance, separated in groups, mostly sitting with their families. Addertuft sat with Crystalflame, her russet tabby mother, and Harestar, her father.
Jaggedswirl and Snowleap sat together with their pretty tortoiseshell-patched mother, Duskspots, and their black-furred father, Sandheart.
Crookedwing and Dapplesplash sat together, the two similar sisters looking at Silverleaf sadly. Fawntail sat just outside the elder den with Heathermoon, her mother.
Aspenrose proceeded after she took the scene in. She padded up to Silverleaf's delicate body, dropping the lavender gently beside her before turning her gaze to the grief-stricken tabby, who was unrecognizable under the veil of sorrow she wore.