Trailingtumbleweed lay alone in the den, the world narrowed to the dim light filtering through and the sound of his own breathing. It sounded odd to him, too loud and too weak. He hated how old he suddenly felt. For the first time he wondered how many sunrises he had left. He wanted to get up and have a discussion with Marlinstar. His body, however, refused to cooperate. His limbs felt heavy, and even the simple act of drawing a breath seemed to require more effort than he could spare. A sudden sharp ache beneath his ribs made him wince. He clenched his teeth, tail flicking against his nest, and forced himself not to let out a sound. He tried thinking of something other than what was going on now. Dwelling on the pain would only give it more power. In his opinion, the best way to deal with some kinds of problems was just to ignore them. ‘Get up.’ He told himself. ‘Deputies shouldn’t stay in their nests all day.’ His paws twitched, his claws flexing slowly, but the strength he needed never went to them. Frustration rose within him as he tried again, willing his legs to obey, hoping that in a moment he’d stand and move without hesitation. Nothing happened. Trailingtumbleweed’s green eyes narrowed. He was stronger than this, wasn’t he? He’d defeated many in his time. Even as an elder, he had been a powerful cat, able to fight for his clan in the recent battle against FlurryClan. So why did he feel so…frail now? He looked calm despite the pain. Fear was useless. He’d never allowed it to show, not even in fights. But this wasn’t a battle he could win. His breathing grew slower, uneven. He focused on it, trying to make it go back to normal. His chest ached with the effort. ‘Hold it together.’ He thought. ‘Just a little longer. You might be leader soon.’ Then maybe he’d be remembered. Maybe then he’d make his father proud, wherever he was now. He had to become leader, now that it was so close within reach. But it seemed like becoming leader wouldn’t be something he’d ever achieve, no matter how hard he tried to pretend that he would someday take the suffix ‘star’. “Forgive me, Marlinstar, for leaving you so suddenly. And I’m sorry, father, that I haven’t made it as far as you did.” The light at the den’s entrance blurred. His sharp green gaze dulled, and he let out his final breath. Trailingtumbleweed lay still in his nest. - Trailingtumbleweed has unfortunately passed due to an illness. I think it was unexpected for both him and me. Rest in peace, Trailing, I’ve had a great 94 moons with you. I’m sorry that you just yeed your last haw. I’ll miss you <3 Thanks to everyone who roleplayed with him! Lol I forgot to post this 10 days ago, sorry that its a bit late
