Heronfeather smiled, watching them go and wondering what Vineripple was doing right now. Suddenly he felt a tightness in his chest and leaned forward, expecting to cough, only, he didn't have the strength, and instead felt a fire in his lungs. After a moment or two it passed, and Heronfeather lifted his head. "Petalheart, could you get me some deathberries, please?" Petalheart's head shot up, her eyes wide in surprise. "W-Why?" "My time has come." Heronfeather smiled at her. "You know that better than anyone." The white and gray she-cat's ears flattened. "B-But-.. Y-You can make it a little longer. You-You can hang in th-" "Petalheart." Heronfeather croaked, his throat burning. "That wasn't a request. That was an order. Things will only get more painful for me from this point forward, and I'd rather not have to go through that." Petalheart hesitated a moment longer, her sea green eyes shining with unshed tears. Then, she turned, pulling three red berries of the shelf and pushing them towards him. Heronfeather leaned forward, sniffing them before sticking out his tongue to lick them up. "Heronfeather-" Petalheart quickly mewed. Looking up, he saw a tear slip down her face. "I-I-I'll.." "Let's not make this any more dramatic than it has to be. Half this Clan won't miss me, and I'll be glad to go." Petalheart smiled at him through her tears, the Medicine Cat just as grumpy and cynical as always. Then, faster than Petalheart would've thought possible for his age, Heronfeather reached forward and quickly gulped down the seeds. For a moment he tensed, digging his claws into the ground as his mouth began to foam. The last trial. Then, the final wave of pain was washed away by the dark blanket of death. "/I'll/ miss you." Petalheart whispered. -------------------- Heronfeather blinked open his eyes, only to see a small white she-kit standing at his feet. He immediately recognized her. "Brightkit." He mewed, slightly surprised. What surprised him even more, though, was how young he sounded. Looking down at himself, he couldn't hold back a grin as he took in his strong muscles, tight skin and lean build. He was /young/ again. With a purr, the Medicine Cat turned, trotting in a circle in amazement at how good he felt. "Hah!" He laughed. "I should've appreciated this more when I still had it." "But now you have it again." Brightkit mewed, her voice breathy and soft. Heronfeather lifted his head, almost having forgotten that she was there. He felt a flash of embarrassment but pushed it away, smiling down at her. "It seems I do." Brightkit smiled sweetly, gesturing her tail around her at the lush fields, green forests, blue skies, and clear streams that surrounded them. "Welcome to StarClan." Heronfeather's frown returned as he looked around at the cats sunbathing and sharing tongues, stars littering their pelts. "Yes yes, I can already imagine how bored I'll be here..." He turned his attention back to the tiny she-kit. "I actually have a question to ask you, Brightkit. More like a theory, really." "Oh?" She tilted her head to the side, slightly, beginning to walk. Heronfeather matched her slow paced, flicking his tail in slight annoyance at the sluggish walk. But, his legs were three times as long as hers, what was he exepcting? Heronfeather nodded, his face set in stone once more and his yellow gaze forward. "You StarClan cats can see some things that are going to happen, can't you?" Brightkit frowned slightly before nodding. "Well, yes, but not everything. Only some things." Heronfeather stepped in front of her, making the tiny she-kit jump in surprise and stare up at him. He stared down at her, eyes narrowed. "Vineripple was supposed to die, wasn't she?" Brightkit's green eyes widened. "When you were attacked by a fox, she was supposed to push you out of the way and get eaten." Brightkit only stared at him in shock, her mouth hanging open. Heronfeather flicked his tail impatiently. "Well?" He snapped. "Am I right or aren't I?" Finally, Brightkit looked to the side, turned, and padded in the opposite direction. Heronfeather bristled, quickly catching up with her and opening his mouth to snap at her, only to see that they had arrived at a small pond. Brightkit sat down, and after a moment of hesitation, Heronfeather followed suit. Reaching out a tiny kit paw, Brightkit tapped the surface. The water circled, and after a moment, he could see Vineripple in the pond. She was in a small meadow by a fallen tree, Crushkit and Foxkit at her side. And StarClan, how they had grown. Heronfeather's eyes misted with tears and he looked away to hide them, his shoulders hunched. "You're right." Brightkit finally replied. Heronfeather turned back to her in confusion. "Right..?"
"She was supposed to die that way." Reaching out her tiny gray paw once more, she gently tapped the water, sending soft ripples through the surface. The scene changed. They were kits. And Heronfeather saw it happen. He saw Brightkit frozen in fear. Only this time, Vinekit wasn't. She let out a screech and leapt, pushing her sister out of the way, only for a sickening crunch to echo through camp. At least her death would've been quick. The scene faded, leaving the pond blank. After a moment Heronfeather gasped, sucking in a breath he didn't know he had been holding as tears ran down his face and his paws trembled. All of this, /everything/, could've been avoided. If she had died. If things had gone the way StarClan had thought they would. If Brightkit had survived and not her sister. How could one simple change affect so many cats? ...How could it /hurt/ so many cats? And, did he wish it had played out that way? "That's what all StarClan cats saw whenever they looked into our future. I was supposed to live." Brightkit mewed sadly, staring at the surface. "None of this was ever supposed to happen." Heronfeather was still staring at his paws, his mind racing and tears blurring his vision. He was right. He was /right/, so why did he wish he never asked? Wish he had never even guessed in the first place..? Finally Brightkit turned and looked at him, her gaze sad. "I'll leave you be." She mewed quietly before getting to her paws and padding away. Heronfeather remained by the pool for who knows how long. Not even StarClan, apparently. And then, he began to laugh through his tears as he remembered Vineripple. Her smile, her laugh, the way she challenged the world and everything in it, the way she never backed down... "Of course you would do that, Vineripple. Of course you would defy even StarClan." He laughed as he cried, heart broken and so full he thought it might burst at the same time. "I always knew you'd change the world."
