A warm wind billowed against Yarrowleafs thick golden fur. Birds shrill calls echoed around him and the sweet scents of green leaf wreathed around him and brought him back into the nursery.
Yarrowleaf woke to a paw jabbing violently into his side. His eyes slowly opened and he snarled, Splashfern, a tortoieshell she cat with bright green eyes was staring at him. "Wake up! Streamstar called a clan meeting!" The she cat kept poking him. Yarrowleaf grumbeled and he rolled out of his nest. He licked flicks of moss from his pelt and blinked the sleep from his eyes. A icy wind gusted his fur back and the warm feeling of his dream washed away like a leaf in the wind. He followed Splashfern down a small rock tumble and to where Streamstar sat atop highrock. The deputy, Rowantail sat beneath her, his chin up high and his pelt glossy as if he had just groomed it. "All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather under highrock for a clan meeting!" Streamstars call echoed around the hollow. Warriors melted from their dens like shadows. Shadowfang, Crystalwing, and Fernbreeze came padding toward him and Splashfern. They settled down together. "How did you sleep?" Fernbreeze mewed and he slowly started dragging his tounge down his light brown tabby pelt. "Fine" Yarrowleaf mewed back. Heronflight flicked her tail and shushed them. Streamstar nodded thankfully to Heronflight. Yarrowleafs pelt burned with embarresment as the meeting started.
"Today I have some..." She paused. "News" Streamstars tail swished over the entrance of her den and a calico she cat with ivy green eyes stepped out. "Who is THAT!?" Duskflights mew rang out from the crowd. Small murmers rippled through the group and Streamstar hushed them with a flick of her tail. "This is Salem. As you know our medicine cat, Tallfern is getting old and is unable to treat patients as he used to." She sent a loving glance at Tallfern that held a 'No offense' look. Tallfern nodded and he purred with amusment. "I have learned that Salem has a unique knowledge of our herbs and is capable of treating our clanmates. She has a strong connection with Starclan and has all of the capabilities to become our medicine cat" She held her clanmates gaze evenly. "What!? Were just LETTING in a loner!?" Flamepaw yowled and stood up, his dark ginger pelt stuck out between his clanmates. Splashfern leaped to her paws. "Flamepaw!" She snarled at her apprentice. Flamepaw glared and sat back down. Yarrowleafs gaze met Salems. She stared back at him and they seemed to connect for a second. She ripped her gaze away from him and back to Tallfern. "I may be a loner. I may not know the ways of your clan. But I can treat you. And I swear on Starclan I will protect this clan with my life" Salems mew was sweet and smooth like honey. Coldheart krept from the shadows of the elders den. "Traitors! Letting in a loner. What has this clan become?" He snarled. Coldheart stopped walking for a second and his eyes widened. His mouth gaped open and his chest heaved. A final breath gasped from Coldheart as he collapsed on to the ground, still.
Yarrowleaf watched the old elder collapse. He leaped to his paws and backed up. Brookkit let out a wail as she bounded from the nursery. Fernbreeze, Leafshade, and Darkheart raced to the tom, Salem on their tail. "Coldheart!" Fernbreeze shook the tom. Leafshade nosed him. "Salem is he ok!?" She stared at the she cat, terrified. Salem shouldered her way forward. Dead silence. No cat even breathed as Salem sat up. "Coldheart has gone with Starclan. He died of a heart disease." Salem stepped back, letting the clan cats grieve. Yarrowleaf stared as all of his clanmates gathered around the tom. Streamstars eyes were wide. Rowantail placed his tail on her shoulders as they led the way over to the tom. Yarrowleafs heart seemed to crack in two as he came forward with the cats. "Stay back" Streamstar yowled to her clanmates. "Shadowfang, Yarrowleaf, Salem and Mintfur take him outside the camp. We will sit vigil tonight" Yarrowleaf slowly lifted the hind leg of Coldheart. Mintfur, Shadowfang, and Salem took his other legs and they lifted him up onto their shoulders. They made their way out of camp and placed him outside the entrance. They covered his body in leaves and muck so the sour smell rising from him would not effect the clan. The group of cats made their way back into the clan. Hailpaw, Sorrelpaw, Hazepaw, Smokepaw, Hazelpaw, and Flamepaw all whispered in a group as the other warriors stayed to themselves. No one felt like hunting or fighting today. So they all sat and waited for sundown.
Yarrowleaf let out a yawn as dawn finally came. He dragged his paws out of camp and picked Coldheart up. The same group of cats who had brought him out brought him back into the middle of the camp. Hailpaw, Flamepaw, Hazepaw, Glacierpaw, Sorrelpaw, Leafshade, Heronflight, Darkheart, Fernbreeze, Mintfur, Shadowfang, Tallfern, Rowantail, Streamstar and himself all gathered by Coldhearts body. They shared tounges with the warrior for a last time. Yarrowleaf heard small murmers of goodbye from all of the warriors. Yarrowleaf closed his eyes in greif. He jumped as he felt a pelt press up against him. He looked over to see Salem. She nodded in understanding to him. He nodded his thanks to the she cat. "Walk with the stars Coldheart. Walk with the stars" He murmered to the dead tom. The warriors slowly melted away from Coldheart. All who was left was Streamstar. Yarrowleaf dragged himself into the warriors den and settled down in his nest. He could hear small whimpers of grief from his clanmates as he melted into sleep.