Sunshine flittered around her as she blinked open her eyes. She was in a meadow with a willow tree near a pond. Roseblossom was unfamiliar with this place. She started walking though the tall green grass; it brushed against her legs in the warm breeze.
She closed her eyes, memories flooding back. Shadows pushed against her at all sides. Claws slashed close by her, but they never touched her. Jaws snapped, but all the same, never touching her. They were targeting her, but turning to land blows on only thin air.
The shadows turned and fled, heads down and tails tucked. What are they running from? Something warm and sticky started to flow around Roseblossom's paws. She looked down, but the mist blocked her vision. A flash of familiar ginger fur moved beside her. She gazed around frantically, wanting to cry out to her former apprentice, but too scared.
Heavy mist swirled around her, getting fasting and faster, blinding her. Roseblossom blinked open her eyes rapidly, heart pounding with anxiety. The vision of shadows and mist was vivid and fresh on her mind, but most of all the sight of ginger fur. She only hoped Quietpaw had found his way to StarClan. What if he was sent to a terrible place like that, and it would be all my fault? But how could Quietpaw be sent to such a place, if he had pulled his father's body from the stream, an honorable last duty to his Clan?
While Roseblossom had been in deep thought, she hadn't realized the long grass had started to rustle. She knew she was still dreaming, and wanted nothing more than to be back in the waking world with Ambernight's warm fur pressed against her.
But the relief to her worries flooded her when a cream she-cat came into sight. Aspenrose! She smiled, overflowed with happiness to finally see her friend after so long. She had so many things to ask her.
"Aspenrose! We didn't get to finish talking last time I saw you," Roseblossom usually wasn't one to start conversation, but she couldn't help herself. "I have so much to ask you."
Aspenrose didn't try to stop her, just gazed at her with empty ice blue eyes.
"How, Aspenrose, did you die?" Roseblossom realized as soon as she said it how rude it had sounded. She cast her gaze to her paws. "I-I'm sorry, I..."
Aspenrose raised her tail. "No need to be sorry," she replied gently. "I know you've been waiting to ask for a long time."
Roseblossom felt her fur prick. This is it, I will finally find out the truth.
Aspenrose gazed into the distance, eyes unfocused. "As you know, I left WindClan," for a moment, Roseblossom almost caught a flicker of pain in Aspenrose's eyes, but it was gone in an instant. "I left because I was bottled up with feelings I couldn't escape. I though if I left, I would be free from those feelings."
Roseblossom gazed at the pond in the distance, watching the rippling of the surface as a breeze stirred.
"I was right; leaving did help. But I was very lonely," Aspenrose dropped her gaze. "I used to enjoy the solitary, but I had made a friend in the Clans: your mother. She was the only cat I had ever been close to."
"My mother, Kinkclaw, tried to get inside my walls and help me, but I never let her in," Aspenrose continued. "My father, Jaywatcher, wanted one thing for me: to be successful. When I left ThunderClan to join WindClan, he was deeply disappointed. I can't image how he thought of me when I left the Clans for good; if he even thought of me at all..."
Roseblossom felt a stab of pity for Aspenrose. She's been through so much, and only because she bottled her feelings up and hid them away.
Aspenrose continued, face an emotionless mask. "After I left the Clans, I traveled alone for almost 3 moons. I got to see so many beautiful places. Meadows, woodlands, pine groves..."
Roseblossom leaned forwards, captured in her friend's story.
"I finally came to a meadow, just like this," she waved her tail to the land around them. "I went down to the willow tree, and found that a group of cats lived there."
"There were five she-cats; all of which were outcasts like me. There was Acorn; she is brown with amber eyes, she had just joined the group about 4 moons earlier than I arrived. Acorn's parents abandoned her when she was young, and she was left to wander alone until she found the group."
"There was a cat named Swoop; a pretty long furred brown cat with silvery blue eyes. She joined around the time Acorn did. She had been born into a different group, but no cat accepted her there, so she joined our group."
"Then there was Velvet; a pale ginger tabby with dark blue eyes and a white spot on her nose and tail-tip. Velvet had been a part of the group for 6 moons. She had lived a loner with only her mother. One day her mother was killed in a terrible accident, so she wandered upon our group."
        As Roseblossom was listening, she caught a warmth fill Aspenrose's eyes. She must have had a great group of friends.
       "Then there was Kestrel and Finch; they were sisters, and the founders of the group. They were born into a big family. Their mother and father had already had a litter previously, so they didn't get much attention. They snuck out one night to live alone together."
Roseblossom could tell Aspenrose was getting closer to the end of her story.
Aspenrose sighed. "One day, after about 4 moons of living with the group, something terrible happened," something, maybe fear, dawned on Aspenrose's face. "The group started to split apart. Finch died while fighting a badger. She was on watch one night when it came. She fought it best she could, but it wasn't enough."
"Finch was the light and excitement of the group," Aspenrose gave a deep sigh again. "She always made everyone laugh. Once she died, the group started to fall apart. Kestrel became bossy and snappy with grief. Acorn would get frustrated with Kesrtel, and eventually left."
Sadness approached Aspenrose's eyes. "Swoop tried to take charge, but it wasn't enough. I stayed alone a lot. Sometimes I would talk with Velvet."
"If Velvet were in a Clan, she would make a great medicine cat. She liked to look out and meditate as she watched and observed nature."
"Kestrel grew more and more distant. I was on a walk with Velvet one evening. Swoop was back at the willow tree, trying to maintain order and keep an eye on Kestrel," sorrow grew heavy in Aspenrose's eyes, and Roseblossom could tell the cream she-cat wasn't trying to hide her emotion anymore. "The ground where we were walking started to crumble. I remember telling Velvet to run..."
Aspenrose closed her eyes. "The last thing I saw were her beautiful deep blue eyes. The earth crumbled beneath my paws... I remember being swallowed up in darkness, but before I hit the ground of the pit, I remember being so grateful for friends like I had. I know Velvet and Swoop and Addertuft don't know this, but I know I was loved."
Roseblossom's heart swelled with warmth. After all this time, Addertuft and Aspenrose's group probably pitied her, but she didn't need it, she knew she was loved.
"I know Acorn is out there somewhere, wandering alone. And I know that Swoop will hold Velvet and Kestrel together for as long as she can. Kestrel will soon come out of grieving and be her old self again... And Finch..."
Aspenrose waved her tail as the grass parted. A gray tabby she-cat with hazel-blue eyes appeared. Stars flecked her pelt. Finch joined StarClan. Roseblossom felt happy for Aspenrose. She must have told her group about StarClan, hoping they would join them if they died.
Roseblossom blinked gratefully at her friend. Now she understood all she needed to. Now she could tell her mother that her long lost friend was at peace.