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“Mistystar!” a dark brown she-cat announced as she rushed into the leader’s den. Why, it was young Shadepaw, and she was frazzled, almost panicky with her tongue panting. Of course, she could have been also exhausted from that run, but who was Mistystar to judge.
Mistystar’s ears perked as she sat up. “It’s Heavystep, he died again.” Mistystar could feel her stomach start to tangle in knots. What was this the fourth or fifth time Heavystep has been reported dead, Mistystar lost count. All that she knew certain was that once again Heavystep had died. Her tail twitched with utter annoyance. Oh no, this wasn’t for the fact that the elder died, just the ceremony the clan had to perform each time this particular elder passed on. Grumbling “I’ll go inform the clan” she turned and left her den.
Did Mistystar really want to do this, no of course not. What she really wanted to do was not ruin the relaxing atmosphere of her clan. She wanted to lounge in the sun, she wanted to rest her old bones, and most certainly she wanted not for Heavystep to die again. But no cat gets they want in this life, StarClan made that certain when Heavystep came to this clan. What sin did RiverClan commit? Mistystar could only wonder. Heavystep had been born to RiverClan’s she-cat, with the father, an unknown tom. A ginger one, from what Mistystar could remember of the litter. The queen in question was a tortoiseshell, and the kits she had were array of ginger, black, and brown tabbies. When Heavystep reached the age of an apprentice, he would become the only one out of his siblings to actually survive kithood. As a warrior, before his kidney disease, he managed to find a mate, and have a litter of kits.
Once the clan had gathered around, Mistystar delivered the news. Annoyance echoed throughout the crowd and so did fear. The clan knew what had to be done and it had to be done at once. The crowd then broke apart to head towards the elder’s den where Mosspelt was carefully hovering over the body. “Greencough,” the elder confirmed.
Greencough, it was always greencough. Each death Heavystep faced, each time the thick brown tabby tom took his ,supposedly, last breath, he was always declared to have died from greencough. Mistystar would thought that him dying of it the first time would make him immune, but Mistystar could only reflect on the first time he sprung back to life.
They hadn’t even finished the vigil for him when the tom started breathing again and then woke up, the clan was surprised, shocked even. Including his rather nervous kit, who had fainted when the tom woken from his supposed death. Mistystar could even recalled the words he spoke, “well I’ve never felt better.” The tom had been unaware of the fact he had been declared dead just hours ago. Leopardstar was shocked, from what Mistystar could remember. Her former leader didn’t know what to do, or how the other clans would take the news that RiverClan had a cat that came back to life. She recalled meeting the spotted she-cat and discussing the plans on how handle this elder. It was decided it must be kept a secret, for the good of all the clans. How would the other clans react to this shocking revelation? Fear? Amazement? Dread? It was after his second death, and the second time he came back, nearly two days after he died did they stop allowing the elder at gatherings. Third time, they realized why they had to keep this tom away from the others.
The clan quickly carried the elder’s body to the burial site, no time for mourning. They learned that the fourth time, because of the rate he sprung back to life was actually unpredictable. He sprung to life as soon they carried him to the burial site, and after all you cannot bury a living cat. Of course, Mistystar really couldn’t call Heavystep living, because along with the time he came to life, the period in which he stayed alive varied as well. On his third life, he was alive for a whole 4 days before succumbing to Greencough like symptoms. The only thing Mistystar could only theorize was that Heavystep was in a constant limbo of life and death, and the clan was never sure if he would be able to stay dead or alive.
Tossing the body into the hole, quickly as they rushed to his grave, which had been redug, they quickly buried him. “What if he breaks out this time,” Sneezecloud questioned.
Mistystar stared at the grave, pausing to think of an answer, because of course, yes, the tom was more than capable of breaking out of his grave. He broke out the second time and the third time. “Stones” she proposed, “we cover the grave in stones, just maybe then will he stay in the ground.”
The clan murmured in agreement and split in different directions to find rocks, small or big, it didn’t matter. Something had to hold the grave down, or the cat, if he could be called a cat, would rise again from the grave.
Why did the clan fear Heavystep so? Well, it was quite simple, really. The clan was quick to discover after the third incident, that with each time Heavystep came back to life, he grew stronger. On his fourth life, the clan praised him for his heroic actions. For you see, Heavystep single-handedly saved RiverClan from the dark forest. No, really he did. Each time, a cat, dead or alive, came for him, they were batted away like flies, Mistystar, herself, watched as he crushed one unfortunate warrior with his paw. He drove them back, and the thing that haunted Mistystar the most was his stare. There was something about it, it was blank, it was just unsettling. After the battle, he went back to his cheerful self. So now, the clan feared him, sure he used his strength to save the clan, but what if he got loose and forgot where the camp was. Then there would be some beast of a cat wandering around that just could not stay dead.
Mistystar had tried to get an explanation from her medicine cats. Both Mothwing and Willowshine came up with nothing. StarClan just couldn’t explain why they had unkillable elder that always seem to die of greencough.
The clan returned back into camp, leaving only one cat to watch over the grave. Just to report if he broke out again and lead him back to camp. But, Mistystar feared for the sole cat, what if Heavystep got angry, why the elder could kill that cat with just a flick of his tail. What if Heavystep came back and attempted kill everyone, perhaps Mistystar’s fear of the tom was silly, perhaps she was wrong, perhaps this time he actually stayed dead.
She went to back into her den to sleep.
“Mistystar!”