To The Higher Sky

"No, Silverstream, no!" Graystripe yowled to the sky

She was gone. The beautiful silver tabby he had loved so much was gone. She had gone to StarClan, the place beyond the sky, all the way up in the stars, hence the name. Graystripe figured Tigerclaw would maul him when he got back to the camp, but he didn't care. He figured Bluestar would punish him, even send him into exile, but he didn't care.

StarClan had taken his beloved Silverstream away. Tears streamed down his face as he buried his nose in her slightly cold fur. His voice was muffled as he meowed her name again.

"Graystripe, do you know this cat?" Tigerclaw asked, his amber eyes not revealing confusion, but a dark satisfaction.

"I loved her," Graystripe said, his voice barely more than a whisper. "She had my kits," he added, brightening.

"This is a RiverClan cat if I'm not mistaken." Tigerclaw growled.

"Tigerclaw, Graystripe is in pain right now. Just leave him be." Cinderpaw mewed normally; none of her usual defiance could be detected in her tone.

"Fireheart, Cinderpaw, you come back to camp with me. Graystripe, you bury that RiverClan cat right now and get back home quickly." Tigerclaw order, turning his back on him and stalking away without another word.

"Silverstream, oh Silverstream!" Graystripe murmured.

"Graystripe, I'm not rushing you like that pile of mouse-dung over there," Fireheart pointed with his nose to Tigerclaw. "But do come home soon."

"Get the kits," Cinderpaw whispered in Fireheart's ear.

Fireheart nodded, picking up the bigger kit, a dark gray tom. Cinderpaw dipped her head to pick up the she-kit, and silver tabby just like her mother.

"Bye Graystripe," Cinderpaw and Fireheart mewed together through a bundle of fur.

Graystripe didn't respond. Cinderpaw sighed and nudged Fireheart toward the camp. With one last glance back, Fireheart followed Cinderpaw back to the camp, the kits dangling from his mouth.

Later...

Graystripe had fallen asleep beside Silverstream's now freezing body. In his dream, he was sitting in the middle of Fourtrees, waiting for Silverstream to come see him. He waited for what seemed like moons, but she never came. Graystripe was about to go back home when he heard a familiar voice call his name. The voice sounded lighter, however. Graystripe spun around, only to come face to face with a StarClan cat: Silverstream.

"S-Silverstream?" Graystripe studdered, giving her a good look over. Her sleek, slender silver tabby pelt wasn't there anymore; all there was was a white outline of Silverstream with stars inside. Her eyes that used to be pale green were now clear and see-through. He reached forward to sniff her, and her scent was mingled with a refreshing scent that he had never smelled before; a natural StarClan scent.

"It's me, Graystripe." Silverstream mewed, reaching forward to touch his nose, but she pulled back, realizing that she really couldn't.

"Silverstream, I'm never going to see you again." Graystripe said, holding back tears.

"Yes you will," Silverstream said. "One day, Graystripe, you'll be on your way to StarClan and we'll be reunited."

"Oh yeah..." Graystripe perked up, then became sad again. "But that day could be so long from now."

"And I'll counting down the days until we can be with each other again." meowed Silverstream, pressing her starry muzzle against Graystripe's normal muzzle. "Whether it's today or not until moons from now, we will be together in the end. Instead of staring up at the sky to find me, you'll travel to the higher sky, way above the clouds, where I'll be waiting for you."

"Silverstream, I heard that a cat your close to comes down to Earth to escort you to StarClan when you die. Is that true?" Graystripe asked.

Silverstream nodded. "And I'll make sure that I'm that cat," she promised.

Graystripe purred. "I love you, Silverstream." he mewed, circling the StarClan warrior.

"I love you, too, Graystripe." Silverstream said, beginning to purr. "And I'll see you again in the higher skies."

Silverstream started floating upward. Graystripe felt tears coming to him as he yelled, "Silverstream, don't leave me yet!", but it was too late. She was already on her way back to Silverpelt, where cats such as her mother, Willowbreeze (real, check book Crookedstar's Promise), and her sisters, Willowkit and Minnowkit (real, again, check book Crookedstar's Promise), were waiting for her.

"Goodbye, Graystripe." she mewed before her body faded into the clouds.

"Silverstream, good... bye..." he murmured.

Graystripe's body twitched and he woke up, feeling a paw prodding him. He would've liked to see Silverstream, alive or a StarClan member, standing above him, but it was instead Fireheart.

"Bluestar sent me to bring you back home," Fireheart said, nudging his gray friend to his paws.

"Silverstream visited me in my dream!" Graystripe mewed excitedly.

Hearing that, Fireheart was reminded of his love, Spottedleaf, who had been killed by Clawface, one of Brokentail's rogues, during ShadowClan's attack. Fireheart felt a familiar grief overwhelm him, but he tried to ignore it as he followed Graystripe back to camp.

That night...

Graystripe was fast asleep that night, highly aware of the fact that every warrior in the den had moved their moss bed away from Graystripe except for Fireheart.