Warrior Cats: Alone in the Sky

Chapter Two

Notes: I am not doing the 'bury the gays' thing here, his death is actually plot-relevant (and hinted at in the first chapter) and it motivates the rest of the story. Not to mention there's about six other LGBTQIA+ characters who do not die. If you accuse me, a bisexual person, of doing something like that, I will be furious.

Enjoy!

Salmonkit dreamed .

"You can do it," Flameglow told him when he said he wanted to be the bestest warrior ever. "You can do anything you want to do."

The scene changed.

Salmonkit was crying. A Warrior had called him a cruel name, and it had hurt.

"What's wrong?" Flameglow had asked.

Salmonkit sniffed. "S-someone said something mean."

"Oh, honey," Flameglow soothed. "Everyone's opinions do matter, but you know yourself better than anyone else ever will. So think about it. Is what they said true, or just something they came up with to hurt you?"

Salmonkit thought about it. "They came up with it to hurt me."

"There you go. " Flameglow licked his head. "Now, go on and play with Kestrelkit, okay?"

Salmonkit nodded and ran over to play with his littermate.

Salmonkit felt cold. Colder than he'd ever been before. The water had soaked through his fur and drenched his skin.

"Do you like tree jokes? Because they leaf me in tears," Flameglow jokes from where he sat by Salmonkit.

Salmonkit purred shakily. "Papa, that's awful."

"Why was the tea leaf a bad father? Because he was an absen-tea parent!" Brackenstar jokes.

Salmonkit purred. "You too with the dumb jokes?"

"It's what we do," Flameglow told him.

"Don't you dare touch my son," Flameglow snarled at the rogue, putting himself between Salmonkit and the rogue.

"Aww, watcha gonna do, papa? Attack me?" The brown tabby tom taunted, his golden eyes flashing.

Salmonkit shivered with fear.

Flameglow launched himself at the rogue and knocked the other tom onto the ground.

"Go to hell," Flameglow snarled, slashing a claw across the tom's muzzle.

"Now get out of here."

Flameglow got off of the tom and the tom shot off .

"Are you okay?" Flameglow asked, turning to face Salmonkit. Salmonkit nodded.

Salmonkit blinked open his eyes. He was in the nursery den, and it was pitch black.

But it was weirdly cold.

Salmonkit turned his head and saw Papa laying beside him.

"Papa?" He nudged him. "Papa?"

Flameglow didn't answer, or move at all. He was motionless, not even breathing.

Oh.... No.

"Papa! Wake up! You're scaring me!" Salmonkit cried.

Flameglow didn't stir.

Salmonkit buried his nose in his dead father's fur and lost himself in the tears.

When he woke up again, Flameglow was gone and he could hear voices in the main cavern . Salmonkit's heart sank. It must be the funeral soon.

Shaking, he padded out of the den and found his littermates and his father gathered around Flameglow's body, their eyes blank with shock.

He sits down by Kestrelkit, who lays their head on Salmonkit's back and whimpers.

Salmonkit wishes he could tell them that it'd be okay, but how could it?

Papa was dead, and their lives would never be the same .

"Flameglow was wise, and kind," Blackspot mewed. "He worked hard to prove to us he was a loyal FrostClan cat, and in the end, he was. His kindness and dedication will be dearly missed, but he shall watch over us in StarClan."

Flameglow's former apprentice, Sootfur, stood up, his blue eyes dark with grief. "Flameglow was a dedicated mentor," he began. "He was patient and compassionate, even when I made it difficult. He was always there for me when I needed a shoulder to lean on, and it's thanks to him I stand before you today as a warrior of FrostClan. He once said that if you believe you can, then you're halfway there, and that symbolizes Flameglow's patience and kindness, even when someone doesn't seem to deserve it. I know we will al miss him, but he will watch over us from Silverpelt, and we will see him again one day."

Owlflight spoke next. "F-Flameglow was a caring father. He listened to me and my brothers, and he genuinely cared about us and our feelings. He was never cruel or disrespectful, and he was rarely without a smile or an joke. The world will be less brighter without him."

Neither Eagletalon nor Kitedive made a statement, but that was quite normal for a funeral. Salmonkit didn't feel like making one either; even if he was old enough to.

Heronflight was the next to speak. "I've known Flameglow for a long while," she said. "I was a new medicine cat apprentice when he first joined FrostClan. But i remember how hard he worked to be accepted for himself, how kind he was to everyone, even to those who weren't kind to him. Flameglow was an amazing cat, one who faced challenges with the grace of a wolf. He was never one to shy away from his problems and always faced them head-on. He was a role model to many of the younger cats, especially those who had been shunned for being themselves. He was accepting, and loyal, and protective, with a stubborn streak that made him him. Flameglow wasn't born in FrostClan, but he will always be remembered as one of us, one who stood up for the indignities that cats like him faced and still face even today. "

Heronflight sat down and twined her tail with Sootfur's.