Title: Eulogy
Wordcount: 236
Rating: PG
A/N: If you don’t feel anything after reading this, I have failed.

It was heartbreaking to see the decrepit cat take his seat in the middle of the clearing, all eyes on him as his stared emptily back. Those eyes, once so expressive, were now so vacant. Eyes that had seen so much could no longer show.

There was once a time when he would gather the kittens every Ball and tell them stories of his days in the theatre, stories that were exaggerated more often than not; but the kittens could never tell the difference and were so easily impressed. The adults would look on with bright smiles, remembering when they were the kittens and Gus would entertain them with tales from his career.

Smiles had faded, and in their place was an emptiness that can only be brought about by the feeling of imminent loss, loss of a life well-lived but nevertheless coming to a close.

He could no longer speak clearly, nor could he sing. So his daughter and fellow dramatist sang for him. She sang of the many things he’d seen, of the many things he’d done. She sang of him as though he were no longer there. It sounded like a eulogy.

And then he joined in, and his voice was crackly but assertive: he had one more song to sing, one more experience to share – the experience of an entire, glorious lifetime.

It was a beautiful song. It would be his last.

You have not failed! That was really beautiful!

Thank you! I've wanted to write something about Gus for a while, and this 'came' to me. =)

Yes, Gus is so fun to read, yet such a rare character to find in a story! He's usually just one of Elders, very rarely the main focus!

Awww, Gus! *sniff* That was so sweet. I love it.

Thanks, Apo (for lack of a better abbreviation)! Haven't heard from you in a while - how've you been??