[ti]Private[/ti]Hey, Sister

[Meow]

Scorchmane had made the trek to Starling's den several times since he'd joined MothClan. Typically, they'd just spend a few hours together and chat about the things that hade been happening in their lives, whether Starling had encountered an interesting loner, or Scorchmane had something funny to talk about from a patrol he'd been on. Today, though, was different. The day before, Scorchmane had finally become a warrior, something he'd feared would never happen after his betrayal of IvyClan.

His hard work had finally paid off!

The tom had hurried through the woods towards the hole his sister, Starling, called home, though he slowed down as he neared it. He could hardly wait to tell her!

"Starling," Scorchmane murmured, hoping not to startle her... if she wasn't out hunting, of course. "Starling, I have some big news."

[silverfang218]

Starling has moved away from her little hole in the ground, but she has yet to be able to tell her beloved brother that. Knowing that Scorchpaw- now Scorchmane, but Starling doesn’t know that yet- will likely be looking for her near her old home, Starling has been staying close. Currently, she is in the bush covering the hole for absolutely no reason whatsoever; while Starling goes still at the sound of pawsteps, a big grin crosses her face as her brother’s soft voice reaches her ears. She pokes her head out of the bush before slowly crawling out, carefully shaking the leaves out of her long smoky fur.

As soon as she is satisfied with her fur situation, she bounds over to her brother and rubs against his side with a loud purr. “It’s so good to see you, Scorchpaw! I’ve been waiting for you; I have something really big to tell you too. You go first, though.”

Shadowgaze has been spending a lot of time with Starling since their little group formed; as such, he’s been anxiously awaiting the return of Scorchpaw. He’s carefully listening to the conversation from his hiding place in the hole, which he can actually fit in unlike his big lovable mate. Shadow’s ready to pop out of the hole and scare the mane off of Scorch.

[Meow]

Scorchmane couldn't help the grin that appeared on his face as Starling moved out into the open, his tail twitching with delight. The smoky tom hadn't been able to hold back his smiles for the last 24 hours. He wasn't sure he'd ever been this happy to simply be alive. Scorchmane answered Starling's greeting with a deep, rumbling purr, before taking a step back to look down at his wonderful sister.

If he wasn't so excited to tell Starling his news, he might've been curious about her big news. But he was too excited, and he was happy to go first. "Mothstar decided to end my punishment- as of yesterday, I'm officially a warrior of MothClan," Scorchmane informed her, his yellow eyes sparkling with pride. "I didn't expect it at all," Scorchmane continued, gushing a bit as he recalled the sudden realization that he was becoming a warrior, and how thrilled he'd been when Brackenfall called him forward, "Brackenfall called a clan meeting, and, before I knew it, he was giving me my name. Brackenfall himself named me." He purred as he spoke of MothClan's deputy- he'd truly never forget how honored he'd felt to be given a name by the impressive tom. "I'm Scorchmane now."

[silverfang218]

Starling’s expression becomes a massive grin, and she stands up taller in pride. She knew that they couldn’t keep Scorch back forever, and now Scorchmane will have his chance to truly prove himself. She couldn’t be happier or more proud of him. She opens her mouth to speak, to congratulate him, but is interrupted by Shadowgaze popping out of Starling’s old den. “That’s amazing, Scorchmane!” Shadow purrs, crawling out of the hole and trotting over.

Starling gives their older brother a glare before turning back to Scorchmane, continuing on as if Shadow isn’t even there. “I’m so proud of you, Scorchmane. I knew you could do it; you’ll show them that you’ll be the best MothClan warrior they’ve ever seen.” She rubs against him, purring. Joy can come first, explaining Shadow’s presence can come later.

[Meow]

Scorchmane's grin faltered a bit as Shadowgaze suddenly appeared from Starling's den, his muscles tensing a bit at the unexpected movement. When his eyes fell upon his adoptive brother, though, Scorchmane's expression transformed into one of utter confusion and surprise. For a moment, the new warrior wondered if he was hallucinating as Shadowgaze congratulated him and began trotting towards him, as cheerful and youthful as he had been the day Scorchmane left IvyClan six moons ago.

Scorchmane was grateful for his sister's excitement, and, for a moment, he returned her affection, rubbing his cheek against hers. Scorchmane, however, wasn't as easily distracted from his curiosity as he had been when he was an apprentice. "Thank you, and I'm glad you believe in me. I'll try my hardest to become a great warrior worthy of your praise," Scorchmane murmured, his eyes glued to Shadowgaze as he drew closer. "...but... what is Shadowgaze doing here?"

[silverfang218]

Shadowgaze opens his mouth to reply to Scorchmane’s question, to tell his little brother why he’s here, but he’s silenced before getting a chance to speak by a quick wave of Starling’s tail. She will explain. “Shadowgaze left IvyClan. Became a loner. Came to me a couple days ago wanting to live with me- gave me no warning, of course.” She spares a glare for Shadowgaze, who simply shrugs in response. She’ll probably never get over being salty about having three cats dropped on her with no warning. Never.

“If you have time, Scorchmane,” She purrs her brother’s new name. “I’ll show you to my new den- I had since more than one cat was not going to fit in that little hole. Shadowgaze is part of the ‘big thing’ I have to tell you about. If you don’t have much time, then I’ll try to explain quickly.” She has a hopeful expression on her face; she wants to explain Rainfur and Wildwing’s situation on the way.

Before Scorchmane gets a chance to answer, Shadowgaze moves over to Scorch. The small tom has to rear up to lick Scorch on the head, but he does so with a purr. “Sorry for spooking you. I am very proud of you, Scorchmane, not that my approval probably means very much.” Shadow grins at his younger brother; it had been a long time since Shadow had seen the gloriously maned tom, and Shadow is positively beaming as he manages to finally congratulate his younger brother on his new name.

Starling turns to face the direction that would lead them to her and Shadow’s new den. “Now Shadowgaze, don’t be getting all sentimental on me right now.” She chuckles.