[ti]Private[/ti]For Duty or Family

[Broadwaykat]

Never before had his world seemed to stand on such shaky ground. From the very first day that he recognized what it meant to be a warrior of Mothclan, he had wanted to be one; he had worked just as hard as anyone, and his brothers had too. Then, disaster struck - they had lost their mother, their sister, and even parts of themselves. But even then, Bloompath knew that he was going to force himself through. It was what a warrior was supposed to do.

The day he had finally received his warrior name was the happiest day of his life. He was no longer a child - but he was an adult. And adult who could take care of himself, his family, and his clan. But just as soon as he was getting his feet back under him, regaining his sense of self, it was ripped from out beneath him.

He would not be an Elder; not now, not before he had earned it. And it was a punishment - for what, he had no idea. Except...maybe he did know. He wasn't purely Mothclan, after all - a fact that had never bothered him, but clearly had been a issue with others. Ever since the fire, he realized his mother was protecting him from a lot of things he had no idea about. Dark looks, sly, stinging remarks. Sure, he had Rosefury and Honeyfawn, but it seemed so little compared to everyone else.

And neither of them had been banished from their own clan, had they - although he was greatful that they had followed along with him. None of them wanted to be elders - not when their lives were just beginning. 

The longer he walked though, the worse he felt; the sting of being driven from the only home he knew just as sharp and bad as the open cuts and scrapes he had received upon being driven from camp. He was breathing heavier than normal, and felt on the edge of exhaustion; when he realized there was a smell on the breeze that wasn't coming from any of them.

"Guys..." He hesitated, voice coming out as a tired, horse croak. "I think we're about to have company..."

---

Tagged: gingersnapsdacat (Heronstar) | Mama (Redbird, Honeyfawn) | LupTacco (Rosefury) | 

[Mama]

Honeyfern had been doing... pretty poor himself. Not only was it so hard to express what he had to say, he had lost his mother, sister, adopted brother, and birthclan in just mere moons. But, he had his brothers with him, and that was alright. He'd... He'd be okay. The trio had been walking for what felt like ages, and he couldn't feel the pain on his paws as they were rubbed raw, or torn apart from stepping on sharp stones or thorns. The tom didn't care, or even bother to look. They didn't have a medicine cat, so how would they heal themselves with plants? Their only option was to just wait it out.

He missed Tanglespring. The tom, who wasn't really his brother, but as close as one. He wasn't made an elder like Rosefury, Bloompath, and himself was. He was a strong, healthy warrior. And he stayed.

Eyes flickered over the ground as he watched what looked like the same trees pass by, over and over, while his nose twitched to try and pick up any scents. The fire had damaged his sense of smell, but it was still strong enough to pick up the same unfamiliar scent that Bloompath had picked up.

His paws froze, and fur bristled, preparing for an attacker.

--

Redbird had been so anxious, since hearing around about the recent war. His sons! His three sons, all alone, stuck in Mothclan during said fights! He couldn't help but worry, and felt as if he was turning gray with the amount of stress he had been putting on himself lately. Heronstar was a kind enough leader to even let him talk about it, and today, the two were on a walk just to swing by the border- make sure everything over there was.. alright.

However, the scent of blood, injuries, Mothclan, hit him like a owl's talons to a mouse. "Heronstar, I'll be right back!" The scarred ginger feline exclaimed, before limping in a crooked run towards the border.

It was them. His three sons. Scarred, beaten, and exhausted. But he remembered their scents, reminding him of their mother and lost sister. He could only dream of how they were doing, pray to Starclan that they were all safe.

"Rosefury? Bloompath? Honeyfern?" The tom asked, his singular eye filled with worry and fear. Turning his head to the Ivyclan border, he called out for Heronstar. "It's them! They're- They're hurt!"

[LupTacco]

Pain- it was something the young warrior had little understanding of in a traditional sense. Nothing, not even the sharpest thorn or indeed the heat of fire itself could make him feel physical anguish. And yet, Rosefury's heart ached and his muscles shook with silent rage. Given a chance to train, to earn a name in spite of his inability to do basic things like eat before he was deliriously hungry or ever know his limits in a fight. Allowed to resume training and receive a name even now that he had been reduced to a single eye and singed, permanently marred body. He had never personally seen the family resemblance before, but now, he supposed, he and his brothers must look quite a bit like their distant father. Cobble us together and you've got most of a whole cat, he thought bitterly, his claws extended and tearing into the grass as he paced behind his brothers.

He could hardly remember the last time they'd done this. They were barely apprentices then, meeting Redbird as a stranger with wide, nervous eyes. And here they were again, but it was different, in the worst ways possible. Softpaw was gone. Leafeyes was gone. Each of them was barely recognizable anymore. Rosefury's face had been tense, unsure if he wanted to snarl or cry and scream, ever since Eveningstar had the gall to demote his litter- all except Tanglespring. Ah, another sting at his heart- he loved Tanglespring like family, saw him as a brother... and when all but him were demoted, the young warrior only cared for himself, it seemed like. Rosefury's ears echoed with the plea he'd caught Tanglespring making to Tansysong. If he wanted to be an 'Elite Warrior' so badly, he could get lost in the Dark Forest.

Coming to a halt as Bloompath and then Honeyfawn paused, Rosefury prowled forward to stand beside them, yellow eye glaring outward- but the fire in them was doused the instant the familiar scarred red tom appeared. "Redbird- Dad," he nodded curtly, awkwardly. "We're home."

[gingersnapsdacat]

    Heronstar walked with Redbird, looking along the MothClan border. She too had heard about what was happening over in MothClan, though she could not understand it at all. Even if she did think that the MothClan leader was stubborn and a bit of a bully sometimes, she still could not imagine him doing something as bad as what she had heard. Still, she was more than willing to walk with Redbird, and give him the chance to find his kin, if they had indeed come. As the pair of cats walked along the border, HeronStar thought she could catch a lingering scent of blood, and a fresh MothClan scent.
    “"Heronstar, I'll be right back!"
    HeronStar gave her warrior a small nod, hanging back for a moment. Frankly, she was glad that he was going first. If his sons were here, then she would give him a moment to greet them himself before they had to worry about clan boundaries and acceptance.
    "It's them! They're- They're hurt!"
    At this, HeronStar knew she would have to step up. It was true, MothClan cats were at her border, and they needed her help. HeronStar took a breath. She could recall when she had been in this very same situation, except it had been OwlStar who was leader, and she had been in Redbird’s place. She only hoped that she could handle it as well.
    “Greetings,” she said, coming into view of the MothClan warriors. She could have guessed that the three of them had suffered burns in the Wildfire, but she had not expected them to be this intense. They had burns all across their body, with one even taking out an eye. It was a sad and ironic twist that they would look so much like their IvyClan father.
    “I have heard a bit about you from your father. You should be proud to have a father that is a trusted warrior like Redbird.”

[Broadwaykat]

Despite knowing his father came from this clan, Bloompath winced as he heard pawsteps coming towards him, with the scent of Ivyclan clinging to the breeze. He was ready to be set upon once more, even if it didn't physically hurt. He had suffered enough emotional hurt, tearing at his heart, in the last few days to last a life time.

But to his delight, he recognized the first cat; Redbird. His father. For a moment he was buoyed by the fact that, at the very least, someone was happy to see him.

Who was with him though - none other than Heronstar himself. Despite promoting the idea that he was an adult, a warrior ready to fight, he looked to his paws under the gaze of the leader; feeling once more like he was mere inches high.

"Yes M'Heronstar." He mumbled, bowing his head in some sort of supplication to the leader, while sneaking a glimpse at Redbird at the same time. "We, uh...we come to you seeking...help." He didn't want to say exactly what help they needed; it was probably clear that all three siblings had been through the wringer. But at the same time he was afraid that the would be turned away if it became clear that they had come seeking asylum.