[Deleted]

The trek back to StoneClan territory felt like it took moons. After running from Tadpole, she found her paws on the path home without even realizing it. She missed her family. She missed her Clan; even if they were boring a lot of the time, at least they all took care of each other. She even missed the familiar borders, where some cat always knew where the best place to catch prey was, so no one ever went without a bite to eat for long. She tried to hunt on her way back, though she had no luck during the first day and ended up collapsing among the gnarled roots of a tree to sleep just so she wouldn’t have to feel hungry for a little while, heedless to how unprotected she was. The next day she caught a scent trail, but hunger clumsy paws gave her away before she could leap for her catch and she ended up curling up there in the open to sob her frustration into her own tail.

It was slow going through the snow, slower still because she had so very little energy between the cold and the hunger. It seemed she barely traveled far at all before she was completely exhausted and couldn’t force herself to go any farther. She even had a few moments of weakness where she missed Tadpole’s stupid warmth at her side. Good riddance. But it still stung to think about him, so she tried not to, focusing instead on the family that awaited her back at home. She would never leave them again. She hadn’t understood what she had, the constant support and love that had been there, that she had often spurned, that had never seemed like enough.

Finally warmth returned fleetingly to the valley, snow and ice melting, and she just barely managed to catch a mouse taking advantage of the good weather. She gulped it down nearly whole and had never been quite so thankful to StarClan before in her life. With a small burst of energy from the meal and renewed hope, she continued on. The melting snow made for muddy going, but she would take it to having to break through snow as tall as she was the entire way home. Mud clung to her pelt and seeped through her fur but she pushed on, ignoring the discomfort. She just wanted to be home.

When she finally stumbled upon the familiar scent markers the next day, a new energy flowed through her. She was so close. She had made it to StoneClan’s territory! She just had to make it back to camp, her family would be waiting, a good meal, a warm nest, love unconditional. She took off across familiar land, every muscle protesting, but she pushed through it. She was panting by the time the rock pile came into view, but she only pushed harder. She burst into camp, skidding to a halt, stumbling, hind legs trembled and collapsed beneath her, forcing her to sit abruptly. “I’m home…,” she announced to no cat in particular, catching her breath, caked in mud and trembling. Her pale blue gaze shifted over the familiar camp, searching for the faces of her family, “Hawkstar! Frozenrain! I’m home!”

Taxx BlooRey DVD Leaf-bare 26 - A dip in the temperature and a light snowfall adds to the snow already covering the ground, making the valley seem fresh and new again after yesterday's brief thaw.

[Taxx]

Snowfeather

T e l l m e, who wants to look back on their years and w o n d e r
where those years have g o n e ?

There was fresh snow on the ground following the previous day's mild thaw, the new blanket of white crunching underpaw and covering the slick mud that had come from the melting snow. Nearly every warrior had turned out, the day before, to take what advantage they could from the break in the cold, and while they might be far from full-fed, there were a few pieces of fresh-kill to be shared among the queens and elders.

Sitting half-drowsing in the sun, ignoring the cold of her feet, Snowfeather watched a patrol pad out for their sunhigh patrol before her gaze cut to the apprentices' den. Maybe she should take her own out? It was cold, but not nearly as horrible as it had been a few days ago with that nasty blizzard that had swept through. An exercise in hunting or fighting would keep Squirrelpaw sharp, and it might be good to have something to occupy her mind for a short time. There had to be prey out there; anything caught would only be a good thing for StoneClan.

Thus convinced, Snowfeather had risen, shaking her paws to free them of clinging flecks of snow and mud, starting across the camp to route out her apprentice for training. Halfway, however, she paused, senses alerted to the sound of paws hurtling toward the camp, blue eyes turning to the tunnel just as a body that sent an overwhelming flash of familiarity through her burst into view. For a moment Snowfeather was stunned into silence, into immobility- as, it seemed, were most of the cats present: several pairs of eyes staring silently at the warrior who had returned after moons of absence.

Smokestar's voice was the first to be heard, sounding not at all welcoming as she eyed the runaway from where she stood at the entrance to her den. "Minkfire. It's been a long time." On the tail end of her comment, a hiss sounded from some cat- Snowfeather didn't care to look around and see who. Her tail began to twitch, a slow heat of anger welling up at the sheer audacity of her sister, to up and vanish and cause so much pain and worry in their mother and father- to come back and have the first names she called be those of the parents who were dead and gone, who she still missed so much it took her breath away at times.

"You!" she managed in a strangled sort of screech, and the crash of fury made her heart jump in a way that made her dizzy, her stride faltering into a graceless stagger toward Minkfire and her voice gasped between harsh breaths. "How dare you! You left! You just left, and we didn't know where, and Mom and Dad looked everywhere for you! And you- you come back calling for them and you don't even know!"

warrior of stoneclan
@zen BlooRey DVD

[Deleted]

Smokestorm was the first to speak to her, Minkfire’s tired gaze pulling upward, seeing the deputy near the entrance to her father’s den. Had they been having a meeting about something? Her ears pricked forward, waiting for Hawkstar to emerge, to see her. She somehow managed to force her legs back under her to take a weak, half step forward as if she at all had the strength to scale the rock pile up to meet her father before he appeared. Only the screech a moment later had her head snapping toward the source, her littermate, as Snowfeather moved toward her. But there was no welcome or relief in her sister’s tone or features, and Minkfire’s ears flattened against her head as her steps faltered once more.

“So-so what if I left, I came back didn’t I?” she mewed defensively, even as the guilt welled up in her. But she had no patience for being yelled at right now, not when she’d been starving for a week. She had thought she would be welcomed home, especially by her family, and Snowfeather was treating her like some sort of traitor. And just what was she going on about anyway? “What are you even talking about!?” Her head swung away from her sister’s accusing eyes, still searching for Frozenrain and Hawkstar. Her father had not appeared beside Smokestorm. Her mother had not rushed out to greet her. If they had been so worried about her, where were they?

Were they just as angry as Snowfeather? Was this some sort of punishment? Her heart ached at the thought. All she wanted was to curl up with her parents and feel really and truly loved again. It had never been enough for her before, but looking back she could see how much they truly had cared about her. And for the first time in her life, Minkfire apologized, “I-I’m sorry I left! I… please….” She swayed on her paws, the brief energy of the scrawny mouse she’d managed to catch what seemed like ages ago long gone. She slowly sank to the ground, feeling weak and overwhelmed, “Daddy… I'm sorry....” Where was he?

Taxx BlooRey DVD

[Taxx]

Snowfeather

T e l l m e, who wants to look back on their years and w o n d e r
where those years have g o n e ?

"You're too late," Snowfeather sniffed, her whole body drooping where she stood, gaze falling to the ground. "Mom and Dad..."

As she broke off, her throat too swollen to manage another sound, Smokestar finished with the news Snowfeather couldn't speak. "Minkfire, Hawkstar and Frozenrain died near the end of leaf-fall." She jumped down from the Rock Pile, padding toward the returned she-cat with her tail flicking.

"They died," Snowfeather choked out, her gaze flooded with misery as she lifted it back to her sister. "They died and you weren't here. Where were you, Minkfire? How could you do that to us?"

warrior of stoneclan
@zen BlooRey DVD