Soaring like an eagle (open)

The sun shone bright as a slight breeze blew, rustling the trees as they silently stood in the forest. A swift shadow leaped through the branches, flying like an eagle. Soaringpaw stopped on a high branch and sat down, taking a break. He had been traveling through the trees for a while, it was faster then the thick underbrush. The brown tabby scanned the forest floor below him, ears pricked for any sign of danger. Seeing none, he relaxed and let his mind wonder. He liked to take breaks like this every day, it helped him to relax and get some time to himself. He thought about his mother, trying to remember her smell and face. I will wait for you, mum. He looked up at the sky as an eagle soared above him. I wish I knew where you were. If only you would come. I miss you, mum. Something inside of the apprentice was trying to pull him towards twolegplace, to search for his mom. Saringpaw felt a tugging at his heart, pulling harder every day. He wanted to look for his mother, but he knew the clan needed him. He had to stay.

"Soaringpaw!" Duskfall called out, bounding over bushes and fallen branches with practiced ease to the tree in which his son laid. The brown tom wasn't much of a climber, preferring to stalk and chase nimbly over the forest floor over ambushing from the trees. So he remained below, looking up at Soaringpaw who really did look quite at ease up there. "Living up to your name sake up there I see."

It had been sad when the she-cat had not come back for her kits, but Duskfall couldn't bring himself to feel to bad. Out of that tragedy, he gained two sons that he very much loved and was proud of. At first, he was hesitant as they were rogue kits, but they grew into fine clan cats that broke any misshaped preconceived notion Duskfall had of rogues.

At the sound of his name, the tabby looked down at his father. Soaringpaw laughed and nodded, leaping down from the tree and landing swiftly next to his adopted father. "I guess you could say that," he purred. The brown furred apprentice sat down, curling his fluffy tail over his paws. "Duskfall, do you ever think my mum will come back?" the curious apprentice asked. He longed to see her again. Soaringpaw couldn't wait to tell her about his time in a clan. "And be honest. I need to know if she will return."

The light hearted atmosphere vanished in an instant with Soaringpaw's question. Instead there was tension.

"I..." Duskfall hesitated a little, unsure just how truthful he should be to his son. The tom was still young, was it not his duty as a parent to protect him from the harsh truths of the world. But then again, sheltering him from the world wouldn't help in the long run. "When I found you, you in a nest hastily built. Left in the woods for any old badger or fox to eat in the night. I can't imagine any she-cat would deliberately leave her kits in such a condition. I believe, either she is dead, or had abandoned you."

He didn't want to alienate his son, but one thing he'd learnt from his experience was that masking truths were as a deadly as lies. Capable of fuelling wars.

A burning pain stabbed Soaringpaw's heart. ...she is either dead or abandoned you. He sat silently for a moment, trying to take in the fact that his mom is possibly dead. "I...I think she's still alive. She had to of had a good reason to leave Redpaw and I there, right? She wouldn't of just left us there to die, right?" Soaringpaw looked down at his paws, his ears flat against his head in sadness and his whiskers drooping. The tom wasn't flying like an eagle anymore, he was falling like a rock.