What Has Happened Whilst I Was Out? [Reuniting topic for Blacktwig and Pepper]

Blacktwig was slyly creeping around the abandoned barn. Creaky wood was buffeted by wind as Blacktwig looked up. A pang of nostalgia stung his heart, and he winced. Pepper lived here, and he felt a great fondness for the old feline, as she was his grandmother. The loss of his daughter, Mothstrike, and hit him terribly hard. He still had most of his children... but that reassurance wouldn't help him. His eyes could be read as filled with so much remorse, deciphering wether he was glad to be here or not was nearly impossible. The tomcat weaved his way towards the musty entrance, and hay tickled his paws. "Hello?" Blacktwig called, his voice breaking. He moved forwards even more. "Pepper? Are you here?" he asked.

All Blacktwig could think of was his daughter. He felt so overwhelmed with sadness. It had been the only thing his mind could conjure up for the past days after she died. "Please..." he continued, mainly muttering to himself. "Please, Pepper, be here..."

Blacktwig was a pathetic sable scrap of fur now. That was all. A few colourful blotches sprinkled his coat, but it was duller than usual. Even his gaze didn't hold the same energetic light as it once did. Blacktwig was devoid of any emotion, save for sorrow. His mind still wallowing in the thought of Mothstrike's passing, he entered the barn. He scented rogues. One was the scent of Bat, which he could only faintly make out, as he had never been properly acquainted with the tom yet, and the other... it was Pepper. He hurried his pace, his thoughts of Mothstrike's death swimming away like fish from a shark - with haste. "Pepper!" Blacktwig exclaimed. He rushed further into the barn, orbs searching for Pepper.

Pepper had finished sorting through the herbs that would help through sickness, she had separated the usable from the useless, giving Bat a better idea of what to get first. The remains were pushed to popular pockets of mice in hopes to draw them out. With Bat gone, all was quiet. The two were mourning over Wolf still, often finding the barn loosing it's warm and safe feeling, Sage seemed to vanishas well as Jasper, Midnight was gone and Jaguar was questionable.

The sound of Blacktwig caused her to twist away from the catmint and a tired smile broke on her muzzle. Dragging herself, she nuzzled his cheek. "Blacktwig! I've missed you..." she pulled away to look at him, worry taking over her happy look. Pepper had seen and felt enough grief to know that he had not come bearing good news. "What happened dear?" She mewed softly, placing a paw on his.

Woo, mobile)

"Pepper!" Blacktwig practically hollered, as Pepper hauled her black-and-white body over to greet her grandson. For a moment, a trace of a smile flashed on his face, before fading at the question. Blacktwig paused uneasily. This is Pepper, he thought, I can tell her. With a frown on his face and a heaviness in his heart, he decided to tell her.

"Mothstrike is dead," he announced coldly and quietly. The large tom's neck was craned to look down at Pepper with bland, violet-blue eyes. Blacktwig could only imagine the shock that would soon be etched onto Pepper's face at the news. "I stood for her... now she's gone." Blacktwig said, his tone characterless. Memories of the pale she-cat pranced tauntingly in his mind, shouting at him. Hey, Blacktwig, where's your precious daughter now? He fought back the urge to angrily answer. She's gone, you fox-hearted monster! Until he realized that he was talking to only himself.

Blacktwig laid on the ground, until his stature was that of one that was below Pepper's gaze. His eyes met with hers, locked into that hazy green stare. It bored into him, however, it was one of promising reassurance more than jeering hatred. In fact, her gaze was as calm and gentle as a breeze in Greenleaf. He sighed, resting his head on his paws drearily.

She was taken aback by her ussually passionate grandson's cold answer. Pepper brushed her tail over his muzzle and curled it around her forepaws. Mothstrike? Oh no.. his daughter... "I'm so sorry Blacktwig... I-" she paused, the she-cat would never want to see such a vibrant tom go down the same path she had. "I know what you're feeling. These things happen but, you have to keep looking forward Blacktwig. If not anyone else trust me, I have been through what you are now and I have fallen behind with no hope of being the same. In fact, my adoptive daughter was killed on the same thuderpath I was crippled by just a few nights ago. You are a remarkable cat that I've had the honor of both knowing and being related to. For yourself and your daughter, stay strong." A sickening chill ran through her, fear plain as day in her eyes. What if she failed this time? This was the same conversation she had with Raven. She looked away, to the moor to clear her mind. She needed to focus on this moment, right now.

2016.12.21Blacktwig pressed up against Pepper, feeling her comforting words enter his ears, and her warm murmurs stir his fur. His eyes were glassy as the tomcat held against her, his black, white, and brown coat like leaves on black asphalt. For a moment there was only silence. Only the bond between the two cats, stronger than the light of day. "I know," he whispered, "I now know how it feels... I miss her, Pepper. I feel like she's with me... both her and Auburnpaw." Blacktwig stopped. He never wanted to leave, he never wanted to go back, where strange felines were alienating their territory, claiming it as their own. "Did I make the right choice?" Blacktwig asked. "I still love Emberfall... but we never see each other. She'll be so dejected..." Blacktwig whimpered sadly.

The moon seemed to share Blacktwig's dolefulness, as it gleamed like a blank, white eye in the sky. The wind whistled mournfully, and the night arose. The tom was now somewhat larger than Pepper was, but not exactly much leaner. And now, he seemed more rugged and scruffy than usual. He just wished for Mothstrike's life to be preserved, for her to be alive... but she was gone. Blacktwig had never known that such love for a cat could be possible, when he was still an apprentice. But after his experience with kits, he discovered that the love was true. Pepper was with him... it would be alright, right?

Blacktwig didn't know. He wanted to curl up in the night like a kit who had lost its mother. But he knew one thing... he still had his family. He hadn't lost everything. So now he knew.

"I can't say. I don't know. From my perspectivem only loneliness comes out of such a thing but, you had others in your life. My judgement is invalid." With a soft purr she looked at him with pride, he never ceased to grow, she just hoped that she was steering him in the right direction. "Talk to her about it, communicate. Tell her the news as well. She'll appreciate it more hearing it from you first up instead of someone else's gossip."

Blacktwig nodded, with a crooked, grateful smile. "Thank you," he said. "I'll tell her the news when I next see her." Blacktwig thought wistfully of Emberfall, and his heart swelled with pride. She must be doing so well for herself in WindClan - she must have an apprentice, and at least Flamepaw and Mottledpaw are growing well. He touched his nose to Pepper's shoulder. He then jerked up, looking around. Outside was cold, and the snow stung the tortoiseshell tom's paws. He looked at his pads, licking them to wash them. He then paused his cleaning to look up at Pepper.

"Mind if I stay the night?" Blacktwig asked. "It's very cold outside." The tomcat glanced out at the night. A few trees provided much blockage from the snow and the freezing temperatures, but their branches were bare and useless. The barn was a much safer and warmer haven. He then looked at Bat. "If that's all right with you, as well," he said politely.

Bat lifted his head from the haybale, icy eyes glittering with amusement. "I don't make the rules here, kit." he mewed,m closing his eyes and curling up more.

Pepper purred and looked out at the cold night. "Of course you can!" she meowed, "As if I'd send my favorite grandson out I'm this weather. I'd keep you here if you wanted to leave!" Her eyes lit up as she glanced at Bat to make sure he was really drifting off, "On the topic of mates," she mewed in a hushed tone. "Bat and I are mates now!" she purred deeply.

Blacktwig chuckled at Bat's comment, then turned to Pepper to hear her reply. Blacktwig smiled, opening his mouth to thank her, until he shut his jaws again to hear what Pepper was saying so quietly. He hunched over to hear her words, until finally the news slipped from her maw. Blacktwig adjusted himself, eyes seeming much more bright as they seemed to glow, similar to fireflies in a mystical, nonexistent forest. "Really?" Blacktwig asked excitedly. The grown tom looked just like a kit again. "Congratulations!" Blacktwig said, tone cheery. He looked at Bat, sleeping with fur as black as his namesake. Blacktwig was sure he couldn't stop grinning.

Blacktwig stepped over to his nest, looking at Pepper. "I'll come more often, I promise!" he vowed. "I just need to regulate my grandkits, that's all!" Blacktwig's voice was good-natured and joking. He curled up, creating a makeshift nest, and attempted to doze off. Soon, the noises of gentle snow was drowned out by the rustling of hay. He felt like when he was a kit again, lost in this barn.

How big it had seemed! Now, Blacktwig was a grandfather. How time flew.

Pepper smiled as he vowed to see her more often and dozed off. She looked into the night sky, the mass of stars bright. The she-cat frowned, thinking of the code that had caused nothing but trouble throughout her family. When she looked at her paws, a dip in the wood had gathered water and frozen, reflecting the stars. She flicked her tail, brushing hay over it. StarClan world have to choose another family to tear apart now, Pepper would never give up this fight.

The cat dragged herself to Blacktwig, pressing her nose to his cheek before laying in her own nest.

Blacktwig purred, his eyelids growing heavier. He thought of how twisted his family had been so far, and not a moment of privacy or uniformity had been gifted to them. This was a rare moment. Extremely rare, so rare that he had to be thankful for what most families usually had every day. How were the lives of his grandkits and current kits going? He couldn't be sure. All he could do was wait until the next morning, and embrace this uncommon moment.

End topic?)

(Yep! I think we should have one where they have to fight something, maybe?)

Hm? What do you mean?)

(They work together to fight a threat and have a family reunion something-or-other at the end. But let's talk about it in PMs rather than here xD)