Welcome Home (open for WC)

Ashstar padded in from the eventful Gathering, her mind full to bursting with different thoughts and emotions. Anger at Crowstar and Rippedsky, exasperation at Fishstar and Darkstar, concern for the Tribe cats- both the ones stuck in SkyClan and the ones under her care. Her caring mind decided that those two cats took precedence over her anger at the foolishness of the SkyClan leader. The two who had decided to come with her, Pale Light of Dusk and Ash of the Burning Forest, were right next to her as she entered WindClan camp, followed by the rest of her Clan who had come to the Gathering. But there were quite a few cats who hadn't, and explaining the appearance of the two Tribe cats would likely be more than a little difficult. It was Ashstar's first responsibility get the two fed and make them some nests, and then to make sure they could understand Clan life and to help assign them their new ranks- likely an elder and an apprentice, respectively. But first things first. The gray-furred leader halted as she reaches the middle of camp, looking around at the grassy hills that had been her home for so many moons upon moons. The fresh-kill pile, the sleeping dens, the mossy nests, the crowd of curious Clanmates that formed almost immediately. She'd answer all their questions soon enough. "Pale Light of Dusk, Ash of the Burning Forest... Welcome to WindClan. Welcome home."

Ash of the Burning Forest had been walking quietly beside Windclan's leader, Ashstar, when his eyes drifted over to the camp - their new home. He slightly cringed inside, although he didn't show it - it was so open. There weren't many shelters anywhere, and the sky was just above them. In the mountains, a place like this would've gotten them killed. Hungry hawks, cougars even.. But then again, this wasn't their old home. There weren't any suitable homes he could see for birds of prey, and he doubted a cougar would venture into a place like this. But still.. It got him a little worried. As long as there was food and a home, he thought, then it would be fine by him. "This is a nice place," he mumbled, "Thank you again for taking us in, Ashstar." His stomach rumbled at the sight of the fresh-kill pile, abundant with hares and a few other animals, and he finally realised how empty his stomach was again. 'This might not be too bad," he thought to himself.

Squirrelsong padded behind Ashstar, bursting with excitement. She was glad that the cat had decided to join Windclan. It was always nice to see a new member of the clan. As she and the rest of the Gathering cats returned to the camp, she noticed how the tom seemed to be a little disappointed by the camp. She couldn't blame him- it must've been so different to where he was from. Stepping up so she was at the same level as Ash, she gave him a comforting smile. I know it must be hard to adapt, but you'll get used to it, she wanted to say. Unfortunately, she was still mute. Instead, she raced ahead, grabbing the largest hare on the fresh-kill pile, and dropped it at Ash of the Burning Forest's feet. Nudging it with her nose, she stepped back and hoped he would get the message.


~~
Twistedtail walked out of the warrior's den as she heard an unfamiliar cat speaking outside. Peeking out, she stepped back in surprise at two new cats in the camp, next to Ashstar. One seemed to be an elder, another a young cat, maybe just a little younger than her. They didn't seem like a threat, though, and the Gathering patrol was behind them. Noticing Squirrelsong giving a rabbit to the younger one, she stepped up to the tom. "Just so you know, Squirrelsong here is mute, so don't get frustrated if she doesn't reply to something you say. Right now she's probably asking if you want to eat. Anyways, I'm Twistedtail. What's your name?" she kindly approached the tom, smiling and flicking her tail. 

Ash of the Burning Forest nodded politely and smiled at the mute she-cat offering her a large, plump hare, but instead of eating it he gingerly pushed the mouth-watering meal over to Pale Light of Dusk. "Thank you," he thanked warmly, "But I think elders should eat first. She bared the cold better than anyone else in the tribe could in their older years. I'll eat-" he coughed for a few moments, "I'll eat after she does. But still, thank you for your generosity." He knew she couldn't talk back, but she seemed friendly enough.

Mottleheart followed after Ashstar, his gaze wary as he stared at the two new additions to the Clan. He...He wasn't happy about this, that much was for sure. He didn't trust them - how could he? He knew nothing of the Tribe or of them. What if their loyality still remained to that...Stoneteller even if they were now in different Clans? Did they even get what being in a Clan meant? The brown and white tom found himself wrestling with the fear that their lack of understanding of loyalty to their new Clan would cause much trouble but there was nothing the warrior could do. Loyalty was everything - and if Ashstar believed that this would cause no harm they he had no right to disagree. After all, her word was law. He would simply have to believe in her. But despite that he kept to himself, sticking to the edge of the returning group while doing his best to keep his eyes on both of the tribe cats.

(Ooc: I am so sorry i have not been online for a while! I have been focused on other things like school so, I am sorry for only getting online now..)

  Specklepaw watched as the unfamiliar cats walked into camp. She padded slowly backward the fur along her spine starting to bristle. What are they doing here! Who are they? Backing away she turned and dashed over to Mottleheart. "Umm? Mottleheart do you know who these umm....strange cats are? They don't smell like any clan I know!" Glancing over her shoulder she picked up the conversation of the unusual cats. Hmm? Such strange names! Pale Light of Dusk? And Ash of the Burning Forest? So strange! Waiting for Mottleheart's reply, Specklepaw sat down and watched the unfamiliar yet familiar cats walk into the Windclan camp.

Brindlewhisker kept pace with Ashstar the entire journey back to camp, gaze thoughtfully trained upon the gently sloping earth in front of them. The idea of allowing strangers into their camp was still unsettling to her...even if it was only a elder and what seemed to be a warrior. She did her best to lock away her misgivings- it wouldn't be fair to these sickly cats if she did not give them the benefit of the doubt. These two were obviously more civilized than Bear was, so why did she feel so hesitant? The heavily scarred Deputy shook her head at the confused thoughts echoing within her head. Once they reached the camp, Brindlewhisker remained close to Pale Light of Dusk and Ash of the Burning Forest's side, quietly listening to her clanmates eagerly question the newcomers. At least they weren't angry at the prospect of taking in new members. "Are you feeling ill or exhausted? I can fetch Beetlewing or Sagepaw to tend to you if so, I'm sure your paws must be sore." She finally questioned softly, gaze flicking between the two Tribe cats.

Weaselpaw poked his nose out of the Apprentice's den, his nose twitching. He could smell cats, but they certainly weren't WindClan--not in the slightest. He slid out of the den entirely, his feathery tail waving behind him as he padded out. The cats he recognized as WindClan carried other scents on their fur.. the scents of other Clans. Put there were two other cats that came back with the Gathering patrol, cats he had never seen before. He heard a few whispered meows of "Pale Light of Dusk" or.. something like that. Was that actually one of their names?! Stalking closer, the tabby pricked his ears, watching them through narrowed eyes.

She'd made it. Her bones creaked and her heart ached as much as her muscles, but she'd made it. She survived, again, despite all odds. And this was her new home. The elder glanced around at the open sky and rugged moors. There had been nothing like this in the mountains, where they'd had none of this open space. It was a change of scenery, and she wasn't going to say she didn't like it.
She wondered how the rest of the Tribe were going, in that place called SkyClan. She dearly hoped they were safe, wherever they were. It still pained her, that fact that she'd left them, that she'd unintentionally dragged Ash of the Burning Forest with her. But she knew she had to make her own way now, for what might be the last opportunity she'd have.
Pale Light of Dusk smiled gratefully at the mute she-cat and the one with the crooked tail - Squirrelsong and Twistedtail, was it, before shifting her thankful gaze to Ash. She was glad he'd come, even if she felt guilty that he'd left the Tribe for her. She sat down, limbs trembling, and took a bite into the prey. This was better than anything she'd ever tasted - there was nothing like hunger to make something taste good. Exhaling a raspy breath, Pale turned to Ashstar, and the pale grey cat whom she assumed must also be a leader or healer of some kind. "T-that would be lovely. I feel so v-very ill, so t-tired...I need rest..."

Ash of the Burning Forest nodded briskly to Pale Light of Dusk eating, happy she was getting something to eat, then turned to the she-cat who had offered to get them help. "Ah, maybe. I don't feel-" he coughed, "I don't feel too bad, don't worry about me. But my breathing isn't too good, so it'd be better for me to be treated. Don't worry about me, though, I can handle it on my own." he replied, his voice sounding as if his lungs were filled with liquid. After speaking, he took a few deep breaths, as if he had run all the way to Highstones and back. He turned to look around at all the curious faces in the camp, and was slightly amused. It was as if Ashstar had invited an eagle into camp! He remembered his hunger again - it was like his stomach was riddled with holes. Feeling a bit queasy all of a sudden, he fought back the urge to vomit and instead glanced kindly at Ashstar and the other she-cat. He coughed again, this time a little more forcefully. Was he sick? He couldn't be - Ash had walked all this way without feeling like this. Quivering, he turned to the she-cat again. "Actually, I'd better go to the medicine den. I-I don't feel.. well.. at all," he coughed, his voice strained.

Nightheart looked at the two cats with narrowed eyes for most of the trip back to camp. She really didn’t want to seem impolite or unwelcoming, but she couldn’t help but feel quite wary around strangers, not after all what she had been forced to go through. They, however, were now clanmates, and as any good WindClan warrior she would tend to them like if they had been together all their lives unless they proved to not be worthy of said treatment.

Well, at least they seemed to be way smarter than the rest of their tribe, refusing to follow the mouse-brained leader Crowstar and his traitor deputy Rippedsky. The single thought of that coward being chosen as deputy made the fur on her back rise and claws unsheathe, but Crowstar would realize his mistake sooner or later, understand that a cat that ran away from his birth clan when they needed him the most wasn’t worth of such position. She just hoped he could figure this out before it was too late.

Snorting and shaking her head to get rid of the dark thoughts that were threatening to overwhelm her, she quickly went to fetch some wet moss, carrying it back to where the two newcomers were and placing it in front of them “Drink, I’m sure you two are thirsty after your long trip” Her words were polite, though almost emotionless. It was clear that she still needed a bit of time to get used to call them both clanmates.

Twistedtail widened her eyes as Ash of Burning Forest started coughing. "Oh, are you okay? Do you have whitecough? greencough? are you still old enough to get kit-cough? I got kit-cough when I was a little kitten, it was terrible. I must get you to the medicine cat's den immediately. Are you wheezing? Do you need assistance walking?" she fretted over the tom, checking him all over. "Beetlewing! Sagepaw! We have an emergency! One of the tribe cats has some sort of sickness," she called out, picturing the silky black tom and his gray and white apprentice. "Don't worry, you will be better in no time. Our medicine cat's are excellent and will help you stay healthy," she purred, her tail tip touching his slightly.

Icepaw looked at the cats with pure disdain, he didn't appreciate the odd stench they brought with them nor how sickly they look. One looked like an elder, the other warrior didn't look much better off. More mouths to feed, they were descendants of SkyClan, why was it their job to look after them. Snorting at how his clanmates fawned over them, Icepaw walked away to go back to napping in the apprentice den.

'StarClan save us from Ashstar's bleeding heart.' He thought to himself, slinking past the warriors with a sullen look.

Ash of the Burning Forest winced. A bit at all the attention he was getting, a bit at the pain he was experiencing. "Nonono, i'm fine. Don't worry that much, it's not like i'm bleeding out or something!" he assured the she-cat, trying to keep a friendly tone. He glanced at a particularly grumpy looking tom brush past, who he guessed was a To-be. Another To-be stared at him with a questioning look, to which he sighed. He was feeling a bit irritated after all this fuss - all he wanted was food and care. "Are you okay? Just call me Ash if you think my name is weird. Or whatever is normal in these clans." Yawning, he motioned his tail over to the pile of prey in the centre of the camp. "Would it be okay if I.. took something?" he inquired, his stomach practically begging for food. The attention and hunger mixed with this sudden illness made him feel as if he was in a deep dank cave, with no way to escape.