A Tribe's Farewell

At last, the dust had settled and it was time to return home. Echo had gingerly passed on the body of the RiverClan queen to another cat, one that would be able to return her home. She had said her farewells to those that she could after the chaos, and as the sun began it's descent towards the tall peaks of the mountains, her home, she felt the call. It was time to return home.

Finding Chirp was no easy task, she had lost the small to-be in the running and subsequent battle. Finally, she spotted her near a black cat, one that she did not recognize right away. Padding over to the two, she lowered her head in greeting to the tom before turning to Chirp. "Please forgive me for interrupting, but Chirp, it is time for us to return home to the cave. The others will want to hear how things went, and are presumably worried about us." She blinked as she looked around, thinking one more time of these clan cats she had become friends with. She ran through her memory, making sure she had said her farewells to those she knew, Ferretpaw, Daisyflame, Emberheart, and Finchstar specifically. Yes, she had managed to locate them all, which was a relief. Looking back down to the to-be, she smiled lightly. "You did a wonderful job, Chirp."

{Happens directly after Blood in Common}

"NIGHT! It's really you!"  Unable to restrain herself from letting out a wild laugh of pure joy, Chirp's eyes brimmed with tears as she launched herself at her cousin, wrapping her paws around his neck and nuzzling the dark-pelted cat's face, his amused purrs vibrating against her head as the tom rested his chin between her ears.  As his scent wreathed all around her, she realized how familiar it seemed, not just because he had been in the mountains.  They were kin, tied by blood...and finally, they had been able to meet.  For a moment she closed her eyes, convinced that she would never let go of him, before realizing that he was pulling away, a pained expression on his face.  "Oh no, I'm sorry, did I hurt you?"  Brow furrowing worriedly, only one look at his body told her why; his leg was bleeding, likely from a dog bite.  With a gasp, she launched into a flurry of mews; "Oh.  Night that looks bad, but I'm sure Stoneteller can heal it no problem when we get back to the cave!  Just lay down, it'll be okay, I won't let you die!"

Night, lowering himself into a resting position upon being given the order, reached out a forepaw to stop the calico she-cat before she hyperventilated.  "Peace, Chirp.  It's only a surface wound, nothing to fear with such experienced healers around."  Indeed, he had caught sight of Pricklebush, the ThunderClan medicine cat, nearby...though right now, he was mourning Blizzardshine.  For the meantime, he grabbed a pawful of clean snow from off the quickly greening ground and placed it over the bite; it would work to clean it of blood, as well as stem the flow.  Chirp had sat down to watch him work, head tilted curiously.  It was incredible to him that, even after all this time and so many hardships, his family had lived on.  Truthfully, he had almost forgotten about his mother's sister, and thus the litter of kits she had during that harsh leaf-bare.  Here though, standing before him, was a family member he never expected to meet, let alone have.  Yet, he had to admit that even after a few moments together, he could feel a deep affection begin to grow in his chest as she met his gaze with a smile, brown eyes sparkling as tears evaporated once and for all.  Tucking his forelegs under his belly, wincing as his shoulder protested, he flicked his long tail and spoke.  "It has been many moons since I've been in these mountains...how do you know my name young one?"

"Oh, my grandmother told me stories about you, ever since I was a super tiny kit! My mother too...I knew I recognized you as soon as I saw you!  Flower says that you are very brave and wise and talented, and you traveled to the Clans!  She was proud of you, even when the rest of the Tribe wasn't, but pfft, they're dumb anyway!"  Chirp laughed; she didn't really mean her insult, no matter what the rest of her Tribemates thought she would always love them, even grumpy Hawk.  Laying down in front of Night, she looked him directly in the eye as she purred, forcing herself not to be bashful.  "I...I always wanted to meet you, and I was starting to think I never would.  This is a dream come true, honestly!"  Her smile though faded a bit as she realized that Night didn't look as happy as before, breaking away his gaze and looking at his paws.  Ears perking, she scooted closer and tilted her head upside down to meet his eyes again; "Hey, what's wrong?"

"I...I'm flattered Chirp, I really am.  To think that what is left of my family still remembers me after all this time is...incredibly comforting; but, I'm afraid I may have to disappoint you."  Drawing his face back up, Night's green eyes were round and sad, vulnerability obvious on every inch of his tired face.  She...she deserves to know.  "Chirp, I am far from a paragon. In my life, I've done many things that I'm not proud of, things that wrought sorrow upon my heart.  They were all for the sake of others...for the Clans, and yet, I failed.  I was disgraced and exiled from SkyClan, our true home that I gave up everything to serve...but yet, I'm here.  I led the patrol here who faced the dogs and Sharptooth, I helped reunite the Clans...and in the end, when we return to the forest, I will be forced to leave yet again."

"Oh, I know.  Tiniest Star told me that he exiled you for some reason...he didn't say why.  That was why I was so scared that I would never get to meet you Night, I thought you might be dead!  I don't care that you're not some perfect stuffed-up cat, it's better actually!  In fact, it just makes you even cooler! Just because you've made mistakes doesn't mean that you have to be alone, heck, I'm made lots of mistakes too. Like the time I tried to eat that old frozen shrew...yuck, that was not fun!"  Rolling onto her back, she bapped playfully at the older tom's muzzle, and finally, she managed to get a smile back on his face, even if it was faint.  Rolling back right-side-up, her expression softened as the small to-be reached out a paw, touching his uninjured shoulder gently.  "Besides...if you have nowhere else to go, you can come home with me!"

Before he could answer, an unfamiliar voice broke through the silence, and the tom looked up to see a silver tabby she-cat; since she addressed Chirp by name, he assumed she was a Tribe cat as well.  Returning her greeting, he watched as Chirp leaped to her paws, bouncing on her toes as she totally ignored the she-cat's question; "Echo Echo, I found him, my cousin Night!  Night of Stormy Gales!  I knew he was still out there, I knew it!"  With a faint laugh, the tom forced himself to his feet and extended a paw in greeting as he usually did for Firflower, the traditional Tribe greeting.  "Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you.  Yes, I was born in the Tribe, but I left many moons ago when our old Stoneteller traveled to the Clans.  It's good to be back here."  As he spoke, he realized that Chirp's smile had grown even wider, and the knot in his stomach grew even bigger.

If I was allowed to return...would I take that chance?  This is my birthplace, but I've lost so much and lived what feels like another life...could I really call this place my home once more?

The tabby she-cat's eyes widened slightly as she looked down at Chirp, then to Night. She had heard Chirp speak about Night before, and in general she vaguely knew about the Tribe cat that remained with the clans. Her eyes softened, and returned the gesture, extending a paw towards the black-furred tom. "The pleasure is mine, Night. I am Echo, Echo of Shattered Ice. Chirp has spoken about you many times, I'm glad that fate caused your paths to cross." As she pulled her paw back in to place on the ground once more, she noticed that something seemed... Almost off. Her head tilted ever so slightly as she gazed at the tom, and then to the clan cats, then to the peaks, before they rested back on Night. An unasked question lingered in the air, begging to be asked - but Echo did not feel it was her place to do so.  So instead she waited patiently, the mountains were not going anywhere, so what would a few extra heartbeats be?

"I'm sure she has...I am glad too, for many moons I believed my family to be completely gone, but it seems not all hope was lost."  Smiling down at the calico she-cat, he purred as she rubbed her head against his leg, but all at once his newfound conflictions flood back into his mind, and the smile faded away.  "I'm sorry, could you excuse us for a moment?"  Not meeting Chirp's gaze, he laid his tail across her back to guide her a few fox-lengths away, for the sake of privacy.  He knew this would be hard...mostly because - try as he might - he couldn't seem to make up his mind.  To stay, or to go?  To be welcomed back into my childhood home, or be cast away by the cats you just helped save?  To live once more in the place of my long-gone family buried under the stones...or continue on, and find a new path I've never yet trod?

---

Chirp tilted her head, confused as the dark-pelted tom led her away from Echo, before eventually stopping and turning to face her.  He looked...confused, maybe even sad.  "...What's wrong Night?  Why couldn't Echo hear us talk?  Is this a secret, oh, secrets are fun!"  She allowed herself a single energetic bounce, but even that didn't seem to help her cousin's sorrow.  In fact, his eyes only seemed to get darker.  What's going on?  I'm...scared.  Shivering suddenly, she met Night's green gaze, wide brown eyes reflecting her innermost panic.  "S-Say something, please!  I-I don't know what's going on..."  Her tail bushing up, she waited.  And waited.  Until finally, he said something.

"Chirp...I can't go back with you."

"W...What?" Try as she might to appear calm, Chirp felt as if her heart had stopped.  Ever since she had met him again, she had expected him to want to come home...he had nowhere else to go, he had been exiled!  Why wouldn't he want to come back to the cave...he had been born there, and his family was there!  Her mother and grandmother were waiting...they would love him so much, and so would she!  Isn't that what he wanted?  "...B-But, I thought...that...m-maybe..."  She trailed off, cursing herself as tears filled her eyes once more.  Had she been stupid, expecting him to want to come back?  Maybe...he didn't like her after all.  "A-Am I that...annoying?"

---

"No, no no no!  Don't blame yourself for my decision Chirp, please.  This has been decided by things out of your control, and by the path I've led.  Your energy is a gift, not an annoyance."  Jumping forward, Night quickly embraced his little relative, licking her ears gently as he felt her nestle into his fur, tiny sobs trying to be disguised.  StarClan, he felt like a monster, but as soon as he had spoken he knew he had made the right choice.  The mountains and all the memories that they held would not solve his problems.  He could not run from the fate the world had chosen for him, and now, the one he had chosen for himself.  Many lands lay beyond the skyline, just waiting to be explored.  Even if he could never return to SkyClan, he knew that the cats he had met there would always live within him, the memories of better times fueling him to keep going.  As well as the cats he had met here; his mother and father, brother and sisters, and now Chirp.  Slowly, he began to smile as he pulled away, resting his tail across her shoulder.  The little she-cat sniffed, wiping her eyes with a paw before meeting his gaze, boundless curiosity hidden within her soulful stare.  She was a unique cat, filled with love for life and love for others; she was just what the Tribe needed.  His face becoming suddenly intense, he spoke in a low, determined tone.  He was confident in where his life would lead...and he hoped she would be as well.

"Chirp, listen closely and remember my words.  This world is bigger than we could ever imagine, and countless opportunities will present themselves to us as we live our lives.  Though we may part ways now, the string of destiny often interweaves in ways we never expect.  Don't be afraid to follow the path it calls you to take.  I've embraced my future, whatever it may be, and I hope you will as well.  Even if we're not able to meet again, I will always remember you and your courage, your strength, your kindness, and your dedication.  You fought your way to meet me, no matter the cost, and I will always appreciate that.  Your heart loves fiercely and without fear, a rare thing to find in this world, and I beg you to treasure it.  Never let anyone - yourself included - tell you it's worthless, for it's because of cats like you that cats like me, who have lost everything they ever held dear, still have something to believe in.  So, let us go our separate ways, Chirp of Cricket at Sunset.  Let us find our ways in the world...and maybe someday, beyond the stars or below, we will once again find each other, and share stories of the journeys we took."  A single tear at the corner of his eye glistening in the setting sunlight, Night of Stormy Gales bent down and gently touched his nose to hers, a contact that held all of the emotions he had not been able to put into words.

---

As their noses touched, Chirp was released from her trance, and despite her cousin's beautiful words...she still felt sad.  Now though, a light glittered within the darkness.  It was hope.  She knew that Night would keep his promise, and even if they only met again in the Tribe of Endless Hunting, that would be enough.  Still, she sobbed as she pressed her head against his chest for one final time, but as she pulled away it was overtaken by a smile, one more brilliant than ever before.  "I-I promise, I won't forget!  And I'll be sure to have lots of stories ready and waiting for you!"  She laughed; even as they parted, she felt happy.  As long as she remembered him, and he remembered her, they would never truly be apart.  They were kin after all; they shared blood, but more than that, they now shared a bond like nothing else she had ever known.  Her dream had come true, she had met him after all, and now...she could find a new dream.  "Good-bye...no, see you later, Night of Stormy Gales!  May destiny lead you down the right path."  With a purr, she extended her forepaw towards him, a greeting turned a farewell.  With one last affectionate blink, she turned away and scampered back to where Echo was waiting, taking a moment to wipe the tears from her eyes before meowing up at the prey-hunter.  "I'm ready to go home."

---

As Chirp left, her fluffy calico tail vanishing with Echo around the corner of the mountain, Night smiled.  Somehow, this experience had changed him in a way he couldn't yet understand, but all he knew was that he was ready to face whatever was waiting for him back in the forest, and whatever waited beyond.  Looking up at the mountain's snow-capped peaks one last time, the exiled SkyClanner turned back towards where the Clans waited, preparing to return home.

The path ahead is long, hard, and full of trials...but with hope for better times and memories of those we lost, we can find the strength to go on.  The future is waiting...will we answer it's call?