A Warning for the Thunder [OPEN TO TC CATS]

Riverclan had been warned. Now that the sun was beginning to set and the last of the evening patrols were headed out, Bloodstrike made his way to the Fallen Oak. After tonight, only Windclan would need to be warned... and what a journey that was going to be. It would be some time before would get all of the way to the moor, but he intended to make it fairly soon. As long as all was calm in Skyclan, he would head out that way and inform Wolfstar of what he was doing. The journey to the moor would be a long and dangerous one, especially since he intended to take the Thunderpath to get there. Bloodstrike spotted the familiar fallen tree and painful memories passed through his head. This was where he met Beecloud... whom was now dead.

"I hope I could give you what you're looking for, Bloodpaw. You're a smart tom. It was nice to meet you, Mistpaw, and I'm very sorry for the trouble. You'll both have a friendly face in ThunderClan, should you ever need it." Beecloud had said to him before they parted ways.

Except now, Beecloud... you are gone. You died a true warrior's death. I know we never talked much but I can still feel your absence. I hate it.

And this was also where he and Mistpaw fought an owl and got in trouble with Wolfstar... Wolfcall at the time. Mistrain... I miss you, my sister. You left us too soon. His heart suddenly felt heavier. He suddenly wished he had Smokefeather by his side... He wished he was still an apprentice, before the fire, before the conflict with Spottedstar... before everything. He'd been full of hope and was determined to keep the five clans in peace... Now here he was, warning them that his murderous son was on the loose and he had to be stopped.

“Brother, none of you two gave birth to him that way. Look at you, and look at me. We may be siblings but our personalities are far from the same.” Mistrain's voice rang through his head... the last conversation that they had. ”I think that the best cats you can ask for parental advice would be our own parents. Wolfcall and Blossomstep. Dawnkit would have to respect the deputy, right? Try to be gentler to Dawnkit, maybe. Take them out to explore camp.” Something warm and wet escaped Bloodstrike's eye and ran down his cheek. He swiped it away with his foreleg. There is no time for tears Bloodstrike. Not now. He scolded himself. He sat by the fallen oak and waited for a Thunderclan patrol. If he never came back to the Fallen Oak again after tonight, that would be alright with him.

Minkstream was not taking no for an answer. He'd been stuck in ThunderClan's camp for too long, forced to wander between prey pile, dirt place, and have conversations with Clanmates that he almost immediately forgot. And now he would have been about ready to climb up the ravine walls - throbbing, whirling head or no - if they hadn't let him lead this patrol, even if it was only checking the borders; a fact he wasn't allowed to forget. No falling out of trees this time if he could help it, and hopefully no battles, either.

Stars, it feels good to be out again.

The scent of the trees - growing green and drying out the rotting damp from snow and rains - drew sharp onto his tongue as he took a breath, the feel of springy ground cool under his paws. Half of it was needled, the achingly fresh scent of pine drifting over from the SkyClan border, and...

Some of it carried the scent of cat. More specifically, fresh SkyClan.

He slowed, the fur along his spine tingling as he glanced back at the rest of the patrol, flicking an ear in warning just in case they hadn't smelled it. What was a single SkyClanner doing here? He glanced at where the forest bled to pine trees, reminding himself they were right next to their territory - not that he could really forget with that smell stabbing itself into his brain. Just out for a stroll? Doing some illegal hunting for the fun of it? If it was an apprentice wandering wherever the pike's teeth they wanted to....

Quietly, they came into view of the anomaly. Or what could be more aptly described as the hulking, scarred form of a SkyClanner sitting by the broken form of the Fallen Oak who was definitely not one of the average. Minkstream felt his eyes narrow, fragments of flickering memory pushing at the edges of his mind. I've seen him before. From before....

After a pause, he stepped out into the open, drawing the attention of the other, who was as massive as ever despite his own size, and - he noted as his head turned towards him - a whole lot uglier, if he was recalling him correctly. And something else there, a faint memory of... darkness? Blood? Was that from that whole captivity thing in Fourtrees? He pushed it away for now - not that it took much effort to forget again - and met his gaze, ignoring the torn lip. "I didn't expect to see SkyClan's deputy here," He said, tone neutral, fur flat. From the way he was just sitting here... something was up. Hopefully not another forest fire.

Bloodstrike didn't have to wait long for someone to show up. Minkstream... he knew this one. He wondered when he would become Minkstar. That however, wasn't Bloodstrike's business. He was here for a different reason, and he was glad that it was Thunderclan's leader that he would be speaking to, and not some scatter-brained apprentice.

"Minkstream, good to see you." He dipped his head once, keeping the formalities in tact. "I'm here because I have news... Skyclan is always reluctant to share information, especially if it is... of an internal nature." He sighed, clearly frustrated. "When the Asylum left, we exiled one of our own for bringing the invaders to our territory. He's done a lot of horrible things in his time as an Asylum cat and I feel it is necessary to warn Thunderclan of him. He has killed clanmates, including his kit sibling, and has permanently injured his mother. After he trespassed back into our territory to harm her, I took a warrior with me to track him down and permanently put an end to his nonsense. Well..." Bloodstrike's claws gouged the earth beneath his paws at the memory. Tigersong hadn't deserved to die.... not like that.

"The warrior I brought along was killed too, and the fugitive escaped. He seems to frequent Twoleg place, but now that he knows he is being hunted, I have a feeling he will try to take refuge elsewhere. His name is Dawnhawk, he is a white and cream colored tom with medium-length fur and blue eyes. He is extremely dangerous, and I don't know if he has enemies or otherwise contacts in Thunderclan, but I am passing my warning along to you anyway. I do not want anyone else hurt." It pained him to admit, especially to another clan's leader, that he had failed.

"If your warriors see him, will you please let me know as soon as possible? If he is apprehended, I request that if you safely can, bring him back to Skyclan for his execution." He knew most other clans didn't look favorably upon executions, but he hoped Minkstream would see sense in this decision and accept it. The warning had been passed on to Thunderclan. Bloodstrike knew it was the best he could do, but he still wished there was more that he could do.

News, huh? He didn't interrupt the deputy, concentrating instead on trying to retain the information he was given - a whole slew of it - his eyes narrowing in a slight frown. A dangerous exile, loose? A silver pelt and a single, hatred-filled blue eye flicked through his memory, bringing with it a spark of heat that - until now - had been forgotten to the pit of his stomach. Stars, why did these things have to happen?

With an effort, he pushed Rain from his mind, forcing his focus onto the other tom's words. The others in the patrol would probably remember, but... this was important. Something he needed to retain. From the sounds of it, this... Dawnhawk... had done worse things than Rain. Killing a kit? He forced himself to run the information about this cat through his mind, and briefly wondered if he'd ever seen him at a gathering; if he had, they'd never talked. Giving a slight nod, he met the other's eyes. "If we see him, we won't hesitate to apprehend him and turn him over to you, if we can. He won't find a home here."

With a hint of thoughtfulness, he added, "I appreciate SkyClan bothering to notify us. Anything we hear about this will be passed on to you."

It was no secret that SkyClan tended to keep to themselves, practically cutting themselves off from the rest of the Clans and stubbornly refusing to deal with anyone else. Understandable in some ways - they all had secrets to keep. It was interesting to see them bothering to go to use such a personal approach in spreading this news, though. Bat would be intrigued, for sure.