sunset over the castle on the hill [open]

Walking wasnt much of Yarrowpaw’s forte. He didn’t do it often, not allowed to go out far distances from camp- RiverClan camp They had kept him tethered to his mentor, to his clan, not allowed to leave or run or play or be a regular apprentice. He had snuck out on multiple occasions, off to see his mother, but other than that, he was never allowed outside of camp alone.

He felt so much freer.

Alongside his mother, who kept an eye on him but let him wander as he pleased, Yarrowpaw and Tawnyflare trekked the path to WindClan, over rocks and streams and forests, until finally they hit the widest and expanse of grassland Yarrowpaw had ever seen. It seemed to stretch on forever, never ending yellow and green grass, tall enough to completely cover Yarrowpaw as he walked. He suddenly felt a feeling he had never felt before; he wanted to run,  endlessly sprint through the grass until he met the end of the world. A butterfly fluttered by his his ear, reminding of of when he was a kit, kept snug in Ivystar’s care. That butterfly had given him hope for the future, and this one gave him hope for the home he was finding for himself.

Yarrowpaw usually stamped out his urges, keeping himself solitary and unassuming, but he couldn’t help but break out into a gallop- paws squishing the grass into a solid path Tawnyflare could follow him through.

When they reached camp- Tawnyflare had told him it was camp, quietly and slowly enough for him to understand- Yarrowpaw couldn’t help but smile widely. He had finally made it to his new home, after all this time.

Sunpaw raised his head as Tawnyflare entered camp; there was a different scent with her, one he didn't recognize. Behind her followed a white tom with a horrible scar that nearly split him in half, and the lanky apprentice couldn't help but shudder at the thought. His curiosity soon made quick work of his disgust, however, and he found himself approaching the pair. He smiled as he loped, tail aloft, but his light eyes shone with nervousness. Who was this strange cat?

"Um, s-sorry if I'm interruptin' something...H-Hi Tawnyflare, who's this? He doesn't smell like WindClan...N-Not that that's a bad thing! I'm just curious." He shrunk back into his shoulders a little, but turned to address the tom. "Hi, my name's Sunpaw, what's yers?"

"He will smell like WindClan soon enough. This is my son, Yarrowpaw. He has every right to be here, and I will hear no arguments otherwise. He was born of WindClan blood, and so this will be his home." Tawnyflare stood next to his son, giving a deadpan stare to all the cats gathering around. She was done lying. Everyone would know the truth as of this day. And if any cat had a problem with it, they could talk to her claws.

Seeing as though there was a gathering crowd, Lilacstar had come to investigate, managing to catch the words Tawnyflare had spoken. So, she had a child...? Judging by his age, he was born before Tawnyflare had come to WindClan, he was too old to have come afterwards. She supposed she could not punish an act that had happened before making a vow to the code, but why did so much have to happen...?

Dipping her head, she let out a sigh, giving the newcomer a smile that did not quite reach her eyes. "Of course he is welcome here, if that is his wish. Although you would be wise to remember in the future that these decisions are not yours to make, Tawnyflare."

Ryesnap lumbered slowly over to the slight commotion that erupted among his clanmates, a symphony of murmurs and gasps. Tawnyflare had brought along a stranger. Her son, in fact. The young warrior knew only of Tawnyflare's complicated background what elders and queens had been willing to let on in kithood. It seemed like her bearing a child was a shock to everyone, though. The tom looked at the little scarred-up tom with a skeptical eye. He knew well how easy it was to fake a cat's ancestry. There was no way to guarantee they were related. Tawnyflare was a brash, sometimes confrontational she-cat... and "Yarrowpaw" (as he was introduced) was beaming like a goofy flower. It didn't line up... not that Ryesnap was well-versed in genetics. He believed a jet-black tomcat had produced a tawny beast like him for most of his life.

"It seems a little fishy to me," he said sharply, moving closer to introduce himself, when a scent all too familiar smacked his nose. His head jerked around to point his muzzle at Lilacstar. "Wait, literally. He smells like a fish. Isn't RiverClan gonna be a little ticked off that he's over here? Are we collecting other clans' runaways for any particular reason? No offence, Yarrowpaw."

It didn't seem like Yarrowpaw really caught what Ryesnap had said, at least not all the way. "Hey, did you hear? Seriously, no offence. Why'd you leave, then?"

Yarrowpaw couldn’t do much but stand there, shrinking away slightly at Ryesnap’s intrusion. The young warrior was talking to him, saying something, much too fast for Yarrowpaw to make out by lip reading alone. Though, by the look on his face, he could make out Ryesnap’a confusion and intrigue- he probably didn’t believe Tawnyflare had a son. That was fine; Yarrowpaw didn’t need to prove himself to anyone but his family. He tried telling himself this as he avoided Ryesnap’s hard stare, but it did little to quell his worry. Was WindClan not going to accept him as Tawny’s son? Lilacstar had already stated she accepts him, but Yarrowpaw needed more than her approval; he needed approval from the clan. Approval from his new clanmates, his new friends, his new family. Needed their approval and warm welcomes like he needed air.

Yarrowpaw’s skin felt hot and sticky under his coat. No doubt from the sweat.

He knows he’s not like his mother at all. Tawnyflare is.. Tawnyflare. In every way. And Yarrowpaw, while scarred and sometimes scary-looking, is nothing like his mother. Nothing like her in the slightest. He doesn’t even look like her, not really; she’s a gruff, lanky calico and Yarrowpaw’s a short, stout and stubby solid white cat.

Yarrowpaw briefly wondered what his father looked like, and if Yarrowpaw resembles him. He’ll have to ask Tawnyflare one of these days.

Snapping back to reality, Yarrowpaw quickly realizes the situation he’s in is awkward. Ryesnap is obviously attempting to communicate with him, his words too fast and muddled for Yarrowpaw to understand, and Yarrowpaw had no way of communicating back. He looked over to his mother for help.

Ashfall, for once, had not been watching the commotion of camp, but instead had been trying to get a small amount of shut-eye in her nest. Of course, once she heard more commotion that was usual for the camp, the warrior was up to her paws and out of her nest faster than a blink. As she trotted over, her gaze passed over the scene. Tawnyflare leading a new cat into camp, Sunpaw immediately running up to said cat, and Lilacstar intervening. Then her brother, stars she was too tired for this.

"For once-" meowed Ashfall as she approached the scene, sidling up to Ryesnap, "I agree with Rye. Shouldn't we be more careful taking on cats we know very little about? I'd hate to see Riverclan itching to fight us too. I trust you Tawnyflare but, how are we supposed to trust your son there?" Her tone was kept her usual blank slate, cautious to not be aggressive, despite the memories of Dawnhawk that bubbled to the surface of her mind. She knew all too well that this cat could have some weird hidden past, or that Tawnyflare could just be protecting her son. Finishing, Ashfall then threw her gaze onto the newcomer, Yarrowpaw she heard his name was. Big scar, but he was an apprentice, not like there weren't plenty of ways to get scars though. He didn't seem afraid, if he was a liar then he was either cocky, stupid, or very good and he was a bit young to be very good. Though she did notice at Ryesnap's words Yarrowpaw looked to his mother. Maybe he was just Tawnyflare's... long lost son? It wasn't that she didn't trust Tawnyflare, she was a Windclan warrior, but it all just... concerning.

Lilacstar arrived, plus more, older warriors, and Sunpaw felt a bit...overlooked. His ears drooped a bit as he frowned, but something caught his attention. Yarrowpaw hadn't said a single word since he arrived. It was odd...surely he would have said something, right? He was being talked at. Sunpaw cocked his head to the side. Yarrowpaw could just be shy...but he didn't seem to react much when Ryesnap pushed for a response.

Sunpaw scooted closer towards Yarrowpaw and waved a paw to get the white apprentice's attention. Blinking curiously, he gestured towards his own ear with his tail, in a "are you listening?" motion. "Yarrowpaw, can you hear me?"

Tawnyflare narrowed her eyes at the amount of warriors pushing for answers, and getting right up in her son's face. Her fur was visibly bristling now, her tail lashing irritably behind her. "RiverClan has no right to him, anyway. He can make his own choices. And it will be fun to get under Ivystar's skin anyway. You will all learn to trust him in time, and you will respect him as the loyal tom he is. Treat him as though you would your family." Turning her head so Yarrowpaw would not see, she added, "That is not a luxury he had been given in RiverClan."

As more cats seemed to push themselves upon Yarrowpaw, some rudely pointing out his lack of hearing (namely Ryesnap), and Tawnyflare was growing very tired of dealing with this, and pitying her son as well. "Back up you stupid pelt ward!" She lashed out at Ryesnap, glaring at him. "Getting in his face isn't going to do anything if he can't read your lips! He can't hear or speak well. He mouths his words, and then reads your lips to figure out what you are saying."

It seemed like many cats still had their reservations about him, so it seemed as though she would have to clear the air. "Look, when I was in Asylum, I had kits with a pelt ward. He had the exact same issues Yarrowpaw had. The rest of his litter was still born, and I couldn't just take him back to RiverClan. They hated me as it was, and having kits only made me weak, anyway. So yes, I left him. They must have found him, though, and now he is here. Are you all satisfied now? You got the story, you know what happened. Now can you all back up and give him some space?"

"If he is a -paw, then I would argue that RiverClan does have some claim. Why did you leave him behind, only to take him back when you felt like it, Tawnyflare? If he is such a loyal tom, then wouldn't he have stayed with the clan that raised him from a kit after you returned to WindClan? Additionally, how do you know anything about how RiverClan treated him? I've yet to hear him speak for himself. I would like to hear it from his own mouth." Sunnyskip's voice rose over the crowd, padding forward to stand near her kits. As she lashed out at her son, Sunnyskip hissed and jumped forward putting herself between them. "You have no more power here than anyone else, and you would do well to remember that, Tawnyflare. The next time you refer to my son as anything referring to Asylum, I will ensure that you regret it. Even though you cling to your ideals, wearing your disgusting fox pelt, doesn't mean that you can refer to a your Clanmates and fellow warriors as such."

As Tawnyflare divulged the full story, Sunnyskip's lip twisted. "So you abandoned him? To die?! What kind of mother are you?? If this is the truth, then RiverClan absolutely has a claim on him, he would have surely perished alone had they not found and saved him." She turned to Lilacstar, frustration and anger on her face. "This makes no sense. I would never agree with turning away a young cat, but RiverClan needs to know. And I think this Yarrowpaw and Tawnyflare herself ought to be party of the group to inform them, especially after hearing the full story."

Ryesnap recoiled as Tawnyflare snapped at him. With a terrible attempt to suppress his laughter, he realized that Yarrowpaw had looked to her... he wanted her help. The undersized apprentice couldn't be all that young, not really. He must be older than Ryesnap, if the former rogue had him in the crumbling days of the Asylum. And he was crying to mother? And she was abetting him? To make the tense situation even worse, Sunnyskip was hot on her heels, pushing herself into the fray and making her son look like a hypocritical dunce.

"Don't cut in front of me, Sunnyskip!" he yowled, butting ahead of her to face Tawnyflare head on. Ryesnap could not hide his contempt as he swung his head to redress the she-cat again. "Do I look like a newborn to you, mother? I'm a WindClan warrior, I'm gonna have a say in this, so just leave me alone!"

Tawnyflare looked like a rat the closer he got to her wrinkled, angry nose. She could try and scare him off all she wanted; he wouldn't go. Now, he was sure that their last altercation was not a coincidence, nor a misunderstanding or a misplacement of angst. She resented him the way one did a rival clan. Tawnyflare looked down at him as if he were monster-fodder, flattened and buzzing with flies. To treat him the way she did her common, lawless rogues which she wooed and shared prey with was an insult of the highest degree for any clan cat. More than anything, her words about her own flesh and blood were still swimming around in his head. Is that what Yarrowpaw is to her? A way to get revenge on RiverClan's leadership? She didn't care about him at all beyond her own narcissism. A smirk toyed at the corners of Ryesnap's mouth. Tawnyflare was pathetic. She'd made her intentions clear. Now, Ryesnap had no reason to approach her with any semblance of respect.

"Well then, I'll just make sure I speak very clearly," he hissed. Turning to Yarrowpaw, he mouthed his words with pursed lips, opening wide with the weight of his words, "You're being used, flower-bud."

Yarrowpaw was not a kit; he was entirely capable of standing up to his cruel beast of a mother. He deserved to hear the truth, as Ryesnap had heard of his father. Parents sucked, especially rogue parents, and that's all there was to it.