No Longer Alone Take 2? [c]

Aether had just gotten done training Nightpaw for the day, and he definitely needed a break. It wasn't that he didn't like Nightpaw, but there was definitely heartache being around the tom. He reminded him too much of himself, when he was young and naive, looking for nothing more than the approval of his father. Klaus was good at making him believe he loved his kids, that was for sure. It wasn't until he knew he had lost Aether that he no longer tried to mask his true self.

And now the cycle was repeating. He had a cat looking up to him the same way he had to his father. It scared him, but he knew he had to be different. He would be different. He would not let history repeat itself.

He hadn't even realized he had wandered so close to the border, until he caught the sound of rustling leaves.

"Whose there?"

The member 'Karuna' has done the following action : Dice roll

---

'Invasion Dice' :

The calico had been returning to camp - the long way, of course - from one of her semi-frequent trips to the spot she had deemed a memorial to all those she lost, and today she was feeling it hard that she needed a bit of extra time to herself. The ache of Achelois' loss had been highly amplified with the recent death of Stoatstar, one of the last real remnants of her sister now laid to rest in the stars too. Mottlerose was now deputy, and Minnowfin was awaiting the right time to receive his lives- something that scarcely caught her interest as she was a little far consumed in her grief.

Sighing, she brushed against a tree, figuring that marking the border as she had once been shown wasn't a bad idea as she really lacked the energy to hunt; at least this way she could console herself that she did something good for the clan. Drowning in her head, Thistlemask jumped a little and her fur bristled out as a familiar voice called out, and she blinked a few times as she took in the unique coat of a tom she hadn't seen in moons.

"Aether?" She whispered, paw lifted hesitantly above the ground, wondering if taking a step toward him was wise. Would he remember her too? Did he still fight for Klaus' cause? Wait- the scent that collided at the border, one she recognised as SkyClan - it wafted off him in waves. Was he- like her too?

The caution waned a little bit as her heart ached to be near what was left of her kin, and she gingerly placed her paw to the floor, taking slow steps towards him.

The cat that had approached him called his name, his real name, and Aether's heart soared. "Achlys!"

The border was completely forgotten as he raced over to his sister. He doubted she would chase him away, anyway. Would she? Would she know about his betrayal to the order? But then, she was still with ThunderClan. Did she go against their father too? Hope sparked in his heart, but he dare not let it show until he knew for sure.

"What are you still doing here? Morningstar is dead." And there was no sorrow in his voice saying it. It was for the best that he was gone.

"Aren't you going back to the Order?"

Where once there would have been nothing short of glee at her name, she felt nothing but a slight tug at her heart- something she more attributed to the appearance of her brother versus the usage of her former name. A purr rumbled deep in her chest as he bounded over, immediately taking it as a sign of friendliness, and she rubbed her cheek against his in a rare display of intense affection.

The words he said had barely registered before a response tumbled out, eyes wide in surprise. "He's- he's dead?" Thistlemask took a step back, tilting her head to the side for a moment. There was apathy thinly veiled in her voice, the lack of any emotion for the tom she once knew as a father evident in the coldness of her movements. She shook her head and snorted contemptuously, looking at Aether with a small bit of sadness as he asked if she was going to return to the Order.

"Don't claw my ears off if you disagree, but I'm glad he's gone. And uh... I think I actually have him to thank for this; I'm not going back to the Order. I'm sorry Aether." She bowed her head for a moment, a genuine apology to the sibling that she assumed wanted her to return. "I'm a ThunderClan warrior now. Atalante and Achelois were once here too. They've both passed now." Her heart twisted in her chest again, a deep sigh escaping her maw as she looked back at her brother.

"My name is Thistlemask now."

She paused for a moment, settling down with her tail wrapped around her paws, questions bubbling on her tongue. Family caught a rare side of her; one capable of carrying a genuine conversation.

"Where have you been? What's been happening since I left the Order? How's Hyacinthia?"

Aether shook his head as Thistlemask asked about their mother. Well, given what she said, he knew there would be no opposition for what he had to say.

"I left the order, too. And I agree with you, I'm glad he's gone. A good friend of mine is dead because of him. I, uh, I think I'm sort of a traitor to the Order, now? I know dad would have me killed by now if he was still around, at least."

When his sister said Atalente and Achelois was dead, he hung his head. Other than Ares, whom Aether refused to speak to, Thistlemask and him were the only ones left. "I'm a SkyClan warrior now. Ares had hung around for a bit while Dad was still here, but he went back to the Order, thank the stars. I think Ares got some sort of joy in following Dad around and beating everyone up, even his own siblings. But, um, yeah, I got a name too. Crimsonflame. I still like Aether better, though, don't tell anyone."

He let out a snort.

"So, you're a warrior of ThunderClan. Are our half-siblings still there? Dad told us you were there for his other mate and her kits. Mom wasn't too happy either."

She let out a harsh laugh, briefly flexing her claws into the dirt beneath her. "A traitor for not obeying his every move. I don't think I could be happier that I got out when I did," a wry smile accompanied her words, and she listened as he spoke further. The knowledge about Ares was... well, for the time that had passed, it was unsurprising-- but if she had heard that he did that moons ago, she would have scarcely believed any part of it to be true. Time truly distorts, the molly silently mused, letting out a small chuckle at her brother's confession.

"Ironically, I'm the opposite. With everything that happened, and losing Achelois especially, I no longer felt like Achlys. Truly, I don't really know who she is- she sure isn't me, that's something I'm confident about. Guess that makes me more of a traitor than you," her voice was light, but there was a mild hint of disgust at their father's rules.

Shock and anger filled her as Aether told her what Klaus had said to the Order with her departure, and she flattened her ears, tail lashing a little. The realisation that her father had another litter while with her mother - while she was barely a kit herself - had been hard to swallow news, and if returning the Order to face him hadn't been so daunting, there was a high chance the molly would have clawed his ears off. And been at her mother's every beck and call. To know that her supposed reason for leaving was to protect those half-rogue children? Thistlemask's blood boiled.

"If he were not already dead, I would kill him again myself. Lying piece of fox-dung," she spat, tail now dragging along the ground slower as she attempted to calm down. "Aether, and I wish our mother knew this too, I did not leave to protect that queen or her children. Truthfully, I've never spoken a word to any of them. I went because Achelois and the leader became friends, and she was going to go no matter what, and I couldn't leave her. Ata came for those children and their mother. Not us."

The mere uttering of her sisters name quelled the remaining anger, and she took a deep breath. "Sorry. That was unwarranted. It's just not fair -- I wouldn't have left my real family for Klaus' fling. I wish mom knew that too," she sighed, shaking her head before continuing, "But our... other siblings are fine, I think. One of them is the new medicine cat, so that's something."