And I will always return

Nightstar had hoped that Leopardsun and the rest of his clan had heeded his call to run to Highstones instead of running off elsewhere, where he could not follow. It concerned him that he'd lose their scent should they have fled anywhere else than to the stones of mothermouth, but it seemed that his concerns were not warranted, as the strong scent of Shadowclan and Windclan cats danced across his nostrils, and the dark speckling of cats smattered the rocky hillside.

The tom's heart skipped a beat as excitement added energy to his steps, but he resisted the temptation to soar across the moors and grassland for a good reason. Turning to look behind him at the little kit that was trailing behind him, though not by much, he gave an encouraging single nod and looked to his clan and the cats that were growing in size and recognizability. Finally, he'd be with his clanmates once more, and while still out of a home, he would be much better off.

It was not long before Nightstar and his little ward came close enough for the tom to call for his clan, "Shadowclan! I hope I have not worried you too much!" The black tom with the white speckling smiled, a rare action for him, but one that was well deserved for once. However, Nightstar took care to shroud Tigerkit in his tail, not completely hiding him, but at least providing some security from the prying eyes of his clan.

Swiftheart's ears perked up as soon as she heard his voice, she was wide awake from being asleep but a minute earlier.

She sprung to her paws faster than a kit allowed out of the nursery for the day and ran out of the warrior den.  She glanced back and forth wide eyed and with the biggest happiest smile ever.


"Nightstar!!! You are home!!! she meowed happily.

She darted over to his side , half skipping as she went.

"I knew it! I knew it I knew you were still okay" she purred happily.


She purred so happy to see him again, ahhh it had been a nightmare losing him in that box thing they carted him off in.  But now he was here!!!


She sniffed around and tilted her head... hmm you stink of twoleg and kittypet she complained flicking her tail playfully at her littermate...

She glanced downward only now seeing the little kit peekabooing from his tail.  Her heart melted, she loved kits

"aww, hi there she purred quielty.  She turned her attention back to night though, knowing that the kit probably didnt need to be overloaded with new faces all at once.

"you are...  okay?? what did they do to ya?? the others? did they get free too?

well that was normal for her, ask lots of questions,

but more than anything she was so happy he was back. Losing two sibling was hard enough ... she would have to tell him about hare and rose later which she didnt look forward to at all.


But now was time for celebration, time for reunion that was long overdue

The tabby trotted along behind Nightstar, knowing that they were getting close to the clan the older tom called his home. He had begun to scent cats that smelled like Nightstar, but there was another scent. He wrinkled his nose at both, neither being particularly good. He hoped in time he'd figure that out, since he'd be living with Shadowclan and all. The other tom must've seen him thinking, because he gave a single nod. Something in the kit appreciated that, though he had no idea what was coming.

There were quite a few cats, not of Nightstar's clan, he could tell, but far more than he had ever seen in one place. Quickly, he got closer to Nightstar, immediately scrabbling under the larger tail as soon as they had stopped. The leader had announced his return, and the kit had never seen a cat run over so quickly. Her white fur was only a blur, and the kit was quite startled. His fur poofed out, and he couldn't help but hiss a bit as she got closer, looking at him a moment before continuing her conversation with Nightstar.

He was terrified, but at least he was... home?

Leopardsun was taking a rare moment to rest her eyes, letting the chill of the rocky terrain wash over her.

"ShadowClan! I hope I have not worried you too much!"

That rare moment of peace was shattered in an instant, but she couldn't bring herself to be upset about it. ShadowClan's deputy and acting leader rose to her paws without a second thought, moving steadily toward the source.

She didn't let herself believe it at first, wondering if her mind was playing tricks, but as she drew closer there was no denying it. Nightstar was back- it was a relief, and a weight off her shoulders; one that felt like the weight of the entire world.

(Or, well... Most of it. Though there was someone with him- an unfamiliar kit- Harrierpaw was nowhere to be found.)

Swiftheart had run toward the sound before she could so much as blink, and she heard the senior warrior's typical rambling as she made her own approach. Though she was overjoyed, she would strive to remain professional: even setting aside the prying eyes of WindClan cats, he was still her superior; and unlike Swiftheart, she wasn't his sister.

"Nightstar," Leopardsun dipped her head respectfully. "I knew you would return. I've done my best to lead in your absence, but I will admit that I'm quite glad to pass the responsibility back to you. We will need to speak at some point soon to discuss everything that's transpired in your absence, but for now... Allow me to formally welcome you back to ShadowClan."

After the torrent of troubles that had followed the earthquake, any good news was cause for celebration. That said, there was still the matter of Nightstar's companion.

"...You've brought a kit with you?"

That was unexpected. He hadn't even been happy when she'd brought Harrierpaw back with her, half-drowned. This kit seemed comparatively healthy, if somewhat terrified.

"Hello," she greeted the kit directly, voice softening just a bit. She didn't want to startle him any further. "My name is Leopardsun. It's stressful to suddenly be surrounded by strangers, isn't it?"

(After so much time in Fourtrees with every other clan, she could certainly sympathize.)

Applepaw's ears perked up at the sound of the all-too-familiar voice. "Nightstar!" He exclaimed, limping over to the leader. "How'd you get away from those twolegs? What did they do to you? Is Sunpaw with you?" Applepaw had been restlessly awaiting any news about his brother's disappearance, but the sight of the other young cat had him narrowing his eyes. What was going on here? Had Nightstar brought this other strange cat as a replacement for Sunpaw? Did that mean- oh no... had something horrible happened?

"Who's that? He doesn't smell like Shadowclan." Applepaw cast a suspicious glance toward the stranger, wrinkling his nose in distaste. There was no way he wanted to go anywhere near some strange cat who probably had strange cat cooties, but eventually his curiosity overcame his reservations and he inched forward, sniffing cautiously at the kit.

"What's your name?" He demanded. They were a bit too small to be much of a threat, but Applepaw wasn't taking any chances.

Nightstar greeted each cat back in turn, nodding solemnly as Leopardsun made it clear that they would be speaking business later. And it was not long before his clan had noticed his... companion. "This is... Tigerkit. His family is no more, so in the best interest of the warrior code have brought him to join us. Is there anyone willing to take him under their tutelage?" Nightstar meowed, pulling his tail away from the kit, no longer shrouding him from prying eyes. Duskflight was a welcome sight, until he asked about the state of him. "That is no one's concern." He said bluntly, a more than obvious cue to stop that line of questioning.

It was Icehearts arrival to the growing group, that actually had him pushing past and to the she-cat that he perhaps felt the fondest for, aside from his sister. Nightstar pressed his nose to her forehead softly, before pulling away. "I'll divulge what I know from my time away, perhaps make some things clearer as to what to expect." The leader meowed, referring to his gathering clanmates once more.

Tigerkit pressed closer to Nightstar as the leader removed his tail, not completly wanting to leave his side yet. He enjoyed his new name, not that he had much of one before, but there were a lot of cats, and he had never been around this many before. It was unnerving, and as embarrassing as it was, he was afraid. Though something Nightstar said made the kit curious.

"What do you mean by tutelage?" Tigerkit spoke up quietly. A guardian? Or a trainer? The tom knew very little of the clans, but all the cats had seemed... distinct in their movements, at least when they were guarding or patrolling. Like they had been taught how over... well a long time. Would he get to learn?