Wherever you go, the moon still sets in Shadowclan (open)

The journey from that wretched farm had been absolutely miserable, filled with unexpected rest sessions to accommodate the elderly warrior that he had begrudgingly added to his party. Sablestrike had shown pity to Mistworm in helping him dispatch the dog that had targeted him, and had allowed the warrior to accompany him back to the forest, though this was where his kindness had run out. It was clear that Mistworm was no long lost elder of Shadowclan, therefore he could make his own way in the forest, free of any further escort. Let him peel back to whatever clan he was a part of, let Sablestrike finally be free of him. Sablestrike had his own clan to go back to, and even if they were still stuck in Highstones he was more than excited to be back in the company of his own clanmates.

As he traced the Shadowclan border on his way back to Highstones however, something seemed different. The scent of his clan was thicker than before, almost as if patrols had become more frequent. While it was possible that more patrols had been sent for an unrelated reason, Sablestrike was optimistic that this was good news. His course changed from Highstones to Shadowclan's camp, and his leisure trot turned into a full-blown sprint. Each step through the familiar muddy landscape drew the tom closer to stronger scents, and it was finally clear to him. Shadowclan was home. The camp came into view, and Sablestrike wasted no time in bursting his way through the thorn tunnel and into the hollow that contained his clanmates. He stood at the entrance to the tunnel, observing not just the damage to the camp, but the cats that littered the hollow. Finally home and surrounded by familiar faces, Sablestrike let himself relax.

Harrierpaw had been rebuilding her and the other apprentices nests, having put it off for long enough. Hers would be littered with feathers, though. She deserved a soft bed after what she'd been through!

A commotion at the tunnel into camp made her fur fluff out and her claws dig deep into the earth below them. StarClan tortures us again... Her nose scrunched as she bared teeth, turning to give whatever intruded a piece of her mind-

Only this time to be overcome with relief. She knew this menace! "Sablestrike!" She called out joyously, just happy to see a clanmate back, especially knowing what evils were out there and what those Twolegs were capable of doing to a cat if that was indeed what happened to him. Her missing back toes would vouch to that if they were still attached.

She skidded to a halt at the tunnel. "Welcome home! Are you hurt? Are you hungry?"

Lighttail padded out of the warriors’ den, having been helping patch the wall. The sight that greeted her, though, was one she was sure she’d never forget. Her baby brother was home! “Sablestrike!” she yelled out, crossing the clearing in a flash of silver and white. Giddy as an apprentice, the warrior tackle-hugged her little brother. “You are not leaving ShadowClan again, do you hear me?” she hissed playfully in his ear.

All the commotion beckoned an older warrior out of the medicine den. Snowfoot dragged herself away from her current construction project, and immediately began tearing up as she speed-walked forwards to touch her son’s nose. “My boy, you’re home!” she mewed, voice breaking.

Commotion was one of the things that was sure to catch Leopardsun's attention, and the sound of a familiar name was more than enough to tear her away from the nursery repairs. "Sablestrike? Is it really...?"

There was no mistaking it, given the responses of Snowfoot, Lighttail, and Harrierpaw: Sablestrike had return to them at last. A flurry of emotions she struggled to sort through were suddenly at the forefront of her mind, and she wasn't sure what to say. They hadn't been on the best of terms before he left, but...

Leopardsun sighed before she stepped forward. There would be time for everything else later. Sablestrike was a lot of things, not all of them pleasant, but- he was family; that hadn't changed.

"Sablestrike! We were all worried," she admitted. "What happened to you, where have you been? Are you alright? Do you need to visit the medicine den?" Then, a few moments later: "Did you learn anything about the other missing cats while you were gone?"