[OPEN] Finally Back Home

It had taken a while, but finally, the camp was finished. It still wasn't like how it used to be. The dens still needed some work and herbs desperately needed to be collected, but it had its shape back. The scars from what happened were never going to completely disappear, but it was good to be home.

Thrushstripe had walked into the newly built camp, and it felt like all of the weight he had carried while under the Thunderpath dropped. It was so good to see all of the hard work everyone had put into cleaning up. While, he didn't particularly show relief or happiness in his face, his body had relaxed as he made his way to the center of the clearing. "Welcome home, everyone," he meowed as he began to watch the clan settle back in.

Whiteshadow walked up to Thrushstripe.
"It looks good as new," Whiteshadow grinned and cast glad looks across the camp.

"Not quite, but it will do for now," the deputy responded as he took a quick look in Whiteshadow's direction before looking back across the camp. "We still have a lot to get done including hunting to get a freshkill pile going again, more border patrols-- stricter border patrols. No cat enters or exits our territory. We will not associate with any outsider. Not like this. And on top of that, we need to build up Mallowroot's supply of herbs again." Thrushstripe sighed. He hadn't meant to get that serious, but it was the truth. They weren't even close to being done yet.

Whiteshadow shrugged.
"It still looks better though. I can help with some hunting patrols and border patrols," Whiteshadow suggested looking over at Thrushstripe. Whiteshadow's white and black tail flicked curiously.

"Wow, it looks so...Pretty!" Bearkit's small, fluffy head poked from the nursery entrance as she squeaked with small joy, her eyes sparkling as she stared at the new fixed-up camp. Her tail flickered as she pulled herself out of the nursery, and started to run around the clearing. She had spent the last few days in the nursery, afraid to get under anybody paws as they finished the camp, so it was wonderful to get out and stretch her little legs. She paused, her gaze fixing toward her father before racing over with a large grin. "Father, father!" she said with a squeak as she reached him, running a bit around his paws. "Look at how nice the camp it! It is so pretty!"

Redshade padded into the camp, looking around at all the progress they had made. Even in repairs, the camp still looked pitiful to him. With a huff, the tom padded over to Whiteshadow and Thrushstripe, dipping his head to the deputy. "Same here." He grumbled half-halfheartedly, obviously not in the best mood. His mind was elsewhere, thinking about who knows what. However, he was still willing to do work if it meant progress in repairing his reputation. With Soulfang gone, he had to work himself back up so maybe he could eventually rally some friends to help him form a plan to rescue his brother.

Whiteshadow acknowledged Redshade with a nod.
"It looks better then it did when it was destroyed," Whiteshadow joked.

Ravenkit looked at the camp. I suppose it almost looked the same. Ravenkit caught a glimpse of Bearkit, she was poking her head out of the nursery. Ravenkit padded to her, "Do you want to play in our newly finished camp." she asked.

Mistflower sat nearby, glancing around at their work and letting out a sigh. It looked much better than it did before, she had to admit, though it'd take moons for their bramble walls to fully grow again. The scent of sickness and death was still faint in the air, she noticed, and it would be a very, very long time until she could forget the images of the still bodies laying in camp - if ever. It'd taken suns to get this place back to a livable state again. To her, this wasn't home again quite yet, and she hoped silently that the kits were still young enough to not know better than the madness that had happened to them.
Gazing upon Thrushstripe, she couldn't help but think back to a few nights before. They'd decided to spend their time more wisely rebuilding what had been broken instead of wasting time appeasing the three other clans who had near killed them. When she had seen the crimson moon, she was saddened and chilled, but not surprised in the least. With three dead bodies left for the flies, and Soulfang and Sagewhisker both missing - both presumably captured or dead - there was not a doubt in her mind that it was the blood of the fallen that had stained the moon red. 'StarClan was mourning.' She thought.
She thought back to the three. Daisynose had been killed by a WindClan warrior. Mistedpaw by ThunderClan. And Gingerheart, she thought painfully, had had the slowest death of them all - and it was well known amongst them which RiverClan cat had been the one to kill her. A deep anger rose in her heart, a strange sight for the queen. She couldn't help but remember in her apprentice days, the same cat had attacked her, shoving her into the mud and threatening to drown her in the water. It wouldn't be the first time she would've regretted not doing more to stop him. Maybe if she had, Gingerheart would've still been alive.
Now-a-days, the simple mention of the other clans left her angry with a bad taste in her mouth. The only thing she felt she could do now was raise her children and help rebuild the clan. Although Nightstar seemed to be out of it as of late, she knew that at the end of the night, Thrushstripe would know what was best to do.
She had been lost in her thoughts, quietly beside her kits, she didn't notice when Bearkit ran off up to her father. "Bearkit, where are you going?" The she-cat called, twitching her ear when the small calico she-kit followed. "Ebonykit!"

Ebonykit, not to be outdone, rushed out after her from inside the entrance of the den. "Wait up, Bearkit!" She mewled, padding after her larger sister. She laughed a little, making it a sort of game to try and pounce on Bearkit's fluffy tail without her notice before the she-kit skitted to a halt, making her way over to Thrushstripe. Ebonykit could just barely pick up what he had been saying at the end, a small excitement rising in her chest at his words. "I can help!" She mewed happily to her father, "I could help Mallowroot find new herbs!"

Thrushstripe quickly glanced between the two warriors but mainly focused on Redshade for just a moment as he walked up. "We definitely need the help. The main focus right now is food. With new-leaf here, prey should be a little easier to find. We've had it rough, but maybe things will start looking up." Of course, he wasn't going to look up. All of the hatred he had for the other clans was still deep inside of him and he wasn't ever going to let it go. That gathering? Yeah, there were no more gatherings for Shadowclan. They'd have their own gathering before Thrushstripe ever set foot back into Fourtrees with those other three abominations called clans. But suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by a kit running around at his paws and trying to grab his attention. Looking down, he saw Bearkit quickly followed by Ravenkit and then Ebonykit. "Yes, it is nice. As for helping Mallowroot, I'm sure he could need the help, so long as you don't get in his way. Now why don't you three run along and play? I have some business to take care of." Really the only thing he needed to do was speak to Nightstar, but hadn't been herself lately. Actually, none of them have, but she was the most obvious. If only he knew where she was.

Hawkkit glanced around the camp grudgingly from her spot, obediently beside Mistflower. She was still a very young kit who understood little of the clans and their current situations. She didn't even know what this camp had looked like before it was ruined, or exactly how it was ruined. She was a little curious but had elected not to ask her questions because most of the cats around seemed a bit angry or upset, or just busy, and she didn't want to draw that attention to herself, being a newcomer. So, she stayed quiet by Mistflower, being her little shadow and silently observing all she could with her sharp green eyes.
She judged the new camp now and wasn't all that impressed with how it looked, but it was her home now, more or less. Her attention flickered away from the camp for a moment when she heard her adoptive mother's voice and turned to see the other kits had wander off, watching them as they ran right up to the serious tom that Hawkkit understood to be second in charge of the clan. He hadn't seem all that approachable to her and she leaned forward slightly as she listened, interested in how the conversation would go.

Bearkit frowned slightly when her father gently told her to go play, but quickly rubbed her fluffy head against his leg once before spinning to face Ravemlot and made her way over to her. "I-I suppose," she huffed softly, her tail flicking as she titled her head. "Buuuut, what would we play?" she said, somewhat hoping that it wouldn't be anything like playfighting. While she wouldn't admit it, she was still quite easily scared, so she wanted to do something simple.

Scorchclaw emerged into the newly rebuilt camp. It would never be exactly the same, but if you were a group of wounded cats you get what you can. He looked around the hollow, a few cats already settling in, hoping to see Cormorantpelt. I wonder how long it will take to settle in... Scorchclaw wondered. "We will need to get hunting straight away, Thrushstripe." The dark grey and black warrior announced to the deputy as he padded up. "I would be happy to take a group out."

Ravenkit looked at Bearkit excitedly, "Lets find something to throw back and forth to each other, like a ball of moss," she suggested not really wanting to play fight either.

Stormkit came back into camp and padded over to the other kits. "Can I join you?" She asked