I'm Home [OPEN]

How long had it been since the black tom had set paw on the familiar earth of ShadowClan territory? For him, it felt like a lifetime.

Magpiewing, now thin, scarred, and covered in twoleg stench, was barely recognizable to any cat he knew. He trudged along through the mud, shivering as the night winds battered him around like a piece of grass. The warrior stumbled, almost being knocked over with each gust of wind. Though he knew the path well, it took him nearly twice as long to reach the bramble covered camp. Being almost invisible in the darkness of night, with the moon barely shining through the dark clouds, Magpiewing slipped into the camp.

Almost every cat was awake. After all, nighttime was ShadowClan's time to be awake. He tried to bring a smile to his face, but the younger tom could not manage his mouth to even twitch. In the recent moons, his life was turned upside down and the once cheerful cat could now not even muster a grin. The weight of losing his family and friends took quite the toll on him. And now, Magpiewing could never father another kit. His own kits had all died alongside his mate a long time ago. He had Mudpaw and Thicketpaw, but he did not know where they were and if they were okay. His family was in disarray and he was determined to fix it. No matter what.

His paws aching from his journey, he padded closer to the center of camp, lowering his head as he was beginning to be noticed. "I need to speak with Thrushstar," he meowed to no one in particular. He tried to keep his stance friendly, hoping someone would remember him before they decided to attack. He did appear to be a stranger to the clans.

It was as if someone jumped out at her and screamed.

She nervously creeped out of her den, secretly examining the stranger. She dared not to speak, for she was lost in thought with questions about him. Where did he get scarred from? Why does he seem to know who the Clans are? Was he a kittypet? Is he sick? Why is he here? She sprang up, still silent. She sniffed him and gagged quietly at his putrid scent. "You smell like Crowfood!" She hissed aloud, stepping back aggressively.

The dim moonlight cast a shadow just behind the two cats. Her head tilted while she chuckled lightly and nervously from her outrageously random insult. "Are you from here? Can I get you our medicine cat?" She stammered shakily, suddenly frightened from the size of the warrior. Immense. Or so she thought.

"Thrushstar? So you are a Clan cat..." She muttered to herself, not stepping up to talk. She'd said enough... Almost too much. She scurried away before anyone could notice the glowing-furred she-cat named Frogpaw.

OOC: Shortness and glad to see you again! And can we get Deer and Acorn together as siblings? They could use some bonding time :)

Dawnpaw was probably the only one that wasn't awake at the time. The young apprentice decided to take a nap after spending a good amount of time cleaning up her den. When she heard the scream the Medicine cat apprentice jolted awake. Fear, and curiousness filled the light colored cat. Fighting back her fear Dawnpaw poked her head out of her den only to see the scarred cat.

Concern filled Dawnpaw and she moved out of her den to the cat. Even though he smelled awful the apprentice withstood it. "Are you alright? Do you need any medicine or something?" She wasn't sure if this cat was a clan cat or not, but he obviously needed help. And it was Dawnpaw's job to help injured cats. Though she was new to this, it was hard to pick out if the cat was hurt or not. If someone decided to attack the clearly weak cat Dawnpaw was going to have a bone to pick with them.

Surprisingly, this was one of the few times that Thrushstar was not in his den. He had just come out to see how things were going about camp and to check with Leopardfang about who was on patrol. He paused and stiffened slightly as the horrid stench of Magpiewing rolled through camp, but as he whipped around to see the intruder, he froze. It was only when he heard the tom's voice did he recognize the warrior, and a wave of relief and joy washed over him before it morphed into concern for the tom's well-being. Rushing towards Magpiewing, he stopped just short of the tom. "I'm here, Magpiewing," he said. "Lie down. You look like you need to rest."

Magpiewing was taken by surprise as an unfamiliar looking apprentice ran up to him, her attitude towards him changing within seconds. He opened his mouth to speak, but the small she-cat ran away before the warrior could respond. His amber eyes narrowed.

Another she-cat approached him, and the tom looked down at multi-coloured cat. She approached him more cautiously, holding a voice of concern. The heavy scent of herbs stuck to her long fur. She's a medicine cat... But she's too young to be a full medicine cat. Has it been long enough for Thicketpaw to earn her name? The black tom shook his head at her question. "I'm fine," he replied, trying to keep his tone sweet. Magpiewing looked down at his paws, staring blankly at the scar across his foot. He couldn't even remember how long it had been since then.

Thrushstar's voice pulled the warrior out of his thoughts, and he looked up to see the leader standing right in front of him. "Thrushstar!" For the first time in moons, he felt his mouth twitch up into a wide smile. It was incredible to see his hero still in great condition. "You don't look a day over 12 moons! I-I... I'm so sorry I didn't come back sooner. Those twolegs wouldn't let me leave after... after..." his voice trailed away. Shaking his head, he looked around the camp, hoping to see his kits.

"Where's Mudpaw and Thicketpaw? Well, they may not be apprentices anymore, but they have to be here, right?"

Dawnpaw knew that he said he didn't need anything, but the apprentice decided to make sure he didn't have any cuts or anything he was hiding from her. The apprentice circled him, making sure she didn't see anything. Once she was satisfied she didn't she sat down in front of the cat again. "Oh I know Mudpaw. He is a warrior now, Mudfoot." She stated. She didn't know Thicketpaw, but she knew Thicketpaw was the Medicine Cat Apprentice before her. Dawnpaw didn't have the heart to tell him that Thicketpaw had disappeared so she left it up to Thrushstar.

Mudfoot arrived from a patrol and smelt a familiar scent. Father?! He ran over to a group of cats, looking at the scrap of a cat. "Magpiewing?" He said in disbelief.

"Mudfoot is doing just fine!" the leader responded, glad to see the warrior smile again. "Thicketpaw... disappeared. We aren't exactly sure where she(?) went. We haven't stopped looking, though. However, we needed a medicine cat. Dawnpaw has stepped up for the position." It was never easy losing someone, and it was even worse breaking the news. Thrushstar couldn't help but feel bad for the tom, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. "Don't worry, Magpiewing. You're safe and back at home and that's all that matters. Go get some rest."

OOC: So sorry omg I'm just so blind DX

"Magpiewing? Did someone say Magpiewing?" The deputy shouldered his way through the small crowd of cats, his cold green eyes suddenly widening in shock and recognition. Magpiewing was small and gaunt and there was definitely something different, but it was the same tom from before. The same friend Leopardfang had had for so long. The smell of twoleg was overwhelming. Still, he was alive and home again. The spotted tom couldn't stop the deep, rumbling purr from rising in his chest. "After you got taken, I didn't know if we'd ever see you again. ShadowClan surely lost a valuable member that night. But you've returned and we are whole again." Leopardfang flicked Magpiewing's flank with his tail. He would have preferred to show more affection to his old friend, but he felt as if he had to keep up stiff appearances in front of the Clan.

A tiny white and silver spotted kit approached cautiously. The skinny kitten lifted his icy blue eyes onto the black warrior. Soulkit blinked and tilted his head, this Tom smelled different from the other Shadowclan cats, perhaps he is from another clan? No. Soulkit shook his head and blinked again staying quiet.

"Soulkit! Wait up!!" A Gray and black stripped kitten meowed her yellow eyes glowing in the gloom. Cinderkit growled playfully and tackled the white and silver Tom. She pinned him with her paws on his shoulders."what's going on? Who's this cat?" She meowed turning her yellow eyes to Thrushstar.

"Oof. Cinderkit! Get off you great lump!" Soulkit hissed playfully and heaved Cinderkit off. "Shh let them talk. I'm not sure who this warrior is." The skinny kitten whispered.