My Life Is A Mess (Open, Thrushstar/Leopardfang Needed)

Kestrelstorm walked straight to ShadowClan from WindClan. His paws were so used to the marsh now it wasn't as difficult as it was. His mind raced with bitter words and hatred. The tall tom snaked his way into the ShadowClan camp, surprisingly unnoticed. Perhaps they forgot he left. As he entered the camp, his orange eyes scanned for Hawkkit and Mousekit and Tigerstorm. His kits should be six moons now, and an apprentice. "H.e.l.l.o? Anyone?" Kestrelstorm called out.

Hawkpaw was sitting by the den when her father entered. Widening her eyes, she remained quiet and in the shadows.


ooc: why the hell is there an autochange on h.e.l.l.o

OOC: Because I'm God.

Laying out his herbs in the sun, Alderheart sat in the clearing, chasing off any silly apprentices or kits who tried to lay a paw on his precious leaves. It was a thankless job, meticulously ordering his den like Dawnflower had taught him, but he was happy to do it. Soon he'd have an apprentice to help him, all was well. Then from the camp entrance, an unfamiliar yet familiar scent wafted in. It smelt of rabbits, like Falconstone who he'd travelled with. Narrowing his green eyes, he left the herbs unattended and stalked over to this unfamiliar cat. "What's a WindClan cat doing in our camp? You better a have good reason for being here. Is Ashstar sick? Has Leafheart run out of herbs?" The dilute calico demanded an explanation.

A young warrior's ears perked at the tone in Alderheart's voice. Eyes narrowing, she abandoned her grooming and burst out of the warrior's den with fluffed fur. Her ears folded back at the scent of another clan. Sure they had unified against the Dark Forest, but it was no excuse to wonder into the other clan's territories, or even camps. With that in mind, Nightwatcher took up position across from Alderheart. Her posture showed hostility, yet her eyes flickered with confusion. Why in the world would a cat like this be in ShadowClan lands? "Who do you think you are? Walking in as if you are part of our clan." Her voice was low, and her tail lashed with fury.

Wasppaw heard the commotion going on outside the den. The brown tom walked out of the apprentice's den and curiously yet cautiously walked over to where Alderheart and Nightwatcher were. The young apprentice eyed the cat suspiciously. He didn't recognize this cat that well. Why was he here? Why did he smell like another clan? Wasppaw stood besides and slightly behind Nightwatcher, watching curiously as to what would happen next. He dug his claws into the dirt below him just in case they had to take action.

Hickorypaw padded out after the younger tom and looked at the Windclan cat. The brown tortoiseshell tom squinted, his green eyes trying to get a better view from where he was outside of the apprentices den.

"Well, I was part of your clan just a couple sunrises ago." he said evenly, his eyes scanning the camp and finally resting on Hawkpaw. "See, Hawkpaw is my kit." he said excitedly, flickign his tail and motioning Hawkpaw over. Hawkpaw stood slowly, walking over to the situation but staying behind Nightwatcher. Kestrelstorm eyed the unease in his daughter's body. "I would like to speak to Leopardfang or Thrushstar please? And is Tigerstorm around? I miss her." His voice was kind and soft but it was clear he was under great stress.

"And where have you been since? You did not return with us when the gathering was over." Alderheart said, face furrowed with suspicion at this nameless WindClan cat's words. It didn't seem likely to him that Thrushstar would allow anyone to join their clan, the old leader wasn't... well, very stable. He believed all to be traitors, and now he was cripplingly ill. But he was not in the position to question him, having been gone for so many moons. "Hickorypaw, Hawkpaw, please go fetch Thrushstar if possible, and definitely Leopardfang." As for Tigerstorm, if Hawkpaw was truly this tom's kit with her, then this was a cross-clan affair, something abhorrent in the eyes of StarClan. There was no way he was going to encourage such a thing, and ignored the tom's request.

Hickorypaw nodded and ran off to find Thrushstar.

Hawkpaw hesitated. "Alderheart..." she said pausing, before turning to find the deputy. She stumbled a little as she neared the warrior's den.

Kestrelstorm pricked his ears. "Alderheart? I think you were the cat that traveled with my son, Falconstone." he sat down, dipping his head. "I am Kestrelstorm. I didn't return from the Gathering because I needed to see Falconstone again." A white lie, but not all wrong.

Nightwatcher gave the apprentices a glance. The she-cat's gaze landed back on the intruder. There was no response from the she-cat. It would be better if she didn't say anything. Her best bet would be to keep the apprentices safe from the other cat. There was a sense of distrust from the warrior. She only had to wait for Leopardfang and or Thrushstar to appear. They were the only cats who could solve the issue.

"Hm? Yes, we travelled together. I have nothing but good things to say about him. He was truly loyal to StarClan." Though he still disliked the tom on the basis of being a codebreaker, for the only difference between the Dark Forest and StarClan was the code, Falconstone was his friend from the journey. Surely the cat that sired him couldn't be all that bad, though at times, the apple can fall quite far from the tree. "Wasn't Falconstone at the gathering? Surely talking to him there was enough. If what you are saying is indeed true, you cannot have divided loyalties. Thrushstar may not be so lenient as to let you in twice." 'Especially considering his mental state lately', but that part he left out, keeping it to himself.

Redpaw poked his head around, curious about the commotion and the WindClan scent. This warrior, he'd seen him at the Gathering, in that flurry of fur and claws. He'd never really given him a face and a name, but he recognized him from his pelt. What was he doing here? Intruding? It certainly looked that way to Redpaw. The massive tom strode forward, just a little bit behind Alderheart, and stood tall as he always did. He was mere days away from becoming a warrior. He was not scared.
""Alderheart, who is this?" He turned to Kestrelstorm. "And what are you, a WindClan cat, doing in ShadowClan territory?"

Webtail scented the warrior and narrowed his eyes, from his spot at the fresh-kill pile. He had been delighted to have him in camp during his reign, Tigerflower could raise her kits with their father. He would have done anything to help but, not anymore. He dissapeared, leaving his sister with kits. He padded to the gathering crowd to hear what was happening. A glint of anger could be seen on his gaze.

Mousepaw was caught behind the other apprentices exiting the den. "Move it, furballs!" He hissed in annoyance to Wasppaw and Redpaw, who had both halted in front of him. He saw his sister hurry across camp and wondered what it was that was causing her to seem so distracted. The small tom's ears perked at Redpaw's loud accusation, and he attempted to peer over the shoulders of his denmates. "What? WindClan? Where?" Mousepaw squeezed between the gathered crowd and froze at the sight of his father, a look of shock plastered to his face that slowly morphed into pain and then anger. The brown fur on his spine rose and he slinked around the clearing to his uncle's side, almost burying himself into the older tom's pelt.

The tabby queen caught his scent before she saw him. She peered out of the nursery, a dark glower on her face. Tigerflower saw the gathered cats and decided that there would be no confrontation from her; the WindClan mange-pelt had ruined her reputation among her clanmates enough. She wouldn't give him the pleasure of seeing how empty she'd felt without him, and instead tucked herself away in the farthest corner of the nursery. Kestrelstorm was dead to her if he thought it was okay to place Falconstone above their family.

Leopardfang didn't announce his presence. He wore a look of dark judgement, his sharp green eyes narrowing at the sight of the unwelcome trespasser. A small part of the deputy wanted to leap down and tear the intruder to strips, but he restrained himself and scaled the Jaggedrock to watch the commotion from a better vantage point. He would let the Clan judge for themselves what they thought of Kestrelstorm, and then he would decide what to do. He doubted any of them would welcome the tall tom, and right now it seemed as though most were opposed to his very presence.

"Mousepaw!" Kestrelstorm called in glee after seeing his son. "Come say hi, I miss you." His ears flattened as he saw the anger in his son. Why were his kits shying away from him? He was their father. Kestrelstorm reluctantly turned back to Alderheart, ignoring the apprentice. "I hadn't talked to him in at least six moons. He traveled so far. We didn't get to talk after the fight." he paused, should he tell them the truth about being exiled? Yes, because otherwise Thrushstar would find out from Ashwing and it would be worse. "Divided loyalties is not an issue -- WindClan has kicked me out. If ShadowClan accepts me, I would be nothing but helpful to this clan. I bring the unique strength and strategies and skills of WindClan that I can share with ShadowClan warriors to bring a more well rounded edge." Kestrelstorm nodded. That's a good idea, right? Who would turn that down?

Hawkpaw returned after spotting Leopardfang on the Jagged Rock to find Mousepaw cowering by their uncle. Hawkpaw stayed near her brother, leaning to whisper into his ear. "I hope they let Kestrelstorm back, but I also hope they don't." she murmured lowly.