Homecoming {After the Gathering Topic}

The blazing green-leaf sunlight shone down on ThunderClan's camp as cats bustled about, visiting and trying their best to tend to their injured clanmates. Ever since they had returned from the Gathering the night before, bloody and exhausted, they had struggled to find the right herbs and mixtures to apply to their wounds. Rabbitfoot was busy tending to SkyClan's injuries, so once again ThunderClan was left medicine cat-less. One of the most injured cats though, Leopardclaw, moved among his clanmates and offered reassuring words and his usual comforting good-humor. His mangled shoulder hurt with every step he took and still bled a little in some places, but he was the only remaining high-ranking cat; the clan needed him active in this trying time. The cats seemed to be calming, so Leopardclaw made his way over to the base of the Highrock and lay down in the shade it cast, wincing as he bent his shoulder. With a long sigh, the large spotted tabby watched with half-closed eyes as the cats mingled, fighting off the tempting urge to close his eyes completely and sink into the sweet embrace of sleep.

Leafstorm sighed as he padded into camp next to Specklefang, his eyes downcast.
It was hard enough to lose his sister, but he had always believed that once they caught the mist-creature they could force it to give back the cats they captured.

But not anymore.
He sat down to groom Specklefang's fur, his nose wrinkling as he occasionally came across blood.
To make it worse, they had no Medicine Cat. Skyclan and Shadowclan both had two, but what were the odds that they remembered Thunderclan?
Even if they did, could they make it in time? Several apprentices were on the ground, torn and bleeding.

Leafstorm
Shook himself, glancing at Lionspark. Blizzardstar was gone, making Leopardclaw the new leader of Thunderclan. It seemed that Lionspark was the obvious choice for deputy.

OOC: short, mobile and a piece of garbage but I'm too tired to care tbh

She never thought she would be so happy to see the slowly healing forest again.

They were finally back home.

The white paws of the ThunderClan leader gracefully walked across the growing undergrowth, causing her heart to beat quickly against her chest with the purest joy. However, she was not alone in her travel.

Sunpaw, Umberflame, Honeypaw, Reedpaw…they walked at Blizzardstar's side, the lost clanmates that they had been so worried about during the past couple moons. While she was happy for the reunion, she looked down at the cold body of the apprentice that she carried. Cloverpaw had died on those cursed caves, she couldn’t leave nor bury her there though. She had to bring her back to ThunderClan so her body could be buried with her clanmates. She lowered her ears as a bittersweet wave of emotions washed over her, what she wouldn’t had given to be able to bring every single back of her clanmates back alive.

More than once she had been offered help by the rest of the cats that came back with her, especially from Honeypaw, as she still had the wounds that the mist caused to her before taking her away. But she refused the help, at least for now. All she could think was on taking her clanmates home, reuniting the suffering families and let the clan mourn for Cloverpaw. Her wounds could wait.

When the camp finally came into view she took a deep breath, sprinting slightly to arrive as soon as possible. How she found her way from the cave where they were kept to the territories, she had no idea, but she had a strong feeling that StarClan had been the ones to guide her paws back home and for that she thanked them over and over again.

After she and her clanmates made it past the brambles and to the middle of the clan she placed Cloverpaw’s body down and yowled loud enough for everyone to hear “ThunderClan! We are back!”.

Sunpaw looked around, her eyes bright. After more than two moons in that wretched cave, she had finally, finally returned. The sun shone bright, and her spirits soared.
She was thin, her pelt hung off of her bones loosely and her once-golden fur had dulled.

She followed Blizzardshine- no, Blizzardstar, -into the territory. She tilted her head at the random scorch marks but merely waved it off.
They padded into camp and she shot the cats that were captured a smile and a wink before looking around.

And then she saw him.



"Sunpaw!" Leafstorm cried, leaping up from beside Specklefang and rushing to her. "I never thought I'd see you again."
And then they were crying and laughing, telling each other everything that had happened and nuzzling and just being together.
Finally they broke apart.
Leafstorm pointed out his kits in the crowd proudly, laughing at how Sunpaw insisted that he was 'too crazy to be a father'.
He chuckled and ran his muzzle again through her fur.


Sunpaw, now giddy with excitement, looked around. "Lichenfang! Hi!"
She tilted her head. "Hawkpaw! Blazingpaw! Falconpaw, is that you? You've grown so much!"

Shrewpaw stumbled back, barely concious. He was super annoyed that he had been out cold while all the cool stuff happened at the gathering, but there was nothing he could do about it. He knew that the mist had been defeated, and that the other cats hadn't come back, but other than that he knew nothing. He wished someone would tell him anything, but he was too much of a bloody mess right now to pay attention that well. That was the worst thing about being injured, being treated like you were stupid. So irratably, he stumbled into camp and collapsed, groaning in annoyance. He started forcing himself towards the apprentice den when a scent hit his barely working nose.
"Reedpaw?" the brown apprentice called out, a grin breaking over his face, causing pain that he ignored to errupt. There he was, and so were all the other taken cats. He collapsed again, but tried to walk over to his best friend, pushing away the pain as best as he could.

Shadowleaf hadn't suffered from as many wounds like some of the others had so she had been buys running back and forth helping take care of the wounded cats, hunting, and other things. She didn't do much in the battle against Smokefang and her own Tribe mate, but Blizzardstar entrusted the clan to her and as well as Leopardclaw so even if she was tired she still had to do things.

The gray and white she-cat was inside the warriors den bringing water to one of the many injured warriors, when she heard her leader's voice. The former prey-hunter dropped now basically dry moss and rushed out of the den.

"Blizzardstar! Oh thank the stars you are back!" Shadowleaf didn't know what she would do without the leader. She knew she had a place in the clan but so far the leader and Shrikepaw were the only ones that had been nice to the former tribe cat.

Honeypaw slowly followed beside Blizzardstar. The medicine cat apprentice or medicine cat she didn't know what to consider herself had constantly worried over her clanmates and their injuries. Especially Blizzardstar but she refused the adult aged she cat as she tried to help. Though she was briefly distracted once into the camp. She looked around before her gaze looked to the golden spotted form of her father and with a small smile she looked around relief flooding her to see her clanmates ok.

Owlpaw came from the apprentices dwn her green eyes focusing on the cats that filed into the clearing.

Lichenfang was quiet but her gaze focused on Sunpaw for a moment before her gaze snapped to her kits Reedpaw and Honeypaw.  "My kits!"She gave a howl of sheer joy at seeing them. She rushed to the two oh so familiar pelts of her twin eldest kits. She was unable to contain her but she looked to Blizzardstar almost applogicetically as she took notice of Cloverpaw's still form. She felt her ears burn with embarrassment. She nuzzled Honeypaw and then Reedpaw.

Leopardclaw's eyes were slowly beginning to close when he heard excited yowls and cries from his clanmates, and the deputy's spotted head bolted back upright instantly.  The fur on his neck fluffing up aggressively, he thought at first that the Dark Forest had returned yet again; but when he saw who had really entered he felt his jaw drop open in astonished relief.  "REEDPAW, HONEYPAW!"  Scrambling to his paws, Leopardclaw barely noticed the pain in his torn shoulder as he dashed wildly towards his beloved kits, and enveloped both of them into his loving embrace.  Licking their faces and touching noses with each of them, joyful tears welled in his hazel eyes as he laughed aloud, too overwhelmed with relief to keep silent.  Closing his eyes, the golden tom wrapped his tail around his mate's shoulders and pulled her closer to him, not wanting to ever let go of any of them ever again.  "We..we've missed y..you both so much!"

Gazing up from his kits for a moment, he locked his sight on Blizzardstar, great relief and gratefulness apparent on his face.  Nodding to her, he barely managed to make out the words; "T..thank you!" before he turned back to his family, his heart once again light and free from the chains of sorrow that had bound it for so long.

His head was still foggy from everything that had happened at the gathering. The tabby apprentice had been taken out by the mist. Somehow, it had managed to sap him of all his energy. All the world had gone dark. Thankfully, the clans had worked together to take down the ungodly strong cat of the 'dark forest'. He had never heard of such a place. At the end of the whole mess, the apprentice had finally managed to regain consciousness. However, his paw steps still felt as heavy as boulders. Each step was a struggle. In several places on his pelt, a variety of still bleeding scratches stung. But, somehow, they had all come back to camp together in some bedraggled mess.

Next to the young tom was his older brother who had sustained similar wounds. Coyotepaw had already stuck close to his side, but this had made it even worse. Losing kin was something he was used to, but that did not mean he wanted to make a habit of it. Once they stepped back into camp, he immediately and awkwardly settled onto the ground. It had been sometime now that he had been without any scratch or sore. Even in the city, Wolffang had managed to keep her young kit away from the claws of his father. She had not always succeeded. Coyotepaw was by no means any stranger to pain. Instead of saying anything, or joining in the chorus of welcomes, he simply watched. If the medicine cat got to him eventually, it would be alright, but he just held his tongue.

The scent of the forest was so familiar to Reedpaw and yet it seemed like he was walking on a dream because of the long time he was gone. Now that he was coming back to the place he called home, far away from that awful and cold cave, he could feel safe again.

He walked closer to his sister, following Blizzardstar to the camp but he couldn't stay still for so long when his eyes gazed the silhouette of his mother and father. He let a small cry of happiness escape from his mouth as he could feel the tears covering his face while he ran toward Leoparclaw, pushing himself closer to him and Lichenfang. The warm embrace of his parents was so overwhelming that it was almost like he could forget the nightmare that was living in that cave. "Mom, dad... I missed you so much too! All I wanted was to come back home..." He cried, letting the tears fell on his paws and golden fur.

He separated a bit from his father, just to see the brown furred apprentice that was his friend. Giving Leoparclaw and Lichenfang a last embrace, the young tom walked toward the defeated apprentice and he smiled back at him, with tears of happiness. "I missed you, my friend..." He purred, nudging him gently to help him to stand up properly. The last time he fought with him because of a silly prank but after all that happened... that fight was just so insinigficant compared to the friendship they shared.

Behind the pile of cats, a little tom trailed behind them all. He looked uncertain of where he sat, the little brown tom following behind Sunpaw with fear. He'd never seen the world beyond the cave, even though he was apprentice-sized. Every noise, every shadow seemed to spook him, but Duskkit held his ground knowing that his father would want him to be brave. "He- Hello."

Umberflame looked down at Coalkit and Duskkit. Her tail twitched nervously as she feared what the clan would think. "Duskkit, Coalkit, stay close." She meowed wrapping her tail around the two. She gave them each a comforting lick between the ears.


Coalkit stared shyly at the cats she didn't know. Turning to Sunpaw she meowed. "Sunpaw? Where are we? Who are these cats..?" The coal black she cat meowed.

Sunpaw padded back to the group, giving Duskkit a small lick on the cheek before turning to the others with a purr.
"We're home." Her eyes shone. "This is your family. This is Thunderclan."

It was over- all of it, over.
Duskkit, Dovekit, Twisterkit and Coalkit, Umberflame, Honeypaw, Reedpaw... they were home.
The golden apprentice purred. "C'mon," She mewed encouragingly, giving Twisterkit a gentle push with her paw and nudging Dovekit gently forward with her nose.
"Go explore!"


Leafstorm frowned. Those cats looked sick. Their fur was dull and their skin was hanging off their bones.
He rushed to the Fresh-Kill Pile, picking out a piece of prey for each cat and passing it out.
"What was it like? Where... where were you?" He mewed quietly, sitting down and wrapping his tail around his paws.

Dovekit was a tad nervous too, all these new cats overloading her nose with new unfamiliar smells. She stuck close to her brother, trying not to show how nervous she was... She lifted her head, even though it was big and scary, it was beautiful and wonderful too! (I'm dusk kit's sister i was told btw )