O Brother Where Art Thou [closed]

It had been some time since the last gathering. So much had happened, but Redstorm was still focused on one little fact. After all of this time, he had finally seen who he believed was his brother. The voice was vaguely familiar, the look of tomcat from Thunderclan had a striking resemblance to his father- no... There was a striking resemblance to Bear. The young tom was sure that that was Barkkit, but if he was at a gathering, then surely he was no longer Barkkit. Barkpaw? What could his warrior name be?

As Redstorm became more lost in his thoughts, the more he began to wander until suddenly his paws stopped at the edge of the Thunderpath as monsters raced along their track. Disgusting air and debris swirled up into the tom's fluffy pelt, but it didn't seem to bother him-- not this time, at least. As he was finally pulled away from his mind, Redstorm took a moment to look across the way into Thunderclan territory, staring for far too long. What was he expecting to see? As the sun set, he could barely expect to see his brother... if that even was his brother. The coincidence for that happening was far too unlikely to be able to meet up at the same time. However, how else was the red tom supposed to find this mystery cat? It wasn't like he could schedule a meeting or anything.

After standing there for what felt like ages, Redstorm was about to give up. The sun had finally disappeared beyond the horizon as a heavy sigh left the warrior's lungs. Ears drooping as he turned to go back to camp, the young tom froze suddenly as the sounds of snapping twigs from across the now empty Thunderpath caught his attention. "Barkkit?" He asked instinctively, his whole body perking up as a shape slowly came into view.

Coyotepaw was hunting with his brother when the smell of the road hit his nose and caused it to wrinkle in disgust. Or rather... the thunderpath. Getting used to all of the specific clan phrases was still not his strong suit. The tabby tom clung so strongly to everything he had learned on the streets of city, as surviving was a daily and constant matter there. A monster roared by and he barely stopped himself from flinching. There were always far too many here for his liking. Twolegs were plenty in his birthplaces. Since leaving there, he had been happy to leave behind their stench and messes, but the road here was a constant reminder of everything in the city. A slight chill went down his spine, but he ignored it. There was a mouse only a few pawsteps away. He had to catch it. Creeping slowly, he closed the gap and was just about to pounce...

'Barkkit?' Immediately his prey darted away. The apprentice's eyes immediately snapped up to land on a reddish-brown colored warrior across the border. Sitting up straight to look over the other cat, his mouth opened widely. The tell-tale scent reminded him very faintly of Wolffang- Shadowclan. His head cocked just slightly to the side. Except for the gatherings under the full moon, the clans rarely spoke to each other. He had gathered that they were not supposed to due to matters of blood an allegiance. But, it appeared this cat wanted something to do with his brother. What did he want, though? And why was he referring to the other warrior as a kit? Confusion was as evident as the borderline indifference as he meowed, "Who are you?"

As Redstorm watched the figure until it was visible, it was obvious to see the visible drop in his stature when he realized that the cat across the way was not who he was waiting for. Instead, a brown tabby attempted to pounce at a mouse before it slipped away and the young cat turned his attention to the Shadowclan warrior. A small sigh escaped the red tom as his eyes dimmed for a moment. "Oh, you're not who I was looking for," he admitted, his tail dropping into the dirt. "I'm Redstorm. I was looking for--"

"Hey, did you find at least a mouse or something? I haven't been able to get my paws on anything yet..." Barkfall grumbled, padding out of the brush of Thunderclan's territory. Annoyance was evident on his face as he walked up and stopped next to Coyotepaw. He hated hunting patrols. He had never been good at them, but he knew he needed to get better, especially with leafbare coming so quickly. Only when he saw his half brother staring across the Thunderpath did the solid brown tom stop to see what was going on. When his eyes landed on the Shadowclan warrior across the way, every muscle in his body froze. Was it really him? "Wait, who are you? You couldn't be... Redkit?" It was hard to believe. After all this time not seeing him at all near the Thunderclan/Shadowclan border, Barkfall had begun to believe that they had sent Redkit off too, but here they were standing only fox-lengths away from each other for the first time in seasons.

The apprentice shot Redstorm a quizzical look, but before he could respond, Barkfall came up. A sigh of relief silently left his maw. He had no idea how to handle 'enemy cats' and if he tried, it would certainly not be in the most clan approved way. As his brother looked over at the Shadowclan warrior, there seemed to be some recognition in his voice. It was clear they knew each other. His eyes darted back and forth in confusion. Aren't clan cats not supposed to have friends outside of their own clans? I've never seen any be friendly with each other... His amber-yellow eyes glistened with confusion. He had never seen anything like this. Gatherings had normally been tense, or insane. The one time he had been in a border skirmish had been fueled with hostility on both sides, saving only him of course.

Losing any sort of cool exterior, he let his interest overwhelm him, "So, uh, do you guys know each other or something?" Despite being around each other fairly often, neither Coyotepaw or Barkfall spoke much of their respective pasts. The tabby never really questioned how his brother had ended up in Thunderclan, he was just always there. Not once had he heard the tale of their kin in Shadowclan. He watched silently, waiting for some explanation from his brother.

"Barkkit?!" It was the last thing that the young tom was expecting after so long of waiting, but here he was.. Redstorm's long lost brother in Thunderclan of all places. How in Starclan had they not seen each other before now? Excitement ran through his body as the young tom's face beamed. Immediately, he wanted to cross the path and finally see Barkkit again while another part of him wanted to run back to Flamestrike and--. No, would it even be worth telling Flamestrike? Several different emotions quickly poured over the warrior. Instead of doing anything that he wanted, he simply stood there silently, lost in awe at the precarious situation they were all in.

"Know each other? This is Redkit, my brother! Er... my other brother. First brother?" Barkfall couldn't contain his excitement, his gaze switching between Coyotepaw and Redstorm quickly, not sure how to respond. Should he stay? Should he try to cross this inherently dangerous path to go see the brother he never thought he'd see again? Instead, he sat where he was, the adrenaline coursing through his body too much, keeping him frozen in place... at least for the moment. "Redkit I can't believe it! It's been so long! I never thought I'd see you again! You're in Shadowclan?! What did you say that your name was now? How have we not seen each other before now?" There was no filter to his words. Every question that popped into his head quickly exited his mouth before he finally turned to Coyotepaw at the last minute. "Did you know he was in Shadowclan?"

Other brother? Prior to this moment, Coyotepaw had been completely unaware of the fact his mother had bore more than two kits. How much kin did he have in the forest? With a slightly dumb-founded expression, his eyes continued to dart in between the two. So many thoughts ran through his head at once. Most of it was confusion. Questions of the difference in their looks and the strange clan placement all bubble up instantly. Before coming to Thunderclan, he had not even known of Barkfall's existence. Why had his mother never spoken of her other kits? She had shared many stories of the forest cats, but in this moment, it seemed to dawn on him that she had never talked about her own past really ever. All of that was shrouded in secrecy. The apprentice found himself contemplating his mother's origins. Who was she?

"Uh... I did not know he existed." Coyotepaw muttered, in a far less enthusiastic tone than his kin. The pair seemed ecstatic, but he could not share in the moment. For the first time in a long time, he felt so disconnected from his family. During the first few moons of his life, he had never left the fur of Wolffang's soft stomach. Then, he had stuck by Barkfall's side in Thunderclan. And now, well, it seemed like they were worlds apart. The tabby's tail flicked as he looked over the other toms. His ear flicked in the only sign of his awkward discomfort. What was happening here?