Will I Be Welcome Here? ~ OPEN

The sun had completely dipped down below the ground by the time Josie and Emberpaw started making their way toward the ThunderClan camp entrance. She trailed behind the apprentice, not knowing her way through the foreign woods. The former kittypet was impressed by how well Emberpaw wove through the tangle of trees and undergrowth, clearly knowing where she was headed. Josie flattened her ears and puffed out her fur in nervousness as she slipped through a gorse tunnel after her new friend. When they had both reached the other side, Josie gasped in amazement at what she saw in the moon's light and the smell of so many cats that greeted her. She didn't know what she had expected, really, but to see something so knew and different made her pelt tingle with excitement and foreboding. Deep blue eyes clouded with anxiety as she flashed them in Emberpaw's direction. Her fluffy cream-and-brown colored coat was puffed out not only to keep her warm in the leaf-bare night's chill but also in reaction to being near so many strangers. What would these other cats think of her? Could she really fit in here? Would they grow to accept her too?

Birchpaw yawned as she groomed her fur, spiked with bits of ice. Her paws ached from searching through frozen earth for any prey, even just something a fox would stash. The scent of kittypet filled her nose and she sneezed at the unfamiliar scent. Looking up, she saw the kittypet and pondered. Maybe she'd be an extra set of paws that could help out! Putting up to friendliest face she could, she tried to be optimistic, another mouth to feed also meant more eyes out for prey, it'd work out, right? That was, if this kittypet was staying. What other reason would she have to be here? Maybe she was too eager to have some of the work off her shoulders, she shouldn't be so lazy. Dipping her head, she knew that if the kittypet was escorted to camp, things wouldn't turn violent. "Hi there, what brings you to ThunderClan?"

Emberpaw sat near Josie, and nodded a greeting to Birchpaw, trying to seem sure of herself. She believed that she was doing the right thing, helping a cat who needed it. She was silent, though - the question had been directed to Josie, and not herself.

(OOC: apologies for this tiny post)

Thistlepaw had just settled down for her nightly grooming in an attempt to comb out all the tangles and snags that she had acquired throughout the day whenever she caught sight of a stranger trailing behind Emberpaw. The tabby's ears twitched with interest as she continued to gaze at the pair for several long heartbeats- why would Emberpaw bring a stranger into their camp. And such a foul-smelling stranger at that! Quickly smoothing down her wild fur and watching as Birchpaw padded towards the two she-cats, Thistlepaw hurriedly gave herself a vigorous shake to help settle the strands of fur that stuck awkwardly out of place before rising to her paws.

There was a intrigued and wary expression upon Thistlepaw's face as she approached Emberpaw and Joise, although it hardly stopped her from leaning forward and giving Josie a curious sniff. Almost instantaneously, she pulled back with a twisted, displeased expression on her face as she caught wind of the various scents of Twolegs that still clung to Josie. "Who are you?" Thistlepaw questioned with wide eyes, her head cocking as she questioned the Kittypet.

Josie's nerves calmed slightly at the inquiring cat's friendly demeanor. This one was openly curious, as any cat would naturally be about a complete stranger entering their home, but her tone didn't carry any hints of hostility. In a soft voice, Josie answered, "I, umm, I seek entry into your Clan. I wish to speak with your Leader. Emberpaw was kind enough to bring me here to do so."

She turned to face another young she-cat who padded up to her and Emberpaw. Josie shuffled her feet, trying not to show her discomfort being the spotlight of all the sudden attention. "Hello," she greeted the tabby, "my name is Josie."

Weedblaze had been tearing at some pathetic piece of prey when the camp entrance rustled, bringing with it the scent of the kittypet playing at being a warrior and a kittypet he did not recognize. His fur instantly bristled in anger at the insolence of Emberpaw.

"How could you bring a kittypet to the heart of ThunderClan territory?! That is against the warrior code to show an outsider where we make camp!"

He didn't even bother to look at Josie. He could smell the stench of Twolegplace on her, which told him all he needed to know. All he wanted to know. It did not matter to him if she was the most spectacular cat in the world, she was an outclanner. Those had tainted ThunderClan enough, in his opinion.

"Hey, hey, hey, calm down!" Heatherpetal meowed quickly, leaping into action when she saw Weedblaze's aggression towards her best friend. She stood between the two of them. "I'm sure Emberpaw has a perfectly good explanation for bringing this kittypet here to join ThunderClan. It may be leaf-bare, but that just means we need more paws to help support the Clan."

She looked over to Josie and blinked kindly at her. "Hello, I'm Heatherpetal. Welcome to ThunderClan." Just like Emberpaw, Heatherpetal herself had started off as an outsider, lost and alone and desperate for companionship. She wanted to make Josie feel as welcome and comfortable as possible.

She flattened her ears as a more experienced looking cat spoke about her right in front of her with such open hostility. The tom wouldn't even make eye contact with her, instead focusing on Emberpaw. Her eyes clouded with concern that she might have gotten Emberpaw into trouble. Josie hadn't stopped to consider the consequences her new friend might have to face by bringing her here. She resolved not to let his aggressive attitude bother her too much. After all, Emberpaw had once been an outsider herself and had seemed to work her way into the hearts of these cats, becoming one of the family. It was now Josie's life mission to do the same, even teaching this tom to accept her as a friend someday too. She would work as hard as it took to become a ThunderClanner.

Josie returned Heatherpetal's friendly greeting and meowed, "Thank you, Heatherpetal. You are very kind."

Robinpaw stuck her head out if the den at a strange new scent, yawning widely. She wrinkled her nose as the strong smell hit her. It was very unfamiliar... She decided that this cat wouldn't hurt her. In her haste to leave the apprentice den, she stumbled and face planted in the soft snow. Robinpaw got up, embarrassed, and trotted over. She heard Weedblaze speak about violating the code, and quickly decided she shouldn't mess about. Robinpaw swiftly trotted over. "What are you doing here?" she asked. Her voice had no hostility as she had intended, but it was light and friendly instead.

Josie cast an anxious glance at Emberpaw as yet another cat approached them. She answered the friendly inquirer, keeping her voice as calm and unwavering as she could, "I'm here to speak with your Leader about joining ThunderClan. Speaking of whom," Josie continued looking to Emberpaw once again, "Perhaps someone should let Blizzardstar know that I'm here?" Josie hoped no one minded the boldness of making the suggestion herself. She wanted to introduce herself to the Clan Leader preferably before all of ThunderClan surrounded her at the entrance. She was pretty sure she had never been in the company of so many cats at once in all her life. It was something Josie knew she'd get used to over time, but right now her nerves were already heightened in anticipation of meeting the ThunderClan Leader for the first time.

Emberpaw felt herself shrinking back at Weedblaze's address, and breathed a soft sigh of relief when Heatherpetal came to her defense. "Thank you, Heatherpetal," she said quietly, trying to regain the confidence she had spent the trip to camp gathering. "Yes, um... Someone probably should go get Blizzardstar," Emberpaw agreed. She wasn't about to volunteer, however - Weedblaze, for all his annoyance and aggression, made a valid point in a sense. She had brought an outsider to ThunderClan, and while she considered herself optimistic she still wasn't about to leave Josie - mostly for her sake, given Weedblaze's attitude. She had expected to be met with disapproval, certainly, but not so quickly. They were practically ambushed the moment they set foot in camp.

If anything, Josie would be far more of an asset to ThunderClan than she herself had been at first - she was older and had at least a small amount of experience with surviving on her own, whereas Emberpaw had had none at all when she was brought to camp herself.

“No need, Emberpaw” Probably to the surprise of the apprentice and the newcomer, Blizzardstar’s voice didn’t came from her den nor anywhere inside camp, but instead from the very same tunnel they had used to enter in camp. The leader’s fluffy figure soon could be seen as she stepped out from the shadows, two small birds hanging from her jaws, it was clear that she had gone out hunting while Emberpaw was away and that had caused her to arrive somewhat late to this unplanned meeting.

Blizzardstar placed the two birds she had brought for the small fresh-kill pile, any cat that knew her well enough was fully aware of her half-clan origins as she never tried to hide them. Being half SkyClan and trained by her father who had tricked the clan into thinking he had decided to join all those moons ago, she was quite skilled when hunting birds…but more often than not the white leader would bring way more prey than this. This had been a bad hunt and it was more than enough to dampen her mood, so it wasn’t exactly a surprise when she stared at the newcomer with an unusual neutral expression for several seconds before turning to Emberpaw.

“Who is this and why did you bring her to camp?” Her voice had a hidden tone of worry and suspicion. While Blizzardstar had started to trust the younger ginger she-cat and think that taking her in wasn’t a bad choice she hadn’t forgotten her origins, and since she hadn’t passed her trial doubts still roamed across her mind. Having Emberpaw bring another kittypet to her camp was enough to rise a red flag in her mind and wonder if she hadn’t been able to fully let go of her past like she originally thought. After all, a cat with a paw in two worlds would only bring conflict and make them seriously unreliable.

"I do have reason," Emberpaw said quietly, her confidence completely vanishing in the presence of her leader. Whether her reasoning was solid and would hold was another question entirely, however. She hoped she would be able to place her thoughts into sensible words, something she occasionally struggled with - especially when she felt pressured like this. Still, she had to try to explain herself. "I was out hunting when I found her hunting on ThunderClan territory, and I demanded that she stop as this was not her territory. She did, and I spoke to her because I wanted to know why a cat that smelled so much like the Twolegplace was in ThunderClan's territory, and we talked a little. And she requested to speak with you. I know that it's leaf-bare, and... Well." She had to hope the meaning of her words got through. That leaf-bare was, in fact, part of the reason she had brought Josie to camp in the first place. She was quiet for a moment, hoping she wouldn't offend Josie at all. And that she wasn't being completely mouse-brained. "She isn't helpless," she added. 'Not like I was,' she thought to herself briefly. "She's been surviving for a little while by herself..." She hoped the undercurrent of what she was saying was clear enough. A mixture of thinking that another cat who was capable of hunting would most likely benefit the clan, and feeling a responsibility to help someone who likely wouldn't be okay for much longer on their own in leaf-bare - especially with the state the forest was in, though she had never known it to be any different herself. Blizzardstar had taken a chance on her before, and mostly she just hoped that this would end well for Josie.

Josie had nearly jumped right out of her pelt at a voice that sounded from behind her. She watched a white cat with round silver markings emerge from the gorse tunnel that acted as the clan's secure entrance into the well-guarded ravine. As she had looked around at the camp, Josie could see why ThunderClan would choose such a place to call home. She listened with deep appreciation at Emberpaw's carefully chosen words, glad to have the younger cat standing up for her. Worry still clawed at her belly both for her own sake and Emberpaw's. But now it was time to put that worry aside and make her request known to this Clan's ruler and decision-maker. Everything hung on making a good impression to this cat called Blizzardstar.

"Blizzardstar", she began, her voice steady, "I made the request to be taken to this place to meet you and Emberpaw obliged. Please do not punish her if I have offended you in coming here. What Emberpaw has said is true about me living on my own for awhile and desiring to be a member of this ThunderClan. I was once a kittypet, but now I wish to live an honorable life here in the forest. It would be a great privilege to serve you, learn your ways, and be counted as a member of your family. Emberpaw spoke with such conviction and pride in her voice of living here among you all."

OOC: *Phew* Sorry for late reply, battle got a bit too crazy


Blizzardstar let out a soft Hum as her tail moved slowly from side to side, her gaze switching from Emberpaw to Josie for some heartbeats. It clearly took her a bit to finally speak up “You say you wish to join, but are you aware of what you are putting in the line here, loner? Not only you will join our clan, but you will have to earn your stay. You won’t be able to wander as you please, you will need to follow our code, serve the clan…you will even need to give up your name and let me give you a new one alongside a mentor to train you in our ways. If we are ever attacked or we attack another clan, you’re expected to fight with us and in the battle you may lose your life…the life of a warrior is risky and we thank StarClan for being able to see the sun rise once more. Are you sure this is the path you want to walk?” The white leader was clearly being dead serious, if the new cat was willing to carry on with their request they were leaving whatever life they had behind to take on the hard and risky path of the warrior, and StarClan knew, Blizzardstar wasn’t going to go easy on her just because Emberpaw had brought her to camp and supported her.