Revelation (CLOSED)

There was an almost palpable tension in the air as Graypaw walked near the leader's den, stopping before the entrance and glancing around nervously. She'd never been in here before. It didn't look foreboding, but that was how she felt. There were no words for her nervousness- she was practically a leaf blowing in the wind, with how shaky she was. But who wouldn't be nervous, when told by StarClan to leave your hone and join another? Some small, newfound part of her was quietly determined, confident in the right decision she was making. But that part was buried under the mountain of anxiety called Graypaw. Her long tabby tail flicked, and her blue eyes were even more frightened and unsure than usual. But she made herself take a deep breath and go into the small den that smelled like a certain fluffy black tom. "C-Crowstar?" the longtime apprentice stammered nervously, searching for the SkyClan leader. "We- we need to t-talk."

The black fluffy tom shifted in his den as his name was called. He sat up from laying in his nest. "Graypaw?" The tom asked. "What is it? Come inside." The leader said. The tom wrapped his tail around his paws. Crowstar couldn't help what was going through the apprentice's mind.

Rippedsky hadn't seen the she-cat enter before him. However, he too had to speak with Crowstar. One of the patrols had come back with news of scenting fox near the Riverclan borders. This was not the first time. They had to talk about hunting the creature down before anyone got hurt. After the badger, his side still throbbed, but he was more than willing to head the patrol if it came down to it. The tip of his black and white tail twitched anxiously as he trotted towards the mouth of the den, "Crowstar, I- oh, sorry Graypaw. I didn't mean to interrupt."

He padded in as he meowed a greeting to the leader and immediately went to charge in with the news. However, he was stopped short at the sight of the apprentice whose moonstone journey he had just recently finished. Crowstar wasn't her mentor. His ear flicked as a mild sign of his confusion. After a short pause, he offered up a suggestion, "I have a patrol report, but I can always come back after."

Crowstar was so quietly respectful and encouraging it made her feel even more guilty. How was she supposed to tell him that she was going to leave his Clan? StarClan, this was going to be a disaster. "I.... uh....." Where did she even start? Graypaw whipped around in surprise as a cat entered the den, but relaxed temporarily when she saw who it was- before tensing up again. Rippedsky- what would he think? Oh, well, it couldn't possibly be worse. "No, y-you can stay, I guess. W-what I have to say is for b-both of you," the apprentice stammered out, still trying to figure out what she was going to say. Her paws crossed and uncrossed, and she had to force herself not to get up and run around the room to relieve her stress. The leader's gaze made her pelt feel hot. But even as her mind went into overdrive, she smelled something sweet, and a faint breeze ruffled her fur. StarClan was with her- Pansyface was with her. She could do this. The gray tabby took a deep breath. "Um- I learned something important at my Moonstone journey that I need to tell both of you," she got out finally, looking straight into Crowstar's face. "I'm not supposed to be in SkyClan."

What? Not supposed to be in Skyclan? What did she mean? The leader straightened out at her news. "Are you sure? What did they tell you?" He knew that Starclan could be really vague sometimes, maybe she just interpreted wrong. The leader's yellow gaze glanced over to his deputy for a moment, before returning to the apprentice. "It's okay, you can tell us." If Starclan called for something else for this apprentice then who was he to question them?

ooc: heck sorry for the delay

Rippedsky nodded stiffly and sat near the entrance of the den. His blue eyes were dark, worried about what the apprentice had to say. Since her moonstone journey, the she-cat had seemed... different. The tip of his tail flicked as he waited for an answer. As she spoke, his head cocked ever so slightly. Not supposed to be in Skyclan? The implications of that could mean anything. However, it left him wondering how such a thing could ever happen. As his gaze trailed over the she-cat and he considered everything, it made sense that this was simply not the place for her. She had the drive to do well and wanted to be a good warrior, but Graypaw fell short time and time again. The deputy mulled over it silently for a moment. There was no realistic or plausible answer for this to be happening.

If Starclan said so, it must be true then. Finally, a low sigh left the black and white tom, "Where does Starclan believe you should be?" Their journey together had left him with an idea, especially given his origins. But, he did not want to guess. Rippedsky also hoped that is wasn't true. Windclan had improved, for the most part, since he had left, but he still did not trust Ashstar after everything that had happened. There was no grudge. Yet, to consider sending away one of their apprentices into the very environment he had fought to escape seasons earlier did not put him at ease. Without saying anything else, the deputy simply waited for the she-cat to speak up once more. While he would do his best to help Graypaw end up where she belonged, and would always follow Starclan, this... was different.

Crowstar's response was more encouraging than the barely concealed panic in Rippedsky's eyes. After the story he'd told her on her way to the Moonstone, she wasn't surprised. If he viewed Ashstar that way... what would he think when his suspicions were confirmed? Graypaw fought the impulse to stand up and run in circles, settling instead for nervously shifting her weight from side to side. Her ears were laid back in hardly concealed fear of what she was saying, but she continued with a slightly stronger voice. "When I went to the Moonstone, I met with a she-cat named Pansyface. She said... she said that StarClan had made a mistake, and that I was born in the wrong Clan. She told me that I was meant to be in WindClan." Keeping a careful eye on the leader's and deputy's facial expressions, head darting from sife to side to see their reactions, she continued. "I was confused at first, and scared, but it- it makes sense! I've never been good at climbing trees, or catching birds, or jumping. I like running, running fast, and rabbits, and I hate the feeling of being enclosed by trees, and...." Even as she spoke, she discovered more connections, more puzzle pieces fitting together, making her understand this extreme, unprecedented change. But as she remembered who she was talking to, she quailed slightly. Her last sentence was quieter, but determined. "And.... Even though I've lived here all my life, and I love my Clanmates, and all I want is to be loyal... this has never felt like home."

The leader let out a sigh. This was an interesting situation indeed. Starclan just straight up told her the truth while the leader struggled with a prophecy that didn't even make sense. The leader thought for a moment. He wanted to be stubborn and deny that this wasn't true. She was born skyclan and meant to stay, but after everything that he has seen over his lifetime, and what he has seen of Graypaw.

"Alright.. I will take you to Windclan to speak with Ashstar about this." Maybe Mottleheart or the Windclan leader herself knew of this coming to be. He didn't know if this will turn out well for the old apprentice when they got there but he would try. "Is there anything you would like to do before we leave?" The leader glanced at his deputy looking for something he missed.

Not wanting to make the young cat feel any more pressure than she was already under, he adverted his intense blue gaze to the dusty den floor. However, as soon as Pansyface's name was mentioned his eyes snapped right back up along with his head. She had spoken to Pansyface? The black and white tom dug his claws into the ground. How often did he wish he had the chance to speak to his lost loved one? Regardless, knowing that made him believe even more that this was legitimate. He trusted the late she-cat's word in death as much as he had in life. But, the questions continued to swim in his head. How did this happen? Why did this happen? Absolutely none of this made sense, it had never happened before as far as he was aware. He finally shook his head ever so slightly.

"If Starclan says its so, it must be." The deputy meowed, albeit stiffly, as his faith won out over the confusion and disappointment that knotted in his stomach. Sending Greypaw away to Windclan was seemingly what was supposed to happen. Although the loss of the young she-cat would be felt, accompanied with what was a lingering discomfort in the black and white tom, he would be willing to walk her through the turmoil. No cat had been there to guide him to Skyclan, and even when he was there, he was met with as much disdain as he was help from his new clan. After a moment, he glanced over to Crowstar and said, "I'd like to come with to bring Graypaw to Windclan."

Graypaw let out a sigh of relief. He understood... they understood. A couple hundred pounds of worry melted off her shoulders, nightmares of sneaking out of camp along dissipating into nothing. However, there was still a copious amount of fear and nervousness. WindClan... would they accept her? Well, the path ahead of her was by no means easy or certain, but like Pansyface said, she'd get through it. Maybe StarClan had sent Ashstar or the medicine cat a sign? As she thought of open moors, cool breezes, running through long grass and catching rabbits, a familiar brown bengal tom at her side, a smile danced across her face. This was what she was meant to do, where she was meant to be. "Th-thank you, Crowstar. And Rippedsky. Thank you for b-believing me. When w-will we go?"