Everything the Light Touches is Our Kingdom (CLOSED)

The deputy woke early this day, even before the dawn. He left the warrior's den yawning with sleepy eyes and after he finally woke up completely, he picked up a fish from the fresh-kill pile and made his way to the apprentices' den. His green eyes searched for his son and he quickly found it sleeping next to other den-mates. Jaystream approached him and nudged him with one paw on his shoulder to wake him up. "Wake up, Cinderpaw. I want to show you something." He mewed.

Jaystream didn't wait for an answer and instead, he left the fish in front of the tom so he could eat and he left the den, settling down on a rock next to the entrance. The tom already knew what he wanted to do with his apprentice today: show him the lands of his clan and teach him a little about swimming and battle. His priority was to teach how to defend himself but he also wanted to teach him his home beyond the camp.

Cinderpaw jumped up and licked some of his fur. He had to get ready fast so he could see the world! He wolfed down the fish and bounded towards his mentor, father, and deputy who were all the same cat. "I'm ready to go!" He was practically jumping up and down.

Cinderpaw had more energy than he expected but it was a pleasant surprise for the tom. After all, they were going to travel a lot today. "Follow me, Cinderpaw. I'm going to show Riverclan's lands and how large is our territory now." He mewed with a smile before standing up and waking his way to the exit of the camp. The large tom entered the stream that surrounded the camp, letting the water surround his body. He walked off the stream and once he was out, he shook his fur to dry it a bit. He looked back at Cinderpaw just to check he was fine and then he continued walking.

The tom guided his son through the reeds and under the beech trees of their territory. Together, they travelled following the river up to the Gorge where the water fell loudly. He had so many bad memories of that place... but maybe it was time to have a few good ones. "Cinderpaw... this is the Gorge. The place where our river start. In the past, this was the border between Windclan and Riverclan but after the great battle against Windclan, Ivystar claimed part of Windclan's territory and now the Gorge belongs completely to us. I had a few battles here when I was an apprentice like you. This is where your mother... got wounded during a fight against ThunderClanners that were far away from their own land." Jaystream turned his sight away from the waterfall when the memories of seeing his mate unconscious and bloodied returned to him. It was... painful to remember her... to remember when she fell into a coma and when she... died in his paws. Of course, his son didn't know about that. He was too young to understand what happened.

Cinderpaw tilted his head, thinking about what Jaystream was telling him. "It's all ours now? Thunderclan's not coming here anymore, are they? And Windclan's not allowed here or they'd be breaking the warrior code because trespassing is against it, right? Ohhh, I wish I was an apprentice then! Maybe I could have fought them! That serves Windclan for not giving us what we need and allying with weak Thunderclan!"

The tom nodded at his question. "Yes, this is all ours now and we must protect this land from trespassers, no matter if they are clan cats, rogues or kittypets." He returned his gaze to the waterfall and his eyes looked at it seriously and calmly. Those memories were just memories. He didn't have to be afraid or feel guilty anymore. For now, the best he could do was survive and pass everything he had to his kits.

"Don't worry, Cinderpaw. Your time to defend your clan will come and I'm sure you'll do it great. But remember... battles aren't funny or exciting. They aren't a game. They're just necessary and we must always do what's needed to protect the ones you love, like your siblings and our clan. Don't ever forget that." Jaystream glanced at his small lighter copy of himself as he spoke. He wasn't only his father. He was his mentor. And he had to teach them everything, not only hunting and fighting skills. It was his duty to teach him how to be a warrior.

"But our travel doesn't end here. Riverclan's lands are much larger. Follow me." With those words, the warrior guided his son through the rocks and together, they climbed the rock wall next to the Gorge. Up there, the territory changed. There weren't more reeds or streams. There were just some lonely trees but mostly, the land was covered with tall grass and nothing more. This was the landscape of the former Windclan's territory.

Jaystream didn't say a word and he continued walking. After a while, they reached a lone stump, the place that marked the border between Riverclan and Windclan. "This is the end of our clan's territory. Beyond that stump, you can see Windclan's lands. And like you said before, a warrior must never cross the border because is against the Code. But for now, why don't you jump to that old dead log and watch what's surrounds you? I'm sure you'll like it." He purred making his way to the stump before leaping to it. The deputy sat down in the top of it and his green eyes admired the grassy moors that now belonged to them. Far away, he could see the river of his clan and the beech trees. That was their home... their land. No matter how lost he would be, Jaystream knew what was his home. Riverclan was the place he was meant to be. And he wanted that too for his kits.

Cinderpaw frowned. "Right... because cats die in battles and nobody dies in games." Then he followed his father to the stump, where the grass was tall. He followed his mentor's orders to jump up onto the log. He looked around. "I see bushes and grass and a few cats over there. And..." He also looked the other way and found himself looking right into his father's eyes as he fell silent. Green. Greener than the grass. He remembered his own reflection. His own eyes weren't even close to green. He paused for a few more moments, a slightly confused frown on his face. "Dad, where'd my eye color come from? Yours are green and mine aren't."

OOC: cue the sadness

The tom blinked. He didn't expect that question of his son and he just turned his sight away from his eyes, which remembered him the eyes of his mother and Jaystream's mate. With a sad sigh, he decided to speak, trying to contain his broken feelings. "Your eyes come from your mom... my mate. She was far different from your looks. She was a small beautiful calico she-cat with gorgeous golden eyes like yours. Actually, you're named after her. Her name was Cinderpaw." He mewed smiling sadly at the memories that came back once again. His mate was his everything... thanks to her, Jaystream opened to others and became more friendly... less shy. She gave him the chance to become someone loved in the clan because she was the first one who loved who he was, not minding if he was the son of the deputy or not. She was his first friend... his first true love. And now she was gone and he couldn't stop blaming himself for that.

Cinderpaw just became more confused. "But... Jaystream, I thought Goldeneye was our mama. She took care of us and we lived with her." His mother... dead? He was named after her? This wasn't possible. He pushed away the thought. Surely Jaystream was just confused.

When the apprentice talked, he realized for the first time that Goldeneye actually acted like a mother for all of his kits. He was so heartbroken and confused that he didn't straightly think about the consequences of his decision to let her take care of them. "No... In a stormy night... days after the great battle against Windclan, my mate started giving birth to you. B-but...something was w-wrong. I... I could feel it. I carried her to the medicine den where Goldeneye was sleeping. S-she helped Cinderpaw to give birth to you and all of your siblings b-but... she didn't make it. Her body was too small... and she lost so much blood... I-I-I couldn't do anything." Tears that he didn't ask for started to fell from his cheeks as he tried to explain his son the whole story. His fluffy tail curled around his paws as the memories came to him like a flood, drowning him in a horrible sadness.

"I... was confused... heartbroken. Without a mother, who would take care of you? T-that's when I asked Goldeneye, my closest friend, to look after you. She didn't have to do it... she is a medicine cat so she could never be a queen but still... she agreed. Goldeneye took care of all of you because I asked to. But she isn't your real mother because as a medicine cat, she can't take a mate or have kits." The tom flattened his tufted ears against his skull as he tried to stop his tears. Sobbing, he turned his sight back to his son and smiled, sad and tired. "I'm sorry for not telling you this before... I've been... so confused and sad that I didn't think about it until now. I hope you understand and still love Goldeneye as the she-cat that loves you and your siblings and that cared for you in the harshness of leaf-bare."

Cinderpaw's heart sank. So it was true. His true mother was dead. Goldeneye was just a mother figure, just a medicine cat. "So that's where Stormpaw's name came from. The storm he was born in. And I was named for my mother... because of my eyes." With a pang, he realized that every time Jaystream looked into Cinderpaw's eyes that he was reminded of his mate. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. He didn't have anything to say. "It's okay. At least... At least I know the truth now. Don't let Stormpaw see you crying. He would think you're weak and he'd feel so embarrassed. I'm not, though. Can you tell me more about her? Cinderpaw, our mom?" The word Cinderpaw felt odd on his tongue, referring to someone else.

Jaystream smiled at his son. He loved all his kits but for now, Cinderpaw and Hailpaw were probably the more understanding and mature.Of course, he knew that there was some rivalry between him and Stormpaw but it seemed that the pale tabby tom was wiser by nature. He was able to see his father crying and still admire him despite his weakness. That was something he would remember."Your mother... I met her at the river. My mentor died when I was too young so I used to walk through the territory alone. Ivystar, called Ivyfall during that time, didn't have time for me. She was busy being deputy so I learned by myself. During one of my strolls... I heard a scream. A younger apprentice was drowning in the river and I saved her. We talked... she was as shy as awkward as me but we understood each other perfectly." The deputy smiled with a nostalgic but happy look on his green eyes. Remembering Cinderpaw was sometimes painful but... it also helped him to remember that she was an important part of his life, that she lived and loved him. Those precious memories couldn't be thrown away so easily.

"She wasn't exactly the most skilled warrior. She was small like Littlekit and her legs were slightly shorter than average. But she was beautiful, sweet and kind. Her fur was similar to your brother's, Brightkit but she had your eyes like I said. However... she didn't have a happy life..." The tom gulped a bit uncomfortable remembering the sadness of his loved one and how miserable were her days sometimes. He always tried his best to make her happy... but it was impossible on some occasions. Jaystream couldn't change the past. "Her parents abandoned her when she was a kit... and in the battle, I had in the Gorge, those ThunderClanners wounded her so badly that she fell into a coma. I became a warrior by the time she woke up and due to her wounds, she never could make it to warriorhood. I decided to be by her side and support her because I was his mate and I love her. She was sad for not being a warrior... but her true wish wasn't to be one. It was to have a family... the family she never had... a family on her own. We decided to have kits after some time and then... Well... life can do terrible things and Starclan's will works in a mysterious way. Now, I only hope she's happy up there, watching us from the stars of the night."

Jaystream's sad words were making Cinderpaw sad, too. "Wow... she sounds amazing. I'll bet she's happy with all 10 of us and she wouldn't want you to be too sad, right? Nobody likes to see sad cats, especially your mate." He had heard these condolences said before and he was repeating them now. He jumped down and nuzzled the deputy as he reached up.

OOC: Sorry Jade, the site didn't send me the notification -_-

IC:

The tom was impressed by how mature his son was. With a smile, he nuzzled him back and he stopped crying, wiping the tears away with one paw. "You're right, Cinderpaw. Your mother would be proud to see how much you've grown my son. You'll be a good warrior..." He stepped back to see him and once again, his yellow eyes reminded him of his mate. But there was no sadness anymore. Only peace. Peace because he knew, deep inside him, that his love was happy somewhere just knowing that she had such a wonderful son.

The deputy left the stump with a leap and looked back at the pale blue tabby. "Let's go home, Cinderpaw. I think we have a good first lesson today." He purred.

OOC: :P it's okay! When in doubt, blame the site.

IC: Cinderpaw felt warm and fuzzy inside. It was probably from making Jaystream so happy. He followed behind his mentor, happy with his findings.