As The Mist Fades... (Closed)

As Ryeheart walked the final stretch of his journey, his pawsteps falling lightly on the thin layer of leaf litter that covered the ground leading to Fourtrees, he felt a distinct impression of deja-vu.  He had been on this path many times before, at this time of day, with the same kind of thoughts weighing heavy on his mind.  Upon taking the time to reflect...he had been a part of so many secret meetings in his life.  Even though it felt like eons had passed, he could still remember vividly the times he and Willowpetal had spent here, chasing each other in the clearing below and watching the stars, flank pressed against flank.  Blood red stains tainted the sight in his mind's eye and the mewling of helpless kits resounded in his ears.  His stomach tensed as he paused at the edge of the hollow; one of those kits had returned to him less than a moon ago, as a grown warrior.  Lakewhisper had told him the last and first time they had met...of Beekit and Vixenstep's fates.  His two small, precious, dearly loved daughters...had died...and he had had no idea.  The thought had tortured him for the last quarter moon...but he had managed to comfort himself with the thought that two of his children had survived.  Lakewhisper had grown into a strong, confident, handsome warrior - much like his father if he had to say - and Ravenflight...he would meet today.

Pushing his way through the thick bushes that lay at the bottom of the rise, Ryeheart emerged into the main clearing, the slowly setting sun casting a bright red glow over his ginger pelt.  His keen icy greenish-blue eyes scanned the clearing, which appeared to so far be empty.  Heaving a deep, relaxing sigh, the ShadowClan warrior found a soft patch of soil near the base of the Great Rock and lay down, stretching out his spine.  As much as he hated to admit it, he was growing older.  He was no longer the sprightly young troublemaker he saw himself as...though that side of him had been locked away for more moons than he could count.  His life seemed to be moving in large jets of time; one minute he was at his warrior ceremony and flirting with any she-cat that would listen, the next he was sinking his teeth into Swoop's throat, and his mate lay dead at his paws.  Then, it had passed slowly, every day seemed an eternity...that was until he met Willowheart.  Then, it had been fast again; she was expecting kits, they had been overjoyed, and then out of nowhere she was dead on the Thunderpath, leaving most of their litter weakened, soon to surrender as well to death's cold clutches.  He had been numb, not aware of what was going on around him, too consumed by his haunting thoughts.  Until a few moons ago.  Until he had seen his son again...until he had regained a piece of himself.  Today, if all went well...he would have two pieces...and maybe he could finally be okay.

ooc; i'm not really sure what lakewhisper was meant to tell her ?? i'm just going to assume he told her to come to fourtrees to meet their father. let me know and i can edit :)

Ravenflight padded towards the edge of the hollow, not daring to break through the underbrush and ruin the moment. Lakewhisper had convinced her to come here tonight, to break the warrior code, for all it was worth, and meet her father. She was sure she had seen him before, at a Gathering, perhaps, but she still had no idea who this cat was. She had no recollection of him, only that as far as she could remember, she had been raised in RiverClan. Ivystar, for all her shortcomings, had been something of a motherly figure to the grey warrior during her apprentice days. And she had never known a father.

But here, now, all that was about to change, she hoped. The rational part of her tried to argue that this was against the rules, that she needed to leave now. But how could you get this close to meeting someone so important and just turn back? For all the death and loss that had plagued RiverClan throughout her moons there, she was thankful that her father was still alive and well in ShadowClan. But her whole life, she had been fatherless. Only a few steps, and that would no longer be true. She padded forward cautiously, took a deep breath, and ducked into the clearing that was Fourtrees.

Lakewhisper padded not far behind his sister with his mate by his side. His heart was beating so hard he was almost positive it could be heard all the way to StarClan, but Snowblossom didn't say anything about it. He felt that at any possible moment pass at from the mix of high anxiety and excitement, but the familiar brush of Snowblossom’s pelt kept him grounded.

This was a big moment. His was taking his mate and last remaining sister to meet the father he had only just met days before. He wasn’t sure how Ravenflight, or even Snowblossom, would react when they met Ryeheart, but he prayed it would better than his reaction. He had been an emotional mess when Ryeheart had dropped the news onto him. He had been hurt and angry and resentful of the ShadowClan warrior at first, but once he let it really soak in, that anguish had dissolved into grief-- for the missed chances of having this tom as a father growing up-- hesitant happiness, and believe it or not, a budding sense of love. It had been exhausting for him, but Ryeheart had been patient with him and.. Fatherly. Or at least, what he thought fatherly was.

Not long after crossing the river, he was brought out of his reverie as he pushed the the brush surrounding the clearing of Fourtrees. “Ry-” He started, but shook his head. “Dad.” He greeted with a tentative smile. “This is Ravenflight, your daughter,” He continued after a moment, gesturing towards his sister with his tail, “and this is Snowblossom, my mate.” He finished, his gaze landing warmly on the fluffy white-pelted she-cat next to him.

Snowblossom stuck close to her mate's side as they padded towards Fourtrees, second-guessing her decision to come. Hearing that Lakewhisper's father was a ShadowClan tom had been a shock for her- she'd never even really thought about his father before. She knew that his mother, Willowpetal, had died while birthing him and his siblings, leaving her own mother, Splashwillow, to raise him as her own. She'd never taken it upon herself to wonder about the tom's parentage, until he told her that his father lived in another Clan entirely. Now, she was on her way to meet the tom- Ryeheart, her mate had called him. It was a strange thought. Lakewhisper always seemed RiverClan, through and through... But she didn't think any worse of him for having a different cat as his father. She wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea, however, she would readily admit that to herself. She was a bit of a scaredy-cat, and it was easier to name things that she wasn't uneasy about. But she had decided to stick it out, and stick with her mate, through and through. He was the best thing that had ever happened to her, and this would never change that.

As they reached the clearing, and she saw the large, furry tom, she shied back a little bit. Lakewhisper obviously knew the tom, and greeted him in a friendly way, so there was no chance of this being an imposter... but that didn't make him not a stranger. She definitely wasn't sure about this. However, her mate was, and she had learned to always trust his judgement. Hesitantly, she offered the tom a shy smile. "H-Hi," she meowed quietly. "It's... It's n-nice to meet you."

(occ: Rye will introduce himself to Snowblossom in the next post Ash, I just wanted him and Raven to have their moment first~)

The distinct sounds of multiple cats moving in a group across the leaf-strewn ground caused Ryeheart's tufted ginger ears to perk up, pulling him out of his reminiscing thoughts.  Instantly, his heart began to race; they're almost here, I'm about to meet my daughter!  I'll see my son again...my kits!  Oh, StarClan...I think I may be sick...  Taking a deep gulping breath, the fluffy coppery-furred tabby stood up and took a couple steps forward towards where the sounds were approaching, his face an excited mix of fear and overwhelming joy.  When Lakewhisper's pale form slid into the clearing, he felt almost just as excited as he had when he had first seen him again at that long-ago Gathering and trotted forward to greet him with a wide smile.  "Hey kid!  Glad you could make it!"  His casual tone tried it's best to conceal his immense excitement, but it was still quite apparent as he embraced his only son affectionately, beaming all the while.  Hearing Lakewhisper call him dad only made his heart soar more, but all at once, everything seemed to come crashing down.

Emerging from the ferns behind Lakewhisper...was a face he hadn't seen in so, so many moons.  Back then, it had been the small face of a crying kit, eyes tightly shut; now, those eyes were open and glowed a beautiful pale green quite similar to his own.  "R..Ravenflight.."  The ginger tabby tom looked stunned and unsure, one paw raised in the air slightly as if he wanted to step forward, yet his back paws were angled in a way as if he wanted to run for his life at a moment's notice.  In the end, though, he managed to take a step forward and stand to face his and Willowpetal's only remaining daughter and spoke.  "I..I assume Lakewhisper already told you who I am...and what I am t..to you."  His gaze dropped down to the ground for a moment where his paw scuffed the earth, before returning to Ravenflight.  "I just want to say...before anything else...how sorry I am to have left you, and your siblings...it was impossible for me to have stayed with you while allowing you to grow and experience the world as normal kits could.  I..I regret...every day...my choice to leave you.....but I'm here now and...I hope that can count for something."  When he finished, a faint smile managed to return to his face, as he met Ravenflight's gaze.  Silently, he willed her to accept him, to love him and forgive him, to becoming his family again...but he knew that it might not be that easy.  Lakewhisper had been devastated...and if his beloved daughter was too, he was ready to comfort her and explain everything.  Like a true father would.

For the first few moments after she had emerged from the foliage surrounding Fourtrees, she stared at the ground, each pawstep slow and deliberate. She found her heart racing, her head pounding as she raised her head. She had expected little else - a long-furred ginger tabby tom, as Lakewhisper had described - but for some reason, seeing Ryeheart felt like more than any cat could ever imagine. Ravenflight froze, her eyes wide with excitement and disbelief, yet pooling with tears at the same time. This was her father! This was the cat she had yearned to meet for her entire life! And now, here he was, moons after he had delivered her and her siblings dutifully to RiverClan, standing right in front of her.

She gazed at him, speechless, as he spoke to her. He looked tense, nervous, as he apologized. He was sorry for leaving her... he had never wanted to give her up. he loved her. As he finished speaking, she locked eyes with him. Still at a loss for words, she stuttered, "I-I-I... Father? D-dad?" she finally started towards him, beginning at a trot but sprinting at full speed to his side. She embraced him, burying her nose in his pelt. "I-I... I don't... I m-missed you..." and then more quietly, "I love you." Of course, there was a lot she needed to forgive. But right now, in this moment, she had her father back. She breathed in, a single tear of joy streaking her nose. "I... thank you for coming," she breathed softly.

Lakewhisper's hope that his sister wouldn't take to the meeting as terribly as he had was brought the light as the black and white she-cat embraced their father. A warm smile, tinged with relief, spread across his face. He began making his way towards the pair before joining in on the tender embrace of a family finally reunited.

The large, white fluffy tom looked up at his mate before motioning with a purr for her to come closer. "Um," He coughed awkwardly, "Dad, this is Snowblossom. Snowblossom, this is my dad, Ryeheart." He introduced with a few nervous flicks of his tail. Suddenly, he was anxious to see how his beloved mate would react to his ShadowClan dad, and vice-versa. He was utterly terrified, like he had never been before, that one would reject the other, or worse, they both hated each other.

The awkwardness that Snowblossom felt suddenly intensified as the ShadowClan tom and Ravenflight embraced. It was just so strange for this random tom to be the father of her mate and his sister! But she still sat where she was, determined to stick this out for the tom that she loved. Ryeheart was his father, and she just had to get used to that. However, as Lakewhisper introduced her, the shy she-cat found it very hard to resist the overwhelming compulsion screaming in her brain for her to run and hide from this strange cat. She really had never had good relations with any other Clan cats. The fluffy white she-cat straightened, not letting the hesitancy show in her deep green eyes, and rolled her shoulders back. It took everything to keep from melting into her mate's fur, but she sat by him, merely brushing their pelts together. She trusted Lakewhisper with everything, and since he liked this tom, that was a good enough recommendation for her. "You... Your son is a v-very good cat," she whispered, managing to force some words past the block in her throat. "So you must be t-too. It's... nice to m-meet you."

Ryeheart gasped as the weight of Ravenflight's slender body collided with his in an embrace that finally quelled the anxious fluttering of his lonely heart.  Her whispered words brought a wave of joyful tears upon him yet again, as he wrapped his long fluffy tail comfortingly across her back, and nuzzled her head tenderly.  "I missed you too, little bird...sorry I took so long."  His icy greenish-blue eyes sparkled with moisture as he pulled away slightly, giving his daughter an affectionate lick across her forehead.  She's not mad...she's happy to see me...oh Willowpetal, thank you!  As he felt Lakewhisper's slightly larger body press against them both, the ShadowClan tom's face flicked up towards the trees above, catching sight of the blazing dusk sky, where stars were just beginning to appear.  He knew she was up there, watching their reunion...and maybe Beekit and Vixenstep were with her as well, and for the first time in what felt like forever...Ryeheart was at peace.

Once the three of them pulled away -Ryeheart a bit reluctantly-, his beaming face centered on Lakewhisper at the sound of his voice, before flicking down curiously to the fluffy white she-cat at his side.  Snowblossom, Lakewhisper's mate, the mother of his kits...my grandkits!  Thank StarClan, he found happiness after all...  The ginger tabby tom's ears flicked inquisitively and his head tilted slightly to the side as he processed her greeting; she sounded a bit nervous.  Ryeheart couldn't quite hold back his disbelieving laugh; the thought of anyone being intimidated by him, the depressed failure of a ShadowClan warrior, had long been a fleeting daydream.  With a friendly chuckle, he dipped his head cordially towards the cloud-like molly and purred.  "It's nice to meet you as well Snowblossom, though I must say that Lakewhisper is by far a much better cat than I am.  Not that I'm biased at all, but I'll say you chose well!"  With a playful smirk, Ryeheart's soft ginger tabby shoulder collided with Lakewhisper's pale one, throwing him a wink.  "A charmer, just like your old man!"  His jaws split wide in an oh-so-familiar laugh he had not heard in moons, icy eyes dancing with a jokester's passion that had long been absent.  His smile was as wide as the sky, gaze flicking between his two kits and daughter-in-law.  This...is what made life worth living.

---

The strong scents of river water flooded into the huge dog's nose and mouth, causing him to sneeze as he streaked across the open ground.  The guardian human hadn't noticed him escape through that loose flap of mesh at the bottom of the pen, and now, he was free to run wherever he liked.  No more chains, no more cages...only running!  Large paws pounding against the earth, the setting sun cast into bleak focus a hollow surrounded by oak trees up ahead.  Abruptly, the dog skidded to a halt and altered his course to make a beeline towards the beautiful place.  He would not be there for the scenery though; he could smell prey.  Toys, for his own amusement.
Cats.

---

"So, tell me you three, how have you been?  I remember you telling me last time that you and this lovely she-cat have kits Lakewhisper, what are their names?"  Ryeheart seated himself on the dusty ground, his voice a boundless rumbling purr.  At that moment...he knew that he had never been so happy in his life.  To have his two remaining kits back was all that he even wanted, his only surviving dream.  Long gone were the wishes for glory and fame that had first brought him to this clearing...but they had been replaced with something more.  He had lost his family so early in his life, and just when he had finally started a new one, the cruel claws of fate and law had ripped them away.  Sitting here in this clearing though, it felt safe.  He felt outside the realm of the Clans, even though he was sitting on their holy ground.  He knew that, after just a short while, they would have to separate yet again, to go back to their respective clans.  They could meet again, he was sure, and at Gatherings as well...but the notion of returning to the gloomy marshes no longer appealed to him.  His family, his life, his very blood...was here, and he didn't want to let go.  Maybe...maybe Jaystar would be more lenient than his predecessors were...  Just as the hopeful yet treasonous thought occurred to him though, a sudden sharp sensation rippled from deep within his chest, making the fur along his spine prickle ominously.  It was cold...ice cold and seemed to freeze his very being.  Just like then, so long ago now...when a mother's blood had stained his paws for the sake of their world.  Almost against his own will, Ryeheart head lifted to look out over the heads of his loved ones, and beyond.

It seemed this grim place wasn't quite done with him yet.

His paws moved before his brain could even complete the thought of what he needed to do.  He dashed in front of them, stretching out his large fluffy body as far as he could to shelter them all, to guard them with the only thing that had refused to abandon him. "LOOK OUT!"  His voice rose above the calm voices of his family, scared to the bone, while also ringing with an honorable fearlessness.  He had faced more in his life than this...pain more terrible and debilitating than any mere fang could produce, but this was still new to him.  His icy eyes narrowed gleaming with defiance, the world almost seemed to move in slow motion as the huge body barreled towards him.  There was no time to move out of the way...but he had no reason to.  This was the least he could do for the cats he had let down so terribly for so many moons.  For a heartbeat, his mouth twisted upward in a wry little smile.  "Bring it on."  Then the dog struck.

It was pure agony.  Words could not describe what it felt like for teeth blunt as stones to rip into your skin, peircing fur and muscle in one fell swoop.  Ryeheart seemed to be screaming in pain, his mouth open so wide his eyes were forced closed, but his ears didn't seem to be able to hear anything other than his own heartbeat pounding in his head.  He felt dizzy even though his paws had left the ground and were swinging around wildly as the canine shook his body like a kit would with a defeated moss ball.  He felt both extremely numb and hyper-sensing at the same time; he could feel waves of blood soaking his fur where the large brown-and-black dog's teeth had sunk deep into his abdomen, the sticky substance all too familiar to him.  He pawed feebly at the dog's muzzle with all the strength he had, his jaws extending wide in a howl of mixed pain and fury as the squirming sent yet move ripples of agony through his side, and to no effort of his own he felt the dog's jaws open, and he fell to the ground.  He lay completely still, the movement around him just a faint spastic blur in the corners of his darkening vision.  Pain wracked his entire body ceaselessly, he wanted to call out to his family but was afraid that all he would receive back was silence.  Had he saved them?  Given them enough time to escape, or fight?  They would have to leave him, he accepted that...he just wished he could've said goodbye  Droplets of scarlet blood spilled onto the ground as Ryeheart closed his eyes, wincing as yet more pain came over him.  When he went to StarClan, would he be able to see his grandkits?  Would he stand by Willowpetal's side, together once again with their two daughters?  Would his father be there, and his brother?  Darkpaw, his best friend?  Would he even be allowed into StarClan, with all that he had done?

These thoughts, like all others, fell away into darkness as the tom fainted.

---

The dog hadn't expected such easy prey, it had practically jumped into his jaws!  Once he had shaken the cat around and dropped it to the ground, he was about to go in for another finishing attack when, to his horror, a whistle sounded through the trees.  The guardian human, he had noticed!  Backing away, his tail beginning to creep beneath his legs, the huge beast reluctantly turned away from the cats, and dashed off up the ridge.  Fighting cats weren't worth a scolding from the master.  Once the dog had vanished into the foliage, all was silent, leaving the cats to contemplate all that had just occured.

Ravenflight fell silent, still glowing with excitement after finally having met her father, and allowed Ryeheart to have his moment with Snowblossom and Lakewhisper. There was nothing more to read on her father's face than perfect, pure, happiness. She herself was overjoyed, though her own delight was plagued with the dark idea that Ryeheart had given her up - given her up when she could have spent her entire lifetime with him. In this moment, though, she pushed this thought to the furthest reaches of her mind, determined to get everything she could from this blissful reunion.

She was beginning to lose focus, when the air around her seemed to grow cold. Her fur rose, standing up on end, before she could even realize what was wrong. The warrior's claws into the dirt beneath her feet, but otherwise she stood motionlessly, frozen with terror. Her limbs buckled, crouching to brace for impact, and her eyes squeezed shut. But she felt nothing, only felt light drops dust her muzzle. Her eyes snapped open, and to her horror, took in the scene before her. The massive, filthy beast shook Ryeheart like a tiny piece of prey, spilling his innocent blood across the ground.

Then, almost as soon as it had begun, the dog dropped her father on the ground, turning with its tail between its legs to run back to its twoleg. Normally, she would have taken a moment to shake her head about how strange these creatures were, but now was not the time. She rushed to Ryeheart's side, her paws now stained with his blood. The sound of agony that emerged from his mouth was more painful and horrible than anything she had heard in her many moons as a warrior. "Ryeheart, please!" she begged him. "Please stay awake!" but her pleading was to no avail. His eyes were already shut in a deep and painful slumber. Whether he was still alive, she could not tell. Though she hadn't realized it, Ravenflight was crying like a kit, so full of fear for what would become of her newfound father. She buried her nose in his bloodstained pelt, trying to find signs of hope, a heartbeat, something that would tell her that he was fine, but she was shaking too much to make sense of anything. She dropped to the ground, her muzzle still deep in Ryeheart's long, ginger fur.

Snowblossom blushed slightly, but her heart felt warm with the kindness that Ryeheart was showing to both her and her mate. He was a nice tom, thank StarClan- and if Lakewhisker wanted to meet with him more, then she definitely wouldn't stand in his way. It was a good thing for him, meeting his father. The happiness that both siblings and parent obviously felt overtook her for a moment, and she smiled widely.

Then, disaster.

Almost moments after, a giant dog showed up. Everything slowed down. The dog attacked... somecat screamed... Ryeheart turned to face it and was struck down. As everyone stared in horror, too possessed by shock to react, the monster returned from whence it came, leaving the tom they'd come to see bleeding and limp on the ground. What? What just happened? She couldn't blink, she couldn't process anything. "R-Ryeheart?" she asked numbly, horrified at the blood that began to pool on the ground.

Lakewhisper was astounded by the incredible love and emotion from every one of them emitted. He was thrilled that Snowblossom and his father both seemed to approve of each other. The meeting couldn't have gotten any better.

His mouth opened and he inhaled slightly to answer Ryeheart’s question when the alarming scent of dog flooded his senses. Immediately he was on high alert, position himself between the beast and his mate, but it seemed his father had the same idea.

Before he had a chance to react any further, Ryeheart positioned himself between them and the vicious animal. Everything seemed to slow down. He took a step forward, aiming to push the shadowclan tom out of the way, but he wasn't quick enough. Within seconds, the dog had ripped into the father he was only now getting to have a relationship with. An earsplitting yowl of anger and hurt tore from the white tabby tom’s lungs, and as the dog ran off, Lakewhisper rushed to his father’s side, blood staining his white paws. ”R-Ryeheart..?” He stuttered quietly, his amber gaze burning with a storm of emotions. ”Dad, c-come on. Open your eyes. Y-You're gonna be o-okay.” He stammered insistently, tears now pooling in his eyes threatening to spill over. Why is this happening? Why me? Why now?