Riverside Revelations (CLOSED)

Leopardstar was curled in his soft feather-stuffed nest, slender tail covering his nose in an effort to block the cold breeze of the approaching leaf-bare from hitting his face; even though he was surrounded by solid stone walls, small wisps of wind still managed to sneak through the patch of hanging lichen that blocked the entrance of the leader's den.  For the last moon, forboding stripes of blood-red light had filtered through the swaying tendrils; now, there was finally the familiar soft white glow of the moon and stars.  The golden spotted tabby tom's chest lowered as he finished a relieved sigh, but still, not all was peaceful within his mind.  A nagging thought had clung to him for the last few sunrises, a conversation that he needed to have sooner rather than later.  First, he had considered saying it before the clan had left for battle, but he couldn't find the time.  Next, he had planned to say it right after the patrol had returned from Fourtrees, but his body had been too weak to keep his eyes open for long.  Now, after his journey to the Moonstone with Pricklepaw was over, and he had napped for most of the day, he was wide awake with nothing to do other than think.  He had never liked what thoughts he conjured this late at night.  

His greenish-hazel eyes scanned the cave once more, before screwing shut as he tucked his head farther under his tail.  Why am I so scared to tell her?  Now that Lichenmask is dead, RiverClan won't know about her origins unless I outright told them...besides, it was foolish of me to think that Jaystar would just walk into camp and take every family member I have left.  He's not his mother.  Besides, plenty of cats have half-clan linage.  Even if RiverClan is the only clan blood they possess, Lichenfang and Birdflight, Mothpaw, Wasppaw, and Pantherpaw grew up in ThunderClan...they're ThunderClan cats through and through!  If it hadn't been for Lichenmask's interfering, this would've stayed a long-buried secret forever.  A small doubtful voice though still spoke in the very back corners of his mind; That didn't stop Ivystar from taking Flickerpaw.

Leopardstar shook his head sharply as if a physical action could shake off his lingering worries.  No, that was different.  Much different.  That was a life for a life, all of our debts are repaid now.  Except...no, we made a deal.  Jaystar promised not to look for vengeance for that apprentice Reedheart maimed...but, do I really trust him to keep that oath?  As much as the leader wanted to see the best in the blue-gray tabby rival, a thousand ill memories of the scent of fish and water invading his camp and taking away cats dear to his clanmates had managed to break a trust and respect he would've upheld for his whole life back in his apprentice days.  Back then, he had looked down into the river's depths with eyes that sparkled in awe; now, he could only see blood.  How was he going to face Lichenfang with the truth, when he didn't even want to face it himself?

"Let your judgments be free of the fog that many would have you be lost in. See the truth."  Ivystar's words from his leader ceremony inexplicably crept into his mind, ringing with a clarity he almost didn't want to admit.  For all this time, he had been so focused on Lichenmask and his greater threat that he had only been able to apply the snide leader's advice to the thing right in front of him; now that he thought back though, it was true in both cases.  If he didn't tell her, a fog would forever hang between himself and his mate until their dying days.  He had never kept secrets from her before...and he never wanted to again.  Over the moons, they had raised kits together, explored and hunted together, fought alongside each other...she was the love of his life, and when he thought he had lost her it felt like half of his soul had been ripped away.  He owed her his honesty; just as she had once helped him to come to terms with his history, he would be there to help her realize her own.

With a decisive twitch of his black-tipped ears, Leopardstar rose to his paws and brushed aside the curtain of lichen, stepping out into the frosty moonlit clearing.  The elder's den lay silent, the hollow log scorched by that long-ago forest fire dark and shadowed in a safe corner of the ravine.  She sleeps alone too...  He paused for a moment out of sight, taking a long, deep breath, before he poked his head around the corner into the wood-scented den.  Her calico pelt, though scarred and ragged, was still as beautiful as ever to his eyes.  His voice forcibly steady, he meowed in a loud whisper, hopefully enough to wake her up if she had fallen asleep.  "L-Lichenfang?"

The elder had grown used the the loneliness of the elders den. With everything that had been going on lately,Lichenfang wasn't sure what else could go wrong. Though she was grateful that Starclan did save them from Lichenmask and his goons. She laid wide awake her moss green eyes looking to the entance her body curled up as best as she could find comfortable to stay warm. She closed her eyes for a moment. She couldn't hear too well or else she would have heard Leopardstar enter. Though she caught his scent and opened her green eyes again meeting the site of her mate. Her gaze instantly soften and immediately she wished she wasn't stuck in the elders den because of her injuries. She wanted to be out there hunting and serving her clan but sadly she was stuck here alone. She looked to him for a moment taking in his appearance before moving slowly to where she was sitting up."Yes...what's wrong?"She asked her voice soft as it always had been but over the moons and underlying sadness always edged her voice.

Despite the conflicting situation, Leopardstar couldn't help but smile at the sound of Lichenfang's voice, soft and calming and...familiar.  On paws slow with apprehension, he ducked inside the confines of the hollowed out tree, the remains of nests long abandoned nothing more than dried moss and feather shafts that crunched beneath his strong paws.  Her nest was located near the center, and once he reached it the leader lowered himself into a sitting position, his black-tipped ears flattened against his skull like a nervous kit.  Oh StarClan...do I have to do this?  For a moment, he was silent, his hazel eyes downcast and thoughtful, but after a moment, his eyes rose to meet his mate's as he meowed in as strong a voice he could manage; "Can...can I lay with you?"  He hadn't forgotten how that piece-of-scum rogue had damaged her hearing, so he gestured with his tail towards the empty space in her nest, his request clear.  He wanted to be close to her, like in their youth...sharing warmth and comfort, with nothing to come between them until the morning sun rose above the trees.

Lichenfang watched as he approached entering the den quietly. He hadn't quite answered her question but that was okay. He was here and that was what mattered most tof her. Starclan knows how many night she spent alone in the elders den."Of..of course you can.."She mewed purring some in a bit of amusement as she looked to him knowing he wanted to lay with her and she was fine with it but she could tell something was on his mind"What's on your mind?"She asked softly.

His worried eyes softened slightly as Leopardstar smiled, rising to his paws and stepping into the nest beside Lichenfang, laying down with his paws curled underneath his form and his scarred flank pressing comfortingly against her warm calico pelt.  Their closeness, scents wreathing together in such a nostalgic way, Leopardstar's mind was overwhelmed with such a peaceful atmosphere of memory he almost forgot why he had come in the first place; to break this moment.  First, though, he closed his eyes and tenderly rasped his tongue across his mate's cheek and the stubs of her ears, before speaking up.  "Lots of things.  Too many to handle...but I guess that comes with leading a clan.  Battles used to thrill me, back when we were young...now, all I can see is death, destruction...the cats I love and swore to protect throwing themselves towards the claws of fate on my orders.  I...it's not something you need to worry about."  Despite his dour words, his eyes shone in the darkness, staring into hers with a deep love that had never faltered.  He wouldn't drag her into his worries, no matter how heavily they weighed on his shoulders.

Now though, he could find no excuse to wait any longer.  His hazel eyes breaking off their contact from her own mossy green gaze, he shifted a bit, before continuing in a low tone.  "There is...one thing though.  So...um...a few days after you and Pantherpaw had returned, Lichenmask visited our camp.  A patrol ran across him at the top of the ravine, and when I came up to face him he...told me things.  As much as I believe he was corrupted by the Dark Forest...no cat can deny that he knew things that could only have come from the word of StarClan. So...as much as I don't want to believe him...I know he was telling the truth."  He paused, thinking for a moment, before piping up abruptly; "Remember when we were apprentices, and you tried to convince me to go swimming with you in the river?"

Lichenfang smiled some relaxing when he laied down missing their closeness so much she closed her eyes for a moment relishing in it. She missed it when they were younger they would hunt and fight she missed all that. She then opened her eyes hearing him."You know you can tell me...anything i dont care what it is is I know its being weighing heavily on you " She mewed quietly. It wasn't hard to see that it was a strain on him. She gave a small smile"But you can tell when you are ready"she said softly. She was quiet for a moment her tail curling over her bum leg. It was silent for a moment before he asked her about when thet were apprentices when she tried to get him to swim. She purred at the memory remembering as if it was just yesterday.I remmber it as if it were yesterday...you were so nervous to get in the water with me..."She purred smiling fondly. She then was quietwhy do you ask? What truth do you even mean?"she said looking to him worry filling her gaze. She didn't know what he was getting at and it worried her.

Leopardstar chuckled slightly, recalling fondly how he had danced on the edge of the river before dashing away back into the bushes when the water touched his toes.  "Yea...it always felt really unnatural, plus I hated how the water bogged down my pelt."  The worry shining in her bright eyes though brought his recollection to a screeching halt.  This is what he had feared...seeing her upset, because of his words.  He knew though that this was the only way to go forward, and took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment before spoke.  

"Lichenfang...the reason you're so comfortable in the water while I'm not...is because your father was a RiverClan warrior.  I expect he had an affair with your mother, and..."  He fell silent; she had always known about her mother's choice.  His own mother had made the very same decision...he could only hope that her early days hadn't been as bad as his had been.  "Lichenmask didn't tell me his name, so I don't know if he's still alive or not...I know I should've told you sooner, but with the war preparations...and taking care of Birdflight...there wasn't a right time, until now."  His eyes searched her face for a reaction, his heart hammering anxiously.  Would she be mad?  Sad?  Horrified?  Would she be mad at him, for not telling her sooner, or even just telling her in the first place?  Would she cry?  StarClan, he hoped she wouldn't.  With no more words, he simply wrapped his tail over her back in a comforting way, and awaited what would come to pass.

Lichenfang wanted to laugh but the fond mwmory moment was gone as soon as it happened andshe could see somwthing in Leopardstar's face that worried her. As he spoke he said what she wasn't expecting. Her first reaction was denial but she couldn't deny his words rang true. She closed her eyes her fur prickling many emotions could show in just her face alone. Fear,worry,confusion,a brief moment of anger and then sadness if for a moment just enough that it brought tears to her eyes."I....I don't know wh..what to say...I...i didn't know...I.."She felt her words caught off and she looked at Leopardstar. She didn't know what to say but she knew as one thing that worried her. She had heard stories of a thunderclan apprentice being taken back to Riverclan because of their half blood."Y..You don't think Riverclan will find out what...if they take one of the grandkits or...or..."She trailed off again if she had her ears they would be flattened against her skull at the moment but she didn't and only hint at an attempt was a slight twitch of the stubs that were left of her ears.

As soon as the words he had dwelled upon for moons left her lips, Leopardstar leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers, his tense body sparking with such a deep determination it almost seemed to fill the air with electricity.  "The only way Jaystar would ever touch you, our kits, or our grandkits is over my dead body."  The tone of his voice was so low and husky it almost sounded like a growl, but upon realizing this he drew back, not wanting to worry her even further.  "It's okay...Jaystar doesn't know, Lichenmask never got the chance to tell him.  This secret is safe with us.  Besides...Jaystar is different from Ivystar.  Even though I don't trust him, I don't think he would stoop to the same levels she did..."  As he trailed off though, he wasn't completely sure.  He had managed to fight for Sharptooth's freedom...but it had still come down to an ultimatum.  If so determined...would that blue-gray tabby leader push the limits even further?  Still, so far he had kept his promise about not pursuing revenge over Reedheart's crime...

Lichenfang felt tears well and drip from her eyes for a moment."but...its still a possibility w...we don't know if he knows"She mewed She had to close her eyes unable to stop her tears. This revelations that she did indeed have clan blood was confusing. She didn't ever think to make a connections.

Ooc: i am curious what would happen if Jaystar did find out to be honest lol it would be interesting in itself))

(occ: Jay Bird said that Jaystar wouldn't really care, so Leo is freaking out over nothing ;D
also this is a kinda short post, sorry)

Leopardstar bent forward, resting his head on her trembling shoulder and burying his muzzle into the soft fur around her neck.  "Lichenmask was holding what he knew over me, as blackmail. If he had been able to tell Jaystar before he was exiled, he would've boasted about it...if he does know though...I'll fight for you, for our family.  I'll fight till the end of my days, I promise."  His sentence ended in a whisper, as he closed his eyes against the tears that threatened to well up and spill over.  His family meant everything to him...and he couldn't bear to lose any more of it.

"Ok"She mewed softly relaxing slowly her trembling body ,from finding out the truth, calmed and she closed her eyes. She rested her head against the top of his head for a moment. She couldn't hear what he whispered but she knew he would fight for her and for their family just as he would for their clan. She licked his ear lovingly for a moment.

(occ: how about we end it here?  You can post once more with Lichen if you like C:)

Leopardstar's tense body relaxed and he let out a long sigh, his body pressed against Lichenfang's so close it looked as if the edges of their pelts were blurred into each other.  He felt warm, and safe...and at peace.  For so long his soul had been burdened by the weight of countless worries...but at this moment, it felt as if he were still a young warrior, new to the world with so many opportunities spread out before him.  He had achieved the highest dream any clan cat could shoot for; yet, he was most content here, laying in the elder's den beside the cat who had always been there for him, through thick and thin.  As he reflected on this odd coincidence, his eyes began to droop, and his mind began to grow foggy.  He needed to sleep, it had been too long...but he didn't want to leave.  He didn't need to leave...he could stay right here.  With that comforting thought ringing in his mind, Leopardstar's consciousness began to fade, as he slipped into the realm of dreams.

(Sounds good we can end it here)

She felt as her mate fell asleep beside her and with it she felt the tugging of blissful sleep pulling at her. Quietly she laid her head down and fell asleep happy.