Morning Light

It was midmorning by the time the three she-cats made it to the border. Two of them sat down, speaking soft words to the third. One, a large grizzled she-cat, flicked what was left of her tail tip anxiously. "Now, if Brindlestar doesn't let yeh in, come down to the barn as soon as yeh can. Yeh can stay with me while we figure out what to do."
The littlest she-cat nodded, her large, pale eyes widening. "Tinystar says..."
"Nevermind what Tinystar says. I'll make sure he doesn't find out. Then, in three days, you'll meet me-"
"H-here."
"Right."

There was a pause as all three she-cats looked at each other. A faint, bitter-cold breeze ran over them.
"Well,"
"Hmm..."
"Good luck."
"Be safe, okay?"
The littlest one nodded. "I guess this is..."
"You'll be fine."
"And if they hurt yeh..."

The middle she-cat shot the grizzled tabby a sharp glance. "That won't happen."
The littlest cat nodded, shifting her paws. "I'll see you both. Soon."
"Goodbye, Lilypaw."

---

It was hard not to worry. Watching the little she-cat take a few tentative steps into Windclan territory, both the middle and the biggest she-cat found themselves suddenly filled with a mixture of unidentifiable feelings. For the larger one a feeling of relief, heartbreak, loss, and nostalgia tumbled through her chest. She grumbled and got to her feet, mumbling something about needing to return to her barn. The middle one nodded, her murky green eyes unreadable.

---

So this is it. Lilypaw took a deep breath, glancing around at the open moor. She could see so far... the horizon was completely visible. For the first time, Lilypaw was completely unprotected. Completely alone. There were no trees to protect her, no undergrowth that she could hide in. All she had now was the blue sky and the golden-yellow grass.
She kept walking, forcing herself to look ahead. There was nothing for her back there. Not anymore. Not now.

Amber eyes scanned the surrounding environment. Swiftstep was leading a patrol to check on the borders and the territory. It consisted of Graybriar, Murkpaw, and himself. There wasn't much happening lately that was out of the ordinary but there was no need to stop sending out patrols. You never know what could occur.

The brown tom looked back at the other members and nodded at each of them before speaking, "Alright guys, if you hear, scent, or see anything that the rest of us don't take notice of, speak up." After instructing that, the deputy continued on walking, senses alert for anything or anyone.

Murkpaw padded along with the others, not feeling tired for once. This place doesn't look that bad... despite being scrubby bushes and endless cold, full of stupid cats bent on killing themselves. Opening his mouth to taste the air as the cat in front of him mentioned it, he sorted through the scents, bent on finding something noteworthy. I'll be better than them. Indeed, as he inhaled, something... strange touched his tongue, and he whipped his head around, stopping for a moment to search for it again. A cold breeze ruffled the fur on his body, bringing with it the faint tang of an unfamiliar cat, and he narrowed his eyes, concentrating harder. Yes, that wasn't a WindClan cat he could smell. It was coming from behind them, in the direction of the abandoned barn.
"There's a cat behind us," Murkpaw hissed. With that, he loped off in its direction, making sure to move as silently as he could while still moving as fast as possible. As he drew closer, he could hear something rustling through the grass, not even bothering to be quiet. Making a snap decision, he leaped forwards, claws unsheathed. He bowled right into the other cat, pinning her down as best he could, a snarl baring his teeth. Won't Silverstreak be proud.

Graybriar's ears perked up at the same time Murkpaw's did, noticing the scent of a strange cat behind them on the breeze. The smell was like nothing she'd scented before, a mix of musty hay and forest and oak trees... but buried beneath it all, something was familiar. Was that- SkyClan scent? Shocked, the warrior turned around, only for the apprentice to leap at the strange cat and bowl them over. It was a small she-cat, probably just an apprentice... "Murkpaw, get off of her!" she cried in alarm, bounding over to shoulder him off of the stranger. Her sky blue eyes were curious and somewhat wary towards the new cat. "Who are you? Are you... are you from SkyClan? You aren't here to attack us, are you? Did Tinystar send you?" Though she still loved cats from her former Clan, she knew that they were not on good terms with WindClan, ever since Rippedstar's betrayal. However, they were supposedly neutral now...

Lost in thought, Lilypaw couldn't detect the approaching patrol. One minute she was walking, and the next, she was on her back. Despite Sedgestrike's many faults, he had trained her well.
"Use your legs, mousebrain!" His voice was clear in her mind. "You're a Skyclanner. Fight like one."
Letting out a squeak, the black-patched apprentice kicked at the apprentice, her claws scoring marks in his belly. "Let go, Mousebrain!" She yelped.
The tom was suddenly pushed aside, and Lilypaw leaped to her feet, her flanks heaving. "What? No!" She mewed, her voice hitching as a silvery-gray she-cat spoke. "I-I'm not here to... I- uh..." She wrinkled her nose as they crowded around her. The way the walked, their accents... even their smell was different. Losing confidence, the small apprentice couldn't help crouching in the grass, her tail tucked around her body defensively. "I wanna join- I... I need to talk to Brindlestar. Please."

OOC: garbage ;)

Murkpaw arched his back instinctively as he felt the other cat's claws in his belly, growling low in his throat. Before he could do anything, though, he was suddenly shoved off by some other cat. "What are you-?" Biting off his hiss, he glanced at Greybriar, ears flattened. The one time he'd actually bothered to do something they just shoved him aside. The injustice! He listened sullenly as the tabby she-cat talked to the one who'd clawed his belly. As the little she-cat glanced at him, he bared his teeth at her, making sure his pelt was bushed out enough to be extremely unfriendly.
Then she declared that she wanted to join, and he was left completely stumped. This... rogue... wants to join? She smelled a little like a Clan cat, though not like any he'd encountered yet, but she also smelled like she hadn't been part of a Clan for a long, long time. "If you 'just wanted' to join, then why did you hang around in pretty much every place but here?"

bump!

OOC: Super sorry for this late post! ;-; I have so much going on at the same time that it's driving me nuts! XD

IC: Not too long after having explained during the patrol, Murkpaw ran back toward the Abandoned Barn, stating that there was somebody behind them. Quickly, Swiftstep followed Graybriar and Murkpaw. Once he got there, he witnessed Murkpaw tackle down an unfamiliar she-cat. The tom was about to intervene when Graybriar stepped over first. Swiftstep padded over at looked on as the scene unfolded.

The deputy narrowed his eyes as his mind raced around with endless worriess and scenerios that may or may not happen. This mystery cat had been a Skyclanner before. Swiftstep was certain of it since Graybriar, who had been a Skyclanner previously, concluded much. Was this cat exiled? Did she just run away? Why did she want to join Windclan? Of all clans why this one?

Swiftstep sighed and approached the three, decision already made in his head. The tom glanced over at his two clan-mates with slight unease and then quickly turned back to face the stranger. "If you are truly no longer part of Skyclan, we will take you to Brindlestar. We don't want any more conflicts with your previous clan. Be warned, our leader may not take too lightly of this situation. Just make sure to be honest and confident in what you say." The deputy nodded at Murkpaw and Graybriar to follow before walking to the direction of the camp.