Tell the World; I'm Coming Home pt. II [Open]

ooc; continuation of this topic

Fighting against the wind and snow of the impending blizzard had not been an easy task. Coupled with the mouselengths of flakes that had already compiled over the frigid marshlands, the process was even slower. The additional weight bad touch along his back had not helped either. However, Burntpaw pushed on without any complaints. Their missing clanmates had been found. The tom hadn't realized quite how much he had noticed Silentpaw's absence. She was just that, silent, but her magnificent presence left a noticeable gap in the camp. It had always been his intention to get to know her more, study her, as he had the rest of the clan and really any other cat he had met. And his inherent protective nature combined with the ways in which she reminded him of Littlepaw had caused the protectiveness to fire through his veins. They'd rarely interacted and yet the waves of relief that washed through him were very noticeable. For now, the feeling was overwhelmed with something more prominent, the desire to bring both cats to safety.

As he pushed through the entrance, Burntpaw was grateful for the shelter that the camp walls had to offer. Every so often he had slowed to allow for Mothpaw and constantly glanced back over his shoulder with an intense green gaze to make sure she was still there. Scorchstar's other daughter he knew even less. But she was a clanmate nonetheless and he cared for her safety. He would ensure that even when they had returned that they were well taken care of. Whatever Morningpaw required in aid, the tom would offer his own paws to assist.

He stopped in the center of the clearing. Craning his neck around and carefully stooping to the ground, the calico tom gingerly removed Silentpaw from his back. What snowflakes had clung to her long coat, his tongue cleared away in the continued effort to warmed the drained she-cat. Her consciousness was clearly slipping. Despite the darker she-cat's more stable condition, Burntpaw called her forward as well and offered up a similar treatment. This all happened in a mere matter of seconds in which cats undoubtedly had time to gather around. As they did he lifted his head and stood next to Silentpaw, "Get Morningpaw, and Scorchstar. Tell him his daughters have returned."

While she had desperately wanted to return home, now that she was here, Mothpaw was unsure of what to do next. She was afraid, now, of things that were less frightening than imminent death or getting lost in the snow: admitting that everything they had been through was entirely her fault to her father. While she was often energetic, and even now shifted her weight from one paw to the other, she didn't look excited to be home in the slightest. Instead, she just looked guilty. She was the one who had wanted to sneak out, and she had dragged Silentpaw along with her, and now they were home and it was time to deal with the consequences of her actions. That didn't mean she had to be happy about it.

(OOC: SO sorry for the late reply!)

The voice of ShadowClan's youngest warrior -- well, by rank anyway -- attracted Scorchstar's attention, and he rose up his head from where he had lowered it to snack on a small, frail lizard that was now halfway devoured. He tilted his head questioningly, but said nothing as he rose up from his nest and followed Thornbriar out of his den and into the clearing to see what needed his attention.

And what he saw made his heart simultaneously flutter and sink with immense joy and hollow dread.

"My kits!" He sprinted away from Thornbriar's side, weaving his way through the gathering cats, to approach his half-frozen daughters who had been missing for a long time -- too long in his eyes. Stars, they looked so weak, and so small for their age. Tears brimming in his vivid orange eyes, making the vision of his daughters swim, the ShadowClan leader nestled down and wrapped his forelegs around each molly to drag them away from Burntpaw and close to his fluffy belly, draping his bushy tail tightly around them. He then began fervently grooming their pelts the wrong way to help warm them up, at least until Morningpaw arrived to aid them. His tears finally began to fall as he shut his eyes closed, softly weeping through his strong purrs.

Burntpaw stopped his efforts to warm the she-cat as her father, the leader, approached. Seeing the joy and tears in his mentor's eyes was an emotion that reminded him of his mother. He stepped away and allowed the scene to unfold before him. A father with his kits. Lichenmask would have never shown such care. His lip threatened to curl in disgust but he refused to allow it. Green eyes glistened with a variety of emotions but they were glossed over like a sheet of ice. He eventually dipped his head to the clan leader, "They're safe, Scorchstar. Morningpaw will just need to take a look at them."

Morningpaw rushed out of her den after hearing a commotion outside. Her eyes held a hint of worry as she approached closer and closer. Once there she could spot the leader nuzzling and embracing two she-cats. The medicine cat's eyes widened. They were Silentpaw and Mothpaw! She padded up closer to Scorchstar and bent down to take a better look. "What had happened?" she asked to nobody in particular. She began to examine the white-furred she-cat first since she wasn't fully conscious. After a quick but thorough look, Morningpaw concluded that she was suffering from fatigue, cracked pads, slight hunger, and intense cold. The medicine cat apprentice swiftly looked over Mothpaw and deemed her suffering from the same things except not as severe.

Morningpaw stood up fully and looked at Scorchstar, then at Burntpaw before beginning to report her diagnosis for the two she-cats, "I'll need to have them both stay in my den for a while. They're both slightly malnourished and parched, they are fatigued, bear cracked paws due to extensive walking and cold, and are suffering from the long exposure to the freezing weather, although, more Silentpaw than Mothpaw on that last one. I need somebody to carry Silentpaw for me. Mothpaw, can you continue to walk on your own or do you wish for some assistance to get to my den?"