A New Hope (OPEN, TC Reunion Topic)

Pricklebush almost didn’t realize that they were back in ThunderClan territory until he saw their camp. He was still shellshocked- numb paws retracing the path he’d taken so many times he couldn’t count, his mind elsewhere completely. He barely even saw in front of him. The only thing in his mind was a replaying scene, over and over, of his mother toppling from a cliff then disappearing from his view. He was vaguely aware that Hailpaw was somewhere near him, and he occasionally glanced around to make sure that she hadn’t disappeared too. He no longer trusted that StarClan meant for his family to be safe at all- and he would protect every last one of them with every inch of his life.

As he stumbled across the territory from Highstones down, leading the bedraggled remnants of his Clan behind him, he was still too stunned by what he’d seen to remember the faint hope of hours ago that the rest of his Clan might be alive. So when he saw other cats in ThunderClan camp, it shocked him out of his reverie. The normalcy of the scene was jarring compared to the battle they’d returned from. Cats he knew, his Clanmates, were putting prey in the fresh-kill pile, repairing damaged dens… he even saw one or two cats bringing herbs from the territory. Sure, it was a little waterlogged, but it was home. His home.


The medicine cat stood there for a moment, blinking hard, trying to comprehend the scene. Jaystar’s words from earlier returned- a vague remembrance that he’d claimed there were cats in the forest waiting for them. The swept cats were not all dead. Most of them had survived. Which ones? Who was still alive? Curiosity born of fear drove his paws forward into the camp, propelling him towards the leader’s den, and something akin to relief swallowed him up when two familiar scents met his nose. The burden of leadership was off of him at last. There was one last thing he would need to do… but StarClan knew it could wait. “Leopardstar, Marshstorm,” the normally abrasive tom meowed quietly. “We’re back.”

Emberheart had travelled home alongside her her Clanmates, and though she still felt that strange mixture of sad and almost numb, every step she took was made with purpose. And, somewhere underneath that purpose, a desire to finally be home.

The mountains hadn't exactly been unpleasant, but they hadn't been home. The flood that had swept away friends, family, and the things that made ThunderClan what it was... That had been thoroughly unpleasant. The battle in the mountains had been thoroughly unpleasant as well, but the Tribe cats had been nice enough, and she would recall the face of a friend whenever the word Echo was said somewhere near her.

But the mountains, like the Twolegplace garden she recalled with distant fondness, had never been her home. That was the forest, beyond all doubts. Her paws itched slightly every time she'd thought of returning, but now she was here. They all were.

All...

Right. There was something she had to make sure of.

"Mosspaw?" she called, trying to keep the worry out of her voice. What if her hopes were misplaced? If her apprentice was really gone, when she'd grown so fond of her in their relatively short time together, along with her kits... Was Ravenstripe alright, as well? "Ravenstripe?"

It wasn't necessarily that she couldn't tell if they were there by searching. She simply didn't want to; not wanting to risk the realization that they weren't okay.

~

Batpaw had finally, for the most part, regained her lucidity (and her ability to carry her own weight, thankfully). It was still hard to believe, though, that they were going home. That ThunderClan was still standing, after everything. That her family was alright... They had to be, right? She couldn't entertain the possibility of anything else, not even in the mountains. They were family, they had to stick together, and every time she started to forget she'd reminded herself of that.

As soon as Pricklebush called for Leopardstar and Marshstorm, she made a call of her own. "Dad...? Marshstorm...? ...Lynx? ...Copper...?"

It all came out softer and more hesitant than she'd intended. The triumphant return she'd planned proved difficult when she was still recovering from recent injuries, and when she couldn't seem to keep her voice calm or clear. It was almost a whisper, but she had to have faith that they'd hear her somehow.

She was reminded, vaguely, of the Twolegplace; when she and Lynxtail and the friends they'd made along the way were captured and had barely managed to escape. She recalled the uncertainty, the worry she'd had. It was harder now to suppress those concerns than it was then, and it hadn't exactly been easy. Not that they weren't alive - they had to be, who was Batpaw without her family? - but whether they were injured or sick or worse.

There had been only two good things to come out of the situation, neither of which necessarily outweighed the negatives. First, it was easier to ignore the tempation to run into the distance and never look back when there was nowhere to run to, and a whole new place to explore. The Tribe cats lived differently, and that interested her even if it didn't call to her. It was no stranger, objectively, than their own way of life was to loners and rogues and kittypets. Or theirs to them. The second was that she'd made some friends along the way, much like her last misadventure.

And, though their time in the mountains had made her new friends - Ferretpaw, the cat she'd never quite disliked but could now firmly call a friend; and Chirp, the excitable Tribe to-be - she missed her brothers. She missed her father too, the cat who'd taken her and her family in when they'd had nowhere else to go; but she missed Copperheart and Lynxtail more than anything else. They'd been there with her then, and every time after. This was the first time she'd ever been away from them both, and it had taken far too long to come home for her to ever want to repeat such an experience. Any new adventures she embarked on, she would ensure they were present as well.

She'd found, after all, that she didn't like the feeling of being alone.

"Lynx! Copper!" she called out again; her voice louder this time and almost desperate.

Mosspaw had been back among the ferns, trying to make sense of the herbs that some of the warriors were bringing back. She had hung some cobwebs neatly in the den, and had laid new moss out to dry in the sun, making new nests out of the moss from the days before that had been carefully picked clean and dried. Surely Pricklebush would be back soon, and he could take back over with the herbs... Amberdawn had only been able to show her a little, but she did the best she could. Separating the herbs she did recognize, such as some daisy leave and ragweed into small piles, she also separated the ones she didn't know into their own piles, trying to match each one up with similar looking and smelling herbs so if... no, when, Pricklebush returned, he'd at least have something to work with. In her spare time, she helped repairing dens and going hunting once apprentices were allowed out of the camp, keeping herself as busy as possible to try to ignore the emptiness of the camp.

It was back in that clearing, surrounded by the nearly growing ferns, that a familiar, distant voice reached her ears. She straightened, ears swiveling toward the camp entrance. She knew that voice. Excitement forced her paws to shake as she stood up, poking her head out of the ferns to make sure her exhausted mind wasn't playing tricks on her. It wasn't long before the calico picked out the pretty pelt of her mentor, and with a high-pitched yowl of pure joy she sprang out of the ferns, and ran to her mentor, practically bowling her over as a loud purr rumbled in her chest. "Emberheart! Oh Emberheart, you're okay! I was so worried, I was afraid that I wouldn't ever see you again...." She trailed off as she got up, touching noses with her mentor. "I have so much to tell you! You wouldn't believe what all happened, I've learned so much! I fought a raccoon, and dogs, and I met a bunch of other cats from other clans and made a lot of friends, including Amberdawn and Leafpaw and Ravenpaw and.... And stars, Emberheart, I'm just so happy to see you again..." Tears flowed from her eyes as she pressed her face into Emberheart's chest, taking comfort in the fact that her mentor was alive and well, and finally back home... They were home at last, where they belonged.

Ferretpaw, a little weary from the long walk, barely recognized the home she once knew. The ravine was almost completely cleared out, with only little here and there from the cats who had made it back before her. The territory itself was in ruins: trees uprooted, herbs destroyed, prey migrated. The sky was dull and every head hung low around her at the sight of it. She wondered what ThunderClan had done wrong to deserve this fate. And worst of all, Blizzardshine was gone. A mother, a former leader, and now a hero. A martyr. She had saved them all. How was it fair that she wasn't here to enjoy the victory?

But, as she watched Batpaw fly into her brothers' arms, a tear fell from her eyes. Ferretpaw laughed, a sound that came from deep inside her heart. It felt like a million butterflies had taken flight around her, and her spirit soared. She had no siblings or parents or mates to call her own, to lean on, or to confide in. She didn't need any of it. Her clan, ThunderClan, was her family. They were reunited at last. The joy Batpaw felt was a shared joy. As kin embraced kin, she stood on the side and let the love crash over her. It was a day to be celebrated, indeed.

"We made it!"

Ever since his reunion with Lynxtail and Leopardstar and his return to the demolished ThunderClan camp, Copperheart had regained much of his lost sanity and happiness. He kept his mind busy by hunting to refill the fresh-kill pile and fixing up the camp with his brother and father. Still, despite the fact he had returned to his home and had reunited with most of his family, he was yet to be satisfied. He hadn't found Batpaw yet. 

When he saw the cats that had missed their first reunion start piling into camp, Copperheart felt a wave of adrenaline hit him like a monster on the Thunderpath. His senses flared in an attempt to find any trace of the she-cat he had been away from and missing for so long. When he heard a voice- her voice- the orange tom became wracked with emotion. Batpaw was here, and she was alive. The cat who had been by his side for his entire life- his partner in crime, his sister, and most importantly- his friend- was there, just a few tail-lengths away.

"Bat! Bat!"

"Batpaw!" His voice broke as he pushed through the crowd desperately, completely oblivious to who he shoved. Once again, he felt that rush of feeling, reaching all the way to the tips of his ears. She was here, just like Copper had been, on that Twoleg contraption. He reared onto his hind legs, straining to see past the reuniting Thunderclan cats that surrounded him. Where was she- where was she?? He knew she was here, she had be.
Lynx, Copper!
Lynxtail's paws grew numb. He knew that voice- he knew it. "Bat!" He cried again.
The crowd shifted and he caught a glimpse of black fur. He crossed the open space between them in a matter of seconds and eveloped his sister in a tight embrace, pulling Copperheart beside him. Something inside of him shifted, as if something that was shattered had suddenly mended. All his missing pieces were back together again, exactly where they fit, where they belonged. After what felt like years, they were all finally home.

Despite the strenuous efforts of rebuilding and hunting a territory wiped nearly bare, Leopardstar had not yet given in to exhaustion, though he had been working just as hard as any of his clanmates.  An enduring strength pushed his paws forward, extending his claws as he stalked prey without any of the former plant cover and tightening his muscles as he worked together with his Clan to move fallen branches and piles upon piles of twigs and debris from their once radiant camp.  For now, though, his work was done; he had recently returned from a hunting expedition, yielding a sufficient number of catches, and had decided to settle down in the shadow of the Highrock to feast on a somewhat scrawny mouse.  It wasn't his first choice, but other cats needed the best prey more than himself.  He still had several lives to spare.  After grooming his short golden coat and wiping his torn black-tipped ears with a forepaw, Leopardstar was about to tuck into his meal when he picked up the sound of many cats moving towards the camp entrance...cats with no fear or regard for stealth.  Pupils narrowing instinctively to defensive slits, the large spotted cat rose to his feet, but his caution was quickly proved to be unwarranted.  His heart beating faster with every pawstep they took, a wide smile broke out across the serious leader's face as the patrol's leader pushed through their temporary entranceway, his pelt almost as spiky as the brambles they had used to create it.  "Pricklebush!"  With a roaring purr, the ThunderClan leader leaped forward, jogging across the camp until he reached the medicine cat, gently touching noses with the long-furred tom.  "Oh, thank StarClan you're all safe...welcome home!"  For he realized after less than a second that the cats following behind the healer were more of his lost Clanmates; the Tribe refugees had returned!  So many faces he recognized and loved...Emberheart, Ferretpaw, Echofrost, Harefoot, Cloverleaf and Flamerose, Bonewatcher...and...

"Batpaw!"

There was his beloved daughter, shiny black fur reflecting the weak sunlight...alive.  She was alive!  All other thoughts of leaderly questions and arrangements forgotten, he took a step forward to embrace her, but the sound of pounding paws distracted him.  Looking over, he only had a heartbeat to jump out of the way as Copperheart and Lynxtail ran up, tackling their sister in a heartwarming hug that brought tears to the aging tom's eyes.  They were all back together again, after so many seemingly endless moons...  With a joyful laugh, Leopardstar stepped forward and used his greater size to his advantage, wrapping his paws and tail around all three of his adopted kits as he joined the group reunion, reaching out to give Batpaw's head a loving lick.  "Welcome home sweetheart..."  Closing his hazel eyes, he allowed himself a long moment of respite, nestled between the pelts of his family, before reality came crashing back over him.  Questions, arrangements, welcomes...we can catch up later.  Blinking affectionately as he pulled away, flicking Batpaw's ear with his tail-tip, he turned back to Pricklebush; "Come, the Clan will want to hear of what you've been through."  Loping off back the way he had come, the large tom bunched his hindquarters and leaped onto the Highrock, the new scratches and dents allowing more pawholds.  Beckoning Pricklebush to join him, Leopardstar took a deep breath and called a summons he had not used for...too long.  "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!  Our lost Clanmates have returned!"

Stormkit kept to himself as the reunions of his clanmates took place. He felt out of sorts, not connected to any of his kin, despite their happy meows. They called him a ThunderClanner, one of them, yet he barely knew any of them, nothing connected them beyond the vague notion of clanhood that Pricklebush had imposed on the kits. He looked warily at the tom that was his leader, trying to make sense of this new kin.

In and out, through and around, another twig in the way. White tipped paws grappled with the thorny branches of bramble as he tried to pull another one through. Delicately, he grabbed the tip of the branch with his teeth and dragged it through, trying to hook it onto the branch beneath it to keep it in place. One of the first goals in camp had been to replace the dens that had been washed away. After an unsuccessful attempt at hunting earlier, he had spent the entirety of his day working hard on the warrior's den. A couple other cats fixing up a nursery.

It was almost hard to believe the last one was just... gone. He only had to look up to see the reality, but it was still shocking to him somehow. There was a sense of pride however, they had made it back home. They were all home, in one piece. He was extremely grateful for that. Even though many clanmates were missing... and he was beginning to wonder if they were lost to the floodwaters. As he was pulling another piece through, a yowl broke his concentration. A pained hiss slipped from his jaws as the branch he was pulling sprung back at his face and raked it's thorns across his nose.

He padded out from behind the den, staring in surprise at the newcomers, then delight. The familiar pelts were a welcome sight, and he eagerly bounded forward to greet them. Catching sight of his own apprentice in the mix of cats and padded towards her with a joyful expression despite the bleeding scratches on his snout.
"Batpaw! Thank Starclan you're all safe!" He meowed as he watched her greet Leopardstar, then turned to the other cats that filtered in slowly. "What a relief it is to see you all here!" His greetings continued as he dipped his head to a couple other ThunderClan cats, but letting the family of them greet them first. Turning his head towards High-rock as a meeting was called and quickly taking up his usual spot with a joyful expression.

Hailpaw's world could have caught fire around her, and the apprentice would barely have batted an eye. As far as she was concerned, it already had. For the second time in her far from uneventful life, she was experiencing the deep, unutterable grief born from the loss of a loved one. Her physical wounds hurt; the broken rib she had suffered was no trifle injury. To say that she did not feel it would be a lie. It hurt to even breathe. That pain, however, was nothing in comparison to the emotional agony. Blizzardshine was truly gone; her mother was gone. When the survivors of the battle had gathered together, and the beautiful white warrior had been nowhere to be seen among them, the truth had been like claws tearing into Hailpaw's heart. The corpses of the fallen warriors had been gathered up, tended to, and buried. When it came to her mother's body, though, the landslide had all but swallowed it up. In a fit of desperation, the young she-cat had scrabbled at the rocks until her paws ached, but she had barely been able to shift the wreckage. Found with neither the living nor with the dead, Blizzardshine was simply... gone.

If Pricklebush had not been around, it was unlikely that Hailpaw would have ever found her way back to ThunderClan camp. She stumbled along in a daze, barely aware of her surroundings or the company of her clanmates. Battered both physically and emotionally, weighed down by exhaustion, the apprentice was able to keep her paws moving only because her brother was still with her. She was faintly aware of his presence—the spiky fur and his familiar scent. She knew that if anyone understood the shock, the grief, the pain, it would be Pricklebush. After all, the two of them had always loved their family too much. The awareness that he was still there lent her the strength necessary to make it home.

Home?

Hailpaw should have eventually recognized the territory they were traveling through, but she did not. The realization only dawned on her by the time the gorse tunnel was already looming over the ragged group of ThunderClan cats. The once impressive-looking structure had been dashed to shreds by the force of the flood's waves. It was clearly being rebuilt now, but it still paled in comparison to the previous majesty. She blinked a few times, as if the sight needed some time to register in her mind. At last, they had made it home. How long had it been since she had stood before this tunnel? It was a sight Blizzardshine would never see again. Ever since she had run away from the RiverClan patrol, she had not been truly "at home" even once. On slightly unsteady pawsteps, she followed Pricklebush into their camp. There were cats already here—clanmates, friends, even family members—that she had not seen in what seemed like forever now.

As Pricklebush headed for the Leader's Den, Hailpaw sunk to her belly. There was too much to comprehend, and she was thoroughly worn out. The yellow eyes slowly slipped shut. No more. Thinking could wait... Now that they had finally arrived home, she needed to rest... In the next few moments, she was asleep. What happened after that, she was completely oblivious.

Pricklebush was startled when the leader charged forwards, jovially touching noses with him and welcoming him back. After the subdued, mourning journey he and the Clan remnants had taken back, such immediate happiness seemed foreign to him. Then again, he didn't know about Blizzardshine. Oh, StarClan. Blizzardshine. Feeling a wave of nauseous grief run through him again, the medicine cat violently thrust the thought of his mother's crushed body out of his head again, determined to hold back his pain until he could be alone and sleep. The temporary remembrance of his mother reminded him of Hailpaw, however, and he glanced around frantically once he realized that she wasn't next to him as she had been for the journey. Leopardstar had moved on to greeting his other Clanmates, and the large tan tom dashed back into the center of camp, eyes glancing around rapid-fire for a glimpse of his sister's white pelt. Was she here? Was it just his imagination that she was safe, or was she dead too? Fear consumed him, eating every other emotion- even the sorrow and pain and exhaustion- driving an animal need to see his last certain family member. She couldn't be gone! She... When he saw her familiar form curled up in the apprentice's den, he stopped short, chest heaving, rapid intakes of breath offsetting his fast-beating heart. The instinctive terror in his eyes faded away, and he calmed himself down. Hailpaw was fine. He wouldn't lose her again. She was just resting... as she had every right to. As he wanted to. But he couldn't, not yet.

As if to remind him that his ordeal wasn't over yet, Leopardstar returned, happily beckoning to him and requesting his presence at a Clan meeting. StarClan, he hadn't heard those summons in so long... Exhausted again, both from his recent fear and the long journey he'd been through, the tom stumbled to the foot of the Highrock where he had been told to sit, dreading the upcoming moment where he would have to share the news with the Clan. As if holding it inside him wasn't bad enough... now he would have to let it out. Schooling his features into a blank mask, he awaited the words from Leopardstar that would re-shatter his hastily held together world.

The sight of a familiar pale pelt caught Ridgelight's eye as she watched cats filter in from the entrance. Her heart swelled to see so many clanmates returning. Eagerly, she leapt to her paws and ran towards Pricklebush, catching a fleeting glimpse of Hailpaw somewhere in the crowd as she tackled her large fluffy brother to the ground.
"PRICKLEBUSH! You're home! " She yowled out in delight as she rubbed her head against shoulder, purring rouckously the entire time. It was good to see him again. It was good to see all of them again. She had begun to wonder if she ever would.

If the flood had seperated them permanently.

"Have you seen Hailpaw? What about mom? Where did you guys go?" Her hazel eyes were wide as she went on with relentless questions. Curiousity swelling inside of her, begging to hear about what side of the world they must have been on, and how their journey faired. Some cats looked distinctly worse off than others, which meant there had been a fight somewhere, but where? Against what? Her mind supplied adventurous battles against eagles and foxes. "We fought off a twoleg and his dogs." She carried on cheerfully. "They were strong, but they were no match for the strength of the clans!"

His summons wasn't particularly needed, for most of the clan had already emerged from their dens, but nonetheless, he continued on as Pricklebush joined him by the rock.  "Cats of ThunderClan, we have reunited at long last, and I'm sure there are many stories to be told from both sides.  First though, I would like to hear about the mountains and the Tribe."  Beckoning with his tail for Pricklebush to join him on top of the stone, he noticed for the first time the medicine cat's less than happy aura, and the moment of joy was suddenly dashed by fear.  StarClan please, have mercy on us...

The fluffy maned apprentice quickly raced forward as soon as he heard the news. He had forced himself to accept the fact that maybe he would never see his family again, so knowing that he had a second chance overflowed the blue tom’s chest with hope and joy “Pricklebush! Hailpaw!” With an almost kit-like behavior, Streampaw rushed towards his two siblings.

He wanted to touch them, smell them, press himself against their fur, make sure this was not just another dream that he would wake up from, only to find them gone once more “I…I thought…that you…that I…” Tears of happiness and relief started to build up in the apprentice’s eyes “That I had lost you…” The memory of the fact he had started to force himself to accept for the past couple days caused his stomach to churn and a lump to form in his throat.

As he greeted them, his eyes started to scan the returning cats, ears high and nose trying to catch as many smells at once as it possibly could, but looking for one in particular…but…it never came. In a mix of denial and shock, not wanting his reborn hope to be crushed yet again, he turned to face the two, noticing the Leopardstar was leading Pricklebush away. He didn’t care about the stories of where they had been, at least not right now, only that they were here…but…but if they were here, then…where…

“H-Hailpaw?” His voice cracked lightly, as inside him his emotions, his desire for a perfect happy ending, fought with his rational side, not wanting to accept a truth that he already kind of knew “W-where is mom?”


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Bonewatcher entered in camp and nodded politely at Leopardstar and Marshtorm as they both came to greet them. His eyes soon started to scan the camp, carefully, slowly…

Only stopping when his gaze landed on the bodies of his half-siblings…of his family. He felt a wave of relief washing over him. Yes…his family was not complete anymore, it was a thing he had come to accept that for as long as they walked this bloodstained path, there was no way for them to hope for happy endings and to be forever together…but at least for now, he would allow himself to rejoice in the feeling of knowing that, as small as it was, he still had some family left that he could protect.

Pricklebush sat under the Highrock, watching his Clanmates gather with growing apprehension, trying to distract himself by searching for the faces of his family in the crowd. He already knew where Hailpaw was. He'd seen Streampaw, gladly. But what about his other sister? Almost as if she'd heard his thoughts, a tan colored she-cat came barrelling up to him out of nowhere, leaving him no time to react as she slammed him into the ground. "Oof!" That was familiar. Though the rough tackle hurt him a little bit, seeing his sister's face caused a wave of relief to wash over him. "Ridgelight! Thank StarClan..." A tiny purr rumbled in him as well at his sister's affection.  "I missed you too. Hailpaw is in the apprentice's den." The warmth of having one of his favorite cats near him again washed over him, taking away some of the distress he'd felt earlier... Then, at her other question, his heart stopped again. "What about Mom?"

Suddenly, a nauseous feeling swept over him again, and his earlier emotions returned with a vengeance. "I..." He couldn't get words out. Something inside him was twisting, roiling, seeing his sister's innocent face and knowing the pain the truth would bring her. Then, Leopardstar suddenly spoke from atop the Highrock. A large smile was on the leader's face. How could he be smiling? How could he be happy? A slight resentment flashed within the medicine cat's heart before it was swallowed by anxiety and dread as the golden tom beckoned for him to come on top of the Highrock. Oh StarClan. Oh StarClan. He would have to tell them all. Even though every part of his brain screamed for him to run away, into the forest, oh please StarClan don't make me do this, the tom's paws almost moved of their own accord. Numb, as if they were full of lead, his paws began the excruciatingly slow trip up to the top of the rock. One in front of the other. Every inch he moved he wanted to go, to turn back. He knew he was cowardly for thinking it, but every bone in his body recoiled from the friendly and curious faces he saw in the crowd, and hiding under a large stone seemed like the most attractive option. But before he knew it, he was on top of the Highrock. StarClan. He had to talk to them. Start with the easy things... There are no easy things.

"I-I," he began, stammering slightly, "I, we..." He closed his eyes, took a deep breath of familiar scents, then forced his eyes open again. If you could lead your Clanmates for a moon in unfamiliar territory, you can talk to them for a few minutes. Then it will all be over. Oh StarClan. "A-As you know, while you were all swept away by the flood, a few of us managed to make it to higher ground. We reconvened at Highstones with the remnants of all the other Clans, and since Leopardstar and Marshstorm were gone... I was the default leader of ThunderClan. Speaking with Tinystar, Jaystar, Finchbreeze of WindClan and Daisyflame of ShadowClan, we tried to decide what to do next. Jaystar and I felt compelled by common sense and by StarClan to seek even higher ground and leave the dangers of the forest for a little while, and Daisyflame joined us as well. Tinystar and Finchbreeze decided that they would stay at Highstones. So ThunderClan, ShadowClan, and RiverClan went higher in the mountains, where we met the Tribe of Endless Skies." This wasn't too bad. He just had to keep talking. "While at first many of them were hostile to us, their leader- Stoneteller- ended up graciously receiving us, and offering us temporary shelter. We were very grateful and agreed to help them hunt and defend their home while we stayed there. After a little while, the remnants of SkyClan and WindClan came- a pack of dogs had also been driven out of the forest by the flood, and had attacked the cats that were at Highstones. So, they came to the Tribe anyways."

All the eyes were on him. All the attention. Those faces... so unsuspecting... His heart was pounding, and he felt as if he was overheating. But he had to finish. He couldn't back out now. "We stayed at the Tribe for a while," he continued shakily, "resting and recuperating, hoping against hope that our Clanmates had survived and that the forest was still fit for living in. One night, Jaystar was sent a dream from StarClan, and he gathered all of the leaders to talk about it. The dream told us that our home was ready to return to, and that many of our Clanmates would be waiting for us, which was a relief to us all. But then..." He swallowed. "The dream also told us that before we could leave, we would have to fight a monster. This monster turned out to be a giant beast of a cat. Called a... Sharptooth." The words had begun to taste bitter and fall heavy from his mouth. He didn't know if he could do this. But at this point, he had no choice.

Apprehension grew as he continued. "Brave cats were asked to volunteer for the patrol to lure the predator away. Many cats volunteered. Blizzardshine... volunteered." The words made him choke. Oh, StarClan. StarClan, StarClan. He couldn't do this. Their eyes... Ridgelight's eyes... Though he hated the leader for making him do this, hated his Clanmates for not knowing, hated himself, Pricklebush continued. "While a few cats stayed to distract the Sharptooth, the rest of us ran for cover. Unfortunately, we were then confronted by dogs, the same from Highstones, who were attacking the patrol of cats who had come to look for us. Even as we fought off the dogs, Sharptooth broke through and came for us. We knew that if the monster attacked our cats, few would survive. Two cats... " His voice faltered. He had broken out in a cold sweat, and he felt sick to his stomach. Flashing images were returning, vivid scenes of carnage wreaked by the dogs and the giant cat. Blood, dead cats, falling rocks... Everything in his stomach threatened to come back up, and his head felt hazy. But he had to continue.

"Two cats..." he forced the words out from a mouth filled with bile- "had a plan to save us all. They saw a nearby cliff with heavy rocks ready to fall, if only they dug far enough. They... One lured the Sharptooth to them, even as it was attacking the dogs, and the other cat dug into the dirt of the cliff to loosen the rocks." Everything hurt. StarClan, everything hurt. He could see everything in exact detail, repressed memories from the encounter. His mother. Dead. His eyes began to sting, but he forced back the oncoming wave of agonizing grief. He just had to finish. Then, he could die. It would be better than this.

"Sharptooth came," he choked out. His voice held back his sobs- poorly. He didn't sound like a medicine cat anymore. He didn't even sound like an apprentice. He sounded like a tiny kit. "Sharptooth came. The rocks fell... and crushed all three. The monster and both heroes. The dead cats..." His shoulders shook. All of him shook. His vision swam before him, and he didn't even care anymore. A tide was going to break out of him, all the emotions he'd been stifling were coming free. "The two cats were... Firestone of ShadowClan and... And..." StarClan. Save me. His mother's crushed white body buried beneath a rocky grave stained with her blood. "Blizzardshine." Tears fell unashamedly from his face now, hot and stinging and fast. His voice was unrecognizable, twisted and crushed by the grief. "My mother is dead. Dead. Oh StarClan, I'm sorry." He was a sobbing, trembling mess. He had to get out. In a single stride, the medicine cat leapt from the Highrock, blindly streaking towards the shaded forest... Pricklebush fled.