Finding a Missing Fish [CLOSED]

Salmonpaw... after all this time... he was alive.

Hailsong couldn't believe it. It was a miracle! The young kit who she thought was dead among with many others due to the flood was actually safe and sound. He was even an apprentice by now! Starclan must have sent him back to its roots and now... it was time for him to rejoin the place of his ancestors and true family. Sure, his parents were dead a long ago but that didn't mean he couldn't join Riverclan. Inside his blood was the essence of all those great swimmers and fishers of Riverclan. This was his home and he didn't even know it! But, what could be done? Salmonpaw was part of Shadowclan. Would Scorchstar let him come back to his real clan? He had to, right? After all, he was a Riverclan kit. It was never his fate to become a Shadowclan cat.

I'm sure dad will know what to do... She thought to herself as she entered the leader's den. She announced her arrival with a small purr, easy to recognize. When Jaystar fixed her eyes on her, the she-cat greeted him with a nod and smile, unaware of the weakened state of her father. "Morning, father. I'm sorry to bother you so early but there's something I had to tell you."

On the other side, the leader looked at her daughter from his moss bed and smiled, not bothered at all by her visit. He moved his feathery tail to one side and stretched his front paws. "Sure, sweetie. Is there something wrong? Something off with our guests? Or maybe is Hailpaw?" So many things had been happening on his clan that it was hard to tell what could be distressing Hailsong to come here.

"None of these, actually. You see... do you remember those who were lost in the flood? I do remember... my kit... the apprentices. So many were dead or lost. But I'm not here to make you feel blue at all. You see, one of the kits I had to look after was Salmonkit. He was born in the shores, so you probably don't remember him. I was in charge to look after him among with many other young cats. However... during the travel back to the forest, everyone in the clan lost track of him. After some time looking after him, we thought he was caught by a predator and I just felt... so guilty. I thought it was my fault, for not being careful enough to protect him or Finchkit." The small she-cat pressed her claws into the dirt, remembering how sad, angry and frustrated she felt that day. Hailsong was sure that it was in her paws the deaths of those young cats. She blinked twice to shake those feelings and continued talking, fixing her green eyes on the leader. This time, there was a hopeful hint on them. "But the case is... that he wasn't. I saw him, dad. When Shadowclan arrived, I recognized him in the crowd. He was all grown-up by now but I'm sure that it is him. He has returned to his home but the thing is... that he believes he is a Shadowclan apprentice. That his place was always meant to be in the marshes and I-I... don't know what to do to bring him back... I-I-I..." The feelings of loss of her own kit, Finchkit, returned to her like the same flood that destroyed her camp. Salmonkit may not be her own kit but she was meant to look after him and she failed. Now, Starclan had given her and this kitten a new chance to go back and do the things right. But Hailsong didn't know how to do it and that broke her.

Seeing how bad his daughter was, the leader stood up from his bed and walked toward her, licking her forehead as a comfort. The old tom offered her his warmth and pressed his muzzle on her head, just like when she was a kit. Sure, the news was something to celebrate but the main issue behind it was enough to make Hailsong remember painful memories. As her father, all he had to do was to make her feel better. That was the job of a parent after all... without Cinderpaw, he had to do it alone. "Don't worry, Hailsong. You've done enough. From now on, let me take this on my paws. You go and keep working as hard as always. I'll talk to Scorchstar about Salmonpaw, okay? Thank you... for trusting me on this." Slowly, the she-cat's feelings were changed to relief and she looked into the leader's eyes with a small, tired smile. "Thanks, dad..."

---

When Hailsong was gone, Jaystar left his den. The silver tabby walked under the sun of a new dawn and he greeted a few of his warriors as he walked through the camp. His daughter was right. He didn't know this kit at all but if he was the son of some of the Riverclan warrior who lost their lives on the flood... then he had to return home. This was his place, his origins. Surely Scorchstar would understand... right? Jaystar bit his tongue, doubtful of the reaction of the Shadowclan leader. Did he even know that Salmonpaw was formerly a Riverclan kit? Was he aware of his origins? If he wanted answers, he would have to talk to him first. "Morning Scorchstar." He purred when he finally spotted him in the camp. "Do you have a moment? There's something we must talk about."