high times, hard days [closed]

A group of five was rather small for a patrol that was meant to be scouting out an entire missing Clan, but Ivystar didn't want to risk sending a larger group into the Twolegplace. Willowbreeze and Addershade were perfectly capable warriors, and she was sure that Batbite and Ferretshine were as well. SkyClan, if found, would be in good paws. Patrols through the remnants of SkyClan's territory and all the way down to border had proven pointless- they were nowhere to be found there. The fluffy silver leader supposed to only place left to look would be the Twolegplace- dangerous, but really the only option that SkyClan had. The group was nearly there- nothing but the long wooden fence separated them from the winding Thunderpaths and Clans of monsters, and the twolegs within them. "If each of you is ready, we can go now... If anyone wants to stay behind, now is the time to let me know." She mewed in a low, monotone voice.

To Batbite, it felt strange to let her paws carry her in this direction. Not just because she'd kept to ThunderClan's territory since her return, lest her wandering paws take her further than intended - it was the direction they traveled, a place she'd never thought to return to. The Twolegplace, with its long and winding thunderpaths; exiled clan cats and roaring monsters and foaming-mouth foxes that wandered in its depths.

Yet, somehow, she wasn't afraid. She felt some reluctance, certainly, but that was due to her own reservations about their forest neighbors more than anything else - the lingering thought that, while balance was necessary, perhaps the forest was better off without a SkyClan. But the things that had once threatened a group of apprentices were little match for a patrol of well-trained warriors, skilled as they were in battle and in escaping danger. They would find the missing cats, and they would return home; it was a simple mission, all things considered, if only they could actually find them.

She had to keep going - if only because her knowledge of the Twolegplace, limited as it was, was an asset few cats possessed. So she looked to the RiverClan leader, a nod accompanied by a determined expression. "Ready as I'll ever be."

When the balance of the forest was at stake, there was no time for personal sentiments. As Ferretnose had heard in stories a very long time ago, SkyClan had been lost to the forest once before. Their territory was high-risk, being so close in proximity to twolegs. But StarClan had guided them home. They belonged in the forest. She would expect the same from ThunderClan's neighbors, regardless of rivalries. In any case, Spottedstar had shown himself to be a cat of clear and strong principles, and that was something Ferretnose could respect. It was an honor to assist them in this trying time. Besides, she felt much more comfortable, as a cat who was on the far end of her life as a warrior, going on a dangerous patrol with very little to expect. It was better than sending a young warrior to face the horrors fire could bring.

Batbite was decidedly less enthusiastic, but Ferretnose could at least understand that. She bumped her shoulder to her friend's flank in solidarity as she answered Ivystar. Not everyone was happy with SkyClan's reclusive nature... and the brown she-cat suspected Batbite viewed them as cowardly and cruel. But she was happy, because her friend had agreed to go, and the ex-loner's knowledge was crucial to their task. Ferretnose's own set of skills were quite handyt. When the soot and fog masked most of the scents that once remained, she could just barely make out the scent of familiar cats as they reached the edge of twolegplace. It wasn't enough to track them, by any means, but it was a start. "I doubt they've gone far," she said brightly. "We'll be home before dusk, I'm sure."

Addershade swallowed a sigh.

Like with most things, he wasn't here out of any real sense of greater duty or deep altruism. Sure, he felt bad for what the SkyClan cats had endured, and he certainly hoped that they were safe. But in the end it wasn't really his business.

What was his business, on the other hand, was what happened to Willowbreeze. He wasn't about to let his daughter go on this potentially risky mission alone. He wanted so badly to be able to trust in his children's abilities to make it through the dangers of the world...but since Applefang's death, that had been an immense struggle. What made it worse was that he'd always thought at least he could do something to protect them, to keep them safe. It would be hard, but he'd thought somehow if he just kept close enough watch, he could do it. But his son had died right before his eyes, and he'd been powerless to stop it. Now he was determined to do everything he could to make sure that never happened again. So, reluctantly, he'd volunteered to come along.

"I'm ready as well," the old warrior said, the sigh he had held back earlier manifesting some in his words.

Willowbreeze tried to well her anticipation of the journey ahead.  She knew that this was a patrol, but a patrol like none she had ever been on.  

She took a deep breath; the search to find SkyClan would be a hard journey.  She personally believed that there was meant to be five Clans in the forest, just as StarClan intended there to be.  But how could she speak for StarClan, when she herself had broken their code in visiting Vinetail?  She twitched her tail nervously as she thought of what the future would bring.

Willowbreeze looked over at her father.  She had not asked him to come, though she would enjoy his company nonetheless.  She padded over to him and touched her muzzle to his.
"Thanks for coming," she whispered to Addershade.


"I'm ready too."

After a rather deep breath, Ivystar nodded and promptly turned to face the length of wooden planks placed side by side. It seemed like it stretched on forever in either direction, so the only plausible option would be to jump over it- which, after a moment of bitter reluctancy, she did. After regaining her balance, the fluffy silver she-cat turned to face the four cats behind her, flicking her ears to signal that it was okay for them to join her atop the fence. After a brief survey of the land, she determined that SkyClan wasn't within their direct vicinity.  Albeit very briefly, she considered turning around and going home- she then shook her head at the thought, knowing how much that would weigh on her conscious later. The twoleg dwellings here looked vacant- something she was slightly thankful for, knowing that they'd be that much safer without the twoleg kits running around freely. She nodded to her Clanmates and the two warriors from ThunderClan, jumping down on the side of the fence opposite the forest. Once the four brave warriors joined her, she led them carefully around the Twolegplace, slinking around the edges of the twoleg territories until they reached a rather old, beaten down twoleg nest. And directly behind that twoleg nest, she spotted one cat... two, three... And she began to recognize faces, immediately knowing for sure that they'd found them- SkyClan was here, and SkyClan was seemingly safe. She approached the cat closest to her and mewed, "Where's Spottedstar?" The tom was nowhere that she could see, but then again, she'd only just gotten there. Hopefully, he was here- and safe.

Wolfcall had just returned from an unsuccessful hunt when he smelled cats. No... not just cats. RiverClan. The dark tom stopped in his tracks, eyes wide, ears back. The clans had found them. But why? They'd never been friends with RiverClan in all Wolfcall's life, and so immediately he was worried and on guard. Had they come to wipe them out for good, while they were already struggling?

One by one, the RiverClan cats scaled the fence and leaped over, and Wolfcall watched until there seemed to be no more following before he approached to face the leader. Ivystar asked after Spottedstar, and Wolfcall's ears slanted back, his voice bitter but cordial when he replied. "He's resting."

Having been resting near the edge of the clan, a sudden bustle caught his attention. Cats began to crowd in an area so something was certainly going on, and soon enough, a whiff of RiverClan's scent reached his nose. RiverClan all the way in the Twolegplace? Well, it certainly was a sudden surprise, but even so, part of him hoped that his friend was the one who brought the fishy smelling group.

Heaving himself up from where he'd been laying, the little legged elder waddled his way over to the growing clowder and his stature perked up in delight upon spotting Ivystar's pelt. Picking up his pace, he pushed his way past Wolfcall and a purr erupted from his throat upon reaching the gray tabby. "Ivystar!" Tinylegs mewed, a wide grin on his muzzle. Stretching his head up so far that his front legs lifted off of the ground bellow, he rubbed his muzzle against her's, not caring if any-cat thought of his friendliness to the RiverClan leader odd. "What brings you here?" he asked, looking up at her with wide eyes. She'd most likely been purposefully looking for the missing clan, but he was still curious if there was any other possible reason.

Wolfcall hadn't been the only one on an unsuccessful hunt. Smokefeather had returned to camp empty pawed, head low and fluffy tail drooping in exhaustion and disappointment. Dull gray-green eyes narrowed as the breeze carried the scents of cats to the she-cat, scents that she was familiar with from gatherings, at least. Riverclan. She realized. Skyclan had been isolated from the other clans after the fire, and the familiar (if generally unpleasant) scent of another clan had Smokefeather wishing that they were back in their own territory.

Smokefeather watched as one of the Riverclanners approached Wolfcall. Where was Spottedstar? A good question, really, one that she didn't know the answer to and quite frankly didn't care enough to answer in the first place. Perhaps it was unfair of her to judge the leader she barely knew so harshly, but he hadn't done much leading recently. Wolfcall could at least be trusted to do everything in his power to keep Skyclan safe. Spottedstar had proven his worthlessness, as far as she was concerned,

Still, that Riverclan was here at all spoke volumes. Skyclan had been driven from their own territory, and the pale tortoiseshell guessed that while Spottedstar's head was too far stuck up his own rear to see it, the clan across the river actually cared about their neighbors to a degree. And of course, what affected one clan's territory could easily affect that of another clan. They'd missed a gathering, the fire had raged for days... The river had been dry by the time Skyclan had reached it after leaving their home. Smokefeather had to wonder how Riverclan had fared, and if things in the forest had improved at all. Anything had to be better than living among the decrepit twoleg dwellings, struggling to find even a scrap of prey.

Smokefeather eyed the newcomers, wary curiosity breaking through her exhausted expression.

The golden leader had taken shelter by the pile of rubble that served as a temporary Tallbranch. He rested on the hard ground, too weakened by the blockage in his chest to assist in hunting patrols, but too disturbed by various emotions to get any real sleep. The scent of smoke lingered in his nose; he wouldn't have been able to track anything anyway and his loud, raspy breaths would have startled away the mice and pigeons that were hard enough to find in the first place. He had refused treatment. What few herbs they had belonged to the more gravely injured warriors and apprentices, like Adderpaw. 'Oh, Adderpaw. I'm so sorry. I wish I could have prevented this whole thing.' He was useless to the Clan for the time being, but Spottedstar had vowed numerous times to make up for it and then some when he was back to full strength - half strength, even, if he could keep his breath quiet enough.

His ruminations were interrupted by Tinylegs' excited meow; it wasn't the elated tone that caught his attention, odd as it was in these bleak days, but rather the name he called that startled Spottedstar. Ivystar was here? His thoughts unknowingly echoed those of Wolfcall's, that the RiverClan leader had tracked them down to cause them harm or at least laugh at their diminished pride and health. SkyClan's leader pushed himself to his paws with a sharp cough, then followed the commotion to find the source. So Ivystar really had appeared, although Tinylegs' overwhelmingly positive reaction was still surprising. He hadn't been that friendly with her when he was Tinystar. He shrugged, more interested in the patrol that tagged along, and decided that five cats wasn't a threat... under normal circumstances. He and many of his Clanmates were still weakened by hunger and burns. Spottedstar warily approached the patrol and meowed hoarsely, "Ivystar. What brings you to our paradise?" He didn't want to hope. He didn't want to be disappointed.

Between his injuries and the misplaced state of their clan, Wrenspring's cheeks had grown gaunt and his eyes portrayed a hallow look. In between attempts at hunting for the clan, the only type of patrol to be had in this place, he sought a futile attempt at rest. There always seemed to be noise. This place seemed to breed discontent and filth. It was a miserable place to camp but it was their only option. Occasionally, the warrior managed to bring himself a fleeting hopeful thought, even if it was rooted in the idea that more cats could be dead. It could always be worse. His teeth clenched as he stared down at his paws. This type of lackluster and lonesome rest had become a norm, one that had left behind the boundless idealism at his core.

Something stirred just at the edge of his vision. Wrenspring's weary gaze drifted up. It took a moment for his eyes to focus and when he finally picked out what it was, his head lifted quickly - cats. The mingled scents of Thunderclan and Riverclan spurred him to his paws. Despite the stalled movement, the grey and white pelted tom found it to be a little bit more mindless than it had been since the initial injuries. Little by little, his paws were set on the path of physical healing. But it was also a matter of spirit, something it seemed would take much longer. Regardless, he was still a warrior. Protection of his clan would always come before all else.

Wolfcall stepped forward, followed by other members of their clan. Wrenspring found his head tilted curiously at the way Tinylegs greeted Ivystar. Elders were not strapped with the responsibility of battle like their successors but the interaction still made his tail flicker with confusion. He limped over to face them and forced a steely determination into his gaze. Whatever the intent of the enemy clans, he would be prepared and follow the lead of their deputy. Spottedstar joined them before any more tentative questions could be passed between those gathered. A sense of relief washed over him. Even in such a precarious position, the clan held themselves, and their leader was here with them now.

A tired paw sifted through the sparse herbs stores that were left, and Sagelight's expression was grim as he observed how dangerously low he was on just about everything. All his time was divided between teaching Beechpaw and tending to SkyClan's wounded. Occasionally he would take a break and check in on Spottedstar and the rest of the Clan, but he was slipping back into his old bad habits from before the fire. Beechpaw tried to hunt and provide food for him, but more often than not he would refuse food in order to feed another cat.

A commotion outside his makeshift den made him stir, and he turned and craned his ears to hear what was going on. Something about...cats. More cats? He thought he could make out something that sounded like "ivy"...And Spottedstar was out there, so the medicine cat heaved himself to his paws and went to see what all the fuss was about. As he neared the gathered group of cats, RiverClan and ThunderClan scent hit his nose and his whiskers trembled. Ivystar herself was standing in their "camp", along with a group of warriors. Sagelight picked up the pace a little, coming up on Spottedstar's side. For now, he held his tongue, interested in seeing what Ivystar wanted from them. His optimistic side wanted oh-so-desperately to believe they were here to rescue SkyClan, but his growing pessimistic side from aging told him to wait and see and be prepared should something more unsavory happen.

(Lazy Post sorry, sleep meds kicking in)

Bloodstrike and Dawnpaw heard unfamiliar voices. They looked at eachother, confused, but then immediately turned and moved toward the voices. Hunting was going to have to wait. They moved swiftly and came into their new home as if their rears were on fire, and at least one of them knew that feeling quite accurately. Bloodstrike didn't exactly like Spottedstar, nor was he thrilled to see the leader back, as he had told him already. Still, he would never publicly let anyone attack his leader while he stood right there and could prevent it. The other clans need not know their struggles.

Bloodstrike took his position beside Sagelight and Dawnpaw on the other side of Spottedstar. If anyone decided they wanted to try something slick, both Dawnpaw and Bloodstrike were willing to risk their pelts, as well as tear others away from the sorry bodies of their owners.

Ferretnose peered around the horribly drab camp as Ivystar led them in. She had not anticipated this level of squalor, and she felt her stomach turn at the sight of the tattered group. In an instant, she realized how close ThunderClan had come to a similar fate... smoke-scented and weary, in an crumbling part of Twolegplace. Her ears turned backward, and she contemplated looking away, out of respect for SkyClan and their unfortunate condition.

Still, she kept her eyes fixed steadfast on their deputy, Wolfcall, who seemed quite a bit more grave than usual. As Ivystar sought out their leader, Ferretnose swept a quick glance across the gaggle of warriors. "There must be twenty cats here," she whispered to no one in particular, though her words were directed towards the deputy. "I thought that we'd find a little pawful of survivors, scattered to the wind... but nearly all of SkyClan is here. Stars, you're all alive!"

Familiar yet unexpected scents caught Swansong's nose, and her ears swiveled to catch voices at the entrance to the broken-down twoleg den. Quickly, she dropped the scrawny mouse in her jaws she'd carried to the meagre prey pile in what had become their home, her gaze flicking over to see Tinylegs trotting to meet... Ivystar? A flicker of surprise ran through her, tail rising slightly in a feeling of cautious hope mixed with more than a bit of confusion. And not just at the fact that these cats had come here.

When did Father know RiverClan's leader? It was a slightly uncomfortable feeling that made the end of her tail twitch, but she padded forwards, her curious eyes catching others trailing behind Ivystar, the scent of ThunderClan and RiverClan blending in a somewhat strange union - among them a pelt or two she recognized from Gatherings, though their names escaped her memory. Quietly, she joined the throng gathering before the patrol, seeing mixed pity and curiosity on their faces. Of course, their Clan had ended up here, burns in their pelts, the scars of the fire not only on paw pads and skin, but in their hearts and haunting their eyes. We must look terrible. Her gaze flicked to the others. And we do.

Whether these cats were here to help, or for some other reason, it wouldn't change what had become of them - what had become of their home. Her eyes drifted to Spottedstar, waiting for both leaders to speak, her tail curled around her paws.