Van Nuys [OPEN]

A kit about five moons old approached the Riverclan border. He was caked in blood that was not his own, a good 60-70% of the kit's appearance obscured in red. The exhaustion in his eyes was more than a little obvious, with his eyelids heavy, his tail and head low and his jaw parted as he struggled to keep his breathing steady. The bottom of his pawpads were cracked and sore, a result of running from... something... for days. Mikael's head was fuzzy and his body was just as numb as his emotions. He didn't have the psychological strength to do anything more than just press forward. That was it. No thinking. No feeling. He didn't dare go near the river. They were waiting. He had tried already and had barely escaped. He couldn't go back...

A noise of paws caught his ears and Mikael's head raised quickly. Not as quickly as any cat's should have when they were startled though. He glanced around, looking for his pursuers... but they were nowhere to be found. He could smell the scent of a cat colony... it was hard to miss honestly, even for a kittypet like himself. He halted at the border markings and plopped his haunches down. His mouth was parched. His stomach growled loudly. If this wasn't the place... if these weren't the clans... then he already knew that he was dead anyway. Maybe there was a small part of him that almost hoped it wasn't them. He was tired of running. He was tired of being scared.

For better or for worse, the kit wanted this to end. Today. Right now.

It was at great ease that Ivystar strolled across the territory, her pale green eyes drifting aimlessly around at her surroundings. At times, she felt that she took too many of these walks by herself, leaving her Clanmates behind for hours at a time just to stroll and wander aimlessly. Though she claimed it to be therapeutic, it was truthfully far from it. These walks were most nearly a way for her to escape the pestering whispers and voices of her Clanmates in order to be left alone with her own thoughts, which were negative, more often than not.

Had his pelt and the blood smothered over it not been brighter than the green grass and newleaf reeds that he sat in, Ivystar would've walked right past Mikael. It was truthfully the only thing that made her look over to the tom, but as soon as she did, her jaw parted slightly and she quickly made her way to the kit's side. He was an older kit, closer to apprentice age, but still young enough to be vulnerable and at risk. "Will you let me help you? I know someone who can help, you just... You have to come with me. I can carry you, if you'd like." She urged, voice soothing and gentle. The kit was obviously quite exhausted, but she couldn't leave him here. He was old enough to understand her so there was no point in baby-ing him too much, and she couldn't just pick him up and take him.

Mikael sat in the grass and waited until he saw a blue tabby she-cat walking along the border. Suddenly nervous, the kit lowered himself weakly into the grass, but she had already spotted him. When she approached, she didn't have any sign of aggression in her tone or the way she moved. He straightened up slowly.

"Did I make it? Are you a clan cat?" He asked, his voice hoarse from a combination of screaming the passed few days as well as from lack of use for anything else. He got to his paws and winced, but he didn't want to ask to be carried. He did want to be... but asking felt... wrong. "I'll follow you." He confirmed. He took a quick glance over his shoulder, searching for something, but relaxed when he saw that they weren't there. He smacked his dry tongue against the roof of his mouth. He needed water. He needed food. He wanted to get off his paws and actually get a good night's rest.

Mostly he wanted to try to forget why he had to be here in the first place.

Hesitantly, Ivystar replied, "... Yes. I am a Clan cat." With a small nod, she led the kit away from where he stood, keeping a close eye on him as they walked. "What... What happened? Is there a name that I can call you?" She mewed in a feigned light-hearted tone, mind riddled with possibilities and concern. Until he answered, she would just keep padding along, stepping through the small streams and rivulets of water that dotted RiverClan territory. Whatever the case was, he seemed to be afraid, and she didn't want to startle him. Hopefully she seemed friendly and that wouldn't be an issue.

"I'm Mikael and... I'm... I'm alone now." His eyes dropped to the ground below him as he walked. He'd tell the clan cat what happened one day, but for now he just wanted to not remember. He was exhausted from running and from the waves upon waves of negative emotions that had bombarded his mind. His uncle had almost made it here with him... the one that even told him about the clans to begin with.

"Which clan is this? What do I call you?" As he asked the question, the full weigh of the realization finally hit him.I made it... I made it Mocha! I found your clan cats! There was at least that thought that tugged up the corners of his mouth with a smile. He'd completed this journey, though he knew a whole new one was about to begin. Mocha had not died in vain, and that was about the best news that the kit had gotten in the passed few days.

With a gentle sigh, Ivystar continued moving forward. "... Mikael. Okay," She mewed softly, trying her best to keep focused on the path ahead of her rather than the caked blood on the little kit's pelt. He didn't seem to have any wounds that could've released that much blood, so that begged the question... Whose blood was it?

Shaking her head slightly, she turned her attention back to the kit as they walked, side by side. "This is RiverClan. I'm Ivystar," The leader didn't bother asking any more questions- whatever the kit had gone through, it seemed to be traumatic enough without her poking and prodding. Maybe one day she'd find out, but that was likely not today.