Mother Always Told Me

Pine needles and soft ground felt good against Rowan's rough pads. The forest was not oaky here, but instead bore trees without leaves. The first time he'd seen them, it confused him. This was not his first encounter with pines, though. He'd passed a little through some strong scents, that of many cats who lived in this place. Perhaps this was the Clan of Shadows... He passed by a tree with slashes in it. He stared at it for a moment, but moved on. Perhaps someone trained here. He could smell somecat nearby. Thinking of a scar he'd received, he decided not to try to catch any food. Clan cats didn't like this when he did that.

Maybe his mother had warned him of that. He didn't remember. He'd found the folk tales more interesting; that of Starclan and some gleaming stone that they used to communicate. Tales of a cat who was short and grumpy, but commanded so much respect that he came back to life many times. Even of her own experiences, nearly dying so many times when she was just his age.

And her children... His half-siblings. Many were dead, she'd said. That was why she'd left for The Haven. But one, at least one of his kin remained.

Wandering, seemingly aimlessly, around ShadowClan territory, Freckleface caught herself daydreaming. She had very little to ponder in the realm of reality, but oftentimes would find herself imagining grand scenarios or reimagining events of the past. Time after time she had tried to convince herself that this behavior was pointless, but it still brought her comfort, so she made little effort to actually cease.

After many moons of living with the fact that another cat had given up their life to save her own, Freckleface had come to the conclusion that she had no right to waste her time dwelling on things she couldn’t change. That would’ve made Iniko’s ultimate sacrifice pointless, and she wasn’t willing to disappoint him in such a way. It still changed her, though- the little she-cat often spent more time alone, simply swimming in her sea of thoughts, than she ever had before. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but a change nonetheless. Self-reflection had become a bigger, better part of her life. She would ask herself on a daily basis if her actions would live up to Iniko’s legacy; if it were something he might’ve been proud of.

Now was one of those times where Freckleface thought perhaps she wasn’t living up to those standards. As she traversed the marsh, she began to wonder if perhaps her time as a warrior had come to an end. For what felt like moons, she’d been unable to protect herself from predators and even other cats, and at times she felt her skill as a hunter slipping away. No matter… She’d speak with Flintstar about it some other time. Her gaze landed on an oddly familiar tom, and she dropped into a low crouch immediately, hiding in the dense underbrush as he walked around. If he meant any harm, Frecklefae certainly couldn’t tell it. So, with a deep breath, she stood up and called out to him, ”Hello?”

Hello? The question seemed to echo around him. Rowan glanced around, unsure of where it'd come from, fur standing up. It wasn't an angry greeting. His fur settled when he caught sight of the small brown cat. Who was she? "Hello," He repeated back. "Who are you?" She seemed to belong here - her scent was similar to the rest of the land.

Freckleface watched curiously as the tom looked around from where her voice had come from, eventually landing on her tiny frame just aside from the underbrush. She offered a gentle smile in response to his repeated sentiment of greeting, tilting her head slightly at his follow-up question. "My name's Freckleface," She meowed, taking a few small steps forward. "I think I'm obligated to ask you the same, though." She piped up, looking the tom in the eye.

"This is ShadowClan territory, if you know about the Clans," Freckleface sat down slowly, wrapping her tail around her tiny paws in an effort not to come off as intimidating or as if she wanted to rush the tom off. "So you may be considered lucky that you've run into me and not a different warrior, who might've run you away." She said simply, large eyes settled on the tom across from her.

There was something in this Freckleface's eyes that reminded him of something. He paused for a moment in an attempt to recall. "The name's Rowan. I'll consider myself on the light side of fate, today." He said with a grin. "Shadowclan, yeah? This is what I was lookin' for, then. Do you know a..." He trailed off, putting a face to the memory. Quill, his sister, who donned the same wide-eyed olive stare as this Freckleface. "Did you know Cardinalcry?" Delta had always looked at Quill with regret. He wondered why that was?

Freckleface returned Rowan's observation with a bubbly smile, bouncing back and forth lightly between her haunches. Nodding slightly, she raised a brow at the fact that he had been looking for ShadowClan. What in the world had gotten into the rogue that he'd go seeking out a Clan, let alone one that was already struggling with a rogue problem? He must've been asking for a fight. As he trailed off she felt herself leaning in out of anticipation as he stared at her, and finally, she felt her jaw drop when he mentioned Cardinalcry... Her mother. Frozen, she simply stared at Rowan from where she sat, completely dumbfounded. Finally she was able to collect herself enough to shut her jaw and ask slowly, "How d'you know her?"

He had to admit, Freckleface's reaction confused him. It had felt so difficult just to say her name, and here this Clan cat was, just staring at him. He smiled concernedly. Perhaps his mother had been infamous for something. Could that be why she left? All the stories she'd told him, and none explained why she would leave the Clans behind. Sure, the Haven was great, but the Clans were bigger and more well-established. Instead of an answer, he received another question. He supposed it wouldn't hurt to tell her. "Well, I... I'm her son." There was so much to explain, but he chose to keep it at that. "Why do you ask?"