and so i ran [aka: whatever the heck griffon's been doing]

yeah remember when griffon disappeared off the face of the earth? this is my first rp piece in a while so bare with me hehe

The last few days had been a flash. Everything he has known, everything he had stood for had been nothing more than lies. Lies he had believed, had put his faith in. He has been stolen away before he was old enough to catch his own prey, before he had even started eating it, at that. Those he had looked up too, had only been using him. A child solider. Brain-washed and used to take over the forest.

And the worst part was, he had gone along with it. He had held Thunderclan under the Asylum's harsh grip. In another life, he would have struggled and fought against them. In another life, he would have been raised as a clan cat. And a part of him wanted that. He wanted to return home, to go back to the family that knew him once. So what was stopping him?

Fear.

Fear they would treat him as a monster, a freak. And maybe they would be right to do so. Everyone else, those that he considered his siblings, his friends, made such quick decisions. He had awkwardly gone back to Thunderclan's camp after the last battle. He had watched them celebrate the downfall of the Asylum. A small part of him hoped that he would find his family then.

But his superiors hadn't been foolish enough to bring him right back to his kin. He was scared of being shunned, cast away without a second thought once his family (could he even call them that?) knew that he was an Asylum member.

Griffon didn't know what to do. And so he ran.

Ran, as fast as he could from the memories, from the fears holding him back. And it felt so, so very good. To sprint through the forest, finally not held back.

Maybe it was only a few hours he ran. Maybe it was moons.

He went where he wanted to go, stayed where he wanted to stay every night. It was a freedom he had never felt before. Some nights he would sleep out in the open, while others he would sleep in an abandoned barn or shed. Sometimes, when the nights grew cold, he wished for his pelt. It had provided him such comfort, but it came with all the memories.

And every time he hunted, a small part of him remembered that the Asylum had taught him that. They would always be a small part of him. The scars on his shoulder attested to that. He remembered being so excited to be sorted, to become a Standard like his peers. And sometimes he wished for that life back. Before they had overtaken the clans. Sometimes, he wished for Thalia, and Pyrik, and his friends.

They were the closest thing to a family he had ever known. Some nights, he thought about them. Wondered how they were doing, where they were.

Tonight, he looked at the stars as his weary body started to rest. The clans had believed in a 'Starclan,' their ancestors watching over them from above. Were they really there? It would be nice, he thought, to be able to comfort himself with that thought. That they were always there, even when they seemed so distant. He had scoffed at it when he had first heard, but maybe it wasn't so crazy of an idea after all.

If the clans could put their faith in stars, in ghosts that might not even be real, then maybe...

It was a silly thought. To think that they would be able to put their faith in someone who had done nothing for them but hurt them.

Was it really?

If they blindly followed Starclan, maybe there was a chance, the smallest chance that he could be accepted. That was all he had ever wanted, really. To be accepted.

He wanted to go back. He would face the risk. He didn't quite know who he was yet, but he knew one thing for sure.

Griffon, or Finchkit, or whoever he was, was coming home.

yep! good boi is coming back! i couldn't leave him, i absolutely adore griffon (and his existential crisis) not really sure how i'm gonna get him back to windclan, but if anyone has any ideas i'd love to hear them!

If you need ideas, I have one. Tawnyflare could recognize him, and seeing a sibling in need, bring him back. Or Lilacstar could find him as well and recognize her little brother. Either or!