A stranger returns home

He couldn’t go back, could he? Not after all he’d been through… not after he’d been gone for so long, or at least what felt like an eternity. Would his clanmates even remember him? After his father’s death and then his son’s, Sunflower had found himself in a major slump which had unfortunately made way for sickness. He wasn’t the healthiest of cats to begin with and once he got sick, it was a downfall from there. To top it off, on a routine patrol he’d been captured by twolegs, but they unfortunately weren’t exactly what he’d hoped they’d be like; or at least not like that Twoleg cub he’d met those many moons ago, the one who’d gifted him with his sky-pelt. Part of him hadn’t even wanted to leave as such a lifestyle with those Twolegs as it had been overall much easier and peaceful than clan life, but he couldn’t possibly tell his clanmates that, and it was as if something pulled him back to the forest something he couldn’t wrap his head around.

As he walked along, the anxiousness of returning began to overwhelm him. Why in StarClan’s name was he even returning? It wasn’t like his clanmates would want him back and he was no help to any-cat, but he assumed it was because it was all he’d ever known and as much as he hated to say it… being a clan cat was what ran through his veins. He certainly didn’t have an ounce of feral in his veins, but his blood was in that clan in which he’d called home for so long and to leave them forever after all they’d done to keep his scrawny hide alive… it felt wrong.

A multitude of questions and concerns ran through the lengthy tom’s head as he made his way to the border that he’d patrolled more than what felt like a hundred times. Upon arrival though, no warm familiar scents hit his nose and the area in which he stood felt almost as foreign as the another clan’s territory. Shifting his nervous gaze around with his tail tucked under his leg, Sunflower found himself lost as what to do. Did he just go to camp or wait here for a patrol? Would they even except him back? It wasn’t like he had his father to vouch for him and he had no clue how the rest of his family was doing or if they were even alright after all these moons. Would any-cat even recognize who he was? Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea…

Lichenpaw always loved going on border patrols. Sure, they weren't really the most exciting, but getting to see glimpses outside of SkyClan's territory was cool! The warriors also didn't mind as much if Lichenpaw was loud- at least, they didn't mind as much as they did on hunting patrols. Their current patrol wasn't even on another Clan's border- so the apprentice was free to race ahead the group, far more freedom than he would've had on any other patrol! Trees eventually thinned away as Lichenpaw approached the familiar Twolegplace border. He furrowed his brow, something was odd about the kittypets' domain.. The scent of housecat was far stronger than usual. Had some kittypet walked into the territory? The apprentice slowed his step, careful to stay in what underbrush remained so close to the border. He scanned the forest's edge, looking for any hint of oddity or cat. Finally, stark-white fur caught his eye. ..Weird. The kittypet was sitting right on the border. Were they scared of SkyClan's scent, or something?

He'd just have to find out. "Hello there, kittypet!" Lichenpaw greeted, leaping out from the protection of the fallen leaves and tall grass. "What're you doing here? The forest's really dangerous for a housecat like you!" The apprentice swiftly glanced back at his patrol; the group was far, but they'd catch up with him soon. "Um.. You're not on SkyClan territory, but I don't think any of the warriors will want you here. Wait.. no, you're a kittypet, you dunno what that means.." Lichenpaw meowed, lip slowly turning to a frown. "..Er, do you know what a Clan is?" he questioned, looking at the light-furred tom with curiosity. He was waiting right at the border, after all; maybe he was just respecting their boundaries, not cowering to their markers.

Jumping back from the sudden arrival of some-cat, he ever so slightly relaxed his raised pelt when he realized that he’d gotten lucky with an apprentice finding him instead of a warrior who would’ve most likely had his pelt for daring to return. Listening to the younger tom as he was being questioned, the only thing he could think about was who in StarClan’s name would actually remember him? He hadn’t been gone that long, had he? Clearing this cat didn’t know who he was and it wasn’t like he knew who they were… would they even know any of his older clanmates? Were any of them even around anymore? Well, there was only one way to find out, he supposed.

"Oh, n-no…" the tall, large eared tom began, shaking his head back and forth. Of course he looked like a lost kittypet, especially since he most certainly smelt like one after all these moons. "My n-name is Su-sunflower, I was i-in SkyClan," he added shakily. Taking a moment, he tried to remember who’d know him and hopefully vouch for his sorry hide, but he quickly realized that it really had been that long since he’d been snatched by the Twolegs. "W-wolfstar… is he around? He’ll know m-me," Sunflower mewed in his usual soft tone. If anyone would know him, it would be the clan's leader, of all cats.

Lichenpaw felt his mouth gape; the other tom didn't even smell like SkyClan! Why did he become a kittypet? Was that why he was just waiting by the border? Why were his ears so big? The former (or current, since he returned?) warrior seemed nervous, though.. Maybe he'd hold his questions for a bit. Belatedly, Lichenpaw realized he knew Sunflower's name, but not his. "Oh, sorry! I'm Lichenpaw," the fluffy tom quickly introduced. "Wolfstar..? Nope; I only know my sister, Wolfblossom." Lichenpaw found himself frowning again; how long had the warrior been gone from SkyClan? For an entirely new leader to have been appointed? Though, perhaps Wolfstar was simply the previous leader. It wasn't like Lichenpaw really knew any of the leaders past his own grandfather.. "D'you know Bloodstar? He's been around forever."

So Wolfstar wasn't around and Bloodstrike was Bloodstar now? Wow things must have really changed in the time he'd been gone... well, it wasn't like he was able to bring back the dead, so as unfortunate as it was he'd just have to live with a new leader and most likely a pawful of new clanmates. "Y-yes. Bloodstar w-was an apprentice wh-when I was a w-warrior," he mewed in reply, staring at his paws and thinking back to the moons ago that he'd been training as an warrior. Great StarClan was he glad all of that was over, that's for sure.

Sunflower was a warrior when Bloodstar was an apprentice?! Lichenpaw couldn't help himself; he squawked. "Wha- how?!" Bloodstar was ancient. Lichenpaw'd believe it if he was told Bloodstar was there when the Fourtrees were saplings, and the warrior in front of him was older. After a moment of stunned silence, he spoke again; "..Are you an elder?" That seemed the only logical explanation to the apprentice-- Sunflower had only said he was in SkyClan, with no mention of rank.

"Oh, wait, I gotta get you back to camp!" Lichenpaw suddenly realized. Sunflower must've been a kittypet for so long; if Lichenpaw had been kept from SkyClan, he'd want to get to camp as soon as possible. "Follow me!- oh, no- my patrol- Follow me to the patrol!" he meowed. The border patrol was getting ready to turn back for camp, anyways. As the apprentice began to race for the group, (not apparently looking back to the cat he had just deemed old,) he slowly grew into a smile as he realized he was wrong. Border patrols were exciting!

The apprentice's question took him a little by surprise, but at the same time he understood that it was a valid question. Nodding his head back and forth, he didn't have any time to reply before Lichenpaw began to run off towards the patrol that he'd originally been with. Well, this was it, he supposed. Picking up the pace, the long legged warrior galloped after the young SkyClan cat into the unknown.



(thx for doing this topic with me!! i made this topic for sunflower actually returning to camp if you wanted to post lichen bringing him there :D)