Here comes the sun (doo-doo-doo-doo)

(following this topic, to make things easier this all happened after Blood was "demoted," ofc sun doesn't know that yet lol -approved by maple)



Padding into camp behind the cats that had escorted him through the territory, Sunflower couldn't help but feel a frog in his throat and rocks in his stomach. Other than Lichenpaw who seemed enthusiastic about his return, or just meeting a new cat, the patrol that brought him back hadn't been too keen on him returning and he could only imagine what Bloodstar would say. Well, he was here and there wasn't anything he could do about it now seeing as he'd made his decision on leaving his ever so comfy life with the Twolegs... Making his way further into camp, the prying eyes of the cat's he'd once called clanmates pierced his pelt, sending a shiver down his spin. With his long tail tucked under his rump and his large ears pinned back, he waited for some-cat to speak and break the deafening sound of whispers that had filled the air in the camp clearing.

The trek back to camp was.. weird. An uncomfortable silence had fallen over the patrol when Lichenpaw had brought back Sunflower. None of the warriors seemed particularly.. excited, that Lichenpaw had found Sunflower-- even though he was a lost SkyClan warrior! The apprentice knew they were better at hiding their emotions than he, but, Lichenpaw expected something from them. Camp was equally distant in receiving Sunflower.. But he was gone for a long time.. Maybe Lichenpaw just needed to reintroduce Sunflower! Then his clanmates would stop giving the white-furred warrior such odd looks. "Everyone!" The young tom addressed, almost unaware of the quiet of camp. "This is Sunflower! He was a SkyClan warrior in Wolfstar's time, he.." The apprentice frowned; Lichenpaw wasn't actually sure why the warrior had become a kittypet, now that he thought about it. "..Left, for awhile, but he's back now!" He spun toward Sunflower, shaking away his frown, "Welcome home, Sunflower."

Plumpaw cautiously approached the stranger, her eyes wide with curiosity.

She stopped a careful distance away, cocking her head at the white-furred warrior. He certainly smelled like Skyclan, but if he'd lived here, why didn't any of the warriors seem to be welcoming him back? Surely they'd be glad to know that their former clanmate had returned? Still, she couldn't imagine how awkward Sunflower must feel, standing before his clanmates for the first time in what probably felt like forever.

"Welcome home, Sunflower. I'm Plumpaw." She said, giving the cat a small, friendly smile.

"Hey, Lichenpaw," Wolfblossom greeted her brother cheerfully as she padded up beside Plumpaw. "Sunflower..? Welcome home, I suppose," She eyed the tom curiously. He didn't much resemble any of her family or most of the Skyclanners Wolfblossom knew, and evidently he'd been gone a very long time if he'd been a warrior during Wolfstar's time as Lichenpaw had said. Still, Wolfblossom couldn't help but feel wary at the stranger in their midst, even if he was supposedly one of them.

At the sound of an incoming patrol and a rather… odd, foreign smell, Briarthorn’s ears perked up and she got to her paws. It wasn’t quite time for Lichenpaw and his accompanying patrol to return yet, so it was curious that they were back so soon. It all began to make more sense, though, when she spotted a tall, lanky tom awkwardly entering camp alongside Lichenpaw. Before Briarthorn could even ask what in the name of the Stars was going on, the young tom announced that this was Sunflower, apparently a former SkyClan warrior who… Left? That was not a good sign.

Approaching the nervous tom with a steely gaze, Briarthorn made no effort to soften her eyes or speak with warmth. ”You ‘left’?” Briarthorn mewed. Judging by his thoroughly-groomed pelt and well-fed belly, that was not a good sign. ”Give me one good reason you should be allowed to return when you abandoned your hungry Clan, presumably for the soft, sheltered life of a kittypet?” She mewed sternly, sparing no niceties. She shot a disapproving glance toward Lichenpaw as well, who seemed to assume he’d be welcome here. He certainly was not, at least not without a good reason.

And so it began.

Cats from left and right began to crowd him, some saying hello while others cast suspicious glares upon him. He didn't dare say a word to anyone, not even those who said hello to him. Right now, he needed to meet whoever was currently leader and get that over with, no matter how terrifying it was.

Lo and behold, soon enough a dark, fluffy tabby approached him and the lengthy tom assumed she was of some important rank, seeing as though she spoke to him with such authority. Her words were harsh but expected, and he didn't have any choice but to explain the truth seeing as though there was no other option at this point. "I... I didn't l-leave," he began in his usually honk-like tone, not daring to make eye contact with the she-cat that confronted him. "I w-was taken. And I w-was f-finally able t-to escape," Sunflower added, his tail tucked under his rump and ears flat against his head.

Briarthorn almost pitied the cowering tom in front of her. He couldn’t even look up at her. Her tail tip twitched rhythmically out of pure annoyance, a scowl making its way onto her face. ”That is not what I asked you. I asked you to give me just one good reason you should be allowed back within these walls, as a member of our Clan. Can you not even do that?” Briarthorn had been frustrated already, but this was the honey on her herbs. ”You cannot look me in the eyes, and you expect me to believe that you’d be anything but bad for SkyClan? I don’t think so.” SkyClan needed a fully-grown coward of a warrior like it needed another forest fire, especially with tensions still simmering with RiverClan. She didn’t have the time nor the energy to deal with a waste of time such as this. She had much bigger issues to deal with than this, and it was almost like a thorn in her paw compared to everything else going on. ”Lichenpaw and a warrior will accompany you back to the Twolegplace. I’m sure your twolegs miss you.” Briarthorn quickly turned her back to the tom, getting back to what she was doing prior to his arrival. If he had anything to say, he’d better say it quickly, else it’d fall on deaf (or, rather, uncaring ears).

She wasn’t going to let him return? Of course not. It only made perfect sense, seeing as though he took so long to return and she was completely right; he wasn’t anything but bad news. He could hunt, but it wasn’t like he was very good at it, and not to mention fighting… he might as well have been a blind elder without claws. But even so, the wave of fear that fell over him at the thought of not having any place to sleep overwhelmed him.

As the she-cat turned away from him, most likely not going to accept him back into the clan, tears began to stream down his face. He couldn’t go back to his twolegs, not after he’d abandoned them, but at the same time was that not what he was doing right now? Returning to a place that he’d left those many moons ago, no wonder they didn’t want him. He could’ve returned whenever he wanted, so why hadn’t he? Yes, being a kittypet had certainly been a comfortable life and she was correct in saying that they most likely missed him, but now that he stood here, the only reason he could think of that he didn’t return was because of his cowardly nature. If only his father was still around to help him out, but those days were long past.

He didn’t know who this cat was or what rank she held, but she had every right to not want his faint-hearted pelt in SkyClan and her words hit him like a swipe to the muzzle. Well, it wasn’t like he really had another choice right now, so he supposed that he’d might as well try to get on her good graces, for now at least, though he knew that if she did allow him to return, he’d be forever in her debt. Well, he’d deal with that later.

”I… I c-can try,” Sunflower sniffled, lifting his head so that his gaze landed on the back of the she-cat. ”Try to b-be a better w-warrior,” he mewed softly. Great StarClan just what was he getting himself into? Would he truly try to be a better warrior, or was he simply spewing out lies for the sake of his overall safety? He didn’t even know, but what he did know was that he didn’t want to go back to being clan-less.

Briarthorn halted in place with a frustrated huff, rolling her eyes and eventually shutting them tight, out of nothing but pure annoyance. Why was she even entertaining this? Turning around to fave the tom, who was now in tears over the situation, she put every ounce of effort she could into not erupting into a flurry of angry, frustrated insults then and there. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to stop herself if she started. Tail lashing, she looked down on the tom with a narrowed gaze. ”Look, I told you to go home. You had your chance as a warrior, and the Code said that you must reject the soft life of a kittypet. You did not, that much is clear. You cannot be a ‘better warrior’ because you aren’t one in the first place. Now, like I said, Lichenpaw shall accompany you to the border safely. Unless you’d prefer for me to do so?” She mewed. It was clearly a threat, but her tone wasn’t as threatening as the message seemed to be. Briarthorn was tired, frustrated, and growing more ill with every second that ticked by.

Watching her turn around to face him again, the second she met his gaze he diverted his to the ground once more, unable to keep any eye contact, per usual. Listening to her harsh words, they struck his pelt like sharp thorns. "You cannot be a ‘better warrior’ because you aren’t one in the first place." Well, that was sure to haunt his thoughts for all eternity.

Tears continuing to pour down his face, he sniffled up a glob of snot, unable to muster up any audible words. There was nothing left to say, as she was absolutely right. He had excepted the kittypet life and this was the consequence to his decision, unfortunately. He didn't have it in him to possibly confront the leader anymore and so he decided he'd better submit, seeing as though it was the only thing he really knew how to do.

Shaking his head back and forth at the she-cat's somewhat rhetorical question, he turned his eyes to Lichenpaw, the cat who'd been so nice even having just met him. "L-let's go," he muttered to the younger she-cat. Part of him just wanted to run for the hills and disappear, but he didn't want to cause any more of a ruckus. Turning away from Briarthorn, the lengthy tom began to make his way out of the camp with his head hung low.

Other than his time as a kittypet, he'd always been loyal to SkyClan, and so being presented with such hostility wasn't what he'd expected at all. Times really had changed, and glancing around the crowd before he left, it pained him beyond belief when he didn't spot any of his friends or even recognizable relatives. 'SkyClan just isn't what it used to be,' he thought to himself dolefully.

Relief washed over Lichenpaw as some of his clanmates came to greet Sunflower; many still hung back, of course; but at least they hadn't all almost ignored the warrior like his patrol had. Lichenpaw's uncertain smile easily came to a more genuine one- greeting his sister with a friendly tail flick. Some of SkyClan cats seemed.. hesitant; but none of his clanmates were overtly hostile, at least.

It didn't last. Lichenpaw's heart sunk at Briarthorn's words; wincing under the she-cat's reproachful glance. Sunflower was in a far worse position. He scrambled to think of something he could argue to in Sunflower's favor- but the even former warrior himself could barely defend himself, nervousness growing with each passing second. Briarthorn's gaze was steeled; the one-sided argument already decided. Sunflower had resigned to her choice.

--

His mouth felt unusually dry, uncertainness catching his tongue as the pair walked farther and farther from camp. There had to be some hope for the SkyClan warrior- his siblings, at least, had seemed to accept Sunflower. "Erm.. Well.. Maybe Briarthorn can change her mind-? If I talk to her, maybe she'll see you can be a great warrior..!" Lichenpaw knew he was now grasping at grass stalks rather than prey; even in the short conversation Sunflower and Briarthorn had shared, it was clear to even he that she had no interest in letting the older warrior back.

Lichenpaw looked up toward the former-kittypet. "..I'm sorry, about that." He mewed in a softer tone, heavily flicking a low tail to camp. A wave of disappointment came over the apprentice. Lichenpaw had known the long-legged warrior for such a small amount of time, and now, he would simply be gone.

"Th-thank you," he mewed to Lichenpaw. He knew the she-cat wasn't going to change her mind, but he was thankful for the apprentice's help in at least trying. "It... it's okay," he honked to the younger she-cat. He wasn't sure where he'd go next, but for now, he just needed to find a place to rest and recuperate. With a small dip of his head, the lengthy tom padded away from the territory, tears dribbling down his muzzle as he left the land in which he'd once called home.