rattle my brain [Open]

Her first adventure with her dear mentor had been interesting, to say the least. The swollen river had caught her by surprised, sweeping her off her feet into the waters like a particularly pathetic leaf. Before she could even let out a yowl, her head had collided with a river stone, only darkness was her company from then on. Finally, when she came to, she was alone. Wet, miserable, yet alive. At first she tried to follow the river upstream, but it lead to a grey, round maw that occasionally oscillated between gushed out foul smelling waters and clear rainwaters. When she stomached the courage to venture deeper into it, a colour vine wearing kittypet stopped her. He jingled with each step as he approached and explained that this maw was a twoleg invention. It wouldn't lead to her clan.

Helpless, she had to make do, so she did. When this kittypet lead her to food that was left out for the local strays, she ate the tasteless mush that was on offer. Sometimes the meat was soft, smelt nice, but bland. Other times, it smelt awful, yet the cracking on the meat pebbles was satisfying enough to fill her up. It wasn't all easy to eat, at times, the food was in a shiny nest. Whenever a foolish newcomer entered it, the nest would shut down and trap the poor sucker in it. Pipitpaw knew better than to enter the nest, she only ate from the ones nearest to a bush or a crack in the long, leafless trees that were embedded in the ground.

For moons she lived like this, almost accepting this as her life. It seemed that she had lived more of her life here, amongst the colony than her home in RiverClan. She missed everyone, longed for even the dumb chores of being an apprentice. Anything, if it meant she could go home. But home seemed like such a distant dream, if she closed her eyes, she could barely remember the scent of her littermates or her mother. It hurt so much that she tried to put it out of her head, there was no point mourning something she couldn't get back. Until one evening, there was a new stray that joined the twoleg-offered feedings. A battered old stray that smelt of the moors, that game-y rabbit scent that the long-limbed freaks in WindClan carried with them. And she was right, he was a traveller that had passed that way on his journeys. He had no intention of going back, being recently chased off by WindClan, but at her earnest pleading, he offered to lead her to the Abandoned Barn. It cost her the best chunks of the wet mush offered that evening by the Twolegs, but the promise of home kept her belly full.

After a long, tense evening of anticipation, they set off in the morning. The journey was fraught with Monsters, Dogs, Foxes and loud, small twolegs. But it was worth it for the first hit of the scent of the forest territories. The scent of home. After a week of walking on painfully hot black pebbles, she was finally home. Nuzzling Old Marx once in thanks, she shot off along the Thunderpath, past the Lone Stump, past the Fourtrees, over the Bridge till she was home. Standing on the stones of Sunningrocks on the RiverClan side, taking in a deep breath she let out a fearsome yowl. "I'M HOME!"

Grebedance had - admittedly - been shirking her duties a little today. For the first time in what could have been mistaken for moons there was sun in the sky, and the ground wasn't completely sopping wet, and besides-- Minky was close to warriorhood! The bicoloured warrior had done all she could, and she had earned a little alone time. Or, if asked, a solitary hunt. She perched herself on the edge of the smooth stone, dipping her paws into the cool water, finding the way the water rippled and curled itself around her paw so fascinating.

Light glimmered deep in the depths, and the molly had entertained the thought of reaching her entire arm to the shoulder in the water, just to see what she could snag on outstretched claws, before realising she'd just be left cleaning herself and her raccoon pelt later. Sighing, Grebedance stood, intending on returning back to camp and seeing if maybe someone would accompany her on a hunt or something -- wanting to cringe at the acceptance of actual duties and responsibilities. As she begun to head for the stepping stones, a yowl about home caught her off guard.

Something about it elicited warmth deep in her chest, despite being rather unfamiliar. Well, she would argue, it was familiar but in an unfamiliar way. A way she couldn't pin. And so she turned to look around, noticing a very familiar calico pelt.

"Crumb?" She whispered in utter disbelief, defaulting to the second names their mother had given them, wondering if she had ascended straight to the stars to see her sister once more. Barely giving herself time to digest the thoughts and the sights in front of her, Grebedance bounded forward, practically throwing herself at her sister, pelt slipping off with the fast movements.

"Pippy! You're home! Oh- I!" She had so much to say, so much to tell her about, so many questions for her. All in due time, of course. Now she was wishing she brought someone else with her. Instead, she raised her head to the sky, happiness bubbling in her chest as she cried out herself, "PIPITPAW IS HOME!"

There was a commotion while Dovesight was searching for herbs, a voice she vaguely remembered. She practically dropped the whole bundle she had collected, racing over to see what was going on.

Stars, it had been moons since she saw her old denmate. Dovesight grinned, wide and joyous.

"Pipitpaw! Welcome home! Stars, you've grown! Come on, let's get you to my den. You look fine, but I want to get you checked over just in case. And the rest of the Clan! Oh I know they will be thrilled to see you!"