Lost and Found [Birdchaser/Rainpaw/Thornstalker/Juniper]

Rainpaw shivered as the cold breeze passed over the patrol, instinctively shifting a little closer to Birdchaser in search of warmth. He was not a fan of how cold the weather has turned as of late, hating the feeling of frost and snow underneath his paws and cursing his smaller size. He looked forward to seeing Newleaf. Maybe by then, things would have gone back to normal, and he wouldn't be scanning the bushes, paranoidly checking for signs of those cursed twoleg traps. Maybe by then, he wouldn't be hoping to spot black and white fur in every crevice, and instead Crookedpaw would be by his side.

Shaking his head to clear it of his gloomy thoughts, Rainpaw refocused as Wolfblossom spoke. His ear flicked at the mention of it snowing again. He really hoped not. He nodded at Wolfblossom's words about hunting. Maybe they could find a few nice birds.

Rainpaw stiffened up as Wolfblossom tensed, and he scanned the underbrush for the source of the sound that had caught her attention. "Yes ma'am," He said softly, straining to hear the sound again. "I'm not sure what it was." He frowned in concentration. It didn't sound quite like twolegs, but he wasn't about to make that assumption. His muscles tensed further as he prepared for the worst, mind flipping through possibilities. 

Birdchaser

Their patrol had been quiet, made of mostly the sounds of the forest around them, muted by snow, and the occasional pop or crack of twoleg activity. The noises always made Birdchaser startle a little, but for now, they seemed preoccupied with some other end of the forest. As long as it wasn't SkyClan being bothered, she didn't mind. Her ears twitched forward when her sister spoke, noting the bird flapping away. It was a good idea, even if weariness was starting to weigh down her paws. Best to hunt now, before the snow frightened or buried all the prey; and better yet to keep herself moving.

A stiff wind blew through the group, carrying with it a bitter chill– and soft, sad noises. Flicking her tail to acknowledge Rainpaw as he moved closer, Birdchaser stepped away to stand in front of him. Thornstalker pushed forward, though she didn't get far before her paws stopped again. The she-cat's words sent a small pang through Birdchaser's heart; for a moment, she lingered, leaning just closer to Rainpaw's side, before moving to join Thornstalker's. The poor thing looked miserable, pressed to the grass and shaking hard– from fear or the cold, hard to tell. Likely, both. Folding her legs to lower herself to the kit's height, she whispered, "Are you lost? Is your family waiting for you?" The familiarity of the words, the situation itself, sent a pang through Birdchaser's chest, especially knowing Rainpaw stood not far away from this echo of his early days.

A kit? Rainpaw's shoulders stiffened. For a moment, his mind drifted back to his own situation, moons prior now. He thought of huddling underneath a bush as rain poured down, of how utterly alone he had felt. He shook the thoughts off quickly, forcing his mind to refocus on the situation at hand. Still, his heart ached, and he felt an immediate, startling surge of protectiveness when he moved a few pawsteps closer and actually saw the little kit, crouched low on the ground with her ears laid back. Another image popped unbidden into his mind as he took in her apperance, one of his long-gone siblings, and that surge of protectiveness grew.

Birdchaser leaned closer to him for a moment before shifting forward, and Rainpaw responded in kind, tail flicking over her side briefly as they took in the achingly familiar situation. There was no pounding rain, but there were dangers abound, from twolegs to predators to the biting cold. This was no place for one as young as this little scrap of fur.

He did not move any closer, not wanting to crowd the poor creature. He instead shifted to the side so that he was easily in sight, rather than hidden behind Wolfblossom and Birdchaser's fluff. He remembered as vividly as if it was yesterday how overwhelming it was when he first met his now-beloved clanmates. "I'm Rainpaw," He spoke up softly. "You're safe with us. No one's going to hurt you." There were a dozen other things he could've said, but he figured it would be better for the older warriors to lead the situation. Still, unspoken words lingered on his tongue, and the tension of such unfamiliar and strong emotions made him stiff. He wanted to help. He knew that Wolfblossom had already checked, but still, he found himself checking their surroundings for any sign that this poor kit had not been left all on her own as he had.