Home at last (Open)

The walk back was difficult and arduous, and that was not the case just for Nightstar; who had spent his entire day traveling and getting into skirmishes and arguments. They had taken as many herbs as they could, and as much prey as they could, leaving very little if not anything behind as Nightstar immediately summoned his clan and got them getting ready for a home return trip. Sure, there were cats still missing, but he reckoned that they'd smell the giant scent trail they'd be leaving and find their way home.

Nightstar was looking forwards to the comfort of home. He couldn't wait to unwind, so he no longer had to feel the constant paranoia that had consumed him as Windclan lay within sight of them. The all-consuming anxieties that they could just walk over - and had- and slaughter him in his sleep. He had to be feared, he needed to be, as if that would truly protect him when their treacherous territory could not.

Nightstar's feelings that he had been suppressing, or had been trying to suppress, he could finally let go of a little bit and let himself unwind and perhaps start figuring some things out... like apologizing to his sister. But the sour sting of betrayal still felt fresh and new to him, not only had Swiftheart used her position to bend him into allowing Sablestrike -who had also betrayed him, trying to convince Leopardsun into naming a deputy - on his council which now had two absent positions in which he needed to fill.

He stepped through the tunnels into the camp, relieved to see that most of the dens were in alright shape, just needing some repairs due to the lack of consistent maintenence.

Asterpaw’s whiskers were trembling with excitement as she followed the rest of ShadowClan through the marshes. Some of their territory she was mostly familiar with, but she had never been this far from the borders- this close to home. If it were not for Nightstar’s white tail tip disappearing through a short tunnel, Asterpaw would have never found the entrance. The young she-cat forced herself to step with a calm, careful demeanor, even though, inside, she was trembling with excitement. She would finally be able to see her home- the place she should have been born in. Through the tunnel she went, out into a small clearing surrounded by pines-

Asterpaw waited a heartbeat. Two. Yet this place did not, immediately, magically feel like home. It looked… desolate, as if it had been abandoned for many moons- which it had. The small black she-cat spotted others depositing the prey they had carried in a pile, and hurried over to do the same, dropping the lizards she’d carried all the way here. Which was the apprentice den? She wondered, standing up from what she assumed was the fresh-kill pile. The nursery? The leader’s den? The cat-scent was still here, albeit faint, too faint to pick out a specific cat’s.

The young apprentice turned her gaze upward, taking in the view of the pines that protected their camp. This was home- even if it did not feel like it yet. Soon enough it would. Asterpaw stretched, sinking her claws into the ground for a moment, before straightening up and shaking out her pelt. There was work to be done.

Two she-cats, mother and daughter, walked side-by-side on the journey home. For Snowfoot, life was finally returning to normal. Still, she couldn’t shake the fact that her now-grown daughter who walked beside her was the only kit she’d had left. Every one of her five sons had died or disappeared. And to make matters worse, Dappledlight was gone too. Snowfoot’s closest sister had disappeared without leaving a trace.

Lighttail’s mind was equally occupied, but her concern lay only partly with family. Yes, her brothers and aunt were missing, but she might have a bigger problem. The silver warrior had been eating exclusively during the day for a week now, her stomach refusing to accept anything during the night hours. She continued to hope it was just a stomach bug, because the alternative… yeah, let’s not think about that.

Moonpaw was just as excited as her siblings to be going this far from highstones, this far into a territory that was rightfully Shadowclan's. Yet slowly as the clan traversed the marshland, heading deeper into the territory than Moonpaw had ever been, she could help the way her nose wrinkled, the way she stepped carefully in efforts to avoid getting her beautiful tabby pelt filled with more muck than strictly necessary. Their path led through a tunnel, a muddy hollow surrounded by tall pine trees the sight that greeted her on the other side of it.

...Was this it, then? Moonpaw gazed around curiously, pale green eyes taking in the sight of dens around the hollow, most of which seemed to need a bit of work... But they would be serviceable, she supposed. And yet, the excitement she'd felt to see new-to-her territory seemed absent from her face now. This was no highstones, with its' harsh, rocky ground and viciously cold winds, but this muddy hollow seemed cold and damp... Not at all what Moonpaw had expected. Maybe in time that would change, when Shadowclan made the space their own once more.

Applepaw remained practically glued to his mentor's side throughout the entire trip, chattering away excitedly with no regard to her unusual mood. He was so excited to see this "camp" the older cats kept going on about, but he hoped this would be the last time the clan moved. He scrambled through the entrance tunnel, desperate to see what lay on the other side. As he burst through, yellow-green eyes scanning the scattered debris and abandoned dens, he couldn't help but feel... disappointed.

"Kind of a dump, isn't it?" He muttered, wrinkling his nose. He knew he was supposed to be excited to be "home" but all he could think about was how much work it would take to clean all this up and how dreadfully boring it would be. On the bright side, at least he didn't have to share space with those rabbit-brained Windclanners anymore.

Redice was bored. His eyes stared blankly ahead and his mouth was downturned, one tiny muscle movement away from a sneer of displeasure. Following his clan back into Shadowclan camp, it was almost as if he didn't even notice the disarray that the camp was still in. He sighed, loudly and heavily, as he made his way to the warrior den. The last time he was here, he was an apprentice, so he was seeing the inside of the warrior den for the first time.

"I suppose we'll pretend to be frogs now." He growled, staring at the mud on the inside. He turned away from it with a dismissive flick of his tail. "Thanks for the escort back, but I will be heading out." He said to Nightstar, not at all hiding his annoyance with the state of things. "I'll need to entertain myself until I'm tired enough to sleep in there."

Redice immediately started heading out towards the territory, but there was still time for someone to say something to him before he exited, if anyone wished.

Tigerpaw followed Nightstar carefully through the marshes he had been told were Shadowclan's true home. He had never lived in the mud and muck, with tall pines everywhere he looked. His young life had all been stone, and more recently had been the rocky outcroppings of the distant moor. Never had he encountered such a place. He kind of liked it though. Something about being able to hide so easily in his surroundings, maybe he was truly meant to have been Shadowclan.

The dens that had been built before the disasters had occurred were in disrepair, but the apprentice assumed they could be repaired fairly quickly, given his clanmates knew how. Flicking his ears to the side as Applepaw commented on the state of them, Tigerpaw couldn't help but speak. "It can't take that long to fix 'em. Besides, I'd bet everyone is going to work on fixing it anyway." Nobody liked to sleep in mud, so the tom couldn't help but feel pretty smart for saying so.

"If you'd rather sleep in a drafty den, without a nest in Leaf-bare to go meander in the territory before we plot the new dangerous parts of the territory. Be my guest, but do the bare minimum of what is expected of you by hunting while you're out." Nightstar snarked, leveling his youngest warrior with a glower that would hopefully broker no argument. There were more ways than one to contribute to the well-being of his clan, Redice didn't need to help repair the camp for now, but even the most menial of tasks needed to be done by everyone. "Unless... of course, you need me to tell you what to do." Nightstar huffed, making clear that Redice had freedom, and that Nightstar could keep him plenty busy if he wanted to lose his privileges.

Then he turned to the apprentices, dismissing Redice to decide. "It'll take some time, but with everyones efforts we'll be fixed up in no time. Let's start with the nursery, and then we'll get you apprentice's properly comfortable, yeah?" Sweeping them towards the nursery, in case things got confusing for them, but partially for Tigerpaw's aide as the young outsider tom wouldn't know where their nursery lay. "Start by pulling all the old nests out, if they are there, and some of the warriors will go out to collect moss and brambles." He instructed.

Burdockroot grumbled as she put down her herbs by her den... Her den. Fuzzybelly has been missing for a long time now. When they left, she had been a mere new apprentice. Now, the clan was on her to care for. Glancing at Nightstar with her blank look. "How about some paws on the medicine den?" The medicine cat grumbled, looking at her sloshy den.

Harrierpaw followed her clanmates through the still intact tunnels into camp, a grumbling Batpaw right in front so she could poke his tail with a sharp claw every time he tried to stop and pout about the mud.

"Batpaw and I-" She scooted the calico apprentice towards Burdockroot, front and center. "-would be happy to lend a paw."

Batpaw grumbled, doing all but scrunching his muzzle at being voluntold. Harrierpaw, for Starclan knows why, had taken it upon herself to hover over him. He had heard terrible things about ShadowClan territory and all were proven true as they made the long, muddy trek here. "What a terrible place to live..." He growled under his breath.

Redice stopped and looked at Nightstar, annoyed but mostly puzzled. Once he realized what everyone else was doing, it finally clicked that the camp was in need of repairs and changes. Still... it didn't sound like that much fun to him. He would sleep in the warrior's den once it was fully... functional? Technically it would still work... whatever. Redice also let his gaze travel to the freshkill pile... that had food in it. What did Nightstar mean by at least go hunting? What did he think Redice did while he was out? The warrior stood there for what seemed an awkwardly long time.

Suddenly he blinked and a look of realization flashed across his face. Hunting... right. Redice felt a thrill of excitement, his boredom cured in that instant. His tail now lashed with anticipation and a wide smile spread across his face.

"Oh Nightstar I am always hunting... but I understand." He even threw in a wink, something he had seen other cats do for some reason in social situations like this.

Right then... time to make a new freshkill pile...

And out of camp the red warrior went, chuckling lowly to himself all of the way.

Despite the unresolved circumstances that had led them away (and the unfortunate situation that had led them back), it was good to be in their own camp again. She couldn't prove it, but Leopardsun was sure there was something different or at least more familiar about the air of the marsh and the hollow they called home. ShadowClan was together (apart from the cats still missing), and they were home.

"It could be worse," she said to the commenting apprentices, assessing the damage herself. "At least we won't have to rebuild completely this time. After the flood that swept us all away, there was nothing left except the Jaggedrock and an empty medicine den."

She looked to her leader, relieved to be home and dealing with the things she understood best.

"It's been far too long since I had something to work on. Where do you want me, Nightstar?"