Earned a Rest [Eco Fam]

Echomist sighed. It certainly wasn't for the first time today. Its all he seemed to do lately considering how much running around he was doing. Between making sure predators were gone from the territory to hunting, to making sure the camp was in okay condition it felt like he never had a moment to rest. The twolegs certainly didn't help the situation what so ever but it seemed things were starting to calm down finally.

The spotted warrior found a spot to plop down, the moon shining brightly above. It was almost full. The gathering would be soon, he noted. Another heaving sigh escaped the warrior as he tried to release the tension from his body.

As Badgerpaw pushed her way out of the apprentice's den, she paused to give herself a luxurious stretch, starting with her front legs before she did her back legs. She shook her head once she was done, stepping away from the den as she spared a glance at the camp - her expression lighting up at the sight of her father. "Dad!" she chirped, bounding across the camp to greet him. She hadn't known the last time she had really gotten to spend time with him - he was always so busy and then she was always off training with Leopardsun whenever he did seem free... She came to a stop near him, settling down a few paw-lengths away as she tucked her paws beneath her - giving out a gentle purr.

Any moment to spend with Echomist was something she was eager for - and if he just wanted to sit in silence...She would be content for it.

Moondancer pushed her way out of the warriors' den with a sigh. Between the twolegs and their dogs and traps, and the general state of Shadowclan's territory being muddy and cold, she was not looking forward to patrolling tonight. Her fur was impeccably groomed as always, and she knew the moment she stepped out of camp - or even if she was in camp - her hard work was going to be ruined. Work was work and had to be done though, Shadowclan couldn't view her as anything less than a stellar warrior to follow in Leopardsun's pawsteps.

Her patrol wasn't right now though... And a pair of familiar faced were not far off. Moondancer made her way towards her father and sister, eager to spend time with them more than most of her clanmates. "Hey," Moondancer greeted with a genuine smile.

A rare (though more frequent with time, and the effort to be with her family) moment of rest saw Leopardsun returning from a patrol to find Echomist and two of their kits gathered in a comfortable spot in the camp. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to take a break," she murmured, lying next to and leaning against her mate. She glanced skyward, following his gaze. "The Gathering will be sooner than I thought."

Another night of cleaning up Nightstar's messes, if that particular trend continues.

She nudged Echomist gently, a memory occurring to her. "Remember that first one, after the Dark Forest? We ran all the way back here after it started hailing. What a mess that whole night was."

Well, Echomist's company had made the whole thing bearable, at least. And now the other deputies were pleasant enough company.

That said, she almost missed it. Back in those days, she was free to flee the Gathering if things got too chaotic. Now, as ShadowClan's deputy, she would remain until she either could not do so or Nightstar gave the order to return.

Batswarm loved his father, Echomist dearly. Well... He loved his family a lot, but his dad was one of his favourites. Perhaps it was because Batswarm was just a muted version of Echomist, and anyone who looked almost like Batswarm earned a very high place in his heart. [b]"Father!" He purred loudly, the idea of skipping out on his duties far from his mind. With Moondancer here, it was an extra special treat. Badgerpaw was a rare sight for him, given he was rarely even in camp or part of patrols to seriously get to know his sister better. And Leopardsun...? He chose to avoid his mom mainly because she was deputy and he feared being anywhere near her would result in extra duties.

He took a seat directly next to Echomist, excitedly tucking his paws under him as Leopardsun spoke.

---

Harriertalon was not far behind Batswarm, her eyes always on him. Something was off about his behaviour and one day she would get to the bottom of it. For now, she would enjoy the company of the family that held no blood relations to her, but whom she loved dearly regardless. "Dark Forest? Where is that?" The dark pelted warrior settled down next to Badgerpaw, giving her ear a quick lick in greeting.

Echomist was a little startled from the loud greeting Badgerpaw gave but was quick to collect himself and return his kid's greeting with a small smile, and it seemed that where one of his kids were the others followed. Moondancer with her simple greeting, which the spotted warrior returned with a smile of his own, not really wanting to break his silence yet, enjoying the feeling of not speaking for a moment longer, but the moment was over as soon as his mate appeared. Not that he minded.

"I remember." He rumbled out, his voice a little rough since he wasn't keen on using it too often. "Luckily we haven't had one like it since."

His gaze shifted to the next approaching cats, more of his kits. Thankful that it was his family that was joining him on his break instead of anyone else. "The Dark Forest is where all the evil cats go once they die. Its the opposite of Starclan." It was a simple enough explanation, but he knew that there was a little more to it than that, especially considering he lived with them for a time.

Badgerpaw's ears perked as the rest of her family started to gather, a happy purr escaping her. It was a relief to be surrounded by them, she was never fully comfortable with others but when she was with her family...It was easy to just breathe, being around those she could trust. She listened as Leopardsun spoke, with Harriertalon asked a question of her own - to which Echomist gave an answer. Oh. Well, that made sense - of course any evil cats couldn't go to StarClan. But...What did her mom mean by 'after' the Dark Forest? For a few heartbeats, she was tempted to ask but she doubt that anything involving the Dark Forest was pleasant memories so instead she spared a glance around at her siblings. ...She was the only apprentice out of the ones gathered, her fur prickling in realization. "So, uh, how are you guys liking being warrior?" she asked, shifting her weight to move to a slightly more comfortable p position. "With any luck, I'll get my warrior name before long..."

"It started hailing at a gathering?" Moondancer had caught her mother's soft words, and was curious. The dark forest interested her about as much as Starclan themselves did, which was to say not very. The last gathering she had been to had ended with lightning... Had there been a similar situation long ago? It was another reason to be wary of the other clans, another reason they were lesser than Shadowclan.

Batswarm joined them and Moondancer's tail waved in greeting to her brother. "Being a warrior is great!" She responded to Badgerpaw's question, "I'm sure you'll earn your name in no time." She and Batswarm had, but Badgerpaw shouldn't have been that far behind.