will i find my home [C]

Birdstar

Twolegplace had seen Birdstar’s presence often. Aside from the river, it was the edge of their territory she frequented most often. Rarely did she come to the border with intention. Just as it was with the river, her paws often lead her here of their own accord. Some of the best and worst days of her life, localized to two small pieces of land. She had to scoff at the thought.

With expertise, she gathered her muscles and leaped, from tree branch to rickety fence below. It rattled against the shock of her weight, but she held to it and in only a few seconds it was still again. After giving the thin wood a look to be sure they were still, Birdstar raised her head to look into the crumbling alleys beyond. There was something close to hope in her eyes when she scanned the remains of this twolegplace. She always thought maybe she would get lucky enough to see Beechfang passing by; more recently, she had started looking for signs of Blackbear passing through.

She also wondered if maybe she would see their bodies.

Sighing, Birdstar retracted her claws from the fence and started to pick her way carefully across it. The recent visits from ShadowClan brewed in her mind alongside the quiet weight that this place always seemed to hold. The thought of ShadowClan had her blinking and looking more intently between the fallen nests. There was one other cat she may be lucky enough to see here. As if on cue, the quiet patter of pawsteps made her ears twitch.

Birdstar

Sure enough, pawsteps heralded the arrival of a familiar face. There was a flicker of disappointment that it hadn’t been one of her family, but Birdstar was relieved to see the exile regardless. It was hard to feel entirely saddened when Silverwing came with a burning smile and tail shivering from excitement. And at the very least, she could be grateful it wasn’t a stray rogue with fantasies of sharpening his claws.

A rush of heated surprise coursed through her at Silverwing’s greeting, and for a moment, she only responded by flicking her ears. If this were anywhere, any time else, she might have allowed herself a moment to lean into the brief warmth the suggestion brought. But the shadows of twolegplace still fell around them, and too much already filled her mind. Still, Birdstar let a bit of humor into her words when she responded, “Neither. I was just thinking of you, though.”

Picking her way across the fence until she stood closer to the warrior below, Birdstar stopped and look at Silverwing with more intention. Where would she start this conversation– with the obvious question left from their first conversation? Or to quip about her insight on ShadowClan’s violent streak? Eventually, Birdstar settled on: “So, Silverwing. How are the rats treating you? Have you given any thought to it?” Her tail whisked, restless and expectant. She wouldn’t press for now– she'd see how Silverwing reacted to that, first.

Birdstar

Birdstar’s tail curled curiously at the she-cat’s response. She considered the words in her mind for a moment, head tilting. She even gave Silverwing a narrow look, studying her pelt. Sure, she supposed she didn’t see that sort of pelt often– that alone did make her “striking”, Birdstar figured. Her mouth briefly opened to note she’d just been musing over their last encounter, but she stayed quiet. Though she was still pondering Silverwing’s first words, there were more important things to direct her attention toward.

“So it was you,” she mewed with amusement once the spotted tabby finished. Wolfblossom had mentioned the loner that’d appeared to champion herself against the foxes. Birdstar had been brief in mentioning Silverwing to her sisters, but she’d held her own suspicions about who it’d been. Straightening herself out, she cleared her throat and mewed, “If you’re serious about it, I’ll lead you back to camp.”

Birdstar paused a moment. When she spoke again, her voice was lower. “This isn’t an offer I make lightly, though. I know leaving WindClan wasn’t your choice or intention– and I know you can’t just forget your home –but you understand you swear yourself to SkyClan if you follow me now.” She blinked slowly, pale eyes expectant and serious. “You’ll spend some few moons with a senior warrior making sure you aren’t… acting against us. You will have to prove your loyalty to SkyClan, but… you’ll be welcome.” Her tail swayed back and forth and Birdstar tipped her head toward the treeline behind her, waiting patiently to see Silverwing’s response.

Birdstar

Silverwing’s enthusiasm was glaring– and because of that, so was the disappointment that passed over her. Birdstar’s head tipped to the side curiously, angling further when the spotted she-cat spoke. “If I meant that, I would have said that.” She said gently. Silverwing’s energy refreshed, and the leader only watched her with a faint smile. Though Silverwing had moved on, Birdstar returned to her previous statement when she spoke again: “It’s just… I don’t know. If I didn’t trust you, I wouldn’t have invited you to SkyClan in the first place. It’s… a precaution, I suppose. Any outsider, even born Clan cats, would be welcomed under the same condition.” Bloodstrike hadn’t. If she ever dared to return, Beechfang wouldn’t be. She didn’t mention that.

Waving her tail to beckon the former WindClanner over the fence, Birdstar hopped down on the forest’s side. “If you follow me around, I guess I’d count as a senior warrior.” Birdstar mewed when Silverwing joined her. There was something thoughtful to her voice. There were warriors in SkyClan older than her, with far more experience– she was young enough to still be over-eager for the upcoming new-leaf. She guessed being the leader made her count as someone with good judgment, though. Shaking her head, Birdstar walked along, leading her companion through the deepening woods. “Alright, alright. Let’s not keep whoever you’re so excited over waiting.”