A Loyal Heart (c)

How many times have I been here again?

It was a sadly familiar story to the aging tom-cat, though this time with a few changed details.  Ripped away from his loved ones by Twolegs?  Check.  Managed to escape into an unfamiliar place?  Check.  Got lost and wandered who knows where for more moons than he could count?  Also, check.  Ashflight sighed deeply, his tired paws dragging against the uncomfortable dark pavement that Twolegs seemed obsessed with putting everywhere.  It felt as if his life was just one more disaster after the next, with a little respite in between before everything went to dog-dung again.  Maybe StarClan was cursing him?  Not that he really believed in stuff like that, he had long grown past his superstitious kithood fears, but at this point, he couldn't rule anything out.

Hunting had been bad again today, too many Twoleg monsters around.  All the rats had been scared away into their hiding holes, leaving Ashflight with an empty belly.  He had debated making the walk over to the big garden near the center of the town, but his joints were too sore.  He may feel young at heart, but in reality, he wasn't a spry new-leaf fledgling anymore.  The sun high above was beginning to set, sending orange rays of light blazing out from between the buildings.  Squinting his eyes up towards the sky, Ashflight settled his thoughts and started to head back towards the ally he had been sleeping at for a couple of days now.  It was a short trek, and despite the disgusting Twoleg trash and nose-wrinkling smells that greeted him there he was still relieved to have a semi-safe place here.  He hated Twolegplace more than anything; the sooner he could find some real nature the better.  However, as the small tom-cat stepped carefully around the trash bags that concealed his makeshift nest, an unfamiliar scent met his nose.  A cat!  

Moons of living in hostile Twolegplace had almost completely scrubbed the formerly friendly cat of his optimism; he had enough scars and tears in his ears to remind him that not many starving ally cats wanted to be his friend.  Hackles raised defensively, Ashflight caught sight of the intruder, a cat that was much larger than he was.  A she-cat too, by her scent.  Yet, there also seemed to be something familiar about her, a nostalgic tinge of something he had smelled long ago.  Could his mind be playing tricks with him?  Curious, but still wary, the warrior stood up tall and lowered his voice to a growl.  "Who are you, and what are you doing here?  I have no prey, so if you're looking for some I'm afraid you're out of luck."

Beechfang tended to stick to the back alleys and quiet places as she roamed twolegplace, a habit formed out of not wanting anything to do with twolegs nor most of the cats that shared these streets. She avoided rogues out of necessity, sharing even less love for them than they had of former clan cats, and for the most part she succeeded in avoiding them. The ragged, battle-scarred she-cat kept to herself and preferred to keep it that way, though her shoulders were tense as she walked and she was keenly aware of her surroundings.

She heard the pawsteps behind her before the wind carried the scent of cat toward her, and the battle-worn tabby let out a quiet huff, head turning to find a tom growling at her. Her eye narrowed in displeasure. Today was not her day, it seemed.

A low snort left Beechfang at his words, "I'm capable of finding my own." Came the response. Rogues, always rude, always demanding answers. Hissing about prey when they had no borders to defend what they wanted. "I could ask the same of you, but this isn't my territory and I don't really care." She'd be well on her way, if the tom let her. If it came to a fight, Beechfang was that young apprentice anymore... But she could still defend herself. Or drag this tom to the dark forest with her.

"Beechfang." If the tom knew of the clan cats, perhaps her name might be enough to scare him off. The kittypets in the area seemed to think them beasts, and in her experience rogues thought similarly while having the gall to be hypocritical about it. "And yours?" She should've simply turned and kept walking, ignored him. But Beechfang had been heading back toward the abandoned twoleg nest she called a shelter. She wasn't about to let him intrude on what little territory she had eked out for herself here, such as it was.

Ashflight's eyes narrowed as the bulky she-cat turned her face to look at him, her heavily scarred face and pelt becoming noticeable to him in the dimming light.  She also seemed to be missing an eye, and despite the usual tug of his heart to see a cat in such condition, he also noted it as a weakness if this interaction came to a fight.  However, her snarky, almost dismissive response to his warning helped to calm his nerves a bit.  If she wasn't looking for food, and it didn't seem like she wanted this gross alley for herself (who would, really), then maybe this could be resolved by talking after all.  The gray tom's fur started to flatten out and his ears pricked forward again.  He opened his mouth to respond with a smile, hoping to smooth all this over, but the she-cat's next words wiped all current thoughts from his mind.

"...Beechfang?  Of SkyClan?!  Ohh, no wonder you seemed familiar!"  Ashflight's entire demeanor had transformed, and his formerly exhausted face now betrayed his bright-eyed hope.  Taking a step closer towards Beechfang, the long-furred tom-cat bent his head respectfully to her before launching into questions; excitement unable to be contained.  "I'm Ashflight of RiverClan, I've been lost in Twolegplace for moons after some Twolegs took me while I was out hunting.  Are the Clans nearby?  I've been searching for ages, and you're finally the first cat who is willing to talk about them."  He didn't want to appear desperate, but the sadness in his green eyes and the way his ears drooped gave him away.  "Please, I need to get back to my mate...Perch has probably been worried sick..."

Her name being recognized wasn't what she'd expected today... The change from wary unease to excited enthusiasm was enough to make Beechfang's head spin. And she could only stare up at the sky for a moment as the tom revealed his own name and origin. Riverclan. Cloverheart was laughing at her misfortune, she was sure of it. Still, he did not immediately leap for her throat, and he seemed... relieved, to have found a clan cat. Hopeful, even. Not that she could blame him for that, stars knew nobody wanted to encounter rogues out here. "That's me, yeah." Beechfang huffed, not at all sharing his sudden shift in attitude.

'Captured by twolegs, lost in twolegplace' was a story she had heard so many times lately, clan cats were not meant for these alleys filled with rats and garbage. Not even a Riverclanner.

The mention of Perch... Perchstar? Made her sigh internally. She wanted nothing more than to turn around and walk away. There were better things to do than help a lost Riverclanner. Like stew in her own regret, or wish she was across the fence that bordered Skyclan territory. Or leave this stars-forsaken place entirely and find somewhere she could avoid the water-loving clan completely.

"The clans are close." She muttered eventually, reluctantly, "I can guide you to the edge of twolegplace but no farther. You'll be able to find your way from there easily." She would not test Riverclan's borders again, even that offer was pushing it, in her estimation. Who knew what he'd tell them, though Perchstar knew she was alive already, the less Riverclan saw of her the better, and the less she saw of them the happier she would be. If she brought him to the edge of twolegplace, he would be out of her fur, however.

Ashflight let out a deep relieved sigh as Beechfang admitted that the clans were close by, and offered to guide him to them.  The moons of struggle and pain had made his emotions more reserved by force, but now that he was finally so close to his home, his goal, the middle-aged tomcat had the look of a giddy first-day apprentice in his eyes.  "Oh thank you, thank you so much Beechfang, I really appreciate this!"  His furry paws shifted in place, almost as if he would burst off running any second.  However, he contained himself and smiled at the grizzled she-cat, his purring tone almost back to its old lighthearted tone.  "I don't know how I can repay you...but I'll find a way!"

He didn't bother looking toward the haphazard nest he had built a few paces away, he had no keepsakes or useful items to take with him.  His life for moons had been purely functional, focused on survival and nothing else.  The only memories he would take with him of this time were the scars, and he could live with that.  He thought keenly of his ragged fur and matted tail, however; he wished that he had time to groom before he saw Perchstar again.  Why did he care about that?  She wouldn't care!  Despite his excitement, there was an anxious knot buried deep within his stomach.  It had been so long since he'd last seen her...would she still want him?  As a warrior, and as a mate?

The outpouring of gratitude wasn't something Beechfang was used to. "...Don't mention it." The ex-Skyclanner shifted awkwardly on her paws, glancing at Ashflight. He was clearly eager to be gone from this place, and she couldn't blame him for that. She definitely shared the sentiment, it must be nice to know he would be welcomed back to his clan with open paws, most likely.

The thought sent a bitter pang of regret through her. Even if her own kits would welcome her back... Beechfang had made her nest and made it repeatedly. Nothing to do but lay in it. The stars weren't quite visible yet, but she glanced up at the sky for a moment anyways, gaze searching. With a shake of her head, she turned, waving her tail for Ashflight to follow. "This way," She mewed, "There's too many rogues about, but we should be able to avoid them." She hoped so, anyways.