Homecoming Queen [Open]

It felt wrong to be padding into ShadowClan camp after so many moons. Yet here she was, following behind Swiftheart, this time with a kit between her jaws. Roseburn knew Batkit could walk on his own, but something in her mind still screamed danger. It was a thought that had been ingrained in her since her time away. After all, rogues didn't follow a code. And she was weak. The most she could ever do was run. And that was what she was ready to do now.

She could feel eyes on her, so many faces that she didn't know. Where were her litter mates? Were they on patrol? And where was Nightstar?

She couldn't stop the fear in her eyes as she looked at Swiftheart, something almost pleading in her gaze. This wasn't the home she remembered from her kithood. Swiftheart kept calling it home, but Roseburn felt like so much a stranger here.

And why would they even want her here, anyway?

Badgermask's ears perked at the sound of pawsteps, turning from where she had been halfway through a meal to see her aunt leading a stranger into the camp. In an instance, the warrior was baring her fangs at the new arrival as her claws dug into the ground beneath her. The last thing they Clan needed was more outsiders to feed, they already had their paws full with these 'Riders of the Storm' and she didn't care for Swiftheart's bleeding heart leading more to their camp. Her anger did fizzed at the sight of the bundle of fur in the stranger's mouth - a kit...

Her ears slicked back, eyes narrowing but she held her tongue from whatever venomous hiss she had planned. No matter how angry Badgermask felt - at the world, at others... She couldn't deny the softness she had for kits. She didn't want to see the kit turned away, but it didn't mean she had to be happy about another cat just strolling into their camp. She sneered, glancing towards the leader's den as she wondered what her mother would have to say about this.

Roseburn set Batkit down by her paws, trying not to think about how many cats are staring at her. Some of them hostile, some of them simply curious. A part of her broke as a young cat asked her who she was. She really was a stranger here. By the looks of disgust on some cats' faces, she was no better than a rogue. But then again, wasn't that how she had lived for the past moons?

She was about to respond to the apprentice when another cat had approached. And other than Swiftheart, she may have been the first cat she actually recognized.

"Hi, Leopardsun." She tucked in on herself a bit, nervous to be approached by the deputy. But there was something in the way she looked at her, and Roseburn knew that there was no way she could have missed her that much.

Her heart sank as she asked her next question, fearful of the answer. "Where's Nightstar? Where is my brother?"

Another pair of eyes bored into Roseburn’s pelt, calculating. Sunflare had been so young when he last saw her, but he knew this she-cat, even if only by her disfigured face. She was no stranger, but was she friend or foe? Leopardstar seemed neutral, so Sunflare kept his guard up without open hostility. His even gaze met the newcomer’s, thoughtful but not unkind. Where had she been all this time, and more importantly, where did she get that kit?

He took a few paw steps forward, remaining respectfully behind Leopardstar but close enough to leap to her defense. The wiry tom stretched to his full height, subtly intimidating but still with his fur flat. The queen’s words, however, elicited a slight bristle and a muttered growl under his breath. Of all the topics she could’ve brought up…

Swiftheart led her sister back and almost right away a lot of interest and attention was on them.

She purred softly glancing at her sister. She would like being back home right!?

As more cats seemed to be hesitant or even stand-off-ish, Swiftheart purred smiling happily.

"Everyone calm down, this is my long lost sister Roseburn!" she explained nodding.

Leopardstar knew, but her sisters question made her heart drop a bit.

there was a lot her sister had missed, a lot of cats she would be expecting to see that would not be here at all.

"Leopardstar" she dipped her head respectful of the leader. Roseburn would catch on from the suffix who leader was now.
"Roseburn is home... and this, is batkit" she introduced as well.

"I found her hunting and accidently attacked her before recognizing her"
she quietly whispered to leopardstar explaining.


She looked at badgermask, stagpaw and sunflare adressing those more concerned about all this "I promise, she is a friend not a threat"

A slight commotion had Heatherberry poking her head out from her den. At first, her eye was caught on Swiftheart's bright white fur, only to quickly flick to the orange spotted molly that followed close behind; a kit in her mouth. The strange molly was unknown to her, but Heatherberry wasn't the kind of cat to just ignore someone in clear need of assistance. With the added confidence of Swiftheart claiming this cat to be her sister, no one should object... Even if they did, the medicine cat would hear nothing of it.

Dipping back into the den and returning with a few herbs and cobwebs, she made her way to circling around both mother and kit. "Are you hurt in any way physically? And what about you, Swiftheart?" She noted Roseburn to be malnourished, putting it away that she may need something to help milk production for her kit.

The hostility that came from the mention of her brother had her fur standing on end. She knew Nightstar, er, Nightstalker? Was his leader name revoked? She knew he could be a mouse-brain, but what did he do? She looked at Swiftheart, realizing her sister may very well be the only one willing to give her the answers she wanted, no, that she needed.

Leopardstar began to speak again, and her heart began to sink. This was the part where she would be turned away. After all, like Leopardstar said, she was no better than a rogue.

Then she offered her a choice. To be an apprentice of the Clan, she would be an outsider, but wasn't Roseburn already one? It was the easiest choice she would have to make.

"Th-thank you Leopardstar. I accept these conditions whole-heartedly."

Another cat entered the mix, Heatherberry, she assumed. The new medicine cat was quick to get to work, and she was thankful for the clear lack of judgement. Heatherberry didn't care who Roseburn was, just that she was in good shape. I put a sense of normalcy in the situation, reminding her of how often she had been in the medicine den before, and how good care she was always under.

"I think I'm okay. Nothing outside of the ordinary, at least. Thank you."

The sounds constant chatter outside the den finally got to the one-eyed tom. Setting down a mouthful of moss Sablestrike exited the warrior's den, eyes immediately snapping to the molly standing at the center of his clanmates. She was instantly recognizable, or rather her features were. One twisted jaw and a leg to match, and a grimy wing that he remembered so well. "Roseburn?" The loss of the older warrior for so long had lead the tom to believe she had perished without the help of her clan, partially due to the injuries that he may have had a paw in, yet here she was. Sablestrike padded towards the molly, shock never leaving his face until a rambunctious kit charged in screeching about his name being besmirched or some nonsense. "Batkit! Watch yourself or I'll have you cleaning ticks off the elders until your apprentice ceremony!" He had to admit, the kit was right in some aspects. Roseburn's stench was an assault to his nose, her malnourished frame an insult to his eyes. Even if she was a stranger to them now she didn't deserve this. "Go fetch her something to eat, and when you get back I expect you to apologize."

Sablestrike closed in on the molly, only a single question for her leaving his mouth. "Where have you been?" It wasn't that it was all he wanted to ask, but opening his mouth near her left him tasting her foul scent. They would have time to catch up later, perhaps when she had a full belly and a bath.

Sablestrike. Roseburn could have cried when she saw him. He looked like he had grown up so much. He was so far from the kit he had been.

"Hi Sablestrike. I, uh, it's...it's a long story. I'm sorry I was gone so long. I just..." Just what? What excuse did she possibly have, other than her cowardice? She lost Batpaw, and she got scared and ran. How could she possibly admit to that?

"I'm sorry..."

In the end, that was all she could say. And even that didn't come close to making it better.

Iceheart came out, and she even smiled at her. And that was something Roseburn couldn't understand. Iceheart was the only one here right now that knew why she stayed in camp. The fact that she was alone, she should know that she failed. Why wasn't she mad?

Maybe part of her wanted Iceheart to yell at her. She wanted Iceheart to hate her. It would be so much better than the guilt she felt seeing that smile.

Leopardstar spoke again, this time offering a new name.

"Lilypaw. I-I would like to be named Lilypaw, if that is alright. I made a lot of mistakes as Roseburn. A lot that I'd like to forget. I know a name won't make it all go away, but.... Maybe it can be a start."