go fetch [c]

The night was alive with the sounds of life. All around him, crickets chirped. Overhead, an owl screeched. But the hulking form of Sunfire was as still and silent as a statue. The SkyClanner had been sitting here for some time, alone, waiting... eventually a WindClan patrol would wander this way, he was sure... but until then, he was in no rush. Half a year on his own had tempered the tom's patience, if just a little. Sure, he could storm across the moor and declare at WindClan's camp, rather than the border, but it was unnecessary and would create far more hubbub than he felt like dealing with tonight. Depending on who it was that chanced upon him here tonight, he still might get that.

As if summoned by his thoughts, there was the sound of approaching pawsteps. Sunfire turned his head lazily in the direction, yellow eyes trained on the WindClanner that had come to greet him, but barely registering if he knew who they were or not before he dipped his head in greeting. "I am here as a friend," he rumbled, as soon as the cat was in earshot. "I need to speak with your medicine cat - Hemlockfox. Can you go and bring him here? I'll wait."

Cloudjumper frowned at the unfamiliar scent that clung to the warm breeze, light green eyes sweeping across the border. The tom that found her focus wasn't actually crossing the border, but the presence of a stranger still made her fur lift on instinct as she turned toward him. Before she could speak, the tom was calling out... Not words Cloudjumper would have expected.

"And how does an outsider know our medicine cat? What's your business with him?" Her tone wasn't hostile, but she was wary, guarded. The tom did not reek of clan scent, and much as Cloudjumper did not want to admit it, it made his presence and request all the more curious.

"Who are you?" That he seemed to know their medicine cat by name meant he was someone, clearly. But she wasn't about to just go and find Hemlockfox without knowing who this was. She wouldn't lead the medicine cat into potential danger if she could help it.

As he finished his request, Sunfire looked up again, finally taking in the face of the cat who had come. She was young, unfamiliar... and had probably still been in the nursery the last time he stepped foot on clan territory. The dappled yellow tom flicked his ear at the suspicion in her tone. Did she think he'd have just sat here out in the open and waited for a patrol to find him if he had nefarious intent? Annoyance sparked in his gaze, but he managed to dull the edge of his voice when he replied. "I'm his f-" Sunfire hesitated for just a split second. If he said father, would Hemlockfox even come? Their relationship even before the medicine cat had moved to WindClan had left a lot to be desired. It was something he regretted, deeply. And something he meant to attempt to repair.

If this harebrained WindClanner would let him, anyway.

"-amily." He finished the sentence, and rose from where he sat, yellow eyes narrowing slightly. "If you don't want to bring him here, I can go there, with you instead," he offered flatly. "If I meant to murder him, I certainly wouldn't send a witness to alert him to my presence. No harm will befall your medicine cat, or any other, whether I meet him here or there." His body language was loose enough, but the gaze Sunfire settled on the WindClan warrior in front of him left no room for argument. He would speak with his son tonight, whether he had to find the camp himself, or not.

The tom seemed to falter slightly as he spoke, announcing that he was family to Hemlockfox. Cloudjumper had known the medicine cat wasn't originally from Windclan, but really? Some loner was his family? Though the way he spoke left little for Cloudjumper to disagree with. And, she supposed, it wasn't her place to judge. Hemlockfox had been loyal and served their clan well, no matter how gruff. That was more important than whatever impure blood ran through his veins.

"...Alright, I'll go grab him." And hopefully the grouchy medicine cat wouldn't claw her ears off for it. "Stay there." And without another word, the lithe calico was turning, breaking into a sprint. Unlike the medicine cat she was Windclan-born, and it showed in how quickly she moved.

Entering camp, Cloudjumper strode toward the medicine den with a sigh. "Hemlockfox?" She called, "Sorry to bother you, but there's someone on the border claiming you're family. He wanted to speak with you. Golden and white tom, yellow eyes." She was already backing out of the den with the tail end of her words, turning back only once to make sure Hemlockfox was following before leading the medicine cat toward the border and the strange tom.

"I'll be... Over here. Just in case." Far enough to not hear quiet conversation, close enough that if things looked tense she could jump in and rough up this stranger, if needed.

With surprisingly swift turnaround, Sunfire spotted cats in the distance. The first two walked side by side, and even from this far, in the dark, the yellow tom could tell that one of the two was his son. Their current rift was wide, but it hadn't always been so. In Hemlockfox's youth, there was no one the warrior had been closer to - not even Wolfstar, or Falconmoon. His eyes moved past them, waiting for the rest of the patrol, but as they closed half the distance, no more cats appeared.

The WindClanner split off, and when they were near enough, Sunfire met his son's eyes. To his surprise, to his pleasure... he wasn't met with suspicion, or ire, but... joy, relief. And then a cheerful exclamation. His eyes widened, and he only had time to brace himself before Hemlockfox was sliding to a halt a whisker's length from him. Sunfire closed the distance without hesitating, not caring that the border passed beneath his paws as he pressed into the medicine cat's fur. "Son."

Emotion was a fire in his chest, tightening his throat so that the word came out half-strangled. "I'm so sorry, Hemlockfox." Sunfire touched his forehead against the other tom's, purring loudly. "And I'm so happy that you are well." He pulled back, looking the tom in the eye. "I will always come back to you, so long as my paws walk this earth. I promise."

Sunfire exhaled. "I left SkyClan because at the time, I was a danger to SkyClan." He dropped his gaze to his paws briefly. "But now, I think SkyClan needs me again, so I've come back. And I needed to see you, I wanted to see you. How do you fare in WindClan? Have you been meeting with your sisters, like we agreed?"

There were so many things Sunfire wanted to share, so many things he wanted to hear, but most of it would have to wait for another time. Every moment that passed without knowing Wolf made it to SkyClan safely was another gray hair that popped up where a yellow one had been. For now, it was enough to know Hemlockfox was okay - he would let the other tom lead the conversation from here.

There was no hint of surprise or shock on Sunfire's face as Hemlockfox painted the grim picture of their clan's current state. Even though he tried to do it delicately, the yellow tom could tell by the way his son was choosing his words, the furrow in his brow as he tiptoed around things he clearly didn't want to say outright... someone was dead. And it was someone that Hemlockfox expected Sunfire to mourn.

The warrior let a trapped breath out through his nostrils, ears slicking back to lie against his skull. His eyes slid sidelong, resting on the calico she-cat for a moment as that information sank in. He wondered who it was. His mate? One of his children? Sunfire closed his eyes briefly, fighting off the tension in his body and a spike of pain from a building headache with a rapid shake of his pelt. After a moment, he looked at his son, and said in a low voice:

"SkyClan will persevere."

So would he, though that needed not be said aloud. Whatever faced him in SkyClan, he would deal with it when he got there, head first like he always had. There was no sense in dwelling on what had happened, when it was the future of SkyClan that was Sunfire's primary concern... and the future of SkyClan included his son. Sunfire hadn't forgotten that Hemlockfox's station in WindClan was always meant to be temporary, and it would be one of the first things that he brought up to Wolfstar upon his return. It was admissible when SkyClan could spare him... but that had likely changed. He wouldn't know, until he could see it for himself.

"Assuming Wolfstar allows me to return to SkyClan, I... will do my best to support her. But we may have need of you in the near future, my son." Unblinking yellow eyes studied him, trying to discern what Hemlockfox thought of what he'd said, but then just as quickly as they'd found him, they darted away, back towards the other WindClanner.  Brow furrowed, the yellow tom shook his head. "But that is a conversation for another day. Is there anything you need from me? Anything I can do, before I return home? A message I can deliver?" There was still so much to talk about... and he would. He would see his son again soon, Sunfire was sure, but until then... as long as they left this meeting on good terms, he was satisfied.