WITHOUT WARNING || Return
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❝ But we're a million worlds apart.... ❞
— Firedawn, Warrior of Shadowclan
Fire red fur would flicker like a flame as the senior warrior made her way along the borderline. Emerald eyes would glow with their usual warmth and compassion, as a thoughtful expression graced her face. Firedawn had a lot of thinking to do after all. She had spent so long looking for her mate, yearning for the day that he would be returned to her, but lately.....it killed her that she may have to give up hope...but it was times like this she was grateful to have Valerainfire with her through her grief. She would have to talk to him later about-
Her thoughts cut off as a scent hit her nose and she froze. That scent...she knew that scent. Before her mind would process it, her paws took off flying. Her heart hammered in her chest like a woodpecker as she prayed to Starclan for this not to be some cruel joke. The red Somali would burst through the bushes and the sight that greeted her almost knocked her back on her feet.
"Its you.." The words would slip from her maw as she stood there, her eyes drinking in every last drop of his dark brown tabby pelt and the golden eyes she had missed so much, "It's really you..isn't it?...Flaxensun.." When the name left her maw, her voice cracked with a mountain of emotion and tears stung her eyes. Was this a dream?...some cruel dream that she would be awakened from?..
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—— FLAXENSUN ——
Soon to be King
What a time to return. Right when the red string of their fate was to be unraveled, right when the book of their future was to be closed...without warning, he was here. Not that Flax knew of the looseness in their knot of love, but he could suspect. She was loyal, beautiful in her compassion and kindness, but Flaxensun would be a liar if he said he didn't expect her to be chased by so many toms hungry for her. She was perfect. She was amazing. She was beautiful in more ways than one...and he never deserved her. He, a being of shadow and spite, of darkness and hatred, had been fated in his karmic destiny to die alone until somehow, someway, firedawn twisted Starclan's plans. He wasn't good enough for her, he never had been - a thought that had become increasingly clear to him every second he was alone, shivering in the cold and the misery and wishing he could've told her just how much she meant to him.
He had vowed the second he broke free of his prison, that if he ever saw her, by some miracle meet her again in life with a future still open before him, that he'd become truly the man she deserved.
And that promise bumped through his chest like ambrosia-laden ichor as he watched that fox-like pelt glow beneath the daunting sky that had dried their home of moisture. The second his eyes fell upon hers, tears sprung into his crystalline amber. Those green eyes...a lush meadow glittering beneath the soft morning sun, the reason behind the naming of their daughter. Firedawn. firedawn. Firedawn!
"Firedawn" it was breathless, a word spoken hesitantly from a man who'd been one second ago so certain he did not have the strength to keep hoping. But he knew - of course he knew - that she was here. That she had waited for him. "Firedawn!" and then it was the cry of a kitten, so stupidly exited he could barely contain himself. In fact, in a comical display, Flaxensun actually danced. A burst of emotion so strong, so powerful, he jittered on his paws, tapped his toes as a body still shell-shocked from the crashing relief couldn't yet figure out how to move forward. But he had to move, and his feet seen regained the memory of traction as his little jittery dance of excitement became a run.
"Firedawn!" and he's shouting, elated, joyful, hopeful. He runs the small distance, miles between them becoming feet, then inches. She's here! She's here! He aims to tackle her to the ground, to bury his ragged face into her soft fur. Like so many times before, he showers her wish kisses. Over her cheeks, up her forehead, throughout her ears, and oh so gently on her nose. He kisses her until his breath runs out, and then he kisses her some more until he's ready to give himself to starclan then and there. Then he pulls away long enough to take in a breath and resumes right back to it. I love you. I missed you. My world, my everything. I'm here.
"Firedawn" the words are softly spoken this time, neither a breath of hesitance nor a childish lover's song. It's just quiet, calm and tired with relief. Tranquil with bliss. A fire could burst beside him right now, a flood could ravish the land this very instant and he wouldn't care. Because she's here, in his arms. His home. His future. His joy.
His Firedawn.
"Speech"
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❝ But we're a million worlds apart.... ❞
— Firedawn, Warrior of Shadowclan
She almost feared to believe it. To believe that it was really him before her until her name slipped from his mouth. She barely had time to voice her own joy when she was slammed into. But it would not hurt, nor cause her to hiss in surprise. Instead a purr that was loud enough for Starclan to hear would erupt from her throat as she returned his affection with nuzzles and entwining her tail with his own. He was home. He was home. HE WAS HOME! And thank Starclan this wasn't a dream. He was real, and they were together again. Firedawn was about to melt into his embrace, but then green eyes flashed in her mind, a red tabby pelt made her stomach twist. Why? She would push it away for the moment, nothing could ruin this for them. But when she did open her eyes, she would notice the companion that her mate had sped off without, and despite not wanting to break this moment, she meowed softly, "Flaxensun...who is your friend?.." Her voice would be calm and soothing, like the fresh water their home so desperately needed.
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Nameless • Shadowclan • Tags
//obligatory reminder that she's still around just way in the background
The girl with the blue eyes stares in surprise as her companion suddenly takes off. It leaves her startled, stock-still with fright. The world around her is massive, dark in a way that even the sun's light can't completely penetrate through her mind. Ironic how a girl who'd longed to be a part of the vast openness of the real world was now left trembling before it. The unknown creeps like poison into her veins, damning her choice of fleeing. She never should have escaped - hell may be cruel but when hell is all you know...imagine facing a world even worse? The unknown alone is enough to make her weep with fright, but she has long since ceased shedding blue from her alien eyes. Instead, she blinks her ugly eyes closed and breaths. Focusing on her ears, on the darkness so familiar, she listens to her companion scream. That's it. This is the end. This is the day she dies. At least she got to try mouse while she had the chance...
But nothing happens. As she continues to listen, defiant against the world's cruelty by not shying away from the sounds of her crunching bones and her companion's howls of pain...does she realize neither sound actually exist. She listens, and realizes his screams are now whispers, that the tone he is using and had used was not one of agony but...joy. Oh how rare that sound was to her young lavender ears. After a few moments, she blinks open her unsightly eyes and focuses on the hideously beautiful world around her. Focusing past the unknown, the monsters in the unfamiliar, her eyes rest upon familiar ebony streaked fur tangled in red. Her heart hitches - had she been mistaken? Was that not his blood there, seeping from his darkness and draining into the unknown and the frightening? No...no wait, that was fur, not liquid. She had seen red fur before, seen it tangled up in ebony stripes, in ginger patches, in white dirty as desecrated snow. Tangled fur is all she's ever known. And it was tangled fur that her companion had joined her in despising as well, so why?
No, no, she knew why. He had woven it in the tales she whispered in her ear at night, when the nightmares were loud and the wailing louder still. Tangled fur was one thing...but there was love. In the world there was love, a source deep in the open and the unknown, waiting behind the beasts and the lies that swore a happiness the girl with blue eyes had never thought possible.
But that's the funny thing about the unknown, isn't it?
The possibilities are...infinite.
If the tears had not dried long ago, she would've wept then. Instead, the girl with blue eyes sat down and politely looked away, letting her companion tangle his fur in red in a way she did not understand. But she was certain wasn't a bad thing.
She perked her ears when she heard the red one's voice directed towards her. Glancing over, the girl with blue eyes met her green ones, then fluttered to her companion's amber. He said something to the red, and then nodded for her to come. So she did, making her way over on hesitant, voiceless steps.
"SPEECH"
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—— FLAXENSUN ——
Soon to be King
Being tangled up meant that hearts beat against each other. It meant that when her heart froze for the briefest of milliseconds, that he felt it. Hesitance - distraction - not something he expected within their first embrace back together. He blinked open his eyes and studied her expression a millisecond before she opened hers. So when she opened her morning green hues to look over his shoulder at his companion, he knew it hadn't been her presence that had startled his lover's connection.
In the brief moment firedawn's eyes are away, fear fills Flaxen's. A mirror to his heart that sensed a shift. A ripple in the middle of the fantasy that displayed the dishonesty in it. Reality was fast approaching, a world Flaxen was soon to awaken into. He'd thought he was finally free of the nightmares.
But when Firedawn looks back at him, the despair is quick to flash away. He wishes he could say he imagined it, but he knew the risks. He knew it had been a small chance that she would've waited for a dead man, so he could not lie to himself. But he could lie for her sake as he focused on other matters. Devastated to have to cut their perfect moment short, he turned his attention onto his blue-eyed friend. "She helped me...return. " he says, any explanation further on the passage of time between disappearance and return not to be spoken of yet - or ever, if he could help it. "She doesn't have a name, I honestly don't think she wants one" he muses thoughtfully, peeling himself off his love and gesturing for the blue eyed girl to make her way over.
The blue-eyed girl approaches. She stands a safe distance away from Firedawn, his eyes the color of pools reflecting dusk's hues, exotic against her equally unusually flower-hued pelt. Looking at her made Flaxensun's heart hang heavy. So many curses wrapped around those pristine blues and glittering lavenders. "She's here to join, though im not sure for how long. She doesn't talk much to strangers, just a heads up" he explains, turning his eyes on Firedawn.
A part of him sobers as he realizes Firedawn holds the same aspects that Blue has. Fur and eyes beloved by so many...Though maybe it's not she who is cursed, but he who abandoned his treasure. His ears twitch as he fights the urge to flatten them. Out of the frying pan and into the fire, it seems.
"Speech"
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❝ But we're a million worlds apart.... ❞
— Firedawn, Warrior of Shadowclan
As the lavender furred she-cat stepped forward, Firedawn would press against her mate and smile warmly at the newest face. So no name was it? The senior warrior would tilt her head in thought, "I see. Well, if I can have your permission. I'd like to call you 'Miracle'. After all, you brought my love back to me, and for that I and our daughter will be forever grateful. Shadowclan would be happy to give you safe place to live while you get back on your paws." She would turn and bury her nose in Flaxensuns' shoulder, "Let' go home. Morningpaw and Wolfpaw will be so happy to see you."
//
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✦ How long had it been? It seemed like ages since Wolfpaw had the chance to see his mentor; here he was, almost 12 moons, and Flax just.. didn't get to see it? Wolfpaw sighed as he exited camp, another vain attempt to go out and find something for the kits to chew on. He paused as he heard Firedawn call his name in the distance; had something happened? He ran towards the scene. Not her too, please not her too. He screeched to a halt as he took in the sight of the trio. "Flax?"Wolfpaw asked, almost in disbelief. "And.. company,"he nodded to the girl, then turned his attention back to Flax. "What-- what happened? Where'd you go-- Why'd you go?"
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Nameless • Shadowclan • Tags
The girl with blue eyes stares dully through her optics the color of destructive tides at the woman of fire. She's as emaciated as most of the red fur cats she sees. The girl trails her gaze over the woman's tell-tell stripe, a sign of perfection to her...caretakers. She opens her mouth to comment on this, when he notices Flaxen's eyes flash with warning. Don't you dare, they read. He'd looked at her like that only once before - when she'd opened her mouth to cry out in pain after twisting her paw. Ok. Turning her horrible eyes back on the woman, she squints at her thoughtfully. Miracle? "Names mean nothing" she whispers quietly, almost an offended hiss. She drops her terrible gaze onto the ground, just in time to hear Flaxenglare say, "That's her way of saying she approves"
She stiffens as the sound of pattering footsteps fill the air. Ugly fur bristling, the young woman stares hard at the unusual patchy furred tom. He, too, reminds her of so many from her old home. It makes her step away, hesitant to catch the disease she's certain is the cause of his flesh revealing itself to the world like an open sore. The mange-ridden cat speaks to Flaxen, screeching at him. The girl with the blue eyes flattens her ears, never taking her eyes off the mange.
"SPEECH"
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—— FLAXENSUN ——
Soon to be King
"That's her way of saying she approves" Flaxenglare says with an amused smile. It's rare for her - Miracle as she's now dubbed - to ever speak to someone she's recently met. It took her ages to speak to him, and it was mostly to just curtly answer his questions. Miracle...what a beautiful name. He smiles at Firedawn, touched by the kidness she holds for any and all. He's about to lean in for another kiss, when a familiar voice shouts his name.
His tail lashes, a cheerful wave as he surrogate son bounds over. His amber eyes widen into twin, beaming fiery stars, as per his namesake. "Wolfpaw...you've gotten so big" he smiles, making his way over to the boy. Through the corner of his eye he watches as Miracle bristles, but he'll explain it to her later. In the meantime, he wraps his paw around the boy and pulls him close, bumping heads.
He's about to tell him how much he missed him when -
Flaxenglare stiffens. Why'd-? He pulls away, a look of disgust filling his features, "What are you implying?" he demands. He knows he shouldn't snap, but suddenly he's reeling with a burst of rage. Did Wolfpaw think he WANTED to leave?! Did he think Flaxenglare had just up and walked off, abandoning his wife and daughter and future within his clan? What possible reason out there could there be for Flaxenglare to walk right off without even a word - how dare Wolfpaw imply that there was any reason in the entire cosmos that would drive Flaxen to just up and abandoned them. Did Wolfpaw honestly think so lowly of him?!
Flaxenglare is about to say all that, but he bites his tongue. He looks away, taking in deep breaths. He opens his mouth to tell Wolfpaw what had happened, but instead his jaws slam shut, barring the words from escaping. He trembles with anger - but it's not entirely directed at Wolfpaw anymore. He burns a hole in the ground with the intensity of his glare, his breath coming ragged as he think - think and think and remembers and
He catches flames in the corner of his eye. He twitches his gaze, meeting firedawn's. One breath, two, and he's calm again. He sheathes his claws and sighs deeply, exhausted. "I'm sorry. I never meant...to disappear" he finally speaks, and the words are heavy on his tongue. He wants to tell Wolfpaw that he wishes he'd been stronger - that he really, truly, never would've left if he'd had a choice and...
He sucks in another breath and tries to smile at Wolfpaw, "Does it matter? I'm back, and i'm never leaving again" his shoulders tense as he feels the heaviness of that promise on his shoulders. He rolls his shoulders and stands relaxed.
He'll keep that promise.
No matter what.
"Speech"
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✦ ✧ ✦ her ears are hot, eyes ablaze with fire and pooling with uncertain tears as she moves forward. "it does matter. you left us." her voice is quiet, but the tone in which she speaks is harsh. how dare he come crawling back just after she'd gotten used to him gone? she creeps towards her mother, pressing against her for a moment before facing the man who she so closely resembles. "you left mom, and me, and wolf." and sorrelstar... and shadowclan. stars, he's been gone for moons. she's so far into her training that she can barely recollect her earliest days. it appears the shining awe she once held for her father has faded into dull anger. she doesn't know why he went- or even if it was his fault. but she does know that she's feeling a lot right now, and none of her emotions are good.
"welcome back, i guess." but she's not going to hug him. and who is the she-cat with him? another mate, her head whispers, and she wants to beat the thought back. maybe she's a friend, or a lost clanmate. morningpaw doesn't know. so she blinks at the she-cat, for no grudge should be held against the woman for actions flaxensun has taken. "and welcome to shadowclan."
\\ ic opinions <33 I'M SO HAPPY TO SEE FLAX UGHKGHKD -
❝ But we're a million worlds apart.... ❞
— Firedawn, Warrior of Shadowclan
"That's enough. Both of you." Firedawns voice would cut through the air, and for the first time in Flaxensuns' presence she would sound like the senior warrior she was. The Somali would look at both Wolfpaw and her daughter as she stood beside Flaxensun and meowed calmly, yet sternly, "I'm surprised at both of you. Wolfpaw, you know your mentor better then to actually believe that he would leave on his own. And Morningpaw," Her gaze would meet her daughters as she lightly touched her chin with her tail tip, "Do not be angry at your father for things that were out of all our control. He is home, and he is safe. At the moment that is all that matters." She had not missed the way her mate had tensed up and avoided how he had disappeared, which spoke volumes to Firedawn. Something horrible must of happened. And she would not have him talk about it in the open like this. "Come, why don't we go home and get everyone settled." And with that, Firedawn would begin the walk back home.
//
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—— FLAXENSUN ——
Soon to be King
Karma. Truly, that's the only way he can think to describe this situation as he faces a daughter he would've given his life to see again face him with such hostility. All those nights he slept close, protecting her from nightmares, all those days he playfully bemoaned being dragged around camp on another little exploration trip of hers, what new fascinating discover she just had to share with her busy father. Every second he spent with her had been one he treasured. He treasured her above his on life - the same as he did with wolfpaw, whom he considered as close to a son as their relationship would allow.
To have them...look at him with such judgement.
It had been one thing to have Wolfpaw questioned his motives, and a whole other for both he and Morningpaw. Did...did they really think that he had wanted this? That he could've ever wanted to miss out on her growing up? He looked between Morningpaw and Wolfpaw, devastated by the belief in their eyes.
He opens his mouth to speak, but he has no words. What could he possibly say?
The pain and humiliation of the truth sets ashes to his bloodstream and he remains silent. He says nothing as firedawn scolds the two people closest to his heart. To tell them what had happened would be to rip out his own heart, to lay bare those moons of...No, he can't. Would it even matter? If their first thought was that he'd just decided to get up and fucking leave said enough.
He'd failed both of them.
He looks away, his amber eyes dark with frustration and misery. This hadn't been how he thought his reunion would go. So many nights he'd laid awake, promising himself that if he just kept going, kept fighting, he'd see them again. That thought lingers in his mind for a moment until a smile fills his expression.
He already saw hell. Morningpaw's anger was nothing, in fact...it was a blessing.
Lifting his head again, he just smiles softly at his daughter. So big now. The muscles underneath her similarly shadow-clad fur to his own denoting strength. "I missed you" he says it earnestly - whether she chooses to accept it or not doesn't really matter to Flaxensun, either. She's okay. She's become such a confident young woman. And he has plenty of time now to spend the rest of his days by her side. "Im not going away again." he promises, firm in that truth.
He wants to hold her, though. He wants to hug her, and cry into her no longer baby soft fur. He wished to tell her how she helped keep him going, how much she meant to him. But her glare promises that if he steps forward she'll step back and...He can't. He can't feel that hesitation twice in the one he'd thought cared for him unconditionally.
A reminder of his failures.
But he's tired. After so long wandering and searching, to come home to...well, not the greatest of surprises, he's ready to finally let himself give up and sleep. He nods absent-mindedly at Firedawn and follows her back to camp...steeling himself for more of this wonderful welcome back party.
"Speech"
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Nameless • Shadowclan • Tags
The girl with blue eyes watches as her companion seems to waver beneath the mangy cat's words. She bristles, wondering if he senses the sickness on him. She starts to get confused as another cat appears, more hostile than the last, causing her companion to yet again tremble. Now the blue eyed girl is on edge. Hadn't he promised her a home where the cats were kind? Where companionship and loyalty wasn't something of fiction? The girl with ugly eyes stares her ugly stare at the young molly - a moggy, not worth much. Though so was her father and that didn't...She blinks her distastefully colored occulars, her eyes falling onto the floor. So many cats...it was making her nervous. At any second she wondered when the danger would come, when her caretakers would find her and pull her back into the certainty and the loss.
When she looks up, the somali is taking her companion away. Quickly, the girl with blue eyes bounds after, her plumy tail tucked between her legs as she passes by the younger ones. She takes a moment to bare her teeth in warning at them both - especially the one with mange. She's not going down like that, not after what she'd seen. The act isn't aggressive nor is it in defense of her companion - he should know better than to expect things from other cats anyway, so she could care less how the others treat him as long as they don't attack. No, her hiss is one of defense, a cornered animal giving a final warning should anyone get any ideas to try and mess with her.
A habit more than a threat.
With that, the girl pads beside the purebred and her companion, trailing like a lavender ghost with a corpse's eyes dragging as loosly on the ground as the rest of her limbs and tail. Welcome to shadowclan, the moggy had said.
She wondered what exactly that meant.
"SPEECH"
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✦" Why are you getting mad at me? All I did was ask why he left camp. I never said I thought he left to leave us, I was wondering what went wrong and took him from us! I always thought he went out to hunt or something and got.. taken, or attacked. I never blamed him for being gone," he huffed, rising as he prepared to head back to camp. "... I'm not mad at you, Flax. We gotta know what happened so we can stop it from happening again. I'm not a kit anymore, I know you wouldn't leave on your own volition."
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✦ ✧ ✦ she stands there, ears flattening as her mother speaks with sharp tones. the tears that have pooled in her eyes finally release in trickling trails as flaxensun speaks. she misses him. stars, every night since he disappeared, she'd sat up and cursed the sky. her father is perhaps the most important being in her life, and he looks so damn sad. as he moves past her to pad back to camp, morningpaw falters. the blue she-cat hisses lightly at herself and wolfpaw, but the girl barely notices, instead pressing into wolfpaw as if looking for comfort. at least her adopted brother has been a constant in this state of grief. they begin to move back to camp, and morn's heart pounds, her thoughts a jumbled storm. you ruined it. he was so excited to see you, and now he's sad and it's all your fault. how could you blame him for something out of his control? that's what the angel says, at least, but the devil on her left shoulder speaks differently. but then again, how are we to know what the truth is? maybe he did leave? he promised to never betray shadowclan, but he's been gone for moons... don't trust him.
she wants to trust his words, to bury her face in his fur and never let him out of her sight. as she walks apart from the group, something pushes her paws forward until she's padding a tail length from him. "i'm sorry," muttered under her breath, she barely glances his way, hoping he can hear her words. "i love you. i missed you." and she presses against him, inhaling his scent, so familiar and yet so different at the same time. she sniffles, trying to stop the tears from falling again.
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—— FLAXENSUN ——
Soon to be King
He looked over Wolfpaw, studying him thoughtfully, and then smiled. He didn't respond for a moment, then says with a tightness in his voice, "Twolegs." That's about as much as he's able to share. Maybe later he could elaborate but...he's not certain he could. He wished he could make it clear that never in a millenia could he abandon his family if he'd had a choice. But to explain what had happened would return him to a darkness he'd hope he'd never have to experience again.
Suddenly, he hears a soft whispered voice, familiar in a way only a father would know. It makes his dulled eyes suddenly brighten with moisture, worsened as he feels his little girl press into him. In an instant, he's whirling around and wrapping her in his arms. He can't stop the tears from falling even if his masculine pride begs him to try - honestly, he doesn't care. He suddenly regrets not hugging her, anger or no, the second he saw her. "Mo...My little morning star..." he whispers, his breath hitching. He thinks of the faces he saw through the twoleg-made caves stacked atop each other, the wails and the sobs that broke through the second the mesh was opened. Freed but never truly free. And everytime he saw one after the other taken to some new hell, his mind had fallen to Morningkit. With her cheeky smiles, her watery begging eyes, the way her whiskers twitched when she was furious with him.
"I'm sorry I wasn't here for you" he breaths, his words coming out ragged with misery and joy that she's back in his arms. At last, his little girl is back in his arms. He pulls away just long enough to hold her face in his paws, getting a good look at her snot-nosed expression of grief, just like her mom she's adorable even when miserable, before licking the tip of her nose affectionately, "Never again. Never." never will he allow himself to disappear like that. She's stuck with him just as much as she'll always be webbed in his heart.
"Speech"
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No sooner had they stepped into camp was Briarstar standing before them. Her pelt was fluffed up, wary of the she-cat with Flaxensun that appeared so defensive in their presence. But she had enough trust in the tom that he wouldn't bring someone to their home that would be a threat to them. As much as he could have a temper sometimes ... this was his home and the queen knew that he loved his family more than anything. Never would he do anything to put them in danger.
A gentle smile formed. "Welcome home," she murmured softly. Would he resent her for holding the position that had been his mothers? Briarstar could only hope that he wouldn't lash out or look at her different now that Sorrelstar was gone. "Have you both eaten? We don't have much, but you're welcome to what you can find." Her head swung to the pitiful freshkill pile. The part that was even more sad was that this was better than it had been a week ago. Since the temperature had begun to lower the prey was coming out more. Her starving Clan was eating as fast as they could catch.
Turning her attention back to the tom and the blue-eyed woman, Briarstar cleared her throat. "Make sure to see Oliveslip or Gingerpaw if you need to be checked out." Her words were gentle and caring. As Sorrelstar's son, Flaxensun was like family. Firedawn was a cherished friend and confidant. Morningpaw was her beloved apprentice. She loved this family like they were her own.
Her emerald eyes settled on Flaxen's face. "When you've settled, come speak with me privately." If twolegs had captured him, like she thought she heard him say, then she would need to know a few more details in case they were going to be a regular threat. ShadowClan hadn't encountered twolegs in some time. The leader wanted to get ahead of the threat before more of her Clan was put in danger.
""