Broken But Home

[spike]

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[atrb=background,http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr67/Goldenwolf35953/Mudpaw4-1.jpg] It hurt all over. From the wounds that had healed quickly to leave patches of bare spots hidden beneath his fur or the ones that were fresh, mostly on his paw pads that left behind great droplets of blood. He had been walking for some time now and only now was he recognizing the forests around him. Those leaves… they smelled so nice as he panted for a good breath. He ached, he moaned, he wanted to just sit down and rest. But he was so close. So close! He could sense it in his very soul, his very paws. The motion of the earth was that of ThunderClan, it had to be. Though long ago that water of the river had dried from his pelt, he felt weighed down, unable to keep going for much longer when he knew he had this extra load to carry. The bony tom’s dull yellow eyes grew only dimmer as he faintly looked into the canopy above. The way those branches intertwined and twisted in a sort of still-dance reminded him of looking at the stars through the peeping holes, thinking about that one star that had lingered when he managed to stand and begin his long, slow walk home. He would’ve been here sooner had he not been so hurt. The apprentice groaned, lowering his head as his limbs shook. Where was he? Had he followed the right path? Would he ever get to see his friends again? ’Why would they even want me back? I’m pathetic as it is. I’ll never be a warrior. Never… they don’t need me back home. Maybe I should stay gone.’ The tom whimpered and tried his hardest to banish these thoughts from his mind. No, no, he would not give up when he was so close! He knew he was near. He could practically hear the calls now. ’Mudpaw! Mudpaw! There you are, Mudpaw! Where have you been? We’ve missed you!’

[/color]

Yes. Mudpaw knew he’d hear at least one voice say that. The slightest smile crossed his brown maw, enough to give him the strength for some more steps. Behind him, the faintest trail of blood was left behind. He was a wreck from his fall into that river a moon ago. Though he had been healing since, he still suffered great wounds from his journey back. These had hindered him, taken his time in days of rest and regret. Even now fresh wounds still lingered all over his body. Mostly his paw pads were the worst. The skin was torn, dangling from his paw and bleeding onto the earthen ground below. Along with a fresh new cut in his ear, cutting out a ‘v’ in the lowest part. A duo of cuts along the bridge of his nose paired together well, one old, the other fresh.

Not to mention the odd crook now at the end of his tail which had not been there before. It erratically twitched without his consent, perhaps nerves damaged when it had been caught and twisted in the river’s rush. Yes, he looked quite odd, more so than he did before. If he had been a scrawny tom before, he was now a jumbled mess of fur and bone. But they’d want him back anyways! Least Ashstar, Doveheart, and Lilypaw would.

Oh, Lilypaw.

She had just arrived to the Clan after being a loner for her early life. And then whoosh- he had gone and let himself trip into the water. What a fool he was. Mudpaw perhaps was a mess, but there was a new maturity in his eyes. He had learned and he had to survive on his own to get here. He had learned so much, perhaps he could show off what he knew to Ashstar! Maybe now he’d be a warrior. The brown apprentice stopped, glancing upwards again as if he’d spot those stars that had glittered in Silver Pelt, the warriors he had to thank for his beating heart. ”Thank you,”[/color] he murmured. ”You hear that, Treestripe? Mom? I’ll be a warrior soon…”[/color] And back to walking he went.

It was getting darker, perhaps it was evening. He hadn’t eaten in so long (his hunting skills had gained very little over the last moon) and his stomach alerted him to it with a growl equal to that of a tiger. He knew there were pine needles and pieces of leaves stuck in the lacerations of his paws and he also knew that if he didn’t hurry to find help, he’d be too weak to go on. Then again, he had overestimated how much he had. Stepping upon a pine cone, the apprentice yelped and fell back. What luck! His shoulder smacked into a good sized rock, rocking his body with only new and more intense pain. His head was spinning from hungry lightheadedness and the loss of air in the whoosh that escaped his lungs.

Lying now on the forest floor, gasping for air and fallen to the ground, the feline knew he couldn’t go on. He was too weak now. Mudpaw’s eyes glittered a single time as the fuzzy vision was cast in the direction he suddenly recognized. Camp. He knew it was that way but… no. No, he would not make it. After all this, he couldn’t. Giving in to what he had suffered, he fell to his side, head lolling back as he passed out from a mixture of exhaustion and grief.

Up above, an owl slowly roused itself from the hole in the tree, calling out in the softest voice, just enough to be heard in delicate ears. But rather than “who,” it seemed to murmur a different thing.

Here… here… here…

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Word Count;; 952 words
Character Used;; Mudpaw
Purpose of Thread;; The Return of Mudpaw
Tagged;; All ThunderClan Cats
Notes;; He’s hurt and collapsed by Owl Tree. But he’s home![/justify][/size][/color][/blockquote][/td][/tr][tr][td][/td][/tr][/table][/center]

[☆ Y e l l o w ☆]

Fallen leaves crunched under the tom's dark paws as he walked through the forest. Fresh scents drifted across his glands: scents of clean, greenleaf air, of mouse, and of the river that was not too far off. The reddening sky bathed the woods in a firey light, setting his brown pelt aglow and causing him to swivel his ears around, check behind him, and make sure there were no other cats following him and his companion. It was a perfect day, sunny but not too hot, with plenty of prey, so the chances were high that there were other cats in the area. It wasn't just enemy cats Earthfoot was afraid of running into; he didn't want anyone listening in on the conversation he was currently having with his Clan's leader. Normally the two would talk in Ashstar's den, but the day had been so nice that they had decided to take advantage of it. Greenleaf wouldn't last forever, after all.

"...ShadowClan has been quiet recently, which is something of a concern to me, personally. I can't believe that they are happy with the current situation, seeing that they lost two of those WindClan kits and how large they are. I worry that they might be considering expanding their territory..." Earthfoot was deep in thought as he spoke, attempting to sort out all of the potential dangers their neighbors posed while still keeping his eyes and ears open for unwanted eavesdroppers. "I haven't heard anything from StarClan, but that's no reason to let our guard down. You need to think about what you're going to do if some kind of situation arises. It never hurts to be prepared..."

The young medicine cat's trained eyes glanced over the she-cat beside him. Ashstar had been acting slightly different over the past few weeks. Nothing obvious or noticeable to the causal eye but for Earthfoot, who knew her better than some because of his rank, it was easier to pick out the changes. Something was going on, and it was not just the stress of taking over the leadership of her Clan as Earthfoot had previously suspected. It was something else, judging by her shift in energy and appetite, and the fact that she appeared to be getting a bit bigger... no, maybe it was nothing, perhaps he was thinking too much... but... maybe...

"Did you year that?" A sudden sound roused the tom from his pondering. It was the call of an owl, close by, which must have meant they were nearing the Owl Tree. The sun hadn't completely set yet, so it was odd the owl was awake...

But then, something else caught Earthfoot's senses. It was a distant, faint scent, carried by a light breeze that had almost been too insignificant to notice. But the scent that breeze carried nearly made him stop dead in his tracks, stunned so much by the familiarity of it and disbelief over what it really was. Earthfoot paused, looking over at Ashstar to see if she smelled it too, hesitant on saying anything for fear he was only imagining Mudpaw.

[Amber]

The days had just continued to fly by, and it was like everything had stood still for Ashstar. Nothing was the same, and it was her fault somehow. Not only was she feeling sluggish lately and wanting to just curl up and fall asleep, but the nagging sensation that something was wrong continued to play in her mind.

The day her apprentice had went missing, that was when everything began to go downhill. Not even her brother had been able to cheer her up after the devastation of losing Mudpaw from her life. He actually was doing whatever she told him to do. Frostwind was helping the Clan, something Ashstar never thought would happen, and it was of his own free will. The leader let out a deep sigh. Somehow Earthfoot had managed to convince her to come with him, talking with him in her den probably wasn't a good idea. She needed the fresh air, to clear her mind.

As Ashstar listened to Earthfoot she found herself nodding in agreement. ShadowClan was very quiet lately, and that was scaring her to no end. Their Clan was massive and taking two kits that would have gone to them was probably not a way to 'make friends'. But it was a good decision for her own Clan. The kits were thriving in their new environment and it was just nice to see that they were dealing with everything so well. Hopefully they would not invade ThunderClan territory. She just couldn't deal with the loss of anymore Clan members. "I agree with you on that aspect, Earthfoot. ThunderClan does need to be prepared for anything." She sighed as she spoke. Ashstar hoped this day would never come, but Earthfoot was right they needed to be prepared.

"When we return to camp, training for the apprentices will begin to speed up. Even if we have just a few more warriors, we would fare far better." There were several of the older apprentices who were close to the end of their training, and if they sped it up, they could be warriors in a quarter moon. That would still leave three younger apprentices, and if two new apprentices continued to excel, maybe they could have their ceremony sooner than she expected. It had seemed that Mudpaw’s disappearance had not only affected Ashstar, but the she-cat of the loner duo. Lilypaw had become close with Mudpaw before his disappearance, and he was the one who had stuck his neck out for her to join the Clan. Maybe, just maybe young Lilypaw could get over the sadness she was feeling and her training would reflect. Channeling her sadness into something else, like training could prove very beneficial for the young she-cat. It could possibly make her one of the top warriors in the Clan. Maybe Ashstar should have a talk with her, maybe she could train her a bit.

"And just in case the Clan is invaded, giving the kits a lesson or two wouldn't hurt. All three of them are close to becoming apprentices, and if a situation arises, they need to be able to protect themselves. I just hope they will not have to use anything they are taught, and ThunderClan will be fine." It was a big hope to not be invaded, but it was always a possibility. And ShadowClan had been awfully quiet. Who knows what they are planning.

All of this fresh air had been good for her, she was thinking like a leader again, which was good for ThunderClan. She wasn't abandoning her insecurities, but simply placing them to the side for a bit. And when Earthfoot's glaze shifted on her, Ashstar couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking. And when Earthfoot spoke again, Ashstar had barely heard him. What exactly had the medicine cat heard? Great, just what she needed. ShadowClan better not be making a move. Might as well investigate, no turning back now. Once Earthfoot had mentioned hearing something, all of Ashstar's senses were instantly in use.

It was the breeze that changed everything. The scent that sifted through was impossible. It had to be a fluke of some sort. No, the cat that the scent belonged to had been gone for too long. She was just imagining things. Ashstar's dream of just scenting her apprentice again had been achieved. The she-cat couldn't help but let a purr rumble deep in her throat. Memories began to rush through her mind. The little kit that had been given to her when she was barely a warrior herself, and spent so much time with. He had been with her through it all, through becoming deputy, her father dying and her becoming leader. Mudpaw....he had become a son to her, and that is exactly what she thought of him. Her bond with the tom was much more than she expected. For several days after he had disappeared she refused to believe he was really gone. To this day she still hoped that StarClan would return him to her. And now her mind was playing tricks on her, and she was scenting him…or was she. Looking at Earthfoot it seemed he recognized it also. This couldn’t be happening, could it? Was her son back?

Without allowing another thought to cross her mind, she began to follow the faint scent. She wished Frostwind could be here with her, he wasn’t as good of a tracker as she was, but if something went wrong he could help. Forgetting all about her conversation with Earthfoot, she needed to see this for herself. The scent was closer and closer to the Owl Tree. What was it doing here? As she came closer and closer, she felt her heart sink. It really was him! It had to be! Ashstar broke into a run, and made her way to the large tree. Looking around she spotted something on the ground, it looked in bad shape. Padding closer, Ashstar noticed that it was a cat, and not any cat. It was Mudpaw! Rushing to the brown tom, she buried her nose in his fur, covering him in licks. ”Mudpaw, can you hear me? It’s Ashstar. The purr that had been slight earlier, was now going full throttle. She wrapped her tail around his body, he really was here, and was alive…right? ”Earthfoot, over here, come quick!” She let out a yowl for her companion. It was pure luck that the one cat she needed to have with her at this moment had been traveling with her. StarClan really was looking out for her, and Mudpaw.

(( 1098 words. Beat that!))

[spike]

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[atrb=background,http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr67/Goldenwolf35953/Mudpaw4-1.jpg] Yep, now he knew he was going crazy. Voices! Oh no, maybe he was going to StarClan! Very bad, very bad. He had worked so hard to get here and here he was dying. Yep, totally great day. In pain, alone, and dying. Sweet StarClan, let it be over soon. And yet the more he heard the voice, the more Mudpaw realized that was not a StarClan voice. Well, if it was a StarClan voice, it wasn’t exactly like he expected the ancient warriors to be like. “Mudpaw, can you hear me? It’s Ashstar.” Was Ashstar in StarClan!? Wait, no. He felt something coming back to him, pain being the main one. But at least he was feeling something. But it was coming back, the renewed feeling of life to his paws and body. Hazy yellow eyes barely opened when he sensed the female licking his fur and nosing him. He knew he was coming to but he wanted to sleep so badly. But Ashstar… he had to wake up for her. One leg moved first, trying to move just enough to get his blood pumping. And then his eyes opened a little more. He at first thought it was a dream, seeing the she-cat he had come to see as a relative, a motherly figure in his life. Maybe he was dreaming. But then Mudpaw knew. Oh, how he knew. This was not a dream. This was Ashstar and she had found him. “A-Ash!” was all he could groan. But at least he could talk. And yep, he was right, he was in massive pain. Mostly his shoulder where that rock had met it. He felt like a total idiot and failure looking like he did now. But hey, at least he knew he was alive. Thank StarClan for that! The tom could’ve cared less that he probably shouldn’t have been moving around much. After all, he basically hurt his shoulder enough to make it near useless and his paws were probably so packed with dirt and other such things that they were bound to be infected. Along with dehydration, lack of eating, and overall weakness, he should’ve just laid there. But he was way too happy to let this moment go. He had Ashstar back. He had his Clan. Mudpaw rolled to try and stand on his paws but that one burst of energy was too much for his skinny body and so his legs gave out just as he was hardly up and down he went again. Pale yellow eyes dulled some as he winced at his own pain and embarrassment. ”Er, sorry. I’m a mess… aren’t I?”

[/color] Yep. What a ridiculous mess he looked like. Head pounding, body bleeding and cut and such, the only good coming out from that would be some of the scars. Maybe he’d look like less of a whimp now! It was a shot in the dark, but he was a cat and could see in the dark. So it had to be worth something.

Still, bloody, tired, and disgusting as he was, a new spark was lit in him as he was looking right at Ashstar- though an oddly plump Ashstar but her nonetheless. He could fight anything if he knew he could come back to his foster mother and friend…s? Friend at least. The little tom grit his teeth, trying to hide all signs of pain. He had to be strong! He had to show her he was still strong. (How could he forget being left behind when Lionaw- er, Lionclaw- got to become a warrior?) Even if he knew he couldn’t walk, not on his bad pawpads, he could at least try to hold his head up.

”I’m home,”[/color] he mewed pitifully. ”Ow…”[/color]


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Word Count;; 625 words
Character Used;; Mudpaw
Notes;; ;; Wait was long, I'm sorry. *shot*[/justify][/size][/color][/blockquote][/td][/tr][tr][td][/td][/tr][/table][/center]

[☆ Y e l l o w ☆]

Mudpaw. The tom had gone missing weeks ago, vanished without a trace, and ThunderClan hadn't known what to think of it. Many were heartbroken, especially Ashstar, his mentor. Still others thought the loss hadn't been such a bad thing; the Clan was free of a less than competent apprentice who was more of a detriment than an asset. Earthfoot himself hadn't known what to think: sure they had lost a cat who was days away from becoming a warrior, but had it really been such a disastrous loss, even for the already weak Clan? The medicine cat had been more concerned for Ashstar and the effect that Mudpaw's disappearance had on her emotional stability than anything else.

Mudpaw had been missing for ages, so Earthfoot was obviously shocked when he smelled the young tom's scent. It couldn't possibly be him, he had been gone for so long, but it was, and Ashstar knew it better than anyone. For several moments, he only watched as Ashstar took off in the direction of the scent, just trying to make sense of it all and make himself believe that it really was happening. And then he was taking off after her, paws pounding urgently on the leaf-littered floor as he followed the trail.

When he found Ashstar, he almost couldn't believe the sight. But sure enough, there was Mudpaw, laying weakly on the ground by the owl tree, the leader curled protectively around his body. "It really is him..." He found himself mumbling, simply staring for those few seconds that he just stood there. Ashstar's voice caught his attention, though, and Earthfoot realized that something must be very wrong. He bounded forward quickly, and at his first glance over the apprentice a shocked gasp escaped from him.

Mudpaw looked horrible. His entire body was covered in scrapes and cuts, and even some more serious injuries, some of which were bleeding. There was a niche in his ear, and his fur was matted and dirty, like it hadn't been taken care of in days. Not only that, but he was also horribly skinny. Instantly Earthfoot crouched down by the injured tom, his nose tracing over Mudpaw's body, poking and prodding in different places to assess just how bad the damage was. He slowed his inspection of Mudpaw slowed after he hit a few sore spots, not wanting to hurt the tom any further, but it was clear that Mudpaw needed to be treated immediately.

"We need to carry him to camp," Earthfoot said, turning to look to Ashstar. "Sagepaw and I will be able to treat him better there." he stood up, checking over the pitiful looking Mudpaw once more, a sorrowful look coming over his face. "I'm sure you'll be able to tell us what happened when we treat you, Mudpaw, but for now, just hold on until we get home. Ashstar, help me support his other side."

The dark-furred tom moved to help Mudpaw up, using his shoulders to lift up the younger cat. Mudpaw would experience some pain being lifted and carried back to camp like this, but he obviously couldn't walk, and he would be fine once he was safely in the medicine den in ThunderClan's camp. Earthfoot had no intention of letting his patient die after he so stubbornly held on to life this far.

[Amber]

No no no no no. This couldn't be happening. He wasn't about to die here and now, she had just gotten him back. Her eyes casted a glance to the sky. Please StarClan, not him. He's been through enough already. He had made it this far, she would not allow him to die. Mudpaw may not be as quick at learning as other cats, but Ashstar wouldn't have it any other way. He was still that little six moon apprentice that had been given to her when she was barely a warrior. Her father had entrusted her with him, and she promised she would see that he became a warrior. And she was keeping that promise regardless. Her son would be a warrior. He was strong in her eyes, strong enough to pull through.

From the look of the tom it looked as if he had already had a rough journey. Who knows where he had been. Just seeing the rise and fall of his body, and the breaths he continued to take soothed the she-cat. He just needed to keep breathing. Giving him another glance, she could tell whatever he had done to come back home took courage and strength. Looking back at the tom she knew he wasn't an ordinary cat, no she had seen something special in him when he had first become her apprentice. There is no way any ordinary cat could have done what he did. He defied the odds and made it back. Once he wasn't quite so weak he would be made a warrior, he deserved it. No longer would he be in the apprentices den, he would be in the warriors den, where he belonged. All he needed to do now was just stay alive.

He looked so helpless right now, so broken, nothing like the stuttering apprentice she had trained. It would take a while for him to heal, not only physically, but probably emotionally also. Even though he had been gone quite some time, she still detected a small whiff of the ThunderClan scent on his pelt. It was faint, but it was there, he was here and alive for now. Maybe she could think freely again, now that her son was back. She could do her duty as leader even better. Mudpaw’s disappearance/death had stretched her so thin, and she just couldn’t handle facing the Clan after failing to train an apprentice, failing to train her son. Ashstar had blamed his death on herself, she should have been watching him, another cat should have gone with him that day. He was too precious to her to be taken away again. Never would she make the same mistake of letting him from her sight. Mudpaw would always have something with him, she would make sure of that. She knew she was being overprotective and worrying way too much, but she didn’t care. Mudpaw was her son, maybe not her blood son, but he was still her son, there would be no arguments about him staying safe.

She buried her face once again into his fur, and it was then she heard it. It was the greatest sound she had heard since Mudpaw had left. He had spoken to her. He had started to say her name, and now she couldn’t stop the grin that was stretched across her face. Mudpaw had spoken! He truly was alive and he knew who she was! She had hoped that she could hear his voice one last time, and had been recalling the last time she had spent time with him. But now that she had heard it, she felt the fur on her back fall back into place. She hadn’t even realized it had been standing straight up. As she calmed down, knowing that Mudpaw was coherent to a certain degree, she felt much better.

“Save your voice, don’t try to speak.” She murmed, giving him a few more licks on his fur. Though she was glad to hear that sweet sound again, she didn’t want him to strain himself and hurt himself further. And then he tried to get up. That broke her heart more than anything. He was still trying after all that had happened to him. Her son was a fighter, and he was still fighting, through all his pain. The worry in her eyes came back when he fell back down. He didn’t need to try to stand and prove anything to her, she was just happy to have him back.

Listening to his question she tried to hide a smile, but failed. “You aren’t a mess, you are perfect, and you are home. You are safe with me now, and nothing will take you away ever again. I promise you that.” Ashstar said softly. ”And I don’t care what you look like, you are still Mudpaw to me, nothing will ever change that. Only change I see is that you are no longer that little apprentice I started training, you are a warrior, one ThunderClan is proud of, one that I am proud of.” As he looked at her, Ashstar stared right back at him, her eyes no longer showed worry, but were shining with pride.

When Earthfoot finally made it to them, she was glad to see him. He could help the tom, she knew he could. She winced when she saw him poking and prodding her apprentice, it was hard for her to see. But she was going to stand by Mudpaw’s side and not leave him. She had made a promise. Never would she leave him again. When Earthfoot was done with the inspection, or well done with what he was going to do, she looked up at him with hopeful eyes. He was right, they needed to get him back to camp. That would show everyone how strong and brave Mudpaw was. No one could call him weak after this.

Yes, he would be able to tell her all about his adventure, that is if he wanted to. She wasn’t going to push him into saying or doing anything he didn’t want to. He would tell her on his on time. She had the slight bounce of happiness back in her step as she moved to help Earthfoot with Mudpaw. Knowing this would hurt him, she felt pain for him. He had already been through so much. “Just a little more, then we will be back in camp, and you can see everyone again, show them all who you have become.” Ashstar purred, giving him one last lick before lending herself for support. Whatever it took to get him home, she was going to do. She couldn’t wait to see the look on the new little apprentice’s face. Lilypaw would probably be just as excited to see him. ”I know of one cat that could use some cheering up. She won’t let anyone touch your nest.”

[/justify][/blockquote]