Looking for Someone(s)

[Kitty]

It had been many days (nearly a moon) since her kits had mysteriously disappeared, but Frostflower was still looking for them. Her two kits, her poor adoptive kits...well, they weren't really kits anymore, exactly, and they weren't hers by blood. But she loved them all the same. They reminded her of her own kits so many moons ago, before she foolishly left them and RiverClan behind and was too worried to return. Worried about being hated, turned away. Her kits - her blood-related kits - still resided in their water-surrounded home. Frostflower had indeed longed to return to that place many times before, but every time she talked herself out of it. For all she knew, RiverClan would not remember her. She would not be welcome. And now every Clan would treat her as a rogue (which, she admits grudgingly, she is).

So why was she back here on Clan territory? Why had young Shadow and young Dakota's scents led to the border? Why had they entered ThunderClan territory? What had happened to them? And most importantly, why was Frostflower just now working up the courage to save her kits?

As she traversed through what was known to cats as Tallpines, a pine forest on the edge of ThunderClan territory, Frostflower not only beat herself up with these questions but also grew increasingly more paranoid the farther the went into Clan territory. Her kits' scents had mostly washed away and faded in a moon's time, and combined with all the other confusing cat scents of the ThunderClan cats, Frostflower knew finding her kits was going to be a challenge. She didn't dare let herself consider that perhaps the worst had happened - ThunderClan wouldn't kill kits, would they? When Frostflower was a RiverClan warrior, they wouldn't. But that was so many moons ago...

And so she continued, stalking along the scarcely covered ground of Tallpines and praying to StarClan (she may not be a warrior anymore, but she still held her belief in StarClan) that the only cats to find her would be her dear kits, alive and healthy and well.

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[Amber]

It had been a little over a moon to this day that she had first wandered onto ThunderClan territory. When she had first met this awkward tom, who would probably beat even her on scaredness, they had become quick friends and she had promised to visit him one day. He had helped her find her way home, which she was grateful for. What would she had done without him?

And now, here she was in the same spot she had first met him. The young apprentice glanced to one of the many trees surrounding her. That is what had caused his life to end. One day the tom just disappeared. The whole Clan assumed him to be dead. After a while she believed it to be true aswell.

Lilypaw had been out training and when she had returned, the news being broken to her. Worst sight for her to see, having a good day and knowing for sure the tom would be a warrior, had broken the apprentice. She had been a quiet cat in the beginning, but had gotten a little better as she made friends with the other apprentices.

When Mudpaw had died/disappeared, Lilypaw fell apart. She couldn't do anything right, it seemed. Her brain had quit working. Rookpaw had been her support, and she had been once again dependent on him. She had sworn she would never become so dependent on anyone again, but here she was, back to her old self.

The fluffy pale ginger apprentice was suppose to be hunting, but now that her mind had wandered off, how was she suppose to? And now she could have sworn she could scent her mother. She was losing it. Nothing made sense anymore.

[Kitty]

She prowled along, scenting the air carefully as she went, on the lookout for any Clan cats. Frostflower was so concentrated on sniffing out for other ThunderClan cats that it was no surprise when she found the scent of her kit. Dakota, to be precise. Little Kota was nearby. She instantly perked up, and sniffed out the air desperately. She couldn't scent any other cats nearby, so she set herself to tracking her kit's scent.

She was led to a clearing, and crouched behind some bushes. She peered out, and sure enough, there was little Kota. But her scent was a little different....was she starting to smell like...ThunderClan? Had her kits gone and joined a Clan? Without telling their mother? Sudden betrayal weighed down on Frostflower's shoulders, and she wilted a bit at that thought.

But what if ThunderClan had kidnapped them? No...they wouldn't do that. Shadestar was a good leader; he wouldn't imprison kits. He probably wouldn't even let his warriors scratch them when they chased them away. Right? He might even send some cats to escort them home...that was probably wishful thinking. But he wouldn't capture them. The only reason they might be in thunderClan was if...they'd joined of their own free will, and left their mother behind without a word. Despair weighted down on her, and it was with hesitance that she stepped out of the bushes to stare at her kit.

Her voice was sad when she said, "Hello, Dakota."

[Sydney]

[/i] circumstances stalking her, nor was he following her, or watching her- He was just, just walking in the same general direction of her, was all. It wasn't like he didn't trust her or anything! It was just- well, Dakota needed protecting was all. She had been so upset since that friend of hers, Mudpaw, had died. Rookpaw didn't like his sister being upset, was all. He just wanted to watch her, to make sure she didn't get hurt.

Not to mention that Rookpaw found everyone in ThunderClan really, really annoying. He didn't enjoy being around them, not that much. So, of course, when he saw Dakota- Lilypaw, whatever, slip out of camp, he was going to follow behind. Well, not follow! Just leave, too! He wanted to know what she was doing, make sure she was okay-

You know what, he didn't have to explain himself.

Slinking low to the ground, the little black tom's nose twitched, picking up on an old scent. Frostflower? Their mother? What was she doing here?

Pushing himself up, Rookpaw rounded towards Lilypaw, ears pressed back. ”Frostflower!” If one could look closely, you could tell there was a smile on his face.

....

Sorta.[/color][/ul][/blockquote]

[Amber]

The fluffy little apprentice sighed deeply. Maybe she would have been better staying at home with her mother and brother. Instead, she dragged her brother to this place just because she wanted to have fun. What was she thinking? Obviously she wasn't. And now she just wanted to feel her mother's soft fur, just have a whiff of her scent one more time. Being in a Clan had been fun at first, but now without Mudpaw how could it be anything? Sure she had her brother, but he was always with her.

Dakotapaw's eyes were cast onto the ground, staring like the grass beneath her would move or something. She was just in a slump, she had to get over it. She finally felt like she was somewhere that she could learn to do the things she never thought she could do. She was pushed to do what she was afraid of, and now her fears seemed so silly. And now she was just feeling awful.

And then, that voice. The voice she had thought she would never hear again. Her mind really was going crazy. Maybe that medicine cat had something for it...what was his name Earthsomethingoranother? Great, now she couldn't even remember names. Everything she had learned she was losing thought of. Only when she heard her brother say the name did she look up. Wait, why was Rookpaw here, he was in camp when she saw him last. Did he follow her here? Well, it didn't matter that was fine with her. She probably wasn't any good at taking care of herself anyway.

As her eyes lifted they caught sight of the familiar pelt, and Dakotapaw had to blink to make sure she was seeing right. It was Frostflower! Her eyes were now the most lively they had been in a while. She mewled like a little kit and ran to Frostflower, charging into her and inhaling her scent. "Mommy! Please tell me I'm not dreaming. I really don't want to wake up and not see you." The purring began when she sighed contently. Mommy was here, everything would be alright.

[Kitty]

Suddenly, Shadow appeared at Dakota's side. The white queen felt a mixture of sadness and relief at seeing her other 'kit'. At least they had come together, and weren't completely alone. At least they had each other. Shadow had always been protective of his sister, after all. But Frostflower couldn't help but feel sad that they'd both been able to leave her with little consideration. She knew that Shadow didn't think of her as a mother, exactly--more of a close friend, maybe. But Dakota had always called her 'mommy'.

Their reunion in the forest of ThunderClan was no exception. The heartbeat Dakota laid eyes on her, the fluffy she-cat was bolting towards her 'mommy'. "Mommy!" she squealed, charging into Frostflower's side. "Please tell me I'm not dreaming. I really don't want to wake up and not see you," she mewed. She reminded Frostflower of when she was a kit and the white she-cat had found her and her brother alone, mewling for their mother.

"Shh, little one," she cooed, nuzzling the she-cat. "You aren't dreaming. I was so worried about you two!" she meowed, lifting her head to look at Shadow. Was he actually...smiling? No, it was probably just her imagination. Wishful thinking. "Dakota and Shadow!" she said dreamily. "I've been looking for you for a moon now. Where have you two been hiding?"

Frostflower took a deep sniff of Dakota's fur. Her nose crinkled in recognition of the smell. It was the same...yet slightly different. She smelled of ThunderClan. Had they gone and joined a Clan? Were ThunderClan holding them as prisoners? Had they just broken free? No, ThunderClan was not so irrational. But...if that wasn't the case, then they had joined a Clan.

Clan life over their mother? The thought broke Frostflower's heart. Although she had lived through her best--and worst--times as a Clan cat, this idea still weighed heavily on her heart and mind. You don't know the whole story yet, she reminded herself. Let them explain first. So she sat and looked at them with her expecting blue gaze, awaiting an explanation for their sudden disappearance.

[Amber]

All it took was her mother's voice speaking to her, like she had heard so many times before. Her memories of her life before Frostflower had found her and her brother were completely nonexistent. She had never remembered anyone being there for her other than Frostflower. How could she not consider the she-cat her mother? Especially after everything she had done for her. Who knows where she would have been if Frostflower had not found the two kits.

The moment she was called 'little one' Lilypaw knew everything was okay. Mommy was here now. All her doubts and fears were pushed aside now that Frostflower had returned. Now all that mattered to her was she was back where she belonged, with her mother. She felt like a little kit again, and this was perfect...almost too perfect.

It was then Frostflower had asked the difficult question. Where had they been. Looking to her brother she sighed and wondered how to begin. From the beginning, right? "Well I was out trying to surprise you by trying to catch something for us to eat, but I got lost." She began, her eyes finding a fixation with the ground. "I met this one cat, and he was really nice...he helped me find my way back home." Now Mudpaw was being brought up, great. "That was the day I came back, and realized I wanted to learn more, and well Shadow came with me. We came back and I met my friend again...and he said...he said." Lilypaw couldn't bring herself to continue her story. It was making her think of her missing friend. Burying herself deeper into Frostflower she looked at her brother, hoping he could continue for her. She just couldn't, all she could think about now was Mudpaw.

Seeing as though her brother wasn't going to explain, she attempted to use her newfound bravery. "It started that day I got lost, you remember? Well I met Mudpaw, and well we became friends. He was really nice and everything. He showed me how to get home. And so I came back after then, and brother followed me to make sure I was okay. They let us join the Clan, and we're Clan cats now momma!" The ginger apprentice sounded so happy about that. "And I can hunt now, all by myself. I can almost fight, but I'm still a bit scared to do that." Her eyes seemed to dance as she looked up at Frostflower. "We even got Clan names! Brother is Rookpaw now, and I'm Lilypaw. You should come with us mommy, I bet Ashstar would let you join."

[Kitty]

Frostflower watched her little Dakota in concern and motherly fondness as she blabbered her way through a sketchy explanation. The white she-cat found herself becoming more and more confused. It started out as an amused pride at her foster kit's attempt and failure at catching some prey for the family, followed by the first stroke of confusion at the first mention of the mysterious 'friend' that Kota met. At this she became a bit worried, but obviously nothing bad had happened to her foster kits. Even though she never explained what she got curious about and what she wanted to know more about, or where this mysterious friend came from. Finally the little she-cat trailed off, looking towards her brother for continuation.

The rogue's eyes also turned to the black tom, but after a moment Dakota just picked up the story again, seeming more confident and bold as she continued. Right off, Frostflower felt her happiness at seeing them again melt into a familiar upsetting sadness. Mudpaw. A Clan. And finally, the most jarring news of all: Dakota and Shadow were now Clan cats. And since they were in ThunderClan territory, Frostflower could only assume that ThunderClan was the Clan they had joined.

Their names weren't even Dakota and Shadow anymore. Now they were Lilypaw and Rookpaw.

She stumbled back a couple steps automatically. Join a Clan? A Clan that wasn't RiverClan? Her other kits would feel so betrayed! She'd abandoned them, left them for the life of a loner, and then come back many moons later only to join a different Clan. But her other kit were all grown up now, and they could take care of themselves....Dakota and Shadow were still young. They still needed their mother. Maybe she could join a Clan again. For them.

She didn't want to be alone again.

After a few moment of hesitation --Ashstar must be ThunderClan's leader -- she was finally able to make her mouth work enough to say, "Do you want me to join?"

[Amber]

Lilypaw's eyes were set on Rookpaw. It seemed like her brother had lost his tongue. Who would have thought she would be the one to actually speak up to their mother. That wasn't the little loner she had grown up to be. She had changed, and it was most likely for the better. She didn't have to have her brother looking after her all the time, but she still didn't mind it. She was growing stronger each day, and it was exciting to show mommy how much she had grown...well not size-wise, but how much leaner she was.

Mommy was sure being silent. Was it something she said, was mommy disappointed in her? She didn't want that to happen. But she didn't want to go back either. She liked it here in ThunderClan...well she did. Now with Mudpaw gone could she really be happy again? Well she could be for a little while, her mommy was here with her. Her family was back together. If only she could have Mudpaw back.

Frostflower had also stepped back when she mentioned something about joining the Clan and being back with them again. She hoped she would, she really could use her mother. Mommy always knew what to say and make her feel better. Maybe she had gone too far and mommy didn't want to join a Clan.

And then she had finally spoken. "Yes, mommy! Of course I want you to join. I really really missed you and I don't want to lose someone else. I don't think I could take it. I need you!" Lilypaw's eyes were practically in begging mode at the moment. "Brother has missed you too, he just is surprised to see you. But a good surprise. He wants you with us too." Oh, she was going to speak for Rookpaw, she wasn't going to let her brother ruin this reunion. He would get over it. She needed Frostflower.

[Kitty]

Frostflower began regretting her inquiry as soon as she said it. She really didn't want to go back to the Clans, and 'Rookpaw' and 'Lilypaw' were now apprentices, and apprentice age was technically when kits stopped needing their mothers' attention. If she were to have kits of her adopted kits' age in RiverClan right now, she would have rejoined the warriors den already.

But she'd already asked, and she couldn't take it back now. Maybe she'd get lucky and Dakota -- I mean, Lilypaw -- would say no, she didn't want her there. That would hurt, but maybe she thought it was time to go their own ways. Frostflower wouldn't blame her, and would probably be more content going back out into the forest to live on her own. Though the life as a loner was awfully lonely unless you had someone to share it with.

Clinging to her final hopes of Dakota -- Lilypaw, she corrected -- declining, the idea flew out of her head when she agreed enthusiastically, saying that she wanted her 'mother' to join and that she really missed her and that she needed her...it was all so sweet, and so Dakota-like. Frostflower couldn't say no. Closing her blue eyes briefly for a heartbeat, she reopened them and looked back at Lilypaw (got it right!).

"I suppose I can at least go to the camp and talk to this Ashstar. If she says no, though, I'm going to have to leave, Da- Lilypaw." Wincing mentally at the name, she sighed to herself. One last chance; this Ashstar character may disprove letting her join the Clan. Maybe she'd get lucky.

But probably not.

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