;;pick a star [on the dark horizon].

[Sunsetfire]

There are those who think
That life has nothing left to chance.
A host of holy horrors
to direct our aimless dance.

A planet of playthings.

.x.

They lay out there. Somewhere. Although he had seen his father’s body with his own two eyes, say the final retreat of the Boneclan’s tattered forces…Sunsetfire didn’t think that it was over. It didn’t seem like it; it reeked of blood on the horizon, a lingering unsavory storm just there. There, at some point far away that he couldn’t see.

Troubled dreams had driven the clan leader from his den, chased away all vestiges of real slumber, to sit and wait just outside. Lunakit and Cavekit would probably be in the apprentice den – which he hadn’t held the meeting to properly change their ranks and assign them good mentors yet, the two kits had long outgrown the nursery…yes, he would have to do that within the next two days. He had already decided that Chainrust would be the mentor to his son, but Lunakit…she was going to need a sturdy paw, someone with the energy to keep up with her. His mind had kept on tossing over it, even as he padded across the silent camp – giving the guarding Coyotesummer a polite nod when she rose for her to continue in her duty as he slipped from camp.

Ivoryshard.

Perhaps it was unorthodox for him to even consider such a thing. However, Sunsetfire had long accepted the coyote to be as loyal to him and the clan as any of his warriors, and the canine would be both strong and stubborn enough to keep track of his fiery youngster. She worried him…she really did, her cruel behavior so reminiscent of the father he had never really known...but perhaps he would do a good job in putting her back on the right path. Yes.

With one worry settled, another came to the forefront of the traveling tom’s mind. Members were sparse; the clan had suffered some losses from natural illnesses and fights against raiding rogues….but that was to be expected. But what bothered him more always was the fact many had chosen to leave the clan, and while he bid them Godspeed in their travels it never was the same. Even the loss of Highway in the war had plagued his sleep for nights afterward, loosing one of the originals that had helped him in the formation of Stealthclan.

And, perhaps, the huge scar across his noble heart was the loss of Fallingsky, for his beautiful sweet beloved sister to have been cut down so cruelly by Darkangel…for a moment, Sunsetfire’s claw unsheathed and he clawed the ground. The bitch had not been amongst the dead, he knew, and one day he swore he would take his vengeance on her for the murder. But a breath escaped great golden leader as he stopped, white tipped tail flicking as he looked about the area. Hm. His travel had taken him to the petrified forest; long dead trees large and looming above him, but Sunsetfire was comfortable even in the foreboding place. He leaped up at one of the trunks, claws scraping into petrified wood, as he shimmied quickly up onto a branch to look about the area.

And then there was Puffin.

Beautiful, tubby, fun-loving Puffin.

Amber eyes closed as the tom settled comfortably on the branch, Starclan spread across the open sky so far above, shutting away the burning sense of longing and confusion and hurt the medicine cat’s memory brought to him again – simply seeking this brief solace once more until the sun rose and he had to venture back to camp and take care of the meeting once and for all.

A clan leader’s job was never really done, after all.

.x.

We dance on the
S t r i n g o f p o w e r s

We cannot perceive.
“The stars aren’t aligned
Or the Gods are malign.”

blame
is better to give
than receive.

[Puffin]

While a leader's job was never done, a mother's was even more unfinished. A mother that was at loss, away from home and heartbroken. Tattered fur, matted with blood of her own veins and that of other's, and the dirt and mud from a long journey made. So long, she'd wandered. She wished to return home, but she didn't wish to return home a failure.. And a failure she felt she was.

The night her dear son was taken, she'd been hot in pursuit. It'd taken many, many sunrises and sunsets to catch the female who'd taken him. Then, the ever peace loving Puffin had fought, tooth and claw, for her baby. However, Alive, as she'd called herself, kept managing to get away, bringing Cavekit with her. She was thinner and sleeker than Puffin at the time, giving her the gift of speed. But soon, the angry mother had her cornered.

Only to find, her kitten was gone.

Long gone, Alive had cried. She'd lost him.

Death...? Her son was dead? She'd failed him...

Heartache had claimed her then, dousing the bright sparks of her bubbly personality, and leaving her just a wandering, hollow shell. Home, she would always remember. The place she felt she could not return, having lost her son. Her daughter, she knew, was alive in and well, but what kind of mother was she if she could not protect her own young?

She didn't deserve to be a mother.

Pawstep after pawstep, she never really knew where she was going. She just kept walking, as if looking for her lost child. Now it seemed, after many moons, she was on familiar soil.

Blinking her dry eyes, she paused and lifted her head to peer around. She knew this place. In the back of her mind... She knew it. It was like a voice in the dark... So faint. She couldn't remember, her mind in a haze. Where was she? Petrified trees surrounded her.

She knew this place...

[Sunsetfire]

There are those who think
That life has nothing left to chance.
A host of holy horrors
to direct our aimless dance.

A planet of playthings.

.x.

Sunsetfire was imagining things.

Perhaps it was surprising, because many never seemed to realize how young their leader actually was – here was no grizzled old time world-weary and all knowing of life. While hardships and trials had aged him more then time itself had, his mind was still touched by the brilliant wonders of youth. Right now, he was imagining those early times in his children’s lives – looking down on them with such warmth and pride in his fiery amber eyes before burying his muzzle into his beloved’s fur and breathing in her rich scent.

When the next time the clan leader opened his eyes there was something different; a feeling in the air he just couldn’t place. His ears flicked around, trying to pinpoint every sound in the barren land…but no, that wasn’t even it. As Sunsetfire rose to his paws to get a better look in case an attack was imminent, he realized what it really was. His imagined brief daydream, a memory of better times, was gone…but why could he still smell Puffin’s scent?

It made no sense. Unless…

He leaped down from the branch almost carelessly in that wild rush, nearly face-planting the ground as he stumbled forward wildly and looked around. “Puffin?” He questioned, his voiced filled with such burning hope as he rushed through the trees, ducking and dodging around each one. “Puffin?!” It couldn’t be here….but that was her scent. That was her scent!

He finally darted around one tree and stopped, the image of his mate no longer a beloved memory but a physical reality, right before him. He couldn’t say anything but pant, eyes wide and plainly in a mild shock as he stared at the weary, hard traveled Puffin.

.x.

We dance on the
S t r i n g o f p o w e r s

We cannot perceive.
“The stars aren’t aligned
Or the Gods are malign.”

blame
is better to give
than receive.

[Puffin]

Puffin was sure she knew this place she stood is now... But she just couldn't remember. While her memory failed her on her location, it roared to life at the voice calling her name. And suddenly, the puzzle pieces fell into place. Her paws had taken her home. Why they had, she wasn't sure, but the voice that called out to her almost made her heart break from the memories flooding back to her.

"Sunsetfire..." She breathed, the name feeling so sweet on her tongue. A name she hadn't spoken in so long. Her long lost love. Stumbling forward a few steps towards the sound, she came to an abrupt halt as he now stood before her. He looked just as magnificent as she last remembered.

But she'd failed him, in keeping their son safe.

Trembling slightly, suddenly feeling so very tried, she bowed her head to him. "I'm sorry... I couldn't save him... I'm so sorry..." She shook her head, her ears pressing flat against her head. "I tried.. I tried so hard... But I couldn't.. He's gone..."

Her eyes returned to him, the sadness swimming in her green hues.

"I'm sorry... Please forgive me..."

OoC| Ogawd the short. I must be out of practice <_<

[Sunsetfire]

There are those who think
That life has nothing left to chance.
A host of holy horrors
to direct our aimless dance.

A planet of playthings.

.x.

It was her. It really, honestly and truly, was her. All his worries, the heartache of lost friends and struggles to keep his clan strong and ready in case of another looming threat in the valley, vanished the moment his eyes laid upon the stocking she-cat’s figure and a heart-warming purr bubbled from the large tom’s throat. He dared to approach her, tail waving high in the air, but her rush of confused, mournful words stopped him in his tracks. The golden tom’s ears flicked back in confusion, his eyes never leaving her; until he realized what it was she was speaking of.

Ohhhh. Wait. Now he was really confused.

“Puffin? What do you mean?” Pricking his ears forward he stepped even closer, reaching out with his muzzle to lightly nuzzle her shoulder, sliding in to simple lean against her. “Cavekit, is that it? He came back home a few moons ago; he and Lunakit have been doing fine and are ready to be apprenticed.” Another of his low, rumbled purrs as he moved to lick the top of her head.

“I’ve missed you…come home, Puffin…”

He…never even asked why she left. Didn’t demand what it was to drive her away from the clan, to betray not only them but to leave his heart in tatters all that time. Perhaps Sunsetfire didn’t even want to know; fearing what it was that he might learn. Maybe she didn’t even love him anymore, although his heart wished fiercely that it would be otherwise.

.x.

We dance on the
S t r i n g o f p o w e r s

We cannot perceive.
“The stars aren’t aligned
Or the Gods are malign.”

blame
is better to give
than receive.

[Puffin]

She watched him quietly, nervously. He wasn't going to be mad, was he? Her heart called out for him, but wept at the loss of her son. The sorrow was so great, it silenced her desire to simply nuzzle her old mate to death, and return home with him. She yearned to sleep, snuggled up against him once more.

But her baby.. Her baby was gone...

Wait... Her eyes widened, ears standing up so straight it almost seemed she was electricfied.

".. Cavekit... He's... He's alive?" She stood completely still for a moment, before burying her muzzle into Sunsetfire's fur. "Oh thank Starclan... I thought I'd lost him... That I'd failed him... He's alive..." She pulled back a moment to cover his furry face with quick, loving and relieved licks. A low purr rumbled from her throat for a moment, before slowly dying down as she stepped back and looked at him guiltily. "I'm so sorry for leaving without a word... For leaving you and Lunakit behind like that.. But Cavekit had been taken, and I chased that.. that... thing to get him back..."

She heaved a little sigh, then nuzzled him softly. "I've missed you both so much..." The she-cat was quiet for a moment, then looked at him worriedly. "But am I even welcome back home? Won't there be cats mad at me? ... Do I deserve to return to Stealthclan?" She murmured, shifting her paws a bit at the thought. She wanted to go home, but... Was she wanted there?

Poor Puffin had been cast in a shadow for so long, it seemed the bubbles that once made up her personailty and popped. But... A little love and to be surrounded by her old friends, if they still welcomed her, and she was bound to bounce back... One could hope, atleast.

[Sunsetfire]

There are those who think
That life has nothing left to chance.
A host of holy horrors
to direct our aimless dance.

A planet of playthings.

.x.

…oh.

He patiently listened to his mate’s words, nodding where appropriate and flinching only slightly when she mentioned their son being stolen away. Poor little Cavekit…he certainly was trying to reopen the bonds of trust with the youngster, but he really seemed only strongly close with Lunakit…and the she-kit disliked most everyone at best. Sunsetfire had feared before that, by some means or reason, a lot of her grandfather had appeared in the youngster – but he was sure that everything would be okay when she settled down into clan tradition.

He groomed his mate every chance he could get, simply basking in her scent and in the pleasure at having her again at his side. The golden leader knew she still loved him, that she wouldn’t have left if it weren’t for their lost child, and so much had finally be put to ease.

“You’ve always had a home here, Puffin.” The tom finally spoke, looking away from her and in the direction of the main camp. “If anyone has anything to say they can bring it up to me, but this will always be your home as long as you want to make it so.” He looked back to her, amber eyes shining truthfully as he slowly rose to his paws to head back to camp; hopefully with his beloved mate and one of his dearest friends against by his side.

“I’ve never stopped loving you…”

.x.

We dance on the
S t r i n g o f p o w e r s

We cannot perceive.
“The stars aren’t aligned
Or the Gods are malign.”

blame
is better to give
than receive.