The riotous cacophony of the cicadas was the first hint that they were at long last approaching familiar grounds. Though he normally found the annual chitter of the bugs to be one of the worst parts of summer, Hawkstar found himself softened considerably by homesickness. He could not hold off a smile at even the most annoying reminders of home.
He glanced sideways at Dawnpool, his eyes softening, as he gave her a playful pawing before bolting up the nearest hill. Spread down below the apex, was his forest. Tired old oaks and pines, the winding river and rusty expanse beside. The hills, the waves, it all seemed to chant welcome home welcome home.
He waited for Dawnpool, realizing with a small puncture in his spirits that he was about to be faced with his Clan and kin’s potential judgment of his love life, once again. He worried not for himself, for he had endured far more scathing gossip in the months after his fling with Juncostar was discovered, but he hated the idea of Dawnpool suffering similar scrutiny on his account. StarClan, don’t let her change her mind about me, he pleaded internally.
But they had….other worries, to attend to. As she caught up to him, Dawnpool was joined by a not inconsiderable number of kittens all ranging in ages from barely walking to almost apprentice aged. All colors shapes and sizes, they crowded around the two adults oohing and ahhing over the view. Some of them began to playfight, or sniff the grass and paw at bugs. It had been like this the entire journey, thus he was much later in returning than he’d told the Clan.
“Come now, not far. Stick to your buddy and listen if Dawnpool or I give the signal to hide, or run.” He said wearily, over the chatter of high-pitched voices. “Hey! Bubbles in your mouths if you can’t keep quiet. Yes Kuro, that means you too– Yes Booser, I know Leo’s not touching you, just ignore him–”
Is this what it’s like being a Queen? I need to apologize to Chant…. He thought wearily.
The trip through the territories was blessedly uneventful, they met not even a rival patrol much to Hawkstar’s relief. Soon they were entering the ravine camp through the cool moist entrance tunnel.
The Clan quickly reacted, many cats stopping what they were doing to rush forward and greet the returning pair. But they halted, several faces amused and confused at the herd of little cats around them. Suddenly shy, the group flattened themselves to Dawnpool’s side as Hawkstar made his way to the highrock. He had the briefest impression of what she might look like tending to their own kits, and something tugged in his chest, but he set the thought aside.
“ThunderClan! Let all cars old enough to catch their own prey, gathering beneath the highrock for a Clan meeting.” His voice was somewhat hoarse from shouting at their charges all weekend, but it carried nonetheless. Those not gathered already arrived in dribs and drabs until his full Clan was assembled.
“Firstly, allow me to be sentimental if you will, for I have missed each and every one of you in my time away. I know I was not forthcoming with my reasons for leaving, and I appreciate your trust and your discretion. I know of late there have been many times I was not worthy of either.”
There were a few laughs among the crowd.
“Secondly, as I am sure, you have noticed Dawnpool and I have not returned alone.” He Cleared his throat. “I’ll just get this out of the way– yes, she and I are mates now. Those of you who were taking bets, settle your debts before I catch on to it or I’ll give you a good clawing. But no, none of those kits came from us.”
“When we were in the city we encountered two rogues who had stolen several kits away from their families. We dealt with said rogues, and chose to bring the children home for the time being. As you can see, this is going to disrupt life in ThunderClan. I expect cooperation and patience from all of you.”
He fixed them with a determined stare.
“Our Queens will need help, this is a large group and you can’t expect them to shoulder this task alone. Dawnpool and I barely made it home in one piece.”
More Laughter. Hawkstar shifted on his perch, carefully sifting through words in his head for his next announcement. This one was far less likely to elicit such a humorous response.
“I will therefore be calling on other cats to assist with caring for these kittens. Some of you, I am sure, are eager and willing to help. For those who are not….I ask that you follow my orders as you would a patrol assignment. We must come together. These younglings did not ask for these difficult circumstances, let us show them the bravery ThunderClan is known for.”
To his relief, there was a low murmur of general approval, with some dissent to either side.
“If no one has any outstanding concerns, I will begin handing out the assignments. Those wishing to volunteer, please step forward.”
Hawktar smiled as a few cats stepped forward. It spoke well of his Clan that already, some were amicable to helping out. His Leadership had not been long enough to take any credit for this but he knew better than to take it for granted all the same.
“Thank you, both of you.” He mewed to Basilfang and Grizzlytooth. “Basilfang, you will take Bacon here. And Grizzlytooth, if you’ll take Maverick, I think these will be good matches. Come to me if you have any concerns. Your charges will be spending their nights in a temporary den, you are encouraged to sleep there yourselves though we may not need every guardian to do so. It’s during the day these little furballs need the most minding.” He mrrowed, as one such kitten pounced on his tail claws out. His amber eyes watered slightly but he pressed on, being very brave about it.
“I am afraid two Warriors will not be enough to shoulder all of these kittens. I will therefore be handing out some assignments as well. If you have any legitimate reasons against caring for a kit I don’t know about, I am willing to listen, but bear in mind this is something we must all come together to resolve.”
He swept his gaze once more over the sea of faces.
“Echo! Yes, good. You can take Barbie and Ken here, if you don’t mind. I think you can handle two.” He winked. “And ha, yes, thank you Elmstrike. Briarstep shall be handling the patrol, but we’ll need as much help as possible if we’re to succeed in finding these little ones' families.”
“Vanillabreeze, I will be assigning you Trillium here.” He went on, beginning to feel the weariness in his bones for his journey in earnest. He glanced back at the crowd of frightened and tired kittens behind him.
“The rest should be alright in the care of our nursery Queens, though if any cat wishes to lend further assistance just let myself or Briarstep know. I’m sure the Queens would appreciate it.” And with this, he signaled the end of the meeting by leaping down from his perch. He landed with a touch less grace than normal, and limped tiredly back to his den where he could look forward to a long rest at Dawnpool’s side.
shellbloom
Shellbloom, who had been lazing in camp under a ray of sunlight, hopped to her paws when the clan leader returned, eyes widening when she saw the hoard of kittens that followed. The she-cat settled beside Basilfang, nudging her softly on the shoulder in greeting. She looks so serious. The warrior let out a purr when Hawkstar announced his relationship with Dawnpool, happy for the two. Shellbloom let her gaze fall on the kits which were brought to their camp, pity welling in her pale blue eyes.
She watched as Basilfang dipped her head respectfully and wordlessly moved forward, doing her best to keep her amused snort silent. Shellbloom bounded beside the warrior, indicating her own participation while trying to tease her clanmate playfully. "If you're going to be looking after a kit, you're going to have to be less serious." She murmured, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
elmstrike
The long-limbed russet tom let out a muffled sigh at his leader's request, tail-tip twitching. He watched as Echo stepped forward, offering her services alongside her medicine cat duties. Elmstrike, however, didn't really have any interest in having a kit following him around camp for the unforeseeable future. The warrior stayed put, giving the kittens a brief incredulous glance before turning his gaze towards the leader, "I can join the patrol if you'll have me."
E C H O
Life among ThunderClan had certainly been an adjustment, but Echo had never been unfamiliar with the idea of adapting to quickly changing scenarios. As a loner, she'd had to do her fair share of adapting - though, that still didn't mean that the molly had been expecting this sight when she'd prowled out of the medicine den.
She'd been expecting a quick announcement from Hawkstar upon his return, not an entire army of kittens at his side. Green eyes passed over the group, barely registering the announcement about Dawnpool - that was great, but what in the stars were all these kits doing here?
At the explanation of their circumstances, Echo's features softened, her head tilting as she examined them. Some of them were unbelievably young, a detail that made her frown. And then there was the matter that these kits weren't from the Clans to begin with. Some tiny, harsh voice in the corner of the mind was telling her not to do this. You have your paws full enough with being their healer.
But Hawkstar had explicitly asked for volunteers - how was she supposed to say no to that? Echo was given a few more precious moments to deliberate as a few of her Clanmates stepped forward - including Grizzlytooth, that fool. She pinned him with a look, but otherwise didn't say anything against his volunteering. After all, maybe having a kit around would be good for him - he'd been moping since she told him to take it easy.
With a puff of a breath and a swish of her scarred tail, Echo stepped forward and gave a quick nod to her leader. "I'd be happy t'give a helpin' paw in addition t'my other duties." It wouldn't hurt to have someone who knew how overwhelming it could be to suddenly be in ThunderClan, even if it had been some time since she'd been a kit. Putting on her most relaxed smile, Echo peered over at the kits, hoping her scarred appearance wasn't too off-putting for them - although if they'd come from the outskirts and a group of rogues, she figured most of ThunderClan looked downright angelic anyways.
BASILFANG
The Dedicated Warrior of Thunderclan
Having been taking a break beside the warrior's den, Basilfang's ears twitched as she heard cats padding into the entrance of the camp, shortly followed by a number of pattering paws. For a moment she wondered if they'd been invaded, lowering the leg she had been in the middle of grooming and sitting upright, preparing to move if needed. Upon seeing Hawkstar and Dawnpool, however, the fur that had begun to rise around her shoulders lay flat, before her brow raised in utter bewilderment at the sight of a gaggle of kits following behind her leader and his new mate. It was... certainly a way to make an entrance, that much was for sure.
Now, Basilfang didn't hate interacting with kits, she just... didn't quite know how. She often scared the young ones, and bored the older ones. After all, her mind was so preoccupied with the 'here and now' that didn't give her much room to participate in their games. And yet... if she was to one day hope to strive to become Thunderclan's leader... Basilfang knew it would have to be a hurdle that she was going to cross.
And she... had to admit, her heart ached for these kits. Being separated from their families against their will... she herself had gone through the same, in a way, after all. Sure, she could have followed her family to Shadowclan, but her life would have been entirely unhappy there... therefore, remaining with her birth clan was the only option for her. Looking up at Hawkstar, Basilfang stood up and dipped her head.
She silently moved to sit forward from the crowd of assembled cats, indicating her participation.
GRIZZLYTOOTH
The Grouchy Bear of Thunderclan
In stark contrast to Basilfang, however, Grizzlytooth had been laying with his chin on his paws, soaking up some sun after a particularly eventful hunting patrol. He had managed to pull a muscle in his shoulder and so was advised to take it lightly, but he had to admit... it was frustrating to be treated like an incompetent apprentice. He was a senior warrior, feeding his clanmates- he'd pulled a muscle to secure the catch on a particularly troublesome squirrel, he should be praised, not punished!
The older tom huffed through his nostrils, stumpy tail lashing in frustration as he pulled himself up onto his haunches to observe the meeting. Thinking about it... Hawkstar didn't know about his little shoulder pain, annd besides... surely looking after some kits wouldn't be so bad? It'd get him away from his prescribed bed-rest... and... he had to admit, it had been a long time since his niece was a kit... he also had to admit that he missed when Cinderspark was as young as some of the assembled kits.
"I'll help, Hawkstar, if I'm allowed." The big tom grunted, moving to join those volunteering. With any luck, the kits would be too scared of him to misbehave. After all, his stern look was known for being enough to make even the most rowdy kits behave...