Lilypetal's POV
Having just finished a much needed nap, I walked out of the warriors den to see Goldenshine and Dusty trotting back into camp, side by side. I tilted my head in fascination as I noticed how happy they seemed to be. They were letting out purrs of laughter and seemed to never want to stop talking to each other.
It's nice that she's welcoming the kittypets, I thought. Of course she is. As loyal of a warrior as she is, she will show compassion towards any cat.
I continued to scan the camp as Goldenshine and Dusty walked over to sit near the Highledge and talk. Right under the Highledge, I saw Smudge and Firestar talking, Firestar's eyes wide with dismay.
"Leaving?" I heard Firestar exclaim. "Already?"
My moving gaze stopped as I heard Firestar's comment.
Smudge is leaving?
Wanting to hear more, I tried to think of a way I could possibly overhear what was going on. The fresh-kill pile, extremely close to where Firestar was sitting, caught my eye.
I am a little hungry, anyway.
I slowly began to pad towards the fresh-kill pile, trying not to catch Smudge or Firestar's attention. Once I arrived there, I sat myself down and pretended to thoroughly be searching for a juicy piece of prey.
I could clearly hear their exchange now. "I have definitely overstayed my welcome," Smudge admitted. "Me and the others have stayed much longer than expected."
As Firestar hesitated for a few heartbeats, I very slowly started to bend down to pick up a mouse, conserving my time.
Finally, Firestar nodded and said, "I understand, Smudge. Your Twolegs ought to be worried about you. I certainly won't get in your way."
Absentmindedly, I started to open my mouth up around the mouse. I heard Smudge meow, "Okay, Lilypetal, I may be a kittypet, but I know for a fact that no cat picks up their prey that slowly."
I rolled my eyes and dropped the mouse as Firestar turned to face me.
All he did was shake his head quickly and meow, "Nevermind that. Lilypetal, I suppose, out of any cat in ThunderClan, you ought to here this too."
I dipped my head, padded up to stand by Firestar and asked Smudge, "Are you really leaving?"
Smudge nodded, not needing to think about it at all. "Yes. As neat as this Clan life is, it is not how I want to spend my time, and I'm sure the other two feel the same way."
I saw Firestar glance over to the "other two" that Smudge was referring to. Dusty and Goldenshine were in their same spots, but Pippy had approached them, and they all seemed to be talking to each other excitedly.
"I suppose you should tell them the news?" Firestar inquired. "I'm sure they'll be wanting to come back with you."
Smudge nods and then calls over Pippy and Dusty. Immediately, both of their heads turned to where Smudge had called. They looked at each other and then slowly approached with their eyes wide. Goldenshine stayed back, but I noticed a very worried gleam in her gaze.
As Pippy and Dusty sat themselves down, Smudge told them what was going on.
To my surprise, both of the kittypets' eyes widened with shock and their mouths dropped. I noticed that Goldenshine looked dismayed as well.
Dusty stood up, as if ready to protest. "Leave? No way!" he exclaimed. "I want to stay. This Clan life is awesome!"
Dusty then realized how defiant he sounded. Meeting Firestar's gaze, he added shyly, "If you'd have me..."
While Pippy seemed surprised as well, she said nothing. Her eyes were filled with uncertainty.
Smudge suddenly seemed very preoccupied with new thoughts. "Do you all want to stay?"
It didn't take Dusty any time to answer. He gave a very definitive nod. I looked over to Pippy, who still seemed to unsure and deep in thought.
Smudge faced Dusty. "Are you sure?" He asks him.
Dusty nodded again. "Completely," he answers. "I have never felt more like myself like I am when I'm here. I've also felt so welcomed, and I love the feeling of catching your own prey, and protecting your own Clanmates and borders!"
Firestar let out a faint purr of amusement, while Goldenshine, who was standing now, looked quite excited.
I wonder if Goldenshine is part of the reason Dusty wants to stay so badly? I wondered.
Smudge nods and then faces Pippy. "What about you?"
The pretty young she-cat sighed. "I really, really love it here too. But I also miss home..." she says, still seeming scattered.
Firestar stepped closer to the two young cats. "You two are welcome to stay in the Clan and train if you would like, but if your Twoleg nest is your calling, that is okay too."
Pippy sighed and gave her brother a long, sad look, seeming to imply that she wanted to go home. Dusty returned the gaze and put the tip of his tail on her shoulder.
"We will miss your bright spirit, Pippy," Firestar commented as Goldenshine trotted up, touching her nose to Pippy's. A couple other Clanmates walked up and did the same. With Pippy's lovable personality, despite being a kittypet she had become well-liked in ThunderClan.
As Goldenshine had touched noses with Pippy, I tried to look deeper into my daughter's eyes. They were filled with sadness, but I also noticed a hint of satisfaction.
Maybe the excitement of Dusty staying isn't just one-sided, I realized.
Out of the corner of my eye I could see Pippy and Dusty sharing a few words, and then finally touching noses. As I was watching them, Firestar turned to me.
"Lilypetal, would you and Thornclaw be able to escort Smudge and Pippy to the ThunderClan border?"
I dipped my head as Thornclaw padded over, clearly having heard Firestar's request. He gave me a quick lick on the ear in greeting.
"And I'm sure you'll want to say goodbye to your old friend," Firestar said thoughtfully. I nodded as Firestar added, "Speaking of goodbyes..." I watched as Firestar walked over to Smudge, and they exchanged a few words.
This is probably harder for Firestar than most cats realize, I thought, Smudge is Firestar's oldest friend.
Smudge was one of the only cats that Firestar had been close with before he came to the forest to become a warrior. I'm sure that goodbye had been hard enough...
Sometimes second goodbyes are as hard as the first... I realized. Hopefully Firestar will be alright!
Finally, Smudge nods to Firestar and beckons Pippy with his tail. Thornclaw and I waited at the camp entrance. Smudge immediately started to travel to us, but Pippy followed very slowly behind, seeming to hesitate with every pawstep.
As Thornclaw, Smudge and I began to walk into the forest, I heard Pippy yowl, "Wait!"
We all stopped, and I heard Thornclaw snort beside me. I nudged my mate with my shoulder.
Pippy took a step back and mewed, "I don't know if I want to go..."
"Great StarClan," Thornclaw muttered. I turned my head towards Thornclaw and narrowed my eyes at him.
Smudge walked up to Pippy. "What do you want to do?" He asked calmly.
Pippy hesitated for quite a few heartbeats. Finally, Firestar walked up to face her.
"Possibly she could stay for a few more sunrises?" He suggested. "She could think about it and make her decision then."
"Is that what you want to do?" Smudge asked Pippy, putting his tail on her shoulder.
Pippy nodded, seeming more sure of herself. "Yes, I will do that!"
Smudge nods and touches his nose to hers. "If you don't return to the house, I wish you well."
Finally, Smudge trotted up to the camp entrance where Thornclaw and I were waiting and we walked out into the forest. Immediately, Smudge trailed ahead of us.
He's probably anxious to get back home, I realized.
Thornclaw, who was flanking me as we walked together, turned his head to look at me. "Will you miss Smudge?" He asked.
"Definitely," I answered. "Seeing him again makes me realize how much of an impact he had on me when I was such a young kit. I was so scared, and like a father, he was so comforting."
Not waiting for Thornclaw to respond, I nudged him and joked, "I'm sure you're quite happy to see another kittypet go."
Thornclaw looked down to the ground and shook his head. "I can't disagree with you on that. But that's just how I've always been, and I've been told to be wary of outsiders," he explains. "But I'm trying not to let that stuff get to me as much anymore."
"Why?" I asked, tilting my head.
"Firestar always seems to want to welcome new cats, so as hard as it may be, I have to abide by him."
I nodded to him in understanding.
Suddenly, he turned his head to me, this time his eyes sparkling, reprising his words he had said to me when the three kittypets had arrived a while ago, "And, I suppose giving kittypets a chance brought you to me, so... I can't really complain, can I?"
My heart skipped a beat at Thornclaw's kind words. I purred loudly and touched my muzzle to his.
"Okay, lovebirds! I think this is where your border ends!"
I looked ahead to see Smudge waiting by what was indeed the ThunderClan border.
Thornclaw and I glanced at each other and then ran ahead to meet Smudge.
Smudge let out a sigh as I sat down next to him. "Well, Lilypetal, I guess this is it," he meowed, nudging my shoulder with his tail.
I dipped my head. "It was amazing getting to see you again, and knowing that you're doing so well!" I stepped closer to Smudge and leaned in closer so Thornclaw wouldn't hear, "And feel free to pay another visit anytime, we'd love to have you!"
Smudge let out a quiet purr of amusement and nodded to me.
Thornclaw simply dipped his head to Smudge. Smudge dipped his head back and began to walk up the trail that led to the Twoleg nest.
Suddenly, he stopped and turned back around to face me. "Hey, would you possibly want to go farther with me and drop me off at the Twoleg nest?" He asked. "You could take a quick look at your old home!"
My eyes widened at the question. I immediately answered, "I probably shouldn't..."
I really was unsure. As neat as it would be to get to see where I had lived such a soft life a long time ago, it wouldn't be doing my loyalty to ThunderClan any favors, as brief as the trip would be.
I turned to see that Thornclaw also looked surprised, but not unsure at all.
I'm glad he's not questioning my loyalties at all.
I pondered it for a few heartbeats. It would only be for just a bit, I thought, but still...
I looked up to see that Smudge was waiting on my answer. I shook my head quickly. "As cool as it would be to go back to my roots, I really wouldn't want any cat to question my loyalty," I told him.
Smudge didn't accept that answer. "You would just be stopping by!" He insisted, and then joked, "Maybe paying a visit would only make you realize how thankful you are to still be a Clan cat instead!"
I again thought about how neat it would be to see my old home. The old windows I looked out of, the areas in the yard I played around in, the flowers I would lie in and sniff...
I remembered the day that I had finally decided to leave my housefolk. At the time, it seemed like such an impulsive move to leap off of that fence and walk out into the forest, but now I couldn't be happier with my choice.
I turned again to look at Thornclaw, who surprisingly, was just waiting patiently for my answer, seeming to understand my conflict.
"What do you think?" I asked him.
He blinked at me. "Lilypetal, I don't doubt your loyalty even a little bit," he said, shockingly. "If you want to take a look, I understand."
I suddenly was overwhelmed with love. Even when Thornclaw was typically such a stickler, he always worked so hard to try and understand me.
As I gave Thornclaw an appreciative look, he meowed, "I'll just hunt around and wait for you until you get back." He then walked up to me, nudged me, and teasingly said, "Which you had better do!"
I smiled at Thornclaw and touched noses with him. Then, I began to escort Smudge up the trail towards the Twoleg nest.
With a start, I realized that I had not walked along this trail since I had first come to the Clans and trespassed on ThunderClan territory.
It all seems like so long ago...
Sooner than I expected, Smudge and I arrived at the Twoleg nest - I recognized it immediately - the white picket fence, the fluffy green grass and the white wooden house. I could hardly believe my eyes. I didn't think I'd ever gaze at this structure again.
Deep in my thoughts, I suddenly hear a cat yell, "Is that a Smudge that I smell?"
Suddenly, I saw a cat appear at the top of the fence. He was a tom with dark ginger fur and blue eyes.
Smudge let out a purr of amusement and answered, "You smelled correctly!"
The tom smiled and then leaped onto the ground where Smudge and I were and touched noses with Smudge. When the tom faced me, his eyes widened and then seemed to be gleaming.
"Who's that?" The tom asked, tilting his head but not averting his gaze.
Smudge lashed his tail towards me. "That's Lilypetal. She's one of those wild cats that lives in the forest."
Jerry finally dipped his head. "I'm Jerry," he meowed, introducing himself to me. "I live with Smudge in this Twoleg nest."
"Jerry was adopted and brought in to live with me just a couple seasons ago," Smudge explained. "He had been found as a stray and came to our nest fresh out of the vet! He had this weird white thing wrapped around his face..."
Suddenly, Smudge stopped, and he nudged Jerry, who I just realized had been looking at me the whole time that Smudge was talking.
"I wouldn't do that, Jerry," Smudge commented, half-teasingly, "She's already spoken for!"
Jerry suddenly shakes his head and lets out a snort. "What are you talking about?" He asks defensively, "Like I'd ever pad after a weird forest cat!"
I ignored that.
Jerry changed the subject and asked Smudge, "Where are those two young ones? They've missed a lot of good meals, that's for sure!"
Smudge quickly explained to Jerry the situation - Dusty was intent on staying and Pippy wanted to figure things out.
Jerry snorted again and rolled his eyes. "Good for them, I guess," he meowed. "They were a little too chaotic for me, sometimes!"
Smudge shrugged and then turned to look at me. He then scans the whole Twoleg nest, lashing his tail to indicate that I should do the same. "So, what do you think?" He asked. "Is it as fabulous as you remember?"
I purred in amusement. "Sure, we'll go with that," I answered sarcastically.
Suddenly, as I looked at the house, a pang of guilt overcame me, and I felt like I couldn't stay any longer. It wasn't a matter of wanting to come back and be a kittypet, but I didn't want to stay away from ThunderClan territory too long for the purpose of looking at my old Twoleg nest!
I dipped my head politely to the two toms. "As lovely as all of this is, I really should be going," I meowed, slowly starting to make my way towards the trail leading to ThunderClan territory.
Smudge nodded in understanding and let out a meow in farewell. I gave a polite nod to Jerry. "It was nice to meet you."
As I began to walk away, I hear Jerry's meow telling me to wait. I rolled my eyes without him seeing
Great StarClan, what could this be about?
I turned around to see Jerry trotting towards me.
"I should escort you to your border!" He suggested, his eyes determined. "Isn't it dangerous to walk around here alone or something?"
I hesitated. I really wouldn't prefer for this kittypet tom, who possibly had taken an interest in me, to escort me to my own border. But honestly because I desperately wanted to return home, I didn't say no.
Jerry's eyes lit up in excitement and he walked up to travel next to me, where I took a step to my left as his fur brushed mine.
As we traveled through the forest, Jerry tried to make conversation. "So, you live in a place with a lot of cats? What is that like?"
I briefly explained to him the concept of the Clans and then answered, "It is very nice. I feel like everyone in the Clan has my back, and that they'll always be looking out for me."
Jerry narrowed his eyes and let a smirk emerge on his face. "I'd certainly want to do that too, if I was a Clanmate of yours."
My eyes widened, and I tried not to let it show how taken aback I was.
This tom is full-on flirting with me! I realized. Does he realize that I'm already mates with another tom I love dearly?
I remembered how just moments before, Smudge had told Jerry that I had a mate. Obviously he doesn't care about that!
Luckily, before I had to come up with a response, Jerry and I arrived at the ThunderClan border, where I saw Thornclaw burying a new catch. He looked up and immediately narrowed his eyes.
Oh, dear.
"Welcome back," he murmured, his eyes still narrowed. In a hurry to explain what was going on to Thornclaw, I gave a nod to Jerry and then walked over to my mate, touching his cheek with my nose.
I turned again to look at Jerry. "Thank you, Jerry. It was nice to meet you."
Jerry, his eyes sparkling, answered, "The pleasure is all mine, Lilypetal."
Finally, he lashed his tail and began to walk back up the trail.
As soon as he was out of our sight, Thornclaw turned to face me. "Friend of yours?" He asked, shifting his paws from side to side.
I snorted. "Hardly," I mewed. "I practically met him a few heartbeats ago."
Thornclaw narrowed his eyes again and looked at where the dark ginger tom had disappeared. "It sure didn't seem like that to Jerry!"
"What do you mean?" I asked him, starting to get nervous. I was hoping Thornclaw wouldn't get angry over a silly tom that barely meant anything to me.
"I am a tom myself, Lilypetal," he began to explain, "I am also a tom that has fallen for a she-cat. I know the signs."
I sighed. "What in the name of StarClan are you talking about?"
"This Jerry is clearly very fond of you, understandably, but I wouldn't prefer that he escort you to the border."
I shook my head slowly. "It's not a long way at all!" I insisted, "I'm sure some kittypets lose their minds being cooped up, anyway. So I'm sure I wasn't the prime reason for his escort. I only said yes because I wanted to get home!"
Thornclaw just snorted.
I suddenly came to a realization. "Are you jealous?" I asked. "Oh, Thornclaw, if you know me, you know very well you have no reason to be!"
Thornclaw sighed. "I know, I know..." he conceded. "I just didn't like the way he was looking at you."
I let out a purr of amusement, and then teased, "What? Are you going to get jealous now every time a tom so much as looks at me?"
Thornclaw hesitated, rolled his eyes, and then answered, "Well, if that was the case, then I'd have to be jealous all of the time, wouldn't I?"
I couldn't suppress a smile. Even when Thornclaw was bitter he managed to sound so sweet. I let out a little purr and nuzzled my muzzle into his neck. "Aw, you're sweet," I meowed.
Thornclaw snorted again and then nuzzled back, finally letting himself warm up a little despite his bitterness. "Of course you know that I would never not trust you, Lilypetal," he whispered, "But if I ever see that tom again, it'll be too soon."
I let out another mrrow of laughter, and finally Thornclaw and I started to travel back to camp. As Thornclaw looked around at the forest, I gazed at him. I found his jealousy quite adorable, and I loved that despite how passive-aggressively he had gone about it, he clearly had been worried that another tom was padding after me.
Oh, Thornclaw, I thought to myself, no cat could ever make me as happy as you do.
My thoughts averted to the short amount of time I had spent back at my Twoleg nest. No pleasant thoughts were there.
Smudge was right, I realized, it only made me know that I made the right choice, and that it did!
I could not be more thankful of where I had ended up - I had a strong and lovable Clan that I would fight to the death for, a family that I loved dearly, and I mate that I knew that would love me and be by my side no matter what, even when he had some doubts about some kittypet tom.
As I thought about this, and how happy I was, I twinned my tail with Thornclaw's as we continued to walk back to camp.