Retrouvaille [P]

[Willowfern]

Roosterflame
He/Him - Outsider
Sunburnt - Flock Together [Tier Three] - Bilingual [Tier Three]

retrouvaille - To find each other again

Roosterflame was going through an adjustment period.

For one, he was fairly certain that there were some cats out there who would prefer if he would stop referring to himself as Roosterflame, as the name had been allegedly given to him by StarClan through the Leader, and he was probably considered unworthy of it now. However, Roosterflame reasoned that a gift was a gift, and it was plain rude for the gift-giver to want take it back after the recipient has gotten good use out of it.

So, Roosterflame didn’t regress to Rooster. While he wasn’t a clan cat anymore, he had gone through a lot to earn the suffix, and he didn’t want to shed it.

Besides, ThunderClan was still his home, or, well, the idea of ThunderClan was still his home.

Things had changed.

And Roosterflame had seen the writing on the wall.

For all his optimism and hope, Roosterflame wasn’t stupid. He saw how things were going in his old home. He didn’t want to be a part of that.

He’d always been a bit of a pacifist, as much as he hated to admit it.

A hippie. That was what he was. Not that he knew the word, being a cat.

Roosterflame woke up early one summer morning to the usual quiet of the barn. Ever since he’d made his decision to leave ThunderClan, he’d returned to living at the farm he was born at. The twolegs hadn’t seemed to mind. His Papa Hay had passed away in the time that he’d been gone, and his Mama Ace was avoiding him like the plague, treating him like she didn’t even know him. Though his parents hadn’t been the most doting parents, it still stung.

But it was not more painful than the loss of someone else.

Someone who he’d never thought he’d lose.

It still hurt like Hell.

Roosterflame got up and stretched, fluffing out his fur and leaving the barn to do his usual rounds around the farm, keeping himself busy, distracted. He’d been suffering from terrible insomnia ever since he’d returned from his stint at the Big Twolegplace, and it was hard to be out during the day, but he soldiered through it. He wasn’t going to be a lazy bum, even if he had literally nothing to do anymore.

He walked past the dogs, who were both outside. They’d always been… iffy about Roosterflame, even before he’d left, and it had taken him about a moon or so to get them to recognize him again once he’d come back. He offered them a good morning, but they didn’t reply. They never were much for talking, though he’d managed to work their names out between conversations, and their names were Gordon and Steve. Weird names for dogs. Weird names for anyone, but he kept that opinion to himself.

Similarly, Roosterflame greeted other animals around the farm, some of whom responded, though most just looked at him unblinkingly, not understanding. Typical. The mice in particular had always been rather chatty, though they were always more than a little hesitant to talk to a big cat like himself.

Oh, yes, Roosterflame was back. Whether or not that was a good thing was still up for debate, because his usual fire had seem to dim by a couple degrees, but, then again, it had been dimming for a while now, ever since most of Roosterflame’s friends had started disappearing. It seemed almost like Sparrowstar’s disappearance had been a catalyst.

He hopped up on the fence, the same fence that he’d snuck over as an older kit to run off to join ThunderClan, and sat there, staring, off into the forest with conflicted feelings swirling in his heart.

While Roosterflame didn’t think ThunderClan was right for a cat like him anymore, he still felt rather bittersweet about having left it. For one, most of his best memories had taken place on ThunderClan territory, along with, well, some of his worst. And, two, Roosterflame was, at his heart, an optimist, and he felt it in his gut that Sparrowstar would return to ThunderClan some day.

And he didn’t know why his heart twisted so painfully when he realized he wouldn’t be there to greet her.

Roosterflame hopped down from the fence.

He didn’t go in to his old territory anymore, he knew better than to cause problems and trespass, but, sometimes, he liked to linger nearby, catch scents of patrolling clanmates, check in on his old home from time-to-time, that sort of thing. So, he walked in the direction of ThunderClan’s nearest border.

He was walking for a few minutes before he realized that he was following a scent trail.

He blinked.

“…no way,” He mumbled under his breath, “No way,” He pressed his nose to the ground. Sure enough, it was a scent he knew. One he knew well.

“Sparrow?” His voice went hoarse. There was no way. She was back? Somehow? What??

Roosterflame knitted his eyebrows together. Something felt off. If Sparrowstar was back, that was, of course, excellent news. Though, if she was back, and this was the scent of his very best friend in the whole wide world, then why was she meandering through the outskirts and not in ThunderClan territory?

Roosterflame didn’t know.

But what he did know was that he missed her more than he wanted to admit, and that this was an opportunity to see her again.

Not really thinking, he set off at a brisk pace to follow her and find her. If there was one cat in the whole world that he would follow without hesitation, without a thought, it was Sparrowstar.

[ @Jayvines Hope this is alright, I haven’t roleplayed Roo, nor roleplayed in general in a hot second, lol ]

[Jayvines]

~ Sparrowflight ~

Nestled in the roots of a rather large and twisty willow tree, a thin, tan molly lay curled into herself with her muzzle tucked under a paw. She was so tired... And terribly, terribly alone. The anguish and self-pity had faded to a dull ache in her chest, but everytime she strayed close enough to the borders of her old home to smell the markings it brought a whole host of regrets up to the surface. She had barely been hunting enough to keep her going these days, and while part of her wished and prayed for an allowance back into her clan a larger portion of her knew it would be inadvisable to try again so soon.

Besides, who did she have left there?

A long, low sigh escaped her muzzle and with a grunt she slowly hauled herself back up to her paws. She hadn't eaten today, and her body demanded movement. While Greenleaf had usually been a time of full bellies and playful runs, she had been too exhausted merely trying to stay alive to even consider doing anything for entertainment or comfort while on her own.

Although her energy was low, she still managed to pad along relatively silently along the forest floor. Her mentor's teachings remained firmly set in her mind, it was almost automatic as she lowered behind a fallen log... Peeked over the top to see a pair of squirrels chittering at the base of another tree... Lowered into her crouch... Wait. Wavering in her approach, the skinny molly lifted her nose further into the air as a scent she'd almost given up hope on finding wafted downwind.

Blinking a few times as the recognition fully processed in her mind, Sparrowflight fully abandoned her hunt to turn and glance around the forest wildly. Was she hallucinating? Was she on the brink of death?... Or was he actually here?...

[ @Willowfern ]

[Willowfern]

Roosterflame
He/Him - Outsider
Sunburnt - Flock Together [Tier Three] - Bilingual [Tier Three]

Roosterflame followed the scent trail with hope sparking in his chest, his steps swift and somewhat clumsy as he disregarded all thoughts of potential danger in the forest as he trotted through the leaf mold, breaking into a run when he realized there was another trail that was much fresher.

He burst through a bush, tumbling into a pile of leaves due to a drop in the ground, and popped up just as quickly, his eyes widening when they settled on a familiar tan pelt and those lovely green eyes.

“Sparrow?” He managed, his voice slightly hoarse with disbelief.
Yes, she was thinner, yes she looked like she needed some serious TLC, but it was Sparrowstar. He wasn’t going crazy, it was her.

It was her.

“Sparrow!” He exclaimed, leaping out of the pile of leaves and almost bowling into her, though he stopped himself just in time, not wanting to potentially injure her in her weakened state, skidding to a halt in front of her, lightly and briefly brushing his cheek against hers in greeting.

“I never thought I’d see you again,” He breathed, stepping back to look her over, having a hard time deliberating on whether he should be jumping for joy or bursting into relieved sobs. All he wanted to do, really, was pull her into a hug, but the elephant in the room- being his affections for her that he’d never really had time to voice, even though, admittedly, he’d been planning to do so, but her kidnapping had obviously soured that prospect- made him keep his distance.

He blinked, realizing her appearance, and realizing that that sort of malnutrition wouldn’t be something possible under ThunderClan’s protection, so that meant…

“Wh-why aren’t you back in ThunderClan?” He asked with concern in his voice, “Oh, skies, are you alright?”

[ @Jayvines ]