"It's so nice to see Heatherleaf back to her old self, isn't it?"
Skyflame and Tigerthorn were watching Heatherleaf converse with a bunch of other warriors about the day's activities, a half-eaten squirrel lying on the ground in front of her. It had been about one moon since Elmpaw's return, and he and Tigerthorn had slowly nursed Heatherleaf back to health until she was ready to leave the den on her own. Now, she was happily taking part in Clan duties, almost as if nothing had happened.
"You know, I've been hearing rumors that Grayfeather plans on appointing Heatherleaf as deputy when she becomes leader," Skyflame purred. "But only time will tell, I suppose."
Tigerthorn was about to respond when he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He turned to see his brother-who now bore the name Elmheart-standing beside him.
"Hey, Tigerthorn? Can I talk to you for a moment? Like... in private?"
"Huh? Oh, sure. Where should we go?"
"Just follow me. I don't want any cat interrupting us."
Tigerthorn wasn't sure why Elmheart sounded so serious all of a sudden, but he shoved his curiosity aside as they filed through the camp entrance.
The two cats marched deep into the heart of the Clan's territory, Elmheart guiding Tigerthorn with the tip of his tail.
They stopped in a small clearing surrounded with shrubs and daisies, and no signs of any cats nearby. Elmheart sat down, not making eye contact with Tigerthorn as he seated himself in front of him.
"So... what was it you wanted to tell me?" Tigerthorn asked.
"I... I just want you to know..." Elmheart began, his voice quivering. "I need you to know the truth. I have to tell you before I lose my mind."
"The truth? About what?"
Elmheart took a deep breath, remaining silent for what felt like days before he finally spoke.
"The truth is... I'm not actually your brother."
Tigerthorn wasn't sure if he had heard correctly. There was no way that he had actually said that...right?
"I-I'm sorry... What did you just say? Because it sounded like you just said you're not my brother..."
"That is... exactly what I said."
Tigerthorn was overcome by a wave of shock and disbelief. Had he really been living with a stranger all this time? And how did no cat in the Clan ever notice?
"I guess I should explain," Elmheart continued, pawing nervously at the ground. "My real name is William, and I was born in a housefolk den... I'm what I think you cats would call a 'kittypet.' I lived with my family and my housefolk up until about three moons ago, when I was taken away to live with a different housefolk family. But they were cruel and treated me horribly, so I ran away from them as soon as I could. I wandered around on my own in the wild, fending for myself, catching my own prey... until eventually I ended up on your territory. And then you came along, and..."
His voice trailed off as he saw the look of remorse on Tigerthorn's face.
"This... can't be true..." he stammered. "It can't be! I recognized your scent, and your pelt pattern... Everyone else thinks you're my brother, too! There's just no way...!"
William shrugged. "I really don't know what else to tell you, Tigerthorn... But this is the truth. I'm just... not who you thought I was."
"But... when I first found you, you said...!"
"Yes, I know..." William pleaded, trying his best to remain calm. "At the time, I thought you were my brother, too. That much is true. I know this sounds weird, but I do have a brother that looks almost exactly like you. He was taken by a different housefolk family the same day I was... I never saw him again after that. But then you showed up, with the same dark tabby pelt and green eyes that he had, and... I honestly thought that maybe you had run away from your housefolk as well, and you just managed to find me..."
Tigerthorn didn't know what to say. He wanted to run away, burst into tears, and claw William's pelt off all at the same time. The void he felt when Elmpaw disappeared had returned tenfold, and it was threatening to take over his mind.
"Just... Just tell me why," Tigerthorn growled, his claws unsheathing themselves. "Why did you keep this up for so long?! Why couldn't you have just told me right away, instead of lying to everyone like this?!"
"Because... Because I didn't have the heart to do it, okay?" William yelled. "When I saw your reaction when you found me, that pure display of joy and happiness... How could I just take that away from you? I mean, I can only imagine what it must feel like to reunite with someone that's been missing from your life for so long... I didn't want to break your heart by telling you the truth!"
"So you wait an entire moon to tell me and make me feel even worse?!" Tigerthorn retorted angrily, causing William to flinch.
"Look, I... I'm really sorry, okay? I know that I'm not the cat you wanted me to be, nor will I ever truly replace them, but... All I really want is for you to be happy. Not just you, but Heatherleaf as well. I don't want her to end up back in that state she was in when I first saw her. So... even if you can't forgive me for lying to you... at least give me a chance to make it up to you. I'll do whatever I have to do to make your family feel complete again!"
Tigerthorn was shocked at William's offer. How could one cat be so selfless, towards a family that he had only known for one moon? And would he really be able to fill the gap that Elmpaw had left behind?
"I... I don't get it," Tigerthorn stuttered. "Why are you doing all of this for us? You must have been disappointed too, when you found out I wasn't your brother..."
"Well... I was at first. But I eventually decided that a new family would be better than no family at all. Both of us have lost an important part of our lives, so... maybe we can help each other to regain what we've lost. It isn't going to be a perfect replacement for either of us, but... I just feel like it's the right thing to do."
"What about Heatherleaf? What if she finds out you're not actually her son?"
"It is concerning, yes, but so far she hasn't noticed anything. I obviously don't know all the details about your brother... But you knew him better than any other cat. That's true, isn't it?"
"I-I would think so..."
"Good! Then you can teach me everything you know about him, so that Heatherleaf will never suspect a thing."
The thought of constantly living behind a lie seemed strange to Tigerthorn at first; but he quickly dismissed the feeling. Heatherleaf didn't deserve to end up back in the den, starving herself and losing sleep to her distress. And now it was up to the two of them to make sure that that never happened again.
As for Tigerthorn himself, he still felt disappointed that Elmpaw hadn't actually returned... and it was unlikely that he ever would. But perhaps finding William was the next best thing; after all, he was extremely committed to providing him and Heatherleaf with the part of their lives that had gone missing. Most cats would have just walked away from the situation by now.
And he, of all cats, had a clear idea of what it was like to end up hurting others by doing what you thought was right.
The decision was clear now. Tigerthorn almost could not believe he had been feeling anger towards William just moments earlier.
"I... I've truly been blessed...!" Tigerthorn's voice was overflowing with happiness. "I can't possibly tell you how much this means to me...! Oh, StarClan, how can I ever thank you for all this?"
"You don't need to thank me," William purred, softly brushing Tigerthorn's muzzle with his own. "You've given me a family by letting me stay with you. That is more than enough to make me happy. Our meeting was as much of a blessing to me as it was to you... Brother."
The word echoed in Tigerthorn's head like the cry of an eagle over a vast mountain range.
It's been so long... too long... since I've heard someone call me that...
Tigerthorn's surroundings seemed to fade away as he was immersed in the warmth of William's comforting touch, the hum of their purrs sounding together as one.
I suppose, in a way, Elmpaw really did come back after all...
Though we may not be related, that doesn't mean we can't still be a family.
And families share a special bond that can never be broken.