Moist dirt clotted in the crevices of paw pads. Thick and thin coats of fur ruffled with apprehension - not to mention the brief introduction to the evening wind. Ears - previously flattened with defeat and fatigue - now perked with the thoughts of reunion. Any tension built up in their muscles had elevated to a point of near nonexistence. Adrenaline coursed through pumping veins, thick and viscous at the sight of the shadowed oaken structure. A rather sturdy boulder leaned off to the side, offering a better vantage point of view once the small group had made their stand on the pebble road.

With a spring, a spritely looking patchwork tom landed atop the stone, gracefully surveying the hollow below with a stature of power. His jaws parted to release a timid meow. His vocals betrayed his stance and proved how afraid he was once he observed an empty expanse of dried grass. Whiskers twitching, he pulled his head back in a mixture of confusion and failure.

Beside him a thicker furred, cream feline wailed a much louder note into the shivering night, pleased to hear it echo through the spiny looking trees. Reverberating amongst the taut wood, the cry disappointedly went unheard. A bitter tang blossomed on his tongue which eventually led to the slow droop of his broad skull. During which, his claws scraped apprehensively against the stony earth, scoring little divots out of frustration. A fatigued sigh swept a puff of warm air into view. "It is rather late. We must have missed them."

A mere tail length behind the pair of ample bodied toms, a mournful caterwaul shook the leaves on the trees.

"Mistpaw, there's really no reason to wail," the darker version of the screeching female offered his opinions to his rather obnoxious sounding sibling. "We'll just head back to camp. Everyone can make it back on their own now that we know where we are."

Her features creased into a frown. "I know that." Grief bloomed in her ocean eyes. "This is the last time we'll see each other as something more than BlizzardClan or OceanClan. We're friends. Tonight's the last night that'll be true. I figured we could all wail to get rid of emotional tension..."

When no words were answered, Mistpaw felt embarrassment pool in her cheeks. It was a moment before when Anemonepaw chucked his head back in the imitation of a wild canid and howled. The tiny gray she-cat was quick to rejoin in her original idea as well as her own brother. With a final look at one another, Wildpaw and Fallenpaw combined their cries and weaved together a passionate harmony under moon's brilliant light.

Each feverently screamed until their lungs collapsed. Flooded waves of emotion leaked from their voices, cracking and splintering from the pain, but also the joy. Mistpaw's tiny lung capacity gave out first, leaving the petite female crashing on her belly; sprawled out, eyes closed, and gasping for breath. Floodpaw leaned into his sister, struggling for a stable breathing pattern almost as soon as Anemonepaw. The BlizzardClanners floundered for a few seconds longer before their legs shuddered and they too, broke down on their sides, flanks heaving with the lack of breath.

"Excuse me."

Shattering the silence after the side-lined felines eventually caught their breath, a deep baritone rumbled - voice clear with authority and familiarity.

The closest to the newcomer - Floodpaw - jerked his head up with a wild sense of fear. A feeling not too unlike the sensation that accompanied the action of being caught with your paw in the prey pile before the elders and queens had their portions. His widening yellow orbs met a similar pair in hue likeness: dark yellow with an auburn off-shade. The host to those autumnal eyes stood with a neutral expression, facial lines creased into an emotionless pallette. His broad shoulders shifted, thinner black tabby pelt rippling with muscles. Off to his side, more figures made their presence known with a cautious tail swish or an ear flick. Their posture gave off the impression of waiting for orders behind a figure of unfathomable importance.

"Darkstar," the shrunken gray tomcat breathed in awe, half proud of himself for remembering MagmaClan's leader after those several moons of absence.

The aforementioned leader's whiskers twitched with bemusement. "And who might you be for knowing my name?" Unsettled, his leaf-fall optics roamed the rest of the journeying party. Recognition refused to settle and he was left confused as to who these five strangers were and how they knew his name.

The genetical compatriot to her brother appeared at the darker gray's side, quickly meowing her explanation. "You wouldn't know us too well. Floodpaw, Anemonepaw and myself are all OceanClan."

"The same OceanClan cats who went missing the night of the terrible flood," Anemonepaw announced from the far rear.

Disbelief marred the black tabby's face, caught completely unaware and left without any voice for a proper response. Nor would he have a chance for one, for at the current moment, a reasonably sized clump of murky smelling cats emerged from their side of the tunnel and out into the bumpy hollow. Nothing more than silhouettes, names and titles were unable to be connected, but voices carried just as well across the emptiness of the bowl shaped terrain.

"Looks like we're the first to arrive again!"

Based on its cheerful mixture with naivety, the voice belonged to a feline very young - most likely a recently named apprentice.

"No need to boast, Shallowpaw," an amused chuckle answered her, also female and oddly wise beyond her years.

Seated back up on the ledge of rocks, someone seemed to recognize the voice of wisdom, associating its tone with something very memorable and familiar.

"Seafoam?" Mistpaw pricked her ears, craning her head desperately to seek out the gray she-cat whom she shared a pelt hue with. A silhouette further away jostled to attention at the mention of its name, looking around curiously for the echoing source. Confirmation locked, Mistpaw felt tears brim in her ocean eyes. "Mama!" she cried, furious in her motions to scramble down the path.

The shadow down in the hollow surged to the front, eager to meet the cat at the other end of the caterwaul. "Mistpaw?" it echoed back, voice wavering. "Mistpaw!" it howled again, recognizing her daughter's gray coat and stunning dark blues.

The two crashed in a furry embrace in the center of the hollow. The tinier gray had thrown herself to her mother's paws, crying in relief as she felt swallowed by warm fur. A tongue rasped at her neck, soothing away the tension. "Oh my darling Mistpaw. You're here. You're safe. Oh my little bird. You're home."

"Mama, mama!" Floodpaw had tossed himself into the reuniting mix, seeking attention from OceanClan's deputy with a mournful wail of his own.

"Oh, my darling beautiful kits!" Seafoam pulled them closer to her, breathing in their wild scents.

As the OceanClan reunion played out before everyone's eyes, movement coursed around them. Nose twitched, tails flicked, ears perked. Every cat in the hollow stood on edge.

It had been moons since anyone had laid eyes on the missing apprentices.

The shock alone was enough to make someone stiffen and topple over.

Suddenly, conversations bloomed from the mob of felines. Voices ran loud and excited, punctuating their startles with gasps and cries of intensity.

The voices of the survivors rose above the rest, only caught in scattered bits as their sentences ran over one another's.

"And after the huge flood -"

"- chased away birds -"

"- nervous breakdown -"

"- in a dark, stinky tunnel -"

"- cat named 'Alpha' -"

"- wanted to help her but I had a home to get to -"

"- twin sister!"

"Wait a minute!" Darkstar's cry boomed across the hollow, silence falling in a cascade after the echo. His dark amber gaze surveyed the land around, landing on a pair of two cats in the crowd. "Pondstar, Whitestar." He nodded to each, tilting his chin to the great oak to the far right. "I think it's about time we get the gathering started."

Complying with MagmaClan's wishes, it didn't take longer than a few heartbeats before the leaders of BlizzardClan and OceanClan joined the broad shouldered tabby nestled in the thick branches as a signal to start the meeting under the moon. The glow cast shadows onto the dry grass, crunching underpaw with every subtle movement in the huddled crowd. Whispers bounced around from warrior to warrior, gossip spreading like ticks on an elder.

"I believe it's your turn to start this time, Pondstar," Darkstar dipped his head politely to the silver tabby a branch below him.

"Very well," she smiled up at him and then to the crowd of cats that suddenly seemed a lot larger than prior meetings.

She inhaled. "Cats of all Clans! Think back - to that terrible flood we had all those moons ago. Remember the lives we saved and the lives we lost. Among them, a collection of six apprentices were never found. We assumed them dead. Tonight, we are so graciously rewarded with their safe return. From OceanClan, we honor the returning faces of Mistpaw and Floodpaw, the children of our deputy Seafoam. As well as Anemonepaw, the medicinal prodigy of Reedtail."

"Mistpaw! Floodpaw! Anemonepaw!" A chorus of yowls erupted in the clearing, admiring the returning heroes with an applause of celebratory actions.

"From BlizzardClan," Whitestar jumped to a higher branch, allowing his voice to carry. "I stand here welcoming home the adventurers known as Fallenpaw and Wildpaw."

"Fallenpaw! Wildpaw!"

From the center of the hollowed out bowl of grass and rock, the avid heroes had been given room for recognition in their own little cleared out space. The warriors from all Clans had backed away, their eyes locked upon the smaller figures who now appeared shy at the overwhelming attention.

As the cries died down, Fallenpaw stepped out on shaky paws, tilting his head a little higher than normal to initiate a sense of formality. "E-excuse me," he cleared his throat, drawing attention of the leaders on the oak and the cats surrounding them in the earth depression. Once all eyes were on him again, he struggled to find the words. "You're probably all wondering why Pondstar mentioned six of us when there are only five who returned. The truth is, our sixth member, our MagmaClan representative - Flarepaw - has decided not to come back." The patchwork tom looked up at Darkstar, craning his head to try and observe any form of emotion from the suspended tabby. He saw the hulking leader blink but said nothing. Fallenpaw continued. "She was with me since the early journey. She helped rally together a loose group of stranded 'paws and brought them together. I saw her fight for her life. For all of our lives. She represented all the ferocity we had combined. Snarky and catty she made her opinions quite clear. In the end, her choice was to leave. So in honor of Flarepaw, who stood by us for as long as she could, I'd like to cheer for her as well tonight."

A still silence drafted in the air for a long period of time. The seconds ticked by before, finally, Darkstar bobbed his broad crown.

"For MagmaClan!" he called out, vocals roaring ust as normal. "I stand in front of my clanmates to honor the name of a fallen warrior: Flarepaw!"

"Flarepaw!"

"Flarepaw!"

"Flarepaw!"

The group of five had their heads tossed back, crying the loudest for their honorary warrior.

Surely, from wherever she was - she'd be able to hear them.


"You think we'll ever see each other again?"

The news portion of the gathering had ended a while ago, leaving time for mingling and gossip to flourish as a wave in the span of a single night. Fallenpaw, Mistpaw, Wildpaw, Anemonepaw, and Floodpaw had been bombarded with questions begging to know the answers to the journey entailed. It had taken some convincing, but Fallenpaw proposed a motion to give them all some space in order to adjust to the chaos.

Now, the group of five had huddled themselves in a far off corner near the tunnel that led the shortest pathway back to OceanClan's territory.

It was time for goodbyes.

"Not a doubt in my mind, kit," Wildpaw answered Mistpaw's sadness laced question, ruffling the top of her crest with a fuzzy paw, in which earned a giggle. "I mean we're just a borderline away."

"Seriously though," Fallenpaw spoke aloud, addressing his former traveling members. "There's no doubt we'll have to go back to our own lives again. They'll be no more pool splashing, no more bonding games, no more working together on the same side. Wildpaw and I are BlizzardClan. You three are OceanClan."

"Ehh, don't be such a stick in the mud," Anemonepaw cracked a smile, making light of the situation. "Sure we'll have to make do with our regular lives but we're still friends."

Mistpaw squealed. "We've formed a bond!"

Beside her, Floodpaw sniggered.

"That's right, Mistpaw," Wildpaw announced, unabashed. "We've formed a bond." He blinked and took a moment to look at the OceanClanners. "I'm really glad I got to know you guys. If I hadn't been swept away by that nasty storm, I don't think my thoughts on OceanClan cats being fat, fish-eaters would be any different."

"And we, you," Anemonepaw replied, curt. "Except we all saw BlizzardClanners as uptight, frost-bitten pelts with no sense of humor."

"Cute," the cream tom made a face, chuckling slightly.

Their happiness was cut short when a dark brown tom from OceanClan sauntered up to their group.

"Sorry to interrupt but..." he trailed off, tossing his head over his shoulder to observe Pondstar gathering up her clanmates in preparation to leave.

"We get it, it's time to leave," Mistpaw sighed mournfully.

"Thanks for letting us know, Mudshark," Floodpaw added, equally displeased as his sister.

The warrior sauntered away and the OceanClanners rose to their paws.

"Don't cry because it's over," the medicine cat apprentice said thoughtfully, turning to follow the pair of siblings. "Smile because it happened."

"Goodbye," Fallenpaw and Wildpaw chimed in succession, watching the trio meander back to their Clan.

Back where they belong, Fallenpaw huffed bitterly.

"Goodbye!" Mistpaw called back, perching next to Seafoam and Floodpaw who eagerly responded as well.

"See you next gathering! Save us seats near the front, pretty please?"

Wildpaw laughed, answering, "Lazy furballs! Find your own spots! Until next moon!"

Yeah, they all thought in unison, as the universe righted itself. Until next moon.


And that, my dear readers, is an ending.

Tears anyone? I've got tissue boxes!

I'd like to thank you all for following this tale through to the end. It's been quite a journey, wouldn't you say?

Jokes aside, I still have one more treat in mind for you guys.

Grab a seat and hold onto your hats and scarves - we're on a one-way trip toward . . .

THE EPILOGUE

See you all there,

- Snarky