There's No Place Like Home + Text (1/3)

It was around dusk when the white tabby tomcat returned from his hunt. Two large pheasants were dangling from his jowls, Sylvester's head held high to avoid stepping on their long tails and risk tripping over them. The last thing he wanted was to get hurt after a successful hunt. What would their deputy and leader think of a guard getting hurt a few days away from war? Carefully, he made his way closer to the kill pile, the heap of dead prey somewhat plentiful. It was a successful hunt for a lot of cats it seemed. Proudly, Sylvester left his two catch on the top of the pile and took a small white rabbit for himself, which he instantly regretted as he felt the rabbit's fur stick to his tongue and fall off his prey easily. The rabbit was shedding and it was understandable. Rabbits shed their white coat when summer came around. They were getting rid of the winter coat to gain one that would be more appealing to their new weather. But it was too late to switch now. It was rude to spit prey back out into the pile and then pick another one. They should not neglect food like that and so, he kept it and padded rapidly to one corner of the camp so he could feast... and gag peacefully. But on the way, he caught the stale scent of his apprentice. He halted almost abruptly in his track, his head tilting slightly. 'Warrun... I haven't seen the youngster for quite some time... maybe I should get some news from him,' he thought, his paws shuffling down as he wondered whether he should go talk to his apprentice or leave him alone.

A blue-green-air apprentice padded closer to the camp of his tribe.  He hadn't been back home in the Air Tribe camp for days, and his hunting had started to become lousy.  Warrun's stomach growled for the taste of warm prey and fulfilling meat.  With his head low, he silently entered the camp.  Taking a deep breath, he recognized scents from other cats he knew, as well as the scent of prey.  One of the strongest scents was of fowl and tom cat.  His nose twitched as he recognized his mentor's scent, which was engulfed in the smell of the birds he had caught.  His nose led the young tom toward the kill pile, and gingerly grabbed the more plumper pheasant.  Warrun held his head upward to prevent himself from collapsing under the bird's weight, and scanned the area for his mentor.  Might as well thank him...  His sapphire eyes spotted the tabby and after a moment of making sure it was indeed Sylvester, he padded over to the green-air.  He stopped a tail-length away from the tom, and dropped his prey in front of him to lay down.  Warrun glanced up at Sylvester and meowed, "Hey did you catch this?  Smells great!"  He began sniffing the bird's feathers, feeling the warm body heat rising from the freshly killed prey.

Before he could even make up his mind, Sylvester once more caught his apprentice's scent, but this time it was blown to him by the sweet dusk's breeze. Squinting his eyes as some dirt was also blown at him, Sylvester let go of his prey and ticked his head up for a better view of the subject. "Oh, greetings Warrun. It has been quite a while," he meowed, a court smile crossing his freckled muzzle. "Indeed," he meowed as the young adolescent voiced his question. As much as Sylvester wanted to make sure that the tom had hunted first in order to deserve his share, he couldn't bring himself to. Warrun was hardly seen by the tom, and now that they were finally catching up, Sylvester did not want to ruin it all with his strictness. Instead, the white tabby smirked and joined the fellow with his own share. A little voice inside questioned him about his choice. Considering that he was larger than the solid ginger tomcat, Sylvester should have been the one eating that pheasant.. but maybe Warrun was starving. He looked rather thinner than his usual bulky form. "Starving?" Sylvester ventured, trying to create conversation but also pushing the tom to reveal his activities. Wasn't he eating well? Was he still taking care of himself? Sylvester had to know, and he was trying to get there in a subtle way.

Warrun had already dug into the meat of the bird after plucking a few feathers out.  He had laid them neatly at his side to stuff into his nest later.  At that moment, sleeping sounded like a great idea, but his stomach growled for more food first.  He lifted his head at Sylvester and responded to his question, "Just a bit.  I haven't been hunting great lately, and after not returning to the camp for a few days it didn't help that all I could catch was a measly mouse..."  He stared off a little, as if trying to remember what had happened to it.  His tail flicked in an annoyed manner, growling, "Which I completely forgot where I had put it..."  He scrunched up his nose, then glanced down at his meal.  Eating a few more bites, the blue-green-air raised his head once more.  "How have you been Syl?  It's been a while since we've trained together."  The tom licked his lips, accidentally licking a feather into his mouth.  He gagged a little and coughed it back out, using his paw to wipe it away.

Sylvester released a little chuckle as his student choked on a feather, but as he listened to what this one was saying, he couldn't help but feel bad and guilty. Sylvester should have been there for him. He was his mentor, his friend. Warrun said it himself, it had been a while since they trained. Was he neglecting his student? Sylvester gritted his teeth, feeling a sudden wave of disappointment sweep over him. 'What kind of mentor do I make? I'm not even there for my student...' As he suppressed a sigh, Sylvester turned to look at the ginger tomcat, his eyes full of sympathy. There was clearly something that had happened for the tom to be so distant to his Tribe. Perhaps he was feeling home sick? And the fact that they had attacked Fire-tribe not too long ago was probably just making things worse for the youngster. He needed to find a way to lift this one's spirit. But how? "Warrun," meowed Sylvester, his voice somewhat serious. "Do you miss your family?" He asked, choosing to leave Warrun's question unanswered. He could always answer it later. There was no rush, but Sylvester needed to be sure of something first. "You don't have to answer if it's too personal. But know that you can trust me. I don't doubt your loyalty at all." He added, feeling the need to reassure the tom in case he felt unsecured.

The young tom wrinkled his nose at the Green-air's question.  "What??No!  No of course not,"  Warrun went back to nibbling on the pheasant, and in between bites he would mummer quietly, "It's not like my bed at night is cold or anything...I'm doing just fine without Maika...or my parents..."  No matter how many times Warrun would deny it with words, his body betrayed his feelings.  His tail had begun to quiver a little and his tearing of the prey had been less careful and coming out in shreds that had hardly any taste.  His eyes were averted away from his mentor, as he felt them become watery with tears.  With a sniff, he spoke under his breath so quietly that his words were almost whisked away in the spring breeze.  "It wouldn't hurt if I could see my family again..."  Warrun shook his head and licked a paw.  Using it to fix his mane a little, he turned to look at Sylvester straight in the eyes.  "But because of this stupid war, that's not possible."

The guard slightly flinched away as the youngster exclaimed his surprise. Sylvester's jowls parted in a gasp but no words exited from there. He simply stared wide eyed at his apprentice, his jowls slowly closing as he couldn't hide the surprise from his expression. Yes, he was indeed very surprise that his apprentice had denied the need to see his family, and the fact that he missed them. Sylvester felt a little pang for the tom. His tail flicked uneasily and his eyes quickly started to glisten. Maybe Warrun was missing them after all. He was probably just too proud to admit it, and that, Sylvester could understand. The tom cracked a small smile and slowly shifted his eyes towards the exit of their camp. No cats seemed to be around at the moment. They were mostly focused in eating their share and taking a nap under the bright sun. Sylvester couldn't understand how relaxed most cats were acting.. especially after what they had done.. "Warrun," the white tabby tomcat spoke, turning to meet his apprentice serious gaze. "If you want," he hushed his words, "we could always.. pay them a visit. I mean, I could take you to Fire-tribe's territory. See if we can come upon one of your family members... Of course, I don't want to force you. I know it's against.. the Alliance rules but..." 'I can't stop worrying about you. I want to ease your pain, Warrun...' These would have been the words of the guard, but he felt the urge to not speak them aloud. Maybe because he was scared.. scared of what could happen to them if they were caught sneaking out.. and into enemies' land. Also, after what they had done to the Rebellion, he was worried that their presence, even just Warrun's, could be misinterpreted as an another assault. Sylvester felt a knot in his throat, his eyes wide with fear... but he needed to see if Warrun was ready to take the risk. Maybe that was what the apprentice needed.. to see a family member again. Know if they were all okay. Sylvester nodded to himself, and turned to face his apprentice once more. All signs of doubt and fear gone from his expression.

Warrun looked down, considering the consequences of the visit.  Go into territory...after what we did with our raid...and possibly get caught..and killed for it.  Or...soothe my worries about my family... The auburn tom got to his paws and stretched, having finished his meal.  He turned to Sylvester and raised his tail up.  "I do miss them.  If...if we could do that, I would absolutely be thankful."  He nosed through the leftovers of the pheasant and picked out a few bones.  Feeling the solid form of the bone, he pondered if they would be useful for him in the future.  He may not have been a bone crafter, but possibly he could practice on his own.  Curling his tail, he asked, "Mind if we stop by my hollow?  I'd like to drop these off."  Warrun bent his head down to pick up the bones in his mouth, and took a quick gaze around the camp.  No cat in particular seemed busy or even aware of what the two toms had talked about.  I hope I can see my family again...even just one member....  Warrun nodded to Sylvester and padded first towards the camp entrance.  Slipping out, he waited for his mentor to follow.

Sylvester felt relieved to see his apprentice back to his paws, not that Warrun was hurt or anything, but just seeing him with a bit of energy was making the guard more relaxed. It was hard to watch his own apprentice in such a dilemma, not knowing what to do nor what to think about the war in general considering his family belonged to the Rebellion. Both of his parents were Fire tribers, that only reason was enough to make Warrun regret the path that the spirits had chosen for him. Though Sylvester hoped that his warm but risky proposition would be enough to chase the doubts away. Enough to bring the old Warrun back to them. Sylvester couldn't help but miss the young cat's old attitude, his boldness and flirty side of him. As the auburn tomcat began his way out of camp, Sylvester slowly got to his paws, stretched his claws out and his back claws in a very slow motion as to make it seem that he was in no hurry to part from his spot. Of course, it was to not attract the attention towards him. And when he was done sheathing and unsheathing his claws, the white tabby trotted after his apprentice, waving his tail to prevent anyone from seeing the standing fur on his appendage. "Lead the way," he meowed.

Feeling the new spring grass underneath his paws, the auburn tom waited for his mentor to walk out of the camp.  With a twitch of his whiskers, Warrun whipped his head around to survey the area.  No Alliance cats appeared in sight...and everyone was snoozing inside or preparing for the battles to come.  Without looking back at Sylvester, Warrun began to walk with a brisk pace.  As of late the adolescent had grown a habit of walking quickly as if walking toward a fire.  He himself did not understand why he walked like this, but his mind was clouded with other thoughts than about his speed.  He spoke as the two cats traveled away from their home, "I wonder who we'll meet...will we meet one of my siblings?"  His eyes shone like gems at the thought of seeing Maika again, yet his heart groaned that it would be very unlikely.  She's probably too busy working with Ma and Da to take time to visit me...  As the tom continued to think about the various cats they could meet, the surrounding area suddenly changed from fields of grass to tall trees.  Warrun slowed to a stop, flicking his ears for any sound.  "We're out of  Air Tribe territory now...should we keep going?"  He turned to face his mentor, hoping his pace hadn't tired out the cat.  Silly, Sylvester wouldn't get tuckered out that easily!

The white tabby tomcat quickened his pace, gritting his teeth slightly as he contemplated his apprentice's movements. And as he studied his body-language, Warrun was giving away some hastiness in his pace, also, hints of excitement and nervousness. Even his voice held a subtle hint of anxiety. 'Come on Warrun, no need to be so hasty. Let's take our time. Besides, if someone sees us, I could always say that we're out to hunt or train.' The tall grass parted in front of him, revealing another world before themselves. Sylvester's heart skipped a beat as he realized how fast they were moving. At that rate, they'd be in Fire Tribe's camp in no time. Well.. Fire tribe's territory at most. Sylvester wasn't really looking forward to setting foot in that dreadful place, even less in the heart of their camp. Gulping, Sylvester moved to stand beside his apprentice, his eyes flickering around the scenery. "I think we should. The quicker we get there.. the better," he murmured, lowering his head as he spoke. "... But really, all that you need to worry for now is to get there safe. No one needs to see that. If we were ever found out... I doubt that it'll be ignored. Once there, we'll try guessing which of your family we'll meet," but deep inside, Sylvester hoped that it would be Maika. He too was curious to see how the young devilish she-cat was doing and see how she was coping in her new home.

Warrun glanced at the white tabby, "All righty."  Without much else to say, Warrun flicked his tail and began to move again.  He opened his jaws to breathe in scents.  All he needed was the smell of burning...and he tried to recollect his memories from being a kit in the heated Fire Tribe territory.  As the cats arrived at a stream, Warrun detoured to take a sip from the water, already thawed out from the winter.  The refreshing coolness of the stream revived his tired limbs from walking so fast.  The tom chuckled to himself, "Gosh, I really should slow down or else my legs will fall off from my body.  Then what good of an apprentice would I be?"  He joked as he licked his lips.  Glancing up at the sky, Warrun estimated that they would arrive at the Fire Tribe territory before the sun went down.

But for that, they needed to get a move on. With the sun falling to the horizon, it was just a matter of time before nightfall engulfed them whole. "I'd like to say the same but for now, we must hurry. Less talking, more walking," Sylvester meowed which was a little contradictory for the white tabby to say. He, who normally was the one to speak a lot... though right now, all he wanted was to get it over with. The more time they took to get there, the darker will be the night when they will return back to Air Tribe, if they were lucky enough to run into one of his family members instead of a random Rebellious cat who could harm them both, or worse, capture them. Being held hostage was the last thing Sylvester wanted. It would be hell to be kept in a land full of cinder, with the constant stench of smoke in the air. Just the thought was enough to bring chills to the American short-hair. This time, Sylvester pushed ahead, now guiding his apprentice towards the empty part of the island. The volcano was clear ahead, fuming as it always did. The tree slowly thinned out of sight, leaving only a worn trail of twigs and dried up plants. "Here we are.." Sylvester meowed, lifting his head to observe the vast landscape of sand and rocks stretching before their eyes. He went on, his voice low. "Fire tribe's territory.. We've made it at least," his voice trailed off momentarily as he slowly backed away, his ears flattened against his skull. "I know it may sound crazy but if we think about it, our presence here has already proven that... We're crazy... Warrun beyond this spot you'll be alone. I cannot make this journey any more dangerous than it already is. So you have to go on on your own. And I'm not deserting you. I'll be outside of the borders, waiting for you. It's just... I fear that if they see me with you, they might start to misinterpret the true reason of our motives. You are the son of the leader. I believe they will do nothing to you, and if they do, I'll be right up the corner to come to your aid." Sylvester explained, hoping that his apprentice would understand.

Warrun was perfectly okay with not talking the whole trip toward the Rebellion's main camp - his former home.  Along the way, his thoughts were pricked with what he would say or do if he had, indeed, met a relative in the territory.  Would they be nice?  Would they welcome him?  Or...would they take him hostage?  Warrun felt his paws trembling a little.  I don't want to be taken into Fire Tribe territory as a hostage...  It dawned on the tom how serious and dangerous and...yes, crazy this situation was.  All for meeting up with a family member.  But, Warrun tucked in his fears and put on a bold face for his mentor.  Puffing out his chest, he flicked his ears forward, alert for any sounds.  Looking in the other tom's eyes, Warrun meowed, "I trust that you will help me if something goes wrong.  If I'm not back by sun up, go get help."  Warrun figured he wouldn't be in the territory long...and didn't want to stay long either.  Just a short talk...  With a sigh, he slowly padded away from the white tabby.  After a few steps, he stopped.  The auburn cat quickly spun around and dashed toward Sylvester, to whom he gave an affectionate nuzzle, purring loudly.  "Thank you..."  He mewed, before pulling away to head into the scorching, craggy earth.

Deep inside, Sylvester hope that it wouldn't be the case. Warrun HAD to be back before sunhigh or else, he might be cursed to whatever torture or imprisonment those fire cats would make of him. The reason? Sylvester was clearly not going to let his apprentice to face such a fate alone. No, he would go search for him himself if he needed to, if he had to. Running back to Air Tribe for help would be the last thing to do. As contradictory as ut sounded, it was all so very simple and clear. If Sylvester did that, not only would he endanger the rest of the Alliance's plan, but he would be bombarded with explaining to do. A LOT of explaining to do and if he were to tell the truth... he doubted that anyone would sacrifice their safety for a youngster that could not remain loyal to the Alliance. That's how the rest of the Alliance would have seen it. As not a simple talk with a member of his family, but as a conspiracy. Warrun would be banished along with his sister! And it would be all Sylvester's fault! The tom shook his head, shaking the dark thoughts away from his mind. He needed to stop worrying so much. This was something that had to be done. All that he desired was to see his apprentice back to the way he was before. And as he was about to wish good luck to his apprentice, the auburn tomcat halted, dead on his tracks. Sylvester closed his jowls tightly, wondering if something had come up. Had they already been busted?! But to his grand surprise, a warm and affectionate nuzzle followed after that 'breath held' moment. Sylvester smiled, nuzzling the tom back as he whispered a silent prayer. "Be careful, Warrun." He ended with a very hushed voice, his eyes glistening as he watched his apprentice pad back towards the Volcano. His heart heavy as he wondered; 'Have I lead my own apprentice to his end?'