Flamewind padded into camp, paws itching to find Falconfeather. "Hey, Riverpelt!" He called. The deputy turned and padded over.

"Everything alright?" He asked.

Flamewind hesitated. He hadn't even thought about what to say about the rogues. "Uhm, well I caught a whiff of rogue scent down by the river." He said. Rogue scent and a little more.

The grey tom's eyes widened. "Fresh?" He asked agitatedly. Flamewind nodded, wondering if that had been the right decision.

"I was actually wondering if Falconfeather was around." He blurted quickly.

Riverpelt turned. "Falconfeather?" He repeated, almost warily. "She's on patrol. Insisted she wanted to continue hunting. She went out this morning on Brightstorm's patrol, then again with Bramblestrike." Flamewind nodded, eyes down. He was glaring irritatedly at the ground, but the deputy obviously took it for something else. He coughed hesitantly. "The RainClan cats won't be here forever." He said eventually, a warning in his voice. He turned and padded away as another cat called his name. Flamewind looked up, watching him go. If Falconfeather wasn't there to provide answers, he'd just have to ask some other cat. But who? Glancing around his eyes landed on Goldberry, who was sunning herself outside the nursery, her kits playing around her.

"Hey Goldberry!" He called, waving his tail in greeting. She looked up and smiled.

"Hello Flamewind." She purred "need something?"

"Uh, well I was just wanting to know about my mother." He said awkwardly, hearing how weird the question sounding coming from a full grown cat, out of the blue.

Goldberry looked up, bewilderedly. "What? Where is this coming from, Flamewind?" She asked, looking confused.

"I-it's, uh just with all that's going on I realized that I never really knew who my mother was."

Goldberry smiled softly. "Oh Flamewind. I remember you when you were only a kit!" She smiled fondly, but Fernkit tugged on her mother's tail.

"Mother, I'm hungry!" She mewed. Birchkit played a little ways away and he was about to fall into the fresh kill pile. Goldberry rose swiftly and snatched him up before he could, initiating a lecture soon after. Flamewind sighed, no answers would come from her in a while.

The young tom stood and looked around. Everycat seemed so busy. He spotted Mossflight leading a patrol out, Rosepaw was sorting herbs in front of the medicine den, Riverpelt was in deep conversation with Scorchfur, and Creekpaw was bringing moss to the elder's den. Flamewind looked up sharply. The elders! Of course! He stood and padded quickly to the elders den. Of course the elders would know his mother, they'd been there for his birth! Padding over quickly he crept into the elder's den.

"You don't know what that's like, here in MistClan," Lilactail was saying to an extremely bored and harried looking Creekpaw.

Twistedtail looked up at Flamewind. "Hello." The old tom greeted him. "Need something?" Creekpaw looked relieved that their attention was shifted and slipped out of the den as quickly and quietly as he could manage.

"Uhm," Flamewind said, cursing himself again for rushing into the conversation without knowing what he was going to say. "No, I just want to know something." He said stupidly, feeling like his tongue was too large for his mouth.

"Eh?" Cloudedear said, tilting his head so he could hear better. "Flamewind came to hear stories?" He gave a rasping purr. "You're never too old for a good story I reckon."

"Yea." Lilywater said, rolling her eyes. She turned to Flamewind. "Never shuts up this one."

"Aw, it's Twistedtail you've got to watch out for." Half-ear said. "I heard 'round here he's called Longtongue!" Twistedtail laughed, ducking his head.

"It's our job as elders to pass on the stories and lessons to the young cats of our clan." He defended himself good-naturedly.

"Ah yes." Flamewind interrupted the elder banter quickly. "But I would really like to hear about Emberheart." He said in a rush.

"Emberheart?" Lilactail said. Her voice was full of disgust and disdain and it twisted Flamewind's heart. Who was his mother?

"Y-yes." He stammered. He hadn't been expecting that kind of response. Lilactail was glaring disapprovingly at him and Half-ear looked confused. The MistClan elders only looked stunned.

"Ya mean that 'ole me-" Half-ear began in a just as scornful voice before Lilywater cut him off.

"Flamewind she was a great asset to our clan. She was very brave and worked hard for her clan."

Half-ear glared at Lilywater. "I'd hardly call that bravery." He muttered.

"What?" Flamewind said, so confused. What was Half-ear going to say? And why didn't his own elders want him to know whatever they were hiding? "Emberheart. I don't need to know how she was an asset to her clan, I don't need to know that she died bravely in kitting, I need to know who she was. You're all hiding something I need to know the truth." He said firmly.

"Emberheart." Lilactail spat again.

"Flamewind." Cloudedear said quickly. "Your mother was a great cat." He said, but was looking at Lilactail and Half-ear instead of him. His eyes seemed to be pleading and the RainClan elders looked shocked.

"This is her son?!" Lilactail exclaimed. Flamewind looked at her confusedly. "And he doesn't know who his mother is?"

Half-ear glared. "You never told him?"

"He doesn't need to know, nocat blamed him and we don't want him blaming himself. He shouldn't be burdened by the mistakes of his parents." Lilywater said in a low voice.

"Burdened? Mistakes?" Flamewind meowed, astonished. His gaze grew hard. They'd known something and they never told him. They never realized how much it ate away at him to not know where he came from. Nocat understood. "I need answers. I need the truth. Now." He said fiercely. "Who was Emberheart. Who was Brackenflame?"

Lilactail scowled disapprovingly. "Everycat has the right to know his heritage."

"It can only hurt him." Lilywater protested sharply.

"No." Flamewind said. "I'm not a kit anymore and I deserve to know the truth! What have you all been hiding from me?!"

Lilywater sighed heavily. Cloudedear looked down and Twistedtail shifted his paws. "I've kept the secret for his own good this long." Lilywater said sharply. "I do not agree with this and won't break it now."

"Cowards." Flamewind thought but kept his ears pricked and his thoughts to himself.

"Cowards." Lilactail spat aloud. "You're mother was Emberheart, eh?" She said, turning to Flamewind. The orange furred tom nodded. "Emberheart was a medicine cat." The old she cat said bluntly. Lilywater winced and the other MistClan elders looked at their paws. Flamewind stood shocked, but before he could get a word in edgewise Twistedtail interrupted her.

"He needs to know the true story, not some tale warped across clan boundaries." The old tom sighed. "She broke the code and was bearing Brackenflame's kits. Before she had them she gave Mintleaf his name and set her apprentice up to be medicine cat and then she ran off with Brackenflame. Nocat knows exactly what had happened or where they'd gone, but somewhere maybe a half moon later she had her litter of three. As you know your brother died and you and your sister lived."

"Emberheart." Was all Flamewind could get out, not yet fully understanding what he was hearing. "She died."

Twistedtail shook his head, grimacing but going on. "Apparently she couldn't stay away from her clan and the pair came back. Their return was not received well and it is a great shame for our clan. They, we, prohibited Emberheart from serving as a medicine cat and Brackenflame from serving as a warrior and the clan was in turmoil as to what was to be done with them. Eventually Foxstar, who was leader at that time, decided that they were to be exiled, but Emberheart, seemingly driven to madness by her clan turning their backs on her and not being able to fulfill her life's purpose," he hesitated then closed his eyes and went on, "killed herself." Twistedtail shuddered and Cloudedear finished the woeful tale.

"Brackenflame was never right after that, and Snowytail took you and your sister. Brackenflame swore an oath of loyalty to the clan and was returned to warrior duties but about a moon later he left us. A patrol found blood and badger scent by the river and we concurred that he had died defending his clan one last time. A last honorable act of service for his clan."

Flamewind looked up, gaze unreadable.

A/N 😈😈 so sorry for the long wait, if you hadn't figured it out by now I am a slow writer and take a long time to perfect my chapters...😅
Answers finally! And don't worry, it is important to the plot. . .