[Ziera]

// @spade | @Zero

Stormtalon’s half-ear swerved toward Iris’ grumbling mew. “After,” he said with a dismissive flick of his tail. If all went well, Iris would have plenty of time to play with the RiverClan kits.

Call him soft-hearted, call him whatever, but no: Stormtalon wouldn’t leave her to fend for herself. He wouldn’t leave any kit to that sort of fate; ever since Silverfish abandoned her family, the blood of a protector ran in Stormtalon’s veins. It didn’t matter what happened to him, didn’t matter that finding Iris shook the tom’s foundation, pulled ghosts from his past to live again; Storm would deal with it and ensure Iris was safe and cared for to the best of his ability. It was that simple.

Kestrel’s comment had the tabby’s brows arching. “No, it involves something else.” A little deadpan snark. He shared a mutual respect with Kestrelstar that might border on friendliness, although Storm didn’t know if he liked hearing sass from anyone other than Snakeheart. Oh well.

“This is Iris,” Stormtalon continued, and this time, he looked down at the kit in question. She didn’t know their connection yet because he never said his name. Storm briefly considered whether Iris would overreact, maybe throw a tantrum because how dare she be related to such a boring character?

It was still all so...strange. Suppressing his thoughts felt like trying to stuff them into a tiny box; they kept leaking out the sides. “I’m asking you to accept her as a full-fledged member of RiverClan—under my supervision.” A pause as Storm debated about saying everything in front of Iris. Hell…what does it matter? “I have some reason to believe we share the same mother - Silverfish, a deserter from moons ago.” Twenty-two, to be exact. “I’m confident I can turn Iris into a productive member of the clan.”

Now Stormtalon went quiet, waiting for the penny to drop.