Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

                                                                                                                       ALLEGIANCES

                                                                                                                     THUNDER COLONY

LEADER  Star Blue Fur - blue-gray molly, tinged with silver around her muzzle, a silver leaders mark on her forehead, a large scar across her broad shoulders, and blue eyes.

DEPUTY  Red Tail – small tortoiseshell tom with long fur, a distinctive bushy dark ginger tail and amber eyes .

APPRENTICE : Dust

HEALER  Spotted Leaf – small dark tortoiseshell molly with a distinctive dappled coat and amber eyes.

WARRIORS

Rose Petal – gray calico tabby molly with a distinctive bushy pinkish red tail and yellow eyes. (Rosetail)

Lion Heart – large fluffy golden tabby tom with thick fur around his neck like a lion’s mane and green eyes.

APPRENTICE: Gray

Tiger Claw –  big dark brown tabby tom with long hair, amber eyes and unusually long front claws.

APPRENTICE: Raven

Feather Fall – deaf white tom with blue eyes. (Featherkit)

Cricket Song - blue-gray jack with blue eyes. (Cricketkit)

White Storm – big white tom with yellow eyes.

APPRENTICE: Sand

Cherry Blossom – white molly with large orange patches, orange eyes and a large scar. (Cherrypaw)

Chestnut Pelt – reddish-brown jack with lighter paws, muzzle and chest and orange eyes. (Chestnutkit)

Running Wind – swift light brown tabby tom with green eyes.

Willow Branch – very pale gray-and-cream dilute calico molly with unusual blue eyes. (Willowpelt)

Brindle Face – pale gray tabby molly with green eyes.

Dark Stripe – spiky dark gray tabby tom with a dark stripe along his spine and yellow eyes.

Mouse Fur – small dull brown molly with yellow eyes.

Long Tail – tall pale brown tabby tom with spiky fur, dark stripes, blue-green eyes and extremely long limbs.

APPRENTICES

Dust – dark brown tom with a lighter dash on his chest, a lighter tipped tail and amber eyes.

Raven – small skinny black tom with a white dash on his chest, white-tipped tail and green eyes.

Sand – pale cream tabby molly with green eyes.

Gray – long haired gray tom with a dark stripe along his spine and yellow eyes.

QUEENS AND CARETAKERS

Frost Fur – beautiful white molly with partial hearing loss and blue eyes. (Caring for Bright, a white molly with ginger patches and blue eyes, Thorn, a golden brown tabby tom with pale blue eyes, Bracken, a golden brown tabby tom with amber eyes and Cinder, a smoky dark gray molly with blue eyes.)

Golden Flower – beautiful fluffy golden molly with golden eyes. (Caring for Swift, a white tom with black patches and pale amber eyes and Lynx, a small tortoiseshell molly with amber eyes.)

Speckle Tail – long furred pale golden tabby molly with amber eyes, oldest permanent nursery caretaker.

Thrush Pelt – pale grayish brown tom with a white flash on his chest and bright green eyes, second oldest permanent nursery caretaker.

ELDERS

Dapple Tail – beautiful tortoiseshell molly with white patches and amber eyes.

Patch Pelt – small black and white tom with yellow eyes.

Sparrow Pelt – big scruffy dark brown tabby tom with part of his tail missing and yellow eyes. (Halftail)

Small Ears – gray tom with very small ears and amber eyes.

Fog Snap – pale gray molly with one clawed out eye and one yellow eye and poor hearing, the oldest cat in Thunder Colony. (One-eye)

                                                                                                        SHADOW COLONY

LEADER  Star Broken Tail – long haired dark brown tabby tom with many scars, a broad flat face, a broken tail, a dark brown leaders mark and orange eyes.

APPRENTICE: Vole

DEPUTY  Black Paws – large white tom with huge jet black paws, a black tail, ears and face, and yellow eyes. (Blackfoot)

HEALER(S)

Yellow Fang – old dark gray molly with a broad, flattened face and wide amber eyes.

Wet Nose – small gray-and-white tom with long fur and amber eyes. (Runningnose)

WARRIORS

Rowan Berry – cream and brown molly with amber eyes.

Wolf Step – gray tom with a torn ear and yellow eyes.

APPRENTICE: Rat

Scorch Wind – ginger tabby tom with green eyes.

Claw Face – sturdy battle-scarred brown tom with orange eyes.

APPRENTICE: Little

Boulder – big silver tabby tom with torn ears and blue eyes.

APPRENTICE: Wet

Russet Fur – dark ginger molly with green eyes.

Dark Flower – black molly with yellow eyes.

Bracken Foot - pale ginger tom with darker legs and yellow eyes.

APPRENTICE: Snow

Finch Flight – black and white tom with pale yellow eyes.

Flint Fang – gray tom with amber eyes.

APPRENTICE: Badger

Fern Shade – small tortoiseshell molly with amber eyes.

Tangle Burr – gray-and-brown molly with dark green eyes.

Stumpy Tail – brown tabby tom with green eyes.

APPRENTICE: Brown

Nut Whisker – brown tom with amber eyes.

Ash Heart - pale grey molly with blue eyes.

Cinder Fur – thin dark gray tom with orange eyes.

Apple Fur – mottled brown molly with pale green eyes.

Newt Speck – small black and ginger tortoiseshell molly with yellow eyes.

APPRENTICE: White

Deer Foot – light brown tom with yellow eyes.

APPRENTICES

Rat – dark brown tom with pale green eyes.

Snow – pure white molly with green eyes.

Brown – small brown tom with orange eyes.

Vole – small light brown tom with a scarred hind leg and yellow eyes

Wet – small gray spotted tabby with green eyes.

Little – small brown tabby tom with blue eyes.

White – small black tom with a white chest and paws.

Badger - very tiny fluffy black-and-white tom with green eyes and stripes like a badgers.

QUEENS AND CARETAKERS

Dawn Cloud – small pale ginger tabby molly with blue eyes (caring for Swamp, a white tom with ginger tabby patches and green eyes, and Blossom, a white molly with green eyes.)

Tall Poppy – long legged light brown tabby molly, permanent nursery caretaker. (caring for Oak, a small light-brown tom with green eyes)

Bright Flower – orange tabby molly with a flat face and wide-set amber eyes. (caring for Marigold, a tiny tortoiseshell molly with light-green eyes, and Mint, a small gray tom with light-green eyes.)

ELDERS

Feather Storm – dark brown tabby molly with yellow eyes.

Ash Fur – thin gray tom with green eyes.

Crow Tail – sleek small black tabby molly with green eyes.

Night Pelt – black tom with green eyes who retired early.

Arch Eye – gray tabby tom with black stripes, a thick stripe over his left eye and green eyes.

Holly Flower – sleek dark gray and white molly with blue-green eyes.

                                                                                                        WIND COLONY

LEADER  Star Tall Tail – slender black-and-white tom with amber eyes, a black leaders mark and a very long tail.

DEPUTY  Hop Step – black tom with a twisted forepaw and green eyes. (Deadfoot)

HEALER  Bark Face – brown tom with yellow eyes and a short tail.

WARRIORS

Rye Stalk – gray tabby molly with amber eyes and soft fur.

Stag Leap – huge broad-shouldered dark brown tom with amber eyes.

Doe Spring - a light brown molly with green eyes.

Rush Tail – skinny creamy-brown tom with light blue eyes.

Mud Claw – short dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes.

APPRENTICE: Web

Cloud Runner - pale gray tom with green eyes.

Torn Ear – short gray tabby tom with a torn ear and pale eyes.

APPRENTICE: White

Cinder - broad-faced dark gray molly with blue eyes.

Aspen Fall - lithe gray-and-white tom with sleek fur, long legs, a wiry tail and yellow eyes.

Plum Claw – small dark gray molly with blue eyes.

APPRENTICE: Brook

Wren Flight – brown molly with green eyes.

Pigeon Flight – dark gray tom with white patches and dark eyes.

APPRENTICE: Thrush

Bristle Bark – black tom with amber eyes.

Tiny Frost – tiny black tom with icy blue eyes and one white paw.

APPRENTICE: Stone

Oat Whisker – creamy brown tabby tom with pale yellow eyes.

One Whisker – lean pale brown tabby tom with amber eyes.

APPRENTICES:

Stone - a gray tom with amber eyes

Thrush - a tortoiseshell molly with green eyes

Brook – light gray tabby molly with light green eyes. (Runningbrook)

Web – wiry dark gray tabby tom with orange eyes.

White – small white molly with light green eyes.

QUEENS AND CARETAKERS:

Bailey - sleek furred brown tabby and white molly with yellow eyes.

Ash Foot – broad faced gray molly with blue eyes. (caring for Eagle, a small gray tom)

Morning Flower – tortoiseshell and white molly with amber eyes.

Flying Tail - white tom with blue-green eyes. (Flytail)

Sorrel Shine – gray and brown tortoiseshell molly with bright yellow eyes. (caring for Tawny, a golden-brown molly.)

ELDERS:

Dark Foot – blue-gray tom with darker paws, a lighter chest and belly, a white muzzle and yellow eyes.

Crow Fur – black tom with a silver muzzle, patchy fur and a scarred flank.

Meadow Slip - light-gray molly with amber eyes.

Hare Flight - light brown tom with green eyes.

Mist Mouse - light brown tabby molly with green eyes.

Red Claw -  small dark ginger tom with green eyes.                                                   

                                                                                                  RIVER COLONY

LEADER  Star Creek Storm  – huge light brown tabby with a twisted jaw, green eyes and a brown leaders mark. (Crookedstar)

DEPUTY  Oak Heart – large reddish brown tom with yellow eyes.

HEALER  Muddy Fur – light brown tom with long hair and golden eyes.

WARRIORS 

Pike Tooth – skinny dark brown tabby tom with graying fur, portruding bottom teeth and yellow eyes.

Petal Dust – tortoiseshell molly with green eyes.

Shimmering Pelt – night black molly with a glossy pelt and blue eyes. (Shimmerpelt)

Timber Fur – big burly dark brown tom with long fur and amber eyes.

Ripple Claw - grizzled black-and-silver tom with sleek fur and green eyes.

Beetle Nose – black tom with amber eyes.

Vole Claw – gray tom with pale blue eyes.

White Fang - huge snowy white tom with a striped brown tail, brown paws, a brown face and green eyes.

APPRENTICE: White

Soft Wing - small, lithe, white molly with light-brown tabby patches and amber eyes.

Owl Fur - brown-and-white tom with a white-splashed muzzle, a small head, sleek fur and green eyes.

Otter Splash – pale ginger molly with white patches, long sleek fur, a torn ear and pale blue eyes.

Black Claw – smoky black tom with orange eyes and a torn ear tip.

APPRENTICE: Heavy

Leopard Fur – unusally spotted golden tabby molly with amber eyes.

Sun Fish - pale-gray molly with amber eyes.

Sky Heart – pale brown tabby molly with green eyes and two torn ears.

APPRENTICE: Silver

Green Flower – brown tabby molly with a white splash under her chin, a white hind paw and green eyes.

Reed Tail – pale gray tabby tom with orange eyes and a long tail.

Misty Foot – blue-gray molly with long sleek fur and blue eyes.

Stone Fur – buff pale blue-gray tom with blue eyes.

Moss Heart – gray-and-white molly with long sleek fur, frostbitten ears, paws and tail and amber eyes. (Mosskit)

Frog Leap – gray tom with a striped tail and amber eyes.

Ember Dawn – dark ginger molly with blue eyes.

Sedge Creek – brown tabby molly with a long tail and green eyes.

Mallow Tail – tortoiseshell tabby and white molly with green eyes.

Bright Dawn – ginger and white molly with hazel eyes. (Dawnbright)

Grass Whisker – brown tabby molly with green eyes.

Vixen Leap – large black molly with amber eyes.

Loud Belly – dark brown tom with green eyes.

APPRENTICES

Silver – silver tabby molly with long-ish fur and blue eyes.

White – brown tom with white paws and amber eyes.

QUEENS AND CARETAKERS

Dappled Moss – tortoiseshell and white molly with long fur and blue eyes. Permanent nursery caretaker. (Mosspelt)

Swan Song – a silver tabby jack with green eyes. Permanent nursery caretaker. (Swankit)

Lily Stem – pale gray tabby molly with long fur and green eyes. (Caring for Heavy, a big brown tabby tom with yellow eyes, and Shade, a black molly with long fur and yellow eyes.)

ELDERS

Tangle Whisker – pale brown tabby tom with long fur, green eyes and torn ear.

Bird Song – pale ginger tabby and white molly with long fur and amber eyes.

Lake Shine – mottled gray and white molly with long fur and pale yellow eyes.

Cedar Pelt – large brown tabby tom with a short tail and green eyes.

Gray Pool – dark gray molly with yellow eyes who retired early due to memory loss and joint pain.

                                                                                         CATS OUTSIDE THE COLONIES

Barley – black-and-white loner tom with blue eyes who lives on a farm.

Piper - silver-and-white loner molly with green eyes who lives on a farm.

Soot - black loner molly with green eyes who lives on a farm.

Henry – brown tabby kittypet tom with blue eyes who lives in a house at the edge of the forest.

Pine – massive reddish-brown tabby kittypet tom with a muzzle criss-crossed with scars, a torn ear and green eyes.

Smudge – black-and-white kittypet tom with yellow eyes who lives in a house at the edge of the forest.

Rusty – flame-colored ginger kittypet tom with green eyes who lives in a house at the edge of the forest.

Chapter Text

A half-moon shone on smooth boulders, turning them silver. The silence was broken only by the ripple of water from the river and the whisper of trees from the forest beyond.

There was a stirring in the shadows as lithe dark shapes crept stealthily over the rocks, emerging from both the forest and the riverbank. Unsheathed claws glinted in the moonlight, eyes flashed in the darkness. And then, as if on a silent signal, the creatures leapt at each other, and suddenly the rocks were alive with wrestling, screeching cats.

At the center of the frenzy of fur and claws, a massive dark tabby pinned a reddish-brown tom to the ground and threw his head up triumphantly. “Oak Heart!” the tabby growled “How dare you trespass on our territory! The Sunningrocks belong to Thunder Colony!”

“After tonight, Tiger Claw, the Sunningrocks will once again belong to River Colony, as they always should have!” the other tom spat back.

A warning yowl came from the shore, shrill and anxious. “Look out! More River Colony warriors are coming!”

Tiger Claw turned to see sleek wet bodies sliding out of the water. The drenched River Colony warriors bounded silently up the shore and hurled themselves into battle without even stopping to shake the water from their fur.

The desperate scream of a Thunder Colony molly rose above the clamor. A grizzled River Colony tom had pinned the brown warrior flat on her belly. Now he lunged toward her neck with jaws still dripping from the swim across the river.

Tiger Claw heard the cry and let go of Oak Heart, running toward his colonymate. With a mighty leap, he knocked the enemy warrior away from the molly. “Quick, Mouse Fur, run!” he ordered, before turning on the River Colony tom who had attacked her. Mouse Fur scrambled to her paws, wincing from a deep gash on her shoulder, and sprinted away.

Behind her, Tiger Claw spat with rage as the River Colony tom sliced open his nose. The blood blinded him for an instant, but he lunged forward regardless and sank his teeth into his enemies hind leg. The River Colony cat screeched and struggled free.

“Tiger Claw!” The yowl came from a small tortoiseshell warrior with a dark red tail. “This is useless! There are too many River Colony warriors!”

“No, Red Tail. Thunder Colony will never be beaten!” Tiger Claw yowled back as he leapt to Red Tail’s side. “This is our territory!” Blood welled across his broad muzzle, and he shook his head impatiently, scattering scarlet drops onto the rocks.

“Thunder Colony honors your courage, Tiger Claw, but we cannot afford to lose any more of our warriors after last season’s greencough wave.” Red Tail urged. “Star Blue Fur would never expect her warriors to fight against these impossible odds. We will have another chance to avenge this defeat.” He met Tiger Claw’s amber gaze steadily, then reared away and sprang onto a boulder at the edge of the trees.

“Retreat, Thunder Colony, retreat!” he yowled. At once his warriors squirmed and struggled away from their opponents. Spitting and snarling, they backed toward Red Tail. For a heartbeat, the River Colony cats looked confused. Was this battle so easily won? Then Oak Heart yowled a jubilant cry. As soon as they heard him, the River Colony warriors raised their voices and joined their deputy in caterwauling their victory.

Red Tail looked down at his warriors. With a flick of his bushy tail, he gave the signal and the Thunder Colony cats disappeared into the trees.

Tiger Claw followed last. He hesitated at the edge of the forest and looked back at the bloodstained battlefield, his face grim and his eyes furious slits. Then he leaped after his colony into the silent forest.

In a deserted clearing, a blue-gray molly sat alone, staring up at the clear night sky. All around her in the shadows she could hear the breathing and stirrings of sleeping cats.

A small tortoiseshell molly emerged from a dark corner, her pawsteps quick and soundless.

The gray cat dipped her head in greeting. “How is Mouse Fur?” she meowed.

“Her wounds are deep, Star Blue Fur,” answered the tortoiseshell, settling herself on the night-cool grass next to the other cat. “But she is strong, she will heal quickly.”

Blue Fur sighed. “We are lucky to not have lost any of our warriors this time. You are a gifted healer, Spotted Leaf.” She titled her head again and studied the stars. “I am deeply troubled by tonight’s defeat. Thunder Colony has not been beaten in its own territory since I became leader,” she murmured. “These are difficult times for our colony. The season of newleaf is late, greencough hit us hard last leafbare, and there have been fewer kits. Thunder Colony needs more warriors if we are to survive.”

“Most kits are born during the warmer seasons, and the year is only just beginning” Spotted Leaf pointed out calmly. “There will be more kits when greenleaf comes.”

The gray cat twitched her ear. “Perhaps. But training our young to become warriors takes time. If Thunder Colony is to defend its territory, it must have new warriors as soon as possible.”

“Are you asking Star Colony for answers?” meowed Spotted Leaf gently, following her leaders gaze and staring up at the swath of stars glittering in the dark sky.

“It is at times like this we need the words of our ancestors to help us. Has Star Colony spoken to you?” the gray molly asked.

“Not in some moons Star Blue Fur.” Before the healer could continue, a blazing star shot across the treetops. Spotted Leaf’s bushy tail twitched and the fur along her spine bristled.

Blue Fur’s ears pricked but she remained silent as Spotted Leaf continued to gaze upward, her eyes wide.

After a few moments, Spotted Leaf lowered her head and turned to the other molly. “It was a message from Star Colony,” she murmured “Fire alone can save the colonies.”

“Fire?” Blue Fur echoed. “But fire is dangerous! How can it save us?”

Spotted Leaf shook her head. “I do not know,” she admitted “But this is the message Star Colony has shared with me.”

The Thunder Colony leader fixed her clear blue eyes on the healer. “You have never been wrong before, Spotted Leaf,” she meowed. “If Star Colony has spoken, then it must be so. Fire will save our colony.”

Chapter Text

It was very dark. Rusty could sense something was near. The young tom’s eyes widened as he scanned the dense undergrowth. This place was unfamiliar, but the strange scents drew him onward, deeper into the shadows. His stomach growled, reminding him of his hunger. He opened his jaws slightly to let the warm smells of the forest reach the scent glands on the roof of his mouth. Musty odors of leaf mold mingled with the tempting aroma of a small furry creature.

Suddenly a flash of gray raced past him. Rusty stopped, listening. It was hiding in the leaves less than two tail-lengths away. Rusty knew it was a mouse, he could hear the rapid pulsing of a tiny heart. He swallowed, stifling his rumbling stomach. Soon his hunger would be satisfied.

Slowly he lowered his body into position, crouching as he prepared to pounce. He was downwind of the mouse. He knew it was not aware of him. With one final check on the position of his prey, Rusty pushed back on his haunches and sprang, kicking up leaves on the forest floor as he rose.

The mouse dived for cover, heading toward a hole in the ground. But Rusty was already on top of it. He scooped it into the air, hooking the small rodent on his sharp claws, flinging it up in a high arc onto the leaf-covered ground. The mouse landed, dazed but alive. It tried to run, but Rusty snatched it up again. He tossed the mouse once more, this time a little farther away. The mouse managed to scramble a few paces before Rusty caught up with it.

Suddenly a noise roared nearby. Rusty looked around, and as he did so, the mouse was able to pull away from his claws. When Rusty turned back around he saw it dart into the darkness among the tangled roots of a nearby tree.

Angry, Rusty gave up the hunt. He spun around, his green eyes glaring, intent on searching out the noise that had cost him his kill. The sound rattled on, becoming more familiar. Rusty blinked open his eyes.

The forest had disappeared, He was inside a hot and airless kitchen, curled up on a chair. Moonlight filtered through the window, casting shadows on the smooth, hard floor. The noise had been the rattle of hard, dried pellets of food as they were tipped into his dish. Rusty had been dreaming.

He lifted his head. His too small collar rubbed uncomfortably around his neck. In his dream he had felt fresh air ruffling the soft fur where it usually pinched. Rusty rolled onto his back, savoring the dream for a few more moments. He could still smell mouse. It was the third time since the full moon that he’d had the dream, and every time the mouse had just barely escaped his grasp.

He licked his lips. From his bed he could smell the dry food that was dispensed into his dish every evening. Its smell chased away the warm scents of his dream. Hunger still rumbled in his stomach, so Rusty stretched the sleep out of his limbs and jumped off of the chair. He padded across the kitchen floor, toward the dish. He had never been the biggest fan of dried food, much preferring the wet food he had eaten when he still lived with his mother and siblings. The food felt dry and tasteless on his tongue. Rusty reluctantly swallowed one more mouthful. Then he turned away from the dish and pushed his way out through the cat flap, hoping that the smells of the garden would bring back the feelings from his dream.

Outside, the moon was bright. It was raining lightly. Rusty stalked down the tidy garden, following the gravel path lit by the stars, feeling the stones cold and sharp beneath his paws. He made his way past a large bush with glossy green leaves and heavy purple flowers. Their sickly sweet scent cloyed the damp air around him, and he curled his lip to drive the smell out of his nostrils.

Afterward, Rusty settled down on top of one of the posts in the fence that marked the limits of his garden. It was a favorite spot of his, as he could see right into the neighboring gardens as well as into the dense green forest on the other side of the garden fence.

The rain had stopped. Behind him, the close-cropped lawn was bathed in moonlight, but beyond the fence the woods were full of shadows. Rusty stretched his body forward to take a sniff of the damp air. His skin was warm and dry under his thick coat, but he could feel the weight of the raindrops that sparkled on his ginger fur.

Suddenly the fur on his spine prickled. Was something moving out there? Was something watching him? Rusty stared ahead, but it was impossible to see or smell anything in the dark, tree-scented air. He lifted his chin boldly, stood up, and stretched, one paw gripping each corner of the fencepost as he straightened his legs and arched his back. He closed his eyes and breathed in the smell of the woods once more. It seemed to promise him something, tempting him onward into the whispering shadows. Tensing his muscles, he crouched for a moment. Then he leapt down into the rough grass on the other side of the fence. As he landed. The bell on his collar rang out through the otherwise silent night.

“Where are you off to, Rusty?” meowed a familiar voice behind him.

Rusty looked up. A young black-and-white cat was balancing ungracefully on the fence.

“Hi, Smudge.” Rusty replied.

“You’re not going to go into the woods, are you?” Smudge’s amber eyes were huge.

“Just for a look.” Rusty promised, shifting uncomfortably.

“You wouldn’t get me in there. It’s dangerous!” Smudge wrinkled his small black nose with distaste. “Henry said he went into the woods once.” The cat lifted his head and gestured with his nose over the rows of fences toward the garden where Henry lived. “And Pine came from the woods, and he’s all covered in scars and such!”

“I still don’t believe that lazy old tabby ever went into the woods!” Rusty scoffed. “I heard that he just stole all his stories from other cats.”

“No really, he caught a robin there once!” Smudge continued, ignoring the scorn in Rusty’s voice. “Henry told me there are all sorts of dangerous animals out there! Huge wildcats that eat rabbits for breakfast and sharpen their claws on cat bones! And having seen Pine, I believe him!” The small black-and-white cat shuddered after mentioning Pine, a massive old scarred reddish-brown tom who lived nearby.

“Well, my mother told me both my father and grandmother went into the forest multiple times, and they were fine! Besides, I’m only going for a look around” Rusty meowed “I won’t stay long.”

“Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you!” purred Smudge. The black-and-white tom turned and jumped back down into his own garden.

Rusty sat down in the coarse grass beyond the garden fence. He gave his shoulder a nervous lick and wondered how much of Smudge’s gossip was true. Although he still didn’t believe Henry had ever went in to the forest, the fact that Pine was apparently from there and looked like he did put him on edge.

Suddenly the movement of a tiny creature caught his eye. He watched it scuttle under some brambles.

Instinct made him drop into a low crouch. With one slow paw after another he drew his body forward through the undergrowth. Ears pricked, nostrils flared, eyes unblinking, he moved toward the animal. He could see it clearly now, sitting among the barbed brambles, nibbling on a large seed it held in between its paws. It was a mouse.

Rusty rocked his haunches from side to side, preparing to leap. He held his breath in case the bell on his collar rang again. Excitement ran through him, making his heart pound. This was even better than his dreams! Then a sudden noise of cracking twigs and crunching leaves made him jump. His bell jangled treacherously, and the mouse darted away into the thickest part of the bramble bush.

Rusty stood very still and looked around. He could see the white tip of a red bushy tail trailing through a clump of tall ferns up a head. He smelled a strong strange scent, definitely a meat-eater but not a cat and not quite a dog. Distracted, Rusty forgot about the mouse and watched the red tail curiously. He wanted a better look.

All of Rusty’s senses strained ahead as he prowled forward. Then he detected another noise. It came from behind, but sounded muted and distant. He swiveled his ears backward to hear it better. Pawsteps? He wondered about the noise, but he kept his eyes fixed on the strange red-furred creature up ahead, and continued to creep onward. It was only when the faint rustling behind him became a loud and fast-approaching leaf-crackle that Rusty realized he was in danger.

The creature hit him like an explosion and Rusty was thrown sideways into a clump of nettles. Twisting and yowling, he tried to throw off the attacker that had fastened itself to his back. It was gripping him with its incredibly sharp claws and Rusty could feel pointy teeth prickling at his neck. He writhed and squirmed from whisker to tail, but couldn’t free himself. For a split second he felt helpless. Then he froze. Thinking fast, he flipped over onto his back. He knew ow dangerous it was to expose his soft belly, but it was his only chance.

He was lucky, the ploy seemed to work. He heard a strained exhale beneath him as the breath was knocked out of his attacker. Trashing fiercely, Rusty managed to wriggle free. Without looking back he sprinted toward the edge of the forest, back to the gardens.

Behind him, a rush of pawsteps told Rusty his attacker was giving chase. Even though the pain from his scratches stung beneath his fur, Rusty decided he would rather turn and fight than let himself be jumped on again.

He skidded to a stop, spun around, and faced his pursuer.

It was another kitten, with a thick coat of shaggy gray fur, strong legs and a broad face. In a heartbeat, Rusty could smell that the other cat was also a tom and that he was a little bit older than him, and sensed the power in the sturdy shoulders underneath the soft coat. Then the kitten crashed into Rusty at full speed. Surprised by Rusty’s turnabout, the other cat fell back into a dazed heap.

The impact knocked the breath out of Rusty, and he staggered. He quickly found his footing and arched his back, puffing out his orange fur, ready to spring onto the other kitten. But his attacker simply sat up and began to lick a forepaw, all signs of aggression gone.

Rusty felt strangely disappointed. Every part of him was tense, ready for battle.

“Hi there, kittypet!” meowed the gray tom in a cheerful voice “You put up quite a fight for a tame cat!”

Rusty remained on high alert for a second, wondering whether to attack anyway. Then he remembered the strength he had felt in this kitten’s paws when he had pinned him to the ground. He dropped back down, loosened his muscles, and let his spine unbend. “And I’ll fight you again if I have to.” he growled.

“I’m called Gray, by the way” the gray kitten went on, ignoring Rusty’s threat. “I’m training to be a Thunder Colony warrior.”

Rusty remained silent. He didn’t really understand what Gray was talking about, but he sensed the threat had passed. He hid his confusion by leaning down to lick his ruffled chest.

“What’s a kittypet like you doing out in the woods anyway? Don’t you know its dangerous?” Gray asked.

“If you’re the most dangerous thing the woods has to offer, then I think I can handle it. Besides, my father and grandmother both went into the forest before, and they’re doing fine.” Rusty bluffed. While his father, Jake, and grandmother, Crystal, had been fine, they had both also been way older than Rusty when they went into the woods.

Gray looked up at him for a second, narrowing his big yellow eyes. “Oh, I’m far from the most dangerous thing out here. If I was even half trained, I’d have given an intruder like you some real wounds to think about.”

Rusty felt a thrill of fear at those words. What did Gray mean by “intruder”?

“Anyway” Gray meowed, using his sharp teeth to tug a clump of grass out from in between his claws. “ I didn’t think it was worth hurting you. You’re obviously not from one of the other colonies.”

“Other colonies?” Rusty echoed the words, confused. He vaguely remembered hearing some cats talk about colonies of cats living in the wild. Was this were Pine had come from?

Gray let out an impatient hiss. “You must have heard of the four colonies that live around here! I belong to Thunder Colony. The other colonies are always trying to steal prey from our territory, especially River Colony and Shadow Colony. Shadow Colony is so fierce that they would have ripped you to shreds, no questions asked.’

Gray paused to spit angrily and continued. “They come to take prey and territory that is rightfully ours. It’s the job of the Thunder Colony warriors to keep them out of our borders. When I’ve finished my training, I’ll be so dangerous that I’ll have the other colonies shaking in their flea-bitten pelts. They won’t dare come near us then!”

Rusty narrowed his eyes. This must be one of the wild cats Smudge had warned him about! Living rough in the woods, hunting and fighting each other for every last scrap of food. Yet Rusty didn’t feel scared. In fact, it was hard to not admire this confident kitten. “So you’re not a warrior yet?” he asked.

“Why? Did you think I was” Gray purred proudly, then shook his wide, furry head. “I won’t be a real warrior for ages. I have to go through all the training first. Kits have to be six moons old before they even begin training. Tonight is my first night out as an apprentice.”

“But why?” Rusty meowed curiously. “You could always find yourself a nice cozy house instead, your life would be so much easier.” He continued “I bet plenty of housefolk would take in a kitten like you, all you have to do is sit in front of their door and look hungry for a couple of days”

“And only be let out when they allow it? No way!” Gray interrupted “I can’t think of anything worse than being a kittypet! They’re nothing but Twoleg playthings! Only eating weird stuff that doesn’t look like food, being confided to their garden even when they’re let out? That’s no life! We colony cats are free! We come and go as we please.” He finished his speech with a proud spit, then meowed mischievously, “Until you’ve tasted a freshly killed mouse, you haven’t lived. Have you ever tasted mouse?”

“No,” Rusty admitted, a little defensively. “Not yet.”

“I guess you’ll never understand.” Gray sighed. “You weren’t born into a colony, or even in the wild at all. It makes a big difference. You need to be born with warrior blood in your veins, or the feel of the wind in your whiskers. Cats born into Twoleg nests could never feel the same way.”

Rusty remembered the way he had felt in his dreams, how he had always been different than the other cats in the neighborhood, how he never truly felt connected to his housefolk like Smudge or Henry seemed to. “That’s not true!” he hissed indignantly.

Gray did not reply, and suddenly stiffened midlick, one paw still raised. His ears twitched and he sniffed the air. “I smell cats from my colony,” He hissed. “You should go, they’ll be really upset to find you in our territory!”

Rusty looked around, wondering how Gray knew that his colonymates were coming. He couldn’t smell anything different on the leaf-scented breeze. But his fur stood on end at the note of urgency in Gray’s voice.

“Quick!” the other tom hissed again. “Run!”

Rusty prepared to jump into the bushes, not knowing which way was safe to run.

He was too late. A voice meowed behind him, firm and menacing. “What’s going on here?”

Rusty turned to see a large blue-gray molly strolling majestically out from the undergrowth. She was magnificent. Silver hairs streaked her muzzle, and an ugly scar parted the fur across her shoulders, but her smooth coat shone in the moonlight.

“Star Blue Fur!” Beside Rust, Gray crouched down and narrowed his eyes. He crouched even lower when a second cat – a large, golden tabby – followed the gray molly into the clearing.

“You shouldn’t be so close to Twolegplace, Gray!” growled the golden tabby, narrowing his green eyes.

“I know, Lion Heart, I’m sorry.” Gray looked down at his paws.

Rusty copied Gray and crouched low to the forest floor, his ears twitching nervously. These cats had an air of strength he had never seen in any of his garden friends, not even Pine. Maybe what Smudge had warned him about was true.

“Who is this?” asked the molly.

Rusty flinched as she turned her gaze on him. Her piercing blue eyes made him feel even more vulnerable.

“He’s no threat, Star Blue Fur,” Gray mewed quickly. “He’s not an apprentice from another colony, just a Twoleg pet from beyond our territories.”

Just a Twoleg pet! The words inflamed Rusty, but he held his tongue. The warning look in Blue Fur’s stare told him that she had observed the anger in his eyes, and he looked away.

“ This is Star Blue Fur, she’s the leader of my colony!” Gray hissed to Rusty under his breath. “And that’s Lion Heart. He’s my mentor, which means he’s the one training me to become a warrior.”

“Thank you for the introduction, Gray.” Lion Heart meowed coolly.

Blue Fur was still staring at Rusty. “You fight well for a Twoleg pet.” she meowed.

Rusty and Gray exchanged confused glances. How could she know?

“We have been watching you both,” Blue Fur went on, as if she had read their thoughts. “We wondered how you would deal with an intruder, Gray. We had been following you, it is your first night as an apprentice, after all. You attacked him bravely.”

Gray looked pleased at Blue Fur’s praise, but also a little disappointed in the fact that his mentor and leader had been following him.

“Sit up now, both of you.” Blue Fur looked at Rusty. “You too, kittypet.” He sat up immediately and held Blue Fur’s gaze evenly as she addressed him.

“You reacted well to the attack, kittypet. Gray is stronger than you, but you used your wits to defend yourself. And you turned to face him when he chased you. I’ve not seen a kittypet do that before.”

Rusty managed to nod his thanks, taken aback by such unexpected praise. Her next words shocked him even more.

“I have been wondering how well you would preform out here, beyond the Twolegplace. We patrol this border frequently, so I have often seen you sitting on your boundary, staring out into the forest. And now, at last, you have dared to place your paws here.” Blue Fur stared at Rusty thoughtfully. “You do seem to have a natural hunting ability. Sharp eyes. You would have caught that mouse if you had not hesitated so long.”

“R-really?” Rusty stammered.

Lion Heart spoke now. His deep meow was respectful but insistent. “Star Blue Fur, this is a kittypet, and a young one at that. He should not be out here alone, hunting in Thunder Colony territory. Send him home to his Twolegs, for his own safety!”

Rusty prickled at Lion Heart’s dismissive words. “Send me home?” he mewed impatiently. Blue Fur’s words had made him glow with pride. She had noticed him, she had even been impressed by him. “But I’ve only come here to hunt for a mouse or two. I’m sure there’s enough to go around!”

Blue Fur had turned her head to acknowledge Lion Heart’s words. Now her gaze snapped back to Rusty, cool anger shining in her blue eyes. “There’s never enough to go around, young kittypet.” She meowed. “If you didn’t live such a soft life you would know that.”

Rusty was confused by the leaders sudden hostility, but one glance at the horrified look on Gray’s face was enough to tell him he had spoken too freely. Lion Heart stepped to his leader’s side. Both warriors loomed over him now. Rusty looked into Blue Fur’s threatening stare and his pride dissolved. These were not the friendly garden cats he was used to. They were mean, muscular and hungry cats who were probably going to finish what Gray had started.

Chapter Text

“Well?” Blue Fur meowed coolly, her face only a mouse-length from his now. Lion Heart remained silent as he towered over Rusty.

He flattened his ears and crouched under the cold stare of the two cats. His fur prickled uncomfortable. “I am no threat to your colony,” he mewed, looking down at his trembling paws.

“You threaten our colony when you take our food,” Blue Fur explained “You have plenty of food in your Twoleg nest already. You come here only to hunt for fun. But we have to hunt to survive.”

The truth of the molly’s words pierced Rusty like a blackthorn, and he suddenly understood her hostility. He stopped trembling, sat up, and straightened his ears. He raised his eyes to meet hers. “I had not thought of it that way before. I am sorry” he meowed solemnly. “I will not hunt here again.”

Blue Fur let her hackles fall and signaled to Lion Heart to step back. “You are an unusual kittypet, Rusty.” she meowed.

Gray’s sigh of relief made Rusty’s ears twitch. He heard the approval in Blue Fur’s voice and noticed as she swapped a meaningful glance with Lion Heart. The look made him curious. What had flashed between the two warriors? Quietly he asked, “Is survival here really so hard?”

“Our territory only covers a part of the forest.” Blue Fur answered. “We have to compete with the other colonies for what we have, and due to a late newleaf this year the prey is scarce.”

“Is your colony very big?” Rusty meowed, his eyes wide.

“Big enough,” replied Blue Fur “Our territory can support us, but there is no prey left over.”

“Are you all warriors, then?” Rusty mewed, every answer Blue Fur gave making him more and more curious.

Lion Heart answered him. “Some of us are warriors. Some are too young, or too old, or they are taking care of kits or the elders instead.”

“And you all live and share prey together?” Rusty murmured in awe, feeling a little guilty about his own easy life. He didn’t take care of the other cats in the neighborhood or share his food with them. He suddenly felt very selfish.

The molly again looked at Lion Heart. The golden tabby stared back at her steadily, and gave a small nod. At last she returned her gaze to Rusty and meowed, “Perhaps you should find out these things for yourself. Would you like to join Thunder Colony?”

Rusty was so surprised at this, he couldn’t speak.

The leader went on. “If you did, you would likely train with Gray to become a warrior. You could also train as a healer or caretaker, but I don’t think that is the path you want to walk.”

“But kittypets can’t be warriors!” Gray blurted out. “They don’t have warrior blood!”

A sad look clouded Blue Fur’s eyes. “Warrior blood.” She echoed with a sigh. “Too much of that has been spilled lately.”

Blue Fur fell silent and Lion Heart meowed. “Star Blue Fur is only offering you training, young kit. There is no guarantee you would be able to become a full warrior. It might prove too difficult for you. After all, you are used to a comfortable life.”

Rusty was stung by Lion Hearts words. He swung his head around to face the large golden tabby. “Why would she offer me the chance, then?”

But it was Blue Fur who answered. “You are right to question our motives, young one. The fact is, after the greencough outbreak last year, Thunder Colony needs more warriors if we are to survive.”

“Understand that Star Blue Fur does not make this offer lightly.” warned Lion Heart. “If you wish to train with us, we will have to take you into our colony. You must either live with us and learn and respect our ways, or return home to Twolegplace and never come back. You cannot live with a paw in each world.’’

A cool breeze stirred the undergrowth, ruffling Rusty’s fur. He shivered, not from the cold, but from the excitement at all the incredible possibilities opening up in front of him.

“Are you wondering if it’s worth giving up your comfortable kittypet life?” asked Blue Fur gently. “But do you realize the price you will pay for your warmth and food?”

Rusty looked at her, puzzled. Surely his encounter with these cats had proved to him just how easy and luxurious his life was.

“Kittypet life is a very lonely life. I can tell that you live alone with your Twolegs. I can smell no strong scent belonging to any other cat on your fur.” Blue Fur meowed

“Well, yes, but lots of cats live nearby.” Rusty said, confused by the molly’s words

“But those cats might move away on the whims of their Twolegs. Do you remember what your siblings look like and what their names were, young Rusty?”

Rusty was puzzled. Did he remember his siblings? He had to right, it hadn’t been that long since he left them.

“The colony may not be able to offer you such easy food or warmth,” Blue Fur continued “In the season of leafbare, nights in the forest can be cruel. The colony will demand great loyalty and hard work. You will be expected to protect the colony with your life if necessary. And there are many mouths to feed. But the rewards are great. Never will you be subject to a Twoleg’s whims. You will be trained in the ways of the wild, and the strength and fellowship of the colony will always be with you, even when you hunt alone.”

Rusty’s head reeled. Blue Fur seemed to be offering him the life he had lived so many times, and so tantalizingly, in his dreams, but could he live like that for real?

Lion Heart interrupted his thoughts. “Come, Star Blue Fur, we must be ready to join the other patrol at moonhigh. Tiger Claw will wonder what has become of us.” He stood up and flicked his tail expectantly.

“Wait” Rusty meowed. “Can I think about your offer?”

Blue Fur looked at him for a long moment and nodded. “Lion Heart will be here tomorrow at sunhigh.” she told him. “Give him your answer then.”

The leader gave a signal with her tail, and in a single movement the three cats turned and disappeared into the undergrowth.

Rusty blinked. He stared, both excited and uncertain, up past the ferns that encircled him, through the canopy of leaves, to the moonlit sky above. The scent of the colony cats still hung heavy in the evening air. And as Rusty turned and headed for home, he felt a strange sensation inside him, tugging him back toward the depths of the forest. His fur prickled in the light wind, and the rustling leaves seemed to whisper his name into the shadows.

Chapter Text

That morning, as Rusty slept off his night’s wanderings, the mouse dream came again, even more vivid than before. Free of his collar, beneath the moon, he stalked the timid creature. But this time he was aware of being watched. Shining from the shadows of the forest he saw dozens of glowing eyes. The colony cats had entered his dream world.

Rusty woke, blinking in the bright sunshine that was streaming across the kitchen floor. His fur felt heavy and thick with warmth. His food dish still had food left in it from yesterday, and his water dish had been filled with water. Rusty preferred drinking from puddles outside, but when it was hot, or he was very thirsty, he had to admit it was easier to lap up the water indoors. Could he really abandon this comfortable life?

He ate, then pushed his way out of the cat flap into the garden. The day promised to be warm, and the garden was heavy with the smell of early blossoms.

“Hello, Rusty!” mewed a voice from the fence. It was Smudge. “You should have been awake an hour ago. The baby sparrows were out stretching their wings.”

“Did you catch any?” Rusty asked.

Smudge yawned and licked his nose “I couldn’t be bothered. I’d already eaten enough at home. Anyway, why weren’t you out earlier yourself? Yesterday you were complaining about how Henry does nothing but sleep, but today you’re not much better yourself”

Rusty sat down on the cool earth beside the fence and curled his tail neatly over his front paws. “I was in the woods last night” he reminded his friend. At once he felt the blood stir in his veins and his fur stiffen.

Smudge looked down at him, his eyes wide. “Oh yes, I forgot! Did you catch anything? Or did anything catch you?”

Rusty paused, not quite sure how to tell the other cat what had happened. “I met some wild cats,” he began.

“You did?” Smudge was clearly shocked. “Did you get in a fight with them?”

“Sort of.” Rusty could feel the energy surging through his body again as he recalled the strength and power of the colony cats.

“Did they hurt you? Are you okay?” Smudge prompted him worriedly.

“There were three of them. Bigger than any of us, except for Pine, and they were stronger than any of us as well.”

“And you fought all three of them? And survived!” Smudge interrupted, his tail twitching.

“No, No!” Rusty mewed hastily. “I just fought the youngest one, the other two came later.”

“How come they didn’t shred you to pieces?” Smudge asked, clearly shocked by this fact.

“They just wanted me to leave their territory at first. But then..” Rusty hesitated before continuing.

“Then what!?” Smudge mewed impatiently.

“They asked me to join their group, their colony.”

Smudge looked at him in disbelief, his whiskers quivering.

“They did!” Rusty insisted. “Their leader was impressed with how bravely I fought!”

“Why would they do that?”

“They said they need extra paws in their colony.”

“Sounds a bit odd to me. If they needed extra paws, why not ask an adult cat?” Smudge mewed doubtfully. “I wouldn’t trust them if I were you.”

Rusty looked at Smudge. The black-and-white tom had never shown any interest in venturing into the woods. He was perfectly content living with his housefolk. He would never understand the restless longing that Rusty’s dream stirred in him night after night.

“But I do trust them.” Rusty mewed quietly. “And I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to join them.”

Smudge scrambled down the fence and stood in front of Rust. “What? No! Please don’t go, Rusty!” he mewed in alarm. “If you do, we might never see each other again!”

Rusty gave him an affectionate nudge with his head. “Don’t worry. My housefolk will likely get another cat. You’ll get on with them fine, you get along with everyone!”

“But it wont be the same!” Smudge wailed.

Rusty twitched his tail. “It wont be the same even if I stay. Either of our housefolk could decide to move at any moment and we would get split up.”

Smudge looked down at his paws. “Yes, but-.”

“It’ll be okay Smudge. I’m sure you’ll make new friends.”

“But you don’t know if our housefolk will move! And even if they do move, we can still have fun until they do!”

Rusty felt his heart fill with sadness at the thought of leaving his friend. “I’m sorry, Smudge. I’ll miss you, but I have to go. I’m not happy here, not like you, or Henry, or Pine, or any of our other neighbors.”

Smudge stepped forward and gently touched Rusty’s nose with his own. “I guess you have a point. I can see I can’t stop you and you won’t be happy here, but lets at least spend one more morning together.”

Rusty found himself enjoying the morning even more than usual, visiting his old haunts with Smudge, sharing words and goodbyes with the cats he had grown up with. All of them were happy for him, even Pine, who always seemed tense when talking about the woods. Every one of his senses felt supercharged, as if he were poised before a huge jump. As sunhigh approached, Rusty grew more and more impatient to see if Lion Heart would really be waiting for him. The words of his old friends seemed to fade into the background as all his senses strained toward the woods.

Rusty jumped down from his garden fence for the last time and crept into the woods. He had said his goodbyes to Smudge and the rest of his neighborhood. Now all of his thoughts were focused on the forest and the cats who lived within it.

As he approached the spot where he had met with the colony cats the night before, he sat down and tasted the air. Tall trees shielded the ground from the midday sun, making it comfortably cool. Here and there a patch of sunlight shone through a gap in the leaves and lit up the forest floor. Rusty could smell the scents of the cats from last night, but he had no idea whether it was old or new. He lifted his head and sniffed uncertainly.

“You have a lot to learn.” A deep voice meowed. “Even the tiniest colony kit knows when another cat is nearby.”

Rusty saw a pair of green eyes glinting from beneath a bramble bush. Now he recognized the scent. It was Lion Heart.

“Can you tell whether or not I am alone?” the golden tabby asked, stepping into the light.

Rusty sniffed the air again. The scents of Blue Fur and Gray were still there, but they were not as strong as they had been the night before. Hesitantly, he mewed. “Star Blue Fur and Gray aren’t with you this time.”

“That’s right, young kit.” Lion Heart meowed. “But someone else is.”

Rusty stiffened as a second colony cat strode into the clearing.

“This is White Storm” Lion Heart purred. “One of Thunder Colony’s senior warriors.”

Rusty looked at the tom and felt his spine tingle with cold fear. Was this a trap? Long-bodied and muscular, White Storm stood in front of Rusty and gazed down at him. His white coat was thick and unmarked and his eyes were the yellow of sunbaked sand. Rusty flattened his ears warily, and tensed his muscles in preparation for a fight.

“Relax, young one, before your fear-scent attracts unwanted attention.” Lion Heart calmly meowed. “We are only here to take you to our camp.”

Rusty sat very still, hardly daring to breathe, as White Storm stretched his nose forward and gave him a curious sniff.

“Hello, young one.” murmured the white cat. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Rusty dipped his head in greeting.

“Come along, we can speak more once we are in the camp.” Lion Heart ordered, and he and White Storm leaped away into the undergrowth. Rusty jumped to his paws and followed as quickly as he could.

The two warriors made no allowances for Rusty as they sped through the forest, and before long he was struggling to keep up. Their pace barley slowed as they led him over fallen trees that they cleared in a single leap, but which Rusty had to scramble over paw by paw. They passed through sharply fragrant pine trees, where they had to jump across deep gullies churned up by a housefolk tree-eater. Rusty had often heard it roaring and snarling in the distance from the safety of his garden fence. One gully was too wide to jump, half-filled with slimy, foul-smelling water. The colony cats waded through without hesitating.

Rusty had never put a paw in water before, but he was determined to not show any signs of weakness. He narrowed his eyes and followed the two older cats, trying to ignore the uncomfortable wetness that soaked the fur on his belly.

At last Lion Heart and White Storm paused. Rusty skidded to a halt behind them and stood panting while the two warriors stepped onto a rock that rested on the edge of a small ravine.

“We are very close to our camp now,” meowed Lion Heart.

Rusty strained to see any signs of life, looking for moving leaves, a glimpse of fur among the bushes down below, but his eyes saw nothing except the same undergrowth that covered the rest of the forest floor.

“Use your nose. Try to scent it.” White Storm calmly purred.

Rusty closed his eyes and sniffed. White Storm was right. The scents here were very different from the scents of the cats he was used to. The air smelled stronger, speaking of many, many different cats.

He nodded thoughtfully and announced, “I can smell cats.”

Lion Heart and White Storm exchanged amused looks.

“There will come a time, if you are accepted into the colony, when you will know each cat by scent alone.” Lion Heart meowed. “Follow me.” He lead the way nimbly down the boulders to the bottom of the ravine, and pushed his way through a thick patch of gorse. Rusty followed, and White Storm took up the rear. As his sides scraped against the prickly gorse, Rusty looked down and noticed that the grass beneath his paws was flattened into a broad, strong-smelling track. This must be the main entrance into the camp, he thought.

Beyond the gorse, a clearing opened up. The ground at the center was bare, hard earth, shaped by many generations of pawsteps. This camp had been here for a long time. The clearing was dappled by sunshine, and the air felt warm and still.

Rusty looked around, his eyes wide. There were cats everywhere, sitting alone or in groups, sharing food or purring quietly as they groomed one another.

“Just after sunhigh, when the day is hottest, is a time for sharing tongues.” Lion Heart explained.

“Sharing tongues?” Rusty echoed.

“Colony cats often spend time grooming each other and sharing the news of the day.” White Storm told him. “We call it sharing tongues. It is a custom that binds the members of the colony together.”

The cats had obviously smelled Rusty’s foreign scent, for heads began to turn and stare curiously in his direction.

Suddenly shy of meeting any cat’s gaze directly, Rusty looked around the clearing. It was lined with thick grass, dotted with tree stumps and a fallen tree. A thick curtain of ferns and gorse shielded the camp from the rest of the woods.

“Over there.” Meowed Lion Heart, flicking his tail toward an impenetrable-looking tangle of brambles, “is the nursery, where the kits are cared for.”

Rusty swiveled his ears toward the bushes. He couldn’t see through the knot of prickly branches, but he could hear the mewling over several kittens from somewhere inside. As he watched, a golden molly that looked very similar to Lion Heart squirmed out through a small gap in the front, two kittens bumbling out after her. That must be one of the queens, Rusty thought.

A pale grayish-brown tom with a distinctive white flash on his chest appeared around the bramble bush. The two cats exchanged a friendly lick between the ears before the tom guided the kits back to the nursery, slipping inside after them.

“The care of our kits is shared by all of the queens and caretakers,” meowed Lion Heart. “All cats serve the colony. Loyalty to the colony is the first law in our code, a lesson you must learn quickly if you wish to stay with us.”

“Here comes Blue Fur.” White Storm meowed, sniffing the air.

Rusty sniffed the air too, and was pleased that he was able to recognize the scent of the blue-gray molly a moment before she appeared from the shadow of a large boulder that lay beside them at the head of the clearing.

“I see he came.” Star Blue Fur purred, addressing the warriors.

White Storm replied, “Lion Heart was convinced he would not.”

“Well, what do you think of him?” Blue Fur asked.

“He kept up well on the return journey, despite his small size.” White Storm meowed. “He certainly seems strong for a kittypet.”

“So it is agreed?” Blue Fur looked at Lion Heart and White Storm.

Both cats nodded.

“Then I shall announce his arrival to the colony.” Blue Fur leaped up onto the boulder and yowled, “Let all cats old enough to catch their prey join here beneath the Highrock for a colony meeting.”

Her clear call brought all the cats trotting toward her, emerging like liquid shadows from the edges of the clearing. Rusty stayed where he was, flanked by Lion Heart and White Storm. The other cats settled themselves below the Highrock and looked expectantly up at their leader.

Rusty felt a rush of relief as he recognized Gray’s thick gray fur among the cats. Beside him sat a small tortoiseshell molly, her bushy tail tucked neatly over small white paws. A dark gray tabby crouched behind him, the black stripes on his fur reminding Rusty of shadows on a moonlit forest floor.

When the cats were still, Blue Fur spoke and gave signals with her tail. “Thunder Colony needs more warriors,” she began. “Never before have we had so few apprentices in training, and we lost many cats last leafbare.” She paused for a moment, dipping her head. Many cats in the clearing did the same, remembering their lost loved ones. Blue Fur continued, moving her tail while speaking. “It has been decided that Thunder Colony will take in an outsider to train with us as a warrior.”

Rusty heard indignant mutterings erupt among some of the cats of the colony, but Blue Fur silenced them with a flick of her tail and a yowl. “I have found a cat who is willing to become an apprentice of Thunder Colony.”

“Lucky to become an apprentice!” caterwauled a loud voice above the ripple of shock that spread through the cats.

Rusty craned his nest and saw a young pale tabby standing up and glaring defiantly at the leader.

Blue Fur ignored the young tom and addressed all of her colony with a calm tone and a tail movement. “Lion Heart and White Storm have met this young cat, and they agree with me that we should train him with the other apprentices.”

Rusty looked up at Lion Heart, then back at the colony, to find all eyes were on him now. His fur prickled and he swallowed nervously. There was silence for a moment. Rusty was sure they must all be able to hear his heart pulsing and smell his fear-scent.

Now a deafening crescendo of caterwauling rose from the crowed.

“Where does he come from?”

“Is he from another colony?”

“What a strange scent he carries! I don’t smell any colony on him!”

Then one yowl in particular sounded out above the rest. “Look at his collar! He’s a kittypet!” It was the pale tabby tom again. “Once a kittypet, always a kittypet. This colony needs wildborn warriors to defend it, not another soft mouth to feed!”

Lion Heart bent down and spoke into Rusty’s ear. “That tabby is Long Tail, one of our youngest warriors. He smells your fear, they all do. You must rise above it and prove it will not hold you back.”

But Rusty couldn’t move. How could he ever prove to these fierce cats that he wasn’t just a soft kittypet?

The tabby continued to jeer at him. “Your collar is a mark of the Twolegs, and that noisy jingling will make you a poor hunter at best. At worst, it will bring the Twolegs into our territory, looking for the poor lost kittypet who fills the woods with his pitiful tinkling.”

Yowls of agreement rose up from the crowd of cats.

Long Tail went on, aware that he had the support of his audience. “The noise of your treacherous bell will alert our enemies, even if your Twoleg stench doesn’t!”

Lion Heart looked down at Rusty once more.

Rusty still did not move. But this time he was trying to pinpoint Long Tail’s position. There he was, just behind a dull brown molly. Rusty flattened his ears, narrowed his eyes and, hissing, leaped through the startled cats to fling himself onto his tormentor.

Long Tail was completely unprepared for Rusty’s attack. He staggered sideways, losing his footing on the hard-baked earth. Filled with rage and desperate to prove himself, Rusty dug his claws deep into the tabby’s fur and sank in his teeth. No subtle rituals of swiping and boxing preceded this fight. The two young cats were locking in a screaming, writhing tussle that flipped and somersaulted around the clearing at the heart of the camp. The other cats had to jump out of the way to avoid the screeching whirlwind of fur.

As Rusty scratched and struggled, he was suddenly aware that he felt no fear, only exhilaration. Through the roaring of the blood in his ears, he could hear cats around them wailing with excitement.

Then Rusty felt his collar tighten around his neck. Long Tail had gripped it between his teeth and was tugging, and tugging hard. Rusty felt a terrible pressure at his throat. Unable to breathe, he started to panic. He writhed and twisted, but each movement only made the pressure worse. Retching and gulping for air, he summoned up all his strength and tried to pull away from Long Tail’s grip. And suddenly. With a loud snap, he was free.

Long Tail tumbled away from him. Rusty scrambled to his paws and looked around. Long Tail was crouching three tail-lengths away. And, on the floor in between them, Rusty saw his collar, mangled and broken.

At once, Blue Fur jumped down from the Highrock and silenced the noise crowd with a thunderous caterwaul and a movement of her tail. Rusty and Long Tail remained fixed to the spot, gasping for breath. Clumps of fur hung from their ruffled coats. Rusty could feel a cut stinging above his eye. Long Tail’s left ear was badly torn, and blood dripped down his lean shoulders onto the dusty ground. They stared at each other, their hostility not yet spent.

Blue Fur glared at Long Tail. “Long Tail. What gave you the right to think you could challenge Rusty like that. He is barely older than six moons, basically still a kit, and you, an almost fully grown warrior, would attack him with unsheathed claws? You would go against the decisions of your leader and senior warriors because of your own opinions?”

Long Tail looked up at his leader, suddenly very ashamed. “Star Blue Fur- I”

“No excuses. I would assign you a punishment, but by seeing these wounds, I think you have learned your lesson. Go see Spotted Leaf after this meeting is over.” Blue Fur meowed coolly.

Long Tail slinked back, and Blue Fur turned to Rusty. “You fought Long Tail, even though he is much older than you, and defended your honor. In this battle, you have lost your Twoleg collar. Star Colony have spoken their approval. You are free to join Thunder Colony as an apprentice.”

Rusty looked at Blue Fur and solemnly nodded his acceptance. He stood up and stepped forward into a shaft of sunshine, welcoming the warmth on his sore muscles. The pool of light blazed bright on his ginger pelt, making his fur glow. Rusty lifted his head proudly and looked at the cats that surrounded him. This time no cat argued or jeered. He had shown himself to be courageous and a worthy opponent in battle.

Blue Fur approached Rusty, dropped his shredded collar in front of him, and touched his ear gently with her nose. “You look like a brand of fire in this sunlight,” she murmured.  Her eyes flashed briefly, as if her words had more meaning for her than Rusty knew. “You have fought well.” Then she turned to the colony and announced, “From this day forward, until he has earned his full name, this apprentice will be called Fire, in honor of his flame-colored coat. I shall mentor him personally, to make sure that he will learn everything he needs.”

She stepped back and, with the other cats, waited silently for his next move. Without hesitating, Rusty turned and kicked dust and grass over his collar.

Long Tail growled and limped out of the clearing toward a fern-shaded corner. The cats split into the groups, murmuring to each other excitedly.

“Hey, Fire!”

Rusty heard Gray’s friendly voice behind him. Fire! A thrill of pride surged through him at the sound of his new name. He turned to greet the gray apprentice with a welcoming sniff.

“Great fight, Fire!” mewed Gray. “Especially for a kittypet! Long Tail is a warrior, although he only finished his training two moons ago. That scar you left on his ear won’t let him forget you in a hurry.”

“Thanks, Gray,” Fire replied. “He put up quite a fight, though!” He licked his front paw and began to clean the deep scratch that stung above his eye. As he washed he heard his new name again, echoing among the meows of the colony.

Fire closed his eyes for a moment and let the voices wash over him.

“Good name, too!” Gray mewed approvingly, jolting him awake.

Fire looked around. “Where did Long Tail creep off to? I heard Star Blue Fur saying something about visiting Spotted Leaf.”

“Spotted Leaf is our healer.” Gray tipped his head toward the fern-enclosed corner Long Tail had disappeared into. “Although he will probably sulk in his nest or complain to the elders after-“

A low yowl next to the two cats stopped Gray midspeech. They both turned, and Fire recognized the dark gray tabby cat who had sat behind Gray earlier.

“Dark Stripe.” Mewed Gray, dipping his head respectfully.

The spiky tom looked at Fire for a moment. “You’re lucky your collar snapped when it did, and that Star Blue Fur intervened after. Long Tail is a young warrior, but I can’t imagine him being beaten by a kittypet!” He spat the last word scornfully, then turned and stalked off.

“That was my older half-brother, Dark Stripe. He’s one of the meanest cats in the entire colony, so don’t feel bad. He always finds something to criticize a cat about.” Gray hissed to Fire under his breath. “I don’t understand how we were raised by the same mother.”

Fire was about to agree with his new friend when he was interrupted by a warning yowl from an old gray cat sitting at the edge of the clearing.

“Small Ears smells trouble!” Gray meowed, immediately alert.

Fire barely had time before a young cat, a little older than him and Gray, crashed through the bushes and into the camp. He was skinny and – apart from a white flash on his chest and at the tip of his long, thin tail – jet black from head to toe.

Gray gasped. “That’s Raven! Why is he alone? Where’s Tiger Claw?”

Fire looked at Raven staggering across the floor of the clearing. He was panting heavily. His coat was ruffled and dust, and his eyes were wild with fear.

“Who are Raven and Tiger Claw?” Fire whispered to Gray, as several other cats, among them a white molly with large orange patches and a large scar and a reddish-brown jack with lighter paws, muzzle and chest, raced past him to greet the new arrival.

“Raven’s one of our fellow apprentices. Tiger Claw is his mentor.” Gray explained quickly. “Raven went out with Tiger Claw and Red Tail at sunrise on a mission to reclaim territory from River Colony, the lucky furball!”

“Red Tail?” Fire echoed, confused by all the names he had learned in such a short time.

“My uncle, Spotted Leaf and my mother’s brother, and Star Blue Fur’s deputy.” Gray hissed. “But why has Raven come back alone?” he added to himself. He lifted his head to listen as Blue Fur stepped forward.

“Raven?” The molly spoke calmly, but a look of worry clouded her blue eyes. The other cats drew back, curling their lips with anxiety.

“What has happened?” Blue Fur jumped onto the Highrock and looked down at the trembling young cat. “Speak, Raven!”

Raven was still struggling for breath, and his sides heaved fitfully while the dust around him turned red with blood, but he still managed to scramble up onto the Highrock to stand beside the leader. He turned to the crowd of worried faces that surrounded him, and summoned enough breath to declare, “Red Tail is dead!”

Chapter Text

Shocked yowls rose from the colony cats and echoed through the forest.

Raven staggered slightly. His right foreleg glistened, wet with blood that flowed from the deep gash on his shoulder. “We m-met five River Colony warriors beside the stream, not far from the Sunningrocks,” he went on shakily. “Oak Heart was among them.”

“Oak Heart!” Gray gasped from besides Fire. “He's the deputy of River Colony’s, and one of the greatest warriors in the forest. Lucky Raven! Wish it could have been me who went on that patrol, I’d have really-” Gray was silenced by a fierce glance from the old gray tom, Small Ears, who had first sensed Raven’s return.

Fire turned his attention back to the lanky black tom.

“Red Tail warned Oak Heart to keep his hunting parties out of Thunder Colony territory. He said the next River Colony warrior to be caught in Thunder Colony territory would not be sent home without something to remember the encounter by, but Oak.. Oak Heart would not back down. He said his co-colony had to be fed, no matter what we threatened them with.” Raven paused to wheeze for breath. His wound was still bleeding heavily, and he stood awkwardly to keep the weight off of his shoulder.

“That’s when the River Colony cats attacked. It was hard to see what was happening. The fighting was vicious. I saw Oak Heart had Red Tail pinned to the ground, but then Red Tail..” Suddenly Raven’s eyes rolled in his head and lurched sideways. Half scrambling, half falling, he slithered off the Highrock and collapsed on the ground below.

The white and ginger molly with the scar and reddish-brown jack Fire had seen earlier bounded toward him and both crouched at his side. The molly licked his cheek briefly and called out. “Spotted Leaf!”

Out of the fern-shaded corner trotted the pretty tortoiseshell Fire had noticed sitting beside Gray earlier. She hurried over to Raven and mewed for the cats crouched at his side to step back. Then she used her small pink nose to roll the apprentice over so that she could take a good look at the wound on his shoulder. She glanced up and meowed, “Cherry Blossom, Chestnut Pelt, it’s all right. His wounds aren’t fatal. But I’ll need to fetch some cobwebs to stop the bleeding.”

As Spotted Leaf sprinted back to her den, the hushed silence in the clearing was broken by a mournful yowl. All eyes turned to the direction it had come from.

A massive dark brown tabby staggered through the gorse tunnel. Draped over his shoulders was the lifeless body of another cat. He carefully dropped the tattered creature into the center of the clearing.

Fire craned his neck and glimpsed a flash of dark red tail laying limply on the dust.

Shock rippled through the colony like a chill breeze. Beside Fire, Gray dropped into a crouch and cried out as grief swept over him. “Red Tail!”

Tiger Claw stood over Red Tail’s body. He looked steadily back at Blue Fur. “He died with honor, Star Blue Fur, struck down by Oak Heart. I couldn’t save him, but I managed to take Oak Hearts life while he was still gloating over his victory.” Tiger Claw’s voice was strong and deep. “Red Tail’s death was not in vain, for I doubt we’ll see River Colony hunters in our territory again.”

Fire glanced at Gray. The other apprentice’s eyes were dark with sadness and grief. Hadn’t Gray told him that Red Tail was his uncle? Fire had never really known his mother’s littermates himself, but the colony cats seemed very close to their relatives.

After a moment’s pause, several of the cats moved forward to lick Red Tail’s bedraggled tortoiseshell fur. As they groomed they purred hushed phrases to the dead warrior.

Fire whispered into Gray’s ear. “What are they doing?”

Gray didn’t take his eyes off of the dead cat as he replied. “His spirit may have left us to join Star Colony, but the colony will share tongues with Red Tail one last time.”

“Star Colony?” Fire echoed.

“They’re our ancestors, they watch over all colony cats. You can see them in Silverpelt.”

Fire looked confused, so Gray explained. “Silverpelt is that thick band of stars you see each night stretching across the sky. Each star is a Star Colony cat. Red Tail will be among them tonight.”

“I-Im going to say goodbye to him.” Gray softly mewed. Fire nodded, and Gray stepped forward to crouch besides a very pale gray-and-cream molly, sharing lounges with the dead tom.

Blue Star had remained silent while the first cats came to pay their respects to Red Tail. Now she leaped down from the Highrock and walked slowly toward Red Tail’s body. Most of the other cats, apart from a few, retreated and watched as their leader crouched down to share tongues with her old comrade one last time.

When she had finished she raised her head and spoke. Her voice was low and thick with grief, and the colony listened in silence. “Red Tail was a brave warrior. His loyalty to Thunder Colony could never be doubted. I always relied on his judgement, for it bore witness to the needs of the colony, and was never swayed by self-interest or pride. He would have made a fine leader.”

Then she lowered herself onto her belly, her head bowed, her paws stretched neatly before her, and silently she grieved for her lost friend. Several other cats laid down beside her, their bowed heads and hunched backs echoing her mournful pose.

Fire watched them. He had not known Red Tail, but he couldn’t help feeling moved as he witnessed the colony mourn.

Gray came and stood beside him again. “Dust and Sand will be sad.” He remarked.

“Dust and Sand?”

“Dust was Red Tail’s apprentice. He’s that dark brown tom over there. And Sand was his daughter, my cousin. She’s the pale tabby molly. He had her with Running Wind, his mate.” Gray pointed out a light brown tabby tom, crouched beside a pretty small pale cream molly. That must be Sand, Fire thought.

Fire himself had never been close to his parents, as he left his mother fairly quickly and had never met his father, but he couldn’t imagine losing them for good, and especially not in such a violent manner.

Fire then glanced over at the small tom who squatted near Red Tail’s body, staring unblinking at the ground. Fire looked past him to the colony’s leader. “How long will everyone sit with him?” he asked.

“Oh, most of the cats still sitting with him now will probably stay there for the whole night. Rose Petal, the one with the bushy pink tail, is his my grandmother, Red Tails mother. Spotted Leaf and Willow Branch, my mother, are his sisters, and they were very close with him. Running Wind and Sand are his mate and daughter, and Dust is his apprentice. Star Blue Fur really trusted him, they all probably won’t want to let go of him too quickly. He was one of the best warriors. Not as big and powerful as Tiger Claw or Lion Heart, but quick, clever, and kind too. I remember he used to visit me in the nursery, and give me badger back rides.”

Fire looked at Tiger Claw, admiring the strength that swelled in his powerful muscles and broad head. His massive body showed signs of his warrior life. One of his ears was split into a deep vee shape, and a thick scar sliced the bridge of his nose.

Suddenly Tiger Claw stood up and stalked over to Raven. Spotted Leaf had left her brother’s body and was crouching beside Tiger Claw’s wounded apprentice, using her teeth and front paws to press wads of cobweb onto his shoulder wound.

Fire leaned toward Gray and asked, “What’s Spotted Leaf doing?”

“Stopping the bleeding. It looked like a nasty cut, and Raven seemed really shaken up. He’s always been a bit jumpy, but I’ve never seen him this bad before. Let’s go and see if he’s woken up yet.”

They made their way through the grieving cats toward the spot where Raven lay and settled themselves a respectful distance away to wait until Tiger Claw had finished speaking.

“So, Spotted Leaf.” Tiger Claw addressed the tortoiseshell with a confident meow. “How is he? Do you think you can save him? I’ve spent a lot of time training him up, and I don’t want my efforts to be wasted at the first battle.”

Spotted Leaf didn’t look up from her patient as she replied. “Yes, a pity if, after all your valuable training, he dies in his first fight, eh?” Fire could hear a teasing purr in her soft mew.

“Will he live?” Tiger Claw demanded.

“Of course. He just needs to rest.”

Tiger Claw snorted and looked down at the motionless black shape. He jabbed Raven with one of his sharp front claws. “Come on, then! Get up!”

Raven didn’t move.

“Look at the length of that claw!” Fire hissed.

“Too right!” Gray replied. “I know I wouldn’t want to get into a fight with him!”

“Not so fast, Tiger Claw!” Spotted Leaf placed her paw over Tiger Claw’s sharp claw and gently moved it away. “This apprentice needs to keep still as possible until the cut has healed. We don’t want him opening his wound by jumping about trying to please you. Leave him alone.”

Fire found himself holding his breath as he waited for Tiger Claw’s reaction. He guessed that few cats dared to give orders to the warrior like that. The big tabby stiffened, and seemed to be about to speak when Spotted Leaf spoke again. “Even you know better than to argue with a healer, Tiger Claw. Just because you heal fast, that doesn’t mean that other cats do. Raven is smaller and younger than you, he needs his rest. Or do you want me to send his older siblings after you?” The last statement was spoken teasingly.

Tiger Claw’s eyes flashed at the little tortoiseshell’s words. “I wouldn’t are argue with you, dear Spotted Leaf. And I wouldn’t want Cherry Blossom or Chestnut Pelt after me either.
“ he purred. He turned to leave and caught sight of Gray and Fire. “Who’s this?” he asked Gray, towering above them.

“He’s the new apprentice.” Gray mewed.

“He smells like a kittypet!” the warrior snorted.

“I was a house cat,” Fire meowed boldly, “but I am going to train to be a warrior.”

Tiger Claw looked at him with sudden interest. “Ah yes. Now I remember. Blue Fur mentioned that she had stumbled across some stray kittypet. So she’s actually going to try you out, is she?”

Fire sat up very straight, anxious to impress this distinguished cat. “That’s right.” he mewed.

Tiger Claw eyed him thoughtfully. “Then I shall watch your progress with interest.”

Fire puffed his chest out proudly as Tiger Claw stalked away. “Do you think he liked me?”

“I don’t think Tiger Claw likes any apprentices!” whispered Gray.

Just then Raven stirred and twitched his ears. “Is he gone?” he mumbled.

“Who, Tiger Claw?” replied Gray, trotting toward him. “Yep, he’s gone.”

“Hi, there,” Fire began, about to introduce himself.

“Go away, both of you!” Spotted Leaf protested. “How am I meant to help this cat with all these interruptions!” She impatiently flicked her tail at Gray and Fire and pushed her way in between them and her patient.

Fire realized she was serious, despite the lively glimmer in her warm amber eyes.

“Come on then, Fire,” mewed Gray. “I’ll show you around the camp. See you later, Raven.”

The two cats left Spotted Leaf with Raven and walked across the clearing.

Gray looked thoughtful. He was clearly taking his duties as a guide very seriously. “You know the Highrock already,” he began, flicking his tail toward the big, smooth rock. “Star Blue Fur always addresses the colony from there. Her den is down there.” He lifted his nose toward a hollow in the side of the Highrock. “Her den was carved out many moons ago by an ancient stream.” Hanging lichen draped the entrance, sheltering the leader’s nest from wind and rain. “By the way, I call her Star Blue Fur because she’s the leader. It’s a sign of respect. Only high ranking cats, like the healer and deputy and the most senior warriors, or her family can call her by her warrior title.”

“The warriors sleep over here.” Gray went on.

Fire followed him to a large bush a few paces away from the Highrock. There was a clear view from here right down to the gorse entrance into the camp. The branches of the bush hung low, but Fire could see a sheltered space inside where the warriors made their nests.

“The senior warriors sleep in the center, where it’s the warmest.” Gray explained. “They usually share their fresh-kill together over by that clump of nettles. The younger warriors eat nearby. Sometimes younger warriors are invited to join the senior warriors for eating, which is a big honor.”

“What about the other cats in the colony?” Fire asked, fascinated but feeling rather overwhelmed by all the traditions and rituals of colony life.

“Well, when a cat has kits, they stay in a nest in the nursery with the caretakers, although when there are no kits in the colony at all, almost all adults sleep in the warrior den together, except for the cat chosen to supervise the apprentices for that night. The elders have their own place on the other side of the clearing. Come on, I’ll show you.”

Fire trotted after Gray, across the clearing, and past the shadowy corner where Spotted Leaf had her den. They stopped beside a fallen tree that sheltered a patch of lush grass. Crouched among the soft greenery were five cats.

“Hello, youngster.” one of the elders greeted Gray.

“Hello, Patch Pelt.” Mewed Gray, nodding respectfully.

“This must be our new apprentice. Fire, isn’t it?” meowed a second tom. His patchy fur was dark brown, and there was only a stump where his tail should have been.

“That’s right.” Fire replied, copying Gray’s polite nod.

“My name is Sparrow Pelt,” the brown tom purred. “Welcome to the colony.”

“Have you two eaten?” meowed Small Ears, the tom who had sounded the alarm earlier.

Fire and Gray both shook their heads.

“Well, there’s enough here. Dust, Sand and Raven are all turning into fine hunters. Would you mind if these youngsters shared a mouse, Fog Snap?”

The pale gray molly who laid beside Sparrow Pelt shook her head. Fire noticed that one of her eyes was clouded, and the other one was scarred over.

“What about you, Dapple Tail?”

“Of course not.” The tortoiseshell molly purred.

“Thank you,” mewed Gray eagerly. He stepped forward and took a large mouse from the pile of prey, then dropped it at Fire’s paws. “You still not tasted mouse?” he asked.

“No.” Fire admitted. He suddenly felt excited by the warm smells that were rising from this piece of fresh-kill. His whole body shivered at the thought of sharing his first bit of food as a member of the colony.

“In that case, you can have the first bite. Just save me some!”  Gray dipped his head and stood back to give Fire room.

Fire crouched down and took a large bite from the mouse. It was juicy and tender, and sang with the flavors of the forest.

“And, what do you think?” Gray asked.

“Fantastic!” mumbled Fire, his mouth still full.

“Move over then.” mewed Gray, stepping forward and bending his head to take a bite.

As the two apprentices shared the mouse, they listened to the elders talk among themselves.

“How long before Star Blue Fur appoints a new deputy?” asked Small Ears.

“What did you say, Small Ears?” mewed Fog Snap.

“I think your hearing has become as poor as your eyesight!” Small Ear teased the other cat. “I said, how long before Star Blue Fur appoints a new deputy?”

Fog Snap either ignored the teasing or did not hear it and instead spoke to the tortoiseshell molly. “Dapple Tail, do you remember the day many moons ago when Star Blue Fur herself was appointed as deputy to Star Sun Fall?”

Dapple Tail mewed earnestly, “Oh, yes! It was not long after she had lost her kits.”

“She’ll not be happy to be appointing a new deputy.” Small Ears observed. “She trusted Red Tail immensely, and he served her well. But she’ll need to make up her mind quickly. According to the customs, the choice has to be made before moonhigh after the death of the old deputy.”

“At least this time the choice is obvious.” Sparrow Pelt meowed.

Fire raised his head and looked around the clearing. Who could the old tom mean? To Fire, all the warriors looked worthy of becoming deputy. Perhaps he meant Tiger Claw. After all, the large tabby had avenged Red Tail’s death.

Tiger Claw was sitting not far off, his ears angled toward the conversation going on amongst the elders.

As Fire stretched with his tongue to lick the last traces of mouse from his whiskers, Blue Fur’s voice called from the Highrock. Red Tail’s body still lay in the clearing below, his daughter, sister and mate still tucked against it. “A new deputy must be appointed.” She meowed, signaling with her tail all the while. “But first, let us give our thanks to Star Colony for the life of Red Tail. Tonight he sits with his colonymates among the stars.”

Silence fell as all the cats looked up into the sky, which was beginning to darken as evening crept over the forest.

“And now I shall name Thunder Colony’s new deputy.” Blue Fur continued. “I say these words before the body of Red Tail, so that his spirit may hear and approve my choice.”

Fire looked at Tiger Claw. He couldn’t help noticing the hunger in the large warrior’s amber eyes as he stared up at the Highrock.

“Lion Heart.” Blue Fur meowed, “will be the new deputy of Thunder Colony.”

Fire was curious to see Tiger Claw’s reaction. But the dark warrior’s face revealed nothing as he moved to congratulate Lion Heart with a nudge so hearty that it almost pushed the golden tabby off balance.

“Why didn’t she make Tiger Claw deputy?” Fire whispered to Gray.

“I don’t know, but she probably has her reasons.” Gray murmured, still looking up at Blue Fur.

The blue gray molly spoke again. “Red Tail was also mentor to young Dust. Since there must be no delay in the training of our apprentices, I shall appoint Dust’s new mentor immediately. Dark Stripe, you are ready for another apprentice, so you will continue Dust’s training. You had a fine mentor in Tiger Claw, and I expect you to pass on the excellent skills you were taught to Dust like you passed them to Long Tail.”

The dark gray tabby swelled with pride as he showed his acceptance with a solemn nod. He strode over to Dust, bent his head, and rather awkwardly touched noses with his new apprentice. Dust flicked his tail respectfully, but his eyes were still dull with grief for his lost mentor.

Blue Fur raised her voice. “I shall keep a vigil with Red Tail’s body tonight, before we bury him at sunrise.” She jumped down from the Highrock and walked over to lie beside Red Tail’s body once more. Many of the other cats joined her. Rose Petal was still sitting with her son, her nose buried in his tortoiseshell fur. Spotted Leaf and Willow Branch sat down beside their mother, and Dust walked with Running Wind and Sand to lie down next to his former mentor.

“Should we sit with them too?” Fire suggested. He had to admit the idea didn’t appeal to him much. It had been a busy day and he was beginning to feel tired. All he wanted to do was find somewhere warm and dry to curl up and sleep.

Gray shook his head. “No, only those who were closest to Red Tail will share his final night. I’ll show you where we sleep. The apprentices’ den is over here.”

Fire followed Gray over to a thick bush of ferns that lay behind a mossy tree stump.

“All the apprentices share our fresh-kill by this stump.” Gray told him.

“How many apprentices are there?” Gray asked.

“Not that many. Just me, you, Raven, Dust and Sand.”

As Gray and Fire settled themselves beside the tree stump, they heard a deep voice from behind them. It was White Storm. “Hello there, youngsters. How are you settling in?”

“Fine, White Storm.” Fire answered.

“Good. Now, its getting late, and training starts early tomorrow. You two should get some sleep.” White Storm meowed calmly. He walked off, and Gray walked into the soft clump of ferns, inviting Fire to join him with a flick of his tail.

Inside the sleeping area, the ground was lined with soft moss, and the pale moonlight turned everything a delicate shade of green. The air was fragrant with the scent of the ferns, and warmer than outside.

Fire noticed a blue-gray cat curled up on one of the nests. They didn’t seem like an apprentice. “Who is that?” he meowed. Gray answered him. “Oh, that’s Cricket Song. They’re Dapple Tails kit, and they seem to be our chaperone for the night. Each night one of the warriors sleeps inside the apprentice’s den, to make sure we don’t get up to any trouble and to protect us in case a fox breaks in or something.”

 “Oh, okay. Where do I sleep?” Fire asked.

“Oh, anywhere. We have the den to ourselves tonight, apart from Cricket Song, since Raven is still in the healers den and Sand and Dust are both sitting vigil with Red Tail.” Gray meowed.

Fire nodded and raked together a pile of moss with his claws. When he had gathered his bed into a cozy nest, he circled until it was comfortable and settled down. His whole body felt drowsy with contentment. This was his home now. He was a member of Thunder Colony.

Chapter Text

“Hey Fire, wake up!” Gray’s meow broke into Fire’s dream. He had been chasing a squirrel, up and up, into the top most branches of a tall oak.

“Our training begins at sunrise. Dust and Sand are already up.” Gray added urgently.

Fire stretched sleepily, then remembered: today was his very first day of training. He leaped to his paws. His drowsiness evaporated as excitement surged through his veins.

Gray was giving himself a hasty wash. Between licks, he meowed. “I’ve just spoken to Lion Heart. Raven won’t be training with us till his wound is better. He’ll probably stay at Spotted Leaf’s den for at least another day or two. Dust and Sand are on hunting duty. So Lion Heart thought you and I could train with him and Tiger Claw this morning. We’d better hurry, though.” He added. “They’ll be waiting for us!”

Gray quickly led Fire through the gorse entrance of the camp and up the side of the rock-strewn valley. As they climbed over the crest of the ravine, a cool breeze ruffled their fur. Fat, white clouds raced across the blue sky overhead. Fire felt fierce joy well up inside of him as he followed Gray down a tree-shaded slope and into a sandy hollow.

Tiger Claw and Lion Heart were indeed waiting, sitting a few tail-lengths apart on the sun-warmed sand.

“In the future, I expect you both to be punctual.” Tiger Claw growled.

“Don’t be too severe, Tiger Claw. It was an eventful night last night. I expect they were both tired.” meowed Lion Heart gently. “Even though Blue Fur has assigned herself as your primary mentor, Fire, she and the senior warriors decided that we will all share your training.” He went on.

Fire nodded enthusiastically, his tail held high, unable to disguise his delight at having both the leader and two great warriors as his mentors.

“Come,” mewed Tiger Claw impatiently. “Today we are going to show you the edges of our territory, so that you know where you will be hunting and what boundaries you need to protect. Gray, it won’t do you any harm to remind yourself of the Colony’s outer limits.”

Without another word, Tiger Claw jumped up and bounded out of the sandy hollow. Lion Heart nodded to Gray and they took of with equal speed. Fire scrambled after them, his paws slipping on the soft sand.

The trees were thick in this part of the forest, birch and ash trees overshadowed by might oaks. The ground was carpeted with crisp dead leaves that rustled beneath their paws. Tiger Claw paused besides a thick clump of ferns, the other cats coming to a stop beside them.

“There is a Twoleg path here,” murmured Lion Heart. “Use your nose, Fire. Can you smell anything?”

Fire sniffed. There was the faint scent of a Twoleg, and the stronger smell of a dog, familiar to him from his old neighborhood. “A Twoleg has walked their dog along here, but they are gone now.” He mewed.

“Good.” Lion Heart meowed. “Do you think it is safe to cross?”

Fire sniffed again. The odors were weak and seemed overlaid with fresher forest smells. “Yes,” he replied.

Tiger Claw nodded, and the four cats stalked out from beneath the ferns and crossed the sharp stones of the narrow Twoleg path.

The trees beyond were pine. They grew tall and straight, row after row. It was easy to walk silently here. The ground was thick with layers of dead needles, which prickled against Fire’s pads but felt spongy underneath. There was no undergrowth here to hide in, and Fire sensed tension in the other cats as they stalked unprotected between the tree trunks.

“Twolegs put these trees here,” meowed Tiger Claw. “They cut them down with foul-smelling monsters, which spew enough fumes to make a cat go blind. Then they take the fallen trees to the Treecut place that lies near here.”

Fire stopped and listened for the roar of the tree-eater, which he had heard before.

“The Treecut place will be silent for a few moons more, until greenleaf.” explained Gray, having noticed his pause.

The cats padded on through the pine forest.

“Twolegplace lies in that direction.” meowed Tiger Claw, flicking his thick tail to one side. “No doubt you can smell it, Fire. Today we will head the other way.”

Eventually they reached another Twoleg path that marked the far edge of the pine forest. They quickly crossed over into the safe bushes of the oak woods beyond. But Fire still sensed anxiety in the other cats.

“We’re approaching River Colony territory now,” whispered Gray. “The Sunningrocks are over there.” He pointed with his muzzle to a treeless mound of boulders.

Fire felt his fur stand on end. This was where Red Tail had been slain.

Lion Heart stopped by a flat gray rock. “This is the boundary between Thunder Colony and River Colony territory. River Colony rules the hunting grounds beside the great river,” he meowed. “Breathe deeply, Fire.”

The pungent smell of unfamiliar cats hit the roof of Fire’s mouth. He was surprised how different it smelled from the warm cat scents of the Thunder Colony camp. And he was also surprised to realize just how familiar and comforting the Thunder Colony scents seemed to him already.

“That is the smell of River Colony.” Tiger Claw growled beside him. “Remember it well. It will be strongest at the boundary, because their warriors will have scent-marked the trees along here.” With these words, Tiger Claw applied his own mark on the flat rock.

“We’ll follow this boundary line, as it leads straight to Fourtrees.” Lion Heart meowed.

He set off quickly, away from the Sunningrocks, followed by Tiger Claw. Gray and Fire trotted after the two toms.

“What is Fourtrees?” Fire meowed.

“That’s where the territories of all four colonies meet.” replied Gray. “There are four great oaks there, said to be as old as the colonies-“

“Be quiet!” ordered Tiger Claw. “Don’t forget how close we are to enemy territory!”

The two apprentices fell silent and Fire concentrated on walking as silently as possible. They crossed a shallow stream, keeping his paws dry by leaping from boulder to boulder that were strewn around the riverbed.

By the time they reached Fourtrees, Fire was feeling completely out of breath and his paws ached. He wasn’t used to traveling so far, so fast and for so long. He was quite relieved when Lion Heart and Tiger Claw led them out of the thick woods and stopped at the brow of a bush-covered slope.

It was sunhigh now. The clouds had cleared, and the wind had dropped. Below, in the dazzling sunlight, stood four enormous oaks, their dark green crowns reaching almost to the top of the steep slope.

“As Gray told you,” meowed Lion Heart to Fire, “this is Fourtrees, where the territories of all four colonies meet. Wind Colony governs the high ground ahead of us, where the sun sets. You won’t be able to catch their scent today- the wind is blowing toward them. But you’ll learn it soon enough.”

“And Shadow Colony holds power over there, in the darkest part of the forest,” added Gray, flicking his head sideways. “The elders say that the cold winds from the north blow over the Shadow Colony cats and chill their hearts.”

“There’s so many colonies!” Fire exclaimed. And so well organized, too, he added to himself, remembering Smudge’s lurid tales of wildcats causing terror in the forest.

“You see now why the prey is so precious.” meowed Lion Heart. “Why we must fight to protect what little we have.”

“But that seems so unnecessary! Why can’t all the colonies work together and share their hunting grounds, instead of fighting each other?” Fire suggested boldly.

A shocked silence greeted his words.

Tiger Claw was the first to reply. “That is treacherous thinking, kittypet.” He snapped at Fire.

“Don’t be too fierce, Tiger Claw.” Warned Lion Heart. “Our ways are new to this apprentice.” He looked at Fire. “You speak from your heart, young Fire. This will make you a stronger warrior one day.”

Tiger Claw growled. “Or it might make him give in to kittypet weakness right at the moment of attack.”

Lion Heart glared briefly at Tiger Claw before he continued. “The four colonies do come together peacefully, in a Gathering each moon. Here” – he bent his head toward the four mighty oaks below – “is where they meet. The truce lasts for as long as the moon is at its fullest.”

“Then there must be a meeting very soon!” Fire exclaimed, remembering how bright the moonlight had been the night before.

“Indeed there is!” purred Lion Heart, sounding impressed. “This very night, in fact. The Gatherings are very important because they allow the colonies to come together in peace and discuss amongst each other. But you must understand that sometimes alliances bring more trouble than they’re worth.”

“It is loyalty to our colony that makes us strong.” Tiger Claw meowed. “If you weaken that loyalty, you weaken our chance of survival.”

Fire nodded. “I understand,” he mewed.

“Come on,” meowed Lion Heart, standing up. “Let us keep moving.”

They paced along the ridge of the valley where Fourtrees stood. Now they were heading away from the sun as it began to sink in the afternoon sky. They crossed the stream at a place where it was narrow enough to leap over in one jump.

Fire sniffed the air again. A new cat-scent touched his mouth glands, strong and sour. “Which colony is that?” he asked.

“Shadow Colony.” Tiger Claw answered grimly. “We are currently travelling along their border. Keep your wits about you, Fire. Fresher scents mean that a Shadow Colony patrol is in the area.”

As Fire nodded, he heard a new noise. He stiffened, but the other cats kept up the pace, heading straight for the source of the ominous rumbling.

“What’s that?” he called, trotting over to catch up with them.

“You’ll see in a moment,” replied Lion Heart.

Fire peered through the trees ahead. They seemed to be getting thinner, letting in a broad band of sunlight. “Are we at the edge of the woods?” he asked. Then he stopped and took a deep breath. The green forest scents were overlaid with other strange, dark smells. This time it was not the scent of cats, but an odor that reminded him of his old Twoleg home. And the rumbling was getting louder, a ceaseless roar that made the ground tremble and ached in Fire’s ear.

“This is the Thunderpath.” meowed Tiger Claw.

Fire followed as Lion Heart led them toward the edge of the forest. Then he sat down and all four cats looked out.

Fire could see a large Twoleg path, cutting its way through the forest. The hard gray stone stretched ahead of him so far that the trees on the other side seemed blurred and tiny. Fire shuddered at the bitter smell that rose from the path.

Next moment he leaped back, his fur bristling, as a gigantic Twoleg monster roared past. The branches of the trees on either side flapped madly in the wind that chased the speeding monster. Fire stared around at the other cats, his eyes wide, unable to speak. He had seen paths like this before near his old home, but never this wide, nor with monsters so swift and fierce.

“Scared me too the first time I saw it.” remarked Gray. “But at least it helps to keep Shadow Colony warriors from crossing into our territory. The Thunderpath runs for many pawsteps along our border. And don’t worry, the Twolegs never seem to let their monsters leave the Thunderpath. You’ll be fine as long as you don’t go too near.”

“It’s time we returned to the camp.” meowed Lion Heart. “You have seen all our borders now. But we’ll avoid the Snakerocks, even though the way around is longer. A completely untrained apprentice would be easy prey for an adder, and I expect you are getting tired, Fire.”

Fire couldn’t help feeling relieved at the thought of returning to the camp. His head was spinning with all the new smells and sights, and Lion Heart was right, he was tired and hungry. He fell in behind Gray as the cats turned away from the Thunderpath and headed back into the forest.

The dewy scents of evening filled the air as Fire made his way through the gorse entrance into the Thunder Colony camp. Fresh-kill was waiting for them. Fire and Gray took their share from the pile that lay in a shady part of the clearing and carried it to the tree stump outside their quarters.

The pale tabby molly and dark brown tom Fire had seen sitting next to Red Tail’s body were already there, munching hungrily.

“So here comes the new apprentice!” Sand meowed, narrowing her eyes.

“Hello,” Fire mewed.

The young tom sniffed rudely. “He smells like a kittypet! Don’t tell me we’re going to have to share our nests with that revolting stench!”

Fire felled rather taken aback. Since his fight with Long Tail, most of the cats, except from Dark Stripe, had been quite friendly. Maybe Sand and Dust were still grieving Red Tail, he thought.

Dust narrowed his eyes scornfully at Fire. “Enjoy the food we caught for you.”

“Who knows, you might even learn to catch your own one day!” sneered Sand.

“Are you two still on hunting duty?” Gray asked. “Ah, Never mind, We’ve been patrolling the borders of our territory. You’ll be glad to know all is safe.”

“I’m sure the other colonies were terrified when they smelled you two coming.” snarked Dust.

“They didn’t even dare show their faces,” retorted Gray, unable to hide his anger.

“Well, we’ll have to ask them tonight when we see them at the Gathering.” Mewed Sand

“Are you two going?” Fire blurted out, impressed in spite of the other apprentices’ hostility toward him.

“Of course,” Dust replied loftily, all snark toward Fire seemingly forgotten in favor of bragging. “It’s a  great honor, you know! But don’t worry, we’ll tell you all about it in the morning.”

Gray ignored Dust’s gloating and started eating his fresh-kill. Fire was hungry too, and crouched down to eat. He couldn’t help feeling a twinge of envy that Dust and Sand were actually going to meet the other colonies tonight.

A loud call from Blue Fur made Fire look up. He watched several of the colony cats, warriors, elders and caretakers alike gather in the clearing. It was time for the Thunder Colony party to leave for the Gathering. Dust and Sand leaped to their feet and trotted off to join the other cats.

“Bye, you two,” called Sand over her shoulder. “Have a nice, quiet evening!”

The assembled cats stalked out of the camp entrance in single file, with Blue Fur at the head. Her fur glowed in the moonlight, and she looked calm and confident as she lead her colony to the brief truce between old enemies.

“Have you ever been to a Gathering?” Fire asked Gray wistfully.

“Not yet.” Replied Gray, crunching loudly on a mouse bone. “But it won’t be long now, just you wait! All the apprentices in a colony get to go at least once.”

The two apprentices ate the rest of their meal in silence. When they had finished, Gray wandered over to Fire and began to groom his head. Together they washed, sharing tongues as Fire had seen the other cats do when he first arrived. Then, tired after the long trek, they pushed their way into their den. The chaperone for the night, Gray’s grandmother Rose Petal, had already curled up into her nest. They settled down in their nests and quickly fell asleep.

The following morning, Gray and Fire arrived early at the sandy hollow. They had crept out of the den before Sand and Dust woke. Fire had been eager to hear about the Gathering, but Gray had dragged him away. “You’ll hear all about it later, if I know those two.” he had mewed.

It promised to be another warm day. And this time Raven had come to join them. Thanks to Spotted Leaf, his wound was healing well.

Gray played around, scooping leaves into the air and leaping after them. Fire watched, his tail twitching with amusement. Raven sat quietly at one side of the hollow, looking tense and unhappy.

“Cheer up, Raven!” Gray called. “I know you don’t like training, but you’re not usually this miserable!”

The scents of Lion Heart and Tiger Claw warned the apprentices of their approach, and Raven mewed hastily, “I suppose I’m just worried about my shoulder getting hurt again.”

At that moment, Tiger Claw emerged from the bushes, closely followed by Lion Heart.

“Warriors should suffer their pain silently.” growled Tiger Claw. He looked Raven straight in the eye. “You need to learn to hold your tongue.”

Raven flinched and dropped his eyes to the ground.

“Tiger Claw’s a bit grumpy today.” Gray whispered into Fire’s ear.

Lion Heart glared at Tiger Claw. “Raven is still young, Tiger Claw. Do not fault him for not being as strong as you yet. Besides, I remember you complaining to me about your wounds after training or a battle often enough when we were apprentices and young warriors” He then turned to the apprentices and announced. “Today we are going to practice stalking. Now, there is a big difference between creeping up on a rabbit and creeping up on a mouse. Can any of you tell me why?”

Fire had no idea, and Raven still had his eyes to the ground.

“Come on!” snorted Tiger Claw impatiently.

It was Gray who answered. “Because a rabbit will smell you before he sees you, but a mouse will feel your pawsteps through the ground before he even smells you.”

“Exactly, Gray! So what must you bear in mind when hunting mice?” Lion Heart meowed.

“Step lightly?” Fire suggested.

The golden tabby looked approvingly at him. “Quite right, Fire. You must take all your weight into your haunches, so that your paws make no impact on the forest floor. Let’s try it!”

Fire watched as Gray and Raven immediately dropped into a stalking crouch.

“Nicely done, Gray! You as well, Raven.” meowed Lion Heart as the two apprentices began move forward stealthily.

“Keep your rear down, Raven, you look like a duck!” spat Tiger Claw. “Now you try it, Fire.”

Fire crouched down and began to creep across the forest floor. He felt himself fall instinctively into the right position, and as he stepped forward, as silently and lightly as he could, he felt a glow of pride that his muscles responded so smoothly.

“Well, it’s obvious you’ve known nothing but softness!” growled Tiger Claw. “You stalk like a lumbering kittypet! Do you think dinner is going to come and lie down in front of your paws and wait to be eaten?”

Fire sat up quickly as Tiger Claw spoke, a little taken aback by his harsh words. He listened carefully to the warrior, determined to get everything right.

“His pace and forward movement will come later, but his crouch is perfectly balanced.” Lion Heart pointed out. Fire felt very grateful for the fact that the golden tom had defended him.

“Which is better than Raven, I suppose,” complained Tiger Claw. He cast a scornful look at the black cat. “Even after two moons of training, you’re still putting all your weight on your left side.”

Raven looked even more dejected, and Fire couldn’t stop himself from blurting out, “His injury is bothering him, that’s all!”

Tiger Claw whipped his head around and glared at Fire. “Injuries are a fact of life. He should be able to adapt. Even you, Fire, have learned something this morning. If Raven picked up things as quickly as you, he’d be a credit to me instead of an embarrassment. Imagine being shown up by a kittypet!” he spat angrily at his apprentice.

“That’s enough, Tiger Claw! ” Lion Heart growled, stepping in between the two cats and leading Tiger Claw a few tail-lengths away to speak with the other tom privately. Fire felt his fur prickle with discomfort. He couldn’t meet Raven’s eyes, so he looked down at his paws.

“Well, I’m more lopsided than a one-legged badger.” mewed Gray, breaking off from his careful stalking to stagger comically across the clearing. “I think I’ll have to settle for hunting stupid mice. They won’t stand a chance. I shall just wander up to them and sit on them till they surrender.”

“Concentrate, young Gray. This is no time for your jokes!” meowed Lion Heart sternly, although Fire could see a small smile on the senior warrior’s face. “Perhaps you might focus your mind better if you try out your stalking for real.”

All three of the apprentices looked up brightly.

“I want each one of you to try catching real prey.” meowed Lion Heart. “Raven, you look beside the Owltree. Gray, there might be something in that big bramble patch over there. And you, Fire, follow the rabbit track over this rise, you’ll find the dry bed of a leafbare stream. You might find something there. Tiger Claw and I will stay here and have a talk.” He stared at the brown warrior after he had spoken this last part.

The three apprentices bounded away, even Raven finding some extra energy for this challenge.

With the blood pounding in his ears, Fire crept slowly up over the rise. Sure enough, a streambed cut through the trees ahead of him. He guessed that in leaf-fall and leafbare it would carry the rainwater away from the forest and into the great river that cut through River Colony territory. Now it had dried up.

Fire crept quietly down the bank and crouched on its sandy floor. Every sense felt on fire with tension. Silently, he scanned the empty stream for signs of life. He watched for any tiny movement, his mouth open so he could pick up the smallest scent, his ears twisted forward.

Then he smelled mouse. He recognized the scent instantly, remembering his first taste the night before. Wild energy surged through him, but he remained motionless, trying desperately to pinpoint the prey.

He strained his ears forward until he picked up the rapid pulsing of a tiny mouse heart. Then a flash of brown caught his eye. The creature was scrambling through the long grass that draped the edges of the dried-up stream. Fire shifted closer, remembering to keep his weight on his haunches until he was within striking distance. Then he pushed back hard on his hindpaws and sprang, kicking up sand as he rose.

The mouse raced away. But Fire was quicker. He scooped it into the air with one paw, threw it onto the sandy streambed, and lunged on top of it. He killed it quickly with one sharp bite.

Fire carefully lifted the warm body between his teeth and returned with his tail held high to the hollow where Tiger Claw and Lion Heart waited. He had made his first kill. He was a true Thunder Colony apprentice now.

Chapter Text

Early-morning sunlight streamed down onto the forest floor as Fire roamed in search of prey. Two moons had passed since he had begun his training, and he felt he had truly become part of Thunder Colony. He had become close to many of his colonymates during this time. He had been introduced to Frost Fur and Lion Heart’s kits, two mollies named Bright and Cinder, and two toms named Thorn and Bracken, who looked just like their father. He had also met the other two kits in the colony, a tom named Swift and a molly named Lynx. They were the kits of Golden Flower, Lion Hearts sister and the golden molly he had seen on his first day in the camp.

True to Gray’s word, he had heard all about the Gathering from Sand and Dust. Apparently there were rising tensions between Wind Colony and Shadow Colony, and River Colony had announced that a recent battle at Sunningrocks had taken the lives of two of their warriors. The thing Fire looked forward to the most was finally seeing cats from the other colony for himself.

Fire felt at ease in the environment of the Thunder Colony territories. He had become familiar with every single part of it. He paused to sniff the earth and the cold blind things that moved within it. He caught the scent of a Twoleg that had wandered the forest recently. Now that greenleaf had arrived, the leaves were thick on the branches and tiny creatures were busy beneath the carpet of leaf mold.

Fire made a lean, strong shape as he moved silently through the trees, all his senses alert for the scent trail that would end in a swift kill. Today he had been given his first solo task. He was determined to do well, even if his task was only to bring back fresh-kill for the colony.

He headed for the stream that he had crossed on that first trek through the Thunder Colony hunting grounds. It gurgled and spattered as it ran downhill over the smooth, round pebbles. Fire paused briefly to lap at the cold, clear water, then lifted his head and tested the air again for any scent of prey.

The stench of a fox lay heavy in the air here. The smell was stale, so the fox must have drunk here earlier in the day. Fire recognized the odor, he had smelled it on his first visit to the forest. Since then, Lion Heart had taught him it was fox-scent, but, apart from the glimpse of the fox’s brush he had caught on that very first outing, Fire had still never seen one properly.

He struggled to screen out the fox-stench and concentrate on the scent of prey. Suddenly his whiskers prickled as he honed in on the warm blood-beat of prey. It was a water vole busy about its nest.

A moment later he saw the vole. The fat brown body was darting back and forth along the bank as it gathered grass stalks. Fire’s mouth watered in anticipation. His last meal had been many hours ago, but he refused to hunt for himself until the colony had been fed. He remembered the words repeated by the senior warriors he had been training with time and time again. “The colony must be fed first.”

Dropping into a crouch, Fire began to stalk the little creature. His ginger belly fur brushed against the damp grass. He crept closer, his eyes never leaving his prey. Almost there. Another moment and he would be near enough to spring..

Suddenly there was a loud rustle in the ferns behind him. The water vole’s ears twitched and it disappeared down a hole in the bank.

Fire felt the hackles rising along his spine. Whatever had ruined his first good chance at catching prey would have to pay.

He sniffed the air. He could tell it was a cat, but he realized with a jolt that he couldn’t identify which colony they belonged to, if they belonged to any colony at all. The stale stench of fox still confused his sense of smell.

A growl in his throat began as he began doubling back in a wide circle. He pricked up his ears and opened his eyes wide, seeking out any movement. He heard the undergrowth rustle again. It was louder now, off to one side. Fire edged closer. He could see the ferns moving, but the fronds still hid the enemy from view. A twig snapped with a sharp cracking noise. From the noise it’s making, it must be big. Fire thought, preparing himself for a fierce battle.

He leapt for the trunk of an ash and climbed swiftly and silently up to an overhanging branch. Below him the invisible warrior came closer, and closer still. Fire held his breath, judging his moment as the ferns were pushed aside and a large gray shape emerged.

“Gr-aar!” The battle cry rumbled in Fire’s throat. Claws unsheathed, he launched himself at the enemy and landed squarely on a set of furry, muscular shoulders. He dur in hard, gripping with sharp claws, ready to deal out a powerful warning bite.

“Wa-ah! What’sat?!” The body below him shot straight up in the air, carrying him with it.

“Uh! Gray?” Fire recognized the astonished voice and caught his friend’s familiar smell, but he was too fired up to loosen his grip.

“Ambush! Murr-oww!” spat Gray, not realizing that the cat gripping onto his back was Fire. He rolled over and over in an attempt to dislodge his attacker.

“Uuff-ff!” Fire rolled with him, squashed and flattened beneath the heavy body of the other cat. “It’s me – Fire!” he yowled as he struggled to pull free and sheath his claws. Rolling away, he sprang to his paws and gave himself a shake, which rippled all the way along his body to the end of his tail. “Gray! It’s me,” he repeated. “I thought you were an enemy!”

Gray rose to his paws. He winced and shook himself. “It felt like it!” he grumbled, twisting his head around to lick his sore shoulders. “You’ve raked me to shreds!”

“Sorry,” Fire mumbled. “But what was I supposed to think, with you creeping up on me like that?”

“Creeping up!” Gray’s eyes were round with indignation. “That was my best stealth crouch.”

“Stealth! You still stalk like a lopsided badger!” Fire teased. He flattened his ears playfully.

Gray gave a hiss of delight. “I’ll show you lopsided!”

The two cats leapt at each other and began rolling over in a play-fight. Gray swiped at Fire with a  hefty paw and the young apprentice’s head buzzed with stars.

“Uuff-ff!” Fire shook his head to clear it and then launched a counterattack.

He managed to get in a couple of paw strikes before Gray overpowered him and held him down. Fire let his body go limp.

“You give up too easily!” mewed Gray, loosening his grip. As he did, Fire sprang up, firing Gray off his back and into the undergrowth.

Fire leaped after him and pinned him to the ground. “Surprise is the warrior’s greatest weapon,” he crowed, quoting one of Lion Heart’s favorite phrases. He jumped nimbly off Gray and began to squirm around in the leaf litter, enjoying his easy victory and the warmth of the earth against his back.

Gray seemed unbothered by his second defeat of the morning. It was too fine a day for bad tempers. “So how’re you getting on with your task?” he asked.

Fire sat up. “I was doing just fine till you came along! I was about to catch a vole when your noisy trampling frightened it off.”

“Oh, sorry,” mewed Gray.

Fire looked at his crestfallen friend. “It’s okay. You didn’t know,” he purred. “Anyway,” he continued, “shouldn’t you be heading to meet the patrol on the Wind Colony border? I thought you had to give them a message from Star Blue Fur.”

“Yeah, but there’s plenty of time. I was going to do little hunting first. I’m starving!”

“Me too. But I’ve got to hunt for the colony before I can hunt for myself.”

“I bet Dust and Sand used to swallow a shrew or two when they were on hunting duty.” snorted Gray.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if they did, but this is my very first solo assignment…”

“And you want to do it right, I know.” Gray sighed.

“What is the message Star Blue Fur wanted you to deliver, anyway?” Fire asked, changing the subject.

“She wants the patrol to wait at the Great Sycamore until she joins them at sunhigh. Seems that some Shadow Colony cats have been prowling around. Star Blue Fur wants to check things out.”

“You’d best get going then.” Fire remined him.

“The Wind Colony hunting grounds aren’t too far from here. There’s plenty of time.” answered Gray confidently. “And I suppose I should help out after losing you that vole.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Fire mewed. “I’ll find another. It’s such a warm day, there should be quite a few out and about.”

“True. But you still have to catch them.” Gray nibbled at a front claw, stripping off a piece of the other sheath thoughtfully. “You know, that could take you until way past sunhigh, maybe even until sunset.”

Fire nodded without enthusiasm as his belly gave a rumble. He would probably have to make three or four hunting trips before he had caught enough prey. Silverpelt would be in the sky before he got a chance to eat.

Gray stroked his whiskers. “Come on, I’ll help you get started. I owe you that, at least. We should be able to catch a couple of voles before I have to get going.”

Fire followed Gray upstream, glad of the company and the help. The fox-stench was still in the air, but suddenly it smelled stronger.

Fire paused. “Can you smell that?” he asked.

Gray stopped and sniffed the air too. “Fox. Yeah, I smelled it earlier.”

“Doesn’t it smell fresher to you now, through?” Fire asked.

Gray sniffed again, opening his mouth slightly. “You’re right,” he murmured, lowering his voice. He swiveled his head to look across the stream at the bushes in the woods beyond. “Look!” he whispered.

Fire looked. He saw something red and thick-furred moving among the bushes. It stepped into a clearing in the undergrowth and Fire saw a low body, glinting red in the dappled sunlight. Its tail was heavily furred and it had a long, narrow snout.

“So that’s a fox?” Fire whispered. “What an ugly muzzle!”

“You can say that again!” agreed Gray.

“I was following one of those when we first met.” whispered Fire.

“More likely it was following you, you mousebrain!” hissed Gray. “Never trust a fox. Looks like a dog, behaves like a cat. We’ll have to warn the colony that one has strayed into our territory. Foxes are as bad as badgers when it comes to killing cats, especially young kits. I’m just glad you didn’t catch up with the one you saw last time. He’d have made mousemeat out of a tiny scrap like you.” Fire looked a little put out, and Gray added, “You’d stand a better chance these days, though. Anyway, Star Blue Fur will probably send a patrol to scare it off. Put everyone’s minds at rest.”

The fox had not noticed them, so the two apprentices continued along the stream.

“So what does a badger look like?” Fire asked as they prowled along, sniffing to either side.

“Black, white, and grey, short legs. You’ll know one when you see one. They’re bad-tempered, lumbering animals. They’re less likely to raid the nursery than a fox, but they have a vicious bite. They're what cost Fog Snap her good eye, and Sparrow Pelt his tail. He hasn’t been able to climb a tree properly since a badger bit it off!”

“Why not?”

“He’s scared to fall. Most cats need their tail if they want to land on their paws, especially if they were born with a normal sized one. It helps you spin in midair.”

Fire nodded in understanding

As Fire had predicted, hunting was good that day. Before long, Gray hand pounced on a small mouse and Fire had caught a thrush. He quickly took its life. No time to practice killing techniques today, there were too many hungry mouths waiting back at camp. Fire kicked earth over the prey, so that it would be safe from other predators until he came back for it.

Suddenly a squirrel broke cover.

Fire burst into action. “After it!” he called, pelting at full speed over the springy woodland floor with Gray at his heels.

They slid to a halt as the squirrel scampered upward into a birch.

“Lost it!” Gray growled in disappointment.

Panting, the two cats stopped to catch their breath. The acrid scent that hit their mouths and noses surprised them.

“The Thunderpath.” Fire mewed. “I hadn’t realized we’d come so far.”

The two cats edged forward to peer out of the forest at the great, dark path. It was the first time they had been here alone. A trail of noisy creatures growled along their hard surface, their dead eyes staring straight ahead.

“Yuck!” Gray snorted. “Those monsters really stink!”

Fire twitched his ears in agreement. Even though his old Twolegs had owned a monster, and he had been inside its belly multiple times, the choking smells still made his throat sting.  “Have you ever been across the Thunderpath?” he mewed.

Gray shook his head.

Fire took a step out of the cover of the forest. A border of oily grass lay between the trees and the Thunderpath. He crept slowly out onto it, and then shrank back as a stinking monster hurtled past.

“Hey! Where are you going?” Gray mewed.

Fire didn’t reply. He waited until there were no monsters in sight. Then he edged forward again, across the grass, right to the edge of the path. Cautiously, he reached out a paw to touch it. It felt warm, almost sticky, heated by the sun. He looked up, staring across the Thunderpath. Was that a pair of eyes glinting out of the forest on the other side? He sniffed the air, but smelled nothing except the stench of the great gray path. The eyes on the other side were still shining in the shadows. Then they blinked.

Fire was sure now. On the other side was a Shadow Colony cat, and they were staring straight at him.

“Fire!” Gray’s voice made Fire jump, just as a huge monster, taller than a tree, roared past his nose. The wind from it almost toppled him over. Fire turned and ran as fast as he could back into the safety of the forest.

“You mouse-brained fool!” spat Gray. His friend was trembling with both fear and anger. “What were you doing?!”

“I- I just wondered what the Thunderpath felt like,” Fire muttered. He noticed he was trembling too.

“Come on.” Gray hissed, clearly on edge. “Let’s get out of here!”

Fire followed Gray as he leaped away, back into the forest. Once they were a safe distance from the Thunderpath, Gray stopped to catch his breath.

Fire sat down and began to lick his ruffled fur. “I think I saw a Shadow Colony cat,” he mewed between licks. “In the forest, on the other side of the Thunderpath. They were looking right at me.”

“A Shadow Colony cat!” echoed Gray, his yellow eyes wide. “Really?”

“I’m pretty sure.”

“Well, it’s a good thing that Twoleg led its monster past when it did.” retorted Gray. “Where there’s one Shadow Colony cat, there’s more, and we’re no match for them yet. We’d better get out of here.” He looked up at the sun, which was almost directly overhead. “I’d better get a move on if I want to meet that patrol on time.” he mewed. “See you later!” He sprang away into the undergrowth, calling as he went. “You never know, Lion Heart might let me come and help you with the hunting once I’ve delivered this message.”

Fire watched him go. He envied Gray, wishing he were off to join a warrior patrol. But at least he’d have something to tell the other apprentices when he returned to camp. Today he had seen his first Shadow Colony cat.

Chapter Text

Fire retraced his steps and headed back toward the stream. He thought of those eyes he had seen burning from the darkness of the Shadow Colony territory.

Suddenly he caught a faint smell on the breeze.

A stranger! Perhaps it was that Shadow Colony cat.

Instantly a growl rumbled in Fire’s throat. The scent told him many different things. The stranger was a molly, not young, and definitely not one of his colonymates. He did not recognize the scent, but he could tell she was tired, hungry, sick and definitely upset.

Dropping low, Fire moved forward, heading toward the scent. Then he paused in puzzlement. The scent was fainter now. He sniffed again.

Suddenly, with a movement the speed of lighting, a snarling ball of fur burst from the bushes behind him.

Fire screeched in shock as the molly slammed into him, knocking him sideways. Two heavy paws clamped down onto his shoulders, and iron jaws closed around the back of his neck. “Murr-oww!” he grunted, already thinking fast. If the other cat decided to sink their fangs in deep, it would be all over.

He forced himself to go limp, relaxing his muscles as if in submission, and let out a pretend howl of alarm.

The molly opened her mouth to give a triumphant yowl. “Ah, a puny apprentice. Easy prey for Yellow Fang.” she hissed.

At the insult, Fire felt a surge of fury. Just wait. He’d show this coughed-up furball what kind of warrior he was! But not yet, he told himself. Wait until you feel her teeth again.

Yellow Fang bit down. Fire surged upward with all the strength in his powerful young body. The molly gave a snarl of surprise as she was thrown clear. She tumbled backward into a gorse bush.

Fire shook himself. “Not such easy prey, huh?”

Yellow Fang hissed defiantly as she tore herself free from the clinging branches. “Not bad, young apprentice.” she spat back. “But you’ll need to do a lot better!”

Fire blinked when he saw his opponent clearly for the first time. The molly had a broad, almost flat face, and round orange eyes. Her dark gray fur was long and matted into smelly clumps. Her ears were torn and ragged, and her muzzle was traced with the scars of many old battles.

Fire stood his ground. He puffed out his chest and glared a challenge into the intruder’s face. “You’re in Thunder Colony’s hunting ground. Move on!”

“Who’s going to make me?” Yellow Fang drew back her lip defiantly, exposing stained and broken teeth. “I will hunt. Then I will leave. Or maybe I’ll just stay awhile..”

“Enough talk.” Fire spat, feeling a territorial urge well up inside of him. Even though he had only been part of Thunder Colony for two moons, he would do anything to protect them.

Yellow Fang seemed to sense the change in him. Her fierce orange eyes sparked with new respect. Dipping her head and breaking eye contact, she started to back off. “No need to be hasty, now.” she purred.

Fire did not hear her words. Claws extended and fur on end, he jumped forward, his war cry ringing out. “Grr-aaar!”

With a hiss of rage the other cat responded. Snarling and spitting, young cat and old locked together. They rolled over and over, teeth and claws flashing. Ears pressed flat to his head, Fire fought to get a grip. But the molly’s matted fur snagged in his claws, and he couldn’t break through to skin.

Then Yellow Fang reared up on her hind legs. With her filthy tail bristling, she looked even bigger than before.

Fire sensed Yellow Fang’s huge jaws lunging toward him. He leaned backward, just in time. Snap! Bared teeth closed on the air next to his ear.

Instinctively Fire lashed out with a backswipe. His paw caught the side of Yellow Fang’s head. The force of it sent shock waves up his front leg.

“Yee-ow!” Stunned, Yellow Fang dropped back onto four paws. She shook her head to clear it.

In the single heartbeat before the molly had recovered, Fire saw his chance. He threw himself forward, crouching low, and clamped his jaws tight on Yellow Fang’s back leg. “Mur-urgh!” The taste of her matted fur was horrible, but he chomped down hard.

“Reow-ow-wow!” Yellow Fang screamed in agony and whipped around to snap at Fire’s tail.

Her teeth connected and pain lanced up on Fire’s spine, but it only made him angrier. He ripped his tail from his opponent’s grip, and lashed it back and forth in rage.

Yellow Fang crouched, ready for a fresh attack. Her breath seemed to wheeze up from her foul-smelling lungs. The scent blasted Fire’s nose. Up close, the message of desperation and weakness, and the aching void of the molly’s hunger, was almost painful.

Something stirred inside him. It was pity. He tried not to dwell on his instinct, he wanted to prove his loyalty to the colony, but he couldn’t shake free of it. “You speak from your heart, young Fire.” Lion Heart’s words echoed in his head once more. “This will make you a stronger warrior.” Then again, he remembered how Dark Stripe had leered at him, how Tiger Claw had snarled about “Kittypet weakness”.

Yellow Fang lunged forward and Fire jerked instantly back into aggression. The bigger cat tried to reach up onto his shoulders and get Fire in a grip, but this time she was hampered by her wounded leg.

“Gar-off!” Fire arched his spine, but Yellow Fang managed to dig her claws in and hang on tight. The bigger cat’s weight forced him to the ground.

Fire tasted earth on his tongue and spat out a mouthful of grit. “Pah!”

He twisted nimbly to avoid Yellow Fang’s thrashing back legs and the sharp claws that were trying to rake at him. Over and over they rolled, biting and snapping.

Moments later they broke apart. Fire was gasping for breath now. But he sensed that Yellow Fang was weakening. The molly was badly wounded, and her back legs could barely support her body.

“Had enough yet?” Fire growled. Although he put up a brave front, he was tiring. This was his first real battle, with a cat so much older and stronger than him.

“Never!” Yellow Fang hissed back bravely. But her injured leg gave way and she slumped to the ground. She tried to get up and failed. Her eyes were dull ass he hissed up at Fire. “If I weren’t so hungry and tired, I’d have shredded you into mousedust.” The molly’s mouth twisted in pain and defiance. “Finish me off. I won’t stop you.”

Fire hesitated. He’d never killed another cat before. And from what he had heard, it was something taken very seriously. Most cats tried to never kill an opponent, and after the battle at Sunningrocks that had taken the life of a River Colony warrior, he had seen Lion Heart sitting vigil in camp, mourning the other cat. Besides, the warrior code stated it was dishonorable to kill another cat unless truly necessary to save your own life or the life of a colonymate.

 “What are you waiting for?” Yellow Fang taunted. “You’re dithering like a kit trying to pick out a piece of prey!”

Fire bristled at the molly’s words. “I’m not a kit! I’m a Thunder Colony apprentice!” he snapped.

Yellow Fang narrowed her eyes. She had seen his flinch and she knew she’d hit a nerve. “Ha,” she snorted. “Don’t tell me Thunder Colony is so desperate they have to steal kittypet kits now? I saw how you almost didn’t notice that monster, a colony kit would have never gone that close to a Thunderpath. Only kittypets are mousebrained enough to pull a stunt like that.”

“Thunder Colony didn’t steal me! And they aren’t desperate!” hissed Fire.

“Prove it then! Act like a warrior and finish me off. You’ll be doing me a favor.”

Fire stared at her. He would not be goaded into killing another cat, and especially not one as miserable as this one. He felt his muscles relax as curiosity pricked him. How had a colony cat gotten in such a state? All his colonymates looked better than this, even the oldest members! “You seem in an awful hurry to die.” he meowed.

“Yeah? Well, that’s my business, mousefodder.” Yellow Fang snapped. “What’s your problem, kit? Are you trying to talk me to death?”

She put up a brave front, but Fire could smell the hunger and sickness that were coming off the other cat in waves. She was going to die anyway if she didn’t eat soon. And since she didn’t seem like she could hunt for herself, perhaps he should kill her now. The two cats looked at each other, uncertainty in both their gazes.

“W-Wait right here,” Fire ordered at last.

Yellow Fang seemed to deflate. Her hackles smoothed out and her tail lost its gorse-bush stiffness. “Are you kidding, kit? I’m going nowhere.” She grunted, limping painfully toward a patch of soft heather. She flopped down and began licking her leg wound.

Fire glanced briefly over his shoulder at her and hissed quietly in exasperation before heading for the trees.

As he padded silently through the ferns, sun-warmed odors filled his nose, and he caught the sour reek of a long-dead rat. He heard the scratching of insects beneath bark, the rustle of furry things scurrying over leaves. His first thought had been to go and dig up the thrush he had killed earlier, but that would take too long.

Maybe he should go and scoop up the rat carcass. Easy meat, but a starving cat needed fresh-kill. He had heard that colony cats only ate crow food when times were very hard.

Just then he paused, scenting a young rabbit ahead. A few more steps and he saw it. Flattening himself down, he stalked the creature. He was barely a mouse-length away before it detected him. By then it was too late. The white bobtail darting away sent the thrill of the chase surging through Fire’s veins. A rush of speed, a flash of claws, and he had it.

He held the wriggling body fast and finished it off quickly.

Yellow Fang looked up tiredly as Fire dropped the rabbit on the ground beside her. Her grizzled jaw dropped. “Well, hello again, kit! I though you’d gone to fetch your colonymates.”

“Yeah? Well, I might still do that. And don’t call me a kit.” Fire growled, shoving the rabbit nearer with his nose. He felt embarrassed by his kindness. “Look, if you don’t want this…”

“Ah—no,” Yellow Fang meowed hastily. “I do want it.”

Fire watched the molly rip open the prey and start to swallow it down. His own hunger rose up and his mouth filled with water. He knew he shouldn’t even be thinking about eating. He still had to take back enough prey for the colony, but the fresh-kill smelled delicious.

“Mmm-mm.” A few minutes later, Yellow Fang gave a huge sigh and flopped onto her side. “First fresh-kill I’ve had for days.” She licked her muzzle clean and settled down give herself a thorough wash.

As if one wash is going to make much difference, Fire thought, his nose twitching. She was the arch-cat of stench.

He eyed the tattered remnants of the prey. There wasn’t much left to line a growing cat’s belly, but his fight with Yellow Fang had sharpened his appetite even more. He gave in to his hunger and gulped down the scraps. It was delicious. He licked his lips, savoring every last taste, tingling from head to paw.

Yellow Fang watched him closely, showing her stained teeth. “Hungry, huh?” she mewed slyly. Fire suddenly felt ashamed, but realized she was trying to antagonize him.

Fire ignored her and began to wash.

“Feeding an intruder before yourself.” Yellow Fang went on. “And before your colony as well! What would your leader think of this?” She suddenly broke off and tensed. “There’s warriors coming.”

Fire was also aware of cats approaching. He could hear their soft paw-fall on the leaf litter and the sound of fur swishing through branches. He smelled the wind brushing against their coats. Familiar smells. These were Thunder Colony warriors, confident enough in their own territory not to care about the noise they made.

Fire licked his lips guiltily, hoping to wash away any traces of the scraps he’d just swallowed. Then he looked at Yellow Fang and the fresh pile of rabbit bones that lay beside her. “The colony must be fed first.” Lion Heart’s voice rang through his head once more. But surely he would understand why Fire had fed the old molly. His mind reeled, suddenly ashamed of what he had done. His first apprentice task, and he had ended up breaking the warrior code!

Chapter Text

Yellow Fang growled in defiance at the approaching pawsteps, but Fire could sense her panic. The molly struggled to her paws. “So long. Thanks for the meal.” She tried to limp away on three legs and then winced in pain. “Nuh! This leg’s stiffened up while I’ve been resting.”

Now it was too late for her to run. Silent shadows slipped out of the trees, and in a heartbeat the Thunder Colony patrol had encircled Fire and Yellow Fang. Fire recognized them. Tiger Claw, Dark Stripe, Willow Branch, and Star Blue Fur, all of them lean and hard-muscled. Fire smelled Yellow Fang’s fear at the sight of them.

Gray followed close behind. He bounded out of the bushes and stood beside his mother.

Fire mewed a hasty greeting to his colony, But only Gray returned it. “Hi, Fire!” he called out.

“Silence!” Tiger Claw growled.

Fire glanced at Yellow Fang and groaned inwardly. He could still smell the fear-scent on her, but instead of cowering in submission, the scruffy creature was glaring in defiance.

“Fire?” Blue Fur’s question was cool and measured. “What have we here? An intruder – and one that has been recently fed, by the smell on you both.” Her cool blue eyes burned into him, and Fire dropped his head.

“She was weak and hungry..” he began.

“Weak and hungry as it may, you could not have known that when you first scented her. What were you thinking, attacking her instead of running for help?” Blue Fur went on. “I assume you have a very good reason for endangering yourself like that, and breaking the warrior code on top of that.”

Fire was not fooled by the leader’s soft tone. Blue Fur was furious at him, and rightly so. He crouched even lower to the ground.

Before he could speak there was a loud hiss from Tiger Claw. “Once a kittypet, always a kittypet!”

Willow Branch gave the brown tabby a fierce glare, and Blue Fur ignored him and looked at Yellow Fang instead. Suddenly she looked surprised. “Well, well, Fire! It seems you have captured us a Shadow Colony cat. And one I know well. You are Shadow Colony’s healer, aren’t you?” she meowed to Yellow Fang. “What are you doing so far into Thunder Colony territory? Are you looking for herbs?”

“I was the healer of Shadow Colony. Now I choose to travel alone. I came here to hunt.” hissed Yellow Fang.

Fire listened, astonished. Had he heard right? Yellow Fang was the healer of Shadow Colony? Her filthy condition must have masked her colony scent. He suddenly felt a little bit ashamed for tackling her. Healers were supposed to be allowed on all the territories, to gather herbs.

“Yellow Fang!” Tiger Claw meowed mockingly. “It looks like you have fallen on hard times if you can be beaten by an apprentice!”

Now Dark Stripe spoke. “This old cat is of no use to us. Let’s kill her now. As for this kittypet, he has broken the warrior code by feeding an intruder. He should be punished.”

Willow Branch gave her son a fierce glare, and hissed at him. “Keep your claws in, Dark. All the colonies speak of Yellow Fang’s bravery and wisdom. It may help us out to hear what she has to say.” Fire noticed that she had spoken only the first part of her sons name, as if he were a kit or an apprentice, and Dark Stripe looked very ashamed of that, and the fact he had been scolded by his mother in front of his leader, an intruder, his younger brother and a senior warrior.

“We’ll take her back to camp. Then we’ll decide what to do with her, and what Fire’s punishment for endangering himself like this will be.” Blue Fur purred calmly. “Can you walk?” she asked Yellow Fang. “Or do you need help?”

“I’ve still got three good legs.” the grizzled molly snapped back, limping forward.

Fire saw that Yellow Fang’s eyes were glazed with pain, but she seemed determined not to show any weakness. He noticed a look of respect flicker across Blue Fur’s face before the Thunder Colony leader turned and slowly led the way through the trees. The other warriors took up positions on either side of Yellow Fang, and the patrol moved off, carefully fell in step together at the back of the group.

Fire and Gray fell in step together at the back of the group.

“Did you hear how my mother scolded Dark Stripe? So satisfying.” Gray purred, turning toward Fire.

“Yeah. Have you heard of Yellow Fang?” Fire hissed to Gray.

“A bit. Apparently she was a warrior before she became a healer, which is unusual. I can’t imagine her as a rogue, though. She’s lived in Shadow Colony for her whole life.”

“What’s a rogue?”

Gray looked at him. “Oh yeah, that hasn’t really been explained to you yet. A rogue is a cat that doesn’t live with family or other cats, isn’t part of a colony, or a kittypet. Loners are similar, but they respect other cat’s territories. Rogue’s don’t do that. Tiger Claw says they are untrustworthy and selfish. They often live around Twoleg dwellings, but they catch their own food. I think kittypets call them strays.”

“I might end up as one of those loners you mentioned once Star Blue Fur is finished with me” Fire mewed.

“Star Blue Fur is very fair.” Gray reassured him. “She won’t throw you out, she was just angry at you for endangering yourself like that. She certainly seemed pleased to have such an important cat as a prisoner. I don’t think she’s even going to make that big of a fuss about you feeding her, or eating the scraps yourself.”

“But everyone keeps talking about prey being scarce! Oh, why did I have to eat that rabbit?” Fire felt shame burn through his fur.

“Well, yeah.” Gray nudged his friend. “That was mouse-brained. You broke the warrior code by doing that, but no cat is perfect!”

Fire didn’t answer, but trekked onward with a heavy heart. This was not the way he had hoped his first solo task would end.

As the patrol passed the cats who guarded the camp entrance, the rest of Thunder Colony came running to welcome the patrol home.

Queens and caretakers, kits and elders crowded on either side. They peered curiously at Yellow Fang as she was led into the camp. Some of the elders recognized the molly. Word spread quickly through the colony that this was Shadow Colony’s healer, and Fire could hear cats whispering all around them.

Yellow Fang seemed deaf to the whispers. Fire couldn’t help admiring the way she limped with dignity through the corridor of stares. He knew she was in a great deal of pain, and hungry in spite of the rabbit he had caught for her.

When the patrol reached the Highrock. Blue Fur nodded toward the dusty ground in front of it. Yellow Fang followed the Thunder Colony leader’s silent command, sinking gratefully onto the earth. Still ignoring the hostile stares around her, she began licking her wounded leg.

Fire noticed Spotted Leaf emerge from her corner. She must have scented the presence of an injured cat in the camp. He watched the crowd part to let the tortoiseshell through.

Yellow Fang glared at Spotted Leaf and hissed. “I know how to take of my own wounds. I don’t need your help.”

Spotted Leaf did not respond to the other healer’s angry words, but nodded respectfully and stepped back.

Some of the cats had been out hunting, and fresh-kill was brought for the returning warriors to eat. They each took some food and carried away to the nettle patch to eat it. Then the other colony cats crowded forward to take their own share.

Fire paced hungrily around the clearing and watched as the cats crouched in their usual groups, chewing and gulping. He longed for a morsel, but didn’t dare take anything from the pile. He had broken the warrior code. He guessed that this meant he was forbidden his share of the food.

He paused beside the Highrock where Blue Fur was sharing words with Tiger Claw. Uncertain, Fire looked at his leader for a signal that he was allowed to eat. But the blue-gray cat and her senior warrior were busy talking to one another in low tones. Fire wondered if they were talking about him. Desperate to know his fate, he strained his ears to hear what they were saying.

Tiger Claw’s yowl sounded impatient. “It’s just too dangerous to bring an enemy into the heart of Thunder Colony! Now that she knows what our camp looks like, even the youngest Shadow Colony kit will hear of it. We will have to completely reinforce our camp.”

“Calm down, Tiger Claw,” Blue Fur purred. “Why should we have to reinforce our camp? Yellow Fang says she is traveling alone now. There is no reason for Shadow Colony to hear of it.”

“Do you really believe that? What on earth was that foolish kittypet thinking!” Tiger Claw spat.

“But think for a moment, Tiger Claw.” mewed Blue Fur. “Why would the Shadow Colony healer choose to leave her colony? You seem to be afraid that Yellow Fang will share our colony’s secrets with Shadow Colony, but have you thought how many Shadow Colony secrets she might share with us?”

Fire could see by the way Tiger Claw’s fur began to flatten that Blue Fur’s words made sense. The warrior nodded briefly, and then stalked off to take his share of the fresh-kill.

Blue Fur remained where she was. She looked out across the clearing, where Golden Flower’s two kits, Swift and Lynx, were fighting and tumbling playfully in the dust. Then she stood up and began to walk toward Fire. His heart lurched. What was she going to say to him?

But Blue Fur walked straight past him. She did not even glance at him, her eyes were clouded with unknown distant thoughts. “Speckle Tail!” she called out as she approached the nursery.

A pale golden tabby with long fur and amber eyes who looked very similar to both Lion Heart and Golden Flower slipped out of the brambles. Inside, the sound of mewling grew louder.

“Hush, kits,” purred the long-furred cat reassuringly. “I won’t be long,” then she turned to her leader. “Yes, Star Blue Fur? What is it?”

“Fire and Gray have seen a fox in the area. Warn the other queens and caretakers to guard the nursery carefully. And make sure to keep an extra close eye on the kits incase they escape camp before our warriors have driven it away.”

Speckle tail nodded. “I will pass on the warning, Star Blue Fur. Thank you.” Then she turned and squeezed back into the nursery to quiet the crying kits.

At last Blue Fur strode over to the pile of fresh-kill and took her share. A plump wood pigeon had been left for her there. Fire looked on longingly as she carried it away to eat with the senior warriors.

Finally his hunger drove him forward. Gray was sitting with Raven, wolfing down a small finch beside the tree stump. He saw Fire approach the pile and shook his head in warning. Fire bent his neck, ready to take a small wood mouse in his teeth.

Then he saw Tiger Claw glaring at him. He looked over to see that Blue Fur was also watching him intently. He made up his mind. He picked up the mouse and carried it over to Small Ears. The delicious smell of it wafted up Fire’s nose. He wanted nothing more than to dig into the mouse. He could almost taste it.

With great self-control, he laid the prey down in front of the gray tom and then backed away politely. He looked back to see Blue Fur looking at him with a slight smile on her face.

Secretly, Fire was glad that he had gobbled up the remains of the rabbit he had caught for Yellow Fang. He had realized there would be nothing else for him to eat until he went out hunting again tomorrow unless one of the other cats took pity on him.

Fire wandered over to Gray. His friend had eaten his fill and lay with Raven outside the apprentices’ den. He was stretched out on his side, rhythmically washing a foreleg.

Gray saw Fire approach, and paused in his licking. “Has Star Blue Fur mentioned your punishment yet?” he asked.

“Not yet.” Fire replied gloomily.

Gray narrowed his eyes sympathetically and said nothing.

Blue Fur’s call suddenly sounded across the clearing. “Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highrock for a colony meeting!”

Most of the cats had finished eating and, like Gray, were busy grooming themselves and talking with their colonymates. They lifted themselves gracefully to their paws and walked over to the Highrock, where Blue Fur waited to speak.

“Come on,” mewed Gray. He jumped up. Raven and Fire followed him as he scampered over and nudged his way forward into a good position.

“I’m sure you have all heard about the prisoner we brought back with us today,” Blue Fur began. “But there is something else you need to know.” She glanced down at the molly who lay very still beside the Highrock. “Can you hear me from there?” she asked.

“I may be older than you, but I’m not deaf yet!” Yellow Fang spat in reply.

Blue Fur ignored the molly’s hostile tone and continues. “I’m afraid I have some very grave news. Today I traveled with a patrol into Wind Colony territory. The air was filled with the scent of Shadow Colony. Almost every tree bared marks of their scent. We only met three Wind Colony cats, and that was after we journeyed deep into their heartland.”

Her words were met with silence. Fire saw confusion in the faces of his colonymates.

“Do you mean to say that Shadow Colony has chased them out?” called Patch Pelt hesitantly.

“Yes.” Blue Fur meowed. “The three cats we met confirmed it. There was Shadow Colony scent everywhere. We found blood, too and fur. There was a battle, and we found bodies from both colonies. We helped the Wind Colony cats bury their dead, and buried the Shadow Colony cats ourself.”

A shocked yowl rose from the crowd in a single voice. Fire felt the cats around him stiffen with shock and fury. Never before had one colony driven another from its hunting grounds.

“How can Wind Colony have been driven out?” Fog Snap croaked hoarsely. “Shadow Colony is fierce, but Wind Colony is many. They have lived in the moors for generations. Why have they been chased out now?” She shook her head anxiously, her whiskers trembling.

A cat that Fire recognized as Thrush Pelt yowled as well. “Why would Shadow Colony do this? They have no need for the moors!”

“I don’t know the answers to any of your questions.” meowed Blue Fur. “It is well known that Shadow Colony has recently gained a new leader, following the death of Star Ragged Pelt. Their new leader, Star Broken Tail, gave no hint of his plans when we met him at the last Gathering.”

“Perhaps Yellow Fang has answers?” snarled Dark Stripe. “After all, she is of Shadow Colony!”

“I am no traitor! Nothing would make me share the secrets of Shadow Colony with a brute like you!” growled Yellow Fang, glaring aggressively at Dark Stripe. The Thunder Colony warrior moved forward, ears flat, eyes slits, ready for a fight.

“Stop!” yowled Blue Fur, her tail lashing fiercely.

Dark Stripe immediately halted in his tracks, even though Yellow Fang goaded him on with blazing eyes and a ferocious hiss.

“That’s enough!” Blue Fur growled. “This situation is too serious for us to be fighting amongst ourselves. Thunder Colony must prepare itself. From this moonrise onward, warriors will travel in larger groups. Other members of the colony will remain close to camp. Patrols will travel the borders more frequently, apprentices will not go on patrol without an escort, and the kits must stay in the nursery at all times.”

The cats below her nodded in agreement.

Blue Fur continued. “Our need for warriors is our greatest obstacle. We shall get around this by speeding up the training of our apprentices. They need to be ready even sooner to fight for our colony.”

Fire saw Dust and Sand exchange a thrilled glance. Gray was gazing up at Blue Fur, his eyes wide with excitement. Raven just shuffled his paws anxiously. The black apprentice’s wide eyes showed worry rather than excitement.

Blue Fur went on “As you may know, on his first day here I appointed myself as Fire’s mentor, but I have not been able to train him, which means he has been sharing mentors with Gray and Raven.” She paused and looked down at her colony. “I shall pick up his training from them.”

Fire opened his eyes wide in amazement. Blue Fur was going to be training him herself? He knew she was his mentor, but he had not realized what this meant until now.

Beside him, Gray gasped. “I knew Star Blue Fur was your mentor, but having her train you personally is such an honor! It’s been moons since she’s had an apprentice! The last one was Running Wind!”

Then a familiar voice rose from the front of the crowd. It was Tiger Claw. “So Fire is to be rewarded with personal training from you, not punished, for feeding an intruder when he should have been feeding his own colony?”

“Fire is my apprentice, Tiger Claw. I will deal with him.” answered Blue Fur. She stared into Tiger Claw’s fierce eyes for a moment before lifting her head to address the whole colony once more. “Yellow Fang will be allowed to stay here until she has recovered her strength. She is to be treated with respect and courtesy.”

“But the colony cannot support Yellow Fang!” Dark Stripe protested. “We have too many mouths to feed already!”

“Yeah!” Gray whispered into Fire’s ear. “And some of them are bigger than others!”

“I don’t need anyone to care for me!” spat Yellow Fang. “And I’ll split open anyone who tries!”

“Friendly, isn’t she?” Gray murmured.

Fire flicked the tip of his tail in silent agreement. There were muffled meows from the other warriors as they begrudgingly recognized the enemy healer’s fighting spirit.

Blue Fur ignored the murmuring. “We shall kill two prey with one blow, as it were. Fire, as punishment for breaking the warrior code, it will be your responsibility to care for Yellow Fang. You will hunt for her and tend her wounds. You will fetch fresh bedding and clean her pelt.”

“Yes, Star Blue Fur.” mewed Fire, his head bowed in submission. He had to clean that matted pelt! he thought to himself. Ugh!

Mocking yowls came from Dust and Sand. “Good idea!” hissed Dust. “Fire had better be good at clearing ticks!”

“And hunting!” added Sand. “That sack of bones is going to need fattening up!”

“Enough!” Blue Fur interrupted them. “I hope Fire will find no shame in caring for Yellow Fang. She is a healer, and she is his elder. For those reasons alone he should respect her!” She shot a sharp glance at Sand and Dust. “And there is no humiliation in caring for another cat when they are unable to take care of themselves. This meeting is over. I would like to speak to my senior warriors alone now.” With that, she jumped down from the Highrock and marched toward her den.

Lion Heart followed her, and he noticed Tiger Claw, Rose Petal, Feather Fall, Cricket Song and White storm heading in that direction as well. The other Thunder Colony cats began to move away from the Highrock. One or two cat gave Fire tips on caring for Yellow Fang, which he greatly appreciated.

Long Tail padded up to him. The vee-shaped nick that Fire had cut into the tip of his ear still showed. The young warrior gave Fire an ugly snarl. “Well, I hope you’ll think twice about bringing back strays into the camp next time.” He sneered. “Like I said, outsiders always bring trouble.”

“Ignore him, Fire. He’s just insecure that his sire was from outside of the colony.” Gray mewed, having wandered up to Fire, glaring at Long Tail.

Chapter Text

“I’d go and see to Yellow Fang, if I were you.” whispered Gray, as Long Tail strode away. “She doesn’t look very happy.”

Fire glanced over at the old molly. She was still laying beside the Highrock. Gray was right, she was glaring at him.

“Well, here goes nothing.” he mewed. “Wish me luck!”

“You’ll need the entirety of Star Colony on your side for this one.” answered Gray. “Call out if you need me to lend a paw. If she looks like she’s going to maul you, I’ll sneak up behind her and whack her on the head with a stiff rabbit!”

Fire purred with amusement and trotted of toward Yellow Fang. His cheerfulness quickly evaporated as he neared the injured molly.

The old cat was clearly in a terrible mood. She hissed a warning and showed her teeth. “Stop right there, kittypet!”

Fire sighed. It seemed he was in for a fight. He was still hungry and beginning to feel tired. He longed to curl up in his nest for an afternoon nap. the last thing he wanted was to argue with this pitiful clump of fur and teeth. “You can call me what you like.” he mewed wearily. “I’m just following Star Blue Fur’s orders.”

“You are a kittypet, though, aren’t you?” Yellow Fang wheezed.

She’s tired too, Fire thought. There was less fire in her voice, although her spite was as strong as ever.

“Yes, I used to live with Twolegs” Fire replied calmly. “And before you ask, both my father and mother were kittypets as well.” He looked down at the ground, feeling resentment burn inside him. It was bad enough that members of his own colony still viewed him as an outsider. He certainly didn’t have to answer to this foul-tempered prisoner.

Yellow Fang seemed to take his silence as an invitation to go on. “Thunder Colony has really fallen, taking in kittypet kits and forcing them to look after their prisoners. It’s humiliating, being looked after by a cat like you.”

Fire’s patience ran out. He snarled, “You’d still feel humiliated if I were born into the colony. You’d feel ashamed whether I was a caretaker from your own colony, a loner who stumbled upon you and took pity, or a Twoleg that had picked you up off the ground.” He lashed his tail from side to side. “It’s the fact that you need to rely on any cat that you find so humiliating!”

Yellow Fang stared at him, her already wide orange eyes widening even more.

Fire continued ranting fiercely. “You’re just going to have to get used to being cared for until you’re well enough to look after yourself, you spiteful old bone bag!”

He stopped as Yellow Fang began to make a low, harsh, wheezing sound.

Alarmed, Fire took a step toward her. The molly was trembling all over and her eyes had narrowed into tiny slits. Was she having some kind of a fit?

“Look, I didn’t mean…” he began, before he suddenly realized that she was laughing!

“Mr-ow, ow-ow,” she mewled, a purr rumbling up from deep inside her chest.

Fire didn’t know what to do.

“You’ve got a fierce spirit, kittypet.” Yellow Fang croaked, stopping at last. “Now, I’m tired and my leg hurts. I need sleep and something to put on this wound. Go and find that healer of yours and ask her for some herbs. I think a goldenrod poultice would help. And, while you’re at it, I wouldn’t mind a few poppy seeds to chew on. The pain is killing me!”

Stunned by her change of mood, Fire turned quickly and sprinted toward Spotted Leaf’s den.

With his ears prickled, he padded through a cool green tunnel of ferns that led into a small grassy clearing. A tall rock stood at one side, split down the middle by a crack wide enough for a cat to make their den inside. Out of this opening trotted Spotted Leaf. As usual, she looked bright-eyed and friendly.

Fire mewed a greeting, and reeled off Yellow Fang’s list of herbs and seeds.

“I’ve got most of those in my den.” replied Spotted Leaf. “I’ll fetch some marigold leaves as well. If she dresses her wound with that, it’ll keep off any infection. Wait here.”

“Thanks,” Fire mewed as the healer disappeared back into her den. He strained his eyes, trying to catch a glimpse of her inside. But the den was too dark to see anything, he could only hear the sound of rustling and smell the scents of unfamiliar herbs.

Spotted Leaf emerged from the gloom and dropped a bundle folded in leaves by Fire’s paws. “Tell Yellow Fang to go easy on the poppy seeds. I don’t want her to numb the pain entirely. A little pain can be useful, as it well help me judge how well she is healing.”

Fire nodded and picked up the herbs with his teeth. “Thanks, Spotted Leaf!” he mewed through the mouthful of leaves, then headed back through the fern tunnel into the main clearing.

Tiger Claw was sitting outside the warriors’ den, watching him closely. As Fire trotted over to Yellow Fang, carrying the herbs, he could feel the amber-eyed stare burning the bur on the back of his neck. He turned his head and looked at Tiger Claw curiously. The warrior narrowed his eyes and looked away.

Fire dropped the bundle beside Yellow Fang.

“Good.” she meowed. “Now, before you leave me in peace, find me something to eat. I’m starving!”

It had been three days since Yellow Fang had entered the camp. Fire woke up early and nudged Gray, who was still asleep beside him, his nose tucked under his thick tail. “Wake up.” Fire mewed. “Or you’ll be late for training.”

Gray lifted his head sleepily and growled in reluctant agreement.

Fire then prodded Raven.

The black cat opened his eyes immediately and sprang to his fit. “What is it?” he mewed, looking around wildly.

“Calm down, Raven. It’s time for training soon.” Fire soothed him.

Dust began to stir as well, and so did Sand, tucked against Running Wind, who was their chaperone for the night. Fire stood up and pushed his way out of the ferns.

The morning was warm. Fire could see a deep blue sky through the leaves and branches that overhung the camp. Today, however, a heavy dew glistened on the fern fronds and sparkled on the grass. Fire sniffed the air. Greenleaf was drawing to a close, and soon it would start to feel colder.

He lay down and rolled in the earth beside the tree stump, stretching his legs and tipping his head back to rub it on the cool ground. Then he flipped over onto his side, and looked across the clearing to see if Yellow Fang was awake yet.

She had been given a resting place at the other end of the fallen tree where the elders gathered to eat. Her nest lay tucked against its mossy trunk, out of hearing of the elders, but in full view of the warriors’ den across the clearing. Fire could just see a mound of dark gray fur, rising and falling in time to a gentle rumble of sleep.

Gray trotted out of the den behind him, followed by Sand and Dust. Raven appeared last, with a nervous glance across the clearing before he emerged fully into the open.

“Another day looking after that mangy old fleabag, eh, Fire?” mewed Dust. “I bet you wish you were out training with us.”

Fire sat up and shook the dust from his fur. He wasn’t going to let himself get annoyed by the other tom’s taunts.

“Don’t worry, Fire.” murmured Gray. “Star Blue Fur will have you back in training before long.”

“Ugh, I hope she doesn’t. I don’t want to slow myself down so he can keep up.” mewed Sand rudely, tossing her sleek pale head and throwing him a scornful look.

Fire decided to ignore her barbed comments. “What is White Storm teaching you today, Sand?” he mewed.

“We’re doing battle training today. He’s going to teach me how a real warrior fights.” Sand replied proudly.

“Lion Heart's taking me to the Great Sycamore.” mewed Gray. “to practice my climbing. I’d best go. He’ll be waiting.”

“I’ll come with you to the top of the ravine.” mewed Fire. “I have to catch breakfast for Yellow Fang. Coming, Raven? Tiger Claw must have something planned for you.”

Raven sighed and nodded, then followed Gray and Fire as they trotted out of the camp. Even though his injury was completely healed, he still seemed to have little enthusiasm for training.

“Here.” mewed Fire. He dropped a large mouse and a chaffinch onto the ground beside Yellow Fang.

“About time.” she growled. The molly had still been sleeping when Fire had entered the camp after his hunting trip. But the smell of the fresh-kill must have woken her, because she had pulled herself into a sitting position.

She dropped her head and hungrily gulped down Fire’s offerings. She had developed a massive appetite as her strength returned. Her wound was healing well, but her temper remained as fierce and unpredictable as ever.

She finished her meal and complained. “The base of my tail itches like fury, but I can’t reach it. Give it a wash, will you?”

With a shudder, Fire crouched down and set to work.

As he cracked the fleas between his teeth, he noticed a gang of kits tumbling in the dusty earth nearby. They were mauling each other and play-fighting, sometimes quite viciously. Yellow Fang, who had closed her eyes as Fire groomed her, half opened one eye to observe the kits as they played. To his surprise, Fire felt her spine stiffen beneath his teeth.

He listened for a moment to the tiny yelps and squeaks of the kits.

“Feel my teeth, Star Broken Tail!” mewed Thorn, a small golden tabby and one of Lion Heart and Frost Fur’s kits. He leapt onto the back of a little black-and-white kit, his cousin Swift, who was pretending to be the Shadow Colony leader. The two kits bundled toward the Highrock. Suddenly Swift gave a might heave and flung Thorn from his back. With a startled squeak, the little tabby cannoned into Yellow Fang’s side.

Instantly the old molly jumped to her paws, fur on end, spitting violently. “Stay away from me, you scrap of fur!” she hissed.

The tabby tom took one look at the furious cat, turned tail, and ran. He hid himself behind his mother, who was talking with some other cats and now staring furiously across the clearing at Yellow Fang.

The black-and-white kit froze where he stood. Then, paw by paw, he cautiously backed away toward the safety of the nursery.

Yellow Fang’s reaction had shocked Fire. He thought he’d seen her at most vicious when they fought after their first meeting, but her eyes burned with a new rage now. “I think the kits are getting restless, with every cat watching them like a hawk.” he mewed cautiously.

“I don’t care how restless they are.” growled Yellow Fang. “Just keep them away from me!”

“Don’t you like kits?” Fire asked, curious in spite of himself. “Did you never have kits of your own?”

“Don’t you know healers don’t have kits?” hissed Yellow Fang furiously.

“But I heard you were a warrior before you became a healer.” Fire ventured.

“I have no kits!” Yellow Fang spat. She snatched her tail away from him and sat up. “Anyway.”— her voice suddenly lowered, and she sounded almost wistful – “accidents seem to happen to kits when I’m around them.”

Her orange eyes were clouded with emotion. She laid her chin flat on her forepaws and stared ahead. Fire watched her shoulders sink as she released a long, silent sigh,

Fire looked at curiously. What could she mean? Was the old molly being serious? It was hard to tell. Yellow Fang seemed to swing from mood to mood so quickly. He shrugged to himself and went on with the grooming.

“There are a couple of ticks I couldn’t pull out.” he told her when he had finished.

“I should hope you didn’t even try, you idiot!” snapped Yellow Fang. “I don’t want any tick heads stuck in my rear, thank you very much. Ask Spotted Leaf for a little mouse bile too rub on them. A splash of that in their breathing holes and they’ll soon loosen their grip.”

“I’ll get some now!” Fire offered. He was glad for the chance to get away from the grumpy cat for a while. And Spotted Leaf was always kind, so it was certainly no hardship to go see her again.

He walked toward the fern tunnel. Cats crossed the clearing around him, carrying sticks and twigs in their teeth. While he had been grooming Yellow Fang, the camp had grown active. It had been like this every day since Blue Fur had announced Wind Colony’s disappearance. The queens and caretakers were weaving twigs and leaves into a dense green wall around the sides of the nursery, making sure that the narrow entrance was the only way in and out of the bramble patch. Other cats were working at the edges of the camp, filling in any spaces in the thick undergrowth.

Even the elders were busy, scarping out a hole in the ground. Warriors filed steadily past, piling pieces of fresh-kill beside them, ready to be stored inside the newly dug hole. There was an air of quiet concentration, a determination to make the colony as secure and well supplied as possible.

If Shadow Colony made a move on their territory, Thunder Colony would shelter inside the camp. They would not let themselves be driven from their hunting grounds as easily as Wind Colony had been.

Dark Stripe, Long Tail, Willow Branch, and Dust were waiting silently at the camp entrance. Their eyes were fixed on the opening to the gorse tunnel. A patrol was just returning, dusty and paw-sore. As soon as the warriors entered the camp, Willow Branch and her companions approached and exchanged words with them. Then they slipped quickly out of the camp. Thunder Colony’s borders were not being left unguarded for a moment.

Fire headed down the fern tunnel that lead to Spotted Leaf’s den. As he entered the clearing, he could see Spotted Leaf was preparing some sweet-smelling herbs.

“Can I have some mouse bile for Yellow Fang’s ticks?” Fire mewed.

“In a moment,” replied Spotted Leaf, pawing two piles of herbs together and mixing the fragrant heap with one delicately extended claw.

“Busy?” Fire asked, settling down on a warm patch of earth.

“I want to be prepared for any injuries.” Spotted Leaf murmured, glancing up at him with her clear amber eyes. Fire met her gaze for a moment, then looked away, an uncomfortable feeling prickling his fur. Spotted Leaf always seemed like she was looking through him, instead of at him. The tortoiseshell molly turned her attention back to the herbs.

Fire waited, more than happy to sit quietly and watch her at work instead of dealing with Yellow Fang.

“Right,” she mewed at last. “What was it that you wanted, Fire? Mouse bile?”

“Yes, please.” Fire stood up and stretched each back leg in turn. The sun had warmed his fur and made him feel sleepy.

Spotted Leaf bounded into her den and brought something out. She held it gingerly in her mouth. It was a small wad of moss dangling onto the end of a thin strip of bark. She passed it to Fire.

“The moss is soaked in bile.” Spotted Leaf explained. “Don’t get any in your mouth, or you’ll have a foul taste for days. Press it onto the ticks and then wash your paws – in a stream, not with your tongue!”

Fire nodded and trotted back to Yellow Fang. He was not looking forward to this.

“Hold still!” he mewed to the old molly. Carefully he used his forepaws to press the moss onto each tick.

“You may as well bury my leftovers now that your paws are already dirtied.” she meowed when he had finished. “I’m going to take a nap.” She yawned, revealing her blackened and broken teeth. The warmth of the day was making her sleepy, too. “Then you can go and do whatever it is you apprentices do,” she murmured.

When Fire had cleared away Yellow Fang’s leftovers, he left her dozing and made his way to the gorse tunnel. He was keen to get to the stream and rinse his paws.

“Fire!” a voice called from the other side of the clearing.

Fire turned. It was Sparrow Pelt.

“Where are you off to?” meowed the old cat curiously. “You ought to be helping with the preparations.”

“I’ve just put mouse bile on Yellow Fang’s ticks.” replied Fire.

Amusement flickered through Sparrow Pelt’s whiskers. “So now you’re off to the nearest stream! Well, don’t come back without fresh-kill. We need as much as we can find.”

“Yes, Sparrow Pelt.” Fire replied.

He made his way out of the camp and up the side of the ravine. He trotted down to the stream where he and Gray had hunted on the day he had found Yellow Fang. Without hesitating he jumped down into the cold, clear water. It came up to his haunches, and wet his belly fur. The shock made him gasp, and he shivered.

A rustle in the bushes above him made him look up, although the familiar scent that reached his nose told him there was nothing to be alarmed about.

“What are you doing in there?” Gray and Raven were standing there, looking at him as if he had suddenly grown wings.

“Mouse bile.” Fire grimaced. “Don’t ask! Where are Lion Heart and Tiger Claw?”

“They’ve gone to join the next patrol.” answered Gray. “They ordered us to spend the rest of the afternoon hunting.”

“Sparrow Pelt told me the same thing.” Fire mewed, flinching as a chilly current of water rushed around his paws. “Everyone’s busy back at camp. You’d think we were about to be attacked at any moment.” He climbed up onto the bank, his fur dripping water.

“Who says we won’t be?” mewed Raven, his eyes flicking from side to side as if he expected an enemy patrol to leap out of the bushes at any time.

Fire looked at the heap of fresh-kill that was piled beside the two apprentices. “Looks like you’ve done all right today.” he mewed.

“Yeah.” Gray meowed proudly. “And we’ve still got the rest of the day to hunt. Do you want to join us?”

“You bet!” Fire purred. He gave himself a final shake, then bounded into the undergrowth after his friends.

Fire could tell that the cats back at camp were impressed with the amount of prey the three apprentices had managed to catch during their hunt. They were welcomed back with high tails and friendly nuzzles. It took them four journeys to carry their catch to the storage hole the elders had dug.

Lion Heart and Tiger Claw had just returned with their patrol as Fire, Gray and Raven carried their last load into the camp.

“Well done, you three,” meowed Lion Heart. “I hear you’ve been busy. The store is almost full. You might as well add that last lot to the pile of fresh-kill for tonight. And take some of it back to your den with you. You deserve a feast!”

The three apprentices flicked their tails with delight.

“I hope you’ve not been neglecting Yellow Fang with all this hunting, Fire.” Tiger Claw growled a warning.

Fire shook his head impatiently, eager to get away. He was starving. He had obeyed the warrior code this time and not eaten a morsel while he was hunting for the colony. Neither had Gray or Raven.

They trotted away and dropped the last of their catch on the fresh-kill that already lay at the center of the clearing. Then each of them took a piece and carried it back to their tree stump. The den was empty.

“Where are Dust and Sand?” asked Raven.

“They must still be out on patrol.” Fire guessed.

“Good,” meowed Gray. “Peace and quiet.”

They ate their fill and lay back to wash. The cool evening air was welcome after the heat of the day.

“Hey! Guess what!” mewed Gray suddenly. “Raven managed to squeeze a compliment out of old Tiger Claw this morning!”

“Really?” Fire gasped. “What on earth did you do to please Tiger Claw – fly?”

“Well,” Raven began shyly, looking down at his paws, “I caught a crow.”

“How’d you manage that?” Fire mewed, impressed.

“It was an old one.” Raven admitted modestly.

“But it was huge,” added Gray. “Even Tiger Claw couldn’t find fault with that! He’s been in such a bad mood since Yellow Fang was taken prisoner.” He licked his paw thoughtfully for a moment. “Hang on, make that since Lion Heart was made deputy.”

“He’s just worried about Shadow Colony, and the extra patrols.” mewed Raven, hastily. “You should try not to annoy him.”

Their conversation was interrupted by a loud yowl from the other side of the clearing.

“Oh, no.” Fire groaned, getting to his paws. “I forgot to take Yellow Fang her share!”

“You wait here,” mewed Gray, leaping up. “I’ll go bring her something.”

“No, I’d better go.” Fire protested. “This is my punishment, not yours.”

“No one will notice,” argued Gray. “They’re all busy eating. You know me, quiet as a mouse and quick as a fish. Wait here.”

Fire sat down again, unable to hide his relief. He watched his friend trot away from the tree stump to the pile of fresh-kill.

As if he were carrying out orders, Gray confidently picked out two of the juiciest-looking mice. Quickly, he began to pad across the clearing toward Yellow Fang.

“Stop, Gray!” A growl rumbled from the entrance to the warriors’ den. Dark Stripe and Long Tail strode out and marched over to Gray. “Where are you taking those mice?” The dark gray tabby demanded.

With a sinking feeling in his stomach, Fire watched, helpless from the tree stump. Beside him, Raven froze midchew and crouched over his meal. He stared towards the warriors’ den, where a pair of amber eyes was gleaming in the darkness, the black tom’s eyes wider than ever.

“Umm…..” Gray dropped the mice and shuffled his paws uncomfortably.

“Not helping the kittypet by feeding that greedy traitor over there, are you?” Long Tail hissed.

Fire watched Gray study his paws for a moment. Finally he replied, “I, er, I was just feeling hungry. I was going to take them and eat them by myself. If I let that pair get a look at them.” – he glanced at Fire and Raven – “they’ll leave me with nothing but bones and scraps of fur.”

“Oh, really?” mewed Dark Stripe. “Well, if you’re so hungry, you might as well eat them here and now!”

“But—” Gray began, looking up at his brother in alarm.

“Now!” snarled Long Tail.

Gray bent his head quickly and began to eat the mice. He demolished the first one in a couple of bites and swallowed it quickly. The second mouse took longer for him to eat. Fire thought he’d never manage to swallow it, and his own stomach clenched in sympathy, but eventually Gray gave a final, difficult gulp and the last bit of mouse disappeared.

“Better now, little brother?” asked Dark Stripe, his voice smooth with mock sympathy.

“Much.” replied Gray, stifling a burp.

 “Good.” Dark Stripe stalked off again, Long Tail following not far behind.

Gray slunk uncomfortably back to Fire and Raven.

“Thanks, Gray.” Fire mewed gratefully, nudging his friend’s soft fur. “That was quick thinking.”

The noise of Yellow Fang’s yowl rose into the air once more. Fire sighed and got to his paws. He would make sure he took her enough to see her through the night. He wanted to turn in early. His stomach was full and his paws were tired.

“Are you okay, Gray?” he asked as he turned to leave.

“Mrr-ow-ow.” moaned Gray. He was hunched into a low crouch, squinting with pain. “I’ve eaten too much!”

“Go and see Spotted Leaf.” Raven suggested. “I’m sure she’ll find something to help you out.”

“I hope so.” mewed Gray, slowly walking away.

Fire wanted to watch him go, until another angry yowl from Yellow Fang sent him sprinting across the clearing.

Chapter Text

By the following morning, a thin drizzle had soaked the treetops and dripped down into the camp.

Fire woke up feeling damp. It had been an uncomfortable night. He looked around the apprentices den. Their chaperone for the night had been Cherry Blossom, and he grinned as he saw that both Raven and Dust had shifted to sleep at their sister’s side during the night. He stood up and shook himself vigorously, fluffing out his fur. Then he left the apprentices’ den and trotted across the clearing to Yellow Fang’s nest.

The molly was just stirring. She lifted her head and squinted at Fire as he approached. “My bones ache this morning. Has it been raining all night?”

“Since just after moonhigh.” Fire replied. He reached out and prodded her mossy nest cautiously. “Your bedding is soaking wet. Why don’t you move close to the nursery? It’s more sheltered there.”

“What? And be kept awake all night by those mewling kits? I’d rather get wet!” Yellow Fang growled.

Fire watched her circle stiffly on her mossy bed. “Then at least let me fetch you some dry bedding.” he offered, keen to drop the subject of kits if it upset her so much.

“Thank you, Fire.” replied Yellow Fang quietly, settling down again.

Fire felt stunned. He wondered if Yellow Fang was feeling all right. It was the first time she had thanked him for anything, and the first time she had called him by his name.

“Well, don’t just stand there like a startled squirrel! Go and fetch some moss!” she snapped.

Fire’s whiskers twitched with amusement. This was more like the Yellow Fang he was used to. He nodded and sprinted off.

He almost crashed into Speckle Tail in the middle of the clearing. She was Lion Heart and Golden Flower’s mother and one of the queens who had watched Yellow Fang’s angry outburst at Thorn the day before.

“Sorry, Speckle Tail.” Fire mewed. “Are you on your way to see Yellow Fang?”

“What would I want with her?” replied Speckle Tail crossly. “Actually, it’s you I was looking for. Star Blue Fur wants to see you.”

Fire hurried toward the Highrock and Blue Fur’s den.

Blue Fur was sitting outside, her head bobbing rhythmically as she licked the fur beneath her throat. She paused when she noticed Fire. “How is Yellow Fang today?” she meowed.

“Her bedding is wet, so I was going to fetch her some more.” Fire replied.

“I’ll ask Thrush Pelt to see to that.” Blue Fur gave her chest another lick, and then eyed Fire carefully. “Is she fit enough to hunt for herself yet?” she asked.

“I don’t think so.” Fire meowed. “but she can walk well enough now.”

“I see.” meowed Blue Fur. She looked thoughtful for a moment. “It is time for you to return to your training, Fire. But you’ll need to work hard to make up for the time you have lost.”

“Great! I mean, thank you, Star Blue Fur!” Fire stammered.

“You will go out with Tiger Claw, Gray, and Raven this morning.” Blue Fur continued. “I’ve asked Tiger Claw to assess the skills of all of the apprentices. Don’t worry about Yellow Fang. I’ll make sure someone sees to her while you are gone.”

Fire nodded.

“Now, go join your companions,” Blue Fur ordered. “I expect they’re waiting for you.”

“Thank you, Blue Fur.” Fire mewed. He turned with a flick of his tail and darted toward his den.

Blue Fur was right. Gray and Raven were both waiting for him by the tree stump near their den. Gray looked stiff and uncomfortable, his long fur clumped by the dampness of the air. Raven was pacing around the tree stump, lost in thought, the white tip of his tail twitching.

“So, you’re joining us today!” Gray called as Fire approached. “Some day, huh?” He shook himself roughly to get rid of the clinging wetness.

“Yes. Star Blue Fur told me that Tiger Claw is going to assess us today. Are Sand and Dust coming too?”

“White Storm and Dark Stripe took them out on patrol. I suppose Tiger Claw is going to look at them later.” Gray answered.

“Come on! We should get going,” urged Raven. He had stopped pacing and now hovered beside them anxiously.

“Fine by me,” mewed Gray. “Hopefully some exercise will warm me up a bit!”

The three young cats trotted through the gorse track and out of the camp. They hurried to the sandy hollow. Tiger Claw had not arrived, so they hung around in the shelter of a pine tree, their fur fluffed up against the chill.

“Are you worried about the assessment?” Fire asked Raven, as the young cat padded backward and forward with quick, nervous pawsteps. “There’s no need to be. You’re Tiger Claw’s apprentice, after all. When he reports back to Star Blue Fur, he’s going to want to tell her how good you are.”

“You can never tell with Tiger Claw.” mewed Raven, still pacing.

By the time Tiger Claw arrived, the sky had changed. The clouds looked less like thick gray fur, and more like the soft white balls of down that parents used to line the nests of their newborns. Blue skies couldn’t be far behind, but the breeze that brought the softer clouds carried a fresh chill.

Tiger Claw greeted them briskly and launched straight into the exercise details. “Lion Heart and I have spent the last few weeks trying to teach you how to hunt decently,” he meowed. “Today you will have a chance to show me how much you have learned. Each of you will take a different route and hunt as much prey as possible. And whatever you catch will be added to the supplies in the camp.”

The three apprentices looked at one another, nervous and excited. Fire felt his heart begin to beat faster at the prospect of a challenge.

“Raven, you will follow the trail beyond the Great Sycamore as far as the Snakerocks. that should be easy enough for your pitiful skills. You, Gray,” Tiger Claw continued, “will take the route along the stream, as far as the Thunderpath.”

“Great,” mewed Gray. “Wet paws for me!” Tiger Claw’s stare silenced him.

“And finally you, Fire. What a shame your great mentor couldn’t be there today to witness your performance for herself. You shall take the route through the Tallpines, past the Treecut place, to the woods beyond.”

Fire nodded, frantically tracing the route in his head.

“And remember.” Tiger Claw finished, fixing them all with his amber-eyed stare. “I will  be watching all of you.”

Raven was the first to sprint away toward the Snakerocks. Tiger Claw took a different track into the woods, leaving Gray and Fire alone in the hollow, trying to guess who Tiger Claw would follow first.

“I don’t know why he thinks Snakerocks is an easy route!” mewed Gray. “The place is crawling with adders. Birds and mice stay away from there because there are so many snakes!”

“Raven will have to spend his whole time trying not to get bitten.” Fire agreed.

“Oh, he’ll be okay.” mewed Gray. “Not even an adder would be fast enough to catch Raven at the moment, he’s so jumpy. I’d better get going. See you back here later on. Good luck!”

Gray raced off toward the stream. Fire paused to sniff the air, then bounded up the side of the hollow and began to head for the Tallpines.

It felt strange to be going in this direction, towards the Twoleg neighborhood he had been raised in. Cautiously Fire crossed the narrow path into the pine forest. He looked through the straight rows of trees, across the flat forest floor, alert for the sight and scent of prey.

A movement caught his eye. It was a mouse, scrabbling through the pine needles. Remembering his first lesson, Fire dropped into the stalking position, keeping his weight in his haunches, his paws light on the ground. The technique worked perfectly. The mouse didn’t detect Fire until his final leap. He caught it with one paw and killed it swiftly. Then he buried it, so that he could pick it up on his way back.

Fire traveled a little farther into the Tallpines. The ground here was deeply rutted by the tracks of the huge Twoleg monster that tore down the trees. Fire took a deep breath, his mouth open. The monster’s acid breath had not touched the air here for a while.

Fire followed the deep tracks, jumping across the ruts. They were half-filled with rain, which made him feel thirsty. He was tempted to stop and take a few mouthfuls, but he hesitated. One lap of that muddy trench water and he’d taste the monster’s foul-smelling tracks for days.

He decided to wait. Perhaps there would be a puddle of rainwater beyond the Tallpines. He hurried onward through the trees and crossed the Twoleg path on the far boundary.

He was back amid the thick undergrowth of oak woods. He moved onward until he found a puddle and lapped up a few mouthfuls of the fresh water. Fire’s fur began to prickle with some extra awareness. He recognized sounds and scents familiar from his old watching place on the fence post, and new instantly where he was. These were the woods that bordered the Twolegplace. He must be very close to his old home now.

Ahead Fire could smell Twolegs and hear their voices. It was a group of young Twolegs, playing in the woods. Fire crouched and peered ahead through the ferns. The sounds were distant enough to be safe. He changed direction, skirting the noises, making sure he wasn’t seen.

Fire stayed alert and watchful, but not just for Twolegs – Tiger Claw might be somewhere nearby. He though the heard a twig snap in the bushes behind him. He sniffed the air, but smelled nothing new. Was he being watched now?

Out of the corner of his eye, Fire sensed movement. At first he though it was Tiger Claw’s dark brown fur, but then he saw a flash of white. He stopped, crouched, and inhaled deeply. The scent was slightly familiar to him. It was a cat, but not a Thunder Colony cat. Fire felt his fur bristle with a territorial instinct. He would chase the intruder out of Thunder Colony territory!

Fire watched as the cat moved through the undergrowth. He could see their outline clearly as they skittered between the ferns. Fire waited for them to wander nearer. He crouched lower, his tail waving back and forth in slow rhythm. As the black-and-white cat neared, Fire rocked his haunches from side to side as he prepared to pounce. One more heartbeat, then he leapt forward.

The black-and-white cat jumped into the air, terrified, and raced away through the trees. Fire gave chase. He raced through the undergrowth, noticing a few things from the cat’s scent. They were a tom, although they smelled slightly weird, they were a kittypet, and they were young. They were also absolutely terrified.

He was closing in rapidly on the fleeing cat. The other cat had slowed his headlong rush, preparing to scramble up the wide, mossy trunk of a fallen tree. With his blood roaring in his ears, Fire jumped onto the other tom’s back in a single bound.

Fire could feel the cat struggling beneath him as he gripped on with all his claws unsheathed. The other tom let out a desperate and terrified yowl.

Fire released his grip and backed away. The black-and-white cat cringed at the foot of the fallen tree, trembling, and looked up at him. Fire lifted his nose, feeling a ripple of discomfort at the intruder’s easy surrender. Although Patch Pelt and Swift both had the same color pattern as this soft house cat, he still looked very different from the cats Fire lived with now. And yet something about this cat seemed familiar.

Fire stared harder. He sniffed, drawing in the other cat’s scent. Then it came to him.

“Smudge! What are you doing in the forest?” he meowed out loud.

“H-how do you know my n-name?” stammered Smudge, still crouching.

“Its me!” Fire meowed.

The house cat looked confused, sniffing the air to take in Fire’s scent.

“We were neighbors, I lived in the garden next to you!” Fire insisted.

“Rusty?” mewled Smudge in disbelief. “Is that you? Did you find the wildcats again? Did they let you join them? They must have, if you’re still alive!”

“My name is Fire now.” Fire meowed. He relaxed his shoulders and let his fur fall flat into a sleek orange pelt.

Smudge relaxed too. His ears pricked up. “Fire?” he echoed, amused. “Well, Fire, those colony cats are certainly unimaginative if that’s the name they gave you.”

“Like Twolegs are any better, Smudge.” Fire replied.

“Twolegs?”

“Housefolk. That’s what the colonies call them.”

Smudge looked bewildered for a second, then his expression changed to one of complete astonishment. “Colonies? You mean to tell me there’s multiple groups of wildcats?”

“Yes!” Fire paused. “How’s Henry doing? Is he still as lazy as ever.” he chuckled at the thought of the old brown tabby.

“Oh, Henry moved. Oliver lives in his garden now. Oliver’s great fun though, he’s around our age.”

Fire stared at Smudge in shock. “Henry’s Twolegs moved, just like that? But he lived in that garden for as long as I can remember! What about his friends?” Then Fire remembered what Blue Fur had told him. Kittypets really had no control over where they lived. But how could Smudge be so calm about this? “Aren’t you upset that Henry moved? You used to love talking to him!”

Smudge shrugged his plump black shoulders. “And? Oliver’s nice, and lots of cats move in and out of the neighborhood. I asked around after you left.”

Fire was speechless. He couldn’t imagine one of his colonymates simply leaving one day, even though he hadn’t been part of the colony for that long.

“Come on, then! What’s it like, living out there?” Smudge demanded. “Is it as good as you thought it’d be?”

Fire thought for a moment. He thought about last night, sleeping in a damp den. He thought about mouse bile and clearing away Yellow Fang’s fleas with his teeth, and trying to please both Lion Heart and Tiger Claw at once during training. He remembered the teasing he suffered about his kittypet origins. Then he remembered the thrill of his first catch, of charging through the forest in pursuit of a squirrel, and of warm evenings beneath the stars sharing tongues with his friends.

“I know who I am now.” he meowed simply.

Smudge simply nodded. “I’m glad to hear that, Fire. I should be getting home.” he mewed. “Mealtime soon.”

“Go carefully, Smudge.” Fire leaned forward and gave his old friend an affectionate lick between the ears. Smudge nuzzled him in return. “And stay alert. There may be another cat in the area who isn’t as fond of kittypets – I mean, house cats – as I am.”

Smudge’s ears flicked nervously at these words. He looked around cautiously and scrambled up onto the trunk of the fallen tree. “Goodbye, Fire.” he mewed. “I’ll tell everyone at home that you’re doing okay!”

“Bye, Smudge.” meowed Fire. “Enjoy your meal!”

He watched the white tip of Smudge’s tail disappear over the edge of the tree. In the distance he could hear the sound of a door opening, and a Twoleg’s voice calling.

Fire turned, his tail high, and started back toward his own home, sniffing the air as he went. I’ll find a finch or two here, he decided. Then I’ll catch something else on the way back through the pines. He felt like he was bursting with energy after meeting Smudge, and realizing just how unhappy he would have been if he had stayed a kittypet.

He looked up at the branches above him and began to stalk silently across the forest floor, every sense alert. Now he just needed to impress Blue Fur and Tiger Claw, and the day would be perfect.

Chapter Text

Fire returned with a chaffinch gripped firmly between his teeth. He dropped it in front of Tiger Claw, who stood waiting in the hollow.

“You’re the first one back.” meowed the warrior.

“Yeah, but I’ve got loads more prey to fetch,” Fire mewed quickly. “I buried it back—“

“I know exactly what you did.” Tiger Claw growled. “I’ve been watching you.”

A swish of brushes announced Gray’s return. He was carrying a small squirrel in his mouth, which he dropped beside Fire’s chaffinch. “Yuck!” he spat. “Squirrels are too furry. I’ll be picking this thing’s fur out of my teeth all evening.”

Tiger Claw paid no attention to Gray’s grumbling. “Raven’s late.” he observed. “We’ll give him a bit longer and then return to camp.”

“But what if he’s been bitten by an adder?” Fire protested.

“Then it’s his own fault.” Tiger Claw replied coldly. “There’s no room for weak fools in Thunder Colony.”

They waited in silence. Gray and Fire exchanged glances, worried about Raven. Tiger Claw sat motionless, apparently lost in his own thoughts.

Fire was the first to scent Raven’s arrival. He jumped to his paws as the black cat sprang into the clearing, looking unusually pleased with himself. Dangling from his mouth was the long, diamond-patterned body of an adder.

“Raven! Are you okay?” Fire called.

“You caught an adder!” meowed Gray, rushing forward to admire Raven’s catch. “Did it bite you?”

“I was too quick for it!” Raven purred loudly. Then he caught Tiger Claw’s eye and fell silent.

Tiger Claw fixed all three excited apprentices with a cold stare. “Come on.” he said shortly. “Let’s collect the rest of your prey and get back to the camp.”

Fire, Gray and Raven entered the camp, strolling behind Tiger Claw. Their impressive day’s catch hung from their mouth, although Raven kept tripping over his dead snake. As they emerged from the gorse into the camp, a group of kits scrambled out of the nursery to watch them pass.

“Look!” Fire heard one of them say. “Apprentices, just back from hunting!” He recognized Thorn, the little tabby Yellow Fang had hissed at the day before. Sitting next to him was a gray kit, his sister Cinder. Their cousins Swift, a black-and-white tom and Lynx, a tortoiseshell molly stood behind them.

“Isn’t that the kittypet, Fire?” squeaked Cinder.

“Yeah! Look at his orange fur!” mewed Swift.

“They say he’s a good hunter.” Lynx added. “He looks a bit like uncle Lion Heart. Do you suppose he’s as good as him?”

“I can’t wait to start my training,” mewed Thorn. “I’m going to be the best warrior Thunder Colony has ever seen!”

Fire lifted his chin, feeling proud at the kits’ admiring comments. He followed his two friends into the center of the clearing.

“An adder!” Gray mewed again, as the apprentices dropped their catch for the other cats to share.

“What should I do with it?” asked Raven, sniffing the snake’s long body as it lay beside the heap.

“Can you eat adders?” asked Gray.

“Trust you to think of your stomach!” Fire joked, headbutting the dark gray tom.

“Well, I wouldn’t want to eat it.” murmured Raven. “I mean, my mouth tastes pretty foul after carrying it back.”

“Let’s put it on the tree stump, then.” suggested Gray, “so that Dust and Sand can see it when they get back.”

They each carried a piece of fresh-kill, and the adder, back to their den. Gray carefully placed the adder on the stump, arranging the snake so that it could be seen clearly from all sides. Then they ate. When they had finished they sat close together to groom one another and talk.

“I wonder who Star Blue Fur will choose to go to the Gathering?” Fire meowed. “It’ll be a full moon tomorrow.”

“Dust has already been twice, and Sand and Raven here have also each gone once.”

“Perhaps Star Blue Fur will choose one of us this time Gray.” mewed Fire. “After all, we’ve both been training for almost three whole moons now.”

“But Dust, Sand and I are still the eldest apprentices.” Raven pointed out.

Fire nodded. “And this Gathering will be an important one. It’ll be the first time the colonies have met since Wind Colony has been driven out. No cat knows whether Shadow Colony is going to admit to it or not.”

Tiger Claw’s low meow interrupted them. “You are right, youngster.” The warrior had strolled up to them unnoticed. “By the way, Fire.” he added smoothly. “Star Blue Fur wants to see you.”

Fire looked up, startled. Why would Blue Fur want to see him?

“Now – if you can spare the time.” Tiger Claw meowed.

Fire jumped up immediately and bounded off across the clearing toward the leader’s den.

Blue Fur was sitting outside, her tail flicking restlessly back and forth. When she saw Fire she stood up and looked steadily down at him. “Tiger Claw has told me that he saw you talking with a cat from the Twolegplace today.” she meowed quietly.

“But—” Fire began.

“He said that you began by fighting with this cat but that you ended up sharing tongues with them.”

“That’s true.” Fire admitted, feeling his fur prickle defensively. “But he was an old friend. We grew up together.” He paused and swallowed. “When I was a kittypet.”

Blue Fur looked at him for a long moment. “Do you miss your old life, Fire?” she asked. “Think carefully, now.”

“No!” How can Star Blue Fur think that? Fire wondered. His head was spinning. What was she trying to make him say?

“Do you wish to leave the colony?”

“Of course not!” Fire was shocked by her question.

Blue Fur didn’t seem to hear the passion in his answer. She took her head, looking suddenly old and tired. “I won’t judge you if you leave us, Fire. Perhaps I expected too much of you. Perhaps my judgement has been clouded by the colony’s need for new warriors.”

Panic swept through Fire at the thought of leaving Thunder Colony. “But my place is here! This is my home!” he protested.

“I need more than that, Fire. I need to be able to trust in your loyalty to Thunder Colony, especially now that it looks like Shadow Colony is planning something. We cannot risk you running away back to Twolegplace if life here gets tough.”

Fire took a deep breath and chose his next words carefully. “When I saw Smudge today – that’s the kittypet Tiger Claw saw me talking to – I saw what my life would have been like if I had stayed with the Twolegs. I felt happy that I hadn’t stayed. I was proud that I left.” He held Blue Fur’s gaze without flinching. “Meeting Smudge made me certain I made the right decision. I could never have been satisfied with kittypet life.”

Blue Fur looked closely at him for a moment, her eyes narrowed. Then she nodded. “Very well.” she said. “I believe you.”

Fire dipped his head respectfully and let out a silent sigh of relief.

“I spoke to Yellow Fang earlier.” meowed Blue Fur in a lighter tone. “She thinks a lot of you. She’s a wise old molly, you know. And I suspect she wasn’t always bad-tempered. Indeed, I think that I could grow to like her.”

Fire felt an unexpected glow of pleasure at these words. Maybe, in caring for Yellow Fang, his admiration for her had grown into affection, despite the molly’s ill temper. Whatever the reason, he was glad Blue Fur liked her too.

“But there is something about her that I don’t trust.” Blue Fur went on quietly. “She will stay with Thunder Colony for now, but remain as our prisoner. The caretakers will care for her, just as they care for the queens, kits and elders. You must concentrate on your training.”

Fire nodded and waited to be dismissed, but Blue Fur hadn’t finished. “Fire, although Tiger Claw thought that you showed bad judgement in talking to a kittypet, he was impressed by your hunting skills. In fact, he reported that you all did well. I am pleased with your progress. You will come to the Gathering – you, Raven and Gray.”

Fire could hardly stand still. His body tingled with excitement. The Gathering! “What about Sand and Dust?” he mewed.

“They will remain behind and guard the camp.” replied Blue Fur. “Now you may go.” She flicked her tail to show he was dismissed, and returned to her grooming.

Gray and Raven look stunned to see Fire bounding happily toward them. They had been waiting nervously for him beside the tree stump. Fire sat down and looked at his friends.

“Well?” Gray demanded. “What did she say?”

“Tiger Claw told us he saw you sharing tongues with a kittypet this morning!” cried out Raven. “A-Are you in trouble?”

“No, although Star Blue Fur wasn’t pleased.” Fire admitted ruefully. “She thought I might want to leave Thunder colony”

“You don’t, do you?” asked Raven.

“Of course he doesn’t!” mewed Gray.

Fire gave his friend an affectionate swipe. “Yeah, you’d hate that. You need me to catch mice for you! All you can catch these days are skinny old squirrels!”

Gray dodged out of the way of Fire’s blow, and reared up on his back legs to retaliate.

“You’ll never guess what else she said!” Fire went on. He was too excited to waste time play-fighting.

Gray immediately dropped back down onto all four paws. “What?” he asked.

“We’re going to the Gathering!”

Gray let out a yowl of delight and bounded up onto the tree stump. One of his back paws knocked the adder flying. It hit Raven on the head and wrapped itself around his neck.

Raven spat with alarm and surprise, then turned on Gray. “Watch it!” he hissed crossly. He shook the adder onto the ground.

“Scared it might try to bite you?” Fire teased. He crouched down, hissing, and sidled up to Raven.

Raven twitched his whiskers and retorted, “Some snake you’d make!” He leapt onto Fire and rolled him easily onto his back.

Gray reached down from the tree stump and gave Raven’s tail a tug. As Raven turned to thump Gray with a soft forepaw, Fire jumped to his paws and ran into them both, sending Gray flying from the stump. All three cats tumbled into the dirt and tussled on the ground. Finally they fell apart and settled themselves, panting, beside the tree stump.

“Are Sand and Dust coming too?” puffed Gray.

“Nope!” Fire replied, unable to disguise the note of triumph in his voice. “They have to stay behind and guard the camp.”

“Oh, please let me tell them!” begged Gray. “I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces!”

“Me neither!” Fire agreed. “I cant believe we’re going instead of them! Especially after Tiger Claw saw me with Smudge today!”

“That was just bad luck,” answered Gray. “We all caught a load of prey in the assessment. That must be what decided it.”

“I wonder what this Gathering will be like.” mewed Raven.

“It’ll be fantastic,” Gray replied confidently. “I bet all the great warriors will be there. Claw Face, Stone Fur..”

But Fire wasn’t listening anymore. Instead, he found himself thinking about Tiger Claw and Smudge. Gray was right – it was bad luck that the senior warrior had been observing him when he had met his old friend. Why couldn’t he have been watching Gray or Raven instead? In fact, it was bad luck that Tiger Claw had sent him so near the Twolegplace at all.

Suddenly a dark thought entered Fire’s mind. Why had Tiger Claw send him so near his old home? Had he wanted to test him? Could it be that the great dark tabby warrior didn’t trust his loyalty to Thunder Colony?

Chapter Text

Fire peered over the brow of a bush-covered slope. Gray and Raven crouched beside him. Next to them a group of Thunder Colony elders, caretakers and warriors waited in the undergrowth for Blue Fur to give the signal.

Fire had not been to this place since his first patrol with Lion Heart and Tiger Claw. The steep-sided glade looked different now. The rich green color of the woods had been bleached away by the cold light of the full moon, and the leaves on the trees glowed silver. At the bottom stood the large oaks that marked where the corner of each colony’s territory touched the other three.

The air was thick, with the warm scent of cats from the other colonies. Fire could see them quite clearly in the moonlight, moving below in the grassy clearing that lay between the four oaks. In the center of the clearing, a large, jagged rock rose from the forest floor like a broken tooth.

“Look at all those cats down there!” hissed Raven under his breath.

“There’s Star Creek Storm!” Gray hissed back. “He’s the leader of River Colony!”

“Where?” Fire mewed, nudging Gray impatiently.

“That light-colored tabby, beside the Great Rock.”

Fire followed Gray’s nod and saw a huge tom, even bigger than Lion Heart, siting at the center of the clearing. His tabby coat shone pale in the moonlight. Even from this distance, Fire could see that his mouth looked twisted, as if it had once been broken and had healed badly.

“Hey!” mewed Gray. “Did you see Sand spit when I told her I hoped she had a nice evening at home?”

“You bet!” Fire purred.

Raven interrupted them with a muffled growl. “Look! There’s Star Broken Tail – Shadow Colony’s leader.” he hissed.

Fire looked down at the dark brown tabby. His fur was very long and his face was broad and flattened. He reminded Fire a little bit of Yellow Fang. There was a stillness in the way he sat and stared around him that made Fire’s fur prickle uncomfortably.

“He looks pretty nasty,” Fire muttered.

“Yeah,” agreed Gray. “He’s not got a good reputation amongst the other colonies. And he’s not been leader for that long – his father and the previous leader, Star Ragged Pelt, only died four moons ago.”

“Raven, you’ve been to a gathering before, what does the leader of Wind Colony look like?”

“Star Tall Tail? He’s black-and-white, with big ears and very long limbs.”

“I wonder how Star Broken Tail is going to explain his, and the rest of Wind Colony’s absence to the other colonies.”

“I wonder that too.” Lion Heart’s meow sounded softly beside them. “I’m also worried about if the remaining three Wind Colony cats are coming.”

“I certaintly wouldn’t if I were them.” mewed Gray.

“Hush! We must be patient. I’m sure they’ll show. These are difficult times, but Wind Colony cats are very resilient. Now keep quiet. Star Blue Fur will give the signal to move soon.” Lion Heart meowed quietly.

As he spoke, Blue Fur stood, and, holding her tail high, flicked it from one side to the other. Fire’s heart missed a beat as the Thunder Colony cats rose as one and bounded through the bushes, down toward the meeting place. He raced alongside them, feeling the wind rush in his ears and his paws tingle with anticipation.

The Thunder Colony cats paused instinctively on edge of the clearing, outside the boundary of the oaks. Blue Fur sniffed the air. Then she nodded and the cats moved forward into the clearing.

Fire felt thrilled. The other cats looked even more impressive close up, milling about the Great Rock. A large warrior strode past. He was mostly white, but with a black tail, ears and face. Fire, Gray and Raven looked at him in awe.

“Look at his paws!” Gray murmured.

Fire looked down and realized the great tom’s jet black paws were huge, and one of them seemed to have an extra toe.

“That’s Black Paws,” mewed Raven. “Shadow Colony’s new deputy.”

Black Paws stalked over to Broken Tail and sat down beside him. The Shadow Colony leader acknowledged him with a twitch of one ear, but said nothing.

“When does the meeting begin?” Gray asked White Storm.

“Be patient, Gray,” he answered. “The sky is clear tonight, so we have plenty of time.”

Lion Heart leaned over and added, “We warriors like to spend a little time boasting about our victories, while the elders swap tales about the ancient days, before the Twolegs came so close to the forest.” All three apprentices looked up at him and saw his whiskers twitch mischievously.

Dapple Tail, Fog Snap, and Small Ears headed straight off toward a group of cats who were settling themselves below one of the trees. White Storm and Lion Heart strolled over to another pair of cats whom Fire did not know. He sniffed the air and recognized their scent as belonging to River Colony.

Blue Fur’s voice sounded from behind the three apprentices. “Don’t waste any of your time tonight,” she warned. “This is a good opportunity to meet your enemies. Listen to them, remember what they look like and how they behave. There is a great deal to be learned from these meetings.”

“And say little.” warned Tiger Claw. “Don’t give anything away that might be used against us once the moon has waned.”

“Don’t worry, we won’t!” Fire promised hastily, looking into Tiger Claw’s amber eyes. The feeling that Tiger Claw didn’t trust his loyalty still lingered with him.

The two warriors nodded and moved on, and the apprentices were left alone. They looked at each other.

“What do we do now?” Fire asked.

“What they said,” replied Raven. “Listen.”

“And don’t say too much,” Gray added.

Fire nodded gravely. “I’m going to see where Tiger Claw went,” he mewed.

“Well, I’m going to find Lion Heart,” mewed Gray. “You coming, Raven?”

“Okay, we’ll meet up later.” Mewed Fire, and he trotted in the direction Tiger Claw had taken.

He scented Tiger Claw easily and found him sitting at the center of a group of huge warriors, behind the Great Rock. Tiger Claw was speaking.

It was a tale Fire had heard many times at camp. Tiger Claw was describing his recent battle against the River Colony hunting party. “I wrestled like a Lion Colony cat, like Star Thunder himself. Three warriors tried to hold me but I threw them off. I fought them until two lay knocked out and the other had run back to the river like a kit crying for their parent.”

This time Tiger Claw didn’t mention killing Oak Heart in vengeance for Red Tail’s death. Perhaps it’s so he doesn’t offend the River Colony warriors too badly. Fire decided.

Fire listened politely to the end of the story, but a familiar scent was distracting him. As soon as Tiger Claw had finished speaking, Fire turned and crept away toward the sweet smell, which was coming from a group of cats nearby.

He found Gray sitting amongst these cats, but that was not the scent he had been following. Sitting opposite Gray, between two River Colony toms, was Spotted Leaf. Fire smiled at her and settled himself beside his friend.

“Have you scented the Wind Colony cats?” he mewed to Gray.

“I haven’t, but the meeting hasn’t officially begun yet, they might still come.” replied his friend. “Look, there’s Wet Nose. He’s the new Shadow Colony healer, apparently.” He nodded toward a small gray-and-white cat at the center of the group.

“I can see why he’s called Wet Nose.” Fire remarked. The healer’s nose was wet at the tip and encrusted around the edges.

“Yep,” replied Gray with a scornful growl. “I can’t see why they allowed him to be a full healer when he cant even cure his own cold.”

Wet Nose was telling the cats about a type of herb that healers had used in the past to cure kitten-cough. “Since the Twolegs came and filled the place with hard earth and strange flowers, and fill the forest with their monsters’ stench,” he complained in a high-pitched yowl. “the herb has disappeared, and our kits die needlessly in leafbare.”

The cats gathered around him yowled their disapproval.

“It never would have happened in the time of the great colonies.” growled a black River Colony molly.

“Indeed,” mewled a silver tabby, who looked like she was only a little older than himself. “The great cats would have killed any Twoleg that dared enter their territory. If Tiger Colony roamed this forest still, Twolegs would have not built this far into our land.”

Then Fire heard Spotted Leaf’s quiet mew. “You forget, Silver, that if Tiger Colony and the other great colonies still roamed these forests, we would have hardly been able to make our territory here, either.”

“What’s Tiger Colony?” mewed a small voice beside them. Fire noticed a small brown apprentice from one of the other colonies sitting beside him.

“Tiger Colony is one of the great colonies that used to roam the forest.” Gray explained quietly. “Tiger Colony were the cats of the night, bigger than the biggest dog, with jet-black stripes. Then there was Lion Colony. They’re..” Gray hesitated, frowning as he tried to remember.

“Oh! I’ve heard of them,” mewed the small apprentice. “They were as big as Tiger Colony cats, with pale golden fur and brown manes, like rays of the sun.”

Gray nodded. “And there was another one, Spotted Colony or something like that..”

“I suspect you’re thinking of Leopard Colony, young Gray.” meowed a voice from behind them.

“Lion Heart!” Gray greeted his mentor with an affectionate touch of his nose.

Lion Heart shook his head in mock despair. “Don’t you youngsters know your history? Leopard Colony were the swiftest cats, huge and golden, with black rosettes. You can thank them for the speed and hunting skills you now possess.”

“Thank them? Why?” asked the small brown cat.

Lion Heart gazed down at the little apprentice and answered. “There is a trace of all the great cats in every cat today. We would not be able to hunt during the night without our Tiger Colony ancestors, and our love of the sun’s warmth comes from Lion Colony.” He paused. “You are a Shadow Colony apprentice, aren’t you? How many moons are you?”

The cat stared awkwardly down at the ground. “S-six moons.” He stammered, not meeting Lion Heart’s gaze.

“Rather small for six moons.” Lion Heart murmured. His tone was gentle, but his gaze was searching and serious.

“My mother was small too.” answered the apprentice nervously. He bowed his head and backed away, disappearing into the crowd of cats with a twitch of his tail.

Lion Heart turned to Fire and Gray. “Well, he might be small, but at least he was curious. If only you two showed as much interest in the stories your elders tell!”

“Sorry, Lion Heart.” Fire and Gray mewed, exchanging doubtful glances.

Lion Heart grunted good-naturedly. “Oh, go away, the pair of you! Next time I hope Star Blue Fur decides to bring apprentices who appreciate what they hear.” And with a half-hearted growl he chased them away from the group.

“Come on.” purred Gray as they bounded away. “Let’s see where Raven’s ran off to.”

Raven was in the middle of a group of apprentices who were clamoring him to tell them about the battle at Sunningrocks.

“Go on, Raven, tell us what happened!” called a pure white molly.

Raven shyly shuffled his paws and shook his head.

“Come on, Raven!” insisted another apprentice.

Raven looked around and saw Fire and Gray at the edge of the crowd. Fire nodded encouragingly. Raven flicked his tail in acknowledgement and began his story.

He stumbled a bit at first, but as he continued, the tremor disappeared from his voice and hi audience leaned in, their eyes growing wider.

“Fur was flying everywhere! Blood spattered the leaves of the bramble bushes, bright red against green. I’d just fought off a huge warrior and sent him squealing into the bushes when the ground shook, and I heard a cat scream. It was Oak Heart! Red Tail raced past me, his mouth dripping blood and his fur torn. “Oak Heart is dead!” he howled. Then he rushed off to help Tiger Claw as he fought another warrior!”

“Who would have thought Raven was such a good storyteller.” Gray murmured to Fire, sounding impressed.

But Fire was thinking of something else. What was it Raven had said? That Red Tail had killed Oak Heart? But according to Tiger Claw, Oak Heart had killed Red Tail and he, Tiger Claw, had killed Oak Heart in revenge.

“If Red Tail killed Oak Heart, who killed Red Tail?” Fire hissed to Gray.

“If who did what?” Gray echoed absentmindedly. He was only half listening to Fire.

Fire shook his head to clear it. Raven must have been mistaken, he thought. He must have meant Tiger Claw.

Raven was coming to the end of his story. “Finally, Red Tail dragged the wailing cat off Tiger Claw by his tail, and with the strength of the whole of Tiger Colony, flung him into the bushes.”

A moving shadow caught Fire’s eye. He glanced around and saw Tiger Claw standing a short distance away. The warrior was watching Raven with an iron stare. Unaware of his mentor’s presence, Raven continued to answer question after question from his enthusiastic audience.

“What were Oak Heart’s dying words?”

“Is it true that Oak Heart had never lost a battle before?”

Raven replied promptly, with his voice high and clear and his eyes shining. But when Fire glanced back at Tiger Claw, he saw a look of horror and then fury creep over the warrior’s face. Clearly Tiger Claw wasn’t enjoying Raven’s story at all.

Fire was just about to say something to Gray when a loud yowl signaled for all the cats to quiet down. Fire couldn’t help but feeling relieved as Raven fell silent at last, and Tiger Claw turned away.

Fire looked up to see where the yowl had come from. Three cats sat silhouetted against the moonlit sky on top of the Great Rock. They were Blue Fur, Broken Tail and Creek Storm.

The colony leaders were about to begin the meeting.

“Surely they won’t start the meeting without Star Tall Tail?” Fire heard another cat hiss.

“Haven’t you noticed? There’s only three Wind Colony cats here.” whispered a River Colony apprentice on the other side of Fire.

Fire guessed that similar conversations were going on all around him. As the other cats were gathering beneath the Great Rock, and unsettled murmuring rumbled in their throats.

“We can’t start yet!” yowled one voice above the noise. “Where are the rest of the Wind Colony representatives? We must wait until all the colonies are present!”

On top of the rock, Blue Fur stepped forward. Her blue-gray fur almost looked like it was glowing in the moonlight. “Cats of all colonies, welcome,” she meowed in a clear voice. “It is true that Wind Colony is not present, but Star Broken Tail wishes to speak anyway.”

Broken Tail padded noiselessly to stand beside Blue Fur. He surveyed the crowd for a few moments, his orange eyes burning. Then he took a deep breath and began. “Friends, I come to speak to you tonight about the needs of Shadow Colony—”

But he was interrupted by raised, impatient voices from below.

“Where is Star Tall Tail?” cried one.

“Where are the rest of the Wind Colony cats?” yowled another.

Broken Tail stretched up to his full height and lashed his tail from side to side. “As the leader of Shadow Colony, it is my right to address you here!” he growled in a voice full of menace. The crowd fell into an uneasy silence. All around him, Fire could smell the acrid tang of fear.

Broken Tail yowled again. “We all know that the hard time of leafbare, and late newleaf, have left us with little prey in our hunting grounds. But we also know that Wind Colony, River Colony, and Thunder Colony lost many cats in the freezing weather that came so late this season. Shadow Colony did not lose any cats. We are hardened to the cold north wind. Our kits are stronger than yours from the moment they are born. And so we find ourselves with many mouths to feed, and too little prey to feed them.”

The crowd, still silent, listened anxiously.

“The needs of Shadow Colony are simple. In order to survive, we must increase our hunting territory. That is why I insist that you allow Shadow Colony warriors to hunt in your territories.”

A shocked but muted growl rippled through the crowd.

“Share our hunting grounds?” called the outraged voice of Tiger Claw.

“It is unprecedented!” cried a tortoiseshell molly from River Colony. “The colonies have never shared hunting rights!”

“Should Shadow Colony be punished because our kits thrive?” yowled Broken Tail from the Great Rock. “Do you want us to watch our young starve? You must share what you have with us!”

“Must!” spat Small Ears furiously from the back of the crowd.

 “Must,” repeated Broken Tail. “Wind Colony failed to understand this. In the end, we were forced to drive them out of their territory.” He glanced down at a clump of three cats. Fire followed his gaze. A dark gray tom with white patches, a large dark brown tom and a brown-and-gray tortoiseshell molly glared up furiously at the Shadow Colony leader. Those must be the three Wind Colony cats the patrol talked to, Fire thought.

Snarls of outrage burst from the crowd, but Broken Tail’s caterwaul rang loud above them. “And, if we have to, we will drive all of you from your hunting grounds in order to feed our hungry kits.”

There was instant silence. On the other side of the clearing, Fire heard Silver, the River Colony apprentice he had seen earlier, start to mutter something, but she was quickly hushed by an elder.

Satisfied that he had ever cat’s attention, Broken Tail continued. “Each year, the Twolegs spoil more of our territory. At least one colony must remain strong, if the legacy of the great colonies is to survive. Shadow Colony thrives while you all struggle. And there may come a time when you will need us to protect you.”

“You doubt our strength?” hissed Tiger Claw. His amber eyes glared threateningly at the Shadow Colony leader, and his powerful shoulders rippled with tension.

“I do not ask for your answer now.” Broken Tail ignored the warrior’s challenge. “I am granting you time to go and consider my words. But bear this in mind. Would you prefer to share your prey, or be driven out and left starving and without a home?”

Both River Colony cats and Thunder Colony cats looked at one another in disbelief. In the anxious pause that followed, Creek Storm stepped forward. “I have already agreed to allow Shadow Colony some hunting rights in the river that runs through our territory.” he meowed quietly, gazing down on his colony.

Horror and humiliation rippled through the River Colony cats at their leader’s words.

“We were not consulted!” cried a grizzled silver-and-black tabby tom.

“I feel that this is what is best for our colony. For all of the colonies.” Creek Storm explained, his voice heavy with resignation. “There are plenty of fish in the river. It is better to share our prey than to spill blood fighting over it.”

“And what of Thunder Colony?” Small Ears croaked. “Star Blue Fur? Have you, too, agreed to this outrageous demand?”

Blue Fur unwaveringly met the old cat’s gaze. “I have made no agreement with Star Broken Tail except that I shall discuss his proposal with my colony after the Gathering.”

“Well, at least that’s something,” muttered Gray in Fire’s ear. “We’ll show them we’re not as soft as that yellow-bellied River Colony.”

Broken Tail spoke up again, his rasping voice sounding arrogant and strong after Creek Storm’s surrender. “I also bring news that is important to the safety of your kits. A Shadow Colony cat has turned rogue and spurned the warrior code. We chased her out of our camp, but we do not know where she is now. She looks like a mangy old creature, but she has a bite like Tiger Colony.”

Fire’s fur bristled. Could Broken Tail possibly be talking about Yellow Fang? He pricked up his ears, curious to hear more.

“She is dangerous. I warn you – do not offer shelter to her. And” – Broken Tail paused dramatically – “until she is caught and killed, I urge you to keep a close eye on your kits.”

Fire knew from the nervous growl that rumbled in the throats of the Thunder Colony cats that they, too, had thought of Yellow Fang. The bold molly had done nothing to endear herself to her reluctant hosts, and Fire guessed it wouldn’t make much to drum up hatred against her – even the words of a despised enemy like Broken Tail would be enough.

The Shadow Colony warriors began to push their way out of the throng of cats. Broken Tail jumped down from the rock, and his warriors immediately surrounded him and escorted him away from Fourtrees, back into Shadow Colony territory. The remaining Shadow Colony cats followed quickly behind, including the undersized brown cat Lion Heart had questioned earlier. But among the other Shadow Colony apprentices, the tom no longer looked unusually small – they all looked tiny and undernourished, more like kits of three or four moons old than fully-fledged apprentices.

“What do you think of all that?” Gray mewed in a low voice.

Raven bounded over before Fire could reply. “What’s going to happen now?” he wailed, his short fur fluffed up in alarm and his eyes wider than ever.

Fire didn’t answer. The elders of Thunder Colony were gathering nearby, and he was straining to hear what they were saying.

“That must be Yellow Fang he was talking about.” growled Small Ears.

“Well, she did snap at little Thorn the other day.” murmured Speckle Tail darkly. She was the oldest caretaker, and fiercely protective of all the kits.

“And we’ve left her behind, with the camp virtually unguarded!” wailed Fog Snap, who for once seemed to be having no trouble hearing everything.

“I tried to tell you she was a danger to us” hissed Dark Stripe. “Star Blue Fur has to listen to reason now and get rid of her before she harms any of the kits!”

Tiger Claw strode up to the group. “We must return to camp at once and deal with this rouge!” he yowled.

Fire didn’t stop to hear more. His mind was spinning. Loyal as he was to his colony, he just couldn’t believe that Yellow Fang would be a danger to the kits. Frightened for the old molly, burning with questions only she could answer, he raced away from Gray and Raven without a word.

He charged up the hillside and pelted through the forest. Had he been mistaken about Yellow Fang? If he warned her about the danger she was in, would he be risking his own position in Thunder Colony? No matter the trouble he got himself into, he had to find out the truth from her before the other cats got back to the camp.

Chapter Text

Fire reached the edge of the ravine and looked down at the camp. He was panting and his paws were slippery with dew. He sniffed the air. He was alone. There was still time to speak to Yellow Fang before the others returned from the Gathering. Silently, he jumped down the rocky slope and slipped through the gorse tunnel unnoticed.

The camp was still and quiet, apart from the muted snuffles of sleeping cats. Fire quickly crept around the edge of the clearing to Yellow Fang’s nest. The old healer was curled up on top of her mossy bedding.

“Yellow Fang,” he hissed urgently. “Yellow Fang! Wake up! It’s important!”

Two orange eyes opened and glinted in the moonlight. “I wasn’t sleeping.” meowed Yellow Fang quietly. She sounded calm and alert. “You came straight from the Gathering to me? That must mean you’ve heard.” She blinked slowly and looked away. “So Broken Tail kept his promise.” Fire noticed that the old molly did not use her former leader’s title when speaking about him.

“What promise?” Fire felt very confused. Yellow Fang seemed to know more than he did about what was going on.

“Shadow Colony’s noble leader promised to drive me from every colony’s territory,” Yellow Fang replied dryly. “What did he say about me?”

“He warned us that our kits were in danger as long as we sheltered the Shadow Colony rouge. He didn’t say your name, but Thunder Colony guessed who he was talking about. You have to leave before the others get back! You’re in danger!”

“You mean they believed him?” Yellow Fang flattened her ears and swished her tail angrily.

“Yes!” Fire meowed urgently. “Dark Stripe says you’re dangerous. The other cats are scared of what you might do. Tiger Claw is planning to come back and.. I don’t know.. I-I think you should go before they get here!”

In the distance Fire could hear the yowls of angry cats. Yellow Fang struggled stiffly to her paws. Fire gave her a nudge to help her up, his mind still spinning with questions. “What did Star Broken Tail mean when he warned us to keep a close eye on our kits?” he couldn’t stop himself from asking. “Would you really do something like that?”

“Would I what?”

“W-Would you harm our kits?”

Yellow Fang flared her nostrils and looked steadily at him. “Do you think so?”

Fire met her gaze without flinching. “No. I don’t believe you would ever harm a kit. But why would Star Broken Tail say such a thing? Yellow Fang, please. If you know something more you need to tell me! I can explain everything to Star Blue Fur after—”

The noise of the cats was coming nearer, and with it, the scents of aggression and anger. Yellow Fang looked wildly from side to side.

“Go!” Fire urged. Her safety was more important than his curiosity.

But Yellow Fang remained where she was and stared at him. A calm look came into her wide eyes. “Fire, you believe I’m innocent, and I’m grateful for that. If you believe me, then others might. I will explain everything. I know Star Blue Fur will give me a fair hearing. I can’t run forever. I’m too old. I shall stay here and face whatever your colony decides for me.” She sighed and sank down onto her bony haunches.

“But what about Tiger Claw? What if he—”

“Tiger Claw is headstrong, and he knows the power he has over your colonymates – they are in awe of him. But even he will obey Star Blue Fur.”

Rustling in the undergrowth beyond the camp boundary told Fire that the cats were almost at the entrance.

“Go away, Fire.” hissed Yellow Fang, baring her stained and blackened teeth at him. “Don’t make trouble for yourself by being seen with me now. There is nothing you can do for me. Have faith in your leader, and let her decide what happens to me.”

Fire realized Yellow Fang had made up her mind. He touched his nose to her patchy fur, then crept silently away into the shadows to watch.

Through the gorse came the cats – Blue Fur first, accompanied by Lion Heart, Frost Fur and Willow Branch were right behind them. Frost Fur raced away from the troop immediately and ran toward the nursery, the fur on her tail bristling in alarm. Tiger Claw and Dark Stripe strode into the clearing, shoulder to shoulder, looking grim. The others followed behind, with Raven and Gray at the rear. As soon as he saw his friends, Fire trotted out to join them.

“You went to warn Yellow Fang, didn’t you?” whispered Gray when Fire reached his side.

“Yes, I did.” Fire admitted. “But she won’t leave. She trusts Star Blue Fur to treat her fairly. Did anyone miss me?”

“Only us.” replied Raven.

Around the camp, the cats who had stayed behind began to wake up. They must have scented aggression and heard the tension in the voices of returning cats, for they all came running into the clearing, their tails held high.

“What has happened?” called Running Wind.

“Star Broken Tail has demanded hunting rights for Shadow Colony in our territory!” replied Long Tail loudly enough for all the cats to hear.

“And he warned us about a rouge who will harm our kits!” added Fog Snap. “It must be Yellow Fang!”

Meows of anger and distress rose from the crowd.

“Silence!” ordered Blue Fur, leaping onto the Highrock and flicking her tail. Instinctively, the cats settled in front of her.

A loud screech made every cat turn their head toward the fallen tree where the elders slept. Tiger Claw and Dark Stripe were dragging Yellow Fang roughly from her nest. She shrieked furiously as they hauled her into the clearing and dumped her in front of the Highrock. Fire felt every muscle in his body tense. Without thinking, he dropped into a low crouch, ready to spring at Yellow Fang’s persecutors.

“Wait, Fire.” growled Gray in his ear. “Let Star Blue Fur deal with this.”

“What is going on here?” demanded Blue Fur, jumping down from the Highrock and glaring at her warriors. “I gave you no order to attack our prisoner.”

Tiger Claw and Dark Stripe instantly let go of Yellow Fang, who crouched in the dust, hissing and spitting.

Frost Fur appeared from the nursery and pushed her way through to the front of the colony. “We got back in time.” she meowed, gasping. “The kits are safe!”

“Of course they are!” snapped Blue Fur.

Frost Fur seemed taken aback. “But.. you are going to throw Yellow Fang out, aren’t you?” she meowed, her blue eyes wide.

“Throw her out?” spat Dark Stripe, unleashing his claws. “We should kill her now!”

Blue Fur fixed her piercing blue eyes on Dark Stripe’s angry face. “And what has she done?” she asked with icy calm.

Fire held his breath.

“You were at the Gathering! Star Broken Tail said she—” Dark Stripe began.

“And you believed him without asking her first? No, I shall hear Yellow Fang’s side of the story first before deciding on anything.” Meowed Blue Fur, her voice menacingly quiet. “For as long as she is in my colony, Yellow Fang will not be harmed in any way. Now, Yellow Fang, speak. I do not believe you would ever harm a kit.”

“I- Thank you, Star Blue Fur.” Yellow Fang bowed her flat head. “The truth is, I did not kill Bright Flower’s kits. They were my younger siblings, I would never harm them. Broken Tail is the one who killed them. He has been apprenticing kits since they reached three moons old, and he has been sending them out into battle not long after that. We have already lost many of our kits. He could not blame the death of these last two kits on another apprentice, since the wounds they bared could only come from a full grown warrior. So he blamed me.”

Shocked yowls rose up throughout the clearing. Fire suddenly realized that was why all the apprentices at the gathering were so small. They were still kits, even younger than Frost Fur and Lion Heart’s litter!

Blue Fur silenced her outraged colony with a flick of her tail and a yowl. “Calm yourselves, Thunder Colony. What Broken Tail has done is horrific, and this just proves that he, not Yellow Fang, is the real threat to our colony. We have already begun to prepare for an attack by Shadow Colony after we heard of Wind Colony’s disappearance, and we will carry on with those preparations. We will also patrol our borders more frequently. Wind Colony has gone, River Colony has given hunting rights to Shadow Colony warriors. Thunder Colony stands alone against Broken Tail.” She meowed.

A murmur of defiance rippled through the cats, and Fire felt his fur prickle with anticipation. He noticed that Blue Fur had also not used Broken Tail’s leader title when referring to him after she had heard Yellow Fangs revelation.

“Then we’re not going to agree to Broken Tail’s demands?” meowed Tiger Claw.

“Colonies have never shared hunting rights before.” Blue Fur answered. “They have always managed to support themselves in their own territories. There is no reason why this should change.” Tiger Claw nodded approvingly.

“But can we defend ourselves against a Shadow Colony attack?” asked Small Ears tremulous voice. “Wind Colony didn’t manage it! River Colony won’t even try!”

Blue Fur met his old eyes with her steady gaze. “We must to try. We will not give up our territory without a fight.”

All around the clearing, Fire saw the cats nodding in agreement.

“I shall travel to the Moonstone tomorrow.” Blue Fur announced. “Our Star Colony ancestors will give me the strength I need to lead Thunder Colony through this dark time. You must all get some rest. We have a lot to do when daylight comes. I wish to talk with Lion Heart now.” Without another word, she turned and strode toward her den.

Fire noticed the look of wonder that had entered the eyes of some of the cats when Blue Fur had mentioned the Moonstone. Now his colonymates hurriedly gathered in groups, meowing in hushed voices full of excitement.

“What’s the Moonstone?” Fire asked Gray.

“It’s a rock deep underground that shines in the dark,” whispered Gray. His voice was hoarse with awe. “All colony leaders have to spend one night at the Moonstone when they first become leader. There, the spirits of Star Colony share with them.”

“Share what with them?”

Gray frowned. “I don’t know.” he admitted. “I only know that the new leaders have to sleep near the stone, and as they sleep, they have special dreams. After that, they have the gift of nine lives, and take the title of Star.”

Fire watched Yellow Fang limp back to her shadowy nest. It looked like Tiger Claw and Dark Stripe’s rough treatment had aggravated her old injury. As he trotted back to the apprentices’ den, Fire decided to ask Spotted Leaf for more poppy seeds in the morning.

“So what happened?” mewed Dust eagerly, popping his head out of the den. He seemed to have forgotten how much he resented the new apprentice in his eagerness to hear about the Gathering.

“It’s like Long Tail said. Broken Tail demanded hunting rights…” Gray began.

Sand and Dust sat and listened, but Fire was watching the camp. He could see the silhouettes of Blue Fur and Lion Heart sitting close together outside her den, talking urgently.

Then he noticed the small shape of Raven at the entrance to the warriors’ den. Tiger Claw stood beside him. Fire saw Raven’s ears flatten as the young cat flinched away from Tiger Claw’s fierce words. The dark tabby warrior loomed over him, twice his size, his eyes and teeth flashing in the moonlight. What was he saying to Raven? Fire was just about to creep nearer and listen when Raven backed away, turned, and ran across the clearing.

Fire greeted Raven as he reached the apprentice’s den, but Raven hardly seemed to notice him. Instead, he pushed his way inside the den without a word.

Fire got up to follow him when he saw Lion Heart approaching.

“Well,” meowed the colony’s deputy, striding up to the apprentices. “It seems that Fire, Gray and Raven are about to reach another important stage in their training.”

“What’s that?” mewed Gray, looking excited.

“Star Blue Fur wishes you three to accompany her on the journey to the Moonstone!” Lion Heart didn’t miss the look of disappointment on the faces of Dust and Sand, because he added. “Don’t worry, you two. You’ll get to make the journey soon enough. For now, Thunder Colony needs your strength and skill at the camp. I will remain here also.”

Fire looked past Lion Heart to his leader. She was moving from one group of warriors to another, meowing instructions to each. Why had she chosen him for this journey?

“She wants you to rest now.” Lion Heart continued. “But first, go to Spotted Leaf and collect the herbs you will need on this expedition. It’s a long way. You will need something to give you strength and quell your appetite. There will be little time for catching prey.”

Gray nodded, and Fire dragged his gaze away from Blue Fur and nodded too.

“Where is Raven?” asked Lion Heart.

“He’s in his nest already,” replied Fire.

“Good. Leave him to sleep. You can fetch his herbs for him.” meowed Lion Heart. “Rest well. You leave at dawn.” He flicked his tail and walked back to Blue Fur’s den.

“Well, then,” mewed Sand. “You’d better go and see Spotted Leaf, Fire!”

Fire listened for sourness in her voice, but there was none. There was no time for jealousy now. All the cats in the colony seemed to be united against the threat from Shadow Colony.

Fire and Gray walked quickly toward Spotted Leaf’s den. The fern tunnel was dark. Not even the full moon penetrated its thick covering.

Spotted Leaf seemed to be expecting them as they emerged into moonlit clearing. “Have you two come for some traveling herbs?” she meowed.

“Yes, please.” Fire answered. “And I think Yellow Fang needs more poppy seeds. She seemed to be feeling her wounds.”

“I’ll bring some to her after this. And your traveling herbs are ready.”

Spotted Leaf indicated a pile of carefully made leaf wraps. “Enough for all three of you. The dark green herb will stop your hunger pangs during the journey. The other will give you strength. Eat them both just before you leave. They’re not as good as fresh prey, but the taste won’t last long.”

“Thanks, Spotted Leaf,” mewed Fire. He leaned down and picked up one of the parcels. As he bent his head, Spotted Leaf stretched over and gently rubbed his cheek with her nose. Fire purred his thanks.

Gray picked up the other two and the friends turned and headed back through the tunnel.

“Good luck!” Spotted Leaf called after them. “Travel safely!”

They arrived at the entrance to their den and dropped the bundles.

“Well, I just hope these herbs don’t taste too revolting!” muttered Gray.

“It must be a long way to the Moonstone. We’ve never been given herbs before. Do you know where it is?” Fire asked.

“Beyond Wind Colony territory, at a place called the Highstones. It lies deep underground, in a cave we call the Mothermouth.”

“Have you ever been there before?” Fire was impressed that Gray knew so much about this mysterious place.

“No, but it’s a Thunder Colony tradition that all apprentices make the journey there once before they become warriors.”

The thought of becoming a warrior made Fire’s eyes gleam with excitement, and he couldn’t help standing a little taller.

“Don’t get your hopes up. We still have to finish our training!” Gray warned, as if reading his thoughts.

Fire looked up through the canopy of leaves at the stars glittering in the black sky above. Moonhigh had passed. “We should get some sleep.” He mewed. But he couldn’t imagine being able to sleep with the thought of tomorrow’s adventure spinning through his mind. Attending the Gathering, a journey to the Moonstone – how far away his kittypet life seemed now!

Chapter Text

The cold air chilled Fire’s bones as darkness wrapped itself around him. He could her nothing, and his nostrils were filled with the musty scent of damp earth.

Out of nowhere, a brilliant ball of light flared in front of him. Fire ducked his head, squinting his eyes to protect them against the glare. The light shone, dazzling coldly like a star. Then it blinked out, disappearing as quickly as it had come. The darkness fell away, and Fire found himself in the forest. He felt comforted by the familiar smells of the woods. He breathed in the forest’s scents, and calmness flowed through his body.

Without any warning, a dreadful noise burst from the trees. Fire’s fur bristled. It was the screeching of terrified cats racing out from the bushes up ahead. Fire recognized the pelts of his colonymates as they raced past him. He stood rooted to the spot, unable to move. Then came great cats, huge shadowy warriors, their eyes glittering cruelly. He couldn’t recognize any of them. They thundered toward him, pounding the earth with massive paws, their claws unsheathed. And out of the shadows, Fire heard a high, desperate cry filled with grief and rage. Gray!

Fire woke, horrified. His dream vanished, leaving his ears ringing and his fur standing on end. As he opened his eyes, he saw the face of Tiger Claw peering into the den. Fire jumped to his paws, instantly alert.

“Something wrong, Fire?” asked Tiger Claw.

“Just a dream,” Fire mumbled.

Tiger Claw gave him a curious look, then growled. “Wake the others. We leave for the Moonstone shortly.”

Outside the den, the rising sun cast the sky in many different colors, and dew sparkled on the ferns. It would be a warm day once the sun was fully up, but the early-morning dampness reminded Fire that leaf-fall was not far off.

Fire, Gray, and Raven quickly gulped down the herbs that Spotted Leaf had given them. Tiger Claw and Blue Fur sat watching them, ready to leave. The rest of the camp was still asleep.

“Ugh!” complained Gray. “I knew they’d be bitter. Why couldn’t we just eat a fat, juicy mouse instead?”

“These herbs will keep your hunger at bay longer.” answered Blue Fur. “And they will make you strong. We have a long journey ahead of us.”

“Have you eaten yours already?” Fire asked.

“I cannot eat if I’m going to share dreams with Star Colony at the Moonstone tonight.” replied Blue Fur.

Fire felt his paws tingle when he heard these words. He was itching to begin the journey. With the dawn’s light and the familiar voices, the terror of his dream had left him. All that remained was the memory of the brilliant light, and Blue Fur’s words sent a renewed thrill of excitement through him.

The five cats made their way through the gorse tunnel and out of the camp.

Lion Heart was just returning with a patrol. “Have a safe journey.” he meowed.

“I know I can trust you to keep the camp safe.” She answered.

Lion Heart looked at Gray and dipped his head. “Remember,” he meowed, “you are almost a young warrior. Don’t forget what I have taught you.”

Gray looked back at Lion Heart with affection. “I will always remember, Lion Heart,” he mewed, nudging his head against the tabby’s broad golden flank.

They retraced their route to Fourtrees. This was the quickest way to pass into Wind Colony territory. Highstones lay beyond.

As Fire bounded down the side of the glade toward the Great Rock, he could still smell the scents of last night’s Gathering. He followed the others through the grassy clearing and up the slope on the other side, into Wind Colony territory. The bushy slope became steeper as they climbed, and rockier, until the cats had to leap from boulder to boulder up the side of a craggy cliff face.

Fire paused when they reached the top. Ahead of them, the ground flattened out into a wide plateau. The wind blew in a steady gust that rippled the grass and bent the trees. The soil was stony, and outcroppings of bare rock dotted the landscape here and there.

The air still carried the scents of Wind Colony, but they were stale. Much fresher, and more alarming, were the pungent markings of Shadow Colony warriors.

“All of the colonies are entitled to safe passage to the Moonstone, but Shadow Colony seems to have no respect for the warrior code anymore, so be alert.” warned Blue Fur. “We mustn’t hunt outside our territory, though. We’ll follow the warrior code, even if Shadow Colony doesn’t.”

They set off across the plateau as the sun rose into the sky, following the tracks through the heather. Fire had grown used to living under a canopy of trees. Without their shade, his ginger pelt felt heavy and hot, and his back seemed to burn. He was thankful for the steady breeze blowing from the forests behind.

Suddenly, Tiger Claw stopped. “Watch out!” he hissed. “I smell a Shadow Colony patrol.”

Fire and the others lifted their noses, and sure enough, the scent of Shadow Colony warriors traveled on the wind.

“They are upwind. They won’t know that we are here if we keep moving.” meowed Blue Fur. “But we must hurry. If they move ahead they’ll detect us. It’s not far to the edge of Wind Colony’s territory now.”

They moved on quickly, leaping over the rocks, pushing their way through the sweet-smelling heather. Evert few steps, Fire sniffed the air and glanced over his shoulder, on the lookout for the Shadow Colony patrol. But gradually the scent grew fainter and fainter. They must have turned back, he thought with relief.

Finally they reached the edge of the uplands. The landscape changed dramatically, shaped and altered beyond recognition by Twolegs. Wide earth tracks crisscrossed green and golden meadows, small woods dotted the land, and Twoleg nests were scattered here and there among the fields. In the distance Fire saw a familiar wide, gray path, and an acid tang that stung his throat drifted on the breeze.

“Is that the Thunderpath?” he asked Gray.

“Yes,” replied Gray. “It runs up from Shadow Colony’s territory. Can you see Highstones behind it?”

Fire looked at the distant horizon. The land rose sharply up to a point, jagged and barren. “Do we have to cross the Thunderpath then?”

“Yep,” mewed Gray. His voice was strong and confident, almost cheerful, as he faced the difficult journey.

“Come on.” meowed Blue Fur. She bounded forward. “We can be there by moonrise as long as we keep up the pace.”

Fire and the others followed her down the hill, away from the bleak former hunting grounds of Wind Colony and into the lush Twoleg territory.

Keeping near the hedges, the cats walked on. Once or twice Fire could smell the scent of prey from the bushes, but Spotted Leaf’s herbs had succeeded in taking the edge off his hunger. The sun was still hot on his back, even in the shadows of the rows of hedges.

They skirted a Twoleg nest. It stood on a wide expanse of hard white stone, with smaller nests on the edges. Keeping low, the cats crept past the fence that surrounded the white stone. A sudden barrage of barking and snarling made them spin around.

Dogs! Fire’s heart missed a beat. He arched his back, fur bristling from nose to tail.

Tiger Claw peered through the fence. “It’s all right. They’re tied up!” he hissed.

Fire looked at the two dogs scrabbling on the stone barely ten tail-lengths away. They were nothing like the pampered pets that lived in the gardens of his old Twolegplace. These ones stared at them with their wild eyes. They strained at their ties and reared up on their hind legs. They growled and barked, their lips drawn back to reveal huge teeth, until the shout of an unseen Twoleg silenced them. The cats moved on.

The sun was beginning to sink by the time they reached the Thunderpath. Blue Fur signaled to them to stop and wait beneath a hedge. His eyes and throat stinging from the fumes, Fire watched as the great monsters flashed in front of him.

“We’ll go one at a time.” meowed Tiger Claw. “Raven, you first.”

“No, Tiger Claw.” Blue Fur interrupted. “I shall go first. Don’t forget, this will be the first time crossing for the apprentices. Let them see how it is done.”

Fire stared at his leader as she padded to see the edge of the Thunderpath and looked up and down. She waited calmly as one monster after another flew past her, ruffling her fur. Then, when the earsplitting roar paused for a moment, she raced across the other side.

“Off you go, Raven. Now you’ve seen how it’s done.” Meowed Tiger Claw.

Fire saw Raven’s eyes widen with fear. He knew just how his friend felt. He could smell his own fear, as well as that of the other cats. The small black cat crept forward to the edge of the road. It was quiet, but Raven hesitated.

“Go!” hissed Tiger Claw from the hedge. Fire saw Raven’s muscles tighten as he prepared to run. Then the ground began to tremble beneath his paws. A monster sped out of the distance and hurtled past. The black cat shrank back for a moment, then pelted over to join Blue Fur. A monster coming in the other direction threw dust up where his paws had been just a heartbeat before. Fire felt his fur shiver and he took a deep breath to calm himself.

Gray was lucky. A long lull let him cross safely. Then it was Fire’s turn.

“Go on, then.” growled Tiger Claw. Fire looked from Tiger Claw to the Thunderpath, and then walked out from beneath the hedge. He waited at the edge, as Blue Fur had done. A monster was rushing toward him. Fire looked at the approaching monster. After this one, he thought, and waited for it to pass. Suddenly his heart lurched as he realized the monster had veered off the Thunderpath and was bumping along the grass. It was heading straight for him! A Twoleg was jeering from one of the openings in its side. Fire sprang backward, claws out, battered by the storm of wind from the Twoleg’s monster as it roared past him only a whisker away. He crouched, trembling, in the dirt and stared as it swerved back onto the path and disappeared into the distance. Through the roaring of blood in his ears, Fire realized the Thunderpath was quiet again, and he raced across, running faster than he had ever done in his life.

“I thought you were fresh-kill!” cried Gray as Fire cannoned into him, almost knocking him over.

“Me too!” Fire gasped. He was trying to stop shaking. He turned back to watch Tiger Claw dart over the path toward them.

“Twolegs!” he spat as he arrived at their side.

“Do you want to rest before we go on?” Blue Fur asked Fire.

Fire looked up. The sun was low in the sky. “No,” he answered. “I’m okay, Star Blue Fur.” But he had jumped so frantically out of the monster’s way that his claws felt frayed and tender.

The cats carried on, with Blue Fur in the lead. The earth was darker on this side of the Thunderpath and the grass felt coarser underpaw. As they approached the foot of Highstones, the grass gave way to bare, rocky soil, dotted with patches of heather. The land sloped up, toward the sky. Craggy rocks topped the slope, blazing orange in the sun.

Blue Fur stopped once more. She chose a sun-warmed rock to sit upon, flat and wide enough for all five cats to rest side by side.

“Look,” she meowed, tilting her nose toward the dark slope before them. “That’s the Mothermouth.”

Fire peered upward. The glare of the setting sun blinded him, and the slope was engulfed in shadow.

The cats waited in silence. Gradually, as the sun dropped down behind Highstones, Fire began to make out the cave entrance, a square black hole that yawned darkly beneath a stone archway.

“We’ll wait here until the moon is higher.” meowed Blue Fur. “You should hunt if you’re hungry and then get some rest.”

Fire was pleased to have a chance to find food. He was starving now. Gray clearly felt the same and leapt into a clump of heather, following the scent of prey that was thick in the air. Fire and Raven followed him. Tiger Claw set off in the opposite direction, but Blue Fur remained where she was. She sat still and silent, gazing unblinkingly at Mothermouth.

The three apprentices gathered plenty of fresh-kill. They crouched on the stony hillside along Tiger Claw and feasted. But in spite of their easy hunt, no cat said much, and the air still felt thick with tension and anticipation.

Afterward, the cats rested beside their leader until the warmth had seeped out of the rock on which they were laying and cold black shadows reached up on all sides. Only then did Blue Fur call out, “Come. It is time.”

Chapter Text

Blue Fur stood and began to pad toward Mothermouth. Tiger Claw walked beside her, matching her strides step for step.

“Come on, Raven!” called Gray. Raven was still sitting on the flat boulder, staring up at the craggy rocks of the Highstones. At Gray’s mew, he stood and began to follow slowly. Fire realized his friend had hardly said a word during the whole journey. Is he just worried about Shadow Colony, or is there something else troubling him? Fire wondered.

It took the cats only a few moments to reach Mothermouth. Fire stood on the threshold and peered inside. The blackness beyond the stone archway was darker than the cloudiest night. Fire narrowed his eyes, trying to see where the tunnel led, but he couldn’t see a thing.

Beside him, Gray and Raven craned their heads nervously around the entrance. Even Tiger Claw seemed unsettled by the black hole ahead of them. “How will we find our way in such darkness?” he asked.

“I will know the way,” answered Blue Fur.  “Just follow my scent. Raven and Gray, you will remain on guard outside. Fire, you will accompany me and Tiger Claw to the Moonstone.”

Fire felt a thrill jolt through him. What an honor! Fire glances sideways at Tiger Claw. The large warrior sat with his chin boldly raised, but Fire could detect a subtle scent of fear coming from him. It grew stronger as Blue Fur stepped forward into the blackness.

Tiger Claw shook his might head and padded after Blue Fur. With a brief nod to the other apprentices, Fire followed.

Inside the cave, his eyes still detected nothing. The complete and utter blackness felt strange, but he was surprised to find he wasn’t frightened. His eagerness to discover what lay ahead was strong.

The cold, damp air reached through his thick fur and into his bones, stiffening his muscles. Even the coldest nights did not hold the same chill as the air here. The ground here has never known the warmth of the sun, thought Fire, feeling the smooth, ice-like rock beneath his paws. Freezing air filled his lungs with each breath, until he felt light-headed.

He followed Blue Fur and Tiger Claw through the darkness, judging his way by scent and feel alone. They were walking along a tunnel that sloped down and down, winding first one way and then the other. Fire’s whiskers brushed the side of the cave, telling him where to walk and where to turn. His nose told him that Blue Fur and Tiger Claw were only a tail-length ahead of him.

They went on and on. How far have we come? Fire wondered. Then he felt a tingle in whiskers. The air in his nostrils seemed fresher than before. He sniffed again, relieved to smell the familiar scents of the world above. He could smell peat, and prey, and the scent of heather. There must be hole somewhere in the roof of the tunnel. “Where are we?” he mewed into the darkness.

“We have entered the cavern of the Moonstone,” came Blue Fur’s soft reply. “Wait here. It will be moonhigh soon.”

Fire folded his legs under him on the chilly stone floor and waited. He could hear the steady breathing of Blue Fur and the more rapid, fear-scented panting of Tiger Claw.

Suddenly, in a flash more blinding than the setting sun, the cave was lit up. Fire’s eyes were wide open after the blackness of the tunnel. He closed them quickly against the cold, white light. Then slowly he opened them into tiny slits and peered ahead.

He saw a gleaming rock, which glittered as if it were made from countless dewdrops. The Moonstone! Fire looked around. In the cold light reflected from the stone, he could make out the shadowy edges of a high-roofed cavern. The Moonstone rose up from the middle of the floor, at least three tail-lengths high.

Blue Fur was staring upward, her fur bleached in the glow of the Moonstone. Even Tiger Claw’s dark brown pelt shone. Fire followed Blue Fur’s gaze. High in the roof was an opening that revealed a narrow triangle of night sky. The moon was casting a beam of light through the hole, down onto the Moonstone, making it shine, like the stars of Silverpelt.

Beside him, Fire smelled Tiger Claw’s fear-scent growing, until it became overpowering. Fire felt startled. Could the warrior see something else here, something dangerous? He saw a flash of movement, felt fur rush past him, and heard the fleeing pawsteps of Tiger Claw racing back to the entrance.

“Fire?” Blue Fur’s voice was quiet and calm.

“I’m still here,” he answered nervously. What had frightened Tiger Claw?

“Star Blue Fur?” Fire mewed again when she didn’t answer. His heart was beating fast, making his blood roar in his ears.

“It is all right, young warrior. Don’t be afraid.” Blue Fur murmured. Her calm voiced settled him a little. “I think Tiger Claw was surprised by the power of the Moonstone. In the world above, Tiger Claw is a fearless and mighty senior warrior, but down here, where the spirits of Star Colony speak, a cat needs a different kind of strength. What do you feel, Fire?”

Fire sniffed the air deeply, and forced his body to relax. “Only my own curiosity,” he admitted.

“That’s good.” Blue Fur replied.

Fire looked back at the Moonstone. His eyes had gotten used to its light and he was no longer dazzled. Instead, it soothed him. With a twitch of his tail, he remembered his dream. This was the brilliant light he had seen!

Spellbound, Fire watched as Blue Fur padded up to the stone and lay down beside it. She reached her head forward and touched the Moonstone with her nose. Her blue eyes sparkled with its reflection for a moment before she closed them. Now she rested her head on her paws, her eyelids flickering, her paws twitching occasionally. Was she sleeping? Then Fire remembered Gray’s words. “New leaders have to sleep near the stone, and as they sleep, they have special dreams.”

He waited. The chill was not so intense here, but he still found himself shivering. He had no idea how much time had passed, but suddenly the rock stopped glowing. The cavern was plunged into darkness once more. Fire looked up to the opening in the roof of the cavern. The moon had passed on, out of sight. All that remained were tiny stars shimmering in blackness.

Fire could just make out the shape of his leader, lying beside the Moonstone. He wanted to call out her name, but did not dare break the silence.

After more endless moments, she spoke to him. “Fire? Are you still there?” Her voice sounded remote and agitated.

“Yes, Star Blue Fur.” Fire heard Blue Fur’s pawsteps approaching.

“Hurry,” she hissed. He felt her fur brush past him. “We must return to camp.”

Fire raced after her, astonished by the speed with which she rushed through the darkness. He followed her scent blindly, up and up the stone tunnel, until she led him safely back to the outside world.

Tiger Claw was waiting at the opening beside Gray and Raven as Blue Fur and Fire climbed out of the cave. His expression was cold and his fur was slightly ruffled, but he sat motionless and dignified.

“Tiger Claw.” Blue Fur greeted him but did not mention the senior warrior’s flight from the depths.

Tiger Claw relaxed a little. “Star Blue Fur. What did you learn?”

“We must return to camp immediately.” Blue Fur meowed briefly.

Fire saw a look of desperation in his leader’s eyes. Now the horror of his dream forced its way back into his memory. The fleeing cats, the great shadowy warriors, the ear-splitting wail of distress. Fire tried to ignore the cold fear that gripped his muscles, and followed Blue Fur as she and the others raced down the dark slope away from Highstones and the Mothermouth. Was his nightmarish vision about to come true?

Chapter Text

They headed back the way they had come. The moon had disappeared behind a bank of clouds. It was dark, but at least the Thunderpath was quieter now. The only monster they heard was far off in the distance. The cats crossed the path together and pushed their way through the hedge on the other side.

Fire could feel his muscles growing stiff with tiredness as they hurried their way back. Blue Fur kept up a swift pace with her nose thrust forward and her tail high. Tiger Claw walked beside her. Fire followed a few paces behind with Gray, but Raven was lagging behind.

“Keep up, Raven!” Tiger Claw growled over his shoulder.

Raven flinched and bounded forward until he caught up with Fire and Gray.

“Are you okay?” Fire asked.

“Yes.” Raven panted, not meeting Fire’s green eyes. “Just a bit tired.”

They scrambled down a deep ditch and up the other side.

“What did Tiger Claw say when he came out of the cave?” Fire meowed, trying not to sound too curious.

“He wanted to check that we were still guarding the entrance.” replied Gray. “Why do you ask?”

Fire hesitated. “Did you scent anything strange about him?” he asked.

“Only that damp old cave.” Gray mewed, looking surprised.

“He did seem a little on edge.” ventured Raven.

“He wasn’t the only one!” Gray meowed, looking at the black cat.

“What do you mean?” asked Raven.

“Just that the fur on your neck stands up whenever you see him these days.” whispered Gray. “You nearly jumped out of your skin when he came out of the cave.”

“He just surprised me, that’s all.” Raven protested. “You have to admit, it was a bit creepy by the Mothermouth.”

“I suppose so.” agreed Gray.

The cats slipped under a hedge into a cornfield that glowed in the moonlight, and followed the ditch that ran around its edge.

“So what was it like inside, Fire?” Gray demanded. “Did you see the Moonstone?”

“Yes, I did! It was amazing!” Fire felt his fur tingle at the memory of seeing it shine in the moon’s light.

Gray shot him an admiring glance. “So it’s true! The rock really does shine underground!”

Fire didn’t reply. He closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the image of the Moonstone that dazzled his mind. Then pictures from his dream crowded his head, and his eyes shot open. Blue Fur was right. They had to get back to camp as quickly as they could.

Ahead, Tiger Claw and Blue Fur had leapt through a fence, out of the cornfield. The apprentices followed, squeezing under the fence, onto a track made out of earth. It was the path that led past the Twoleg nest and the dogs. Fire looked up and saw Blue Fur and Tiger Claw , trotting tirelessly, silhouetted against a skyline tinged with red. The sun would be rising soon.

“Look!” he called to Gray and Raven. Two unfamiliar cats had jumped out in front of their colonymates.

“Are those loners?” mewed Gray curiously. The three apprentices hurried forward.

The strangers were a silver-and-white tabby molly and a stout black-and-white tom, who seemed to be just a little older than the apprentices.

“This is Piper, and her apprentice Barley.” Blue Fur explained to the apprentices as they caught up. “They live near this Twoleg nest, and are considered the guardians of the Moonstone. They make sure no colony tries to claim the territory as their own.”

“Hello, Star Blue Fur.” Meowed Piper. “I haven’t seen any of your colony pass by here to the Highstones for some moons. How are you doing?”

“I’m well, thank you Piper.” Replied Blue Fur. “And how are you, your sister and Barley? How’s the prey been running since we last passed this way?”

“Not bad!” replied Barley, with an amiable gleam in his eye. “One good thing about upwalkers, or Twolegs as you colony cats call them. You’ll always find plenty of rats nearby!” The black-and-white tom went on. “You seem in more of a hurry than usual. Is everything all right?”

Tiger Claw looked at Barley. A growl rumbled deep in his chest. Fire could sense that the warrior was suspicious of the young loner’s curiosity.

“I don’t like to be away from my colony for too long.” Blue Fur answered smoothly.

“As always, Star Blue Fur, your loyalty to your colony is admirable. You are tied to it like a parent to their kits.” observed Barley, not unkindly.

“What is it that you want, Barley?” asked Tiger Claw.

Piper Claw flashed him a reproachful look. “We just wanted to warn you of the two dogs that are here. You’d be safer going back into the cornfield instead of past the yard.”

“We know about the dogs. We saw them earlier-“ Tiger Claw began impatiently.

“We are grateful to you for the warning.” Interrupted Blue Fur. “Thank you, Soot and Barley. Until next time.”

Barley flicked his tail. “Have a safe journey.” he meowed as he bounded away up the track.

“Come on.” ordered Blue Fur, heading off the track. She pushed her way through the long grass between the path and the fences that led back into the cornfield. The three apprentices followed, but Tiger Claw hesitated.

“You trust the word of two loners?” he meowed.

Blue Fur stopped and turned to face him. “There have been Guardians living near here for almost as long as the colonies have existed. I trust their words. Besides, would you rather face those dogs?”

“They were tied up when we passed them earlier.” Tiger Claw pointed out.

“They may be untied now. We’re going this way.” Meowed Blue Fur. She ducked under the fence into the field. Fire slipped after her, followed by Gray, Raven and finally Tiger Claw.

By now, the sun had lifted its head above the horizon. The hedgerows sparkled with fresh dew, promising another warm day.

The cats padded along the edge of the ditch. Fire looked down into the deep gully, steep-sided and filled with nettles. Fire could smell the scent of prey. There was something familiar about the bitter odor, but it was one he hadn’t smelled for a long time.

An earsplitting squeal made Fire whip around. Raven was struggling and clawing at the earth. Something had grabbed hold of his leg and was dragging him down into the ditch.

“Rats!” spat Tiger Claw. “The loners have sent us into a trap!”

Before they could react, all five cats were surrounded. Huge brown rats swarmed out of the ditch, squeaking shrilly. Fire could see their sharp front teeth glinting in the early sunhigh light.

Suddenly one leapt onto Fire’s shoulder. Fiery pain shut through his shoulder as the rat sank its teeth into his flesh. Another grasped his leg between its powerful jaws.

Fire slashed fiercely with his claws, slicing out at a rat that held on to his leg. It let go, but another one gripped his tail. Fast as lightning, powered by fear and rage, Fire fought and hacked at his attackers. Twisting his head around, he sank his teeth into the rat that embedded itself into his shoulders. He felt the bones of its neck crunch in his mouth and its body go limp, before it fell away onto the dirt track.

Fire gasped with pain as yet another rat jumped onto his back and sank its teeth in. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of silver fur. For a moment he was confused, then he felt the rat being dragged off of him. Fire spun around to see Piper flinging the rodent into the ditch.

Barley and another cat, a black molly, had also joined the fray. He saw Barley sprint over to Blue Fur without a glimpse of hesitation. She was writhing on the path, covered in rats. In a flash Barley had the spine of one between his teeth and was plucking it off of her with practiced ease. He spat it onto the ground and grabbed another in his mouth as Blue Fur trashed beneath him.

Fire rushed over to Gray, who was being attacked from both sides by two smaller rats. Fire lunged at the nearest one, giving it a bite that left it dead. Gray managed to turn and pin down the other one with his claws. He grabbed it with his teeth and flung it into the ditch as hard as he could. It did not come back.

“They’re running away!” Tiger Claw yowled.

Sure enough, the remaining rats were fleeing down into the safety of the ditch. Fire could hear the scrabbling of small paws disappearing into the nettles. The bites in his shoulder, tail and hind leg stung sharply. He licked carefully at his fur, wet and matted with blood, its sharp tang mingling with the stench of the rats.

Fire looked around for Raven. Gray was standing at the edge of the nettles, mewing encouraging words as Raven pulled himself out of the ditch, muddy and covered in rat bites. A small rat was still hanging on to his white-tipped tail. Fire bounded over and finished it off quickly while Gray helped to pull Raven over the top of the ditch.

Now Fire looked for Blue Fur. He saw Barley, Piper and the black molly first, standing at the top of the ditch, scanning the depths for more rats. Blue Fur was lying on the path nearby. Alarmed, Fire dashed to his leader’s side. The blue-gray fur at the back of her neck was drenched with blood. “S-star Blue Fur?” he mewed.

Blue Fur did not reply.

A furious yowl made Fire look up.

Tiger Claw was standing in front of Barley and his mentors. Fire realized that if not for the presence of the two mollies, Tiger Claw would have attacked Barley then and there. “You sent us into a trap!” he snarled.

“We didn’t know the rats were here!” spat Barley, his black-and-white fur standing on end.

“Why did you send us this way?” hissed Tiger Claw.

“The dogs!” the black molly snarled, unsheathing her claws.

“The dogs were tied when we passed them earlier!”

“The Twoleg unties them at night! They guard his nest. While they know us, they don’t know you and very well could have attacked you!” Piper spat. Tiger Claw advanced towards the loners, his tail lashing furiously.

“Tiger Claw! Star Blue Fur is injured!” Fire burst out.

Tiger Claw turned away from the loners at once. They glared at him, the black molly sheathing her claws. The great warrior bounded over to Blue Fur’s side and sniffed her wounds.

“Is there anything we can do for her?” Fire asked.

“She is in the hands of Star Colony now.” Meowed Tiger Claw solemnly, stepping back.

Fire’s eyes widened with shock. Did Tiger Claw mean that Blue Fur was dead? His fur prickled as he looked down at his leader. Is this what the spirits at the Moonstone had warned her about?

Gray and Raven had joined them and stood beside their leader, horror-struck. The loners hung back, Barley craning his neck to see what was happening.

Blue Fur’s eyes were open but glazed over, and her blue-gray body lay motionless on the dusty earth. She didn’t even appear to be breathing.

“I-is she dead?’ whispered Raven.

“I don’t know. We must wait and see.” replied Tiger Claw.

The seven cats waited in silence as the sun began to climb into the sky. Fire found himself wordlessly begging Star Colony to protect his leader, to send her back to them.

Then Blue Fur stirred. The end of her tail twitched and she lifted her head.

“Star Blue Fur?” mewed Fire, his voice trembling.

“It’s all right, Fire.” Blue Fur rasped. “I am still here. I have lost a life, but it wasn’t my ninth.”

Joy flooded Fire. He looked at Tiger Claw, expecting to see relief on his face, but the tabby warrior was expressionless.

“Right.” Tiger Claw meowed in a commanding tone. “Raven, fetch cobwebs for Blue Fur’s wounds. Gray, find marigold or horsetail.” The two apprentices dashed away. “Barley, Soot, Piper, I think you should leave us now.”

Fire looked over to the loners who had fought so bravely to help them. He wanted to thank them, but under Tiger Claw’s fierce gaze, he didn’t dare. Instead of speaking, Fire gave Barley a tiny nod. Barley and his fellow Guardians seemed to understand, for the black-and-white cat nodded in return and left without another word.

Blue Fur was still lying on the dirt track. “Is everyone all right?” she asked hoarsely.

Tiger Claw nodded.

Raven came charging back, his left forepaw wrapped in a thick wad of cobwebs. “Here.” He mewed.

“Shall I put them on her wounds?” Fire asked Tiger Claw. “Yellow Fang showed me how.”

“Very well.” agreed Tiger Claw. He walked away and scanned the ditch again, his ears pricked for more rats.

Fire peeled a lump of cobwebs from Raven’s paw and began to press them firmly onto Blue Fur’s wounds.

She winced under his touch. “If it had not been for Tiger Claw, those rats would have eaten me alive.” she murmured, her voice tight with pain.

“It wasn’t Tiger Claw who saved you. It was Barley.” Fire whispered as she took some more cobwebs from Raven.

“Barley?” Blue Fur sounded surprised. “Is he here?’

“Tiger Claw sent him, Piper and another molly named Soot away.” Fire answered quietly. “He thinks Barley and Piper sent us into a trap.”

“And what do you think?” Blue Fur rasped.

Fire didn’t look up, but concentrated on wrapping the last bit of cobweb into place. “Piper, Soot and Barley are loners, and the guardians of the Moonstone. What would they gain by sending us into a trap only to rescue us from it?” he mewed eventually.

Blue Fur laid her head down and closed her eyes again.

Gray returned with some horsetail. Fire chewed the leaves and spat the juice onto Blue Fur’s wounds. He knew it would help stop infection, but he still wished Spotted Leaf or Yellow Fang was with him, with their knowledge of healing and confidence in it.

“We should rest here while Star Blue Fur recovers.” announced Tiger Claw, padding up.

“No.” Blue Fur insisted. “We must return to the camp.” Narrowing her eyes in pain, she struggled to her paws. “Let’s keep going.”

The Thunder Colony leader limped along the edge of the field. Tiger Claw walked at her side, his face dark with unknowable thoughts. The apprentices exchanged anxious glances, and then followed.

“It is a long time since you have lost a life, Star Blue Fur.” Fire overheard Tiger Claw’s whispered words. “How many have you lost now?”

Fire couldn’t help feeling surprised at Tiger Claw’s open curiosity.

“That was my fifth.” replied Blue Fur quietly.

Fire strained his ears, but Tiger Claw did not reply. He padded on, lost in thought.

Chapter Text

Sunhigh came and went and the cats made their way through Wind Colony’s old hunting grounds. Their heavy silence showed that they were still sore after the rat fight. Fire felt as if he had been bitten and scratched all over. He could see that Gray was limping, occasionally hopping on three legs to protect his injured back leg. But it was Blue Fur who worried him the most. Her pace was even slower now, but she refused to stop and rest. The grim look on her face, clouded by pain, told Fire how much she wanted to reach the Thunder Colony camp.

“Don’t worry about any Shadow Colony warriors,” she meowed through gritted teeth as Tiger Claw paused to sniff the air. “You wont find them here today.”

How could she be so sure? Fire wondered.

They carefully descended down the steep, rocky hillside that led to Fourtrees and joined the familiar trail that led home. It was getting later in the day, and Fire began to think longingly of his nest, and a plump helping of fresh-kill.

“I can still smell the stench of Shadow Colony.” Gray muttered to Fire as they trekked through Thunder Colony’s hunting grounds.

“Perhaps the breeze has carried it down from Wind Colony’s territory.” Fire suggested. He could smell it too, and his whiskers were trembling.

Suddenly Raven stopped. “Can you hear that?” he mewed in a hushed voice.

Fire strained his ears. At first he heard only the familiar sounds of the forest – leaves rustling, a pigeon calling. Then his blood ran cold. In the distance he could hear battle-hungry yowls, and the shrill squeals of terrified kits.

“Quick!” Blue Fur howled. “It is as Star Colony warned me. Our camp is being attacked!” She tried to leap forward, but stumbled. She pushed herself up and limped onward.

Tiger Claw and Fire ran forward side by side. Gray and Raven followed, their tail fur bristled to twice its usual size. Fire forgot his soreness as he charged toward the camp. His only concern was to protect his colony.

The sounds of battle grew louder and louder as he neared the camp entrance, and the stench of Shadow Colony filled his nostrils. He was right behind Tiger Claw as the cats dashed through the tunnel and into the clearing.

They were met by a frenzy of fighting, Thunder Colony cats battling furiously with Shadow Colony warriors. The kits were out of sight, and Fire hoped they were safely hidden in the nursery.

Every corner of the camp seemed alive with cats. Fire could see Frost Fur and Golden Flower clawing and biting at a large gray tom. Even Brindle Face was fighting, although she was very close to having her kits. Dark Stripe was locked in a fierce tussle with a black molly. Small Ears, Patch Pelt and Fog Snap were nipping bravely at a mottled brown molly that fought with twice their speed and ferocity.

The returning cats hurled themselves into the battle. Fire caught hold of a gray-and-brown molly, much larger than him, and sank his teeth into her leg. She yowled with pain and turned on him, lashing out with sharp claws and lunging at his neck with her teeth bared. He twisted and ducked to avoid her bite. She couldn’t match his speed, and he managed to grasp her from behind and pull her down into the dirt. With his strong hind legs he clawed at her back till she squealed and struggled away from him, running headlong into the thick undergrowth that surrounded the camp.

Fire glanced around to see that Blue Fur had arrived. Despite her injuries, she was fighting a dark ginger tabby. Fire had never seen her fight before, but even wounded, she was a powerful opponent. Her victim struggled to escape but she held him tightly and clawed him so fiercely that Fire knew he would bear the scars of his fight for many moons.

Then he heard Thrush Pelt yowl. A battle-scarred Shadow Colony cat was dragging the Thunder Colony caretaker away from the nursery. Fire remembered seeing this cat at the Gathering. The Shadow Colony cat threw Thrush Pelt down, and began to reach into the bramble nest with one paw. The kits were squealing and mewling, although some were spitting bravely, undefended as their parents wrestled with other Shadow Colony warriors in the clearing.

Fire prepared to spring toward the nursery, but a claw sliced painfully down his side and he whipped around to see a scrawny tortoiseshell leap on top of him. As he was slammed into the ground, he tried to call out to the other Thunder Colony cats that the kits were in danger. Fighting with all his strength to escape the tortoiseshell’s grip, he wrenched his head around so he could see the nursery.

The Shadow Colony tom had scooped two kits, Cinder and Lynx, from their bedding already and was reaching in for a third.

Fire saw no more as the tortoiseshell raked his belly with her hind claw. Fire scrabbled onto his paws and crouched low, as if in defeat. The trick had worked before and it worked now. As the tortoiseshell gripped him triumphantly and began to sink her teeth into Fire’s neck, Fire sprang upward as hard as he could and flung the warrior away. He spun around and was on her in an instant. This time he showed her no mercy, plunging his teeth deep into cat’s shoulder. The bite sent the molly howling into the undergrowth.

Fire jumped up, dashed over to the nursery, and thrust his head through the nursery entrance. The Shadow Colony cat was nowhere to be seen. Inside the nest, crouching over the terrified kits, was Yellow Fang. Her dark gray fur was spattered with blood, and one of her eyes was painfully swollen. She looked up at Fire with a ferocious hiss, then, realizing it was him, she yowled. “They’re okay. I’ll protect them.”

Fire looked at her as she calmed the helpless kits, and her story of what happened to her siblings flashed through his mind. She probably saw the Shadow Colony kits that she couldn’t save in the Thunder Colony ones. He nodded quickly and ducked back out of the brambles.

There were now only a few Shadow Colony cats left in the camp. Raven and Gray were fighting side by side, lashing out at a black-and-white tom until he fled howling into the bushes. White Storm and Dark Stripe chased the last two intruders out of the camp, sending them off with a few extra scratches and bites.

Fire sat down, exhausted, ands tared around the camp. It was devastated. Blood spattered the clearing, and tufts of fur drifted in the dust. The surrounding wall of undergrowth was ripped open where the invaders had crashed through.

One by one, the Thunder Colony cats gathered beneath the Highrock. Gray came to sit by him, his sides heaving and blood trickling from a torn ear. Raven flopped down and began to lick a wound on his tail. Some cats ran to the nursery to check on the kits. Fire found himself waiting tensely for their return, his view blocked by the other cats. He relaxed when he heard squeals and purrs of joy coming from the bramble nest.

Frost Fur wove her way back through the crowd, followed by Yellow Fang. The white queen stepped forward and addressed them. “Our kits are all safe, thanks to Yellow Fang. A Shadow Colony warrior defeated brave Thrush Pelt and was trying to steal them from their nest, but Yellow Fang fought him off!”

“It was no ordinary Shadow Colony warrior either,” Fire meowed. He was determined to let the others know how much they owed Yellow Fang. “I saw him. He was huge and sturdy, and had scars all over!”

“That must have been Claw Face!” meowed Brindle Face, who had fought so bitterly to protect her unborn kits.

There was a stir at the edge of the group. as Blue Fur limped forward and made her way over to the apprentices. The grave expression on her face was enough to tell Fire that something was wrong.

“Spotted Leaf is with Lion Heart.” she murmured. “He was injured in the battle. It looks bad.” She turned her head toward the shadow on the far side of the Highrock where the deputy lay, a motionless bundle of golden fur.

A high-pitched wail rose from Gray’s throat and he raced over to Lion Heart. Spotted Leaf, who had been leaning over the Thunder Colony deputy, stepped back to let the young apprentice share tongues for the last time with his mentor. As Gray’s howl of grief echoed around the clearing, Fire’s fur tingled and his blood ran cold. It was the cry he had heard in his dream! For a moment his head swam, then he gave himself a shake. He had to keep calm, for Gray’s sake.

Fire looked at Blue Fur, who nodded, and he padded over to join his friend by the Highrock. He stopped for a moment beside Spotted Leaf.

She looked exhausted and dull-eyed with grief. “I can’t help Lion Heart now.” she mewed quietly to him. “He is on his way to join Star Colony. I’m so sorry, Fire.” She pressed her body against Fire’s side, and he felt comforted by the touch of her warm tortoiseshell fur.

Golden Flower, Small Ears, Frost Fur and Speckle Tail had also all rushed to Lion Heart’s side. He heard Speckle Tail murmur to Lion Heart. “Please, my little Lion, please stay with us.” The other cats looked on in silence as the sun slowly set behind the trees. Finally Gray sat up and cried out. “He’s gone!” He lay down again beside Lion Heart’s body and rested his head on his front paws. The rest of the colony walked silently forward to carry out their own grieving rituals for their beloved deputy.

Fire joined them. He licked Lion Heart’s neck and murmured.  “Thank you for your wisdom. You taught me so much.” Then he sat down beside Gray and began to gently groom his friend’s ears.

Blue Fur waited until most of the other cats had left before quietly padding up. Gray didn’t even seem to notice his leader’s presence, but the other cats still sitting at the golden tom’s side, his kin, gave her a respectful nod. Fire looked away as Blue Fur spoke her last words to him.

“Oh, what am I going to do without you, Lion Heart?” she whispered. Then she limped back to her den and crouched down outside, staring grief-stricken into the distance. She didn’t even try to lick her bloody, matted fur clean. It was the first time Fire had seen her look so utterly defeated, and he felt a chill run through him.

He sat with Gray and Lion Heart’s kin until the moon rose high. Raven joined him and together they kept their grieving friend company. Tiger Claw strode over and briefly shared tongues with Lion Heart. Fire waited to her what words he would share with his friend, but Tiger Claw remained silent as he licked the matted fur. To Fire’s confusion, the dark brown tabby’s amber eyes seemed to be fixed on Raven rather than the fallen deputy.

Spotted Leaf was walking around the camp, tending to wounds and battered nerves. Fire watched her approach Blue Fur twice, but each time the leader sent her away to see to the others. Only when Spotted Leaf had attended to the wounds of all the other cats did Blue Fur allow her to treat her bites and scratches.

When she had finished, Spotted Leaf turned and walked back to her den. Blue Fur stood and slowly hauled herself up onto the Highrock. The cats of the colony seemed to have been waiting for her. As soon as she had settled herself in her usual spot, they began to gather in the clearing below, unusually silent and somber-faced.

Fire and Raven stiffly got to their paws and joined them, leaving Gray behind with Lion Heart’s body and kin. The gray apprentice was still lying with his nose resting against Lion Heart’s cooling golden fur. Small Ears had called the apprentice’s mother, Willow Branch over. The pale gray-and-cream molly was grooming her son, pressing herself against him. Fire guessed Blue Fur would excuse her absence from the colony meeting this time.

“It is nearly moonhigh.” meowed Blue Fur as Fire slipped into place next to Raven. “And it is once more my duty—much, much too soon—to name Thunder Colony’s new deputy.” Her voice was tired and cracked with sadness.

Fire looked from cat to cat. They were all looking expectantly at Tiger Claw. Even White Storm had turned to watch the large tabby. From the bold expression on his face, and the way his whiskers twitched with anticipation, Tiger Claw seemed to agree with them.

Blue Fur took a deep breath and continued. “I say these words before the body of Lion Heart, so that his spirit may hear and approve my choice.” She hesitated. “I have not forgotten how one cat avenged the death of Red Tail and brought his body back to us. Thunder Colony needs this fearless loyalty even more now.” Blue Fur paused again and then meowed the name loud and clear. “Tiger Claw will be the new deputy of Thunder Colony.”

There was a yowl of approval, with the loudest voices belonging to Dark Stripe and Long Tail. White Storm sat calmly, his eyes closed, his tail wrapped neatly around him. He was nodding slowly and approvingly.

Tiger Claw lifted his chin proudly, his eyes half-closed as he listened to the colony. Then he stalked through the crowd, accepting tributes with the smallest of nods, and leapt up onto the Highrock beside Blue Fur. “Thunder Colony!” he yowled. “I am honored to accept the position of colony deputy. I never expected to gain such high rank, but by the spirit of Star Thunder himself, I vow to serve you as best as I can.” He gravely dipped his head, fixing the crowd with his amber eyes, and jumped down from the Highrock.

Fire heard Raven murmur something under his breath beside him. He turned to look curiously at his friend.

Raven’s head was hanging low. “She never should have chosen him!” he muttered.

“Are you talking about Tiger Claw?” Fire whispered.

“He’s always wanted to be deputy, and then he took care of Red Tail—” Raven mewed. He stopped abruptly.

“Took care of Red Tail?” Fire echoed. His mind suddenly raced with questions. What did Raven know? At the gathering, had his account of the battle with River Colony been true? Was Tiger Claw responsible for Red Tail’s death?

Chapter Text

“Are you telling Fire about how I protected Red Tail?”

Fire felt a cold shiver ruffle the fur on the back of his neck.

Raven whipped around, eyes wide with fear. Tiger Claw loomed over them, his lips drawn back in a menacing snarl.

Fire jumped up and faced the newly appointed deputy. “He was just saying he wished you had been here, in camp, so you could have taken care of Lion Heart as well, that’s all!” he mewed, thinking quickly.

Tiger Claw looked from one apprentice to the other, then stalked away in silence. Raven’s eyes were clouded with terror, and he started to tremble uncontrollably.

“Raven?” Fire meowed in alarm.

But Raven didn’t even look up at him. With his head held low, he slunk back to Gray and crouched down next to him, pressing his skinny black body into Gray’s thick fur as if he was suddenly cold.

Fire looked helplessly at his two friends as they huddled beside Lion Heart’s body. Not knowing what else to do, he padded over and settled himself beside them, ready to sit out the night.

As the moon passed overhead, other cats came to say their last goodbyes to Lion Heart, and to give their condolences to his kin. Blue Fur arrived last, once the camp was calm and quiet. She said nothing, but sat a little way off, gazing at her dead deputy with an expression of such unbearable grief that Fire had to look away.

At dawn, Patch Pelt, Sparrow Pelt and Dapple Tail came to take Lion Heart’s body away to the Thunder Colony graveyard. Gray and Lion Heart’s kin followed to help dig the hole where the great warrior would rest.

Fire yawned and stretched. He felt chilled to the bone. Leaf-fall was nearly here now, and the woods were clouded with mist, but above the leaves Fire saw a rosy morning sky. He watched Gray disappear into the dew-soaked undergrowth with the elders and Lion Heart’s kin. Frost Fur was last. She shot a glance at the nursery, no doubt thinking of her kits, who had just lost their father. Small Ears gave her a comforting nudge, and Golden Flower mewed something to her that Fire could not hear.

Raven jumped to his paws and hurried back to the apprentice’s den. Fire followed him slowly. By the time he arrived, the black cat had curled himself against Chestnut Pelt’s side, and he had his nose tucked under his tail, as if he were asleep.

Fire was too exhausted to speak. He circled around on his mossy bed and then settled down to sleep.

“Wake up!”

Fire heard Dust’s voice calling through the den entrance. He opened his eyes. Raven was already awake, sitting upright with his ears pricked. Gray was stirring beside him. Fire was surprised to see the familiar gray shape. He hadn’t heard him come back after burying Lion Heart.

“Star Blue Fur’s called another meeting!” Dust hissed at them, before ducking out of the ferns.

The three apprentices crawled out of the warm den, their chaperone close behind. The sun was already high in the sky, and the air felt cooler than before. Fire shivered, and his belly growled. He couldn’t remember the last time he had eaten, and he wondered briefly if he would have a chance to hunt today.

Fire, Gray, and Raven hurried to join the crowd gathered below the Highrock.

Tiger Claw was speaking from his position beside Blue Fur. “During the battle, our leader lost another life. Now that she only had four of her nine lives left, I am going to appoint bodyguards to stay at her side constantly. No cat will be allowed to approach her unless the guards are present.” His amber eyes flicked to Raven and then back to the rest of the crowd. “Rose Petal, Dark Stripe, and Long Tail.” He continued, turning his gaze on the aforementioned warriors. “you three will act as Star Blue Fur’s guards.”

Rose Petal, Dark Stripe and Long Tail nodded, and Fire noticed that the two toms tried to make themselves seem taller, clearly pleased to be given such an important task.

Blue Fur now spoke. Her voice sounded gentle and calming after her deputy’s commanding yowl. “Thank you, Tiger Claw, for your loyalty and concern. But Thunder Colony must understand that I am still here for them. No cat should hesitate to approach me, and I am happy to speak to anyone, whether I am in public or in private.” Her eyes darted briefly in Tiger Claw’s direction. “As the warrior code says, the safety of the entire colony is more important than the security of its leader. I have been given these nine lives to protect my colony, I do not have to be protected by them.” She paused, and her fierce blue gaze rested briefly on Fire. “And now, I wish to invite Yellow Fang to join Thunder Colony.”

Meows of surprise rose from some of the cats. Blue Fur looked at Speckle Tail, who nodded her agreement. The queens and caretakers seemed to have discussed this already, Fire thought, as they did not seem surprised by Blue Fur’s announcement.

Blue Fur continued. “Her actions last night proved that she is brave and loyal, as did her decision to tell us about Broken Tail’s actions. If she wishes it, we would welcome her as a full member and healer of our colony.”

From her place at the edge of the crowd, Yellow Fang looked up at the leader and murmured. “I am honored, Star Blue Fur, and I accept your offer.”

“Then it is settled. Welcome, Yellow Fang.” Blue Fur meowed. Her voice was firm. In the blue-gray molly’s eyes, the matter was now closed.

Fire purred with delight and nudged Gray. He was surprised to realize just how much Blue Fur’s public show of trust in Yellow Fang meant to him.

Blue Fur began to speak again. “Last night we successfully defended ourselves against Shadow Colony, but they are still a great threat. The repair work we began this morning will continue. Our borders will be patrolled constantly. We must not assume that the war is over.”

Tiger Claw stood up, his tail held high, and glared down at the assembled cats. “Shadow Colony attacked while we were away from camp.” he growled. “They chose their moment well. How did they know that our leader was away? Do they have eyes inside our camp?”

Fire froze in horror as Tiger Claw fixed his amber stare on Raven. Some of the cats followed their new deputy’s gaze and stared in puzzlement at the apprentice. Raven looked at the ground and shifted his paws nervously.

Tiger Claw went on. “We still have a while before sunset. We must concentrate on rebuilding our camp. Meanwhile, if you suspect anything, or anyone, tell me. Be assured, anything you say will be kept only between you, myself and Star Blue Fur” He nodded to dismiss the colony, then turned and began murmuring to Blue Fur.

The cats separated and began to move around the camp, assessing the damage and forming groups.

“Raven!” Fire called, still shocked by Tiger Claw’s dark hint that his own apprentice had betrayed the colony. But Raven had already bounded away. Fire could see him offering to help Sparrow Pelt and White Storm, before rushing off to collect twigs so that they could patch the holes in the boundary wall. Raven clearly didn’t want to talk.

“Let’s go and help him.” suggested Gray. His voice was flat and exhausted, and his eyes were dull.

“You go, I’ll be there in a moment.” Fire answered. “First I want to check on Yellow Fang, see if she’s okay after her fight with Claw Face.”

He looked for Yellow Fang in her nest by the fallen tree, as she likely hadn’t moved into the healers den yet. She was stretched out in the shadows, seemingly deep in thought.

“Ah, Fire.” She purred when she noticed him. “I’m glad you’ve come to see me.”

“I wanted to check that you were all right.” Fire mewed.

“Old habits stay longer than old scents, eh?” purred Yellow Fang, a flash of her old spirit shining through.

“I suppose so,” Fire confessed. “How are you feeling?’

“My old leg injury is playing up again, but I’ll be fine.” Yellow Fang told him.

“How did you manage to fight Claw Face off? He’s almost as big as Black Paws, or Tiger Claw and they’re the biggest cats I’ve ever seen?” Fire asked, unable to keep the admiration out of his voice. He thought back to when he saw Black Paws at the gathering, or when Tiger Claw had first rushed into camp, and remembered the sheer fear he felt at their huge size.

“Oh, Claw Face might be strong, but he’s not really a clever fighter. Fighting you was more of a challenge than fighting him could ever be.”

Fire looked for the flicker in the old cat’s eyes to tell him that what he had just heard was a joke, but there was none.

She continued. “I’ve known him since he was just a kit, lying at his father side. He hasn’t changed much. He’s always been a bully, but his brother’s always been the smarter one of the litter.”

Fire sat down beside her. “I’m not surprised Star Blue Fur asked you to join Thunder Colony.” he purred. “You certainly showed your loyalty last night.”

Yellow Fang twitched her tail. “Perhaps a truly loyal cat would have fought at the side of the colony that raised her.”

“But then I would be fighting for my Twolegs.” Fire pointed out.

Yellow Fang shot him a glance. “Well said, youngster. But you have always been a thinker.”

Sorrow pierced Fire’s heart as he remembered Lion Heart had said the same thing. “Do you miss Shadow Colony?” he asked Yellow Fang.

Yellow Fang blinked slowly. “I miss the old Shadow Colony.” she meowed at last. “The way it used to be.”

“Before Broken Tail became leader?” Fire was curious.

 “Yes.” Yellow Fang admitted softly. “He changed the colony.” She gave a wheezy laugh. “He always knew how to give a good speech. He could make you believe a mouse was a rabbit if he set his mind to it. Perhaps that’s why everyone was so blind to his faults. Why I was so blind.” The old molly stared into the distance, lost in her memories.

“Oh! I have a question for you, Yellow Fang.” Fire mewed, suddenly remembering what he had learned at the Gathering. It felt like moons ago now.

His words seemed to shake Yellow Fang back into the present. “What is it, Fire?” she meowed.

“Why did you take Wet Nose as your apprentice? He can’t even cure his own cold!”

Yellow Fang shook her head and laughed. “Everyone I meet outside of Shadow Colony says the same thing. Wet Nose is a great healer, despite the fact that he’s sickly. He’s one of the most compassionate cats I’ve ever met.” She smiled at the memory.

Fire purred, happy to have made Yellow Fang laugh. He gave Yellow Fang a lick on her head, and got to his paws. “I’ll leave you to rest now. Call for me if you need anything else today.”

Yellow Fang lifted her head. “Before you go, Fire, I heard you were in a rat fight. Did they draw blood?”

“Yes, but It’s okay. Spotted Leaf treated my wounds with marigold.”

“Sometimes marigold isn’t strong enough for rat bites. Go and find a patch of wild garlic to roll in. I think there’s some not far from the camp entrance. That will draw any poisons the rats may have left. Although..” she added dryly, “your denmates might not be happy with this advice!”

“Well, I am. Thank you, Yellow Fang!” Fire purred.

“Travel carefully, young one.” Yellow Fang held his gaze for a moment, then let her chin rest on her front paws and closed her eyes.

Fire slipped under the branches around Yellow Fang’s nest and headed for the gorse tunnel, to search for the wild garlic. The sun was setting now, and he could hear Golden Flower and Frost Fur settling their kits for the night.

“And where do you think you’re going?” growled a voice from the shadows. It was Dark Stripe.

“Yellow Fang told me to go out and—”

“You don’t take orders from that rouge!” hissed the dark gray warrior. “Go and help with the repairs. No cat is to leave the camp tonight!” He lashed his tail from side to side.

“Yes, Dark Stripe.” Fire mewed, dipping his head in submission. He turned and muttered “Ugh, more like Dirt Stripe.” under his breath, then headed toward the camp boundary, where he could see Gray and Raven busily patching a large hole in the wall of greenery.

“How’s Yellow Fang doing?” Gray asked him as Fire trotted up next to him.

“She’s fine. She said wild garlic would be good for my rat bites. I was on my way to find some, but Dark Stripe ordered me to stay in camp.” Fire told him.

“Wild garlic?” mewed Gray. “I wouldn’t mind trying that. My leg still stings.”

“I could sneak out and get some for you,” Fire offered. He was still upset by Dark Stripe’s offhand dismissal, and his insulting of Yellow Fang, and welcomed the chance to outwit him. “No one would notice if I slipped out of this hole here. It’d only take a couple of rabbit hops.”

Raven frowned, but Gray nodded. “We’ll cover for you.” he whispered.

Fire nuzzled his friend gratefully and jumped out through the tear in the boundary wall.

Once outside the camp, he began to make his way to the patch of wild garlic, the sharp tang alerting him easily to its location. The moon was rising the violet sky as the sun sank below the horizon. A cold breeze ruffled Fire’s fur. Suddenly he caught the scent of a cat, being carried toward him on the wind. He sniffed cautiously. Was it Shadow Colony? No, just Tiger Claw, and two other cats. Dark Stripe and Long Tail! What were they doing here? He wondered.

Curious, Fire dropped into a stalking position. He prowled through the undergrowth paw by paw, keeping downwind, to make sure he wasn’t detected. The three cats were standing in the shadow of a clump of ferns, their heads very close together. Soon Fire was near enough to hear them speak.

“Star Colony knows, my apprentice has shown little promise from the start, but I never expected him to turn traitor!” growled Tiger Claw.

Fire’s eyes widened and his fur prickled with shock. It sounded like Tiger Claw intended to do more than just hint that Raven had betrayed the colony.

“How long did you say Raven was missing on the journey to the Mothermouth?” asked Dark Stripe.

“Long enough to have traveled to Shadow Colony’s camp and back.” Came the deputy’s menacing answer.

The fur on Fire’s tail bristled angrily. That’s impossible! he thought. He was with us the whole time!

Long Tail’s voice sounded now, filled with excitement. “He must have told them that Thunder Colony’s leader and its strongest warrior had left the camp. Why else would they attack when they did?” he meowed. “I do wonder what his reason was..” he meowed, and Fire could hear sadness in his voice.

“I do not know, Long Tail. I am just glad your mother and Fuzzy Pelt aren’t here to see their son turn traitor. We are the last colony to stand against Shadow Colony. We must remain strong.” purred Tiger Claw. His tone had become as soft as velvet. He waited in silence for a response.

It was Dark Stripe who answered eagerly, as if he were still Tiger Claw’s apprentice, giving the correct answer to a question on hunting techniques. His words made Fire breathless with fear. “And the colony would be better off without a traitor like Raven.”

Long Tail looked shocked at these words. He stared down at his paws as Tiger Claw began to speak once more. “I have to say I agree with you, Dark Stripe.” His voice was heavy with emotion. “Even though he’s my own apprentice..” He trailed off as if he were too upset to say any more.

Fire had heard enough. Forgetting all about the wild garlic, he turned and crept as silently and as quickly as he could back toward the camp.

He decided not to tell Raven about what he had heard. He would be terrified . Fire’s mind was racing. What could he do? Tiger Claw was the deputy of the colony, a great warrior, and popular with all of the other cats. No one was going to listen to any accusations made by an apprentice, and one who wasn’t even born into the colony at that. But Raven was in terrible danger. Fire shook himself, trying to clear his head. There was only one thing to do – he had to tell Blue Fur about what he had heard, and somehow convince her that he was telling the truth!

Chapter Text

Gray and Raven were still patching the hole when Fire reached them. They had left a gap just wide enough for him to squeeze back through.

“I had no luck with the garlic,” Fire panted as he slipped back in. “Dark Stripe’s prowling around out there.”

“Never mind,” mewed Gray. “We can go get some tomorrow.”

“I’ll go and get you some poppy from Spotted Leaf and Yellow Fang.” Fire offered. He was worried by the dull look in his friend’s eyes, and the way his muscles seemed stiff with pain.

“No, don’t worry.” mewed Gray. “I’ll be fine.”

“It’s no trouble,” Fire insisted, and before Gray could argue, he had bounded off toward the healer’s den.

Spotted Leaf was pacing her small clearing, her eyes clouded with worry.

“Spotted Leaf? Are you okay?” Fire asked her.

“Oh! Fire! The spirits of Star Colony seem to be restless. I think they are trying to tell me something, but it’s nothing for you to worry about.” she replied, flicking her bushy tail uneasily. “What can I do for you?”

“I think some poppy seeds could help Gray with his leg.” Fire explained. “His rat bites seem to still be bothering him.”

“The pain of losing Lion Heart could very likely be making his injuries feel even worse. But he’ll be okay, don’t you worry. But you are right, poppy seeds will help him in the meantime.” Spotted Leaf went into her den and brought out a dried poppy head. She placed it carefully on the ground. “Just shake out one or two seeds and give them to him.” she meowed.

“Thank you.” Fire mewed. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“It’s very sweet of you to ask, but you should go and see to your friend.” Spotted Leaf answered, avoiding his gaze.

Fire picked up the poppy head between his teeth and turned around, preparing to walk away.

“Wait.” Spotted Leaf hissed suddenly.

Fire turned back to look hat her and met her strong gaze. Her eyes burned back at him, so very different from how they looked just a few moments before.

“Fire.” she hissed, a strange tone in her voice. “Star Colony spoke to me a few moons ago, before you joined our colony. I need to tell you this. They gave me a prophecy. Only fire can save the colonies.”

Fire stared at Spotted Leaf, mystified by her strange words.

The strange passion suddenly faded from her eyes. “Take care of yourself, Fire.” she meowed in her normal voice, and turned away.

“See you, Spotted Leaf.” Fire replied uncertainly. He padded back through the fern tunnel. Her strange words were echoing in his mind, but he couldn’t make sense of them. Why had she told him this? Fire was terrifying! He shook his head in frustration, and ran back over to the apprentices’ den.

“Gray!” Fire hissed into the hear of his sleeping friend. They had been allowed to sleep in and rest all morning after having worked on repairs for most of the night. Tiger Claw had ordered them to be ready to begin training at sunhigh. The strong yellow light filtering through the to the den told Fire it was already almost time to begin.

“Gray! Wake up!” Fire hissed again. Gray simply snored. The gray tom had eaten two of the poppy seeds before going to sleep, and they seemed to have put him into a deep slumber.

“Fire? Are you awake?” Raven mewed from his nest, his voice heavy with sleep.

Fire spat silently under his breath. He had wanted to talk to Gray about what he had seen before Raven woke up.

Fire looked around the den. Dust and Sand were already gone, presumably already out training, hunting, patrolling or working to secure the camp. “I’m awake, Raven.”

Raven sat up in his moss and heather and began to wash himself with rapid flicks of his tongue. “Are you going to try to wake him up ?” he asked, nodding toward Gray.

A deep voice growled from outside of their den. “I hope so. Training is about to start.”

Both Fire and Raven jumped.

“Gray, wake up!” Fire poked his friend with one paw. “Tiger Claw is waiting for us!”

Gray lifted his head. His yellow eyes were still heavy with sleep.

“Are you ready yet?” Tiger Claw called.

Fire and Raven crept out of the den, blinking as they emerged into the sunlight.

The deputy was sitting beside their tree stump. “Is the other one coming as well?” he asked.

“He is.” Fire replied, jumping to his friend’s defense. “He’s only just woken up, and he’s had a hard time sleeping, due to Lion Heart’s death-“

“He’s grieved for long enough.” Tiger Claw growled, interrupting the ginger apprentice. “Training will do him good.”

Fire held the brown tabby’s menacing amber gaze for a few moments. Although they were from the same colony, for a heartbeat their eyes were locked as true enemies.

Gray scrambled out of the den, his fur spiking out in every direction.

“Blue Fur will be ready for you in a moment, Fire.” Announced Tiger Claw. His words distracted Fire from his anger. His first solo training session with the leader! Excitement surged through him. He had expected her to still be resting after the rat attack.

“Gray.” Tiger Claw continued, having locked his eyes on the gray apprentice. “You can join my training session. Do you think you’re up to it, Raven?” he glowered at the black apprentice. “After all, you got some pretty nasty nettle stings while the rest of us were fighting those rats.”

Raven looked at the ground. “I-I’m fine, Tiger Claw.” He mewed.

Gray and Raven followed the deputy out of the camp’s entrance. Raven’s head hung low as he disappeared through the gorse tunnel after his mentor.

Fire sat and waited for Blue Fur. She did not keep him waiting for long. The blue-gray molly emerged from her den and padded across the clearing. Her fur was still matted in places where her wounds were fresh, but she betrayed no pain in her confident stride, and she nodded her head to him.

Fire was surprised to see that she was alone. He had expected Long Tail or Dark Stripe to not be far behind. A thought occurred to him and suddenly his earlier excitement was tinged with anxiety – he had an opportunity to tell Blue Fur what he had overheard last night.

He caught up with her as she headed for the gorse tunnel and fell in step behind her. “Will any of your guards be joining us?” he asked hesitantly.

Blue Fur replied without looking back at him. “While I appreciate Tiger Claw’s concern, I have told all of them in private that I do not need protection. Dark Stripe and Long Tail are helping with the to repair the camp. Securing the camp once again is our first priority.”

Fire’s heartbeat quickened. He would tell her about what he had heard as soon as they had left camp

The two cats followed the trail to the training hollow. The path was strewn with freshly fallen golden leaves that rustled beneath their paws. Fire’s mind was racing as he searched for the right words. What should he tell his leader? That Tiger Claw was plotting to get rid of his own apprentice? And what would he say when she asked him why? Could he bring himself to voice his suspicions about Tiger Claw’s involvement in Red Tail’s death out loud? Even though he had no evidence for it beyond Raven’s story?

By the time they reached the sandy hollow. Fire had still not gathered up the courage to speak. The hollow was empty.

“I have asked Tiger Claw to hold his training session in another part of the forest today.” Blue Fur explained as she walked into the center of the hollow. “I want to concentrate on your fighting skills, and I want you to concentrate on them as well – which means no distractions.”

I have to tell her now, thought Fire. She needs to know about the danger Raven is in. His fur prickled with anxiety. I probably won’t have another chance like this for a while—

A sudden movement flashed in the corner of his eyes. A swish of blue-gray whirled past his nose, and Fire fell forward as his forepaws were knocked out from underneath him. He staggered, but soon regained his balance and spun around to see Blue Fur sitting beside him calmly. “Do I have your attention now?” she meowed.

“Yes, Star Blue Fur. I’m sorry.” He replied hastily, looking into her blue eyes.

“Fire, you have been with us for many moons now. I have watched you fight. With the rats you were quick, and with the Shadow Colony warriors you were as fierce. You outwitted Gray the very first time you met, and you defeated Yellow Fang with your cleverness as well.” She paused for a moment, and then lowered her voice to an intense hiss. “But one day you will meet an opponent who is all of these things and more. Quick, clever and fierce. It’s my duty as your mentor and leader to prepare you for that day.”

Fire nodded, completely caught up in her words. His senses were fully alert. All thoughts of Raven and Tiger Claw had disappeared, and he could smell every scent and hear every tiny noise of the forest around him.

“Let’s see how you fight.” Blue Fur ordered. “Attack me.”

Fire looked at her, sizing her up and wondering the best way to attack. Blue Fur was standing less than three rabbit lengths away. She was twice his size, so it would be a waste of time and effort to begin with the usual paw swipes and wrestling. But if he could leap straight onto her back with a powerful enough jump, he might be able to unbalance her. She hadn’t taken her piercing blue eyes off of him. Fire stared straight back at her and leapt forward.

He had aimed to land squarely on her shoulders, but Blue Fur was ready for him. She dropped swiftly into a crouch. As Fire hit her, she rolled onto her back. Instead of landing on her shoulders like he had planned he found himself crashing down toward her upturned belly. She caught him with all four paws and flung him away from her with ease. Fire felt like she had simply batted him away like you would a bothersome kit. He hit the dusty ground hard, but soon awkwardly scrambled back to his paws.

“Interesting strategy, but your eyes betrayed where you were aiming.” Blue Fur spoke as she stood up and shook off the dust from her coat. “Now, try again.”

This time Fire looked at her shoulders but aimed for her paws. When Blue Fur dropped to the ground he would hit her as she crouched. Fire felt a rush of satisfaction as he jumped but it soon turned to confusion as the blue-gray molly instead sprang into the air and let him crash into the ground where she had stood just a heartbeat before. She had timed it perfectly – as he landed, she thundered down on top of him, pinning him own to the ground.

“Now try something I don’t expect.” She meowed into his ear, climbing off of him and backing away with a challenging gleam in her eyes.

Fire scrambled back up, panting, and shook himself. He hissed and jumped forward once more. This time, as he flew at Blue Fur, he stretched out his forepaws. She reared up on her hind legs and used her forepaws to twist him away. As he felt himself slipping, Fire scrabbled to stabilize himself using his hind paws, but it was too late and he flopped onto his side.

“Fire.” Blue Fur meowed calmly, as he struggled to his paws once more. “You are strong and quick, but you must learn to keep control of your speed and body weight so that I am not able to unbalance you. Try again.”

Fire backed away, hot, dusty , and out of breath. Frustration raged through him. He was determined to get the better of his mentor this time. He crouched down and slowly began to creep towards Blue Fur. She mirrored his crouch and hissed at him as he approached. He raised a paw and swiped at her left ear. She ducked to avoid his strike and reared up, towering over him. Quickly Fire rolled onto his back, slithered beneath her body, and in one fast movement he kicked both of his back legs upward into her belly. Blue Fur was flung backward and fell onto the sandy earth with aloud grunt.

Fire flipped himself over and jumped to his paws. He had bested her! Then he saw Blue Fur lying in the dirt, and remembered her fresh wounds. Had he reopened them? He dashed to her side and stared down at her. To his relief her eyes glinted proudly back at him.

“That was much better.” She puffed. She stood up and shook herself. “Now, it’s my turn.” Fire could see a small smirk on her face.

She sprang at him, knocking him to the ground, then retreated and let him pick himself up before leaping once more. Fire braced himself, but she bowled him over again with ease.

“Take my size into account, Fire! Don’t try to stand up against my attack. Use your wits. If you are fast enough to be able to avoid me, then avoid me!”

Fire nodded and scrabbled to his paws again, preparing for her attack. This time he didn’t dig his claws into the soft ground, but stood lightly, keeping his weight on his toes. As blue Fur flew toward him, he sprang out of her path with a neat arch, reared up onto his hind legs,  and pushed her flying body past him using his forepaws.

Blue Fur landed gracefully on all four paws and turned to face him. “Excellent! You learn quickly,” she purred. “But that was an easy move. Let’s see how you deal with this one.”

They trained until the sunset. Fire heaved a sigh of relief when Blue Fur announced that they had trained enough for today. She seemed stiff and tired but still was able to leap out of the sandy hollow with ease.

Fire scrambled after her. His muscles were aching and his head was spinning with all that he had learned. As they walked back to the camp, he thought about how he couldn’t wait to tell the other apprentices about this training session. Only when they reached the camp boundary did he realize he had forgotten to tell Blue Fur about what he had heard Tiger Claw say.

Chapter Text

By the time Fire and Blue Fur returned, the ginger tom noticed that the camp was starting to look a little better. Groups of cats had been patching and repairing the walls continuously during the day. Frost Fur, Golden Flower and Thrush pelt were still busy fortifying the nursery walls, but the outer barrier of the camp seemed solid and secure once more.

Fire trotted across the clearing to see if there was any fresh-kill left. He passed Sand and Dust, who were ready to leave in the next patrol.

“Sorry, Fire.” Mewed Sand, as Fire sniffed around the fresh-kill pile. “Dust and I ate the last two mice.”

Fire shrugged. He would catch something for himself later. He headed back to the apprentices’ den, where he noticed Gray sitting next to the tree stump, washing himself.

“Have you seen Raven?” Fire asked as he sat down.

“Nah, he’s not back from his task yet.” Gray replied. “But look at this!” He held out one of his front paws. The pad was torn and bleeding. “Tiger Claw sent me fishing, and I stepped on a sharp stone in the stream!”

“That looks pretty deep. You should get Yellow Fang or Spotted Leaf to take a look at it.” Fire advised. “By the way, do you know where Tiger Claw sent Raven?”

“I have no idea, I was up to my belly in cold water.” Gray muttered. He stood up and limped away toward the healers den.

Fire settled down, his eyes fixed on the entrance to camp, and waited for Raven. After overhearing the warrior’s conversation last night, he couldn’t shake the worrying feeling that something horrible was going to happen to his friend.  His heart lurched as he saw Tiger Claw enter the camp alone.

He waited longer. The moon was high in the sky. Surely Raven should be back by now? Multiple patrols had left and come back, and Fire found himself wishing he’d spoken to Blue Fur when he’d had the chance. He could see Dark Stripe and Long Tail lurking around her den, and he definitely didn’t want them to overhear his concerns.

Tiger Claw had brought back fresh-kill, which he was sharing with White Storm outside of the warriors’ den. Fire suddenly felt a pang of hunger, and realized that he probably should go hunt – he might come across Raven outside of the camp. As he wondered what he should do, Fire saw Raven trotting through the entrance of the camp. A thrill of relief raced through him, and not just because Raven was holding fresh-kill between his teeth. 

The other apprentice came straight over to Fire and dropped the mouthful of food onto the ground. “It’s enough for all three of us!” he meowed proudly. “And it should taste extra good – it’s from Shadow Colony territory!”

Fire let out a gasp. “You hunted in Shadow Colony territory?”

“That was the task Tiger Claw gave me!” Raven explained.

“Tiger Claw sent you into enemy territory to hunt?! B-but that’s way too dangerous, we have to tell Star Blue Fur!” Fire mewed in shock. He knew that Tiger Claw didn’t like his apprentice, but he hadn’t thought that the brown tabby would send his own apprentice into the territory of another colony to hunt.

At the mention of his leader’s name, Raven shook his head wildly. His eyes were shadowed in with fear, and he looked more like a hunted rabbit than a warrior apprentice. “Look- Fire, let’s just keep this quiet between us, okay?” he hissed. “I survived, and I even caught some prey. That’s all there is to it.”

“You survived this time!” Fire spat. 

“Shh! Tiger Claw’s looking at us. Just eat your share and keep quiet about this, okay!” Raven snapped. Fire awkwardly grabbed a piece of the prey. Raven ate quickly, avoiding his friend’s gaze.

“Should we save some for Gray?” he asked after a while.

“He went to go see the healers.” Fire mumbled. “He cut his paw in the stream, I don’t know when he’ll be back.”

“Well, if you want to save him some, go ahead.” Replied Raven, sounding very worn out. “I’m tired, I need to sleep.” He stood up and pushed his way into the den.

Fire stayed outside, watching the rest of the camp prepare to settle in for the night. He was going to have to tell Raven what he had overheard in the forest last night. He other tom needed to know the level of danger he was in.

Tiger Claw was lying beside White Storm, sharing tongues with the white cat, but with one eye fixed on the apprentices’ den. Fire yawned dramatically to show Tiger Claw how exhausted he was. Then he got to his paws and followed Raven inside.

Raven was asleep already, but Fire could tell from his twitching paws, tail, and whiskers that he was dreaming. It didn’t seem to be a good dream. Suddenly the black cat sprang to his paws, his eyes wide with terror. His fur was standing on end, and his back was arched.

“Raven!” Fire meowed in alarm. “Calm down, it’s okay. You’re in our den, and there’s only me here!”

Raven looked around the den, breathing rapidly.

"It's just me." Fire repeated.

Raven blinked and seemed to recognize his friend and colonymate. He collapsed onto his bed.

"Raven," mewed Fire. "There's something you need to know. Something I heard last night when I went to look for the wild garlic." Raven looked away, still shaking, but Fire continued. "Raven, I heard Tiger Claw telling Dark Stripe and Long Tail that you betrayed Thunder Colony. He told them you slipped away during the journey to Mothermouth and told Shadow Colony that the camp was unguarded."

Raven spun around to face the ginger tom. "B-But I didn't! Fire, I swear that I didn't leave! Ask Gray!" he exclaimed.

"Of course you didn't." Fire mewed, trying to calm his friend. "But Dark Stripe and Long Tail seemed to believe that you did, and Tiger Claw was hinting to them that they should try and get rid of you."

Raven was speechless, his breath coming in gasps.

"Why would Tiger Claw try to get rid of you, Raven?" Fire asked, a gentle tone to his voice as to not startle his friend. "He's the deputy and one of the colony's strongest warriors. What threat are you to him?" Fire suspected that he already knew the answer, but he wanted to hear the truth from Raven's own mouth. 

The lack apprentice crawled closer to Fire and whispered into his ear. "Because the deputy of River Colony didn't kill Red Tail. Tiger Claw did."

Fire nodded silently, and Raven continued, his voice cracking with fear. "R-red Tail said the River Colony deputy was dead-"

"So Tiger Claw didn't kill Oak Heart." Fire couldnt stop himself from interrupting.

Raven shook his head. "No, he didn't After Red Tail said that Oak Heart was dead, Tiger Claw ordered me back to the camp. I-I wanted to stay, I wanted to help, but he yowled at me to go, so I ran into the forest. I should have continued running, but I couldn't leave while my colonymates were still fighting. I turned and crept back to see if Tiger Claw needed help. By the time I got close, all the River Colony warriors had fled, and only Red Tail and Tiger Claw were left at the Sunningrocks. Red Tail was watching the last warrior run away and Tiger Claw" - Raven paused, gulped, and continued- "Tiger Claw jum-jumped on him. He sank his teeth into the back of Red Tail's neck and- and Red Tail just fell to the ground. That's when I ran. I-I dont know if Tiger Claw saw me or not. I just kept running until I was back at camp." 

"Why didn't you tell Star Blue Fur?" Fire asked his friend.

"Do you think she would have believed me!?" Raven hissed. "Do you believe me?"

"Of course I do." Fire mewed. He licked Raven between the ears in an effort to calm and comfort his friends. He was going to have to find another opportunity to tell Blue Fur about Tiger Claw's betrayal. "Don't worry. I'll fix this." he promised. "In the meantime, make sure you stick close to me, Gray, or or your older siblings. I know that Dust is your littermate, but I don't know if we can trust him with this. You can decide whether to trust Sand or not."

"Do- do they know? About Tiger Claw wanting to get rid of me?"

"Not yet. Do you want me to tell Gray when I see him next?"

Raven settled onto his belly and stared blankly ahead.

"It's okay, Raven." Fire purred, pressing himself against the skinny black body. "I'll help you get out of this, whatever it takes."

Gray padded into the den right before sunrise. Sand and Dust had returned from their patrol a while ago and were asleep in their nests. Raven had moved, having tucked himself closely against his brother when Dust had gone to lay down in his nest, pressing his face into the other tom's brown fur. Dust had seemed a bit confused, but relented and simply licked his brother between the ears before settling in to sleep.

"Hi Fire!" Gray mewed, having seemingly perked up.

Fire woke up. "You sound like you're feeling better." he purred.

Gray licked Fire's ear. "Spotted Leaf put some gunk on my cut and she and Yellow Fang made me lie still for sooo long. I know she's our new healer and all, but Yellow Fang is terrifying! Anyway, I must've fallen asleep. By the way, I hope that that chaffinch out there was meant for me. I was starving once they finally let me put of the healer's den!"

"It was, don't worry. Raven caught it yesterday. Tiger Claw sent him to-"

"Shut up, you two!" whined Sand. "The rest of us are trying to sleep." 

Gray rolled his eyes. "Come on, Fire." he mewed. "Brindle Face has had her kits! Let's go and see them."

Fire let out a purr. At last, there was something for Thunder Colony to celebrate. He looked back at Raven, who was still sleeping, and headed out of the den. He and Gray trotted across the clearing toward the nursery. The rising sun made his pelt glow with warmth, and he stretched to catch it fully. 

"You can stetch later! Stop showing off, Sand isn't here!" Gray called over his shoulder. Fire let out an embarassed hiss. He had developed some feelings for the pale molly, despite her abrasive personality, and his gray friend had noticed. He stopped stretching and bounded after his friend.

White Storm and Thrush Pelt were sitting outside the nursery, guarding the entrance. "Have you two come to see the new kits?"  Thrush Pelt meowed as Fire and Gray approached.

Fire nodded.

 
"One at a time, young apprentices, and you two will have to wait. Blue Fur is with her right now." White Storm told them.

"Well, you can go first." Fire offered, turning his head toward Gray. "I'll go and see Yellow Fang while I'm waiting." He dipped his head respectfully to White Storm and headed off toward where he had last seen the gray molly.

The old molly was washing behind her ears, her large orange eyes half-closed with concentration.

"Don't tell me you're expecting rain!" Fire teased.

Yellow Fang looked up. "You've been listening to too many of Patch Pelt's tales, I see." she purred. "What would be the point of a cat washing their ears if they're going to get rained on?"

Fire's whiskers twitched with amusement. "Are you going to see Brindle Face's new litter?" he asked.

Yellow Fang stiffened slightly. "I've already seen them. Me and Spotted Leaf helped deliver them. And I dont think I'd be very welcome."

"But why? You're officialy part of Thunder Colony now, and everyone knows you saved-"

"It's not me Fire, It's what I had to tell her. Spotted Leaf isn't welcome either." Yellow Fang meowed, a somber tone to her voice.

"What you had to tell her? What do you mean? And why isn't Spotted Leaf welcome?" Fire meowed, confused.

"Two of Brindle Face's kits are likely not going to survive for more than a couple of moons. It's something that happens sometimes. Spotted Leaf and I were the ones that broke the news to her, and she was very shaken up by it."

"Two of her kits are going to die? But why? Can't you and Spotted Leaf save them." Fire meowed in shock. Two of her kits, poor Brindle Face.

"We sadly do not know. Some healers think those kits are spirits from Star Colony coming to visit their family for a short time, others believe the kits are just unlucky. But I would advise you to go see her anyways. She needs all the support she can get." The old molly meowed, nudging Fire.

"I will." Fire turned and trotted back to the nursery. Clouds had covered the sun, making the air turn sharp. A fierce breeze tugged at his fur and rustled the leaves around the clearing.
Blue Fur was sitting outside of the nursery. Behind her, Gray's thick tail had just dissapeared into the narrow entrance. "Fire." she greeted him. "Have you come to see the newest members of Thunder Colony?" The molly sounded tired. 

Fire was surprised. Surely the kits were good news for Thunder Colony?

"Yes, Star Blue Fur, I have."

"Well, when you've finished, come and see me in my den."

"Yes, Star Blue Fur." Fire mewed as she slowly walked away. He felt his fur prickle. Here was another chance to speak to the molly alone. Perhaps Star Colony was on his side.

Gray crawled out of the nursery entrance. "They're all really cute." he mewed. "But I'm starving now. I'm off to find some fresh-kill. I'll try to save you some!" He blinked affectionately at Fire and bounded away.

Fire purred a goodbye and looked up at Thrush Pelt, who nodded his permission for him to enter the nursery. Fire squeezed through the tiny entrance.

Four tiny kits were huddled in Brindle Face's nest. Their fur was pale gray with darker flecks, just like their mother, except for one tiny dark gray tom. They mewled and squirmed beside Brindle Face's belly, their eyes shut tight.

"How are you feeling? Yellow Fang told me about two of your kits. I'm so sorry." Fire whispered to her.

"I'm tired, and shocked." answered Brindle Face. She looked warmly down at her litter. "I love them all so much already, even if two aren't here for long. Thank you for your condolences Fire, that's very sweet of you."

"Thunder Colony is lucky to have them." Fire purred, and touched his nose affectionately to Brindle Face's flank. He turned and made his way out into the clearing

.
Blue Fur was waiting for Fire at the entrance to her den. Long Tail was seated at her side. The pale tabby glared at Fire as he approached. Fire ignored him and looked at Blue Fur.

"Come inside." she meowed, turning to lead the way. Fire trotted after her. Long Tail immediatly stood up, ready to follow them.

Blue Fur looked back at him over her shoulder. "I think I'll be safe with young Fire, Long Tail. Or are you doubting your leader's capabilities?" Long Tail looked uncertain and embarassed for a moment, then sat back down outside.

Fire had never been inside Blue Fur's den. He padded after her through the lichen that draped its entrance. "Brindle Face's kits are lovely." he purred.

Blue Fur looked grim for a moment. "Lovely as they may be, they mean more mouthes to feed, and leafbare will be here soon." She glanced at Fire, who was unable to hide his surprise at her melancholy tone. "Oh, don't listen to me." The molly meowed, shaking her head impatiently. "The first cold wind always worries me. Come, make yourself comfortable." She tipped her head toward the dry, sandy floor.

Fire dropped onto his side, stretching his paws out in front of him.

Blue Fur circled her mossy nest slowly. "I'm still aching from our last traning session." she admitted when she had finally settled herself and curled her tail around her paws. "You fought well, young one."

For once, Fire didn't stop to bask in her praise. His heart was racing. This was the perfect moment to tell his leader about Tiger Claw. He lifted his head up, ready to speak.

But it was Blue Fur who spoke first, staring past him at the far wall of her den. "I can still smell the stale stench of Shadow Colony in the camp." she murmured. "I had hoped to never have to see the day when an enemy broke into the heart of Thunder Colony." Fire nodded in silent agreement, sensing Blue Fur was not done.

"And so many deaths." She sighed. "First the harsh leafbare, then Red Tail, and then Lion Heart. I thank Star Colony that the warriors that we have left are all strong and loyal. And at least with Tiger Claw as our deputy, Thunder Colony may still be able to defend itself." Fire's heart plummeted and an icy chill ran down his spine as Blue Fur continued. "There was a time, when Tiger Claw was a young warrior, that I feared for the strength of his passion. Such energy needs to be guided carefully. But I am proud to see how much respect the colony has for him. I know he is ambitious, but his ambition makes him one of the bravest cats I have ever had the honor to have fight at my side."

Fire knew at once that he could not tell Blue Fur his suspicions about Tiger Claw. Not when Blue Fur looked to her deputy to protect the colony. He would have to save Raven himself. He took a deep breath and blinked slowly, so that when Blue Fur turned and looked at him again, no trace of his shock and dissapointment remained.

Her next words were quiet and full of concern. "You and I both know Broken Tail will return. He made it clear at the last Gathering that he wants hunting rights in all the territories."

"We've fought him off once. We can do it again." Fire insisted.

"That's true." Blue Fur gave a small smile. "Star Colony will honor your courage, young Fire." She paused and licked a healing wound on her side. "I think you need to something. The life that i lost during the battle with the rats was not my fifth, but my seventh."

Fire botled upright.

Blue Fur continued. "I have let the rest of the colony believe it was my fifth because I do not want them to fear for my safety any more than they already do. But two more lives, and I will leave to join Star Colony."

Fire's mind was racing. Why was she telling him this? "Th-thank you for sharing this with me, Star Blue Fur." he purred, and dipped his head respectfully.

Blue Fur nodded. "Off you go, Fire. I am tired and need to rest. I believe I can trust you not to repeat this conversation to anyone."

"Of course, Star Blue Fur." Fire replied as he nosed his way out past the curtain of lichen.

Long Tail was still sitting by the entrance. Fire stepped past him and made his way toward the apprentice's den. He didn't know which part of his conversation with Blue Fur had been more bewildering.

He was stopped in his tracks by a yowl of horror coming from the nursery. Frost Fur came sprinting into the clearing, her tail bristling and her blue eyes wide with alarm. "My kits! Something has taken my kits! They're gone! They're the last I had of him and they're gone!"

Tiger Claw bounded over to her side. "Everyone, search the camp! White Storm, Thrush Pelt, stay where you are! Everyone else, patrol the boundary and search every den!" He called out to the colony.

Fire rushed to the nearest den, the warriors' den, and pushed his way inside. It was completely empty, as all the cats had joined in on the search. He scrabbled through the bedding with his paws but there was neither sight nor scent of Frost Fur's kits.

He ran outside and headed toward his own den. Raven and Gray were already inside, sniffing every corner. Dust and Sand were searching the elders' den. Fire gave them a nod and charged from one clump of grass to another, pushing his muzzle into them, ignoring the nettles that stung his nose. There was no sign of the kits anywhere. He looked around the camp boundary. Cats were pacing all around it, urgently sniffing the air.

Suddenly Fire spotted Yellow Fang in the distance. She was pushing her way through an unguarded part of the fern wall. She must have found a scent, he thought, and he raced toward her as her tail disappeared into the greenery. By the time he had arrived at the wall, she was gone already. He sniffed the air. No trace of any of the kits, just the bitter smell of Yellow Fang's fear and anger. She must be thinking of the Shadow Colony kits she was unable to save.

Suddenly, Tiger Claw's yowl sounded from the bushes behind the nursery. All the cats raced over to him, headed by Frost Fur. They crowded as closely as they could, jostling eachother to see through the dense undergrwoth. Fire nosed his way forward and saw Tiger Claw standing over a motionless bundle of dappled fur.

It was Spotted Leaf, looking almost identical to the way her brother had looked on Fire's very first day in camp.

Fire stared at her lifeless body in disbelief. Fury rose in him like a dark cloud, and he felt the blood roaring in his ears. A heartwrenching scream suddenly rang out through the crowd, shaking him from his grief.

Rose Petal had ran toward her daughter's body, Willow Pelt not far behind. The older molly pressed her face into her daughter's fur, and Fire could see that she was murmuring something to her, although he could not hear what it was. Anger rose in him once again. Who had done this? Who had taken Rose Petal's daughter from her so soon after she had lost her son?

Blue Fur stepped through the crowd and leaned down next to the healer. "She has been killed by another cat." she meowed softly.

Fire craned his neck and saw a single wound on the back of Spotted Leaf's neck. More cats had rushed to Spotted Leaf's side, Sand and Gray among them, with Dark Stripe slinking not far behind.

Fire heard a murmur at the back of the crowd swell into a single piercing yowl.

"Yellow Fang is gone!"

Chapter Text

"Whoever killed Spotted Leaf must have taken Yellow Fang and my kits too!" Frost Fur screeched. The other queens and the caretakers rushed to Frost Fur's side and tried to calm her, but Frost Fur pushed them away and wailed her grief to the darkening sky. As if in reply, the sky rumbled ominously and a cold wind ruffled the cat's fur.

"It must be Shadow Colony!" hissed Tiger Claw. "They must be upset at Yellow Fang for joining us! They have taken her as a prisoner, along with Frost Fur's kits!"

Lighting crackled overhead, punctuating Tiger Claw's words with a glaring white flash, and a clap of thunder rolled around the woods.

Fire looked on in shock. He had seen Yellow Fang leave the camp. If it was truly Shadow Colony cats that killed Spotted Leaf, maybe she had gone after them on her own?

Above the shocked murmurings, Dark Stripe meowed loudly. "Star Blue Fur! What do you say?"

The cats fell silent as they turned to look at their leader.

Blue Fur's gaze moved across the crowd of cats, and finally settled on Spotted Leaf's body. The first drops of rain began to fall, looking almost like dewdrops on her soft fur.

Blue Fur slowly blinked. Grief clouded her, and for a moment Fire was afraid that this new death would overwhelm her completely. But when her eyes opened they glittered with a fierceness that showed determination to seek revenge for this cruel attack. She lifted her head. "If Shadow Colony has killed Spotted Leaf and taken Yellow Fang and Frost Fur's kits, we will retalliate without mercy." The crowd yowled their approval at this. "But we must wait." Blue Fur went on. "There is a storm coming, and we are without healers. If Shadow Colony truly has both Yellow Fang and our kits, I believe she will not let any harm come to them. She has protected our kits once, and I trust in her to do it again. As soon as the storm has passed, a patrol will head toward Shadow Colony territory and bring back our healer and kits."

"Star Blue Fur, we cannot waste any time! The scent will be lost in the rain!" Tiger Claw protested.

Blue Fur flicked her tail impatiently. "If we send out a patrol now, our efforts will be wasted. In this weather the scent will already be lost by the time we have left the camp. If we wait until after the storm, we stand a better chance of success."

There were murmurs of agreement among the colony. Even though it was barely sunhigh, the sky was growing much darker. The cats were unsettled by the lightning and thunder, and they seemed willing to listen to their leader's advice.

Blue Fur looked at her deputy. "I would like to discuss our plans with you, Tiger Claw." Tiger Claw nodded and stalked away toward the leader's den, but the blue-gray molly hesitated. She glanced at Fire, signaling him with a flick of her tail and a ripple of her whiskers that she wanted to speak to him alone.

The other cats gathered around Spotted Leaf and began to share tongues with her, their wails of grief sounding above the thunder. Blue Fur wound her way through them and went toward the fern tunnel that led to Spotted Leaf's den.

Fire quietly skirted the mourning cats and followed her inside. It was very dark beneath the ferns. The storm had blotted out the morning sun, and it almost seemed like night had fallen. Rain was falling even more heavily now, but the two cats were sheltered from it beneath the leaves.

"Fire." Blue Fur meowed urgently as he arrived at her side. "When did you last see Yellow Fang?"
Fire hardly heard her. He couldn't help remembering the last time he had come to the clearing.

An image of Spotted Leaf first welcoming him burned in his mind, and he closed his eyes to preserve it. Aside from Gray, the dappled molly was one of the first cats to truly accept Fire into the colony, and he would miss her greatly.

"Fire." snapped Blue Fur. "You must save your grieving for later."

Fire shook himself. "I saw Yellow Fang go through the camp boundary after the kits went missing, but before Spotted Leaf was found. Do you really think she was taken along with the kits?"

Blue Fur gazed steadily at him. "I do not believe she would go quietly. I suspect she might have gone after the kits on her own. I want you to find her and bring her back. We need her inside knowledge of Shadow Colony's camp if we want to save the kits."

"You're not sending Tiger Claw?" Fire couldn't help himself from asking.

"Tiger Claw is a great warrior, but he might agree with Yellow Fang if she suggests to rush the Shadow Colony camp inmediatly." Blue Fur explained. "This mission needs to be carefully planned. He wants to save our colony's kits, his old friend's kits. No cat can blame him for that. If he believes charging directly into Shadow Colony camp will save them, that's what he will do."

Fire nodded. Blue Fur was right. And he knew Yellow Fang well enough to realize that she would not hesitate to agree to that plan.

Blue Fur looked stern for a moment. "I will not risk the lives of my warriors by sending them straight in to battle. If that is what is needed, so be it. But I will not let cats die for no reason." she continued, her blue eyes burning into Fire's green ones.

"But what if Yellow Fang won't come back without the kits?"

"She will, if you ask her."

Fire felt stunned by Blue Fur's faith in him. The enormity of what she was asking him to do weighed down on him, and he wondered if he had enough courage to carry it through.

"Go at once, but be careful. You will be on your own and there may be Shadow Colony patrols about, although this storm will keep our own warriors in camp for a while."

Thunder rolled overhead as Fire dashed out into the clearing. He felt drops of rain pelting his fur like tiny stones. A bolt of lightning lit up the faces of Dark Stripe and Long Tail as they watched him cross the clearing.

Fire bounded past the nursery. He couldn't leave without sharing tongues with Spotted Leaf. Most of the other cats had run for shelter, leaving the healer's body to the downpour while they huddled beneath the dripping ferns, yowling their fear and loss.

Fire buried his nose in Spotted Leaf's wet fur, breathing in the scent of sweet herbs one last time. "Goodbye, Spotted Leaf. Thank you for being kind to me." he murmured.

His ears suddenly pricked as he overheard the voices of Frost Fur and Speckle Tail talking nearby. He froze, straining to listen.

"Shadow Colony cannot have gotten to our camp undetected without help." Speckle Tail growled.

"Are you saying someone from Thunder Colony helped them?" Frost Fur anxiously replied.

"You've heard what Tiger Claw's been saying about Raven. Perhaps he had something to do with it. He's always been odd, even when he was still a kit."

The fur on Fire's spine prickled. If even the eldest caretaker believed in Tiger Claw's malicous rumors, Raven wouldn't be safe anywhere in the camp, even with Fire, Gray and his older siblings protecting him.

Fire realized he had to act quickly. He would find Yellow Fang first, then deal with Raven. He raced to the spot he had last seen Yellow Fang. He knew her scent so well that he could even smell it through the rain-soaked leaves. He began to push through the bushes, his mouth open, and started looking for where her scent trail led.

"Fire!" 

Fire jumped, before recognizing Gray's voice and relaxing.

"I've been looking for you!" his friend mewed as he rushed toward him.

Fire stepped back out of the ferns and turned around.

Gray squinted as rain dripped down his long fur, into his eyes. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to go look for Yellow Fang." Fire replied.

"On your own?" Gray's face showed his concern for his friend, and Fire thought for a moment before deciding to tell Gray the truth. "Star Blue Fur asked me to bring Yellow Fang back." he mewed.

"What? Why you?" Gray looked shocked.

"Maybe she thinks that I might find Yellow Fang the fastest because I know her the best."

"Wouldn't a party of warriors stand more of a chance?" Gray pointed out. "Tiger Claw's the best tracker of the whole colony. If anyone could bring her back, it would be him."

"Well, maybe Tiger Claw wouldn't bring her back." Fire murmured.

"What do you mean?"

"Tiger Claw's out for revenge. He would just join her in attacking Shadow Colony."

"Well, if they get the kits back.." 

"Do you really believe that an old healer and a small party of warriors can take on the entirety of Shadow Colony?" Fire asked.

Gray looked back at his friend, shaking his head. "So Star Blue Fur is sending you instead?" he mewed.

"She believes we have to plan this attack carefully, and that i'm the best chance at convincing Yellow Fang to return without the kits."

Gray meowed something, but his words were drowned out by a deafening crack of thunder, anda  flash of lightning lit up the trees around them.

In the dazzling light, Fire glimpsed Frost Fur chasing Raven away from the nursery. The white queen's face was twisted with fury as she hissed at the young black cat and lunged forward to give him a warning nip on the hind leg.

Suddenly, Chesnut Pelt sprang forward and spat at Frost Fur, standing protectively in between her and his younger brother.

Gray turned to Fire. "What's that all about?" he mewed.

Fire stared back at his friend, a new idea forming in his mind. It looked like Raven's time had run out, and Fire needed Gray's help. But would his friend believe him? The wind was beginning to roar through the trees above them, and Fire had to raise his voice. "Raven's in great danger." he meowed.

"What?"

"I have to get him away from Thunder Colony. Right now, before anything happens to him."

Gray looked puzzled. "Why? What about Yellow Fang?"

"There's no time to explain." Fire mewed urgently. "You'll just have to trust me. There has to be a way we can get Raven out. Star Blue Fur is going to keep the warriors in camp until the storm is over, but that doesn't leave us with much time." He tried to picture the hidden corners of the forest, beyond colony territory. "We'll have to take him somewhere Tiger Claw won't find him, but where he can survive without the colony."

Gray stared at him for a moment. "What about the guardians?"

"Of course!" Fire meowed. "Barley, Soot and Piper can take care of him and help him get settled, but it's far enough from our territory that Tiger Claw won't be able to find him." His ears twitched with excitement.

"Come on, then!" meowed Gray. "What are we waiting for?"

Relief washed over Fire. He should have known his closest friend would help. He shook the rain from his head, then touched Gray's fur with his nose. "Thank you." he purred. "Now, let's get  Raven."

They found their friend huddled miserably inside their den. Sand and Dust were in their nests, Sand being tucked against her father. Both of the young cats looked scared and tense as the storm crashed overhead.

"Raven." Fire hissed through the entrance.

Raven looked up. Fire flicked his ears and the black cat followed him out into the storm,

"Come on," Fire whispered. "We're taking you to the barn?"

"Where Barley lives?" Raven mewed in bewilderment, narrowing his eyes against the heavy rain. "Why?"

"Because you'll be safe there." Fire answered, looking the black cat straight in the eyes.

"Did you see what Frost Fur did?" mewed Raven, his voice shakey. "I was only going to check on the kits.." 

"Come on." Fire interrupted him. "We have to hurry!"

Raven met his friend's gaze. "Thanks, Fire." he murmured. Then he turned into the wind and bounded across the clearing.

The three apprentices rushed toward the camp entrance, their fur flattened by the howlingg wind. As they entered the gorse tunnel, a voice called them back.

"You three! Where are you going?"

It was Tiger Claw.

Fire whirled around, feeling his heart sink. He was thinking desperately about what he could say, when he spotted Blue Fur striding toward them. She frowned for a moment, but then her face cleared.

"Well done, Fire." she meowed. "I see you've persuaded your friends to go with you. Thunder Colony has brave apprentices, Tiger Claw, if they are willing to run an errand in weather like this."

"Surely this is not a time for errands?" Tiger Claw objected.

"Lynx has a cough." Blue Fur's voice was as calm as ice. "Fire has offered to fetch some coltsfoot for her."

"Does he really need his friends to go with him?" asked Tiger Claw.

"In this storm, he is lucky to have the company!" Blue Fur answered. She looked deep into Fire's eyes, and he was suddenly aware of the trust she was placing in him. "Off you go, you three." she meowed.

Fire returned her gaze gratefully. "Thank you, Star Blue Fur." he purred, dipping his head. With a swift glance at his companions, he lead the away along the familiar paths leading to Fourtrees.

The wind roared through the branches above them and the trees swayed, their trunks creaking as though they might fall at any moment. The rain poured down through the leaves, soaking the cats to their hides.

They reached the stream, but the stepping-stones they usually used to cross had completely disappeared. The cats stopped on the bank and looked down in dismay at the wide, brown, swirling river.

"This way!" Fire meowed. "There's a fallen tree up here. We can use it to cross." He led Gray and Raven upstream to a log that rested above the rushing water. "Be careful, it'll be slippery!" Fire warend, leaping carefully up onto it. The log's bark had been stripped away, leaving only smooth, wet wood to balance on. Carefully the tree cats walked along the trunk. Fire jumped down when he reached the other side and watched his friends until they too had landed safely.

The trees were bigger on the other side, offering some shelter from the storm as they hurried on, side by side.

"Are you going to tell me the reason why we need to get Raven away?" panted Gray.

"Because he knows that Tiger Claw killed Red Tail." Fire answered.

"Tiger Claw killed Red Tail?!" Gray echoed in disbelief, stopping dead in his tracks and staring first at Fire and then at Raven.

"During the battle with River Colony." puffed Raven. "I saw him do it."

"But why would he do that?" Gray protested, setting off again. They scrambled down the slope that led into the clearing at Fourtrees.

"I don't know. Maybe he thought that Star Blue Fur would make him deputy." Fire suggested, raising his voice against the wind.

Gray didn't reply, but his face darkened.

The cats began to climb the steep slope that led up to Wind Colony territory. As Fire jumped from rock to rock, he called down to Gray behind him. He wanted his friend to understand just how dangerous it was for Raven to stay in Thunder Colony. "I overheard Tiger Claw talking to Dark Stripe and Long Tail on the night I went to gather that wild garlic for your leg." he yowled. "He wants to get rid of Raven."

"Get rid of him? You don't mean that he wants to kill him, do you?" Gray meowed, scrambling to sit on a rock.

Fire stopped too. He looked down at his friends. Raven had halted farther down the slope, his sides heaving as he caught his breath. He looked smaller than ever with his soaked fur clinging to his scrawny body.

"You saw the way Frost Fur attacked Raven today." Fire meowed to Gray. "Tiger Claw's been hinting to everyone that Raven's a traitor. But he'll be safe at the barn with Soot, Piper and Barley. Now come on! We have to hurry!"

It was impossible to talk in the open expanse of Wind Colony territory. The wind howled around them while the thunder rolled and the lightning flashed overhead. The three cats lowered their heads and pushed onward into the heart of the storm.

Eventually they reached the edge of the plateau that marked the end of Wind Colony's territory.

"We can't take you any farther, Raven." meowed Fire, raising his voice through be heard through the gale. "We have to get back and find Yellow Fang before the storm passes."

Raven looked up through the heavy rain, alarmed. Then he nodded.

"Will you be able to find the barn alone?" Fire yowled.

"Yes, I remembered the way." Raven answered.

"Watch out for those dogs!" Gray warned.

Raven nodded. "I will!" Suddenly he frowned. "How can you be so sure they'll welcome me?"

"Just tell them you caught an adder once!" Gray purred, affectionately nudging his friend's rain-soaked shoulder.

"Go." Fire urged, aware that time was short. He licked Raven's skinny chest. "And don't worry. I'll make sure everyone knows that you didn't betray Thunder Colony."

"What if Tiger Claw comes looking for me?" Raven's voice sounded even smaller against the rumbling storm.

Fire met his gaze. "He won't. I'll tell him you're dead."

Chapter Text

Fire and Gray retraced their steps to Thunder Colony territory. Both cats were tired and soaking wet, but Fire kept up the pace. The storm was beginning to move away. A Thunder Colony patrol would be heading out toward Shadow Colony soon. They had to find Yellow Fang first, and stop her from trying to ambush Shadow Colony's camp on her own.

The sky was still dark, even though the black thunderclouds were beginning to roll away over the horizon. Fire guessed that it must be close to sunset.

"Why aren't we heading straight into Shadow Colony from here?" Gray suggested as they barrled down the hillside, landing in the hollow surrounding Fourtrees.

"It'll be easier to pick up Yellow Fang's scent from there." Fire explained. "She  knows Shadow Colony territroy better, it'll be safer following her trail rather than trying to find their camp ourselves." 

Gray nodded, and both cats headed back over the small stream, back into Thunder Colony territory. There was no scent of Yellow Fang until the toms headed into the oak woods that were close to the camp.

Now that the rain had stopped, they could once again smell the scents around them. Fire hoped that the rain had not washed Yellow Fang's trail completely. He stopped and brushed past a fern, pushing the tip of his nose in between its leaves. Suddenly, he recognized a familliar smell. It was Yellow Fang, and she smelled scared. "Gray! She came this way!" he called out.

He pushed his way through the wet undergrowth, Gray following closely behind. The rain was slowing down even more, the sound of thunder fading away into the distance. Their time was running out, and Fire pushed on, determined.

He followed Yellow Fang's scent. It was guiding them closer to Shadow Colony territory, and Fire hoped they weren't too late. Yellow Fang knew the territory of her old colony better than any cat, and she could already be at the camp.

 
They arrived at the Thunderpath and stopped. Several Twoleg monsters roared by, spewing foul air and splashing through puddles of dirty water. The two cats crouched at the edge of the wide, gray path until there was a gap. They raced across the path and into Shadow Colony territory.

The scent markers that lined the border made Fire's hair stand on edge.

Gray halted and looked around nervously. "I always thought I'd be a warrior and part of a large patrol if I ever entered Shadow Colony territory." he confessed.

"Are you scared?" Fire teased.

"Aren't you? We're on another colony's territory without their permission! After Sparrow Pelt told me about what Shadow Colony did to him after they caught him trespassing when he was an apprentice made it so i couldn't sleep for almost a moon!"

"Oh. Kittypets never really care when another cat comes to their yard, and at worst cats hiss at you until you go away." Fire replied. He was relieved his fur was so wet it was clinging to his body -- Gray might not notice the way  it was bristling fearfully along his spine.

The two cats prowled onward, alert to every sight and sound. Gray was on the lookout for any Shadow Colony patrols, and Fire for the Thunder Colony patrol he knew had to be coming to rescue the kits and Yellow Fang soon.

Yellow Fang's trail led them steadily into the heart of Shadow Colony's hunting grounds. The woods here were gloomy, the undergrowth crowded with nettles and brambles.

"I can't smell her." Gray complained. "It's too wet."

"Don't worry, it's there." Fire assured him.

"I can smell something else though." Gray spat suddenly.

 "What? What's going on?" Fire hissed. He stopped in his tracks, alarmed by the anger in his friend's voice.

"It's the kits. I can smell their blood."

Fire sniffed again, trying to find the scent of the kits. "I smell it too. " he agreed. "And I can smell something else!" He flicked his tail down sharply, giving Gray a signal to keep quiet. Then, silently, he signaled toward a blackened ash tree up ahead.

Gray tilted his head in question, and Fire gave a tiny nod in respond. Yellow Fang was sheltering behind the wide, split trunk.

Instincitvely two to cats seperated, each moving toward the tree, one on either side. They crept over the soft forest floor, using all the tricks they learned in their training, stepping lightly, keeping their bodies low.

Then they pounced.

Yellow Fang yowled with surprise as the two cats landedd beside her and pinned her to the ground. She struggled free, spitting, and backed into a sheltered hollow at the base of the trunk. Fire and Gray moved forward, blocking her way out.

"Let me go! I have to save them!" she hissed, her eyes flashing with all her old hostility.

"Do you really think you can take on all of Shadow Colony on your own?" Fire demanded. 

"I have to try!" Yellow Fang snarled angrily. "I won't be able to live with myself if four more kits die deaths that I could have prevented."

"Why did you go on your own? Why couldn't you wait for help?" Gray asked. "If you go on your own, they might kill you, just like they killed Spotted Leaf!"

"Spotted Leaf is dead? Have they really sunken so low as to kill a healer?!" There was no mistaking the shock and anger in Yellow Fang's voice. 

Gray nodded. "There's a Thunder Colony patrol headed here right now! They think Shadow Colony took you along with the kits!"

The old molly hesitated, before sighing. "You're right. I was reckless."

Fire looked away and the three cats sat in silence for a moment. Then Fire spoke up again. "We'll rescue the kits together. Tonight. But we can't stay here. A Shadow Colony patrol might come across here at any moment."

Yellow Fang looked at him, alert and determined again. "There's peat this way. It'll be wet after the rain." she told him. "Our scents will be disguised here."

She jumped into a clump of ferns and Fire and Gray quickly followed her. They could hear the rustling of undergrowth in the distance for now. It was no longer the wind that disturbed the bushes, but an approaching patrol. 

An eerie stillness settled over the woods, and a thin fog was beginning to gather between the tree trunks. Fire shook the droplets off his coat and impatiently pulled a burr off his chest. Yellow Fang led them onward. The ground grew soggier, and their paws began to sink into the soft peat. The musty smell choked Fire's nostrils, but at least it would mask their own trail. Behind them, the noise of cats grew louder.

"Quick, under here." Yellow Fang urged, ducking under a broad-leaved bush. The three cats crouched beneath it, drawing in their trails. Fire kept as still as he could, trying to ignore the rank wetness of the ground seeping into his belly fur, and listening to the rustling of the patrol of cats as it came nearer and nearer.

As the patrol neared, Fire realized that the patrol consisted of several cats. He couldn't recognize the induvidual scents of the cats through the smells of the bog, but he knew it was Thunder Colony. He held his breath as the pawsteps raced past them.

"Are we really going to rescue the kits from Shadow Colony alone?" whispered Gray.

Yellow Fang answered him first. "I might be able to find us some help from inside Shadow Colony. Not all the cats support Broken Tail."

Fire pricked up his ears and Gray flicked his tail in surprise.

"When he became leader," Yellow Fang explained. "Broken Tail forced the elders to leave the security of the inner camp. They had to live on the boundary and hunt for themselves. These are cats who have grown up with the code. And I've heard whispers of some of the warriors planning to oust Star Broken Tail themselves, due to his actions regarding kits. I know for certain at least some of them will help us."

Fire stared at her, thinking quickly. "If I run fast enough, I might be able to reach the Thunder Colony patrol before they reach the camp and persuade them to help us in our ambush instead." he meowed. "Gray, can you wait at the dead ash, where we smelled the kit's blood, until one of us returns."

Gray looked worried. "What if a Shadow Colony patrol comes across me?" 

"Don't worry. I'll be back as soon as I can." Fire purred, pressing his nose against Gray's forehead. 

"Roll in the peat." Yellow Fang mewed. "It'll cover your scent, at least until one of us returns." Then she sprang past the two apprentices and disappeared into the bushes.

Gray did what the molly told him, covering himself in the peat. "Are you sure this will work?" He asked Fire.

"I don't know." Fire admitted. "But we have to try."

Fire sprinted after the patrol, around brambles, past gorse, and through nettles. The trail was easy to follow. The angry Thunder Colony cats weren't trying to disguise their presence in Shadow Colony's territory.

Overhead, the thick layer of cloud had finally rolled away. Beyond the treetops, Silverpelt glittered across the night sky. The moon was just rising, but it's cold light couldn't pierce the mist that clung to the shadowy undergrowth.

Fire concentrated on the scent from up ahead. He could smell White Storm, and after sniffing again, he noticed that Tiger Claw wasn't with them. He raced to catch up and skidded to a halt behind the patrol of Thunder Colony cats.

The warriors turned and glared at him, fur bristling, ears flattened aggressively. Dark Stripe was with them, as well as his mother, Willow Branch, along with Mouse Fur and her brother Running Wind.

"Fire!" White Storm growled. "What are you doing here?"

Fire gasped for breath. "Star Blue Fur sent me!" he panted. "I-I had a suspicion and she sent me-"

White Storm interrupted him. "Star Blue Fur told me I might find a friend out here. Now I understand what she meant." He looked at Fire, seemingly deep in thought.

"I-is Tiger Claw nearby?" Fire asked.

"No, Blue Fur insisted she needed him to remain at camp, to protect the remaining kits. Why do you ask?" White Storm meowed, looking at the young ginger tom curiously.

Fire nodded quickly, relieved. He meowed urgently. "White Storm, I need your help. I can lead you to the kits. Gray is waiting for me. We plan to rescue them tonight. Will you come with us?"

"Of course we'll come." Mouse Fur meowed, her tail flicking with excitement.

"We're planning on raiding Shadow Colony's camp." Fire meowed.

"Can you lead us there?" Running Wind asked, an eager tone in his voice, mirroring his sister's earlier excited tail flicks.

"I can't, but Yellow Fang can. She's currently gathering help from old allies in Shadow Colony, cats who are also against Broken Tail's rule."

"Yellow Fang wasn't taken along with the kits?" Willow Branch asked curiously.

"N-no, she went on her own. She said that she couldn't stand by and let more kits die on her watch." Fire meowed. 

"A noble goal. Lead the way, Fire." White Storm ordered.

Gray was waiting by the ash tree, pacing restlessly around its rotten trunk. He stopped as soon as he saw the patrol emerge from the mist and rushed toward his mother, pressing his face into her fur. 

"Any sign of Yellow Fang?" Fire asked.

"Not yet." Gray answered.

"We don't know how far it is from here to the Shadow Colony camp." Fire pointed out quickly, noticing the cats of the patrol stiffening. "She's probably on her way back right now."

"Or she might be sitting captured in Shadow Colony camp while Broken Tail prepares to take our other kits as well!" Gray meowed anxiously.

Willow Branch pulled her son closer and gave him a comforting lick on the head. White Storm watched the two apprenticed, his ears flicking uneasily. "Fire?" he prompted.

"She'll be back. I know she will." Fire promised.

"Well said, young Fire." Yellow Fang stalked out from behind the ash tree and sat down. "You're not the only one who can sneak up on someone." she purred, looking at Fire. "Remember the day we met? You were looking in the wrong direction that time too."

Three Shadow Colony cats appeared from behind the tree and settled themselves calmly on either side of Yellow Fang. The Thunder Colony cats bristled, alert and suspicious.

Both colonies stared silently at each other. Fire fidgeted uncomfortably, unsure what to do now. Eventually one of the Shadow Colony cats, a gray tom, spoke. His long body was skinny, and his fur looked dull. "We have come to help you, not to harm you. You  have come for your kits, and we will help you rescue them."

"How can we be sure you're not working with Broken Tail and lying to Yellow Fang?" Mouse Fur asked warily.

"Yes, what is in it for you?" Running Wind meowed.

"We want your help getting rid of Star Broken Tail. He has broken the code multiple times, and Shadow Colony is suffering."

"So it's that simple, is it?" Dark Stripe growled. "We just drop into your camp, snatch the kits, kill your leader, and go home?"

"You won't meet as much resistance as you think." The skinny gray tom meowed.

Yellow Fang stood up. "Let me introduce my old friends." she meowed, weaving her way around the Shadow Colony cats. She brushed past the gray tom. "This is Ash Fur. He is one of the colony's elders." 

"And this is Night Pelt. He retired early due to his cough and to take care of the elders." She circled a battered black tom, who nodded at them. Fire noted that some of his features looked eerily familliar. Was this who Yellow Fang was talking about when she mentioned Claw Face's brother?

"And this is one of our queens, Dawn Cloud. Her kits were killed during training."

Dawn Cloud, a young small tabby, meowed a greeting. "I don't want to lose any future kits like I lost Swamp, Blossom and my younger brother ." 

White Storm gave his chest a quick lick to smooth down his fur. "You are clearly skilled warriors if you managed to creep up on us like that. But are there enough of you? We need to know what we'll face when we raid Shadow Colony's camp."

"The old and sick of Shadow Colony are slowly starving." meowed  Ash Fur.  "The casualties among our kits are more than we can cope with."

"But if Shadow Colony is a mess, how come you've been able to show so much strength lately? And why is Broken Tail still your leader?" Dark Stripe spat.

"Broken Tail is surrounded by a small group of elite warriors." answered Ash Fur. "They are the ones to fear, because they would die for him without question. The other warriors only obey his orders because they are frightened by him. They will fight by his side only as long as they think Star Broken Tail is going to win. If they thought he was going to lose.."

"They would fight against him, not for him!" Dark Stripe finished the elder's words in disgust. "What sort of loyalty is that?"

The hackles of the Shadow Colony cats began to rise.

"Our colony was not always like this." Yellow Fang interrupted. "When Star Ragged Pelt led Shadow Colony, we were feared for our strength. But in those days our strength came from the code and loyalty to our colony, not from fear and bloodlust." The old healer sighed. "If only Star Ragged Pelt had lived longer."

"How did Star Ragged Pelt die?" White Storm asked curiously. "There were so many rumors at the Gatherings, but no cat seemed to know for sure."

Yellow Fang's eyes were clouded with sorrow. "He was ambushed, either by a patrol from another colony or by rogues."

White Storm nodded thoughfully. "Yes, that is what most cats seemed to think. These are bad times indeed, when leaders are picked off in the dark, instead of dying in open and honorable battle."

Fire frowned, his mind racing over different battle plans. "Is there any way of taking the kits without alerting the whole colony?" he asked.

Dawn Cloud answered him. "They are closely guarded. Star Broken Tail will be expecting Thunder Colony to try to take them. You won't be able to take them back in secret. Open attack is your only hope."

"Then we must concentrate our attack on Broken Tail and his inner guard." meowed  White Storm.

"The Shadow Colony cats should lead me into the Shadow Colony camp. They could say they captured me. We have to make sure Broken Tail and his warriors are out of their dedns. News of my capture will bring them out into the clearing. Once they're all out in the open, I'll give the signal for you to attack." Yellow Fang suggested.

White Storm was silent for a moment. Then he nodded, his face grave as he planned out the attack in his mind. "Very well, Yellow Fang." he meowed. "Please lead the way to the Shadow Colony camp."

Chapter Text

Yellow Fang turned and pushed her way through the bracken, White Storm and the rest of the cats following closely behind. Fire's fur tingled with excitement. He wasn't bothered by the damp chill in the air, and the weariness from earlier had long since left him. 

Yellow Fang guided them to a small hollow surrounded by thick undergrowth and pointed out the entrance to Shadow Colony's camp. The tangled mass of brambles looked very different from the neat gorse tunnel that led into the Thunder Colony camp, the one Fire had grown so familiar with. This camp's boundary was filled with holes and gaps, and the stench of old rotting meat wafted toward them.

"The rumors about Shadow Colony eating crow food were true?'' whispered Gray, his lip curling involuntarily. 

"Broken Tail prioritizes expanding our territory over hunting." Ash Fur replied. "We eat whatever we can find. All those claims about needing more territory due to needing more food are mousedung, no cat in Shadow Colony has seen a glimpse of prey originating from the moors or the river apart from Broken Tail himself and maybe some of his loyal followers."

"Thunder Colony, hide in that clump of bracken." Yellow Fang hissed. "Its filled with toadstools that will disguise your scent. Wait until you hear me call for you."

She stepped back to let the three Shadow Colony cats lead the way, tucking herself between them as if she were a prisoner they were escorting. They headed silently into the camp. 

The Thunder Colony cats settled themselves amongst the bracken and toadstools, tense and all on high alert. Fire could feel every hair on his coat prickling, and as he looked at Gray beside him, he could see that the thick fur on the scruff of his neck was standing on end. Fire could hear him, as well as the other cats, panting with supressed excitement.

Suddenly yowling erupted from the Shadow Colony camp. Fire could recognize Yellow Fang's voice, and realized that this must be the signal they were waiting for. Without hesitating, the Thunder Colony cats sprang from their hiding places and raced through the entrance.

Yellow Fang, Ash Fur, Night Pelt and Dawn Cloud were in a well-trodden, muddy clearing, each of them wrestling with vicious-looking cats. Fire could recognize Star Broken Tail among them, but noticed that surprisingly, his deputy, Black Paws, was absent from the fray. The warriors all looked hungry and battle-scarred, but Fire could see the muscles rippling beneath their patchy fur.
Around the edge of the clearing, groups of scrawny cats stared at the mayhem, uncertainty, confusion and shock visible in their dull eyes. Their skinny bodies seemed to recoil at the violence, and in the corner of his eye, he saw Wet Nose back away and hide under a bush.

At White Storms nodded signal, the Thunder Colony cats leapt into the battle.

Fire jumped on a massive silver tabby and tried to grasp at him with his claws, but he was shaken loose. He tumbled voer and the Shadow Colony warrior turned on him and gripped him with claws as sharp as blackthorns. Fire managed to twist and sink his teeth deep into the older cat's flesh. The yowl the other tom let out told him he had found a tender sport, and he bit harder. The warrior screeched again, and after ripping himself free from Fire's teeth, ran off into the bushes.

Fire stood up, shaking the dirt from his fur. A young Shadow Colony apprentice jumped at him from the edge of the camp, their soft kitten fur fluffed up with fear.
Fire sheathed his claws and batted her away with ease. "This is not your battle." he hissed.

White Storm had a Shadow Colony warrior pinned to the ground, and gave them a vicious bite. They raced away toward the camp entrance and out into the safety of the forest.

"Fire!" Fire turned his head as Dawn Cloud screeched his name. "Watch out! Claw Face is--" He didn't hear the rest. A heavily built brown tom crashed into him. Claw Face. Fire dug his claws into the ground and whirled around to fight. This had been the cat had attempted to steal the kits during that first attack, the cat who actually stole the kits later on, the cat who had killed Spotted Leaf. Rage surged through him and he flung himself onto the brown tom. 

Fire pushed the scarred warrior to the ground and pressed his head into the dirt. Blinded by fury, he prepared to sink his teeth deep into Claw Face's throat. But before he could deal the final blow, White Storm knocked him aside and grasped the Shadow Colony warrior.

"True warriors do not kill unless they have to." He growled. "We just need to let him know not to show his face here again." He gave Claw Face a fierce bite that sent him running out of the camp.
Still filled with rage, Fire look around wildly. Broken Tail's loyal warriors had all fled. 

An angry screech sounded from behind Gray. Gray jumped out of the way and Fire saw Yellow Fang gripping Star Broken Tail with muddy, bloodstained paws. He was bleeding from several wounds, his ears were flattened against the side of his head, and his whiskers were drawn back as he crouched, flattened beneath Yellow Fang's powerful grasp.

"I never thought you would be hearder to kill than my father!" he snarled up at her.

Yellow Fang recoiled suddenly as if she had been bitten, her face twisted by shock and grief. She loosened her grip on Broken Tail, and instantly he threw her aside with a twist of his powerful body.
"You killed Star Ragged Pelt?" Yellow Fang wailed, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Broken Tail eyed her coldly. "You were the one who found his body. Did you not notice it was my fur between his claws?" Yellow Fang stared at him in horror as he continued. "He was a soft and foolish leader. He deserved to die."

"No!" hissed Yellow Fang, her head dropping. She gave herself a shake before looking up at Broken Tail and arching her back. "And my mother's kits, did they deserve to die too?" she rasped.
Broken Tail growled and hurled himself at Yellow Fang, forcing her onto her belly. Yellow Fang didn't even attempt to struggle against his thorn-sharp claws. Fire was alarmed to notice that her eyes were glazed over with sadness.

"Those kits were weak." Broken Tail hissed. "All of them were. They would have been of no use to Shadow Colony. If I hadn't killed them, some other warrior would have."

Fire heard an orange tabby molly let out a wail of grief. That must be Yellow Fang and the kits' mother, he thought. Broken Tail ignored her, focusing on Yellow Fang instead. "I should have killed you when I had the chance." he spat at her. "It seems I must have inherited some of my father's softness. I was a fool to let you leave Shadow Colony alive!" He lunged, teeth bared, ready to sink them into her jaw.

Fire was quicker. He jumped onto Broken Tail's back before he could clamp his jaws shut. Fire dug his claws into the matted tabby fur and pulled the other tom off of the exhausted healer, flinging him to the edge of the clearing.

Broken Tail twisted around in midair to land on his feet and looked into Fire's eyes, spitting viciously. "Dont waste your time, apprentice. I've shared dreams with Star Colony! You'll have to kill me multiple times over before I join them. Do you really think you're strong enough for that?" His eyes were glowing with confidence and defiance.

Fire stared back at him. His belly tightened. Broken Tail was a leader! How could he be expected to defeat him? But the watching Shadow Colony cats had begun to walk toward their defeated leader, snarling and hissing with hatred. Fire noticed with a start that Black Paws was among them, spitting at his leader. Most of them were battered and half-starved, but they were furious, and Broken Tail was outnumbered. He seemed to realize this with a nervous flick of his tail. He crouched and backed away through the bushees. His eyes glittered menacingly from the shadows, his gaze finding Fire through the crowd.

"This isn't over, apprentice." he hissed before he turned and vanished into the forest after his defeated warriors.

Fire looked to White Storm. "Should we go after them?" he meowed.

The older warrior shook his head. "It is not our place. Beside, I think they got the message that they are not welcome here."

Night Pelt had walked up to join them, and he nodded in agreement. "Leave them. If they dare to show their faces here again, Shadow Colony will be strong enough by then to deal with them alone."

The rest of Shadow Colony was huddled together in the ruins of their camp, numbed by what had just happened. The young apprentices were pressed against what Fire presumed to be their parent's side, and he noticed some cats, including Bright Flower, staring at them with sadness and envy. Those must be the cats that lost their kits due to Broken Tail's actions. It'll take time to rebuild Shadow Colony. Fire thought.

He also saw Black Paws talking with Dawn Cloud and two other cats. He noticed the large tom press his face against the others, before walking up to Night Pelt and whispering something in the black tom's ear. He then turned toward the exit and ran into the forest.

"Where is he going?" Fire asked.

"He's going after Broken Tail. Three of the kits that were lost were those of his sisters. He was close friends with with Broken Tail and was absolutely devastated learning that his leader and friend was behind their deaths all along.” Night Pelt meowed. "He's stepped down from his position as deputy, and he told me he won't be returning until Broken Tail is dead. I told him he's always welcome in Shadow Colony. He’s a good cat, but he is easily manipulated. I just hope he won't let his grief consume him."

Fire nodded. Shadow Colony had apparently been much worse off than he though, if even the deputy would turn against the leader like this. Suddenly, he heard Gray's voice from a far corner of the clearing.

"The kits!" Fire rushed to join his friend, Mouse Fur and White Storm not far behind. As they approached, they could hear the pitiful mewling of kits coming from beneath a pile of leaves and twigs.

Quickly Gray and Mouse Fur dug down through the foliage until they had uncovered the missing kits at the bottom of a small pit.

"Are they okay?" demanded White Storm, his tail twitching with anxiety.

"Theyre fine." Gray replied quickly. "Most only have a few scratches, but Bracken has a pretty nasty wound on his ear. Yellow Fang, can you come and take a look?"

The old molly had been licking her own wounds, but at Gray's call she had raced to his side, and Gray carefully deposited the tabby kit.

Fire helped Gray lift out the rest of the kits. Cinder was the last one out, and she mewled and squirmed as Fire placed her on the ground. Willow Branch gathered the kits to her side and comforted them with licks and caresses.

Yellow Fang looked closely at Bracken's torn ear. "We need to stop the bleeding." 

Wet Nose stepped out of the shadows. His forepaw was coated in a layer of cobwebs, which he silently passed to Yellow Fang. She nodded her thanks and began to treat the kit's wound.

Night Pelt approached the group of Thunder Colony cats. "You have helped Shadow Colony rid itself of a brutal and dangerous leader, and we are grateful. But we ask you to leave our camp and return to your own. I promise that your hunting grounds will be free of Shadow Colony warriors as long as I remain in charge."

White Storm nodded. "Hunt in peace for one moon, Night Pelt. Thunder Colony knows you need time to rebuild your Colony." He turned to Yellow Fang. "And you, Yellow Fang?" he asked. "Do you wish to return with us, or stay in Shadow Colony now that it is safe for you to do so."

Yellow Fang looked up at him. "I will make the journey back with you." She glanced at a deep gash on White Storm's hind leg. "With the death of Spotted Leaf, Thunder Colony would be without a healer if I stayed here."

"Thank you." purred White Storm. He signaled to the Thunder Colony cats with a sweep of his tail and lead them out of the clearing. Willow Branch and Running Wind helped the kits, who stumbled along, exhausted and bewildered. Yellow Fang walked close to Bracken, lifting him by the scruff of his neck every time he slipped. Fire and Gray followed them through the brambles, past the scent-border that marked the edge of the camp and out into the forest.

The moon was still beginning to rise in the quiet sky as the Thunder Colony party began the long trudge home, while around them showers of brown leaves fluttered to the forest floor.

Chapter Text

Filled with relief at being home again, Fire and Gray sprinted ahead of the patrol into the Thunder Colony camp. Frost Fur was lying in the middle of the clearing, her head resting on her paws, lost in grief. As the two apprentices bounded in she lifted her head and sniffed the air. "My kits!" she cried. She sprang up and raced past Fire and Gray to meet the rest of the patrol as they emerged from the tunnel. 

The kits rushed over to Frost Fur and nuzzled into her side. She curled her soft body around them and licked them each in turn, purring loudly.

Yellow Fang hung back at the camp entrance and looked on silently.

Blue Fur strode up to the returning patrol. She glanced fondly at Frost Fur and her kits and then turned her eyes to White Storm "Are they all right?" she asked.

"They're all fine." meowed White Storm.

"Well done, White Storm. Thunder Colony honors you."

White Storm bent his head to accept her praise, and added. "But it was thanks to this apprentice that we found them."

Fire lifted his head and tail proudly, about to speak, but Tiger Claw's accusing snarl sounded from across the clearing.

"Wasn't he sent out to gather herbs for Lynx? What was he doing on Shadow Colony territory." The dark warrior stalked up to the patrol and stood beside his leader.

"Star Blue Fur sent me on a mission." Fire insisted. He looked around the camp. The rest of the cats had quickly gathered in the clearing to see the kits and congratulate the hunting party. Some of them had however had perked up at hearing Tiger Claw's voice and were subtly looking over at him.

"Why you, and not a warrior?" spat Long Tail.

"Are you questioning your leader, Long Tail?" Gray asked. Some cats gave a nod at his words. If what Fire was saying was true, Star Blue Fur must have had a good reason for it.

"I stand with Fire." Mouse Fur meowed. "Without him, the battle to take back the kits could not have been won. He risked his life to avenge Spotted Leaf and rescue the kits."

Suddenly, Frost Fur's anxious meow sounded from the crowd. "If Spotted Leaf has been avenged, does that mean that Broken Tail is dead?" she asked.

"No, he has escaped." White Storm told her. "But he will never lead Shadow Colony again."

Frost Fur sighed in relief and returned to nuzzling her kits.

White Storm looked at Blue Fur. "I promised Shadow Colony we would leave them in peace until the next fullmoon." he explained. "Broken Tail's leadership has left their colony in chaos."

Blue Fur nodded. "That was a wise and generous offer." she meowed approvingly. The Thunder Colony leader walked past White Storm and the rest of the patrol and approached Yellow Fang. Yellow Fang lowered her eyes as Blue Fur touched the gray cat's rough coat with her nose.

"Yellow Fang, I am surprised to see you here. I would have thought you would have rejoined Shadow Colony now that it was safe for you to do so." Blue Fur meowed.

"With Spotted Leaf's passing, Thunder Colony needs a healer." Yellow Fang meowed. "Besides that, Shadow Colony is not the place I once knew. Thunder Colony is where I belong."

Fire heard some cats murmur their approval. It seemed that this show of loyalty was going to win over even the most stubborn cats. However, at Yellow Fang's words, he was swiftly remined of the fact that he would never again find Spotted Leaf in her clearing, and his tail dropped.

"Where is Raven?" meowed Blue Fur suddenly, jolting Fire out of his bittersweet remembrances. 

"Yes," Tiger Claw chimed in, "where is my apprentice? Strange that he should dissapear along with Broken Tail." He looked around the colony meaningfully.

"If you're thinking that he might have been helping Broken Tail, then you're wrong!" Fire meowed boldly.

Tiger Claw stiffened, a menacing gleam appearing in his amber eyes.

"Raven is dead." Fire went on, dropping his head as if weighed down with grief. "We- we split up to find the coltsfoot, and after he didn’t come back we went searching for him. We found his body in Shadow Colony territory. From the scents around him, he must have been slain by a Shadow Colony patrol." He looked at Blue Fur "I promise, Star Blue Fur, that I will explain everything to you later." he promised.

Yellow Fang shot Fire a questioning look. Fire returned her gaze with a silent plea for her to hold her tongue. She twitched her ears briefly in understanding and looked away.

"I never said that Raven was a traitor." hissed Tiger Claw. He paused and allowed an expression of sorrow to cloud his face before he turned to address the rest of the colony. "Raven might have made a fine warrior. His death has come too soon, and his loss will be felt by many of us for a long time."

Empty words! Fire thought bitterly. What would Tiger Claw say if he knew that Raven was safe, far beyond his grasp, catching rats with Barley, Soot and Piper?

Blue Fur broke the silence. "We will miss Raven, and his family shall mourn with him tonight. First, there is another ritual that must be performed -- one that I know Raven would have taken great pleasure in." She turned to Fire and Gray. "You have shown great courage tonight. Did they fight well, White Storm?" she asked.

"Like warriors." White Storm replied solemnly.

Blue Fur met met his yellow-eyed gaze and gave a slight nod. Then she lifted her chin and fixed her eyes on Silverpelt’s swath of stars. Her voice rang out, clear and measured in the hushed woods. “I, Star Blue Fur, leader of Thunder Colony, call upon my ancestors to look down on these two apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn.” She looked down at Fire and Gray, narrowing her eyes. “Fire, Gray, do you promise to uphold the code and to protect and defend Thunder Colony, even at the cost of your lives?"

Fire felt something stir within him, a fire that burned in his belly and rang in his ears. He suddenly felt that everything he had done for the colony so far -- all the prey he had stalked, all the enemy warriors he had fought -- had been for the sake of this single moment. "I do." he replied steadily.

"I do." Echoed Gray, his fur bristling with excitement.

"Then by the powers of Star Colony, I grant you your full names. Gray, from this moment you will be known as Gray Stripe. Star Colony honors your bravery and your strength, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Thunder Colony." Blue Fur stepped forward and rested her muzzle on top of Gray Stripe's bowed head. He bent lower to give her shoulder a respectful lick, then straightened up and walked over to join the other warriors.

Blue Fur stood and studied Fire for a long moment before speaking. "Fire, from this moment on you will be known as Fire Heart. Star Colony honors your bravery and your strength, and we welcome you a a full warrior of Thunder Colony." She touched her muzzle to his head and murmured. "Fire Heart, I am proud to have you as one of my warriors. Serve your colony well, young one."

Fire Heart's muscles were trembling so much that he could hardly stoop to lick Blue Fur's shoulder. He purred hoarsley to show his thanks, then slipped away to stand beside Gray Stripe.

Meows of tribute sounded from the crowd, and the voices of the colony rose in the still night air to chant the newly appointed warrior's names. "Fire Heart! Gray Stripe! Fire Heart! Gray Stripe!"

Fire Heart looked around the camp, seeing faces that had grown so familiar over the last few moons. He listened to them as they called his new name and felt overwhelmed by the kindness and respect he saw shining in their eyes.

"It is almost moonhigh." meowed Blue Fur. "In the tradition of our ancestors, Fire Heart and Gray Stripe must sit in silent vigil until dawn, and guard the camp alone while we sleep. Raven's kin shall also mourn him tonight, despite us having no body to bury."

Fire Heart and Gray Stripe nodded solemnly.

As most of the colony began to melt back to their dens, Fire noticed Long Tail and Dust sitting with Chesnut Pelt and Cherry Blossom. It appears that despite everything, they still wanted to mourn their little brother.

Suddenly, Tiger Claw pushed past him. The Thunder Colony deputy slowed as he passed and hissed quietly into his ear. "Don't think you can outwit me, kittypet. Be careful what you tell Star Blue Fur."
A cold shiver ran down Fire Heart's spine. Blue Fur had to know about Tiger Claw's treachery!

As Tiger Claw headed back to the warrior's den, Fire Heart left Gray Stripe sitting alone in the clearing and bounded after Blue Fur. He caught up with her outside her den. "Star Blue Fur, I-I know I'm breaking the vow of silence, but I must speak with you before I begin my vigil."

Blue Fur looked at Fire Heart and shook her head. "This is an important ritual, Fire Heart. You can speak to me in the morning."

Fire Heart dipped his head in acceptance. Tiger Claw was not a problem that could be solved overnight anyway. He returned to Gray Stripe's side in the middle of the clearing. The two friends exchanged glances, but said nothing.

Fire Heart looked at the moon above his head. His orange coat glowed in the cold light. Around him, the bushes and trees were draped in mist that brushed damply against his fur. Fire Heart closed his eyes and recalled his earlier dreams. The cool forest scents in his nostrils were real now, and he could see the life of a warrior stretched out ahead of him. He felt unrestrained joy flood up from his paws and surge through his body. Then he opened his eyes with a jolt. Another pair of eyes was shinging back at him from the warrior's den.

Tiger Claw!

Fire Heart stared back without blinking. He was a warrior now. He had made an enemy of the colony's deputy, but Tiger Claw had made an enemy of him. Fire Heart was not the same naive young cat who had joined the colony all those moons ago. He was bigger, stronger, faster and wiser. If he was destined to oppose Tiger Claw, then so be it. Fire Heart was ready for the challenge.