Pawsteps move quickly, trampling every grass blade in their path. Claws stretch and dig, ripping up clumps of fresh dirt in their desperation. Two cats run out onto a cold hard ground, unnatural feeling on their paws. Before they can think a monster comes screaching toward them, then, darkness.
A young, brown tortioseshell tom awoke in a confined space with nothing but walls and a few stripes of light pouring in through the cracks in the door. As consciousness envelopes him, fear arrives instantaneously. He knows he is trapped. The tom cat cowers into a corner, trying to come to grips with his new situation, when he hears a friendly mew coming from outside. "Howdy stranger" a voice purrs delightedly. "What? Who's there?" The scared feline whimpers. "I'm your neighbor! I figure you got caught again too? Bad luck, this is the third time this week for me. If I can't get out again it'll be the pound for sure." It is then he realises there is another in this prison with him. "What? I don't understand.."
Before anymore can be said the cage comes to a violent shaking halt. It wasn't until then that the tom realised they had been moving. They were trapped in a two-leg monster. This must be what happens when the eat you, he thought, Star Clan help me!
"Welp here's our chance." The strange cat once again mews. "Our chance?" It's then a two-leg aproaches the door, scratches at it, then it opens. Without another word the other cat bolt's out and is nearly gone before quickly turning to say, "Come on, dude!" The two-leg hollers after him turning and preparing to give chase. It is then the tortoiseshell finally realises and sees his opportunity and without thinking, he leaps forth and runs toward freedom.
The terrified feline runs off as he hears the battle cry of the two-leg behind them. He thinks for a moment and turns a corner seeign the black tail of his former roomate. "Over here!" The cat calls to him. He follows for a long while until the come to a broken fence. "Come on, nearly there!" The black and white cat calls from behind the wooden gate. Without a second thought he darts under it and collapses in exhaustion.
Still panting, he asks "Where...what...why..." he trails off. "Haha what? First time offender? You act like you haven't fled a two-leg trap before!" "I haven't!" The younger one sighs. "Heh, figures" He scoffs, "What's your name noobie?" The tortioseshell hestitantly gets to his paws and thinks, suddenyl realising he isn't sure why he trusted this cat. "Turtlepaw"
"What kinda name is that?" Turtlepaw's fur bristles in irritation, "Oh and I suppose yours is so much better" he passive-aggressively remarks. "Nope! Most 'round here call me Mutt." He chirps with a large grin. "Lovely" Turtlepaw says unenthusiastically.
"Soooo where you from?" Mutt asks. "Oh..." Turtlepaw realises again he has no idea where he is, or how far he is from home. "I'm from River Clan". Mutt says nothing but his confused expression is enough to worry Turtlepaw. "Uh...I was on my way to Highstones...to become a full fledged Medicine Cat but..." Memories becoming foggier, Turtlepaw trails off. "Highstones? Medicine Cat? What is all that?" Mutt baffledly blurts out.
"Im not sure how to really explain...You must be loner, correct?" Mutt laughs "Aw, nah I have tons of friends!" "Right." Turtlepaw dismisses, walking off to find his bearings. "Wait!" Mutt yelps "Don't leave! You haven't told me what all that stuff you said means yet!" The younger cat turns, confused by the stranger's curiosity. "Um well I gotta find my way home I Don't really have time to-"
"I'll help you! If you tell me all about your weird River Club."
"Clan."
"Yeah whatever!"
"Okay, okay, okay. lemme get this straight. There are four clans, right?"
"This is true." Turtlepaw says, impatiently.
"And you were an apprentice? To a medicine Cat"
"Yes."
A long silence falls upon the two cats. They had been talking, or rather Turtlepaw had spent from Sunhigh to dark repeating himself and being drilled about every detail of clan life, for so long that Turtlepaw's eyes were barely open anymore.
"Alright. I want in." Turtlepaw's eyes widen and his jaw drops. Shaking his head in disbelief he asks, "What?" "I want in. I wanna be in a clan." "Okay well I don't see that happening I mean I still need to find my clan first. And even then I seriously doubt my leader will allow you in and what if they don't even let ME back in I mean you should SEE how ruthless the deputy is and-" "You alright there pal?" Mutt asks.
"Huh?" Turtlepaw snaps out of his train of panicked thoughts and looks at Mutt. "Oh right, well anyway theres no way the'll allow you into the clan"
"Oh" Mutt says, slightly dejected. Suddenly his face lights back up "Let's make our own!"
Turtlepaw's face turns completely lack as his mind troubles to process what his ear's have heard.
"We can't do that!" The brown cat yowls, louder than he had anticipated. "Why not?" Mutt whines, lowering his ears. "We would need a leader and where would we find that many cat's how would we arraneg everything and not to mention what would StarClan think!"
"B-Because! We just...Can't!"
"But-"
"No!"
"Why?"
"I just said why!"
"Not really..."
Turtlepaw crumpled into an exasperated ball of fur and regret with an audible, "Ugh". "Well" Mutt lifts his head toward the sky, "Hey! StarClan! Is it cool with you if-" "Will you stop that! Are you trying to anger my ancestors!?". "No", Mutt says innocently. Turtlepaw's eye twitches as he stares in abject horror at the loner cat. "Look you are the magical healing spirit medium cat. You ask them."
"No way! I don't want to be cursed thank you kindly." "Geez," Mutt begins, "for noble Warriors they sure have an unquenchable bloodlust" "They do not!" Turtlepaw defends, "Then what are you so afraid of?" "I never wanted to be in a new clan anyway!" Suddenly the blackened sky roars and belches forth a bolt of hot energy, zapping right between the two cats.
As the smoke clears one shivering cat emerges from under a tree root, fur bristled and fear in his eyes. The other had not moved. He stared up at the sky which was now clearing and the clouds dissolving. The black and white tom looks at the sniveling clump of fur slowly emerging and triumphanlty announces, "NewClan it is!".