An addition to Chapter 2 of Warriors #1: Into the Wild

The words "You cannot live with a paw in each world" echoed in Rusty's head. He felt the fur on his neck start to tingle. Rusty loved a challenge, but he needed to know more. He blurted out, "Why not? Can I not be trusted to return to the Clan if I go back and forth to twolegplace?"

Bluestar and Lionheart exchanged glances. Lionheart growled, "To be a part of the Clan, you must live the ways of the Clan and not the lazy ways of kittypets that are controlled by tollwogs."

Rusty's mind reeled with possibilities, he thought, "Why not live with the Clan? Those twolegs are trying to take away my freedom," His curiosity was not diminished. With his fur ruffling again with the breeze, his interest in the stories of the Clan continued to build. He meowed, "Why?"

Bluestar responded with concern, "Are you worried about those that have gone before you? Do you wonder if any other kittypets have crossed the boundary to the Clans?"

Lionheart hissed, "I have no patience for these games, this kittypet is wasting our time."

Bluestar moved closer to Rusty and purred, "No, he has a critical mind. He has many questions. Let us answer them."

Rusty repeated in a low and soft meow, "Why?"

Bluestar began a story, "Two newleaves ago, there was a kittypet that wandered into our territory. He was curious just like you. We even watched him catch his own prey. He ambitiously caught prey larger than mice. Regardless of his prowess, deep in his heart, he was a kittypet and could not completely leave his twoleghome. We could see the distant look in his eyes when his mother tollwog called him every night to come home.

Scornfully Bluestar said, "His name was Oliver in the twolegworld. He had a very persistent she-tollwog. Likely, the other tollwogs were annoyed by her late-night calling."

Bluestar went on with her story, after grooming her ears a bit, "We continued to watch him. We saw his potential as a warrior. His fighting skills were good and his eyes were sharp and the color of amber that glowed in the night. His tollwog home was nearby and we could watch him from the protection of the forest. Once, we even saw him pop out of a bed of pachysandra with a squirming chipmunk in his mouth. Little did we know, it was just sport."

Bluestar's eyes became misty, she said, "We approached him to join us and he agreed with the stipulation that he would continue to live in his twoleghome. He trained with us for a year and was very promising as a warrior, but the signs were there."

"We named him Nightpaw after his black, sleek coat and muscular size. He was a stealthy hunter. Nightpaw was not Clan born, but his father was a Clan member that died honorably in a battle with River Clan. His mother was a kittypet that lived in the twolegworld."

Suddenly, she hissed, "During the fair weather he was committed to the clan. One night in bareleaf, it was very cold outside and Nightpaw didn't show. Another night, it was raining and he never came to camp. He returned when the weather improved. But, every night we allowed him to go back to his tollwog home - trusting him to return and not tell anyone about us. But, everyday, his scent was even stronger of tollwog.

Bluestar, continued in a lower meow, "One night, as usual, Nightpaw went home very late. After calling for hours, the twolegged fell asleep. Reluctantly, he returned to camp to stay for the night and curled up to sleep with the apprentices. But, early in the morning before sharing tongues, he disappeared. The apprentices said that he ran at first light. Although we could see him across the boundary tracking prey using the techniques we taught him, Nightpaw never returned to camp."

Lionheart growled again and said, "What's done is done," looking directly at Rusty.