War moved carefully through Twolegplace. Although she knew the area well, she was wary of dogs and Twolegs, and was well on her guard. Rain drizzled down, giving the day a gloomy appearance, but War rather enjoyed the rain. It was an old friend; it masked her scent and washed her pelt for her.
The claws on her collar clicked together as she padded through an alleyway. The small black she-cat was on her way to meet her oldest ally, Cut.
He was a huge black and white tom with green eyes, who had raised her when her father and mother had died.
War knew she was close. The stink of rotting flesh carried to her nose on the slow breeze, mingled with blood. The she-cat smiled. When is he gonna learn he's way too old to be fighting? she wondered.
Coming around the side of a red stone Twoleg nest, she saw him. Cut was lazily pinning down a dark ginger tom with dark blue eyes.
"Have we learned our lesson?" meowed Cut. The tom couldn't speak, his throat was covered by Cut's massive black paw. He just nodded. Cut sprang lightly off of him. The young cat leapt to his feet, gasping. He turned tail and ran.
"Oh, War. Didn't see you there," said her mentor, bending to lick a cut clean.
"Hi, Cut. Was that him again? Hasn't he come around before?" she asked. "Yeah, been here a couple of times. I think his name is Ravage, but he's always silent. Bloom told me his name," he added, referring to the light creamy loner who had born his single kit.
"Well, whatever. Leap told me that you had something to say, something important."
"As a matter of fact, he does," said a familiar voice. Leap slid down the red stone wall, his gray tabby coat slicked with rain, his yellow eyes glittering.
"Leap! Did you bring the others?" asked Cut. Leap nodded. All at once, four cats appeared from hiding places in the shadows.
War recognized only two besides Leap, Bloom, and her kit, Clear. His dark brown pelt was shining, and his green eyes were excited.
War prepared herself to fight. "Calm down, War. This was arranged by Leap and I," Cut reassured her. She relaxed a little.
"War, you know that your mother and father died on the same day, he in battle, and she giving birth to you."
The black she-cat nodded. Oddly enough, she felt no sorrow, only a strange longing when she thought of them, which was rarely. "It's time I told you about your father. His name was Scourge," meowed Cut solemnly.
A murmur ran through the assembled cats at the name, whispering reverently.
"I don't know your mother's name, but I do know that your father rallied a loose group of cats together and battled the cats that live in the forest. He died when a cat called Firestar killed him. His group of followers was called BloodClan. Scourge's goal was to conquer the forest and rule all four Clans that live there."
"Wait! Clans, BloodClan, my father...what does it have to do with me? Am I supposed to get revenge on Firestar!?"
One of the she-cats War didn't know stepped forward. She was wiry and lean, with a scruffy orange and black coat, and large brown eyes.
"I'm Lark," she introduced herself. "My a father was a rogue who took a mate from one of the Clans, one called WindClan. I know a little about the Clans," she said nervously, as if expecting to be instantly rejected.
"Tell us," War prompted. Her curiosity had peaked.
"OK, there are four Clans. ThunderClan, ShadowClan, WindClan, and RiverClan. They each have a leader, who's name always ends in star. They're not allied most of the time, and they fight constantly. That's about it," Lark finished.
"OK, but I still don't see what all this has to do with me," answered War. Her head was spinning wildly, trying to keep track of all the new names and information.
"War, you are your father's daughter. What I want, what every cat here wants of you...is to rebuild BloodClan and find us a place on the forest."
War felt as if she had been struck by a Twoleg monster. Me? Lead cats? Form a Clan? WHAT!?
Lark mewed, "We know we're asking a lot, War. Don't make any hasty decisions."
"I hardly know any of you here!" was all she could get out in her stunned state. Cut cleared his throat. "We'll give you three days to decide. Meet us all back here then, and we'll either get started or find a new leader."
One by one, all the cats slipped into the shadows again, as if they had never been there. They left a small balck she cat with an amber and a bue eye, wondering what had just happened.