A lean tortoiseshell-and-white tom sat in front of a large group of cats, his tail wrapped neatly around his paws as he watched them with a calm expression. The gazes of the others were locked onto him, looking wary as they waited for him to finally speak. "They have everything we need," he called, his voice soothing as it boomed loud enough for those furthest to hear. "Shelter, food, a place to call home. But, they will not let us in, nor will they let us near their boundaries. They will kill us without hesitation, despite knowing we are only trying to survive." He paused. "I can help."

A large black tom grunted and got to his paws, already tired of the other tom's speech, and stalked toward the stranger, his ice-blue eyes narrowed as his tail lashed. "What do you want?" He growled. "I don't want to hear empty words to try and sway us in your favor."

The tortoiseshell-and-white tom blinked in feigned surprise, pretending to be hurt that he had been accused of such a thing. "What you want, of course. To take what is rightfully ours, to drive them away like they have drove us away."

The black tom stared at the other, eyes unreadable as he pondered over what the other was saying, swinging his large head around to gaze at his group. With a snort, he turned away from the speaker and stalked away, flicking his tail in a gesture. Quickly, a brown-and-black tom and a white she-cat followed suit, the three huddling together.

"What do you think?" The black tom growled, flicking his gaze back over toward the speaker.

"I believe we could trust him," the brown-and-black tom replied, twitching an ear. "He said he could help, and he mentioned having experience with them."

"He could be lying," the other tom warned, his ears flattening in uncertainty. "If he had experience with them, why isn't he dead? It could be a trap."

The white she-cat shook her head in disagreement before rubbing her muzzle against the larger tom's cheek. "I agree with Bruno. I doubt this is a trap, and why turn against your own? This is our chance," she mewed, adding in a small purr. "We could take them down for good and the lake could be all ours. Imagine how powerful we could be."

The black tom stared at the two before giving a slow nod, dipping his head. "Very well." He turned and padded back toward the speaker, the white she-cat matching him step-for-step, pressing her pelt against his as Bruno trailed behind them. "We accept your offer."

The tortoiseshell-and-white tom dipped his head, eyes revealing that he was pleased by the decision. "A wise choice," he mused, lifting his head. "I shall teach you everything I know about the Clans. I promise you, they're not as generous with each other as tales make them out to be."

Tada! Here's the repost of this story! Now, nothing much changed in this chapter, although I made it so Sol had just started speaking at the start of it, instead of him mid-speech. Crowley is also more cautious of him, but that's it.

I also added a few new cats to Crowley's group, but other than that, they're still the same.

Also, I totally used Stranger Things' type generator to make the cover of this story, though I will admit I have yet to watch it as of this revise. I plan on doing so, and I also plan on using this for a few other covers. And, last but not least, I have a poll on my profile, so feel free to check it out!

Because I have about nine other chapters already made, I plan on posting those every Saturday. Though, of course that may change because I may get a bit impatient and post earlier xD

Cats Outside the Clans

Smoky - muscular gray-and-white tom who lives in a barn at the horseplace

Coriander - tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat who lives with Smoky

Sol - long haired tortoiseshell-and-white tom with pale yellow eyes

Crowley - large black tom

Pepper - skinny gray-and-brown she-cat

Forrest - dark gray-and-brown tom

Snowflake - white she-cat

Wren - light brown tabby she-cat with white feet

Bruno - brown-and-black tom

Simba - golden tabby tom

Jackie - pale tortoiseshell she-cat

Charcoal - dark gray tom with a black underbelly

McFurry - white tom with ginger tabby patches

Jo - very small black-and-white she-cat

Casey - silver tabby tom

Riley - cream-and-white tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Seraphina - tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat

Obsidian - dark gray, almost black, she-cat

Jenkins - mottled gray-and-white tom

Chuck - dark ginger tabby-and-white tom

Esmeralda - reddish-brown she-cat with yellow eyes

Zack - white tom with gray ears

Bonnie - fluffy, gray tabby she-cat

Mackerel - long-furred silver tom with a flattened muzzle

Finn - long-legged dusty brown tom with a darker underbelly and pale muzzle

Kenny - skinny dark gray, almost black, tom with a lighter belly

Caramel - golden-brown she-cat with green eyes

Twinkie - pale ginger tabby she-cat with short, flattened ears (expecting Charcoal's kits)