I gasped for breath as the waves crashed into my sides as I tried to head for the shore, but my vision was blurry and unreadable. My owner's boat was swimming away. Leaving me to fend for myself. I felt like screaming for my mother but I knew that wouldn't help. My mother Jill was in the boat too. I could still remember my mother crying as the boat made a sharp turn and I fell off. The owner tried to grab me, but I was sliding too fast. I had crashed underwater first so he thought I had died, and left.
I kept swimming until my paws hid pebbles. I ran up the shore and collapsed on the beach. The sand clung to my filthy pelt but I didn't care. I was just grateful to have found land. I probably slept there for about what felt like a day. I finally got up to my paws and started to walk.
I could hear the gentle waves crash to the shore. They seemed to be whispering to me in voices I didn't recognize. Unfortunately I wasn't on actual land. Instead I was on a little island full of the scents of other cats. They were stale though. I ventured farther into the island and found a clearing. There were some branches in plain view where it looked like cats had attempted to climb by the way there was scratch marks.
I hope I'm not on their territory. Surely these cats could tear me into pieces. As night came I noticed the same smells again, except they were fresh? I saw cats start to come into the clearing as I watched from a shrub. Their was all kinds of pelts! Ginger, tabby, brown, light brown, grey, orange, and all kinds of colors making the clearing full of life and color.
The cats were talking, and sharing stories. I strained my ears to pick up a conversation. "Lionblaze and I chased a humongous, vicious, badger away a couple days ago!" A tom boasted to a group of cats. My ears soon caught on to another conversation. "Those Twolegs are driving me insane! They're kits keep coming towards our camp and causing all kinds of racket!" Where they talking about house folks? Suddenly a cat that was sitting on one of the branches spoke up and all the cats in the clearing looked up at him.
"Riverclan is doing fine. We've spotted a fox near our border but it seems to be gone now." The she-cat signaled that she was done and another cat spoke up. "Thunderclan is wonderful. We have a new apprentice named Narrowpaw." The orange tom stopped talking for a moment while the cats starred at a little black tom with brown paws. "We have also spotted a fox near our territory but it seems to be minding its own business." The tom signaled that he was done.
A white tom with black paws took the lead. "Shadowclan is thriving. We have seen neither foxes nor other animals." Another tom began to speak. "Windclan is doing well. There was a case of whitecough for a little while but now we are all over that and back to normal. Unfortunately one kit died in the process and we grieve deeply for Sapplekit." The meeting then came to a close.
I longed to follow the cats and live with them but I didn't think they'd be very welcoming. All the cats were almost all gathered up and ready to go when…A small light brown tabby tom with bright green eyes noticed me. He scampered over to me. "You should go find your clan before they leave without you!" He exclaimed. "I err- I'm not in a clan." I mumbled hastily.
"Well maybe you could join Windclan with me!" He squeaked excitedly. "Dirtpaw, are you coming or what?" Said a light brown she-cat with green eyes crossly. "Follow me!" He said. I reluctantly followed him up the slope with the big bundle of cats.
A black tom approached me. I looked up into his deep blue eyes and gulped. "Who are you?" He inquired. "I don't have a name." I said politely. "Why don't you go back to your twolegs or wherever you lived and don't come back!" He said meanly. A she-cat came up next to the tom.
"Crowfeather, she's just a kit! Besides Windclan could use more cats. Maybe he can join Windclan." She defended me nicely. "Who do you say should join Windclan?" Said one of the times that had spoken from the tree branch. "This kit." The she-cat replied. "Where did you come from?" He asked. "I was born in my owners house, and about half a moon later he brought me out on the boat and I accidently slid off." I squeeked. "So you're a kittypet?" Sneered the tom I guessed was Crowfeather. "She'll never survive as a warrior!" He added.
"She must have swum from the middle of the lake to here." The other tom remarked. "That takes skill, especially for a little kit. What do you think Ashfoot?" The tom turned to the she-cat. "A good swimmer could be a bonus to Windclan, but it's your choice Onestar." Ashfoot replied respectfully. Onestar stood still for a couple moments then decided. "She can join Windclan, but if anyone asks, she's a helpless loner's kit that we found and decided it would be cruel to leave the kit out to die." Onestar concluded.