Skye opened her ice blue eyes slightly and bright light flooded her vision. She sat up and looked at the strangely uncomfortable bed she was sleeping on, only to find it wasn't her bed... It was springy, green grass! She looked around, heart pounding. Oak trees surrounded her, birds sang their merry songs, and the sun hadn't risen into the sky yet. The speckled silver fur on the girl's pelt prickled with nervousness and she paced in circles, her tail tip twitching. Wait... Fur? Tail? Skye was a cat!

I'm dreaming. I have to be...

The dizzying thoughts made Skye's head whirl and she sat down to avoid falling to the dusty ground.

I have to make the best of whatever is going on. The thought was the best the lost she-cat could think of, so she went with it.

Skye padded cautiously in a random direction, not knowing what she would find. The tall oaks turned to pine trees and the sharp needles that littered the ground began stabbing her pads, making them crack and bleed, but Skye continued on. Her paws ached, screaming at her to stop, so she swept away some pine needles with her brown tail and lay down to rest, only to jump to her paws again, pelt bristling.

"What are you doing on ShadowClan territory?" a she-cat's voice had growled. A dark brown cat stepped out of the shadows, lips drawn back in a snarl. She lashed out a paw, knocking Skye over and pinning her by her throat.

"I-I didn't know! I wasn't doing harm! I promise!" Skye's voice was a hushed whimper as she struggled to get free, flailing her paws.

The cat's claws dug into Skye's flesh but then the grip loosened and Skye gasped, taking in a deep breath, "Fine... You can't be much of a threat. Are you looking for your Clan?"

Skye nodded, not sure what the she-cat was was rambling about. She decided to play along with it, just to figure out more about these "Clans", "Who are you?"

"I'm Briarpaw. Now, which Clan are you from? I hope you're not part of those fish-faces that call themselves RiverClan," she spat, screwing up her face in pure disgust.

"RiverClan" was all she had mentioned so Skye took a chance and mewed shyly, "My clan isn't fish-faces..."

"So you are part of RiverClan?" Briarpaw looked like she wanted to claw Skye's ears off, but instead, her gaze turned away, "I guess I'll show you to the border..." She flicked her tail, signaling for Skye to follow, and then stalked toward the faint smell of fish.

The trek wasn't very long. They turned where a strong, musty smell filled the air, and began following a black, rocky path.

Skye looked at the lush flowers and trees on the other side and began drifting to the side, following the tempting smell of squirrel. She didn't seem to notice the musty smell growing stronger as she watched the creature climb down a tree toward a fallen pecan. Her mouth watered at the sight of the plump prey, but it looked her way and scampered away from the nut and into a bush, its bushy light brown tail dissapearing last.

Skye snapped out of her daze sadly, her belly rumbling with hunger. She sighed and turned away, then froze in horror. A large truck was tearing down the path toward her!

"Watch out!" Briarpaw's yowl was almost completely drowned out by the rushing air and the blaring horn of the truck.

Skye wailed and crouched down, expecting pain to flash through her whole body in a heartbeat.

Someone save me!

The deafening sound suddenly died away, and Skye opened her eyes and stood slowly, her entire body shaking uncontrollably. The truck had passed over her! "Briarpaw, are you still there?" she asked nervously, afraid that Briarpaw had run away in fear.

Luckily, the she-cat was crouched in the grass, her amber eyes widened in horror. She padded over and nudged Skye toward the edge of the black path, "Never, ever go on a Thunderpath like that again," she hissed. That experience had definatly shaken her. Briarpaw let Skye lean against her for support as they continued slowly toward the comforting sound of rushing water and fish splashing in a shallow river. Her tail was draped lightly over Skye's shoulders.

Forget fresh-kill... Skye thought I was almost road-kill!