A submission for The Clan Cat Café's Challenge: Crazy Crossovers.

Behind the Name

Nothing seemed to matter at this point. There was no turning back. No returning to her owners. Every single thought that had ever sprung up these past few days came flying back. Her days in the forest seemed to be the worst thing she had ever expected. Wild cats prowling the forest, eating house cats as a snack. At least that's what Smudge had always been telling her. Right now, the black and white tom was right. Maybe not the part about them eating her, but they certainly were after her with great force.

She remembered Smudge relaying the story of how her brother, Rusty, had entered the forest and never came out. Maybe he was right; he was dead. The fluffy, light brown she-cat shook her head, trying to rid the horrible thought. She had reached the Thunderpath. No cat would dare to follow me here, she thought. A strip of hard gray ground stretched as far as her leaf green eyes could see. A monster roared past her. She whipped her head in both directions, checking for more terrifying monsters. None. She sighed and darted across the wide Thunderpath.

The sweet smell of prey brushed her nose as she padded along the undergrowth. She kept her eyes open for the hidden surprises that the forest provided. Thorns extend from the brackens and the leaves crunched from the weight her paws. A sudden brush rustled in the distance. Fear began to ripple through her fur like a sharp breeze.

Suddenly a yowl clung to the thick air. Her head turned to her right. A pair of yellow eyes flickered like the eyes of a monster. The creature grinned as muscular body pinned her down on her side. She looked between the two cats. The one that had pinned her down appeared to be a red tom with bright green eyes; the other was a gray tom with the same piercing yellow eyes from before.

"What are you doing on ThunderClan territory, ShadowClan warrior?" the red tom snarled, pressing his paws harder on her shoulders.

"ShadowClan? Warrior?" was the only thing the house cat could muster up.

"This she-cat is from ShadowClan?" the gray tom mewed.

"How else would you explain her ShadowClan stench, Graypaw?" the red tom retorted. His head was turned, revealing a torn ear. They probably knew each other, possibly wanted to eat her. She assumed that's what they were talking about.

"Since when did ShadowClan accept kittypets?" the gray tom argued. He looked as if he was about to tackle his friend. "Stupid furball."

The kittypet let out a sigh of relief as the two toms had released her, preoccupied with their quarrel. She quickly got to her feet. Before she could run away, the unnamed red tom stopped her. "You're not going anywhere, kittypet. Let's take her to camp. Whitestorm should know what to do."

"Wh-who are you?" the kitty pet mewed, finally.

"Oh!" the one called Graypaw suddenly mewed. "I'm sorry. My name is Graypaw and this is my friend, Firepaw. This leaf-fall is causing every cat around her to go a bit mousebrained."

"There has also been word going around that ShadowClan has been steeling our prey," the red tom mewed. His green eyes peered straight into hers and then slid down to the collar around her neck. "Besides, you don't look like a ShadowClan cat."

Graypaw beckoned her with his tail. She followed them deeper into the forest. They were much faster than she was and their strides were much more graceful than her attempts to wade the thorns and thick undergrowth. The forest opened up revealing a rather beautiful clearing. Caves were scattered on either end. Cats young and old joined together sharing tongues and conversing with one another. This was nothing compared to what Smudge had told her.

Firepaw lead the trio towards three other toms. The tallest tom appeared to be thick, snowy white-furred, and quite muscular. He turned his head from two younger looking cats. His deep yellow eyes had appeared to show compassion towards her. Almost as if he knew what it was like to be the new cat. However, the two younger were rather difficult to read. Both were dark furred.

Graypaw pelted towards the two young cats. They rubbed flanks and sat down watching for the she-cat. Firepaw strolled at a slower pace towards the muscular white tom. The kittypet followed at a short distance with a bit of reluctance. For all she knew, they had just led her into a trap. She forced the bristles to lay flat. The white tom tilted his head to the side.

"What's your name?" he mewed calmly. That caught her off guard. He repeated himself but in an even calmer mew. She didn't know it was even possible to speak even calmer than he had the first time.

"My name is Princess," she quietly replied. Why would they want to know her name if they wanted to eat her anyway? She shook the vapors from her head.

"What a pretty name for a kittypet," the snow-covered tom mewed in response. "I see you have met Firepaw and Graypaw."

Unconsciously, she nods, remembering the one called Graypaw introducing himself. Her gaze rests upon the two dark figures next to them. "Who are they?"

The bulky white tom followed her gaze towards the young black cats. He flicks his tail toward the dusty brown tom with amber eyes. "This one is Dustpaw. He tends to be the hothead of the group." The white tom's tail swiftly flicks over the black tom's head. "This one is Ravenpaw. He can be a bit shy when it comes to newcomers." As if he could sense her next question, he continues, "And I am Whitestorm. It's nice to meet you."

Whitestorm tossed a plump rabbit from the pile of rotting prey. Her eyes rested on the mutilated carcass. As quick as the white tom had tossed it, her mouth began to water. The tom assured her that it was okay to eat. This would be the first time she had ever tasted freshkill. She willed herself to dive in. The tasty meat was savory and fresh. Her watering mouth had dried as she crunched the bones.

The one called Dustpelt gives her a look of disgust. Ravenpaw appeared to be sharing tongues with Graypaw and Firepaw. Never in her life had she heard such strange names. Her eyes gazed deep at the red tom. He looked so much like her brother and yet, so much different. His fiery red pelt shifted as he gazed back at Princess.

Dustpaw's eyes darted over to Firepaw, his muscular body launched at his friend. The red tom yowled in surpise. The brown tom snapped his jaws to the side of his head.

"You!" the dusty brown tom cried. "Why did you bring that ShadowClan smelling kittypet here?"

"She isn't from ShadowClan!" Firepaw yowled.

Perhaps, Graypaw was right about tensions rising due to weather. Maybe this was just an ordinary thing that happed between wild cats before the winter season. Before the two young cats could wrestle any farther, the one called Whitestorm grabbed Dustpaw by the scruff and tossed him towards the other two cats. "That's enough!" he yowled in hostility. "Firepaw is your leader!"

"Our leader?" Dustpaw spat. "That idiot brought a kittypet into our Clan camp and you call him a wise leader?"

"Hey!" the young black tom with amber eyes growled. "Don't speak to Firepaw that way! He helped us way more times than you care to imagine!"

"What if she brought in some unwanted ShadowClan cats?" Dustpaw stalked over to Ravenpaw. "You ever think of that?"

Whitestorm flicked his tail causing all the commotion to cease.

"I agree," he mewed. "I am curious as to how their smell got on her also, but we can't just accuse her of being an enemy without at least her say."

"I was chased!" Princess found herself arguing.

"By who?"

"I don't know!" she pressed. "A pack of three or four cats. I figured that one of them ought to be the leader. He was a well-muscled, dark brown tabby tom with numerous scars and horrifying amber eyes."

"Brokenstar," Whitestorm growled.

"Who?" the five young cats questioned at the same time. Each of the four cats bickered, asking many questions. Many of them wondered who their mentor was talking about. The white tom shifted his weight and paced around a bit, appearing that he was trying to figure out a way to answer all their questions.

"Brokenstar is the leader of ShadowClan. He's the nastiest cat you'll ever lay eyes on. He broke the Warrior Code numerous times, including driving WindClan out of their territory. There's no doubt about it, he's the one behind all the illegal hunting and mysterious attacks on ThunderClan cats."

All four cats gaped in amazement. Princess, herself, had begun to be immersed in this story. Even though she didn't know what these terms meant, but something tugged at her, prompting her that this was bad.