A/N: Sorry about the length of this, but...anyway, I hope you enjoy. I may be a bit slow at updating, but...bare with me. Please.
Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors. In any way, shape or form. Besides my copies of the books, but...that's a different story right there...XD
Prologue
Blue eyes blinked open, and the owner of the eyes, a pale brown furred she-cat, got to her paws and shook the remnants of sleep from her being. If not for the black collar and silver bell around her neck, you could easily mistake her for a Loner. She blinked slowly, studying the white fence her Twolegs had put up. She walked along the base, searching for the dip in the earth that signified her usual escape route. Her sharp eyes caught the dip almost immidiately, and she dashed towards it, crouching and slipping through, the bottom of the fence catching her ears for a second before she was clear. That aside, she set to work clawing at her collar, feeling it slip over her ears and fall to the ground with a soft chime. With a happy sound, the kittypet immidiately traversed the gap between her and the trees.
With one last look behind her at her Twoleg Nest, the kittypet held her tail high, and disappeared over the ridge, dashing down into the trees. She veered a sharp left, coming to a stop near a hole in the ground that lead under the stream. She cautiously approached it, scenting the air. It was empty, and had been for a very long time, it seemed. With a smile and a swish of her tail, she entered the dip, whose entrance was hidden by ferns, reeds and cat-tails. She heard the soft sound of the water flowing above her as she padded through the bare tunnels, seeing it branched off into multiple dens. With one last look, she turned around and headed back to the entrance, nosing through the reeds until she appeared next to the stream.
With a single flick of her ear, she dipped her head and lapped up some of the water in the stream. After she finished, she flicked her whiskers free of the clinging water droplets and departed, following the winding stream. After awhile, she stopped her ears alert and her tail raised.
"Whoever is in the bushes, come out..." She hissed threateningly. Said bushes rustled, and out came a pure black tom cat with yellow eyes.
"Impressive, you knew I was there. Most kittypets would have been too late to figure that out." He mewed, the kittypet stared at him, her ears flat against her head.
"For your information, I ran away from home." She hissed, crouching, her eyes flicking to the right and the left, and then to his face, which was just as serene as ever, "Your one of those forest cats I keep hearing about aren't you?"
The tom blinked, "I am..."
The kittypet nodded, "Who are you?"
"My name is Shadowpaw" He replied, "How about you?"
"My name is Maple..." The kittypet said, her ears pricking slightly.
"That's my mentor calling, I gotta go Maple...I hope to see you again!" Shadowpaw said, waving his tail and disappearing back into the bushes.
"I hope I see you again too Shadowpaw..." Maple mewed quietly, turning and heading back to her new den in silence, thinking about Shadowpaw.