Author's Note: For anyone who reads my stories on fanfiction, this is an important notice. Because of the amount of fanfictions I'm working on at the moment, I really finding it difficult to update all seven and my own work. So, I have temporarily stopping updating any of my work on fanfiction. My new system is this: I'm going to put five chapters up for one of my stories, and then write five chapters for another story, until every one of my stories have five new chapters. Following this new system, I desperately felt the need to have a fresh start, so here is my newest fanfiction! Please read, review, and enjoy the first five chapters that hopefully, will come up daily. All credit for the character Dawnflame goes to xX Silver. MoonlightNinja Xx.

Chapter One: Hazel

I stood on the top of the fence, looking out into the forest. A strong breeze ruffled my fur and I blinked in the early evening sunlight. Breathing in the scents, I could detect an overwhelming amount of cats lingering in the trees. They weaved in an out of the bushes, free, without a care in the world... the life I dreamed of. A rainbow shone above the bushes and undergrowth: it had rained earlier, and puddles lay as far as the eye could see. Beneath my paws, there was one slightly larger than the others. In the dirty, stagnant water, I could see my reflection. The long, lean and sleek, light brown fur that so many cats had commented as handsome could be seen, and the clear, deep amber eyes that appeared to almost glow were shown in the ripples. I didn't take pride in my appearance. I usually felt embarrassed when another cat told me I was good looking, especially she-cats.

"It's rather pretty, isn't it Hazel?" a silky voice echoed into my ear drums. Turning my head, my whiskers brushed against those of my companion, Felicity. She was a pet of the humans, and had been neutered, but didn't act like it. This she-cat didn't often eat the horrible pet-food that looked like rabbit droppings. She preferred to share the mice and birds that I often caught in the deeper parts of the city, you see, I wasn't a toy of the humans. I was an alley cat, and had no intentions of becoming like Felicity; we had a deal though. The she-cat offered me shelter in the bushes of her garden, only if I shared with her half of my catch. It was a generous deal on her part, for most pets would be content to live on the slop in their food bowls.

"No," I replied. Felicity turned to look at me, a confused look on her muzzle and face-fur. "It's absolutely stunning!"

The she-cat purred appreciatively. "Yes. I wonder what it's like out there, living wild? Certainly not for me, that's for sure!"

"Why not?" I asked, interested.

"Well," Felicity began, "isn't it obvious? Why be out there, scraping for food and always looking for shelter, when I can be here, with a warm bed waiting for me? True, I always feel restless and bored. But I have you to entertain me and all the great fresh kill you share; anyway, I wouldn't last a day there! Did you know the cats living in the tees are so fierce that they line their nests with the bones of their enemies?"

I snorted. "Sure! If you ask me, the whole nest and bone thing is just a tonne of nonsense-" I broke off, lost in the daydream of living in the forest.

Felicity looked worried for a moment. "You aren't thinking of going to live there are you?" she said anxiously.

"Not live there, just hunt there," I assured my best friend quickly. "Come on, you gotta admit it's really tempting. You can practically taste that food!" I drew in the scent of the fresh kill, sighing.

"But Hazel," she said, "you live in the alleys! You couldn't catch a mouse there if you tried."

I drew away, offended. "You think I'm that bad a hunter?"

Felicity immediately sensed the hurt in my demeanour, for she began to wash her paws, embarrassed. "No no no! I didn't meant it like that. It's just, you know, you're used to hunting on the cobblestones and in the streets. Forest hunting must be a completely style; you'd have to adapt to it. To be honest, it's like asking a pet to take on a seasoned street fighter."

I stayed silent because I knew that Felicity was correct, as usual. Annoyance made my tail stand erect. "I suppose you're right," I said finally, before putting my concentration back towards the forest. "I'd still like to have a bit of an explore."

Felicity looked at me, as if wondering why I was about to jump of a cliff. "Look Hazel, I know I can't convince you to stay but... just be careful, okay? I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You'd be bored to death, that's what!" I smiled and jumped down of the fence, my paws just missing the puddle I had seen myself in earlier. "See you later!" I turned around, excitement making me jump like a kit. Without turning back, I ran forward into the forest.

Immediately the long shadows ate me up; a dash of fear suddenly hit ran through my body, and I realised just what a big decision I had made. Stepping into the forest was like stepping into a whole new world- back then, I didn't know just how much the step I had just taken was going to affect my life.

It took a few moments for me to adjust to the strange feel and scents of place, before my muzzle was done on the ground and sniffing for prey. There was a cautious element in the way I stepped now. There was a ferocious smell of leaves and musty forest prey, in front of him, yet to the west he could sense a different kind of cat sense, one of wind a moors. Were their two kinds of cats living here? Each scent seemed to have a different and almost unique aroma about it. I shook my head and let my thoughts wonder-

What I didn't know was that a figure was moving towards the trees towards me.

A bird suddenly entered my field of vision, and I felt my mouth water. The urge to hunt filled me and I dropped into a crouch, creeping through the undergrowth and remembering all the skills I had learnt in the city. I knew that I would alert the thrush I was hunting if I stepped on a twig or a leaf, so I placed my paws carefully, until I came to the trunk of the tree, and then I exploded in to action. My paws dug into the bark of the tree, propelling me up with a boost of speed. My mouth shot forward- but suddenly, the bird was away. I slipped on the wet bark, unused to the surface. My hooked claws missed the prey by inches, and I found myself only just clinging on the branch. Shock flew through me. How had I missed such a blatant kill? Cursing the name of thrushes, I felt my paw come down on the branch of the tree in annoyance. Now all the prey would know I was here... wait a second. My eyes narrowed to slits, zooming in on a thorn bush below me. Was it my imagination, or could I see a cat there? It was well hidden; it seemed to blend into the grass with an elegance I couldn't match. I couldn't quite see it clear enough, but curiosity made me sure that I had been followed. With uncertainty lacing my voice, I called out, "Hello?" A rustle sounded. Now I was sure! Slowly, I dropped down and landed neatly on all fours. "I know that you're there. Show yourself!"

Silence... and then I went head over heels. I felt the air rush out of my body as something swept my paws out from underneath myself. A rough paw held me down. I was pinned. Growling angrily, I looked up at my attacker. It was a she-cat about my age. Her smooth creamy coloured fur was groomed well, and muscles were clear against her pelt. Her eyes were a clear blue, and an ugly scar ran down her cheek. "This is Thunderclan territory, you rogue!" she yelled. "And don't forget it!"

A searing agony scorched my pelt: it just made me angrier. I spat in her face. "Get of me you furball!"

The she-cat pressed her face right into mine. "You'll learn not to trespass here again."

I grew weaker by the second. My breath shortened. All I saw were more cats emerging from the undergrowth as everything faded into black...

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