Prologue

"Someday you'll understand," she would tell me whenever I complained of hunger, or being cold, or never having a real home. She'd give me a sad little smile and lick the top of my head.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I wish I could change things for you, but I can't."

She was right. She couldn't change it. She couldn't change anything about our life. But then the day came when she found that somebody else could.

When she woke up that day, she was buzzing with excitement. She kept saying, "This is the day, sweetheart. This is the day our lives will change."

We traveled all the way from the dark alley where we spent our nights to the lush, vibrant green forest nearby. I looked around, awed by all the sights and smells. It was a refreshing break from the dirty, smelly alley, where life was a constant battle and food was scarce.

She caught a mouse and we both ate it, reveling in the pure, earthy taste. We settled down by a lake, drinking the clear, fresh water.

"This is what our lives will be like forever," she told me. "We'll be happy and safe here. There are cats living by this lake who will be happy to take us in."

"What are they like?" I asked, snuggling up next to her.

She purred. It had been such a long time since I'd heard her purr, and I was reminded of how much I loved it.

"The cats here are kind," she began. "They're loving, noble, and honest. They protect the weak and fight the evil."

I stared at her, hanging onto every word.

"These cats are warriors," she said. "They'll protect us. They'll let us in." She licked a wayward tuft of fur on the top of my head. "This is the beginning of our new life, sweetheart. Once they let us in, we won't have to go to sleep hungry anymore. We'll have a real home."

"That sounds amazing," I breathed, and for a moment her smile faded.

"A kit like you shouldn't have to worry about food and shelter." She curled up around me. "You're still so young, so sweet. But don't worry," she added. "It'll be okay now. Everything will be okay."

We fell asleep like that, calm and happy, by the lake. But I awoke to shouting.

"You can't trespass on our territory!" The voice was a tom's, angry and unfamiliar. I opened my eyes to find him snarling at her, hackles raised, tabby fur spiked.

"I thought you would take us in!" She was equally angry, and although half a head shorter than the tom, stared at him defiantly.

"What's going on?" I asked, scrambling to my feet. "Who are you?"

The tom seemed to notice me for the first time. He frowned and looked at her. "You have a kit?"

"Yes." She looked at him levelly. "And we have no place to go. Please let us in."

"Is that a warrior?" I whispered.

She nodded, but her attention was on the tom. "Please," she said.

The tom relented. "Alright. I'll take you to our leader. Make sure your kit keeps up," he added.

We walked for awhile, trudging through bushes and brambles. I tripped several times over all the leaves and sticks on the ground. But the tom was obviously used to it; he weaved easily through the trees and bushes and didn't even seem to notice all the stuff on the ground.

We finally arrived at a large clearing surrounded by brambles and ferns.

"Welcome to our camp," he said proudly.

"What's a camp?" I asked, but she shushed me, which left me worried. She'd never, ever told me to be quiet before. What was going on?

"Thrushstar!" the tom called, striding into the camp. Thrushstar? What a weird name.

A tiny tabby tom slithered out of a mass of rock, moss, and lichen into the center of the camp. "Oakpelt? Who are these?" His voice was soft but intense.

The tom, Oakpelt, shifted uneasily from paw to paw. "I found them on our territory. They wish to join our clan."

"You want to join our clan?" His voice was disbelieving to the point of being rude. A few cats walked into the camp to see what the matter was.

"Why not?" I asked crossly. She pushed her tail over my mouth.

"I apologize," she said coolly. "But yes, we want to join your.. er... clan. We don't have a home, and we're starving."

Thrushstar frowned, eyeing us up and down. When his eyes met mine, I instinctively ducked and averted my gaze. He was barely bigger than I was, but he exuded leadership and confidence.

Finally, after a few agonizing seconds of waiting, he spoke.

"The kit can stay, but the she-cat must go."

"What?" I jerked my head up, staring at Thrushstar in horror. "No! She can't leave!"

Thrushstar ignored me. "I'm sorry," he continued. "But we have enough warriors and queens. We can't take in any loner who wants to join. We're only taking in the kit because of the Warrior Code."

"The Warrior Code?" I asked, scowling at him. "Please let her in. She's worked so hard. She needs a home, too."

"No. It's fine." She looked at me, smiling slightly. "It's fine," she repeated. "I only wanted you to have a good life, and now you'll be able to do that." She glanced at Thrushstar.

"Thank you," she said, her voice strong and steady. Then, without another word, she left the camp.

I stood there in stunned silence. What was I supposed to do now? She was gone. She was gone. She was gone.

It was only after she was out of sight that I realized that I didn't even know what her name was. I didn't know if she was my mother, or my sister, or some random cat who found me on the streets and took me in. I didn't know anything about her, even though I loved her with all my heart. Those thoughts were almost as painful as seeing her leave.

Without warning, tears began to well up in my eyes. Thrushstar was watching me, I knew; and so was Oakpelt and all those other cats who I was now supposed to live with. But I didn't care, because she was gone.

AN: Woo! First FFN story on this account! :D

QOTD: who do you think the she-cat was? (sister, mother, foster mother, etc etc.)