There was a commotion in camp. Berrynose flicked his ears and grumbled irritably. All he wanted to get a nice rest after hunting and playing with his kits, Cherrykit and Molekit, all morning.
"Berrynose!"
Berrynose heard his best friend, Birchfall, call to him. "Come on! You've got to see this!" "Can't this wait?" Berrynose groaned, and stuffed his face in the moss of his nest.
"You don't understand!" the light-brown tabby continued, "There are loners in the camp!"
"WHAT?" Berrynose jumped to paws and whipped around to face Birchfall, his cream-colored pelt bristling, "There are loners in the camp?"
"Yeah, I just said that!" Birchfall snapped, "And not only that, but Firestar's not doing a thing about it!"
"He isn't?"
"No. In fact, he's being friendly towards them."
What? He's the Clan leader! He should be ordering us to shred those intruders!
"You've got to be kidding me," Berrynose meowed.
"I'm not," Birchfall replied, "See for yourself."
Birchfall led Berrynose out of the warriors' den. Sure enough, there was a cluster of cats in the middle. Berrynose could hear mutters, protests, mewls, hisses, snarls...
And purrs of welcome! Why would they be welcoming loners?
"All right, that's enough!" Berrynose heard Firestar yowl above the other cats, "These two are our guests, and I am pleased to those who have already realized that. As for the others, I suggest you keep your muzzles shut and lie your fur flat!"
Berrynose scanned the crowd and saw his sister, Hazeltail, whispering to their half-sister, Rosepetal. Berrynose padded up to the two she-cats and hissed, "What's going on? Why doesn't Firestar do anything about the loners?"
The two she-cats turned their slender heads to Berrynose. Hazeltail flicked her gray tail and whispered, "Their names are Ravenpaw and Barley. Apparently, Ravenpaw was an apprentice in ThunderClan and was a close friend to Firestar and Graystripe. Ravenpaw left ThunderClan for some reason and lived with Barley in a barn by this place called 'Highstones'."
"And now, Ravenpaw wants to come back to ThunderClan," Rosepetal added, "And I guess since he and Barley are good friends, he joined Ravenpaw."
Berrynose strained his neck to see the two loners. One was black-and-white with amber eyes, while the other...
Whoa...
The sunlight caught the pelt of the other tom. His black fur was sleek, and his amber eyes glowed.
Is that Ravenpaw? If it is, Ravenpaw's really...
"Hey, Berrynose?"
Birchfall's voice snapped Berrynose out of his trance. The tabby warrior tilted his head to one side. "What are you staring at? I mean, I know that you're interested in loners, but not that interested."
"I-I don't know what you mean," Berrynose replied, his ears growing hot.
"Poppyfrost is your mate, Berrynose," Birchfall continued, "Not one of those loners. And their toms, for StarClan's sakes."
"I...I..."
"Whatever," Birchfall snorted, "But if you try to have kits with one of those two, I wouldn't get your hopes up."
What was he implying? That Berrynose actually liked Ravenpaw or Barley. He had to admit Ravenpaw was a good-looking cat, and there was something about him that made Berrynose's heart pound.
Berrynose shook his head. Birchfall was right. They were both toms. He shouldn't be developing a crush on Ravenpaw.
But still...
