The light ginger she-cat named Amber strode along, her tail flicking. She had just eaten and was praising the abundant woods.
"Dang! This is awesome, the prey is practically leaping into my jaws." she muttered happily, paws lightly crunching the fallen leaves. A rustle to her left stirred her from her joyful musings. Abruptly, ten cats leaped out and raced straight toward her. Amber looked up, panic coursing through her veins. Spotting a low hanging branch, she pushed off of the ground and clawed her way into the tree limb. A black tom with icy blue eyes raced after her, practically spitting teeth at her, his rage was so great.
"SunClan scum! I'll rip your pelt off and feed it to the rats!" he yowled, clawing his way up the tree. She yelped and thrust off her branch, landing squarely on the next.
"SunClan? What's that?" she yowled back, fear lighting her green eyes as she stared down at the panting tom. "Please, my name is Amber, I have no idea what SunClan is!" she said, backing away. They were know on the same branch and the tom was slowly advancing, blood lust lighting his eyes. Suddenly, it faded.
"You're telling the truth." he dipped his head. "My apologies, friend. If I may call you that," he added hastily.
"It looks like your friends won. Good bye." Amber dipped her head to him and bunched her haunches, ready to leap down and disappear into the dark forest.
"Wait! Don't you want to know my name? I want know yours!" Knowing names meant having ties and Amber wasn't sure that she wanted ties with this violent and vicious 'clan'.
"No, I don't want to know yours. But you can know mine. It's Amber."
"Mine is Shadowflick!" I heard him yell as I leaped and raced into the trees.
Amber's POV
I wandered for three Sunrises, thinking about Shadowflick and SunClan. I stopped to hunt and quickly caught a mouse. I nipped it's spine and started to eat, savoring it's warmth. The days were getting shorter and colder and I knew before long, snow would cover the ground and prey would be driven into burrows and dens.
"Good hunting, Amber?" I jerked my head up at the voice, my mouth full of mouse. It was Shadowflick! I swallowed and glared at him.
"Go 'way." I muttered, my hackles raising.
"But I don't wanna," he whined, making kitten eyes at me. I choked back a laugh and masked it with a frown.
"Shadowflick! What are you doing with that rouge!" a nasty voice screeched. A gray she-cat stalked out from behind a bramble bush and regarded me with her narrowed eyes.
"Grayslash, I was just escorting her off our territory."
"And doing so much more," she said, hackles raised and tail lashing.
I stepped forward and dipped my head. "I'm sorry. I am Amber, I will be going." I turned to leave but Grayslash's rage filled voice stopped me.
"Face me rouge! Like a real warrior!" she yelled, her eyes glowing with rage and hatred. I ducked as she came flying at me and leaped back, avoiding her slashing claws.
"Grayslash! Stop that at once!" a tall light silver she-cat, a dark gray tom and a light brown tabby she-cat raced forward from the trees, confusion and slight anger shadowed in the three's eyes. I leaped forward just in time to avoid Grayslash's teeth in my shoulder. Weaving, duck and jumping, I dodged her attacks until the silver she-cat fastened her teeth in the long haired gray she-cat's scruff, dragging her away. Grayslash hissed and clawed the air, her tail lashing.
"Fallenslate, detain her while I talk to the rouge." she turned to me, her nose a bit bloody where Grayslash had scored her claws down the silver's face.
"I am Silversnow, SnowClan's deputy. Forgive my clanmate, she has just been made a warrior and is eager for SunClan blood." her nose wrinkled when she meowed the word SunClan. I flicked my ears and dipped my head at her.
"I am Amber, I have no wish to quarrel with the cats in these woods. I have traveled far and only wish to rest before going on." I shifted my paws, suddenly aware that Grayslash was staring moonily at Shadowflick who had been silent until now.
"Grayslash attacked first, Silversnow. Amber," he angled his ears toward me and I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to guess what he was thinking. "was trying to walk away peacefully. I guess Grayslash got jealous." Silversnow tipped her head, regarding me with gold eyes.
"And what were you doing to make Grayslash jealous?" she asked. I could feel Shadowflick flounder mentally, trying to come up with an excuse. I sighed silently and decided to rescue him.
"Shadowflick didn't mean to say that he made Grayslash jealous. He meant to say that he was escorting me off SnowClan territory when I told him I was hungry. He tried to tell me I shouldn't hunt on SnowClan land but I walked away before he could finish. Grayslash saw me hunting and thought I was a SunClan warrior. I had just finished the mouse when Grayslash attacked and Shadowflick caught up to me." I explained, flicking my tail and nodding at Shadowflick. She dipped her head not looking entirely convinced.
"Fine. Amber, you can come back with Fallenslate, Shadowflick and I. Brownsquirrel and Grayslash can go the long away around and give Grayslash sometime to cool off." the tabby nodded, prodding Grayslash in the flank with her paw.
"I don't-"
"Come on," Silversnow started to lope, following a worn path that led into the rustling trees. The other two were off to a bad start, moving off at a jagged walk, Grayslash limping from a bite I'd given her and Brownsquirrel trying to match her pace.
Oh, no. What have I gotten myself into?