Honey blinked open her eyes to see two hairless paws reaching down at her. "Nofur! Run!" she yowled, scrambling up and darting to wake her companion.
Honey was bristling so she looked twice her size, and scooted back to be with Tiana. Tiana flicked her tail. The former housecat was padding up to the nofur, her tail stick straight and purring loud enough for any cat to hear.
The smaller nofur squealed and stroked Tiana.
Tiana flicked her tail urgently, signalling for Honey to run and hide.
"I'm not leaving without you!"
Tiana was still purring to the nofur.
"Tiana!" Honey mewed softly, careful not to draw any attention from the bigger nofurs.
The brown she-cat turned her head, two pairs of green eyes locking.
Honey gestured with her head to a large oak tree. "Come on!"
Tiana shook her head. The nofur was still petting her with her hairless paws, making loud noises. Using both paws, she picked Tiana up off the ground and started to walk away with her. Tiana yowled and scratched the kit. It screeched and let go, and Tiana sprinted to the tree and scrambled up without a second glance, Honey right behind her. The green leaves trembled as Tiana crouched on the tree, digging her claws into the bark. The nofur tried to follow Tiana, but the bigger ones stopped it and brought it back inside the nest.
Honey heaved herself onto the lowest branch. "What were you thinking?" she hissed, furious about the almost capture. "You could've been hurt, or taken away for good and never seen us again! How could you be so mouse-brained?"
Tiana was panting for breath. "How should I have known that the kit would pick me up?" She snapped back. "It wasn't me who waited until the last second to sound the nofur alarm!"
Honey's eyes blazed as she confronted Tiana. "Oh yeah? Who went out to greet the nofur without permission?"
Tiana's claws slid out. "Funny, the last time I checked, you weren't in charge."
"Neither were you, if I'm wrong!"
Honey leaped at Tiana, unsheathing her claws. She barreled into the she-cat, ripping at her fur. Tiana yowled in surprise and fought back, pummeling Honey's belly. The two cats rolled around in the small nook of the tree, boxing and kicking.
Suddenly, Tiana wasn't there anymore. Honey staggered to her paws, her belly fur dripping with blood.
"Help!"
Honey looked around for Tiana. The tortoiseshell was scrabbling at the branch, her hind legs churning in the air.
Honey lunged, grabbing Tiana's paw in her mouth the moment before she let go. The branch was high, and if Tiana fell, she would probably break a leg, or sprain a paw.
Honey felt her paws skid on the bark and unsheathed her claws to hold on. She lifted Tiana back onto the tree, the brown she-cat clinging onto the branch with all four paws.
"Are you okay?" Honey asked searching Tiana's pelt. She was less than okay, with a large cut above her eye and her flank smeared with blood. The paw Honey had held on to was bleeding, and Honey realized she had tore through her fur and skin.
Tiana crouched on the branch. "I'm sorry for going out to meet the nofur, I just thought it would give you some time."
Honey bowed her head in agreement. "At least neither of us got hurt," she murmured. Then she glanced at her ginger pelt that was streaked with blood. "I'm not so sure it worked though."
Tiana let out a chuckle, then went to licking her bloody fur.
Honey laid down on her side to inspect her belly wound. It was shallow and had stopped bleeding already.
Honey rested for a while, dozing, as Tiana brought a cobweb from the hollow tree to press on the wound. Honey murmured her thanks and licked her pelt, tasting the salty tang of her blood.
Three days had past and Honey was sharing a squirrel with Tiana; the only prey that was easy to catch in a tree.
"But if we leave, then we won't get hurt by nofurs," Honey remarked.
"I'm not worried about nofurs," Tiana said.
The two cats were trying to figure out a way to avoid nofurs; they'd been at it since sunrise.
Suddenly, Tiana's head shot up. "I smell something," she warned.
Honey sniffed. She was right. There was the unmistakable scent of cats, five or six, smelling slightly of the river.
Honey and Tiana were now on alert, ears pricked and claws at the ready.
From the shadows came five cats, all with muscles and glossy pelts. One was a gray tom, another a yellow she-cat, followed by a blue and dark brown she-cat and a gray and brown tom. In the middle was a light brown she-cat, her jaws stuffed with leaves.
The cat at the head was the large gray tom. "Ivydawn, Tallstripe, do you smell that?"
The light yellow she-cat nodded. "Intruders," she hissed, tail lashing.
The other cats sniffed the air, now wary. The tom spoke again. "Blueforest, you have the best nose. How many?"
From where Honey was crouching, she could see a light blue and brown she-cat open her mouth and taste the air. "Two, I bet," she said.
Once again, the gray tom spoke. His voice was deep and gentle. "Tallstripe, go back to camp and warn Cloudstar. There might be more on the way, but don't send a battle patrol yet."
The gray and brown tom sped into the forest from where they came. "Blueforest, are they from IceClan, StormClan, or FireClan?" The head of the patrol spoke again.
The cat parted her jaws. "No, Owlwatcher, but I know where they're hiding. Up in that tree."
Honey saw her tail point to where the four were sheltering. She almost gasped, but Tiana shoved her tail over Honey's mouth, muffling any sound.
"I can see their eyes," the she-cat, Blueforest went on. "Two pairs of green eyes staring straight at us."
Honey exchanged a glance with Tiana.
"Show yourselves," Owlwatcher meowed. "We know that you are there, and we won't hurt you. Please just climb down from the tree."
Honey exchanged glances with Tiana, and she hesitantly nodded. She picked her way out of the tree. Honey climbed down after Tiana.
The foreign cats looked fierce. Honey gulped, wondering what they would do to her. After a while, Owlwatcher spoke. "Why have you come onto our territory?" He stepped closer to the her.
At once, Honey tensed, ready for a fight. Tiana bristled. "Come any closer and we will shred your pelts!" She spat her tail fluffing up.
The strangers gasped. "You can't speak that way to a deputy." One of them whispered.
"I don't care who he is, I'm not going to let him hurt us!" Tiana bared her teeth and snarled. Honey moved beside her.
"Wherever you take us, let us walk together. We do not trust strangers like you."
Owlwatcher looked on approvingly. "Spoken like a true Clan cat."
Slowly, a light brown she-cat with amber eyes made her way to the loners. Honey narrowed her eyes, daring her to come closer.
The brown cat dropped jagged leaves onto the ground and smelled faintly of herbs. Her amber eyes shimmered. "Are you two rogues?" She asked the ginger she-cat.
Honey took a step back. She didn't want to share anything with her. "Yes," Honey hesitantly muttered.
"We will take good care of you," the brown she-cat said softly. She signaled to the gray tom. "Owlwatcher, take these cats to the camp," She meowed louder, turning away.
"Heatherflame, are you sure? These cats are rogues and we. . ."
Heatherflame cut him off by murmuring something that Honey could not hear, then spoke louder. "These two cats are injured. I shall take them to my den."
Honey had almost forgotten her fight with Tiana. Her wounds had healed nicely, but Honey still felt a sting once and a while.
Owlwatcher nodded. "Blueforest and Ivydawn, I want one of you on each side. Heatherflame, I want you up at the front by me. If there are any problems, yowl," He ordered.
The cats made their way through the undergrowth. Honey saw Owlwatcher and Heatherflame up at the from of the group, whispering urgently. Ivydawn and Blueforest were pacing the side, staring at Honey and her friends with glaring eyes, their fur fluffed up.
Tiana gave Honey a sidelong glance. "Where are they taking us?" Her light green eyes were wide with worry, her ears twitching nervously.
"I don't know," Honey whispered back. She watched as Owlwatcher looked back at them over his shoulder.
Soon they came to a path leading into a bramble patch. Owlwatcher halted and glanced backwards. "Ivydawn, you go in first. You two will go in after" Owlwatcher pointed at Honey and Tiana.
Owlwatcher went on. "Then the rest will follow."
Honey followed Tiana into the bramble tunnel. The brown she-cat was still uneasy; her movements sharp and ears pricked. Honeypaw kept her eyes trained ahead of her, halting, bewildered, as the sight unfolded in front of her.
Cats were everywhere, by a pile of fresh-kill, grooming each other, and coming in and out of dens. Some were light colored and others dark colored. Big and small, muscular and fast, sleek and fluffy.
The clearing was sandy, with holly dens and a fallen log close to Honey. A huge rock was jutting out, a small hole around the bottom with moss covering the entrance. Opposite Honey was a large, carved out hole with ferns growing up in front of it. Heatherflame whisked herself into it, coming back out to sit at the front of it. A huge willow tree shaded the entire camp, its branches reaching out and covering it. It stood in the center of the clearing, the long leaf strands hanging down. A cat leaped for the lowest leaf, twisting as she grabbed it in her dark brown paws.
A smaller cat, about Honey's size, yowled in a high-pitched voice. "The strange cats are here!"
At once, big toms pricked their ears and bushed up their fur as small cats rushed behind older ones. A black she-cat rushed her two kits inside a den, one of them the kit with the willow leaf, and warily peeked out. A white tom padded cautiously up to the newcomers and sniffed them.
"Rogues," he declared.
No cat moved.
The white cat spoke again to the cats. "I am Cloudstar." he turned to Owlwatcher. "Owlwatcher, why have you brought four cats to our camp?"
The deputy cleared his throat. "Heatherflame said that they were injured. . ." he started.
Cloudstar interrupted him. "And so you thought that just because the medicine cat said so, it was okay?"
"I-" Owlwatcher clamped his jaws shut.
"You brought these two cats into the heart of LightningClan. Why?"
"Can I speak?" Honey stepped forward bravely.
Tiana tried to pull her back, but Honey jerked away.
"I didn't want to be alone any longer, and I smelled your scent markers. I purposely crossed them. I knew that you would smell us, but I wanted a home. " Honey bowed her head. "I'm sorry if I have interrupted." Honey hoped that her friends understood. She had heard Tiana whimpering one night because she missed her nofurs.
Cloudstar narrowed his eyes, beckoning to his deputy and other cats with his tail. "That is fine. Meanwhile, I must have a meeting with my senior warriors, and you will all stay with us tonight and make your decision tomorrow."
"Decision? What decision?" Tiana pushed forward from the back of the group.
Cloudstar turned. "If you stay and live here of course." Tiana flashed Honey a look of pure terror.
Murmurs of doubt rippled through the cats.
"They will never belong," a dark gray tom called.
"What if they bring more of their kind to the Clan?" a white she-cat fretted.
"Or turn against us in battle?"
"What if they kill the kits?" A cream she-cat cried, making pelts bristle and growls form in throats.
Cloudstar yowled, silencing the cats. "Let them speak."
Honey cocked her head. "Why would you want us to stay?"
Cloudstar answered calmly. "I am willing to share my prey and home with you. We need extra paws, and you seem to have skills that you can teach the Clan." His eyes seared through Honey's pelt. "You also need some ointment for those wounds."
Honey looked at her pelt, and, seeing only a small wound, she shook her head. "It can wait. I need to talk it over with my group."
Honey flicked her tail to Tiana and they formed a tight huddle.
Tiana's eyes were shadowed. "If we leave, we risk getting hurt by these cats," She whispered, casting worried glances over to a group of small cats.
One was a dark gray and black tom next to a black she-cat with gray ear tips. Close by was a dark orange tom with a light orange she-cat. A small tortoiseshell she-cat padded over to the group with a darker brown she-cat at her heels. They all stared at the newcomers with unwavering glaring eyes.
Tiana spoke again, jerking Honey out of her trance. "But if we stay, we'd never belong. We'd be outcasts."
"Aren't we outcasts already?" Honey put in. She wanted to stay here, where every cat protected each other, and hunted and fought for the Clad or the Clan or whatever it was.
Honey looked at Tiana. "Do you want to stay?"
Tiana shook her head. "Sort of. I want a home, but not with these cats."
"Can't we just try it?"
"Okay."
Honey felt like jumping for joy at the prospect of having a home, but she restrained herself.
Two smaller cats padded up to the newcomers with fresh-kill in their jaws. One was the tortoiseshell she-cat and the other was the light orange she-cat.
The orange cat dropped her prey and sneered. "Here you go. Maybe if you decide to stay then you can learn how to catch food for yourself." She turned as if she'd made a point.
Honey grabbed her tail and pulled, snarling back. "Newsflash, we are going to stay, so you better fix up that attitude before I fix it for you."
"Firepaw!" a light gray tom called to her. "I told you not to pick a fight with them! There's more of them then of you!"
Firepaw turned away in a huff and padded toward the tom. Honeypaw watched as she flattened her ears on her head and stalked off to a fallen log.
The tortoiseshell she-cat carefully set down the prey. "Sorry about Firepaw," she mewed softly. "Her temper is terrible."
Honey pulled a vole from the small pile. "Nah, its okay. I'm used to it."
"I'm Sorrelpaw. What do they call you?"
"Honey."
"Its nice to meet you."
"Yeah, sure. Likewise. So, can you tell me about how this place runs?" Honey wanted to know so that she wouldn't screw up on her first day.
Sorrelpaw nodded. "Sure! So, the first thing is the names. Your name as a kit would've been Honeykit. As an apprentice Honeypaw, and then Cloudstar will give you the new name when you're a warrior."
"Oh, so like that tom. . .?"
Sorrelpaw followed Honey's gaze to the gray tom sternly talking to Firepaw. "His apprentice name was Runningpaw. He's Runningfang, now."
Honey nodded, understanding. "So what about rankings?" She said between bites of her vole.
Sorrelpaw watched as she ate. "When you are a kit you aren't allowed to go outside the camp, and can only go into the elder's den and the nursery. Apprentices have mentors, who train them to become warriors. My mentor is Sootstripe, that gray and black cat over there." Sorrelpaw waved her tail to where the brown and black tom was chewing on the skin of a vole.
Honey watched as Sootstripe took a bite out of the vole, spitting out a bone into the small nook he had dug. When he was finished eating, he scraped dirt on top of the bones. Honey zoned out on Sorrelpaw as she stared intently on his behavior. A silvery she-cat who was grooming a light red tom kept flicking her gaze uneasily towards Honey and her group. Owlwatcher, Cloudstar, Heatherflame, and some other cats were gathering in the shade of a huge rock, and the two kits had snuck out of their den without their mother noticing, padding hesitantly up to Honey.
"Did you get all that?"
Sorrelpaw's question jerked Honey out of her thoughts. She nodded halfheartedly but didn't speak because her mouth was full.
Sorrelpaw didn't notice the kits coming closer. "Medicine cats heal the Clan. They can talk to StarClan, too. There is a big band of stars every night and that's what we call Silverpelt. Within Silverpelt is StarClan, our dead ancestors."
Honey finished her vole and settled down to lick her mangled pelt. The kits were close enough to touch. Honeypaw looked up from her wash. "Hi."
A gray and brown tom puffed out his chest boldly. "My name is Ashkit, and this is my sister, Birchkit. We are going to be warriors!" He seemed to have overcome his fear of meeting Honey, because he bounced up and down on his toes before barreling into his sister. Birchkit fell onto the ground, her paws flailing. Honey purred before seeing a movement in the corner of her eye. The black she-cat that Honey had seen earlier had hesitantly exited her den, trotting up to her kits.
"Birchkit! Ashkit! Get away from there!" she scolded, shuffling the two back into the den, casting a fearful glance at Honey.
Honey shifted her position. "Keep talking," she encouraged Sorrelpaw.
The tortoiseshell took a deep breath. "Right."
As Sorrelpaw spoke, Honeypaw closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep.