Chapter 1: Chance Meeting

Fifteen moons passed since that night and the day was misty and cold with the first snow of leaf-bare. Two toms streaked through the forest towards the bad stream, their breath misting in the air.

"Where are we going Slash?" The smaller tom called out as they neared the stream.

Slash paused on the stream bank and glanced back at him "To the jut, I want to investigate that story. Hurry up Meek, this will be fun." He turned and raced along the edge of the stream without waiting for an answer.

Meek followed close behind, panting out his words "The one about the former island? They said it used to be in the center of the lake…"

"Yep, they said a giant cat used to live in the lake and that he had four children. When they were old enough he gave a stream to each child but one of them got greedy." Slash replied as they neared the jut where the stream thinned out at a rocky cliff.

"The greedy one killed the giant cat and tried to claim the lake for himself but the other three forced him back and shoved the island against the mainland to seal him off. The stream and greedy one were too powerful though so they only partly succeeded." Meek finished and stopped at the stream edge.

Slash nodded, panting as he gazed up at the cliff "Let's start up there." He leapt up to the first rock and glanced down at Meek "Come on."

"Is this safe? Those rocks look really slippery…" Meek muttered, kneading the ground.

"Scaredy mouse!" Slash teased and leapt higher, crossing the stream and landing on a rock just above the foaming water.

"Am not." Meek muttered and moved closer to the edge "That just looks dangerous."

"Are too" Slash taunted and bunched his muscles to leap again but the stream suddenly surged against the jut, forcing him off the rock and into the foaming water.

"Slash!" Meek called, jerking back from the edge to keep from falling himself.

As the water settled down again a large shadow leapt off the cliff and dove into the water below.

Meek moved closer to the edge and peered down but could see nothing of Slash or the shadow for several moments. Finally the largest cat he had ever seen broke the surface of the water and climbed out on the bank further down. He took a nervous step back as it set an unconscious Slash down and began licking him dry.

"He is lucky Amaya, your hearing is as sharp as ever." A strange hooty voice said behind Meek.

The tom-cat shifted his gaze to see an old owl flying towards the large cat but his gaze snapped back as the cat-thing spoke.

"Yes, very lucky. Though it makes me wonder…" the cat's voice was softer than he had expected, sort of young and shy.

The owl chuckled slightly before replying "We certainly haven't seen any other cats." Then he turned towards Meek with something almost like a smile "You come from the place of twolegs, yes?"

"Uh…" Meek took a nervous step back and nearly lost his footing "Y-yes."

"Careful, I don't feel like another swim." Came the almost silent growl from the cat-thing as it stabilized him.

"Well you won't help us dead." The owl chuckled as it landed on the big cat's back "Do you know any other cats?"

"L-lots…even though I'm just a loner…" Meek stammered, knowing he had to wait for the right chance to escape but he couldn't just leave Slash.

"Hmm…" the cat-thing smiled slightly and shifted her gaze to the sky "Then StarClan has finally answered."

Before Meek could ask what she meant, Slash coughed and the big cat leapt back up the cliff. Meek didn't bother looking to see where she had gone, he raced over to his friend's side and nudged him "Are you okay?"

"Fine…I think" Slash coughed again and rose shakily to his paws "What happened?"

"Do not worry young one, the watcher of the island saved you."

Meek shifted his gaze to see the owl perched on the cliff top with the big cat-thing sitting beside it. "And what does that mean? Who are you two?"

Slash glanced up beside him but knew it would be best if he didn't question it.

This time the big cat answered "I am the watcher of the island, the puma of the valley, and StarClan's chosen mentor for the new future clans, I am Amaya and he is Mindheart, speaker of many tongues and adopted child of the last clan cat of old."

Meek cocked his head slightly, processing what she said as his thoughts drifted back to the stories of the old clans his mother had told him.

Finally Slash asked "Then where are the new clans, why have you not made them?"

Amaya smiled before replying "Because you are the first cats I have met, you cannot make a clan without cats."