CHAPTER TWO

For an inexplicable reason, my legs started to shake. I stared at her in disbelief. "What do you mean, forever?"

Willa rolled her eyes like I was the simplest cat she'd ever met. "What I said. Forever. As in, to the end of time itself. 'Til the world ceases to exist-"

"We get it," Aden cut in, a warning in his green eyes.

I stepped in front of him. I didn't want him buttering up the truth. I wanted facts. "What is this place?" I said.

It was the dark gray tom, Dragonpaw, who replied. "I don't know. I haven't been here as long as the others. Only a couple years."

I blinked in shock. He looked no more then a moon older then me. "Impossible," I breathed. Turby and Sagewhisker exchange knowing looks that contained sympathy, which only irritated me further. I felt like the entire universe was in on a massive cosmic joke against me. Hmph.

"Am I missing something? You look no older then me," I said.

He shifted his paws uncomfortably, as if unsure of how much to say. "Technically, to you, I guess I'd be seven moons."

"To me?" My voice rose an octave.

Willa sighed dramatically. "You guys are horrible at explanations, for crying out loud. Rainpaw, I don't know exactly how to explain this, but-"

"Stop!" Aden said, loudly. "We need to talk," he hissed to the others, beckoning them away. I watched sullenly as they whispered and nodded. Willa's eyes widened, and she glanced at me. I heard a few lines.

"Really?"

"It's her?"

Puzzled, confused, and more then a little frustrated, I spoke out boldly. "No secret side conversations. Lay it out to me flat."

"Here's all we can tell you for now," Turby said, his plump black sides shaking as he sat down. When I looked at him, I couldn't help thinking, kittypet. So what was he doing here, in this exotic place, and surviving? "Time sort of stops here. Once you get here, you don't age, or anything. You don't leave. We're all prisoners."

"What is this, some kind of slave camp?" I asked, not a little nervously.

Aden forced what he must've intended as a lighthearted chuckle. Instead, it sounded more like he was coming down with something. "Not exactly. We... We have run of the island."

I frowned skeptically. "An island full of poisonous plants and animals... But you seem to know how to navigate those, and hunt too. So, what's the problem?"

"You think we want to be here?" asked Togat incredulously, speaking up for the first time.

Nothing was making sense. "You don't? I thought this was, well, your home."

"Living somewhere doesn't make it home," Willa meowed coolly. I had nothing to say in reply, so I just gawked.

"But..."

Turby lashed his tail in frustration. "Aden, we need to tell her at least some things. This is useless otherwise."

The ginger tom nodded suavely, never missing a beat. "Okay then." He sat. "Tell her what she needs to know." The look in his eyes implied, No more. I bristled, but remained silent. Might as well listen to what they had to say, and ask questions later.

"Look, once you reach the island, there's no turning back. Whatever life you had before this, consider it gone. Finished. Over. Your friends, your family, you'll never see them again. You never get out of here."

"You're crazy. I know it'll be hard, but-"

Willa moaned. "They never listen. Don't you think in all the time we've been here, we would've figured out how to get loose? You can't. That's the whole point. I've been here for longer then I can count." Her dusk-colored eyes shone with sadness. "I've almost forgotten my old life. Except some things. Some things you never forget." A tear slipped silently down her cheek. Aden blinked and turned away, as if this sudden display of emotion scared him. Sagewhisker leaned forward and licked Willa gently on the cheek.

"They're dead now," Willa said softly. "All gone."

A sickening feeling appeared in the pit of my stomach. She wasn't kidding. No one could fake that kind of agony. She really had been stranded here, while her generation passed on. While everyone she had known and loved lived their lives and died. Without her. What was left for her? And how long had the others been here? What point in their lives had been cut short?

"You're serious," I said.

The gorgeous she-cat blinked long-lashed eyes at me, nodding.

Aden got up. "We were all doomed forever. Until..." He paused, obviously making a major decision. "Until you got here."

"Me?" I started, surprised by the unexpected comment. "What do I have to do with anything?"

Sagewhisker shot Aden a glare. "Nothing to worry about now. First of all, you must be hungry."

I was too distracted to focus on food, though my stomach was growling up a storm.

"So, you guys never die?" I wondered if that would be such a bad thing. In a way, I guessed it might. To never leave the earth and take your place in the stars? To be stuck here forever, especially without your family and true home?

"Nope," Dragonpaw said. "It's weird. We don't age, but we get hungry and thirsty and all that."

"What would happen if you starved?" I asked, more intrigued then I should have been given the fact that I too, would be subjected to this fate.

He blinked, giving me a look that clearly spelled: What freak would do that to themselves just to prove a point?

"You'd be restored, I guess," Togat said. "None of us have discovered the full meaning of the island yet, and we've had ample time. Trust me."

"Enough small talk," Aden said. He nudged the squirrel-creature towards me. "Here. Have a tampa. They're really good."

I eyed the prey suspiciously, though I knew I was much too hungry to resist anyway. It smelled okay. Good, even. Without further ado, I plunged my muzzle in inch-deep and took a huge bite. Warm meat flooded my mouth with salivary juices, spurring me on. Forgetting my audience, and everything but food, I proceeded to nearly inhale the entire piece of prey, not stopping till not a shred of flesh remained, and my belly was comfortably full.

Sheepishly, I realized everyone was staring at me. "Sorry," I muttered. "I'll try to catch one to pay you back."

Aden cracked a smile. "I'd like to see you try. It took me months to perfect the skill."

Feeling slightly defensive, I said, "Well, I was a pretty good hunter back in ShoreClan."

Sagewhisker's head flew up. "ShoreClan?" she gasped. "That's my Clan!"

"Really?" I said in disbelief. "You- You lived there?"

Her olive eyes grew far away. "Yeah. Once upon a time. Let me think. What kits were there back then? They might still be alive. Grizzlekit, Shinekit, and Bellkit."

"Bellflower is an elder," I said, still unable to grasp that this cat had lived in ShoreClan, all those moons ago, and still stood in front of me now. "Grizzlestar passed away in new-leaf."

Her eyes sparkled faintly. "He was my littermate's kit. I always knew he was destined for greatness. How is ShoreClan?"

"Fine," I said, smiling at her. Then clouds covered my heart. How come I had never heard of Sagewhisker before? Had my Clan truly forgotten her? A chill shot through me. Would I be forgotten, just like that? A memory, a shadow that faded into their history? Tears tugged at the back of my eyes; I had to force them back using every bit of self-reserve I possessed.

Aden glanced at me, his eyes unreadable. "Are you okay?"

I didn't reply. I didn't trust myself to speak.

Sagewhisker was quiet now, staring at her paws. Dragonpaw sighed mournfully. "I miss my Clan too. I lived in a Clan called PalmClan. It was wonderful. Paradise."

Turby cleared his throat. "I'm going hunting."

Looking up, I gazed right through him, without even bothering to marvel that such a round tom could hunt in this wild expanse.

"I'll come with," Togat offered, standing up instantly. I had a feeling the two of them were eager to escape the blanket of sadness that hung over us now.

As they hurried away, Willa turned towards me, an admiring respect on her face. "You're taking this better then I expected."

"What do you mean?" I said miserably, wondering how they couldn't see the pain and despair I was feeling inside.

"It's true," Aden said curtly. "You haven't fallen to pieces yet, or screamed and tried to get off the island frantically, telling us we're lying."

"I believe you."

If only they knew that I was thisclose to doing exactly what Aden had mentioned.

I forced myself to take a deep breath, biting my lip to stop from screaming. No sense in proving them right; they were already right about everything else.

"Can I- What exactly happens if you reach the edge of the island?"

Aden flicked his tail. "We get a few tail-lengths of water, where we fish and swim, on cheerful days. Then, it's like an invisible wall appears. It's hard to explain." He took in my determined look. "I'm guessing you want to experiment for yourself?"

"Yes," I said, standing up. "You don't have to come with me."

"Got nothing better to do. Tell Togat and Turby where I went."

Willa nodded in reply, her eyes sympathetic as she watched me, as if she knew what I would find. I shook off that thought. There had to be some way out of here. I would find it, if it was the last thing I did. Which, um, might have defeated the purpose of it, but whatever.

We padded off. I was actually relieved Aden was with me, because alone I would most likely end up as lunch for a my old tribos pals.

"You know you're going to be disappointed," Aden said, breaking the silence.

I stiffened. "We'll see about that."

He shook his head and said no more.

I chose my next words carefully. "Let's just say I end up having to stay here longer then intended. What can you tell me about the place?"

Aden arched his eyebrows at my wording, then relaxed. "It takes a really long time to come close to being comfortable here. However," he added, seeing my face fall, "You can never start too soon."

I grinned. "I'm your ever-eager pupil. Teach me, oh kind sir."

The look on his face was one part bemusement, one part annoyance. "Okay. See those blue flowers?"

I followed his gaze to a small bush littered with clumps of azule bell-shaped buds, and nodded.

"They're really sweet," he smiled. "Good for pain too." Reaching forward, he picked a small bouquet and handed me one. For some strange reason, a blush shot through me as our noses brushed.

"Thanks," I murmured, pushing away my doubts about eating flowers. Lipping a petal up, I chewed and swallowed carefully. Instantly, a sugary sweet taste melted over my tongue, like fresh dew and honey. Aden arched his brows at me. "It's good!" I exclaimed, finishing off the rest of the flowers.

"I thought you'd think so," he said with a trace of smugness. "By the way, they're poisonous."

My jaw dropped.

He burst out laughing. "Gotcha!"

Trying to hide my relief, I yelled, "Not funny!" I threw the remaining petals at him; he caught one on his tongue and licked his lips.

"Thanks."

"Jerk."

"Gosh, that one really hurt. Got any more hideous insults?"

I batted my eyelashes, "Of course-"

"Don't care. See those?" In an instant, he was all business, gesturing to one of those violet-rimmed leaves I had seen before. "Those may look pretty, but the purple stuff is a dangerous poison. It smells really good, so any animal trying to eat at the plant will go through it or lick it up. And then-" He made a strangling noise and whipped his paw across his throat. I shuddered. Who knew a plant could be that evil? The more I learned about this island, the more desperate I was to get off.

And I would make that happen.

As we continued towards the beach, Aden pointed out all kinds of flora and fauna, even catching another tampa.I saw what he had meant by it taking him months to learn to catch one; those little things were lightning fast. Okay, maybe I tried to catch one. And ran into a tree. Told you the plants were evil.

"Here," Aden said as we passed a grove filled with bittersweet-smelling purple berries. He picked up some and crushed out the deep violet juice, then smeared it gently on my throbbing, cut nose with his paw. I was surprised at the cooling relief that soothed my wound, but even more surprised at the tenderness in his touch. "That help?"

"I-" I flushed bright red. "Yeah. Thanks."

Aden said nothing, just raised his head and pricked his ears. I followed suit and made out the roar of waves in the distance. "Finally! The beach!" Without another thought, I bolted for the stretch of sand, and freedom beyond.

I heard Aden call out from behind me, but paid no heed. I just needed to prove them wrong. I could figure out the rest - how to actually get home - later.

My strides ate up the length of beach and carried me straight into the water, which splashed cool and wet around my legs. I kept running, eyes narrowed, till- BLAM!

It was like running into the side of a mountain. I toppled over backwards, gasping for breath, water running down my throat and making me gurgle incoherently. Aden appeared by my side, pelt drenched by my writhing, and locked his jaws around my scruff, hauling me out. "You okay?"

I didn't reply. I pounded my paws against the wall, but it was impossible to describe what that felt like. It wasn't like hitting a surface. It was more like being ready to do something, and then time suddenly freezing right around your paws, immobilizing them unless you pulled them back. After what felt like hours, but was probably only a few minutes, I gave up running back and forth along the transparent barrier, collapsing into the water. Sand shifted underneath me, and a few waves ricocheted over my head. Still I didn't move.

Finally, Aden said, "Let's get back to the others."

Numb from cold as well as sadness, I got to my feet and shook out my dripping pelt. "Okay." I gave up. What use was there in resisting?

"Lead the way."

For once Aden seemed to feel sorry for me. Maybe he was remembering his own similar experience, finding out there was no escape. Anyway, as we reentered the woods, he said softly, "You'll get used to it. Besides, all's not over."

"What do you mean by that?"

His green eyes twinkled, but there was a veil about them, as if there was something sinister buried in their emerald depths. "You'll see. Come on."

Cautiously, I followed him back, aware that I was turning my back on ShoreClan Rainpaw, and morphing into a new Rainpaw. Rainpaw of the island. But I wouldn't forget ShoreClan. I would find my way back.

"I promise," I whispered to the evening sky. And I intended to keep my promise.