"W-What do you mean?" The nervous cat stumbled out.

"If that isn't a sign from 'StarClan' I don't know what is!" Turtlepaw's face scrunches up, "Yeah you really don't!" "Oh come on you can't tell me you think that was a coincidence?" Mutt triumphantly, yet impatiently, yowls. Turtlepaw open his jaws as if to protest, but is stopped by the loud grumbling of his own stomach.

"Food break?" Mutt says happily. Turtlepaw stubbornly looks at Mutt as if he wants to continue arguing but caves at the thought of a short break for food. "Fine. Truce." Turtlepaw spits pridefully. Mutt thinks internally about the fact he had no idea they were even arguing and Turtlepaw seems to sense his utter obliviousness to the world surrounding him.

The two cats agree to search for food when the older black tom remembers something. "Oh! I know the perfect place for food!" This, at first, worries the younger brown cat. But, he gives into his instinct to follow his elder's trustingly and besides, it's not like he knew where to search in this strange new world.

"Are we almost there?" Turtlepaw whines.

"Almost"

"That is the nineth time you said that."

"And it's not any less true."

"I fear it isn't any more true either"

Mutt laughs at the kit like behavior of the seemingly matured new friend of his.

"Just admit you have no idea where you are going."

"Will you be satisfied if I do?"

"Maybe."

"Hehe, fine then! I have no idea where we are going."

"See! I told you!"

Silence falls as the two continue to wander down a long dirt covered road.

"Okay are we there yet?"

"I'm sorry but I have no idea where we are going", Mutt teases.

"Okay quit it! Where are we going!"

"We're here."

Mutt sits on the dirty path and looks proudly forward. Turtlepaw turns his head unenthusiastically toward their destination. "That?" he asks with a bit of irritation lingering in his tone.

"Yup."

"..."

"What? Isn't it everything you had hoped?"

"It's just a bush!"

The duo stare forward at a large garden hedge. Lovely green leaves grass the well groomed shrub. The young tortoiseshell stare's at it as if Mutt had fully lost his marble and was convinced they had become herbivores.

"It's not the bush you Flea-brain." Mutt scoffs, stepping forward and dissappearing into the leafy plant. Turtlepaw barely has time to stammer out his confusion before he is gone. He sontenplates for a moment before carefully approaching the now intimidating bush. "You coming?" Mutt teases from the other side.

"O-Of course! I just uh...saw a bee"

"A bee?"

"Y-Yes..." he stutters, taking the final step into the hedges dark inards.

His eyes shut tight as he bumbles forward, he finally feels himself on the other side and hesitantly open an eye. The moment he does he is both fear-struck and awe-inspired. It must be a hundred tail lengths wide, Turtlepaw thought to himself. Looking out into the clearing he sees a large garden filled with beautiful flowers, trees and bushes cut into all sorts of magnificent shapes. Streams of water shoot up into the sky, butterflies prance and float through the air effortlessly and the sun hnags overhead adding an orange glow to the whole perfect scene.

"Is this...StarClan's hunting grounds?!" Turtlepaw's eyes stare forward in shock and awe at the beauty and seeming serenity he had never witnessed before. "Are you asking if I've killed you?" Mutt half joked. "W-What is this place?"

"Oh this? just some two-leg nest. I know some kittypets around these parts. They'll hook us up with the best kitty slop."

"The best kittypet slop is still kittypet slop" Turtlepaw disheartedly complains. "Don't they have real food around here?". "Why don't I introduce you first alright?" Mutt says as he walks off into the beautiful maze-like yard.

Before Mutt gets the chance another cat comes rushing toward them. "Who goes there?!" Turtlepaw turned his head toward the voice and saw a large black tom with a flat face with piercing orange eyes fixated on him approaching. "It's just me, Thompson!" Mutt chirps, walking up to the new stranger and shared a few quick licks with him. "Honestly last I saw you were caught by the trapper! I thought it was the snip for sure for you". "Heh not quite. I'm not that easy to catch, you should know." Mutt says, proudly licking his fur. "As quick as always I suppose."

Turltlepaw sits awkwardly and impatiently waiting for them to finish exchanging greetings. "Oh, a female?" Thompson starts looking over at him then back at Mutt, "Maybe it oughtta been the snips, afterall."

Mutt laughs as Turtlepaw embarrassedly protests, "I-I am not a s-she-cat! And...And even if I were I could better than him!" Mutt giggles and feins hurt at his remark, "Hey, that's not very lady-like!" he teases. "Oh, uh my bad pal." Thompson halfheartedly apologizes.

The shy brown tom retreats into a ball, wrapping his tail around his feet and blushing internally. "Well anyway" The pitch black old cat starts, "What happened? how did you get away?" "Oh you know, just told that dumb smelly two-leg 'Listen here monster, you don't wanna mess with all of this.' Poor thing was so scared he just let me waltz right out." "Hah! I'll believe it when I see it."

"Is that gloating I hear?" The three cats turn to see another new face drawing ever closer. When Turtlepaw laid his eyes on the cat he had scented before ever hearing a voice he was once again baffled by the beauty before him. She was a pale white she-cat with gorgeous orange and black splotching her shimmering coat. Her eyes were a stunning blue and her tail was a strange stubb of orange fluff. "Must be that old Mutt!" She said playfully. "Hey I'm ot old! I'm in my prime!" "Not really" Thompson laughed. "Nice seeing you too by the way. It's been awhile Koi." "A long while" She said forlornedly. "Yeah way to long." Mutt brought himself close and shared tongues with the stunning she-cat for a moment.

Turtlepaw looked on with jealousy and sadness in his heart. "Oh" The pretty young cat started finally looking over to Turtlepaw, "And whose this fine young tom?" Turtlepaw was relieved she hadn't made the same mistake as Thompson and felt a bit of confidence returning. "Who him? That's just some scrap of fur I rescued from the trapper." "Rescued?" The she-cat said with a flicker of doubt in her dazzling blue eyes. "Yup. I'm a hero."

"I-I'm Turtlepaw!" He blurted out, in a far less dignified manner then he had intended. "Turtlepaw? What an odd name." She remarked, giving him a good once-over. "Wait, do turtles even have paws?" Thompson asked . "No" Mutt stated bluntly. "What kinda name is Turtlepaw then?" Thompson once again inquired. Turtlepaw felt the desire to argue his defence but couldn't muster the courage. "He's foreign." Mutt 'defended'. "Really? Where from?" The koi-furred lady cat asked, looking at Turtlepaw with curious eyes. "I-I'm f-from Riv-RiverClan!" He barely managed to stutter out. "RiverClan? I'm not familiar, tell me more."

"Uh, well it's kind of a long -" Turtlepaw began but was interupted by an enthusiastic Mutt, "Oh, Koi, you gotta hear it! It's amazing! Tell 'em Turtlepaw!" At first, he wanted todismiss it, but seeing those shining blue eyes filled with interest in him, how could he? So he went on for hours answering all there questions and explaining the ways of the forest he had come from.