Gentlewhisker woke up, and shot to her paws dizzily. "Where am I?" she looked about and then continued, "Who's there?"
After blinking her eyes a couple of times, Gentlewhisker finally took in her surroundings. It was nighttime and she was surrounded by an unfamiliar forest. Never before had she seen such a lush forest. Under the masking sound of crickets, she could hear a mouse scrabbling nearby. The green leaves, lush territory, and plentiful prey could only mean one thing. It was Green-leaf. Green-leaf? But it's Leaf-fall! Utterly confused, Gentlewhisker sat.
Then she heard the noise of a rustle nearby. Bristling, she clambered up the nearest tree, and clung to a branch. From the undergrowth came a cat. Her paws were like stardust and her pelt beamed bright beautifully. The fiery ginger she-cat padded to the base of the tree and looked up. "I can scent your fear young one, don't try to hide from me." Her forest green eyes met Gentlewhisker's.
Gentlewhisker quickly scraped higher up the tree and stared down at her seemingly frightening pursuer, who was watching her calmly with a slight trickle of amusement on her face. "Don't be afraid young one," she chuckled. Gentlewhisker hid further in the leaves.
"You are a shy one," she purred. "What's your name little one?"
Gentlewhisker sat in the leaves, uncertain whether to respond to this stranger or not. "G-gentle-w-whisker," she stuttered quietly.
"Come down here Gentlewhisker," she said softly and assuringly. The soft-grey loner slowly and hesitantly slid down the tree. Once down, Gentlewhisker pressed against the tree, not daring to get any closer. "W-who are y-you?" she stuttered.
"I am Foxfur of StarClan," she replied calmly.
Her name is as strange as mine is! But who is StarClan? They must be the cats that slayed my friends! Gentlewhisker concluded as she unsheathed her claws. They were always longer than her denmates for some reason. She flattened her ears, not wanting to use her claws, but her eyes shone dangerously. Foxfur purred, "You're as strong as I knew you'd always be."
Gentlewhisker became confused, I've never seen her in my life! How does she know who I am? "How do you know who I am?" she asked a little braver.
"I am your mother," she replied simply. Gentlewhisker bristled, and she blinked with shock. Then Foxfur continued, "Why do you think you have such a strange name, dear?"
Gentlewhisker blinked and then narrowed her eyes unbelievingly, "Then where have you been?"
Foxfur sighed, "I am dead, dear. I have joined StarClan, the deceased warriors of the Clans."
Gentlewhisker bristled, "Y-you're a ghost!?" She stepped back frightfully.
"Stay calm young one. I won't hurt you nor StarClan. We are here to guide your paws," Foxfur assured.
"But how did you die? And where is my father?" Gentlewhisker asked, her words were tumbling out of her mouth.
"Whenever you were born, my mate being a rogue named Thunder, we had been being hunted by the same cats that threaten you now. In an effort to save you, Thunder told me of some friends of his," she explained.
"Bear and Wolf," Gentlewhisker whispered.
"Yes. We tried to bring you to them, but one of the cats hunting us spotted us during travel. He attacked me first, and the rogue was soon followed by more of them. Your father had been holding you. I told him to escape with you, and he tried to stay, but it was obvious we were going to lose. He took off, and I was slayed that day," her eyes had grown distant. Then she continued, "Thunder made it, and dropped you off. It was to risky for him to stay, so he went back home." Her eyes became sad, "Thunder has never believed in StarClan, so it was hard to find him. I believe he's still alive."
"Then how were you able to find me?" Gentlewhisker asked.
"Because I followed Thunder from StarClan, but once you were at the barn, my bigger concern was to see if you had made it and how you were doing. He left shorter than I expected, and I haven't been able to find him since," Foxfur replied. Gentlewhisker mulled over the situation, and then looked up at her. Foxfur was blinking warmly at her. "Maybe this will help you remember," Foxfur purred. She then licked behind Gentlewhisker behind the ear, causing some of the fur to be ruffled cutely. Gentlewhisker's memory was jolted into her, she could remember being hungry and scared. As a dark pelt was plunging away from the snowy forest, she could see her mother's beautiful ginger pelt being covered with pelts. She had wailed, asking for Mommy, but the dark pelt never stopped.
Gentlewhisker was startled back into reality with a blink of shock, her dark eyes were round.
"Now you know you can trust me. You must listen to me very carefully my daughter, the rogues have found you, and you must go to the Clans. It is the only way you can escape these rogues. The travel seems long, but you must make it to SunClan," Foxfur mewed urgently.
"SunClan?" Gentlewhisker echoed.
"Yes, they are brave and loyal forest cats, that live for each other. They follow a code set for them by StarClan to stay true and just. You have their blood. Finding them is the only way to survive from them," she explained.
Gentlewhisker was alarmed by the sudden urgency in her voice and she nodded, taking in every word. "I'm afraid," Gentlewhisker whispered.
"Don't be. Be strong my kit," Foxfur purred in her ear, "And believe that StarClan will guide your paws." Gentlewhisker nodded, and the same voice that woke her up in the barn uttered from Foxfur's mouth, "Wake up."