So Petalpaw has been accepted into a Twoleg nest. Will she stay or will she move on? Does she like Smoke?

Also this chapter takes place a half a moon after the epilogue, just a forewarning.

-Lilith

Kittypets are weird.

Now, being raised in RiverClan, I always knew they were a little bit different than what I was used to. Most of the time though, the fact that they were soft and weak were more focused on than anything else. So it took me a while to grasp just how weird they really are.

Reasons why they are weird number one: They act like they own the place. Just the other day, Jack and Smoke chased another kittypet away from the fence just because she was too close to it. 'Getting to close to their home,' they had called it. I wanted to yell at them that it wasn't their home at all: it was the Twolegs'. But I kept my muzzle shut and went with it.

Reasons why they are weird number two: Thunderpaths aren't a big deal.

"Why are you so afraid of something that can't kill you?" Smoke asked me one day. Stupidly enough, instead of running across, he began to stroll leisurely before stopping halfway through to turn and look at me. "It's not like the road is going to rise up and attack you."

I found myself swallowing my indignation. Nobody was afraid of the Thunderpath: it was what roared on it that scared me. Monsters had taken lives before, had crippled and injured others. I knew for a fact that many moons ago, a ThunderClan apprentice had been crippled by a Monster, and had to give up on her dream of being a warrior to become a medicine cat instead. It was the vile Tigerstar's fault of course, but no one felt safe near Thunderpaths any more than they did before.

"I just have bad experiences with them, alright." I say awkwardly. He didn't press me, but seemed to understand. Or at least faked it pretty well. "Now let's go home: I'm a bit hungry." Another lie, but he fell for it.

Reasons why they are weird number three: They are worried about the littlest things.

Seanne, the she-cat next door, is the only female cat in the area I can actually call a friend. I mean sure, Jack and Smoke are nice enough, but I need somebody I can go to for information that only she-cats would know.

She can get easily distracted though, which means that I am often told useless things when I visit. "I heard from Rose –the cat from down the street- that her brother is coming with his Twolegs to visit her. He doesn't have a girlfriend, you don't have a boyfriend…totally perfect, right!" She said in a bubbly tone one afternoon.

"Yeah," I said absentmindedly. Personally I really didn't care about Rose or her brother, but I knew that I could use her for information. "So, Seanne…have you heard about any cats here that are a bit…oh, I don't know…different from you and me?"

"Different how?" She asked.

"Wilder. Vicious. Stuff like that."

"Nothing like that at all. Why? Worrying about an abusive ex?"

X what? She says the weirdest things.

"Not at all. I'm just wondering." I said innocently.

"Oh. Well, speaking of worrying, I heard that I might have my salon appointment for tomorrow rescheduled. I haven't had my fur glossed in weeks! I'm going to look like a wreck!"

I stopped listening after that.

"You alright?" I heard Jack say behind me, and I realized I had been staring vacantly at the fence for the past ten minutes.

"Fine. Just tired." I lied again. It was getting hard to keep up with all of the lying I've done recently.

"Come inside then." He said, and with a swish of his tail, strolled inside. I followed behind, wishing I could stay out here instead of cooped up in the nest.

"So, Petal." I felt the urge to correct him and suppressed it. Petal was my name now. "I know that you have a difficult past, but can you tell me some of it? I know Smoke might be a little quiet and weird, but you can trust me, right?"

I couldn't trust him with anything, but I didn't say that aloud. "Yeah, I guess." I say as we walked across the smooth floor. "When I was born, I had three siblings. We were separated, forced to go live with other owners, away from our mother and father." Lying through my teeth. "My owner was abusive though, and repeatedly beat me for doing the littlest things. I-it was almost impossible to escape from the torture, but I managed.

"I moved on, tried living with a group of loners. They viciously attacked me, and I found myself starving, dying of thirst and infected wounds on the side of the street. I…" I had choked up, the guilt of lying feeling like a weight on my heart.

Jack misunderstood though. He thought my 'past' was too unbearable to talk about. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "You don't have to continue."

Thank StarClan for that -I wasn't sure I could keep lying to him. I nodded instead, then crossed over to my little nest made out of the warmest, fuzziest pelt I've ever felt before in my life, and closed my eyes sleepily. "Thank you Jack." I murmured.

There was a pause, and I heard him move away. I didn't dare open my eyes though: I could smell Smoke nearby. There was a soft padding of paws, and then I heard Smoke speaking to Jack in a hushed whisper. "Is she okay?"

"Just tired. Nothing too big." He replied.

"Ah." There was a pause, and to make the ruse more believable, I began to fake snore softly. After about a minute of this, I heard Smoke speak up. "You like her?"

"Nah. I have my eyes on another girl. What about you?" Jack responded, and was met with silence. "That's what I thought," he said smugly.

I didn't want to know what Smoke thought about me though. I couldn't let myself waste time on petty things such as stupid crushes and ridiculous stories. My main priority right now is to survive, and anything else doesn't matter.

So I still have a budding idea for Wilting Thyme. I just haven't been able to get it down on paper yet. Don't hate me: I've been doing some freelance work lately, so I may need some time to update.

-Lilith