Tigerstripe sulkingly meandered through the forest with his other clanmates. Or were they even clanmates anymore? He continued trudging through the woods, frustration spiking his pelt. It just wasn't fair.

His mother, Moonstar, had created the evil clan of MoonClan, and since birth, he had been taught that their clan would prevail. All his life Tigerstripe had trained to his highest potential, undergoing an incredible amount of physical and emotional pain to achieve his spot as a warrior of MoonClan.

But the battle had been lost, and Moonstar was now dead. The clan was now being led back to their camp in poor spirits. The deputy, or new leader, Tigerstripe presumed, Bone, led the way. Bone, a muscular white tom, was Tigerstripe's former mentor and a fierce fighter. Perhaps he'd lead MoonClan back to victory.

Tigerstripe glanced around at the other cats, noticing they had the same somber expressions as him. Some looked anxious and nervous as they came up the hill to their camp. Tigerstripe hurried up the hill, relieved to be back at his old camp.

Within moments, cats were chatting amongst themselves about the situation, though their cries were broken off by Bone. Tigerstripe was relieved, knowing Bone would be able to end their concerns. Surely he'd lead them back to being a strong clan.

"Cats of MoonClan!" Bone yowled from the rock where Moonstar originally stood.

The cats of MoonClan fell quiet, listening to the white tom.

"Now that Moonstar is dead, it would be custom for me to become leader of MoonClan," he explained, his piercing green eyes fixated on the crowd. "But this cannot be. I will not be the new leader of MoonClan nor will any other cat."

Tigerstripe froze.

"MoonClan is finished," Bone announced at last. "Disperse and leave. Some of you may be rogues or perhaps you'll join a clan, but as of now, this clan is over."

Bone descended down the rock to join his mate, Bloodfur, and then soon had left the camp himself. As cats chattered angrily among themselves, Tigerstripe was shocked and heartbroken. How had Bone so easily let the clan fall apart?

Sighing, Tigerstripe was unsure of what to do. He himself could surely not join a clan. He had no family to go with. After all, his sister had died during battle, and his other siblings were traitors, fighting against MoonClan.

Tigerstripe glanced longily over at Screechshade, the she-cat he had formerly had a crush on, though he knew even then that a life with her would be hopeless.

Perhaps I'll just be a rogue, he decided, glancing around as the clan became emptier and emptier. If he didn't make a move, he'd be the only one left.

Tigerstripe sighed, watching cats go, when something caught his eye. Near the edge of the camp stood Jetfur, a small black she-cat who'd been one of their weakest warriors. Unsure why he was suddenly interested in her business, he called to her.

"Jetfur!" he shouted.

The black she-cat's ears twitched, but she ignored him, beginning to pad out of the camp and into the woods.

"Wait, Jetfur!" Tigerstripe called, rushing after her on his fast feet. He quickly caught up to the she-cat, despite her rapid pace.

"Where are you going?" he wondered. "Are you going to a clan? Are you going to be a rogue?"

The she-cat refused to make eye contact with him. In a shaky voice, she spoke, "I don't know…Leave me alone," she murmured, quickening her pace.

Tigerstripe, ignoring her clear warning to leave her alone, continued to trot by her side.

"Well, I think I'm going to be a rogue," he decided. "What clan will you join?"

"I don't want to join a clan," she announced, continuing to walk. In a quieter voice she whispered, "I won't be making that mistake again." She quickened her pace, though Tigerstripe quickly caught up to her.

"Making a mistake!" he exclaimed, laughing. "Why, MoonClan was the best thing that ever happened to you, I assure you. Listen, Jetfur. You're now able to perform extreme battle moves that will protect you and assist you. Your quick running skills and hunting skills will help you. How could that be a mistake?" He noticed Jetfur quickening her pace. "Hey, where are you going?"

"To get away from you," she murmured.

"Get away from me?" Tigerstripe asked. "How come?"

"You talk too much," she admitted.

"I don't talk too much!" he argued.

Jetfur paused and turned to face him, twitching her whiskers in amusement.

"Hey, quit laughing at me!"

There was a certain spark in her eyes that had appeared. "I-I can't," she admitted, giggling.

Tigerstripe laughed too. "Maybe I am a bit of a blabbermouth."

Jetfur's gleaming eyes returned to their dull gaze. "Well, I must be off…"

Tigerstripe looked down. "Oh, yeah," he admitted. He turned back towards the camp, glancing over his shoulder one last time. "Good-bye," he called, sighing as he disembarked. He guessed he really was alone now.

Less than a minute later, Jetfur's shout came from behind him.

"Wait!" she called.

Tigerstripe looked back. "Yes?" he wondered.

Jetfur paused and took in a deep breath. "I want to come with you," she admitted.

"You do?" Tigerstripe wondered, padding up to her to meet her. "Life as a rogue is tough," he explained. "You must travel to many places and fend for yourself. My father was a rogue, you know."

"I-I think I'll be fine," Jetfur agreed. "As long as I'm not alone…"

"Okay," he agreed, smiling. "Follow me!" he called, climbing up a tree. Without even thinking, he began leaping from branch to branch, dropping back down near a rushing river.

Turning around, he noticed Jetfur had not followed him. Upon glancing up, he noticed the tiny black cat clinging to the bark of a large tree. She looked at him, terrified.

"Here, let me help!" he called, digging his claws into the bark as he scurried back up the tree to assist Jetfur.

As Jetfur slowly moved forward to reach the other branch, she slipped and yowled. Tigerstripe quickly helped her onto the branch, saying calmly, "I'm right here."

Jetfur nodded, though fear still shined in her eyes.

Slowly, Tigerstripe led Jetfur from branch to branch at a cautious pace, taking his time to make sure she was able to get across each branch carefully. As he did so, he began to worry that maybe allowing Jetfur to join him wasn't the best idea. Still, he hated the idea of being alone…

Finally, Tigerstripe arrived at the last dark branch. "Now, we need to jump," he explained, gesturing his tail towards the spot on the forest floor below.

Jetfur nodded, her claws still unsheathed as if she expected to continue clinging to tree branches and bark.

Tigerstripe glanced down at the forest floor and leapt, landing on all fours. Grinning to himself, he glanced back up at Jetfur.

"Now, you do the same," he instructed.

Jetfur, shaking in nervousness, nodded. Her eyes were wide with fear, and he watched as she took a deep breath, then leapt, landing successfully next to him.

"Good job!" Tigerstripe exclaimed, feeling as if he were congratulating a young apprentice on catching his or her first kill.

Jetfur looked at the sky, causing Tigerstripe to do the same. He too had noticed that the sky had taken on an orange color, slowly turning into darker and darker indigo.

"It's getting dark," he admitted. "We better find a place to sleep."

Jetfur nodded.

Trudging through the unknown forest, Tigerstripe glanced around, seeking some shelter as it began to get darker and darker outside. Jetfur followed behind, also glancing around for some bit of shelter they could find.

As Tigerstripe came up a grassy hill, he noticed a wide and hollow log sitting next to a large pine tree.

"Aha!" he shouted, nudging Jetfur. He pointed his tail to the log, and Jetfur nodded in agreement, as if she already knew what he was implying.

Tigerstripe and Jetfur approached the log. Tigerstripe glanced down, inspecting the log. He was relieved, though somewhat disappointed, to find it held no animal inside. If only a family of squirrels had been living in there, he'd have had a nice snack. His stomach was grumbling, though exhaustion from a long day was his first priority in attending to.

"In here," Tigerstripe spoke, crawling into the hollow log.

Jetfur cautiously placed one paw in then followed, curling up beside Tigerstripe. Tigerstripe slowly closed his eyes, allowing exhaustion from a long day to take hold of him. Before he knew it, he had drifted off into a deep sleep.