Alrighty people! Let's get the ball rolling into chapter 1~

REVIEWS

"Maplebreeze of MountainClan"- Thanks! And I hope it will be as exciting written down as it is in my head!

"IncD"- Thank you! Writing with school is hard, but only until you get a good schedule down, so the start is the hardest.

"Shadowhawk540-2"- Gosh, I hope so! I really don't want to have to make this incredibly long to wrap everything together. But I guess I left quite a few things undone with the last story that I hadn't meant to, so it may make things a bit more difficult.

catlover216- Thanks! and we'll get to the mountain cats, but not much has changed.

Mistystream- Thanks! I hope this doesn't disappoint!

Brian- I hope I can keep updating quickly, and I will keep updating, but I don't know how much time school will take away. You know, until I started writing, grammar and English were my weak spots as well, I was horrible! Just go read the prologue of my first story 'Blue Shadows' and that is after I went back and fixed it up after the end of the book! It goes without saying that I love Literature and history. I'm pretty competent with Math and Science, but not especially talented in it.

Dawny- Thank you so much! I'm glad you've enjoyed them and I hope I don't let you down with this story ^^

Silverdusk- Thank you! Also, I finish the alliances already but if you want to submit a few rogue names then they'll be used as extras (cats that may be mentioned only once or twice)

Pinefur of SC- Thank you very much!

" "- Yeah, I love pitting like-minded individuals against each other, but who knows how it will go?

Jordan- We'll be seeing Midnight again, that's for sure. I hope it isn't what everyone is expecting though! And seventh grade wasn't too bad... 11th is the worst though. And 11 hours int he car sucks, I've done it before, but you will survive!

Guest- well, Rainstone's not a spring cricket anymore, that's for sure! Those questions will be answered in time, I'm holding out on posting the alliances yet since I don't want to spoil anything. Personally, I think it's been 7-8 years since Rainstone left the mountains, but I don't know for sure, I'll need to crunch some numbers and get a timeline in place correctly. And I hope it'll be twice as good as Timeless, but easier said then done, right?

Bubbles- Don't worry, I won't go into anything in detail. It's just suggestive stuff since this is rated T, and I tried it before and it just felt so dumb when I reread it. And I kind of think it's funny how everyone ignored Rainkit and went straight to Jaykit, they're not wrong, but still...

"Cherryblossom"- Don't worry! I'll keep updating, it just may not be as frequent as last year.

Chapter 1: A Wandering Jay

Gray mist hung over the faintly green forest. Wetting the grass till it was slippery to step upon and slicking the leaves until they dripped steadily with moisture. Through the green and the gray stalked a lithe young she-cat, her fur smoky gray with a hint of blue and her eyes a hazy midnight blue.

Although she was alone and in unfamiliar territory, she padded forward with a light spring in her step and a content atmosphere that gave her a lovely serene look. Her eyes flickered ahead of her, searching for the best path through the uncharted undergrowth and then around at the sparkling mist droplets that dampened her fur so that it clung to her thin sides.

This cat's name is Jay, though she was formerly known as Jaypaw of ThunderClan. The reasons for her departure into this strange part of the forest is both complicated and unnecessary. She is simply here because she wants to be.

That thought was enough for the she-cat to continue going through the dripping forest, every paw step taking her further from family and the life she'd known and been content with. But her face showed she had no regrets about leaving. She wasn't here to look back, instead, she was looking forward with the belief that better days were to come on her travels.

About noon the mist stopped it's ticklish spray and turned into real rain and Jay shivered as the water ran through her soaked fur and over her skin. Seeking shelter in the strange woods, she crept under a thick root of an oak tree that curled above the ground.

The water dripped from her whiskers and when she crouched to sit her underside turned wet, cold, and uncomfortable as she laid down in the mud to give her paws a rest. Yes, not even in these sorry circumstances did she miss the water-tight warm apprentice den she had shared with her brother for nearly six moons.

I bet the warrior ceremony is already over, or maybe they postponed it when I went missing? She hoped they hadn't for she had left at dusk the night before after passing her warrior assessment and hadn't stopped walking until now as the mist and rain destroyed her scent trail.

Her father was sure to worry, her older siblings would be saddened, and her brother would probably be devastated. But her mother always seemed to know where her life was heading and had said goodbye even though Jay hadn't breathed a word about her departure. And she was sure he would mourn, but would be secretly relived to see her gone and the problems she posed as well. And that was all right with her.

She must have dozed, for when she awoke the sun was shining through the dripping leaves and the warmth was much welcomed as Jay stood and stretched, sniffing the air for prey. Luckily, she didn't have to go far before she discovered two mice sniffling together among the damp grass stems.

Jay dropped to a crouch and with long practiced ease moved forward one-paw step at a time, her eyes fixated on her prey and her nose flaring with the delicious scent. Pouncing, she brought down one of the mice and whirled to grab the other, but it was already scampering into a hole and she only saw its long tail disappearing.

Shrugging, she made due with the one mouse and gulped it down, spending some time afterward to clean her dirty fur until it lustily gleamed in the filtered light. Leisurely, she started strolling through the woods again as if she were only going for a short walk instead of continuing on a dangerous journey.

The forest was quiet, a silence that would have unnerved plenty of other cat in the unknown. But Jay was happy to know where she was and what was around her only by what she could see, smell, and hear. The leafy trees mingled with pine and cedar and for the first time her fur prickled as a hawk's cry echoed eerily in the empty spaces between the trees.

However, she lost her discomfort and soon came to appreciate that under the pines was drier and even if the sun didn't shine quite so bright, it was still warmer than walking through wet oaks. Fairly soon the trees were almost entirely evergreens and dusk descended.

Jay efficiently chose a small scoop in the earth that was in the shelter of a briar thicket and caught a blackbird for her evening meal, curling down quiet and content in the shallow scoop of earth. This ended her first day of wanders.

…

The next day followed much like the first. Jay awoke with dawn and after a quick grooming she started off steadfastly in the same direction she had been following. Where the sun sets, there is a great expanse of water called the ocean. You will know it for it is salty and very loud with screaming birds and hot sand.

That's what her mother had told her, and her father who had traveled there once to search for her mother's parents. Jay wanted to see what this looked like for herself, that was the destination of her wandering. Until sun-high she traveled in the pines that seemed to grow thicker and darker, but all at once they ended, overlooking undulating green hills that were bare of anything but green.

Jay was not sorry to step out from under the pine's shadows into the open sunshine, the fresh air dancing in her whiskers as she followed a half forgotten path through the hills. When the pines were only a dark haze in the distance she paused beside a stream to drink her fill and she blinked as she saw a fish flash beneath the water.

She'd never had fish and was not fond of getting her paws wet, but she hadn't eaten anything today and her belly was grumbling in complaint. Besides, how hard could catching fish be?

Apparently harder then she thought. As the sun kept moving she kept missing the fish with her claws until she laid down on the grass the catch her breath, more tired and hungrier then before her break.

"You won't catch any fish like that," a cat mewed.

Jay quickly got to her paws and warily faced the stranger who had approached her undetected. The cat was a plump and small brown tabby tom with bright brown eyes and a pleasant look on his chubby face. She would almost have mistaken him for a kittypet but she could see the compact muscle beneath the flesh and the stench of fish on his fur was nearly overpowering.

She stood back and watched as he crouched by the stream, his eyes watching the water with a serious look of concentration. Before Jay knew it there was a splash and a fish lay at her paws, flopping. She pounced and ended its life, looking back at the tom with an impressed look on her face.

"Nicely done," she congratulated.

The tom shrugged, looking pleased with her praise. "You can go ahead and eat that, I already ate and fish are better fresh," he invited.

Jay nodded, most warriors would have a problem with eating prey they didn't catch and most ThunderClan cats would have trouble eating fish in general, but she wasn't going to turn down free food. She knew that she couldn't afford to be picky now that she was on her own.

She bit into the soft flesh of the fish and her face curled at the thick scent that masked her senses. The tom chuckled as she forced down the mouthful and cringed to take another. But after a few bites it got easier and Jay finished the whole fish, only gagging twice. "Thank you for the meal," she mewed, cleaning the last scraps of food from her whiskers and washing her paws in the stream.

"Why don't you come to my den?" he invited, "I rarely meet a cat like you wandering these hills."

Jay didn't respond, staring at the stream thoughtfully. She looked up and met his eager gaze, "If you teach me how to fish, I will stay the night at your den."

So that afternoon the loner, who called himself Beaver, taught her how to fish. He showed her to crouch so that her shadow didn't fall on the water. How to use her claws to catch the fish instead of her paw. And how to scoop the fish off the top of the water as if skimming off a leaf so neatly that before the sun set she could catch a fish in less then a minute.

However, while practicing fishing, she slipped off the bank and fell into the stream. The stream was shallow so that when she stood in the middle it only reached half way up her flank. But while scrambling against the current she slipped and cut one of her back paws on a sharp rock.

Luckily, her mother had taught her how to treat basic injuries and while Beaver worried behind her she wrapped the injured paw in some nearby dock and continued the lesson, letting the sun dry her wet fur. Though she was careful to not lean too heavily on that back paw and was more careful about how close she got to the water.

As the clear sky turned from pastel blue to poppy red and lily orange, the two cats chatted over a fish dinner and Beaver led the slightly limping Jay away from the stream. "So you are only traveling through this area?" Beaver asked on the way, looking a little disappointed as Jay nodded in confirmation.

"I'm on my way to the ocean, is it far?" Jay asked, limping forward so that they stood shoulder to shoulder as they came over the rise.

Beaver paused, looking her over closely as the sunset blinded them straight ahead, big and bright in its colorful majesty and sending their shadows far behind them. The light also cast deep shadows over the green hills that were smaller and turned the western side of the taller hills orange.

"I've never been there," he mewed, "But some cats have passed through saying they've seen it. I think it's only another day's journey if you make good time."

Jay's tail curled happily, "I'll leave early tomorrow then," she mewed, waiting for Beaver to continue leading her to his den.

But he hesitated, "You can stay longer then the night. Maybe until your paw heals? You're welcome as long as you like," he offered.

Jay shook her head, a little ashamed to turn down his generosity- but seeing what he wanted from her- she had to. "My paw isn't too badly hurt. I'll only stay the night," she mewed firmly.

Beaver didn't argue but he seemed unhappy as he led her down the hill and into a well hidden tunnel dug into the hillside, its entrance mostly blocked by what looked to be lots of rocks from a landslide years ago that stuck out over the slope, forming a little cliff in the hill.

Jay stepped after him into the den. Because of the entrance being so well sealed there was little light but she could see a neat pile of fish bones to be buried later and a large moss nest, big enough for two cats as fat as Beaver. She was a little surprised to see a small pile of select herbs set upon a rock so that they would not decompose into the dirt floor.

"Do you know much about medicine?" Jay asked, thinking about ThunderClan's medicine-cat and her large stock of herbs.

Beaver followed her gaze and a little awkwardly shook his head, "I don't know much about medicine, I use those herbs for... something else." Jay didn't ask anything further and sat by the entrance while Beaver shuffled around behind her, going about his own business.

She watched the sun set behind the horizon and counted the stars that appeared before the orange fury had fully disappeared from the sky. Soon the sun was fully set and the claw scratch moon and stars shined with what weak light they could muster so close to the new moon.

"Jay? Are you going to sleep?" Beaver's voice was right behind her and she turned her head, blinking as she realized that the den was pitch black so that she couldn't see even Beaver, whom she could feel was right behind her.

"Yes," she mewed, getting to her paws and stepping deeper into the darkness, only a faint light showed where the entrance was, everything else was a blob of nothingness.

But Beaver easily led her through the small den, "I only have one nest, if you want, we could share it," he offered.

Jay twitched her ears, he was being more direct than she would like. "That's fine," she mewed, but in a voice that held a hint of warning so that when they had climbed into the nest their fur didn't touch.

She was nearly asleep when a heavy herb smell arose right in front of her nose, "What is this?" she asked.

"Some herbs that I prepared for you. Try them, they're good," he encouraged in the darkness, his voice eager.

"What do they do?" Jay asked evenly.

"A traveler showed me them before, they help you sleep much, much better and give you extra strength. I always give them to my guests but they're only good for when you go to sleep," Beaver explained.

Jay didn't answer him but they did smelled good and she recognized poppy seeds in the concoction. She ate them. They tasted, well, not sweet, but not bad either. They made her head whirl as if she were doing backflips in the sky and had she been able to see colors, she was sure they would be swimming.

Sleep quickly impeded on the strange sensations brought about by the aromatic herbs. And that's how her second night ended. Or, how it could have ended.

Jay had, as she'd nibbled the herbs, been aware of Beaver crouched hungrily besides her and had forced some of the herbs into his mouth so far back that he could either swallow or choke. She forced fed him the majority, only nibbling a little for herself and having that incredible sensation wash over her.

Just before midnight she awoke again, still groggy from the effects of the herbs. She couldn't see a thing, but she could hear Beaver snoring besides her and giggled, letting her laugh ring out merrily like the song of a bird for she knew he would not wake. Jay stood up, looking down where she knew the tom was sleeping, caught in his own trap.

She had seen his hungry look, the glances he'd given her when he thought she wasn't looking. He had been lonely and wanted a mate, if making her have his kits was what it took to convince her, he could have gone through with it if she'd been just a little more stupid. Though, perhaps a smart cat wouldn't have come to a strange, lone tom's den alone in the first place?

She shrugged and trotted to the entrance, she would continue her journey by the faint moonlight. She paused just long enough to glance back at the dark den, "Sorry, pal," she mewed, addressing the unconscious tom, "You were a little too late to fool me."

…

At dawn Jay rested, still among the green hills and carefully changed the dock wrap on her back paw. And when she rose the sun was warm and shining happily while the breeze came straight from the west. At the crest of a hill, Jay opened her mouth and started in surprise at the wet salty taste in the wind. She was getting closer!

Breaking into a brisk trot she climbed and descended upon several hills until the ground became flat and the grass thinned, tiny streams of sand laying between the sparse patches of coarse green. The gray she-cat twitched her ears, a low rumbling sound came from up ahead and she checked the sky for clouds since it almost sounded like thunder.

Crossing the remaining bit of ground that turned completely to blistering sand, Jay stared out over a vast space of stormy blue water. It was dark and wild and powerful and it sent chills down her spine. But they were good chills, excited chills- Jay had found what she'd been looking for.

And yet, it wasn't what she had imagined. There were no protective cliffs, just flat white sand that was hot and burning from the sun. The water rushed in and out, pushing sand in and out along the shoreline. Jay knew that if a cat went in too deep, they'd be lost for sure.

Jay went to the edge of the water and sniffed, just from the overpowering scent of salt she knew there was no way any cat could drink it. But, just to make sure, she tried it and promptly spat it out, licking her tongue over her muzzle distastefully as she backed away- the taste of salt was more overpowering than fish.

For the first time, worry started crowding her thoughts. She hadn't seen any sign of prey in a while, there was no shelter, and no drinking water. She could not make a home here. However, she knew that her mother had lived somewhere around here before so it must be possible.

Turning in a southerly direction, she padded along the edge of the water where she could walk in the wet sand and therefore protect her paws from the burning sand. That day she walked almost nonstop, watching the water for fish of which she never spotted and keeping an eye out for any other prey or creature that might be lurking about.

At dusk she knew she had to find some water. Her mouth tasted like it was coated in salt and her eyes were heavy with the sticky liquid on the breeze. Her fur was burning hot from the sun beating down mercilessly and her belly seemed to be twisting in on itself from lack of food.

Who knew traveling would be so hard. Stepping quickly over the hot sand she made it to the patches of short stubby grass where she could rest her burning paws. Luckily, in the grass and long reeds that lined the beach there was the scent if mice and it wasn't much longer before Jay had feasted on three delectable morsels.

But now she was even more aware of her need for water and continued searching as the sun went down behind the water, turning the ocean into a blazing inferno of color. She sometimes wandered far enough away in her search that she could only faintly hear the crash of the curling waves.

That was how she spent the third night of her wanderings. It wasn't until dawn of the next morning that she found a small pool of old rainwater water, lukewarm from the sun and slightly off-taste, but very delicious to her thirsty mouth. She drank her fill and then sat to groom her fur, cleaning off the salty taste until she was sure she never wanted to taste salt again. Though if I want to live here, I better get used to it. She rested only for a little while, finding the short grass uncomfortable.

Turning back to the ocean she traveled along the shore for the rest of the day, stopping to catch prey away from the beach and find some water to drink just as the day before. And so the fourth day ended, and the fifth, and the sixth. She never saw another cat the entire time and although she was relieved to not have the trouble, she worried of being on that abandoned shore alone for forever.

But on the seventh day the scenery changed. Sandy cliffs rose between the ocean and the grass that lined the end of the beach. Jay stayed beside the water, watching them rise from shoulder height to head height to above her head.

And that night she found a little sea cave carved into the cliffs to sleep in and for the first time, listening to the noisy tide of the waves, felt that she might be able to live there. And her seventh day ended.

In the morning, she thought the air felt different than the days before but when she exited the cave the sky was clear and the sun was blinding her with its brightness. Before sun-high, as she walked besides the water, she felt an eerie and vulnerable feeling on her back. The sensation of being watched. She knew it well from growing up in the Clan under her circumstances.

Squinting against the sunlight, she looked up at the cliff top and all around her. But nothing stirred but those big lazy white birds that let out their awkward cry until her ears bled. Jay sniffed the air, lifting her nose and opening her mouth but all she detected was the salty breeze. However, about this time she noticed that the horizon over the mesmeric waves seemed to be darkening and the breeze had shifted from south-west to straight out of the west, blasting the side of her face as she walked parallel to the shore so that she had to close her right eye.

Jay, ignorant to the ways of violent ocean storms, continued padding along the water, vaguely noting that the water seemed to be creeping further into shore, washing over her paws where she had once been standing on hot dry sand.

As the storm clouds turned blacker and more erratic in growth and movement, Jay started watching the cliff for a cave to wait out the storm. The cliffs had risen to a new height, as tall as the treetops back in the forest and the sky was more than just a dismal gray, it was turbulently dark with rumbles of thunder rolling in with the waves.

Jay walked faster, although she wasn't afraid of storms, she was not fond of them and did not wish to get soaked and catch a chill on her travels. And besides that, she didn't like how the waves seemed to be growing more fitful, crashing with more force until it drowned out all other noise.

She grew anxious, scanning the cliff for a hollow with one eye and an eye on the growing storm with the other, while at the same time trying to spot the eyes she could feel still trained upon her exposed back. Flashes of lighting started flaring about the storm and the grumbling thunder grew to a mild roar.

The sand seemed to turn gray under the dark sky and she could see rain coming down in curtains over the water. Hurrying into a bound, she crossed the beach swiftly, turning her back on the ocean as she searched for any safe hold at all, but there were none, the cliffs- tall and straight- trapped her beside the unsettled ocean.

Now the storm was upon her. Heralded by a gust of wind carrying stinging rain that pelted her skin which was swiftly followed up by a deafening crash of thunder as waves washed around her legs. Scampering out of the water, she slipped on the receding sand and before she could find her legs again she was being swept away, spinning and tumbling in a mess of dark bubbles.

Salty water filled her mouth and she choked and sputtered, pushing downward with her paws until she broke the surface, wave upon wave towering over her head and bobbing her up and down as they swept past. She was far enough away from shore that they didn't curl and push her under, but she was pushed further out with every wave.

Panic seized her as she felt her fur dragging her down and her legs began to tire. But with every push toward shore, she seemed to go back two, the strong current dragging her backwards. "Hey cat!" a lone call split the noise and Jay faced the shore, squinting her eyes against the rain and hazily seeing what could be a figure on the beach.

"Swim sideways to the beach!" the voice shouted. Jay dutifully turned so that her flank was toward the beach and began clumsily swimming. She thrust her paws through the water and let her tail flick from side to side to keep balance.

She was amazed when the force dragging her back lessened and she tentatively turned toward shore, willing her tired legs to continue working, focusing her gaze and mind on swimming and on the figure that remained on shore. What a sweet relief it was when her paws touched the sand and she shakily stood out of the water, her fur streaming with water as more pounded down upon her from above, chilling her beyond a chill.

Jay flopped down on the shore well away from the ocean, not caring about the flashing lighting and threatening thunder. Hardly aware of the cold rain that continued washing down upon her, just relishing in the relief her legs felt.

"What kind of idiot wanders close to shore when there's a storm brewing?" the scornful mew sounded above her head and Jay knew it was her savior.

But she was too tired to open her eyes and her chest was heaving for breath still. "Apparently, my kind of idiot," Jay managed to get out, smiling.

The cat didn't make a sound for a couple of minutes but, when Jay had enough breath to sit up, the cat cuffed her. "A mother ought to be more aware than that," the cat's voice was hard and Jay squirmed a little.

Jay glanced at her savior and then stared at the cat. The fur clung to the she-cat's sides and she was small, shorter than even Jay. Her head was round and her ears were large and her paws looked like they belonged to a much larger cat. If Jay had thought her body was disproportionate, this cat was ten times more so. What unnerved Jay the most, though, was the cat's eyes.

They were a dark blue, so dark that in the dim light she could have sworn they were black. But it wasn't the color that disturbed her, it was the fact that they were exactly like hers. "Come to my den, you need a place to dry off before you get a chill," the cat ordered, apparently having no questions about Jay at all.

Jay followed as ordered as the rain continued pouring down and before long they arrived to a place in the cliffs where a broken sandy trail, half-washed away by the rain, led to the top. Half-way up the trail though, there was a gap in the cliff and Jay guessed this was the cat's den.

She followed the she-cat up the cliff, struggling against the slippery sand and giving a sigh of relief as her paws hit the firm footing of the den. "You can stay until the storm passes," the cat mewed sharply.

Jay nodded, "Thank you for your generosity," she mewed, sitting by the entrance, too tired to dry her fur and letting it pool around her.

The cat scowled, "Can cats nowadays not even groom their own fur?" the she-cat flattened her own dripping ears to her head and moved toward Jay, starting to groom her fur with long, expert strokes. Jay relaxed, closing her eyes in bliss as the feeling awoke memories of living in the nursery with her brother and mother.

"What's your name?" the cat asked, breaking off in her strokes to look in Jay's eyes closely. So she did notice.

"Jay," she mewed.

"Where are you from? It's painfully obvious you're not from around here," the she-cat mewed, finishing the grooming and turning to her own wet fur.

"A forest, about a quarter moon's journey away from here," Jay mewed, not wishing to give out too much information.

"And why is an expectant mother wandering around so far away from home?" the she-cat scowled, "It's irresponsible. And where is the father? Why is he letting you do this?"

Jay didn't answer, just sat and stroked her belly. She couldn't even tell she was expecting yet, how could this cat? "I'm here because I wanted to be here," she mewed, "I left because I wanted to leave. I chose to do this without anyone and I stand by that decision."

The she-cat cuffed her again and Jay glared at her reproachfully, "Fool! You have to choose for your kits too. You can't just think about yourself now. Traveling alone while expecting kits doesn't just make you vulnerable, it makes them incredibly vulnerable too. You need to find a home and a cat to help you when you have kits."

Jay looked away, "What are you suggesting I do then? I don't know any cat."

"Go home," the she-cat growled. "You're young, I'm sure your parents will help you if no cat else. And don't tell me you don't have a friend or littermate or some cat, not too mention the father."

Jay sniffed, "No, I'll continue traveling for now. It'll work out by itself so I won't worry," she decided.

The she-cat hissed, "You're crazy!" then turned around and stomped across the den to flop down in a moss nest.

For the first time Jay noticed that there was another scent in the den, a stale, lingering tom scent. "Do you live here alone?" Jay asked as the cat curled down in the nest that was big enough for two to share.

"Yes," the she-cat mewed. "You can sleep while you wait for the storm to pass," the cat added.

Jay thankfully sank down on the floor, not even minding that she didn't have a nest. "By the way," Jay added sleepily, "What's your name?"

The she-cat didn't answer immediately, tossing the question through the air for a few moments. "Pepper."

...

Fun, fun, fun. My goal for writing in this story is to cut all the unnecessary junk and stick to the plot and have everything have some kind of meaning! ha, ha ha. I'm sure I've already failed that in this chapter, but Rome wasn't built in a day! One thing to note, for people who want the alliances, they'll be posted later, if I did it right now then there would be spoilers...

But I intend to progress this story quickly. It feels nice to start off with a character not as a kit but as an already competent cat. Besides, this way she has a past that we don't know about! I think it'll be more fun this way.

Please Review!