Author's Note: Hahaha, here's Chapter 1! Generations have passed... and the Clans are gone. Dead, or scattered? Who knows for sure... Keep reading!

Chapter I

Light glanced around the quiet neighborhood. The monsters were neatly lined up in rows down the street as usual, and a couple more were sleeping inside the housefolk's nest. Light wasn't actually a house cat, but she ate the food they gave her. The housefolk had already tried coaxing her into the house, but she hadn't put a single white paw indoors. She preferred to go outside whenever she wanted, and sleeping in the grass and ferns. Even if it meant she would get cold and wet on rainy nights.

Deciding the coast was clear, she scrambled up the green garden fence, and peered into the housefolk's garden. The garden was freshly mowed, and as it had rained again last night, the delicious smell of wet grass reached her nostrils. The place where the housefolk grew tasty herbs like catmint was right in front of the house, two patches of light brown dirt on either side of the stone path that led to the door. She sniffed the air and scented a delicious fishy smell and a bowl of milk.

The little white she-kit jumped off the fence down into the garden, her fur sparkling as she moved across a beam of sunlight. Her shiny fur was what had given Light her name- or that's what she thought. She didn't actually know for sure- her mother had been a rogue, and she didn't have any brothers or sisters, as far as she knew. Light didn't know who her father was, either. She just assumed he had been a rogue too. Then her mother had disappeared one day when she was off hunting, when Light had been very small. She barely even remembered what her mother looked like- she just knew her name.

Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she hopped cautiously to the porch of the housefolk's next. A bowl holding slices of meat and another bowl full of milk had been laid there, as she expected. Light also didn't want to live full time with the housefolk because she had heard common gossip that housefolk did this all the time- they took in a stray kitten like herself, first feeding them good food to lure them in, then gave them slop that looked like rabbit droppings and a dish of bad tasting water as soon as the kitten moved in.

Well, except Nellie. Nellie was a beautiful she-cat with thick brown tabby fur and shining blue eyes. It hurt Light's eyes just to look at Nellie, she was so pretty. Nellie showed all around the country, and her housefolk gave her all kinds of fancy food and even cream. Mmm, thought Light, I could sure use some cream. She had only tasted cream once, when Nellie had invited her over to play and let Light share her lunch.

Light was once again snapped out of her thoughts. "Hey you, kittypet," croaked a hoarse voice. She spun around and found herself staring at a tomcat. He was so disheveled, she couldn't even see his real fur color underneath the mud and grime. Even his eyes seemed dirty- a dull green color.

"Hey you," he rasped again, "wudja mind tellin' me where immat?"

It took Light a second to figure out what he just said. "You're on Timothy Street, house number 103," she mewed, flicking her tail at the sign posted on the house.

The tom narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Nevah mind, you're just another useless kittypet," he muttered, and turned around. "Nice meetin' ya, kitty."

She stared at him, and then meowed, "Wait! What do you mean? What's a kittypet?"

He turned his head back to her. "A kittypet is a cat like yuhself," he growled, "and they're pretty useless, far as I'm coh-cehned. Now can ya tell me where I'm at? Where's da river?"

She blinked in surprise. "You're looking for the river?" she meowed curiously.

"Dead righ', kittypet! Ya know where it is?" he hissed impatiently.

Light nodded quickly. "I'll take you to it right now," she said quickly, and leapt up onto the garden fence. "Follow me!"

The tomcat leapt down after her as she bounced onto the grass outside the garden, and then bounded easily after her, while she tried to run as fast as she could. In a matter of minutes, the unlikely pair had arrived at the river, right next to the tree where Light slept every night. The tom stared around, and his face broke into a wide grin. "Thanks, kitty," he meowed, "I see you ain't got fuzz fer brains, which is more'n most pussies 'round here have. Thanks fer bringin' me here." He turned to walk away.

"Hold on a minute!" cried Light. "I brought you here, and you should at least give me the courtesy of answering a couple of questions!"

The tom turned around again. "Ya've got spirit fer a kittypet," he muttered, then straightened up. "A'right, then, pussie, gimme your questions."

"Well, first you need to know a fact about me! I'm not a kittypet, I'm a loner!" she mewed bravely.

The tom shrugged. "Mighty small to be a loner, ain't ya?" he said, "It's a harsh world, livin' by yerself. I see that ya already eat kittypet slop. Can't take care of yerself."

Light bristled slightly, but realized that he was speaking the truth. "Well, why did you want to know where the river was?" she meowed, changing the topic.

He looked carefully at her. "I don' think no kitty like yerself would believe me if I told ya," he meowed rather wearily, "and I don' want to be gossiped about by yung kits."

She stared at him. "I won't make fun of you," she promised, "I want to know."

The tom shrugged again. "A'right then, but first I need to sit down. My bones'r killin' me."

Light led him down to the shore of the river, where there was a clump of green moss. "You can lie here," she mewed respectfully.

Without another word, he stretched out and sat down. "A'right, kitty, my voice's weak, so ya have to sit too. Don' worry, I don' bite," he added, and chuckled. Light shrugged and sat down next to him.

"So where ta bergin…" he murmured, then sat up straight again. "Well, here's as good a place to start as any…"

Author's Note: Ooh... did you like it? Let me know! Lightkit has finally met this mysterious loner, and now we get to learn about why he wants to see where the river is. Predictions? Let me know! Every reviewer gets a Lightkit plushie (to use the words of Dreamsong)!