Chapter 2

Tigerkit was set down by the cream cat Daisy on the soft ground next to the cat who he learned was Bumblestripe. Dapplefire sat next to him, sniffing each of her kits to make sure they're okay. Daisy, Whitewing, and Squirrelflight padded up a tumble of rocks that led to a ledge, which he noticed had a hole in the back. It must be the leaders den! He realized. He suddenly wanted to be an apprentice, to live the life he could only dream of in a Clan.

Tigerkit blinked rapidly as he looked around the large hollow. There are so many cats! He thought eagerly. The cats were all happy, he realized. Some stretched out in the warm sun, while other talked and played. There were kits, too, he thought cheerfully.

He glanced up at his mother, eyes wide. She looked down at him and sighed, shaking her head. Dapplefire lowered her face towards Tigerkit, and whispered, "I know you're excited, but not now. We have to meet the Clan leader. If he says that we can stay, then yes, you can play with the others." Tigerkit nodded quickly, excited to see the leader of this Clan. Surely it must be hard to control this many cats? Have any gone against him? His mother stood as the dark ginger she-cat, Squirrelflight, nodded her head towards her, a sign that she wished to speak with her. Or maybe Dapplefire's meeting the leader? He watched in silence as he mother padded away, and his sibling all moved closer to him, seeking comfort in the strange place. Tigerkit noticed how his youngest sibling, Specklekit, was looking excited too. He realized that she was feeling the same way he was, determined to live in this Clan and be the best he could be.

Then it got very quiet, the happy purrs and meows fell silent as the Clan noticed the newcomers. Tigerkit realized that if he was going to be accepted as a member of this Clan, then he'll have to work hard to earn the trust of these cats. Which probably wouldn't be easy, he thought with a sigh. Judging by the looks of distrust and some threatening growls, he guessed they'd had many cats betray them before. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey, join beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!" A loud, powerful meow reached his ears, and he looked up at a dark brown tabby standing at the edge of a small cliff that grew out from the side of the hollow. He had broad shoulders and long, curved claws, along with amber eyes that made him look both friendly and welcoming, and terrifyingly powerful at the same time.

The tabby's eyes swept over the crowd of cats, eyes glowing with pride, and finally, they landed on him. Their eyes locked, and the cat's eyes glowed with something else he couldn't quite name. Tigerkit met his gaze, and he knew that his eagerness and determination probably shown in his eyes. When he turned his head away, he noticed that the tom's eyes also seemed to study Specklekit.

He suddenly felt very protective of his younger sister. He glared at the tom, who noticed this and understanding flickered in his eyes. Or at least what Tigerkit both thought and hoped was understanding and not the urge to kill Specklekit in front of him. The large tabby flicked his tail, and Dapplefire came out with that ginger cat. The tabby then began to speak.

"ThunderClan," He started, "I'm sure you've all noticed the newcomers, and I can assure you that they are not here to bring any harm." He glanced towards Tigerkit's mother. "Would you like to introduce your family?" She nodded her head, standing to speak.

"I am Dapplefire." She paused, taking a breath. "And next to Bumblestripe are my kits. Tigerkit, Specklekit, Flamekit, and Brightkit." Tigerkit noticed that the gathered cats looked confused, and he understood why. His mother gave them Clan names, even though they never belonged in Clans. A white tom with long fur spoke up, "Why do you have Clan names?" He asked. "You're rogues, aren't you?" Dapplefire sighed. "I used to be in a Clan myself." She announced. "SkyClan." Tigerkit heard small gasps of surprise from ThunderClan.

Dapplefire continued as if nobody had made a sound. "I realize my mistake in giving my own kits a Clan name. They would never earn a warrior name, or even train as an apprentice." The white tom spoke again. "Bramblestar, why are you letting them come here? They'll probably tell SkyClan, and they'd invade us!" The leader, who Tigerkit guessed was Bramblestar, growled. "SkyClan was put together by Firestar, Cloudtail, in case you forgot. They would never touch ThunderClan. It would be like as if you attacked your own mother! And plus, they live very, very far from here. Back in the old forest. They wouldn't travel from there to here just so they could attack us!" Bramblestar sounded very irritated. Tigerkit realized that the tom must be very tired. Now that he thought about it, the tabby did seem to look incredibly worn out and stressed. The kit frowned. Being leader must not be as fun as he had first thought.

The white tom, Cloudtail, hissed, obviously frustrated. Bramblestar sighed. "These cats need a home, and I would be more than willing to accept them. Dapplefire," He turned to Tigerkit's mother again, "Do you wish to join us?" She hesitated. Tigerkit could tell that she was remembering her time as a SkyClan cat.

After a moment of silence, she nodded slowly. "Yes, Bramblestar. I wish to join ThunderClan." Tigerkit saw the tom instantly perk up. "Great. How old are your kits?" Dapplefire shrugged. "Five moons, I believe. It has been hard to keep track." Bramblestar nodded. "You will stay for a moon, and within that time, if you wish to leave, no one will stop you." He paused, taking a short breath. "But if you stay for more than that, your kits will become apprentices and, if you wish, you may become a warrior." He finished. Tigerkit noticed that he seemed to be studying Dapplefire, looking as though he could see her thoughts and ever memory. What if he could? Was that the special thing leaders got? Tigerkit remembered his mother telling him and his siblings about how a leader would speak to their ancestors and be given a special power. What if mind reading was that power?

Tigerkit shook the thoughts out of his head. Of course not! Not even ancient cats could give away such a power! But… What if they could? Tigerkit sighed. He would only know if he became leader, and he knew very well that that would never happen.

A voice broke him out of his thoughts. "Yes, Bramblestar. I accept, and will join ThunderClan."