Not much to say here, so, hope you guys enjoy this chapter and all criticism is welcomed.


The warm scent of fresh kill drifted around the nearby trees. Dirt flew through the air as Cedar dug a small hole in the ground. Stashing his recently caught mouse, he buried it and sat up, enjoying the serene grove. The sun was high up in the sky by this time, with plenty of birds and other creatures roaming about in search of food. A few days had passed since he had arrived here, and he was starting to settle in well. He had found a decent place to make a den in a copse towards the middle of the twoleg place. A few kittypets had stopped to greet him as they spotted the newcomer.

Not far from the edge of the twoleg place was where he currently spent his time to hunt. Ignoring his eerie warning a few days ago, he decided the forest here was the best place to find prey. Why should I avoid a place like this? There's prey everywhere! He thought as he scented the air again and made out the overwhelming smell of prey all around him. Picking up a fresh squirrel trail, he dropped to a crouch and slowly made his way towards it. As he closed the distance between his prey, he checked to make sure he was downwind of his quarry. Catching sight of the plump squirrel, he managed to get a couple tail-lengths from it. While he was preparing to leap, the squirrel's head shot up and after a look around, it took off. Letting out a hiss of annoyance, Cedar gave chase. The squirrel began to climb up a nearby tree. Giving one last leap, he managed to snag his claws into it's tail. Dragging it back to the ground, he quickly killed it with a bite to it's throat. Satisfied with the prey he had caught, he retraced his steps to gather his earlier mouse before heading off towards Dove's home.


With a gasp of shock, Cedar awoke with a start. Taking a quick glance around, the tom could sense that everything was safe. With his fur still bristling, he pushed himself up into a sitting position. Must've been a bad dream, he thought as he tried to remember what he had been dreaming. After a moment of concentration he shook his head, not being able to recall any specific details. It wasn't long since he had visited Dove the afternoon before. He had brought her some freshkill and with some convincing, managed to get her to try some. They had talked most of the day about this and that, although he didn't tell her about what had happened with Daisy. Giving his pelt a quick washing, his fur lying flat again, he jumped out of his den.

He had set up his home in a hole located a bit above the base of a tree. Inside was some moss for bedding and a couple herbs which he had learned about on his travels. Turning away from the den, he realized it wasn't even dawn yet. He knew he should probably try to get some more rest, but his paws decided otherwise, leading him towards the edge of the forest. He was partly surprised he ended up here. Staring up from where he stood, he could see the stars shining brightly over the towering trees. The scents of the night forest surrounded him and he felt relaxed. Taking a few pawsteps, Cedar started to make his way into the trees. Taking a deep breath in, he could smell the plants all around him and the tempting scents of prey.

After a bit of walking, his thoughts began to wander. Not paying much attention to where he was going, he caught his paw on a root and stumbled before slamming his head straight into a tree. "Mousedung!" He hissed under his breath as he shook his head. Standing back up, he took a look around him. It had felt like he had been walking only a moment, but in reality he had been walking for a while. I couldn't have gone that far, could I? Knowing that he should be heading back, Cedar padded back to the root he had tripped on, and started off on his walk. This time he was paying much more attention as to where he stepped.

Rustling in the undergrowth nearby made him stop and scent the air. Opening his jaws, he couldn't make out anything that was out of the usual. Picking up his pace, Cedar continued on his way. The snap of a twig sounded behind him. He cast a glance over his shoulder, worry starting to prick at his pelt. Being met with nothing once again, he continued on. Daisy's earlier warning rang through his head, making his panic start to grow. Another sound to the side of him, another in the back, and at this point he was nearly running through the trees, jumping at every little sound. Not far in front of him was a sharp drop off with a river below. Hearing sounds from what seemed like everywhere, he turned around to face the bushes, unsheathing his claws and letting out a growl, hoping to scare off whatever was lurking there.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" He growled, his voice shaking with fear. The sounds died away abruptly and the only movement he could see was a small bush shaking. Ready to have something lunge out at him, he was surprised to see what did come out. Embarrassment flooded through him as he spotted a mouse sprint out of the bush and run down a nearby hole in the ground. Really? Scared by a mouse? He gave his chest fur a quick lick before letting out a slight chuckle. Relaxing once again, he prepared to start walking again.

Suddenly a weight slammed into his side, sending him sprawling to the ground. He let out a yowl of surprise as a large cat pinned him to the ground. Twisting and turning, Cedar tried unsuccessfully to shake off his attacker. He tried to push himself back on his paws, but the cat was weighing him down, pressing his muzzle into the dirt. During his struggle to get free, he noticed multiple other cats slipping out of the undergrowth around them. "Get off!" He growled, fear and panic edging his mew.

Sharp claws pricked at his neck fur and Cedar stopped struggling, turning his head as best he could to face the cat on top of him. "You're trespassing on our territory!" The tom hissed threateningly in his ear. Trying to stop his rising panic, he wondered what his options were. Maybe if I could unbalance him, I might be able to make a break for it.

"What should we do with him?" The tom pinning him down asked as he turned to face the others. "Should we chase him off?"

"No. Not with everything that's been happening lately. Seedstar will want to see him. She'll decide what happens." Meowed a she-cat who stood nearby, watching them. Flicking with her tail in a direction, she continued, "Harestreak, Elmpaw, carry on with… Oh mousedung!" She broke off as Cedar gave a hard shove upwards, knocking the cat off of him.

Scrambling to his paws, he darted off into the trees, hearing the sounds of pursuit hard on his paws. He made his way through the forest, barely keeping out of range of the pursuing cats. Jumping a small stream, he continued onwards. As he rounded a tree, he came to an abrupt halt as he spotted another cat not far in front of him. At the same time, the other cat spotted him and let out a yowl of alarm before charging towards him. Cedar braced himself as cats charged at him from both sides.

Finding himself once again planted on the ground, he let out a sigh of defeat. This time, he knew, there wasn't another chance of escape for him. Pawsteps sounded all around him as more cats appeared, trying to figure out what was going on. The sounds died off and the crowd backed off as one cat came up and spoke "What have we got here?"