Sunny hardly understood anything from that point out. All he clearly understood was that this cat attacking him was definitely not Clover, and that whoever she was, she was one of the best fighters he had ever met.

Sunny caught in his vision the sight of a blood hound racing toward the fighting cats, and along with it came the sound of barking. The black cat on top of him froze in her tracks and then bolted for the forest. The only things she left behind her were the smell of a cat with a violent life, and a badly wounded Sunny.

"Sunny!" cried a familiar voice, but it was distant.

"Clover," he tried to whimper, but sound was distant, and light was distant, and all Sunny knew was shadows.



Sunny's head hurt, and it felt as though all of the scars on his back were just frozen bits of icy snow. It didn't hurt, like he remembered it should, but even that part of him just wanted to sleep.

"I think he's waking up," said a male's voice with a thick country accent (no, the cats don't know what they are, I'm just describing it in a way I can think of easily:p) This got Sunny sitting up quick, but his head was still dizzy, and he didn't argue when he felt paws on his flank, holding him down.

"Keep him that way," ordered o voice from somewhere beyond Sunny's mangled view point. "I need to finish." Sunny wasn't sure exactly what they meant, and he didn't want to subject himself to anything he didn't understand. Quick as a human city-creature, he darted out of the way of a massive paw, who spat curse words.

Sunny tried to see the area around himself, but his eyes were flaring up on him, and he couldn't see. Even if he could see, he was still slow for the massive gray blob that launched itself at him and held him down.

"Get Speckledstar," he ordered. "She needs to hold him down."

"Speckledstar isn't here; she's out with Blacknose looking for a new candidate. Willowpaw is, though. Would you like me to get her?"

"No," answered the large tom. "Clover, hold him down, make him stay still."

Sunny felt Clover's soft fur as she pressed her nuzzle closer to him. "Sunny, its okay. Grayflank isn't going to hurt you. We need to put ice on your scars." Sunny instantly understood everything and sat still as the gray tom (Grayflank?) finished.

"There," he asked the yellow pelted masculine in front of him. "Are you feeling better?" Sunny, whose eyes had been getting better by the minute sat up and stared at him.

"Yes, thank you. Are you Grayflank?" he asked, staring at the large, muscle consumed tom.

"Of course. Is there any other gray tom here?" he asked with obvious distrust in him.

"That's a weird name," he whispered.

"That's what I said," said the country accented tom behind him. Sunny jumped and whipped around to face the cat. "But, I remember Blizzardfoot, whose name was stranger, I think." This cat was an old, gray masculine with white around his muzzle.



"Who are you?"

"I'm Chrome," the masculine's eyes were glowing with amber affection. "Looks like you ran into some trouble with a Clan cat."

"A what?" asked Sunny, of course with no actual response.

"Grayflank, do you think its possible to go to Whitestar and tell her her cats are bothering the house cats?"

Grayflank stared at Chrome with big amber eyes and snorted, "Of course not. I'm not going to travel all the way to the outcast borders just to be attacked brutally by Rowanfoot and Thistlestar again. Not happening."

Chrome stared at Grayflank sadly before he turned his icy amber gaze to Sunny himself. "You're going to have to sleep at Clover's place tonight. We took you far into our territory, and you'll have to deal with that." Sunny nodded absently, then asked,

"Where did you take me?" Grayflank stared at Sunny as though he was deranged.

"We just told you where: in our territory." From that point on, no one answered his questions about what 'there territory' was, just where it was.

That was Clover, "Our territory is across the city and in the woods, sorta. My house is near by, I'm taking you there." Sunny nodded and followed her away from Grayflank and Chrome, who were arguing terribly.

"So," said Clover, turning her head to stare at him. "I met this cat the other day, he says he from a Clan."

"A Clan?" asked Sunny curiously.

"Yeah," Clover said, nodding. "Like a group of cats that live together and hunt. He says that their names are important."

"Like how?"

"Well, when you're young, you get the name, -kit. His sister's just happened to be Boulderkit. Then, when you're more than six months old, you get the name –paw. His sister's name is now Boulderpaw."

"Like Grayflank," he murmured. "I wonder is he was ever known as Graykit or Graypaw."

"Probably. He apparently lives with a cat who used to be a Clan cat." She stared at him with warm, amber eyes.

"So," asked Sunny. "When his sister moves up with the names, will she be known as Boulderflank?"

"No!" Clover shouted. "Well, possibly. It depends on what your name already is. Anyway, the name –kit represents the fact that you are a kit. The name –paw represents that you are an apprentice or trying to learn how to be a warrior or Medicine Cat."

"What represents a warrior?"

"Anything. Like: Grayflank, Speckledflower, Grasscloud. Those are a few that I know of. Anyhow, his name is Fiercepaw."

"So that means he's not a warrior yet? And what of Medicine cats?"

"Medicine Cats are the cats in a Clan that heal. His is Serrafang, and her apprentice is Robinpaw. He says that Robinpaw is older than he is and will be a Medicine Cat soon. He hopes to get his warrior name."

"Wow, well, who leads them?"

"Their leader. They get special names."



"Like…?"

"Like, well, his leader's name is Thistlestar."

"I don't see anything special about that."

"Well, haven't you noticed? No cat gets the name –star unless they're a leader and they have eleven lives!"

"What?!" Now Sunny was truly surprised. "How can a cat have eleven lives? The most I've ever heard was nine."

"Fiercepaw says he doesn't know. He says that they get them from their ancestors, and that Thistlestar only has so many left."

Sunny nodded. "So, what Clan is he in? What is the name?"

"HillClan is the Clan's name. There are three others: WaterClan, who swim; FireClan, who have the meadow; and StormClan, who have thick undergrowth and forest to protect them." She stared at him lovingly. "Only they're probably worse off in a forest than in the open, Fiercepaw says."

"What Clan do we live in?"

"CityClan. We are of the Clan of no cats, sorta. Cats live there, but are cared for by Humans and have no actual lives. I think he's a liar."

Sunny nodded his agreement.

"That's stupid. They don't know what they're talking about."

"No, no they don't. Sunny, here's my house."

Clover's house was small. Around it there was an area of thick, green grass and then surrounding it on all sides was thick undergrowth and forest. It was very pretty, or scary, and to Sunny it was both.

Clover led him into the house via a broken window and a dark hole. The inside was less scary than the outside, and it was scary all together.

Sunny led him to a soft cushiony couch and said, "Make yourself comfortable. My house folk aren't home, so you should be fine."

Sunny dipped his head in thanks as Clover, after making some dirt in another room, came and leapt up to sit next to him. Soon, both cats were curled around each other and Sunny, feeling her soft breathing and her fluffy fur, let a warm blackness.