Chapter 2: The Lost Loner
The three cats crashed through the trees, Darkpaw veering around wildly, his nose leading him towards the direction of the lake. Fawnfur and Spidersilk ran after him, their curiosity aroused. Fawnfur lifted her head as she ran, smelling the air. The scent of the other cat was definitely getting stronger as they ran on; Darkpaw was a good tracker.
"Stop," suddenly hissed Spidersilk, skidding to a halt.
Fawnfur and Darkpaw immediately stopped as well and glanced questioningly at Spidersilk.
"Look ahead," he mouthed.
Fawnfur instinctively dropped low to the ground and peered forward, her eyes large and apprehensive.
Sitting on the roots of a huge tree by the lake was a gray tabby cat, his yellow eyes spinning around in panic, his thick, bushy tail swishing back and forth. The tabby looked confused and worried: he was perched on the edge of the thickest root and was clearly excreting an undeniable fear-scent.
"Looks like we found our mystery cat," muttered Spidersilk.
"Should we attack him?" asked Darkpaw, gazing up at his mentor.
"No," Fawnfur cut in before Spidersilk could answer. "He's probably a lost kittypet."
"Doesn't look like a kittypet. He's scrawny, I can see his ribs," Spidersilk observed.
Fawnfur's eyes darted back to the cat. Spidersilk was right; he was thin and had a look of malnourishment about him.
"Maybe we should talk to him," suggested Darkpaw.
Fawnfur beamed at the apprentice. "Good idea."
"No, not good idea," contradicted Spidersilk. "Do you want him to claw our ears off?"
"Oh come on Spidersilk. He's not going to hurt us. Anyway it's three against one. We'll be fine," reassured Fawnfur.
Spidersilk sighed heavily and grunted noncommittally.
Fawnfur gave him an indulgent smile and then walked out from the shelter of the trees.
"Hi there!" Fawnfur said kindly, flicking her tail at the tabby cat.
The gray tom looked up, startled, and turned his wide, terrified golden eyes upon Fawnfur. As he took in her appearance, he seemed to calm down a little; the she-cat was well groomed and didn't look threatening. But then Spidersilk and Darkpaw stepped out from the shadows, their dusky, ragged pelts puffed up defensively and their eyes gleaming dangerously. The tom instantly was on his feet, his fur stood up and his claws slid out from his paws as he began to hiss at the other cats. Spidersilk leapt in front of Fawnfur and unsheathed his own claws.
"Wait! Stop, both of you," cried Fawnfur, pushing Spidersilk out of her way.
She crossed the forest floor and approached the hissing tomcat.
"We're not here to hurt you. Tell me your name," Fawnfur said consolingly.
The gray tom glared at her suspiciously.
"My name is Gusty," the gray tom spat. "Now tell me your names."
"I'm Fawnfur. This is my mate, Spidersilk and his apprentice Darkpaw."
Gusty glanced swiftly at Spidersilk and Darkpaw and then turned his attention back to Fawnfur.
"So you're those wild cats who live in the forest right?" he asked.
"Yes, you could call us that," Fawnfur said indifferently. "Where do you come from? You look lost."
"I don't come from anywhere; I live by myself. I sleep and hunt where I please," Gusty said, looking affronted. "And I'm certainly not lost."
"So then why did you look so frightened?" taunted Spidersilk.
"I wasn't scared!" snarled Gusty. "I was…nervous. I smelled strange cats all over the place. Some other cats like you chased me off a hill I was sleeping on earlier today. They said I stole their food. Can you imagine that? Their food? Greedy fools."
"WindClan must have met him," whispered Darkpaw from behind Fawnfur.
"Okay listen Gusty, we've fought for and protected this land for ages and ages. ThunderClan lives here now. You can't just walk in here and eat prey. We need that fresh-kill to feed our Clan. Dozens of cats live in our camp. Keep moving and we won't hurt you," Spidersilk said.
Gusty growled angrily.
"Please don't bother fighting us," Fawnfur said cheerfully, "we're all trained to defend our Clan and we greatly outnumber you."
"Just keep heading north, the Clan cat's territory ends soon," Darkpaw advised.
"You can't tell me what to do!" screeched Gusty.
"Actually, we can," Spidersilk hissed.
"Spidersilk, please," Fawnfur said quietly. Spidersilk ceased his growling. Fawnfur looked at Gusty. The loner was wiry and tough-looking but there was no way he could take on the three of them. At the same time, she felt bad for the other tom.
"Are you sure there's no family for you?" she asked.
Gusty looked bemusedly at Fawnfur, his expression softening a little at the she-cat's tone of voice.
"No. My mother stayed with me until I was three moons old and then she left. I never knew my father and I had no siblings."
Fawnfur felt an unexpected pang of pity.
"I'm sorry. If it's any help, I never knew my parents either," Fawnfur said softly.
Spidersilk and Darkpaw stared at Fawnfur, stunned. She had never talked about her parents, or lack there of. She had always seemed self-assured and worry-free when an elder retold her tale of abandonment.
"I thought you were a - what did you call it? - ThunderClan cat?" Gusty said.
Fawnfur shook her head.
"I am now. But I wasn't born here. My parents apparently left me in front of the camp entrance, in hope that ThunderClan would take me in. They did, as it turned out. The only thing I know about my mother is that she was white and her name was Icy. My father shouted her name as he ran away. He had an orange pelt. Bramblespot, an elder in our Clan, saw my parents abandon me." Fawnfur was speaking in a dreamy way now, her eyes half gazed over as she whispered. "My mother told him to take good care of me and then she ran off with her mate, the orange tom, my father. I don't even know if they're rogues or loners or kittypets."
Spidersilk shifted his weight uncomfortably; his ears were twitching with unhappiness. Darkpaw looked uncertain, as if he wasn't sure he should be hearing this.
"I-I'm sorry," Gusty stammered. He looked as confused and bewildered as Spidersilk.
"Did you ever meet a white she-cat named Icy?" suddenly asked Fawnfur, her eyes brightening.
"No," murmured Gusty.
"What about a pale orange tom?"
"No."
Fawnfur's face fell, her tail drooped.
"Fawnfur? Are you…okay?" Spidersilk inquired, stepping forward to her side.
The tan she-cat instantly snapped her head up and shook her fur quickly. Her hazy eyes cleared up, the dream-like state she was in was gone.
"I'm fine," she snapped uncharacteristically. "Gusty, please move on. Like Darkpaw said, keep going north and you'll be out of the Clan's way."
Gusty looked surprised but nodded. His hostility seemed to have vanished after Fawnfur's explanation about her abandonment.
"I won't trouble you again," the gray tom said, looking straight into Spidersilk's eyes.
But the black warrior wasn't watching Gusty, he was staring, concerned, at Fawnfur.
"Good," Darkpaw said, his voice high-pitched as he attempted to act dominant.
Gusty bowed his head towards Fawnfur and then spun around, dodged the three Clan cats, and raced off through the trees.
"Darkpaw, follow him. Make sure he leaves ThunderClan. Don't be seen. Meet us back at camp," Spidersilk ordered, still not taking his eyes off of Fawnfur.
Darkpaw dipped his head to his mentor and then dashed off after Gusty.
Fawnfur, her heart pounding with an indescribable emotion, stared vacantly out at the lake, her thoughts fixed on the unfamiliar white cat named Icy who had left her willingly.
