Hello! My year end holidays start this Thursday, so I'll be able to update more! Hope you enjoy this chapter! )

Chapter 3

It was a bright sunny morning when Misty woke up. A perfect day for traveling. Morning mist still hung in the air, but birds were chirping merrily. She got up and shook the dew off her fur. Something didn't feel right. Then she realized what it was – Bluestar wasn't in her head to greet her. Strangely, Misty had become used to the she-cat's soothing voice in her head. I wonder where she is, Misty thought. She decided to continue on her journey.

The forest was quite peaceful, and Misty enjoyed the fresh air. It made her feel energized. After gulping down a mouse (her hunting skills had improved drastically), she padded on slowly. A rustling sound came from behind her. She stiffened and spun around, lightning quick. What was that? The bushes rustled again. Whatever it was, it seemed to be coming closer. Misty snarled softly and slowly backed away.

It finally showed itself. It was two mangy cats, with flea-bitten fur all over their bodies. They glared at her wickedly. Both of them were quit skinny, but they looked strong, and dangerous. One of them, the dark tabby, unsheathed his razor sharp claws and hissed fiercely at her.

"We don't want no strangers in our territory," he growled menacingly.

The other cat, a black pelted one, stared at Misty. She gulped nervously. They seemed to want to pick a fight with her! What should she do? And where was Bluestar when you needed her.

She stammered, "S-sorry, I didn't know."

The tabby sneered. "Look 'ere Wilco. She says she didn't know!" he imitated her tone. "Well, we don't care. You gotta be punished – by us."

Wilco snickered in delight, flexing his muscles. "Yeah. Look at her, Ralf. She's so weak."

They both rolled on the floor with laughter. Suddenly, Wilco sprang up. "Alrighty, time to get serious."

And he bounded towards Misty, claws outstretched, reaching for her throat. Misty dodged and began to think quickly. The odds were against her. There were two of them while there was only one of her. However, with some luck, she might be able to beat them. She dashed towards Wilco but suddenly veered to the left and gave the unsuspecting Ralf a sharp nip on the ear, and at the same time, raked her claws down his flank. Ralf let out a piercing howl and tried to scratch her. He managed to grab hold of her left leg. Misty winced in pain and shook him off.

Wilco dashed straight towards her but Misty nimbly sidestepped him and bit him on the ear. He hissed angrily and spun around, catching hold of her tail. Her tail felt like it was going to be pulled off soon but Misty struggled to grab hold of his head. She delivered a hard bite to the base of his neck, which wasn't hard enough to kill him. Wilco let out a loud screech and fled into the forest. With Wilco gone, Ralf looked uncertain, but he swiped at Misty, leaving her with a deep scratch just below her eye. Misty snarled at him and jumped onto his back and hung on with her claws for dear life. The pain was probably too much even for Ralf, and he gave a loud yowl and also fled into the forest.

Misty sank down onto the grass, glad that the fight was over. How in the world had she managed to defeat the two of them? She had no idea. Blood flowed profusely from the scratch on her face. It hurt badly.

"Well done." Bluestar's voice suddenly echoed in her head.

"Well done? Where in the world were you?! I could have died just now!" Misty almost screeched in exasperation.

However, Bluestar sounded pleased. "Ah, but you didn't. In fact, you're quite a good fighter, if I do say so myself. You'll do well in future battles."

Although Misty felt very angry and irritated with Bluestar, she could not help but feel a twinge of happiness. Bluestar had just praised her for fighting well! She tried not to let it show on her face, even though Bluestar wouldn't be able to see her expression anyway.

"Well," she meowed grumpily, "my wounds hurt. Isn't there anything you can do to make them better?"

Bluestar laughed in amusement. "I'm not some kind of magic cat. However, you can go look for some cobwebs to put on your wounds. They will heal soon."

Misty padded into the forest to look for them. She felt so happy. She had just earned her first battle scars!