Chapter 2

Bat paused, testing the air, ears pricked. She had now left the busy city she was used to and entered a quiet village. Her paws were sore from walking so far and her belly ached from hunger, yet she knew that she must go on.

Bat took a deep breath and pushed off the pain which was clawing at her stomach from the inside. "I have to stay strong," she muttered, her voice determined.

Surrounding her were longfoot dens with big gardens, and small green fields with white furry animals, resembling blundering white clouds with legs. It was more grass than Bat had ever seen, and she thought she must be close to the forest.

Bat tried to avoid the white creatures, afraid of them, but when she realized that they were very docile, she ignored them.

As she stopped she saw that in front of her was a hard black road, which she referred to as the "smokepath", a vile and smoky scent flooding off of it. It carried smokemakers, which were metal monsters that held longfoots in their bellies. She knew she would have to cross it to carry on with her journey, and a fear scent was already curdling in her stomach.

Bat had already crossed many on her way here, though she preferred to stay near the edges and in alleys, but every time they were still frightening. An occasional big black smokemaker roared by, making Bat's eyes water and her nose sting at the acrid stench.

Taking a few deep breaths, Bat prepared herself to cross. She waited for just the right moment, and then darted across the road, barely missing a new smokemaker by only a few mousetails. Once safely on the other side, Bat dropped to the ground and rested, her breath coming in gasping nervous pants, very relieved that that was over and done.

"You new around here?" came a voice. Bat whirled around, ready to defend herself or attack. But in front of her, on a fence, was a young sleek black and white she-cat with a collar, that Bat knew identified her as a house cat, who looked quite friendly and gentle.

Bat looked at her in surprise. Most cats who lived with Longfoots were chubby and lazy but this one was well fed, and Bat could also see the hard muscles under her fur. She must hunt for herself, but who taught her?

"I'm Joy, er Joypaw, but my owners call me Lola," the she-cat mewed, introducing herself. "What happened to your owners? Doesn't look like they are taking very good care of you." While Joypaw asked this, she glanced at Batpaw's fur where her ribs showed.

"My owners?" mewed Bat puzzled, jerking herself out of her notions.

"You know, people. The things that stand on two legs and don't have fur."

"Oh! You mean longfoots," mewed Bat, understanding yet still bewildered at the strange words she used. "I'm a stray but some longfoots used to feed me until they left. Do you hunt for yourself?"

Joypaw nodded. "I don't really like the food that my owners give me."

Bat looked at the she-cat, slowly taking in every detail. She can probably hunt better then me, she thought, quite shocked at this idea. "Who taught you?" asked Bat, trying not to show her vast curiosity, as Joypaw might take it as nosiness. "I didn't think that most house cats knew how."

"My mother." Joypaw didn't say anything else, implying that she wanted the discussion to be closed.

"Was your mother a house cat?" mewed Bat quizzically, ignoring the warning, or just not hearing the sharp tone in her new friend's voice.

"No, she wasn't." Joypaw lowered her eyes.

"Than was she a stray?"

"Er, not exactly." Joypaw looked down at the ground, avoiding Bat's stare. "Her name was Minnow-something. I forget."

Bat nodded slowly, and although her best instincts were telling her not to ask anymore questions, her curiosity about this house cat was too much. Joypaw was just so different for any other house cats she had ever met or heard of from her mother. Bat raised her eyes and asked, "Did you have any siblings?"

"Yes, I had three. One died at birth, one was killed when he was fighting, and one survived."

"That's awful!" Bat gasped, her golden eyes stretched wide with horror. "What were their names?"

Joypaw looked like he was going to choke as she said, "I don't remember." Then she looked up, and Bat got her first real look of Joypaw's eyes. They were a brilliant color of sky blue with specks of indigo that seemed to blaze with light.

"Wow," Bat whispered, awestruck. "Your eyes are amazing They're so- so!" She paused, trying to find the right word that would describe such beauty. "They're so full of life," she murmured, gazing into the Joypaw's warm and sparkling eyes.

Joypaw beamed, her mind taken off of her dead and surviving siblings. "Thanks! I get that a lot, what with my eyes being so, um dazzling " she explained.

Bat smiled. "Me to. Cats always say how my eyes look like honey on fire."

"Well, then we have something in common," Joypaw mewed, and Bat felt a warm feeling well up inside of her, like sweet, not fiery, honey was being dribbled right into her heart.

Bat looked at Joypaw happily and asked, "Maybe you can help me. I'm looking for the forest."

"The forest!" Joypaw mewed, eyes widening, and all the happiness and ease from before disappearing. "It's around here somewhere, but you don't want to go in there." Joypaw's voice dripped with warning and uneasiness. "Its not safe!"

"Well, I think I can handle myself," Bat mewed defensively, annoyed that the she-cat thought so little of her. When she looked up, Joypaw was shaking her head sadly; her eyes a bit glassy and mournful, with a faraway look in them.

Bat was cracked out of her thoughts when a loud threatening bark exploded through the air. All of her fur stood on end, and she spun around. Charging towards her was the biggest dogs she had ever seen! Out of the corner of her eye she saw Joypaw dive off the fence and into a longfoot garden, with a cry at Bat to do the same.

Bat turned ready to follow the house cat, but her fear stopped her. She had never been in a longfoot garden, and from her mother's description of longfoots she didn't want to.

Bat let out a frightened yowl and pelted away from the dog, choosing to run instead of taking her chances and jumping into the garden, but the dog was already gaining and fast. The wind whistled through her fur as she raced away from the dog, fear coming off of her in great big clouds. Just then, the dog's claws came out of nowhere going for her face.

"Oh no you don't!" Bat snarled, dodging him. Suddenly she tripped, and fell face first into the dirt. When she rolled over she saw the dog standing over her. She could see every ugly detail of it's face. Long strands of drool hung off a lolling tongue, and it's eyes were contorted with rage. Raising its paw to deliver a fatal blow gave it a very frightening image when-

"Harley!" The dog's head jerked upward. "Harley!" the longfoot called again. The dog turned his head and then looked reluctantly back at his catch. There was a loud crashing as a female longfoot lumbered into view, her pudgy eyes narrowed furiously. She grabbed the dog by the collar and dragged him into her longfoot den without even seeing the cat who crouched, hidden among the leaves.

Bat let out a sigh of relief and turned around to look at where she was. She had run so fast she hadn't noticed where she was running. Bat was surrounded by trees, bright golden sunshine and vibrant green leaves. Happiness soared through Bat as she realized that she had reached the end of her trip, that she lay in her destination after having been attacked by a dog. She was in the forest!

It was everything she had dreamed of. The trees were a lush and green and there was a rich scent of prey in the air. Birds sang and warmth seemed flood into her. Moss, leaves, soft pine needles, grass, and soil carpeted the ground where she stepped.

She scented the air and dropped into a crouch as she pinpointed a mouse. She slithered forward, feeling as if the mouse was running into her paws without knowing it. Bat heard paw steps but she ignored them and continued to stalk the mouse, shutting out everything else. In one graceful leap Bat landed on the mouse, killing it, and sinking her teeth into it.

Cracks vibrated from the underbrush and she whirled around. Nothing. Bat's eyes scanned the trees but when she caught no movement, when back to eating. Suddenly, she saw a flash of orange in the trees, and she whirled around.

Bat's golden eyes scanned the underbrush around her, but she caught no more movement. She shuddered, remembering what Joypaw had said about these woods not being safe, but she managed to push that thought out of her mind. A branch cracked behind her, and this time Bat turned around in time.

Her eyes widened as she saw a small skinny cat standing before her. It was another she-cat about seven moons, possibly older. She had a bright, fiery orange pelt, snowy white paws and a white chest. Her tail also had light rings of white on it, like a raccoon's. Bat's eyes widened at the site of the she-cat's beautiful blazing blue eyes that sparkled in the light of the sun. Something nagged in the back of Bat's mind, seeing those eyes, and she tried to capture it, but it pranced out of her reach, teasing her.

Bat felt fear begin to banish all thoughts and crowd her mind. She stepped back, her eyes wide with terror but yowled with pain as she felt a thorn pierce her paw. Pain seared through her feet, and a whimper escaped her mouth.

"Hi there," the she-cat said cheerfully, completely oblivious of the fact that Bat was trying to stop herself from crying out in pain. "What's your name? Mine's Tansypaw and I'm training to be a Thunderclan warrior." Tansypaw opened her mouth to continue, then seeing Bats scared expression she mewed, "Don't worry I won't hurt you. Thunderclan cats are nice. Anyway, that cut from the thorn is almost gone, it looks like it didn't go that deep."

Bat looked down at her paw and saw that Tansypaw was right. The scratch was barely visible, it had mostly been the shock that had pained her.

"It's a good thing that you didn't go on Shadowclan territory," Tansypaw continued. "Boy, would they have given you a beating. What's your name?" she asked again.

"My name's Bat," Bat answered cautiously still not sure if she should flee. She had no idea what Tansypaw or whatever her name was, was talking about, being from Thunderclan and all. The she-cat's obsessive talking was causing to be massively bewildered and she could hardly get any words in herself.

"Bat, that's a weird name, you're a cat not a bat."

"Well, you're not a tansy, whatever that is," mewed Bat indignantly.

"It's an herb," the she-cat purred.

Batpaw stared at her unsure of what to say and then asked curiously, "Are you a- a wild cat?"

"A wild cat? Is that anything like a rogue? Because if it is than I'm not, I'm a clan cat," she announced proudly.

The two's confusing conversation was interrupted as they heard the sound of approaching pawsteps, padding through the underbrush.

Tansypaw's eyes flashed with horror at the sound and she scrambled to her paws. "Quick hide," she hissed, yet it was too late, because just then four cats strode into the clearing.

The cat leading them was a slender yet muscular long haired tortoiseshell she-cat. The cat next to her was a black tom with piercing green eyes and a cold stare. A smaller cat stared at her with enthusiasm. She was an orange she-cat with a white chest and bright amber eyes. The last cat was a beautiful light brown she-cat with gentle brown eyes.

"That's Eaglewing, our deputy," Tansypaw whispered, flicking her ears toward the tortoiseshell she-cat, her eyes blinking nervously.

"What is going on here, Tansypaw?" Eaglewing demanded.

"It appears that Tansypaw has made friends with a kittypet," said the black cat, glancing coldly at Tansypaw, his words drawing out as if they were little kits who couldn't understand him.

"She's only a kit Nightclaw," the light brown she-cat mewed, gently. "Besides, she doesn't have a collar, so she's a loner."

I'm not a loner, thought Bat, but I am alone. I wonder what a loner is?

"That doesn't mean that she's allowed on our territory, and you know it Cherryblossom," Eaglewing replied sharply, not answering Bat's unspoken questions.

"She's a very good hunter," Tansypaw piped up, trying to calm the bickering. "I was watching her."

"Well Starpaw could use some practice, so why don't we see if she can fight as well as hunt? Go on Starpaw." Nightclaw said all this while pushing the orange and white she-cat forward, who glowered at him, all of her perkiness disappearing.

"Nightclaw!" Eaglewing said, glaring at him. "That's enough, she is only a kit. Besides, Starpaw isn't even your apprentice."

Nightclaw scowled back at the deputy but did not argue.

"Eaglewing," said Cherryblossom softly, after the fighting had stopped. "You know Thunderclan is short of apprentices at the moment. If Tansypaw said she is a good hunter, she might do as a clan cat." Eaglewing was silent, but Nightclaw let out a hiss of rage.

"Let a loner join Thunderclan," he spat, glaring at Cherryblossom. "Have you got bees in your brain? She doesn't have clan blood!"

"But Cherryblossom does have a point, Nightclaw," Eaglewing said calmly. "Once Lynxpaw becomes a warrior, we'll only have three apprentices. Gaining a skilled cat as young as her would be good for Thunderclan."

Nightclaw's face was contorted with anger but he bowed his head to hide it.

Bat shook her head in confusion at all of these strange and unfamiliar names, her mind in turmoil. Her head spun at the long list but she was determined to show them that she wasn't just a weak kit, as the black tom probably thought.

Eaglewing turned toward Bat. "What's your name?" she asked gently.

"I'm Bat," Bat mewed, staring into the she-cat's amber eyes.

"Where do you live, Bat?"

"I don't have a home," whispered Bat, sadness spilling into her voice. "My mother died so now I don't have anyone."

Eaglewing's eyes were full of sympathy as she mewed, "Would you like to come with us? You can live in the forest with us. It's a good life, I think that you would like it."

'Go on Bat, go on.'

Bat nearly gasped, but she shut her mouth just in time. Mother, she thought, Mother is that you?

'Go on Bat. Go with these cats. You can trust them. They will care for you just like one of them cared for me'

Mother, Bat thought desperately, Mother, where are you?

But no answer came.

"Come," Eaglewing said flicking her tail at Bat. "We will see what Duskstar has to say." They turned and started to leave. Bat hesitated wondering if she should follow them. They all seemed nice enough, all except for that black tom.

"I will go with them, Mother," Bat whispered softly and followed the group of cats and her destiny into the trees.