Hey guys! I just wanted to say thanks for all those people who left reviews, and all who faved my story. It means a lot to me, with this being my first story :P

I know this chapter is really short, and I'm sorry. It just seemed like the perfect place to end it.

And just to add to the suspense that I'm sure will grow throughout this chapter, chapter 5 won't be up until Thursday at the earliest, maybe as late as Friday.

Sorry 'bout that. ;)


Lichenkit remembered falling asleep.

She remembered the sound of the river.

She remembered her soaking pelt.

She remembered being cold. Terribly cold.

She remembered a horrid stench.

She remembered a terrible, roaring noise, nothing like the gentle gurgle of home.

She remembered being tossed around.

She remembered a second noise, even more terrible. She remembered the desperate yowls of what seemed to be hundreds and hundreds of cats, and even more terrifying, the loud and shrill yips and howls of... dogs.

And now, Lichenkit was waking up.

It all came rushing back to her. Well, "all" is by far an overstatement, but to Lichenkit, it seemed all of that, and then some.

There were a bunch of really weird…. well, Lichenkit really didn't know what They were! They didn't even have fur, except for on their heads, and they had really big noses! They were huge! And weirdest of all, they stood on not four paws, but only two. Were they… Twolegs?! This was what a Twoleg looked like?

Twolegs were everywhere. There were hundreds upon hundreds of dogs, about the same amount of cats, and there was a horrid odor. It smelled rotten. Like crowfood!

It was almost too much for Lichenkit to handle. She didn't know where she was. Did she hit her head or something? What were these bars in front of her, separating her from the other cats, and thankfully also the dogs and Twolegs? Was she back home in Lillystep's den? Had she hit her head a rock?

Lichenkit opened her mouth, overwhelmed by the chaos around her. She murmured only one word. "River." Her tiny mew was barely a whisper.

When Lichenkit awoke once again, her mind was clearer. She now knew she was in some sort of a cage. There were more cats in cages beside her, above her… even below her!

She turned to the cat next to her. She looked nice, Lichenkit decided. That is, she didn't look particularly mean. Her fur was white, crisp, fluffy white, and it was littered with rather large bright ginger-red patches. Her eyes were a perfectly pretty blue. She was beautiful.

"Excuse me," Lichenkit dared to whisper.

The other cat's eyes seemed to glow. She was a kitten too, not much younger than Lichenkit. "Hi! You're awake? You smell weird? Where do you come from? Who are your housefolk?" she babbled.

Lichenkit could barely restrain a grin. This kitten was so energetic, so much like she and Ashkit. "Er, I don't have housefolk."

The kitten seemed to brighten even further. "Really? You're a wildcat? You're a wildcat! Is that why you smell so funny?"

When Lichenkit didn't reply, the kitten continued, "How did you get here?"

"I- I don't know."

"Did the housefolk bring you?"

Lichenkit studied her paws. The Twolegs did this to her? She was a RushingClan cat! How could this be happening to her? It took all her effort not to burst into tears. Would she ever be able to get back home?

The kitten blinked, her blue eyes laden with sympathy. "Is that what you meant when you said 'river'? Is that it? You live by the river?"

Lichenkit nodded sadly.

"Oh." They lapsed into an awkward silence, which the kittypet took the opportunity to break. "It sounds like a beautiful place to live."

Lichenkit smiled softly. This kittypet wasn't so bad after all.

"I'm Gingersnap, by the way."

"And I'm Lichenkit."


MWAHAHAHAHA SUSPENSE

LIVE IN THE SUSPENSE

DWELL IN IT

FEED ON IT

IT WILL MAKE YOU STRONGER

I JUST HAD WAY TOO MUCH SUGAR.

Anywaysssssss...

Author's Question: What do you think happened that landed Lichenkit in the animal shelter? Guesses are more than welcome :-)