Gloomy clouds blocked the sun from shining and the wind ruffled Tigerlily's fur. Leaf-bare was almost over and soon and Newleaf would come. More leaves would appear, making the forest seem lush and green again. Prey would wake up from their leaf-bare sleep and herbs would start to grow. Newleaf was favored by all of the cats.
Hunting patrols and border patrols had left early. Tigerlily's apprentice, Mosspaw, was still sleeping. She didn't want to disturb her because she deserved her rest. Tigerlily wandered around camp, not knowing what to do.
Then, Ferntail came out and noticed Tigerlily standing around.
"Hey, you woke up early?" she meowed.
Tigerlily nodded. "I'm not sure what to do now."
Ferntail purred. "You can come with me to look for herbs near the Horseplace."
Tigerlily tilted her head. "That's so far away just to look for herbs."
"I'm looking for chamomile and they're usually found near Twolegs," Ferntail simply answered.
"I guess I can come," Tigerlily meowed thoughtfully. It wouldn't be a problem to go with her. There wasn't really anything to do right now.
"Go where?" Mosspaw interrupted.
Tigerlily whipped around. "I thought you were sleeping."
"I just woke up," Mosspaw meowed. "Can I go with you guys?"
Ferntail's whiskers twitched. "You don't even know where we're going."
"I don't really care," Mosspaw replied. "I just want to do something."
"Sure, I guess," Tigerlily sighed. Mosspaw purred happily.
As they left the camp, more clouds rolled in, casting shadows over the whole land. The leaves of the trees rustled in the wind. A storm was coming very soon but Tigerlily didn't seem to notice. She trained Mosspaw on her fighting skills while Ferntail collected the chamomile. They were small, white, and dainty flowers.
A drop of rain splashed on Tigerlily's nose. Then she felt another droplet. And another. Soon, big drops of rain poured down, soaking their fur. The wind strongly blew and made Tigerlily back up.
"Mosspaw, go find Ferntail!" Tigerlily ordered.
Mosspaw nodded and ran to the Horseplace. Before she reached it, Ferntail's appeared with a bundle of chamomile in her mouth.
"I'm okay!" she muffled. "Get some shelter!"
Then, the chamomile blew out of her mouth, floating towards the west. Ferntail cried in frustration. Tigerlily ran across the reeds to retrieve the chamomile and jumped with her mouth open. She had caught one, but there were still plenty more to get. They were headed towards RiverClan. Tigerlily didn't care if she trespassed their clan; she needed to get those herbs. When she got near RiverClan's river, she leaped to get another one, but as she landed, the wind blew her off her feet. Tigerlily stumbled into the river. The icy cold water splashed as she struggled to get out, but the currents were too strong. Water filled her mouth and made her cough.
"H-help!" Tigerlily stuttered.
No one had heard her. She floated under a Thunderpath bridge, outside of the Clan's territories. Moments passed by, and she was still floating. The river got wider too. Then, she spotted a big rock sticking out in a river. As she got near it, she held on to the rock. Tigerlily laid there for a while, tired of struggling in the river. The cool spray of water made the rock slippery. She had to get off soon. Tigerlily stood up and prepared to leap. She jumped onto the land, tumbling. She was safe. Beyond the rock, the river flowed into a big body of water, even bigger than the lake. The bottom half part of the sun looked like it was in the big body of water.
Where am I? Tigerlily looked around her unknown surroundings. She couldn't see anything familiar. She was standing on a cliff above the shore. There was a clump of trees in the north. Maybe if I go through the forest, I'll find the clan. Tigerlily traveled through the small forest, hoping that she would find the clans. Tree roots covered the ground and small rodents scurried around. Soon she found the end of the forest. Instead of the clans, there was a Thunderpath. It stank of monsters and they kept speeding by. It was too dangerous to cross the Thunderpath, she had to go another way. Tigerlily headed east with a heavy feeling in her chest. It was almost at night and the clans were nowhere to be found.
As she kept walking, she spotted a group of Twoleg nests. There's no choice, I have to go this way. I can't cross the river to the other side. Tigerlily continued on walking. She examined every nest. They all looked similar with the same shape. A dingy yellow light lit up the front of the nests. She couldn't seem to find her way out. It was like a maze, some paths led to a dead-end.
A trashcan fell over and Tigerlily flattened her ears at the loud sound. Her long tail was tucked and she unsheathed her claws. Something was inside the trashcan, but what? No, I am a warrior. I'm not afraid of these things. Tigerlily crept forward, her eyes focused on the trashcan. Suddenly, a tortoiseshell cat popped her head out of it. She had a pink collar fastened around her neck. Kittypet. The kittypet's glowing green eyes scanned her surroundings and noticed Tigerlily.
"What are you doing out so late, kittypet?" Tigerlily growled.
"I have a name, you know," the tortoiseshell cat simply said. "It's Bella."
Tigerlily wrinkled her nose. "What kind of name is that?"
Bella glared at her and licked her paw. "It's an elegant name," she answered. "And what is your name?"
"Tigerlily."
"Tigerlily?"
Tigerlily nodded. She noticed her claws were still unsheathed but her tail wasn't tucked anymore.
"What kind of name is that?" Bella mimicked. She snickered.
"It's a warrior name, kittypet," Tigerlily growled. "We hunt and fight for our survival unlike you lazy kittypets."
"Oh, so you're like Fire?" Bella asked.
"Who?"
"This ginger rogue who hangs around here sometimes," Bella meowed. "He says he doesn't live with a clan and lives alone."
A rogue. They travel to many places. They are also untrustworthy too. Maybe he knows where the clans are. Tigerlily had a small spark of hope that she would find the clans.
"Where did you find him?" Tigerlily asked curiously.
"Why would you want to know?" Bella replied. "Do you know him?"
A shadowy figure appeared from the side of a Twoleg nest. "I'm right here," it said.
Bella jumped, startled. "Oh, it's you," she meowed. "Good timing, this warrior cat wanted to know where you were."
He must be Fire. Was he listening to the whole conversation and we just didn't know?
"I'm Tigerlily," she greeted.
"I'm Fire," Fire meowed calmly. "So, you're a warrior cat."
"Yeah," Tigerlily answered. "Do you know where the clans are?"
Fire approached them, the Twoleg lights revealing his face. His ginger pelt glowed in the light and his muscles rippled under it as he moved. Fire's sharp amber eyes stared into Tigerlily's eyes.
"No, sorry," Fire meowed. "Shouldn't you know?"
"Actually," Tigerlily replied. "I got separated from my clan and I need to get back."
Fire's eyes stared into space for a few seconds and he blinked. "Oh." He murmured. "Sorry to hear that. I must be going now."
"Wait!" Tigerlily exclaimed. "Can you at least help me?"
He shook his head and turned around to leave.
"I'd rather have you help me than this kittypet." Tigerlily meowed.
Bella hissed. "I wouldn't want to help you anyway." She meowed in annoyance, as she rolled her eyes. "Just help her, Fire."
He sighed and faced Tigerlily. "Okay, I'll do it, but you have to obey my orders."
"I didn't ask for someone to boss me around, I wanted someone who would help me." Tigerlily glared.
"I had some cats who didn't listen to me," Fire answered sternly. "And they're in StarClan now."
Tigerlily stayed silent. What was she suppose to say to that? Fire signaled her to follow him and waved his tail goodbye to Bella. Tigerlily gave a slight nod to her in gratitude and left.
Was it really a good idea to have Fire as an escort? Rogues can't be trusted but he is my only hope. I better not regret this.