Everything belongs to rightful owners.

Paige followed Orangemask into DarkClan's camp with two mice & a wren hanging in her jaws, Orangemask carried a vole & a quail that Paige had recently tackled.

Paige could feel so many eyes watching her & Orangemask as they deposited their prey at the fresh-kill pile. Paige looked around to see nearly all of the DarkClan cats watching her.

"Cats of DarkClan," a booming voice caught Paige's attention as she looked up to see Sleekstar standing on the jagged rock. "Today, a newcomer has come to join us."

There was the slight mewing of protests but Sleekstar carried on with a flick of his black & white tail.

"She has clan blood. She hunts well, & her heart is loyal."

Paige looked confused from Orangemask who shrugged & Sleekstar who didn't meet anyone's gaze.

"Her mother was the LoveClan warrior, Gingerheart."

The protesting soon turned into shocked quiet gasps & whispers.

"Then why isn't she in LoveClan?"

The crowd parted to let a dark brown tom be seen, Sleekstar narrowed his pupil-less eyes at the senior warrior.

"Snowstorm, look around, you. We are the smallest clan in the forest, kittypets are stealing our prey! We cannot afford to make causalities. Born a rogue, she'll die a warrior!"

Sleekstar's voice was more terrifying than his white, glinting eyes. The Ruler's size was pushed out of their minds now, Sleekstar was a powerful cat.

Snowstorm bowed his snowy-flecked head curtly in respect toward his Ruler.

"I'm sorry, Sleekstar. But I was just thinking of the conflict ahead of us... If LoveClan finds out that one of their greatest legacies is alive, what do you think they'll do?"

Sleekstar forced his fur to lie flat as his monochrome tail lowered from its lashing, Paige was so confused by this point but she noticed Orangemask stiffened beside her as well as a broad-shouldered red tom bristle.

"I know Whitestar, he has kits of his own. I am close friends with him. We'll make both our clans understand this young cat's decision. Tomorrow night, I will take Paige to LoveClan's camp & tell Rosestar everything."

Snowstorm nodded in understanding, he took his place next to a lithe black queen with white-fang like stripes.

"DarkClan, until this cat has chosen her destiny, she will remain a young kit. She goes by the name of Paige, I, as your Ruler. Wish for all of you to treat her nicely like you would be treated, until she has decided where she belongs."

With that, Sleekstar bounded down from the jagged boulder and flicked his tail to Orangemask.

"Gather the Healers, Silentstep & our senior warriors as well as Moondot & Redstreak."

Orangemask nodded as he bounded off to go find the remaining cats, Sleekstar padded over to Paige.

"Have you eaten today?"

Paige shook her head, Sleekstar studied her for a moment.

"Go find Highpaw & Pacepaw, they'll help you to built a nest, see those two cats over there?"

Sleekstar flicked his white tail-tip in the direction of a silver she-cat with black stripes sharing tongues with a spike-furred grey tom. "Yes," Paige replied.

"That's Quickpaw & Dullpaw. They're no older than you. Tell them that you'll be staying in the apprentices den, I'm sure they won't mind."

Sleekstar gave Paige a reassuring glance as he bounded away to meet up with his most trusted warriors. With a breath of confidence, Paige marched over to the two apprentices, they were sharing the vole that Orangemask had caught, they looked up at Paige's arrival & instantly Paige hated choosing to stick with them.

"Oh look, its that kittypet rogue who thinks she's a warrior. Don't breathe in her scent, Dullpaw, it might make you fall in love with her!"

Quickpaw jabbed at the pale ginger cat, the silver & black tabby only snickered as it grew louder into a laugh. Dullpaw just sighed as he swallowed a morsel & got up to leave. Quickpaw stopped laughing and pushed the remains of the vole to Paige as she got up to leave as well.

"Here, you'll need it, weakling."

Paige looked down at the vole next to her paws, what is up with Quickpaw?

"I know you tried to kill my dad."

Paige's head shot up as Quickpaw called over her shoulder, multiple worried glances were shot in Paige's direction, Quickpaw bounded off to help Clawkit get a leaf unstuck in her claws.

"Huh, Quickpaw will never rest."

A familiar, but haunting voice tickled Paige's ear fur, she looked to see Pacepaw returning with moss & some feathers while a blue tabby tom placed some sticks down next to them.

Paige took one look into his icy amber eyes and all the memories flooded her, the garden where she had been chased to. The fight that this tom had been willing to start. Quillow rushing to save her as Highpaw limped back into the shadows of the woods.

"Highpaw, we should help her. She's a good hunter, after all, we shouldn't cast her aside like this."

Pacepaw brushed her silver tail along Highpaw's spine.

"Yeah, I know. She's also friends with a good fighter."

Highpaw sighed as he looked back & Paige saw a dark red scar parting the fur on his hind leg. Paige felt her ears lie flat against her head, she or Quillow could've been responsible for the young cat's injury. Paige knew that Highpaw might not like or forgive her for giving him those injuries but he had intended to kill her after all.

"Oh, stop being such a kit! You'll be a warrior soon, alongside your brothers... But first, you have to help me make Paige feel at home!"

Pacepaw flicked her silver tail on the blue tabby's shoulder, he nodded as he picked up the sticks and padded past Paige to the apprentices' den. As he padded past, Highpaw brushed his tail on Paige's side, Paige took it as a sign that he forgave her.

A heartbeat later, Paige saw a sleek-furred dark grey tabby trot over to her with a gleam in her violet eyes.

"Are you going to finish that, or should I let the kits maul it?"

The tabby purred in amusement as she nodded toward the half eaten vole.

"My name's Shadestreak, by the way. You must be Paige. Welcome to DarkClan, I'm Sleekstar's sister."

Paige bowed her head in greeting & respect to her she-cat. "I, uh, I was gonna eat it but if you want it I guess-"

Shadestreak shook her head as she stepped closer. "No, its just that no food should go to waste. Eat it, you must be starving! See you later."

As Orangemask called her away Shadestreak bounded off, leaving Paige to eat the vole.

WARNING: Highpaw has a filthy mouth in this paragraph.

"Okay, we're done!"

Paige turned her head as Pacepaw bounded up to her with Highpaw limping behind her a few paw-steps behind.

"Sorry its getting dark, thought we could've hung out Pine Tree. Oh, well Highpaw needs a rest anyway."

Pacepaw touched noses with Paige as she brushed her tail along Highpaw's shoulder. Highpaw's amber gaze was glued to a deep blue cat sitting on the other side of the clearing, the tom was sitting beside a lithe black tom & a grey tabby.

"That's Lightningshot. Highpaw's brother."

Pacepaw whispered lightly to Paige, but winced when Highpaw spoke.

"He only got his warrior name for saving an enemy clan's kits. It should've been me!"

Pacepaw ignored Highpaw's jealously and nodded to the two cats sitting beside Lightningshot.

"The black tom is Sleekstar's brother, Rimfaxe. The dark grey tabby she-cat next to him is Sharptooth, sister of Cutsmile & Silentstep."

Paige nodded as Pacepaw addressed the cats, Highpaw just snorted.

"Sharptooth's a bitch, I wouldn't be friends with her if I were you. Cutsmile's just as worse, he acts like her kit. Silentstep's nice though a little pushy at times..."

Paige's blue eyes widen at Highpaw's words, Pacepaw pushed him with her shoulder.

"Don't speak like that!"

Highpaw shrugged it off.

"Rimfaxe's a chickenshit. He won't start a fight even though his brother's the clan's ruler & his sister is pretty tough, though Rimfaxe is so uncomfortable with this life that Sleekstar has to do everything just to keep him here. He's pretty much just another mouth to feed."

Highpaw huffed as he stormed off to lie down in his nest. Pacepaw urged for Paige to follow them.

"This is where you'll stay for the night, and if you do choose DarkClan. This will be your nest until you become a warrior."

Paige nodded in gratitude at the silvery-grey she-cat as she hopped into the soft leaves lined with sticks & feathers. Next to her, Paige could hear the slowing of Highpaw's breathing. Quickpaw twitched one of her paws, Dullpaw's whiskers quivered at his breath.

Pacepaw lied down on the other side of Paige. "Good night." The silver cat whispered before her breath slowed.

Paige looked outside to see the remaining cats pad off to their dens, the stars glittered like broken tiny shards of glass in the dark blue, cloudless sky.

Paige rested her head on her paws & closed her eyes, she wasn't so sure on fully trusting these cats, but at least they seemed trying to be nice to her. The least Paige could do was decide her own fate tomorrow when she met the LoveClan cats.

-Star4