CH. 3

Cory flicked his tail as he watched his two apprentices through the window. He was allowed in only from First-Meal to Second-Meal, and now that it was after Second-Meal, he had to, once again, satisfy himself by watching Copperpaw and Sandpaw play with each other. They had been here for nearly six moons now, and for training among fake plants, he had to agree that they were doing well.

He watched as they frolicked, still staying to themselves most of the time. They had been named by the Twoleg just at the last half-moon, named Rusty's Rebellion and Cinnamon's Challenge. He sighed, knowing Rusty and Cinnamon would never catch on with the two young cats, if he could help it.

A young she-cat, one of Merla's kits, was sitting close by, watching the two apprentices, and Cory frowned, what was going on here?

The young Abyssinian padded over and sat beside Copperpaw and Sandpaw, speaking to them. Cory couldn't hear what they were saying, but he supposed it didn't much matter. They would tell him as soon as the divider was lifted at First-Meal tomorrow.

He sighed, padding over to his soft pelt-nest, and curled up to sleep.

OOO

The next morning, He was picked up to be brought to the kits. He frowned, he never missed a morning. He was placed down alongside the bowls, which now included his own as well, and they left, lifting the Food-Barrier. The Abysinnians swarmed toward him, Copperpaw and Sandpaw immediately greeting him, and the she-cat he had seen the day before sat down at her bowl, eating.

"Who's tha perty lattie you was talkin to yesserday?" He asked, his words slurring more than he was used to. He frowned but shrugged as Copperpaw looked up.

"She says her name is Fawn, or Fawn's Flight, registered. What does 'registered' mean?"

Cory smiled sadly, "Regster is a piece papa' that tells ya you'z a purebred. You gots a regist' name too."

"But I'm not a purebred?" Sandpaw asked, confused, and Cory smiled.

"To thems you is. Theys found ya as a kit. You looked like abys, so they assumed ya was. Two kits went missin' some time ag', Theys just assumed you was them."

"So we have… fake lineage?" Sandpaw asked, eyes wide, and Cory nodded, "Yes'm, miss Sandpa', or should I says, Cinnamun?"

Sandpaw narrowed her eyes, "My name's not Cinnamon. You know that."

"Yes. I does. But these Twolegs? They doesn't, so that'z what ya will be called, and that'z what you best ansa to."

Sandpaw sighed, nodding, "And you to Rusty, Copperkit. What's a Rusty anyway?"

"Rust is what happens to metal when it's out a long time." A sweet voice answered as the little she-cat approached, "So that's what you're named after."

"Exacta." Cory nodded.

"You're Cory, right? The Cut tom who lives in the front of the house?"

Cory nodded again, "Yus. What'z it to ya?"

The she-cat, Fawn, bucked back, ears flattened, "Well… I just wondered what it's like outside of this sector of the back?"

"Sector? What's a sector?" Copperpaw asked, and Fawn laughed.

"We're separated back here, don't you know that? Don't you ever wonder why all the cat's you meet in here are similar in color to you? It's because you look like a Purebred Abyssinian, and so you were placed in our sector. Cory's the only cat besides the Toyger's I've ever seen of another color, and I've never been able to converse to the Toyger's because the plex is too thick to talk through."

"Plex?"

"A fake window? Surely you've seen them? You look through it every day at us."

Cory frowned and then nodded. He did remember that there was a clearish substance that separated the Purebreds from all of the others. He had assumed it was some sort of separation device, because none of the cats ever had kits that looked anything but what the parents looked like.

"I'd like to see this… 'Plex'. If I could?" Sandpaw asked, and Fawn nodded, "Sure! Finish eating and I'll bring you over there." She smiled warmly at Copperpaw, with flared a bit of fatherly protection over the tom that he had not been accustomed to, but nodded, dipping his head back toward his bowl.

Once they had finished, Fawn padded toward the inside of the Back, the apprentices right on her tail and Cory close behind.

"What's a Toyger?" Sandpaw asked, her tail twitching in excitement.

Fawn laughed, "It's a type of cat, like us, but they've got strange markings. They're supposedly direct descendants of something called a tiger, but I don't know. They sure can jump though!"

"How do they look?" Copperpaw asked.

"Well… you know how we're a pretty solid color?"Copperpaw and Sandpaw nodded, "Well, they've got lines, like really large and really dark and really wide claws ripped over their bodies. Those claw-marks are black, and the bottom's like a really dark golden color."

Sandpaw's eyes were frightened, and so Cory spoke up, "They'z tabby cats, but wif mo'e distinguished markin's."

Copperpaw nodded, understanding, but Sandpaw seemed confused.

"Like Dad, remember?" and Sandpaw seemed to understand that, for she nodded.

"Well, ya'll see 'em in a secund." Cory stated, and Fawn nodded.

"Come here!" The three previously Clan cats followed her under yet another fake bush and out the other side. There lay what was a very long and very high window. It was obviously to the roof and to the walls. It was also obviously very thick.

"See, there?" Fawn asked, flicking her tail.

Copperpaw frowned, sitting on one side of Fawn while Sandpaw sat on the other.

"Um… no. I don't?" Sandpaw asked, and Fawn giggled.

"Right there. By that tree. There, he moved!"

"Oh! They're so good at hiding!" Sandpaw said in surprise.

"Yeah. In trees." Scoffed her brother, "They'd be horrible in the rocky areas of StoneClan's camp."

"Well, yeah. In Clan territory they'd be bad anyway. No offense, Fawn, but you cats haven't been trained, or raised for the wild."

"None taken." Fawn smiled, "We were bred for the Ring. I'm actually really interested to see how you wild cats do."

"Ring? What's that?"

Fawn laughed, "Oh, you'll see. I'm sure, oh yes! There she is now! You'll begin today!" Fawn laughed as a twoleg called out.

"Fawn! Cinnamon! Rusty! Come here, kitty, kitty, kitties!"