Chapter 7: One slight delay

It was night, and Skykit rested in some garbage cans. She dreamt about Jake and his songs, and her welcoming when she finally got back to her camp.

Skykit yawned and opened her eyes to see the sun low in the sky. She stretched and got up. She suddenly tumbled down a bumpy hill and hit the ground with a loud crash.

She got up weakly, limping slightly and turned around. A huge pile of Twoleg rubbish stood in front of her.

Oh, no! The she-cat yelped in her mind. She must be a season's journey from the forest now.

This was devastating. Suddenly a rattling behind her made Skykit jump and whip around. A large, black cat with a brown muzzle and underbelly was creeping down the side of one of the rubbish mounds. A scraggly old grey tom followed him, with a tiny white cat and a big ginger tom.

Soon they were at the bottom and padding in circles around Skykit. "Look what the truck pulled in." The ginger tom growled. "Come on, Boss, let's kill her!" The old grey cat hissed to the first cat.

The tiny white tom scrambled up to Skykit and sniffed her. "Ha, the same scent as that crazy old tom!" Skykit wondered if that meant this 'crazy old tom' was a ThunderClan cat, or at least a cat who lived in the forest. She found herself blurting out, "Tell me more about him!"

The tiny cat exchanged glances with the large black-and-brown tom. He flicked his tail, and the white tom stepped back as he stepped forward.

"He said he was he heading south to the forest,"

"That crazy old thing." Whispered the ginger tom. "He said he was going back to his Clan."

"Wh-what did he look like?" Stammered Skykit. "He was a lean, sleek-furred golden tom." Lightningheart! Skykit thought excitedly. "And now, yet another cat crosses our territory." The cat hissed.

"If you're heading south, too, we'll let you go. Dogs and badgers and foxes live in the forest, and that would be enough punishment. But, if you're not," the cat unsheathed his claws, "you can pay for the trespassing here."

"Oh, but I am headed south, towards the forest." Skykit stammered. "All right," the black-and-brown cat growled, "but don't get caught on our territory again."

The four cats watched closely as Skykit scrambled over the mound of Twolg stuff. When she got over, Skykit padded out of the gates and saw a Thunderpath in front of her. Monsters where zooming across it restlessly.