I sat among my denmates as we waited for Bad Apple to arrive. Fire seemed upset, and Streak and Vile were glaring daggers at me. I blinked and asked, "What did I do?" Neither had a chance to answer, a third voice cut Vile off as she opened her mouth. A harsh snarl from behind, "You fraternized with the enemy!" I whirled around, fur standing on end. Not a mouse-length from me stood Bad Apple.

His cold red eyes were narrow, and his claws scraping the ground in anger. He snarled, "What is the first rule when meeting outsiders, Frost?" My fur prickled with fear and I dropped my gaze, "To treat them like the enemy, because they might be trying to trick you." Bad Apple hissed, "And what didn't you do today?"

I snapped my gaze up and met his, trying to defend Zander. "He's not a stranger though. He's my friend!" That was clearly the wrong thing to say. Sharp claws came flying at me, slicing my muzzle open as a strong paw threw me against the brick wall a tail length to the side. I grunted and winced as I slid to the ground. I stood on shaky legs, but Bad Apple swatted me to the ground and held me pinned, his sharp claws ripping into my shoulders. I was trembling with terror.

My mind drifted back to that poor nameless kit he had disposed of a few moons ago. Now I was the weak link, the cat that was crippling his gang. My eyes were as wide as full moons, was he about to get rid of me, too?

He growled, his blazing crimson gaze making me flinch. When he spoke his words were frosty and dark, sending a shiver down my spine. "No cat outside of the gang will ever be your friend as long as I am around. Tell this young tom something the next, and last, time I allow you to see him." He bent his head down towards mine and growled into my ear, "If he is seen with you again, I will personally rip him to pieces."

Icy horror shot up my spine and I forced my mouth to stay closed. Silenced by terror I nodded blindly. He raked his claws along my back and I whimpered, but I didn't dare cry out; show weakness in front of the others. He whispered, "And Frost, I will make you watch." Bad Apple whirled around and stalked into the shadows.

Streak and Vile left to find something to eat. Fire went into the nursery with a newspaper to shred for bedding. I stood again; my wounds making me want to shriek as an agonizing burn was sent from my shoulder to my tail tip. Gambler trotted over to me. I would not let him taunt me, if he said one word out of line he'd get his ear shredded. I fluffed my blood-matting fur and snarled, "What do you want? Don't' you have a rat to go kill or something?"

Gambler looked hurt for a second, but I didn't care. I was a rogue, he was a rogue, he better get used to insults. He growled ill temperedly, "Oh get the thorn out of your tail, Frost, it's just us here. You can drop the tough act." He tossed his head to the side and started to lick my back scratches to stop the bleeding.

His tongue running across the raw flesh made me squirm but I bit my tongue and held back a yowl. Once the initial burn was over, the then the sting, his gentle, rhythmic, licks soon become comforting. I purred a little and lay down, letting my guard down for my friend. He washed my fur as I cleaned my muzzle, then he lay beside me.

He twitched his tail and asked, "So, when are you going to tell that loner?" I looked around us uneasily, fully aware that wherever the young of the gang were; there was an adult cat watching. However, in the camp, we were alone. I narrowed my eyes and lifted my chin in defiance. I whispered, "Never." Gambler looked mortified, he hissed, "But you heard your father! His life is in danger, Frost. Don't be so mouse brained. If you really liked him you'd keep him alive."

I looked away and considered this. It was logical, but I couldn't bring myself to think about never seeing him again. I recalled the sparkle in those wonderful eyes of his and it filled me with warmth I had never known before as a street cat. I knew it wasn't love, but it was the closed thing I had.

Flicking my gaze back to Gambler I shook my head. "I can't do it. I just know he cares about me like I do him, I can't do that to him." Gambler gazed at me, jealousy shining in his hazel eyes. He nodded slowly, that fire being replaced by a friendly glow. He understood now that we would never work out, I just didn't see him as anything but a friend. He sighed, "Fine, but your stepping in dangerous territory, Frost."

Pressing myself against him I sighed, "I know that. But until the day Zander tells me he doesn't want to see me anymore, I don't care." Gambler grinned at me, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, the scent of adrenaline faintly coming off of him. "I'm going to help you. I know it's dangerous, but I want to. They don't call me Gambler for nothing."


(The 3-moon span brings up to 8 moons, the age we are with Badpaw.)

I found Zander the next day and explained the situation to him. He said we would find some way to be together, and we did. For the next three moons I trained with 'undivided' focus. At odd hours once a quarter moon me and Zander would see each other. Gambler helped me cover my tracks.

One day Zander found me scavenging for something to bring the clan as food. It was early leaf-fall. Though there were no trees around to watch chance colors, I could tell by the crispness sin the air, and the extra pelts the two-legs would wear. The strong young tom leapt up beside me. "Hey Frost, any luck?" He nodded towards the rubbish I had my paw in.

I snarled, "Not any. There's no meat here at all." Zander flicked his ear and asked, "Is your gang going hungry?" His eyes shined with worry and I knew he was worried about me, rather then the gang. I shook my head, "No, there's plenty of rats were we are. I just don't feel like fighting today." I purred and rubbed my head against his shoulder, by eyes shining. "I feel like an adventure!"

His own eyes shined and he suggested, "Come see my home." My eyes stretched wide and I purred, my tail quivering with excitement. "That would be great! Let's go." He leapt down and streaked across the thunderpath, I sprang after him. Soon we were at a chain link fence, in a side of town I was not familiar with.

On the other side of the fence many monsters crouched. They were silent and unmoving, I think they were sleeping. They looked worm out, I asked, "Are these elders?" Zander mrrowed in laughter and I glared at him. "What's so funny?" He slipped through a hole under the fence and ran over to the monster, leaping on it. I gasped; surely it was going to grab him? However, it remained still.

He smacked it with a paw, "There's no harm here, Frost. These cars are all dead. The only one that works in the really huge one, but only before sunhigh." I tilted my head, and then I remembered. A car was what he called a monster. I cautiously inched forward; my eyes round as the full moon. I could not stop my fear-scent from coming as I dared to strike out, touching the huge black paw of the monster, then springing back just incase.

He jumped down, "See? Were safe here. I love here with my friends. My gang I suppose. Come meet them!" He ran under the monsters and weaved through there broken off limbs. I felt like I was going to be sick, seeing these torn apart cats reminded me of shredded cats.

Soon we neared a small two-leg nest, it was breaking apart and made of wood, not that un-natural red stone most of the others are. He leapt onto a side-ways monster paw and flicked his tail for me to join him. I jumped up beside him, sitting on the rubber. He explained, "It's called a tire; or a monster's paw as you call it." I nodded and poked the tire. It didn't have any scent of blood, flesh, or bone. Strange.

Zander yowled, "Who's home?" After some mumbling, a few growls, and some laughter, three cats slipped out from under the two-leg porch. A large black tom stretched, his fur rumpled like he had been asleep. He was my age. Another tom, a skinny black-and-white, sat down and gazed at Zander, ignoring me completely.

The strange female purred at me, "Hello!" She lay down beside the skinny tom and asked, "Who's this Zander? Is she coming to live with us?" Zander shook his head, "She's just visiting. This is Frost." His eyes glittered and met mine and I purred sub-consciously. The she-cat giggled, and the skinny tom watched us knowingly.

The black cat hissed, "So you're the she-cat Zander's been meowing about the last few moons! You better be everything he says to are, to have to listen to him go on and you day after day." The orange she-cat smacked him playfully, "Don't be like that!" She smiled at me, "He's always grouchy when he's tired."

Zander's whiskers twitched in embarrassment. He nodded to the she-cat, "That's Pumpkin. The big black tom is Morris, and he's James. Were the last surviving members of our old group." I tilted my head, "Surviving?" James explained, "When we were all just tiny kits dogs attacked our camp. The four of us were able to hide in such a small crack the dogs couldn't reach us, but the others weren't so lucky."

Pumpkin added cheerfully, "Some got away. Two became kittypets, and my mother left town with my two brothers. I got separated from them." She didn't seem to broken down about it, I wonder if she likes life here and is glad she didn't go. Zander lashed his tail, his eyes blazing. "Enough talk about that!" All eyes turned sharply to him. He seemed haunted, as if he still grieved over the losses. Or, a certain one.

He leapt from the tire, "Come on, let's get come to eat, then I will take you home." I nodded and followed him under the porch, the other three slipping in after us. I lay in Zander's nest with him and we shared a chunk of ham he had found earlier. I wondered what it would be like if my gang had to move because of dogs, if Meanstare or Fire were killed. For some reason, I wasn't too upset with that idea stirring around my head.