Chapter Ten

Shrewpaw struggled in vain against the large paw that was holding him down. But the claws were coming closer and closer, and he couldn't break free. He closed his eyes, bracing himself for the pain. This was it. StarClan, please forgive me, I tried.

"Flames, let go of him!"

Then suddenly the weight on his throat was released and he gasped for air, rolling over onto his stomach and pushing himself up on his paws. The ginger tom had retreated, his dark green eyes glittering menacingly. The cat who had spoken was a slender she-cat, her ginger fur just peeking up from underneath the green coating. Pulp.

"They're intruders, Dawn," he snarled, his upper lip curling. Out of the four cats, he was the only one who still looked hostile. The light brown tom was cheerfully licking his paw, while the younger tabby was examining them curiously.

"That doesn't make them enemies," she mewed, and Shrewpaw was startled to hear how melodic her voice sounded compared to the gruffness of the giant ginger tom. The she-cat sighed and turned back to the seven travelling cats.

"My name is Dawn that Breaks the Sky," she said in greeting. Though her tone was kind, her soft green eyes still seemed wary. "Who are you?"

Shrewpaw look over at the others for a brief moment before glancing back at the strange new cats. "I'm Shrewpaw…" he said slowly. "These are my friends. Larchkit, Thistlepaw, Adderpaw, Splashpaw, Marshkit, and Mosskit."

She nodded slowly. "Why are you on Tribe territory?

Tribe? Shrewpaw's eyes widened. They clearly weren't the Tribe of Rushing Water, so did that mean that there was more than one tribe, and that this one was living in the forest instead of the mountains. He took a look behind him and saw that the others were just as shocked as he was.

Shrewpaw dipped his head. "It was by accident. We're just passing through and we didn't know that we were trespassing on any cat's territory."

It was the light brown tabby's turn to speak up. The compact cat leapt to his paws and padded over. His eyes, while curious, bore no signs of hostility. "Where are you from?" he asked cheerfully while the large ginger cat behind him sighed in irritation.

"A forest not many days from here," mewed Thistlepaw, coming to stand beside Shrewpaw. He gazed at the cat he had been fighting with nothing but friendly respect. "We're trying to find a new place to live."

The light tabby nodded. "I doubt you could ever be Tribe Cats, but I think you should come back with us and meet Brackenteller," he mewed. "He might be able to tell you where you can find a place with cats more like yourself…"

"What tribe are you all from?" asked Splashpaw. The four cats looked affronted, though Flames generally looked affronted so he might not have counted, that she was suggesting that there were tribes other than them.

"We are from the Tribe of Falling Leaves," said the thick brown tabby indignantly, his yellow eyes flashing. "Why? Have you heard of other tribes?"

Shrewpaw and Thistlepaw exchanged glances before Thistlepaw finally nodded. "Some of our Clanmates met another tribe in the mountains, one called the Tribe of Rushing Water. What do you call your ancestors?"

Dawn blinked, as if startled by the question, but deigned to answer it anyways. "When a Tribe cat dies, they walk with the Tribe of Endless Hunting. Why?"

Marshkit's eyes widened and even Adderpaw looked intrigued. Shrewpaw scuffled his paws on the ground nervously, but Thistlepaw just shook his head. "Never mind," he mewed calmly. "Anyways, Dawn, we didn't mean to trespass. May we pass through the forest in peace?"

It was Dawn's turn to exchange glances with the cats beside her. The golden brown tabby padded forward and addressed them. "My name is Eagle which Hunts in the Evening," he introduced himself. "I'm a prey-catcher. Uh, I think it would be best if you came with us to meet Brackenteller."

It seemed as though Brackenteller was their leader. Shrewpaw was going to agree when Adderpaw hissed and unsheathed his claws. "We're not going anywhere with you," snarled the tabby. "We have you outnumbered."

Eagle sighed and pointed at Mosskit and Larchkit with one claw extended. "You have kits? Do you really think they can fight? They would just be hurt."

Adderpaw narrowed his eyes. "You think you're so tough? I can take you any of you any day."

"Flames that Char the Forest is a full gave-guard!" boasted the dark brown tom proudly, nudging the ginger cat behind him. "I'm only a to-be, Cry of Diving Hawk, but the two of us could easily take you on!"

Shrewpaw didn't doubt that he could. While Thistlepaw glared at Adderpaw and mouthed at him to be quiet, he stepped forward. "We, err, didn't mean to be so rude," he meowed, wishing he had Thistlepaw's stoic voice. "Of course we'll come with you."

Adderpaw shot him a disbelieving look, but Larchkit relaxed visibly. She padded forward, pressing her thin frame between Shrewpaw and Thistlepaw's forelegs. Shrewpaw took the opportunity to size up his opponents. Dawn and Eagle were strong but not hostile, and Cry seemed to enjoy boasting more than actual fighting. It was Flames though, that he was worried about.

The memory of the tom's claw descending towards his throat flashed in Shrewpaw's mind and the brown apprentice shivered.

"Follow us," said Eagle. "Cry, Dawn, you two go ahead. Flames and I will take the rear. Kits, make sure you stay in the middle – this forest can be treacherous if you don't know it very well."

Shrewpaw hesitated before beckoning for the others to follow. Adderpaw did so angrily, his neck fur fluffed and his ears flat against his head. The former ThunderClan apprentice was surprised at how easily everyone had taken to him being leader, just because Oatwhisker had addressed him. Even Thistlepaw listened to him calmly, despite the fact that the grey and white tom was many moons his senior.

The only problem was Adderpaw. If Shrewpaw hadn't received the sign, the pale tabby probably would have taken charge. It was in his personality. But Adderpaw had been ousted from his natural position as leader, and the tom wasn't taking too kindly too it.

Shrewpaw sighed as he found himself falling into place beside Dawn. His eyes must have betrayed his weariness, for she glanced at him with sympathy in her bright green eyes.

"We will eat once we arrive," she said gently. Though she and the others had an odd way of pronouncing things, Shrewpaw was becoming more and more accustomed to it, and her words created a purr deep in his throat.

"Thanks," he mumbled in return, just grateful to still be alive.

- - - x - - -

Shrewpaw was startled when the Tribe cats stopped. Feeling Dawn pause beside him, he tore his gaze away from the ground, and what he saw next shocked him.

There was a huge pile of rocks that looked as though they were erupting from the ground. Stacked on top of each other, these massive slabs of stone broke through the leafy canopy and out into open air. There were some cats milling about outside on the slab, and others disappearing into makeshift dens at the base.

"These are the Brackenrocks," murmured Dawn as they arrived.

"Brackenrocks?" asked Shrewpaw curiously. He peered at the rock pile, narrowing his eyes, but he couldn't see any plant growth or even any sign of life apart from the few cats, their fur green with mulch, that slipped up and down the rocks with practised ease.

She nodded. "At the very top is the Cave of Thick Bracken, where the Teller of Thick Bracken reads the signs that are given to us by the Tribe of Endless Hunting. He is our healer and our leader, and he is very wise."

"The Teller of Thick Bracken," repeated Shrewpaw. "Is that the same as the cat Eagle mentioned before, the one he called Brackenteller?"

The ginger she-cat nodded. "They're one and the same," she mewed, casting a glance back at the others. "Now that we have all caught up, follow me."

Without a warning, Dawn bounded forward to the base of the rocks. She easily climbed up the first two slabs before disappearing into a dark hole. Shrewpaw hesitated before following her. The jump was a little more difficult, and he scrambled to get up, but the tom eventually made it and padded over to where Dawn disappeared.

Entering through a hole in the rocks, he found himself in a very large cave that was probably made by three or four slabs leaning on each other. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Shrewpaw realized that he and Dawn weren't the only cats who were in the cave.

Yes, there were the others who were padding in behind him, but there were also cats at the fringes of the enclosed space, watching him with gleaming eyes. Finally, a large tom padded forward. He wore no pulp, so it was easy to see that his fur was a pale ginger and his muzzle was tinged with silver.

Shrewpaw dropped into a bow. "You must be Brackenteller," he said respectfully, assuming based on the way the other cats treated this one with a special respect.

The ginger tom nodded and turned to the cats behind him. "Swift, Branch, fetch these cats a rabbit that they can share from the caught-prey pile," he instructed. Shrewpaw blinked in confusion. Fresh-kill?

Then he turned back to Shrewpaw. "Yes, I am Brackenteller. Who are you, might I ask?"

"Shrewpaw of ThunderClan," he replied immediately. "Or at least I was. My friends and I were all separated from our Clans and we seek a new place to live. We didn't mean to trespass, so while we thank you for your hospitality, we will have to leave soon."

"Why not stay here?" Brackenteller asked, puzzled. "The forest is large and prey is plentiful enough for all cats."

Thistlepaw, padding forward, dipped his head. "Greetings Brackenteller, my name is Thistlepaw. The thing is, we are Clan cats at heart, and we do not belong with a Tribe."

Something flickered through Brackenteller's hazel eyes but Shrewpaw couldn't quite catch it. Did the pale tom know more than he was letting on? But the tom just nodded. "I understand. But please, spend a night or two here. After today you will have to hunt on your own, of course, but don't be afraid to ask any of my cats for advice."

Shrewpaw held back the urge to tell him that he was naturally a forest hunter. Instead he just dipped his head. "Thank you, Brackenteller."

With that, the old tom turned and padded away, disappearing into the shadows of the cave. The cats that had been guarding them moved away, except for Dawn who stayed by Shrewpaw's side. She pressed her tail to his flank, and when he turned, she directed his attention towards one side of the cave.

The cats whom Brackenteller had spoken to earlier were returning. The first, a compact and muscular white and black tom, held a rabbit in his mouth. He dropped it by Larchkit's paws and purred out a greeting. "I'm Swift that Spans the Sky, a prey-hunter."

Stepping forward, the young grey tom behind Swift revealed that he clutched a squirrel in his mouth. He nudged it forward to Mosskit shyly. "You look like you could eat a whole one," he purred before turning to Thistlepaw, Marshkit, and Shrewpaw. "I'm Branch of Ancient Tree, uh, I'm just a to-be."

"I'm Shrewpaw," said the tom and launched into another introduction of his friends and explaining why they were all journeying. When he was done, Swift just nodded.

"Follow me," he instructed. "I'll show you where you can sleep."

Larchkit pressed close to Shrewpaw as the journeying cats slowly padded off after Swift. The Clan part of their life was ending. They would never return to their old lives. A new life stretched ahead of them as far as they could see.

Shrewpaw could only hope that it would be worth it.

- - - x - - -

A/N: No, they aren't all going to end up as tribe cats... their journey doesn't stop here. I like this chapter though, for some reason or another! No cliffhanger this time, just a horizon of endless possibilities.

Thanks to Chene, Amberleaf, and Icethroat21 for reviewing again :D you guys are all amazing, and you all get Cry plushies :)

I'll try to update soon. I hope you enjoyed so far :)

- Shocky