The small black and silver tabby tom calmly ran through the open meadow, letting wind tug his fur behind him.
Ignoring the growls and mews of several cats behind him, he continued on to what he believed to be a lake.
Passing through scenery like it was nothing, he reached an invisible border of some sort.
A heavy, fishy scent was doused over lined bushes and rocks.
The tom peered behind him to see that the other cats were gone, and he figured they wouldn't continue.
Taking a single paw-step across the scent markings, he instantly regretted it.
Who are these strange cats.. he whispered within his mind as two glinting eyes stared back at his own.
The eyes looked shifty and almost scared, until the cats came out of the shadows.
One was a long-furred solid blue cat, and the other was abnormally skinny and brown spotted white.
He blinked once and began to back away.
The cats hissed and he stopped, standing rigid.
Fear wasn't a common feeling for this cat.
The two cats meowed, " Why have you entered RainClan territory? " in unison.
He cocked his head, and recollected memories of his kithood.
His plump mother flashed in his mind, and her stories of Clan cats pieced together.
The tom peered behind him again before replying.
" I've come to.. " he paused, thinking of an excuse. " Stay for a couple nights. I'm quite lost. "
The two she-cats had disapproving expressions on their slim faces.
Instead of saying no, like the tom thought, they simply nodded and asked for him to follow them.
The two cats led him to what seemed like a camp, slowly rising in the pre-dawn blue light.
Drowsy and half-asleep cats glared and pondered at him, and he felt his fur burning.
Company was not something he liked.
The two she-cats whispered a few words to a large fluffy tabby tom.
The cat approached him with narrowed eyes.
" I am sorry, but we do not accept visitors. " he said sternly, as if surveying the smaller tom.
The tom nodded, and turned to exit the strange place.
Before he could leave, the fluffy tom grunted.
" Do you have a name? " he rasped.
The small tom shuffled his paws. " I'm, um, I am Glint. " he replied, a slight squeak to his voice.
The other tom gave a curt nod.
" Very well, Glint. I am Silverstar, and the two cats that led you here are Creekstep and Sloeberry. "
The she-cats dipped their heads in return.
Glint shivered, a strange feeling overcoming him.
He snapped his head to the side and met the dull eyes of a light gray tabby.
She, like every other cat, studied him, but something was different.
" Moondrop! " she called, and an older cat approached her.
The cat's eyes slowly widened, and she nodded to the tabby cat.
" I will show you to a place you may stay. " the tabby meowed to him. " Please, follow me. "
The tabby led him out of the weird cat camp and continued on a slow walk into marshier territory.
Glint was tempted to ask the she-cat what was going on, but he refrained from speaking.
As they had reached the end of short grasses and sparse trees started appearing, a familiar scent blinded his senses.
The scent was sweet, and sap-like, but watery at the same time.
It smelled like his father.
Pushing the thought to the back of his mind, he continued with the cat.
Abruptly, at a small pool, she stopped and turned to him.
" We've reached the MarshClan border. Please, sit, and I will fetch one of their cats. " she mewed.
Glint obeyed, and comfortably settled in the damp and springy land.
The tabby stepped around the pool, and called out several times.
A stunning cream and ginger cat stepped out of the trees.
Glint's breath caught in his throat, and he had to force his mind to tell him to breathe.
The cream and ginger cat suddenly brightened when she saw the tabby.
" Echoscream, " she mewed happily. Her smile looked almost forced.
The tabby purred. " Hello, Maplesplash. I have a cat for you to meet, and he needs to stay in MarshClan for a couple nights.. if that'd be okay? "
Glint whispered a greeting, and Maplesplash smiled.
" Hey, Glint, I'm Maplesplash. Just call me Maple, I suppose. Come with me. " the cat meowed quickly.
Echoscream and Maplesplash said their farewells, and Maplesplash signaled for Glint to follow her.
Her smile dropped almost instantly.
" So, what's the real reason you're here? I can tell you aren't lost. " she murmured.
Glint took a deep breath, and meowed, " I'm lost. But I was simply drawn to this place. Especially this.. it smells of my father. "
Maplesplash froze, and whispered, " Father.. father.. ".
After a few moments, she meowed, " You don't happen do know a Spiderstep, do you? " a questioning gaze placed on her face now.
Glint shook his head. " No, I don't, but that's similar to my father's name. It's Spider Steps. "
Maplesplash sucked in air and darted forward. Glint caught up in heartbeats.
" Why is this so important? " he asked breathlessly.
Maplesplash looked at him with cold forest hazel eyes.
" You don't understand what your father has done to the Clans, " she growled, and skimmed the damp forest floor even faster.
Once the pair had reached another camp, they were both out of breath.
A skittish looking brown tabby tom snarled at Glint.
" Who is this, Maple? " he asked the beautiful cat.
She smiled mischievously back.
The smile once again seemed fake to Glint.
Time almost stopped when she looked into his amber eyes with her heart-stopping flecked auburn hazel ones.
" I believe I've found the son of the infamous Spiderstep, Acornstar. "
The spiral of insanity had only just begun.
Ummmm, go ahead and execute me for not posting in two weeks.
Lots of homework, let me tell you that much.
Anyhow, I'm excited for this story to escalate. Oh, and this is the final POV. No more new ones. Yet.
Happy Day-Before-Halloween!
- reapinq