Meeting Sam's Friends and Family

When Silverpaw finally reached the TwoLeg Border she heard crumpling in the leaves. She waited but didn't see a cat.

"Come on Sam, I know you are there!" Silverpaw meowed.

"Silverpaw!" Sam meowed happily. "You did come!"

Sam started purring. "Come on then, they can't wait to meet you!"

Silverpaw followed Sam into TwoLeg Place. Sam led her to an old green TwoLeg Nest.

"Here is the old nest I was telling you about," Sam explained.

Then Sam walked straight into its backyard. Then he jumped up in the shed. Silverpaw waited outside.

"Silverpaw is here!" Sam meowed.

"Sam what took so long!" a fat tabby she-cat meowed.

"I had to wait for her, I just couldn't look for her, because she said if I did her clan-mates would kill us both," Sam replied.

"What clan-mates!" the she-cat spat.

"Rebecca, can you just shut-up already?" Sam hissed. "The forest clans may have weird ways to YOU, but to Silverpaw that is her life."

"I swear you love that cat!" Rebecca hissed. "More than you will ever love me!"

Sam ignored Rebecca. "Silverpaw, you can come in I won't let her hurt you!" Sam called.

Silverpaw jumped into the shed. "I know she won't hurt me," Silverpaw meowed. "Forest cats are much more dangerous, but don't worry I'm no harm."

Rebecca gave Silverpaw a hatred look. "I'm Rebecca, Sam's mate," she bragged.

"She's not MY mate," Sam meowed.

Rebecca gave Sam the same hatred look she gave Silverpaw. Then a brown and white tabby tom jumped into the shed. A black tabby she-cat followed him in.

"Sam, Rebecca, come on!" the tom called. "The TwoLegs just put breakfast out for us, and it's real tuna!"

"And we better hurry because Abby is already eating it!" the she-cat finished.

"Silverpaw, this is Tom and Sasha," Sam meowed. "You guys this is Silverpaw, the cat I told you I met yesterday."

"Nice to meet you Silverpaw," Sasha meowed. "Would you like some tuna?"

"Thanks, but no," Silverpaw meowed. "It is against warrior code."

Sasha looked puzzled. "Well, what's. . . ."

"We don't have time for her answer!" Rebecca snapped and then ran out of the shed for her breakfast.

"Greedy-pelt!" Tom called. "Okay now Silverpaw, what is warrior code?"

Silverpaw explained warrior code to Tom and Sasha. It was Sam's 2nd time hearing it but he seemed like he enjoyed hearing it again anyway.

"Wow," Sasha meowed. "Do you enjoy living like that?"

"Yes, but sometimes I wish I could be free like you, Sam and all the other cats that live out here," Silverpaw admitted.

"Why don't you come live out here then?" Sam offered.

"I can't abandon my clan," Silverpaw meowed.

"Well, if anything ever happens you are always welcome to come out here and live with us," Sam meowed.

"Thank you, Sam," she meowed. "Now you three need to go and eat!"

"Okay then!" Sam meowed. "Come on Sasha, Tom."

Silverpaw followed Sasha, Tom, and Sam to a brick floor outside a TwoLeg Nest. When they got there they saw Rebecca and a black and brown tortoiseshell she-cat grooming themselves.

"Well maybe if you stopped talking to her you could have gotten some!" Rebecca spat.

"I tried to save you guys some, but Rebecca ate what I had saved," the tortoiseshell said. "Oh, you must be Silverpaw! I'm Abby."

"Hi Abby," Silverpaw said. "Can you guys hold on a second?"

Silverpaw padded over to the side of the yard, climbed a tree, and attacked a bird's nest.

"Sasha, Tom, Sam!" Silverpaw called. "Get over here!"

Sasha, Tom, and Sam obeyed.

"What?" Tom asked.

Silverpaw finished scrambling the bird's eggs with her claws. "Here is some food," Silverpaw said.

"Do you think we can't catch prey ourselves!?" Tom spat.

"Tom!" Sasha hissed. "Come on and be nice! Silverpaw is only trying to be nice!"

"Sorry, thanks Silverpaw," Tom apologized.

"It's fine Tom," Silverpaw meowed. She turned to Sam. "I have to go now before my hunting friends have figured out where I have gone to."

"Okay, I'll walk back with you," Sam offered.

"In that case we'll save you some egg," Sasha meowed.

Sam nodded and walked away with Silverpaw. They walked across the TwoLeg street that led over to the forest boundary. When they got there Silverpaw looked at Sam.

"I need to ask you something," she meowed.

"What?" Sam asked anxiously.

"Do you want to be a kittypet?" Silverpaw asked.

"No!" Sam yowled. "Why would you ask that!?"

"Then you have to leave TwoLeg Place!" Silverpaw ordered. "Sasha, Tom, Rebecca, and Abby too!"

"No, this is my home," Sam stated.

"But the food the TwoLegs are giving you is a trap!" Silverpaw hissed.

"How do you know that?" Sam asked.

"A wise elder in my clan told me!" Silverpaw argued.

"And you'd believe some stupid old elder?" Sam asked.

"Noeyes is not stupid!" Silverpaw spat. Y"ou are the one who is stupid! What's a kittypet? What's a loner? You are a mouse-brained idiot! And all I want to know is why you wanted me to come here and meet your friends?! Half of them didn't even like me! I never want to see you again, and if I ever catch you in my territory I'll tear you to shreds! All I ever wanted you to be was safe!"

"Silverpaw, no!" Sam yowled.

But Silverpaw ignored Sam and ran away.

"I can't believe what just happened!!" Silverpaw thought.