Stripes POV

That stupid stupid cat!! There I was snoozing away peacefully when suddenly she had to pounce on me out of nowhere and shove me and shake me---ugh! Is there no end to the stupidity of cats around here?? Her shaking brought up another round of retching, and she just kept on shaking me. If my brains weren't so rattled up I would have been thankful for her concern. Except that she was expressing in the wrong way.

I sighed, and Frostfire gasped in relief, nuzzling her face into my neck. I pushed her away, embarrassed, muttering something along the lines of 'annoying' and 'stupid cat'.

"What happened to you, Stripes?" she meowed worriedly.

"Nothing," I muttered, letting my eyes travel to the overturned dirt box. Hopefully they would send an apprentice over to clean that mess up. Frostfire's eyes traveled with my line of sight and she started trembling as she realized what happened to me.

"Stripes…" she whimpered, her voice shaking, "I…I…"

"Shut up," I mumbled again. I don't like the pitying tone in her voice. I hated it. I am not to be pitied. Never. Everything that happened already crushed my ego to bits, and I don't need her to finish off the rest. At least I could take the torturing in peace.

Frostfire sighed, understanding me and my ego (scratch that, toms and their ego), and turned away. Her ears were drooping and her usually energetic tail was lifeless.

I padded up to her side and hesitated.

"Thanks," I finally mumbled out.

Frostfire turned her blue gaze upon me and in a compassionate voice that made my breath stop short she said, "No. Thank you."

Flicker POV

"That was sooo cool!"

"How did you think of that!"

"Flicker, I looove you!"

I ignored the catcalls and hurried along my way. Apparently my performance on Stripes spread with the gossip like a wildfire.

An apprentice bounced up to me and meowed, "Can I be your mate, Flicker!?"

I was a bit caught off guard by this, and stuttered back , "Um, sorry, Speckle, you're a bit too small."

Speckles shook his dark dappled pelt and huffed, "I'll grow bigger so I can marry you!"

"Um, you go do that."

Then he rushed off to tell his friend that he was going to 'marry' me. I chuckled darkly to myself, enjoying the attention I was getting. Life was good; there was plenty of time to torture Stripes, as Hurricane (not that bad) has bought me some time. My reputation has been boosted by that, and boy, did I feel good!

Then there was that little voice in the back of my head that meowed, over and over, "Don't do it, Flicker. Don't do it, Flicker. Don't…"

"Shut up," I muttered to my conscience.

"What was that?"

I looked up to see where my paws carried me. Ice!

I quickly dipped my head, in respect and mumbled, "I'm so sorry, Ice, I didn't see you there."

"Did you think that because you're the new celebrity for our clan you can do anything you want?" He snarled into my ear.

"N-never, Ice! Wouldn't dream of it," I stuttered.

"Hm," He turned around and said, "You can go hunt for prey. Don't come back until you have my dinner."

"Yes, Ice."

I turned tail and sprinted into the forest.

Frostfire POV

I curled up comfortably besides the grey tabby besides me, thankful for his warmth. Another day has come and gone. I had already been here about a week. Time passes so fast, yet so slowly. I flipped over, staring at the slanted ceiling through the bars above me. A semi-circular window above the cage let slants of light through and it flashed into the room, brightening up the gloom, a little.

But enough.

I stood up and stretched, my belly rumbling. I looked at the cage door, and noticed it was a new grey tom on guard. I padded over and meowed, "Hello?"

He turned, and I noticed his face was ravaged with scars, "Yes?"

His voice was tired and aged, but seasoned with knowledge. His one blue eye shone with knowing, the other had a scar across it, forever shutting it. He had two scars criss-crossing over his muzzle, and his ears were almost clawed gone.

I asked, "Can I have some food?"

He twitched his ears towards my sleeping partner, "And your friend as well?"

I looked back at Stripes; he was still sound asleep, and I didn't want to wake him quite yet. I answered quietly, "Yes, I'll give it to him when he wakes."

The tom nodded his head and meowed, "You are a considerate cat, Frostfire."

"How did you—"

"Know your name? Please, I'm not so disrespectful as to not know the name of whom I am guarding."

I bowed my head and muttered, "Its disrespectful to keep cats in a cage."

"Ah… yes, about that. Ice has made that so, so I cannot do anything about it."

I asked curiously, "But do you approve it?"

"Yes and no…"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Suddenly he turned to me and meowed, "Oh, how impolite I haven't introduced myself!"

He quickly nodded his head and meowed, "I am Reaper. I used to be a rogue."

I nodded quickly and asked, "Are all the cats here just rogues?"

He gazed at me with a chilling blue stare and meowed without spite, just truth, "You clan cats belittle the life of rogues and other cats that do not share your heritage. Cats, Frostfire, are never 'just cats'."

Reaper turned and padded away into the darkness.

Okay... theres another chapter out... how did you like it? please r&r!!!! :)