Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter

Chapter 19

Of course the other cats were shocked. Plucker bluntly refused, Coonie looked confused, and Skunk didn't think that a non-talented cat could conduct them.

"But think about it," Ring meowed. "He can listen to us and he can give us input. He can tell us when to play and what sounds good together. Eventually we'd get so good we'd have a song."

She was the only one excited for it. Plucker lashed his tail in anger and spat. He didn't want anyone telling him what to do. Skunk's ears came up as he swayed to Ring's side. He still wasn't certain about somecat without an instrument being able to know about the instrument being played. Coonie, though, didn't see how any of it was possible.

"He's a roamer," she protested.

"Who said he'd stay," Ring meowed.

"He doesn't know anything about the city," she continued.

"You'll teach him."

"He knows nothing of music," Coonie sighed. "Jacolyn told me."

The rest of the band gasped. They stared at Darkfire.

"I don't," he confessed with a shrug. He didn't really want to tell them what to do anyway. Why would they want to listen to him? Especially about music. They liked it, he didn't. "I think I'll just listen. You can keep playing."

And when they did play, he would be far, far away.

Ring sighed in disappointment.

"It was a good idea," Skunk soothed, brushing a tail over her shoulders. "But Coonie," Skunk turned to her. "You should tell him more about the city. Take him for a tour. The rest of us will practice."

"Without me?" she seemed shocked.

"Perhaps we should start with less and add more later," Skunk suggested.

Coonie glared at him, "You can't kick me out that easily. I'm a part of this band."

"I'm not kicking you out. We just need a basic beat is all. We can add things later. And Jacolyn told you to teach him. Teach him first. She has a purpose, I'm sure."

Coonie growled in irritation but led the way from the band's camp. Darkfire followed, feeling sympathy for Coonie. He knew what it was like to be excluded and it wasn't any fun. He wished the other cats would let her play.

"I suppose the first things I should tell you is who rules this area," Connie meowed after a while. "The leader of our section of the city is a brown tom called Banter. His second is a black cat called Harsh."

"How can you tell sections?" Darkfire hesitantly interrupted.

"The river," Coonie told him. "There are three river branches. Well two of them meet up to form the last. Each leader has a section. Banter has the business and recreation of the upwalker city. Tashi, a white cat with black points, and her sister Perul-her second-have the High Houses. That's where all the rich upwalkers live. They have large houses and fancy cats," she shook her head in disgust.

"Golden, a light ginger tom, has the last section. It's a mix of stores and normal upwalker nests. His second is a gray tom called Rain," Coonie continued. "Each leader has a bunch of guards that patrol the territory. They mark along the river, wherever it's possible to cross. The guards bring food to the leaders. It doesn't matter how they get it, hunt it, take it from the trash, or steal it."

Coonie growled. Darkfire could see that last didn't settle well with her. He remembered Bush's confrontation with the guards. Darkfire didn't like the stealing either. Clan cats shared the food with the weak. Sometimes, in harsh seasons, the leader wouldn't eat just so a kit could, or so Hollyleaf had claimed. Still, Darkfire believed Clan life was better than living in this Twolegplace. He wished he could go back to that life.

"There are a bunch of cats in each territory. The guards are supposed to protect them from threats, like roamers, dogs, rat attacks, but they don't often. Instead they take the food that some poor starving cat needs. The only safe places are the raves. Sometimes that's the only way a cat can get one meal a day."

"Does every section have one? A rave?" Darkfire asked.

"Yes. Of course this section has more roof raves than the other. The upwalkers like this section and Jacolyn's place more than others."

Darkfire by now had figured out upwalkers were twolegs.

"What exactly do these. . . upwalkers do in there?" Darkfire asked still confused about that. Why would they play loud music? It certainly wasn't for the cats entertainment. The twolegs probably didn't know they were there, dancing above them.

"Eat, dance, talk," Coonie shrugged. "It's like what we do. Some cat, sometime in the past, thought it was flashing-awesome and they started dancing. Other cats caught on. One cat took control to keep down the fighting and to make sure cats had things to eat. They became the rave host and the raves became a safe haven. In fact, it's one of the rules," Coonie meowed with a jaunty smile at Darkfire.

He smiled back, liking her grin. It made him feel good in a way he wasn't sure he could explain if anyone had asked.

"Any cat may bringing food to a rave can take the food with them. The section guards aren't allow to take the food."

So that was the rule Bush was talking about last night. Darkfire suddenly understood. He was glad he could stop the guards. They didn't have the right. Especially with Bush bringing mice to cats that might not have eaten that day. Darkfire could remember the skinny Cream and the tom with her in Golden's territory. Those were the products of the guards.

"Are cats allow to cross the territories?" Darkfire asked.

"Not often," Coonie answered. She stared at him as if wondering why he'd ask that. "Leaders don't actually like cats crossing the river. They're scared the cats will tell their secrets. That's why they hate roamers. Some roamers are spies for other leaders. But yes," Coonie finally meowed, "cats cross territories. They have to hide from the guards of course since they have permission to chase out any cat that doesn't live in the territory, work for, or aren't useful to the leader. Usually the cat will go back over the river after a while if they aren't caught."

Darkfire continued to follow Coonie around that day. She'd tell him things or point out places. Eventually he started learning city life in the Twolegplace.