February 5th 2021

The forest was quiet as she slipped out of camp. Ears flicking backwards as she looked up. Pale eyes narrowed into slits as she heard soft murmuring coming from ahead of her.

She dipped into the bracken. Each fur on her pelt was standing on end, her tail twitching anxiously. The path before her suddenly went dark as shadows casted onto the bracken she hid in.

"I don't think we should do this war," hissed a sharp, cold voice. "We should just dump those FlameClan scum and their kit-maker."

Another voice scoffed. She couldn't tell who, but as she lifted her head, mouth opened to let the scents lay on her tongue. Whitesnarl. She flattened her ears. He was trying to get rid of her?

Beepath could feel her chest tighten. How could he do this to her? They use to be close, or at least she thought they were as kits. The first tom spoke again, this time she could pinpoint who it was.

"Don't you think so? Come on, Whitesnarl, she's ruined now. Those cats have corrupted whatever SaltClan cat was in her." The fluffy golden tom growled again.

Whitesnarl spat. "Beepath can be saved! Just those two toms need to leave, and those kits. I want them gone." His words were laced with venom, and she could see the dark glare that flashed in the darkness.

My kits. He's after my kits. Fear tightened around her. It started to squeeze. Suffocating the small queen as she blinked, wide-eyed. Unsure whether to leap out and end the tom now, or to stay hidden and deal with it later.

Beepath couldn't move. Her legs were frozen, paws dug into the dirt and head lowered. She could feel the cold of the night seeping into her skin and bones.

The wind whistle through the bracken as she stood up. She scanned the area around her. The path before her was freshly flattened down with tracks of two cats. Lizardfang and Whitesnarl. She spat. They would pay for this, just not now.

Giving her shoulder a few licks she started to pad forward. The forest was a strange place for her. She never could see the reason cats loved this place. Instead she liked to be near the ocean, smelling the salty water on the winds, hearing the splashing of waves.

The forest was so dark and clumpy. It's dark bushes held secrets that she could never see. The trees creaked and groaned. Their branches a dangerous tool that could fall and kill a cat at any moment.

Bugs lived on the leaves and in the trees. Crawling into their paw and nipping at the skin. Beepath hated having to travel through the thick mud that collected after a night rain. Going out and smelling the drenching scent of heaviness that made her feel down.

No, the ocean was much better. It was free and happy. There was no end to it. No rules, no dark spots that hid. Beepath flicked her tailtip. If she had the choice she would leave this forest and live there. I'm just glad I'm not in CanopyClan. They had a thick forest, and where nothing like SaltClan.

Beepath stopped at the edge of the forest. It seemed like the trees just stopped, and now rock stood before her. She and started to notice the soft soil turning rockily before getting here, but other than that the change was quick and without warning.

I guess you can always tell the borders. Beepath flicked an ear. She could smell the horrid scent of FlameClan raising out of the camp. But there was something else that made her hackles raise. More scents filled the air, and they didn't smell like Clancats.

Before she could take another step something hit the back of her legs. She let out a startled yowl before twisting and grabbing a mouth full of fur and skin. The cat hissed, swipping her face before it leaped out of her reach.

Beepath scrambled back to her paws. She pulled her lame leg down, trying to get it back onto the floor without it looking to different from the rest. But the cat ready was looking at her struggle.

"Sneaking up on this camp isn't wise." Growled a far to familiar voice. She fluffed out her coat. Mouth opened to scent the air. But she couldn't smell the cat, it was like they had no scent whatsoever. "Aw, you don't recognize me? How sad,"

The queen spat as the cat trotted closer. They were relaxed, with their guard down and amber eyes looking at her. She studied their face until she finally remembered who the one-eared cat was.

"You're that Lord cat," she meowed, eyes growing wide. That was why they had no smell. She remembered thinking it was odd, but those eyes, flat like glass, so see-through without little evidence of anything behind them. She shivered.

Lord dipped their head. "Why yes, I am." They paused. Eyes narrowing onto the young queen before they flicked their tail. "Care to tell me why you're about to sneak into my camp?"

Beepath snorted as she sat down. She still kept her ears perked backwards, and she remembered to have her claws scrapping against the stone. "Since when did Crackedstar step down to a rogue?"

The calico purred. "That tom is crazy. I merely need that camp for a short while, and than once he's gone this entire forest will be mine and my Clan's."

"We can agree on one thing," she muttered. If this cat truely wasn't sided with Crackedstar she could use it. But the last part made her shift in her spot. "There's plenty of space without the Clans. Why go through the trouble of taking this part?"

Lord cocked their head. They sat down, tail wrapping neatly around their paws before they shrugged. "It's fun." Was all they said, and for once she could see a glimmer of something in their eyes.

Their crazy. Crazier than Crackedstar. Beepath realized her fatal mistake. If this cat wanted to they could kill her she wouldn't be able to fight back. She barely had any training, was lamed in one leg, and was shivering from the nights cold winds, limbs already stiffened and feeling numb.

The cat tilted their head. Amber eyes shining now as they studied her. "I see," they murmured.

"See what?" Beepath raised to her paws. She raised her hackles as the cat trotted towards her. With her claws scrapping the stone she spat, ears flattened as her fur bristled out. "Watch it!"

Lord stopped a few mouse-lenghts away from her. Their eyes now narrowed into amused slits. "You finally realized how much danger you really are in." Their single ear twitched. "Took a bit, but at least you noticed."

"You know, I always was interested in you. It's so strange how one little she-cat can make a brutal leader so aggravated and ready to tear his entire camp apart to kill you. May I ask what you did? Had you stolen his kits? His mate? Perhaps you made some of his Clan turn on him?"

Smoothing out some fur on her chest she paused. What had she done to make Crackedstar mad? Beepath knew he was a crazy cat who wanted to rule with absolute power. But all she did was escape, and even before that he made it seem like she was a threat, or someone who needed to be put into place.

"I..I really don't know." She admitted. With a small sigh she sat back down. Slowly she had realized the cat, no matter how crazy they seemed, wasn't going to do anything.

They sat a few inches away from her, but their gaze was more curious than agressive or blood-thristy. "Hmph," they began to lashed their tail back and forth. "That tom never talks to me. I never expected much, but becoming second in power was a good step."

Beepath draw a paw over her whiskers. She could feel her eyes dropping as she curled and uncurled her tail. "Step to what?" Questions were all that her tired mind could manage. All this seemed so strange. Why were they talking to her? Saying this much? Was she really so stupid as to sit here and talk, all this could lead to her death.

The dark calico gave a soft purr. They raised to their feet and pressed their nose against her forehead. She recoiled, ears flattened as she blinked at the genderless cat. "Get some rest, Bee. There's plenty of time to talk," their voice drifted away as she fought against the blurring world, and a warmth wrapped around her.

February 7th 2021