Typholius from the future, here. I have come back and rewritten this chapter and more than OCTUPLED its size. It used to be only like 700 words of story and was by far my smallest chapter. I also recycled a lot of material from the ORIGINAL Jayfeather's Conclusion since there was a lot of good Ivypool content there. These changes shouldn't have major effects on the rest of the story but I will be making some adjustments to other chapters.

MistLion Thank you so much for the review, and yes rats kind of do attack like a wave of zambamboes. :P

TooLazyToLogIn There are still a few more chapters planned before- IF- they meet up. I really wanted to explore Jayfeather in a situation where he's alone and fending for himself. Other stories would just have his Clanmates come save him every time but this is a side of him nobody really explores.

BeeQueenBeezy The picture you made of Jayfeather, Jayjay, and Cash was adorable! Anyone who wants to see it should check out Bee's deviantart account called BumbleBeezCat.

Guest Jayfeather's Conclusion, the MOVIE? Haha, I wish. We'd be lucky to get any kind of Warrior's movie or show at this point.

Val de Fleur In cat-world, burdock root is the best cure for infectious rat bites. I have no idea if that is a real thing in real life. (probably isn't)

"Move your paws, Briarlight, we can't waste a single moment of daylight."

Briarlight blinked open her eyes and heaved herself to a sitting position. Ivypool's silver tabby face was just a whisker's-length away from hers. "Good morning, Ivypool," Briarlight mumbled sleepily.

They had spent the night in a large twolegfield of strange thin plants which they had used to create a nest. It was only their second morning after leaving the camp and their journey had brought them past a forest, a small swamp, and now they were here. Just beyond the field was a different kind of forest made of huge square stone dens and unnatural lights- a twolegplace.

"We need to get going," Ivypool pressed, the dry leafy stalks crackling as she nudged Briarlight to her paws with her muzzle. "I'll catch us something to eat while we're walking."

Briarlight's head was still fuzzy from sleep and she stumbled along for a few steps before her paws tripped over themselves and she fell flat on her chin. "Fox-dung! Ivypool, you need to slow down, you're trying to make me walk before I'm even awake."

Her Clanmate was beside her. "Sorry, I just thought we should be moving as soon as possible. The longer we stay in one place, the more likely it is we'll lose Jayfeather's trail."

"I know, I know," Briarlight muttered, sitting up again and rubbing the sleep-crusties from her eyes. "But that doesn't mean you have to literally push me out of my nest to wake me up. If this is going to work between us, you're going to have to travel at a pace I can manage."

"Sorry," Ivypool meowed again, taking a step back and using her tail to brush some of the dust from her companion's pelt. "When I was training with the Dark Forest cats, I was always pushed to be faster and more efficient. I guess I got carried away trying to prove to myself that I could bring Jayfeather back. I'll try to be more considerate next time."

Briarlight purred and shook her fur vigorously trying to wake up completely. She had to remind himself that this was Ivypool's first time leaving Clan territory and that she must be doing her best not to mess up. "I forgive you. Just don't be a mouse-brain anymore and we'll get along fine."

There is still so much I haven't seen yet, Briarlight thought, taking a couple more paces away from their nest and stretching her paws as far forward as she could. Her sore hind-legs groaned from the previous day's hike. She wished she would get stronger soon, but her body was still adjusting to being able to walk. It is also my first time leaving Clan territory and I want to experience as much of it as I possibly can- before I have to tell Ivypool the truth that I never planned on bringing Jayfeather back to ThunderClan. I'm lucky to have her looking out for me, but everything would have been so much less complicated if she hadn't spotted me leaving the camp.

"So what do you want to do, now." Ivypool asked politely, clearly feeling guilty for being so impatient. "Do you want me to catch us something to eat before we continue tracking Jayfeather? I can't promise I'll be able to catch us anything once we enter the twolegplace."

Briarlight pricked her ears. The mention of food reminded her how hungry she was. They had eaten well so far but she always seemed to be starving. Maybe it was her weak leg muscles craving energy so they could get stronger. "Hunting before we go into the twolegplace is a smart idea. And the dumpy mice around here are fantastic practice for me."

Ivypool flicked her tail straight up into the air. "Indeed! Mice in the Clans are much faster and smarter than the ones here. Come, with all the commotion we stirred up, even the dumb mice will have fled into the plants."

The two she-cats stalked deeper into the twolegplants with ears pricked for the scuttling of mouse paws. Briarlight shed the sleepiness from her shoulders as her body prepared for a hunt. I hope my hunting skills improve by the time we catch up with Jayfeather. If we are going to travel together, I'll need to be able to catch my own prey.

She stopped to give the air a good sniff and Ivypool gave her a nod as she started her own hunt. The first mouse Briarlight detected was three fox-lengths away nibbling on a bright yellow 'seed' that she didn't recognize. The ground was littered with the seeds as some of the tall leafy plants around them had fallen over from the weight of the clusters of seeds that sat at the their tops. Even though they had just finished leaf-bare, the plants seemed to be healthy and enjoying the newleaf heat.

"Let's see if I remember how to do this," Briarlight muttered humorously to herself as she crept along the ground. Even though Thornclaw had done his best to train her after she returned to join the warriors, it hadn't been for long and she still tripped over herself occasionally. She was careful not to nudge any of the dried up dead plants around her paws since she didn't want to alert the mouse. She didn't have to worry about being upwnwind since the leafy plants did a good job of blocking the warm breeze.

She waited until she was only a tail-length away, and made a messy leap. She completely missed her target even though the mouse hadn't noticed her until her paws hit the ground. It fled and she felt heated embarrassment rise up from her pelt.

"Keep training, never give up, and one day you will be the fiercest hunter the Clans have ever known."

She looked around to see Ivypool padding towards her with three fat mice dangling from her jaws. "How? How did you catch three in the time it took me to not even catch one?"

The other she-cat dropped the delicious-smelling morsels in the dirt and gave Briarlight a knowing look with her deep blue eyes as dark as the bottom of a pond. "Simple; I kept training and never gave up. You can have two of them, I'm not very hungry."

"Uh, ok," Briarlight muttered, feeling shame in her belly that she must seem so pathetic to her Clanmate. She didn't know Ivypool very well. They hardly ever spoke to each other back in ThunderClan and they had only trained briefly together while they were both apprentices.

Briarlight padded forward and scooped up one of the mice. She lay down and her rumbling belly happily accepted the snack. Within moments, she was reaching for the second mouse. Ivypool sat down beside her and nibbled on the third mouse. Briarlight shot her a nervous glance but the other she-cat wasn't paying her any attention. She seemed to be thinking about something else.

I must seem like a helpless kit that she has to take care of, Briarlight thought glumly. She is faster, stronger, and more skilled than I am even though I'm actually slightly older than she is. Of all the cats that could have come with me, why did it have to be one of the fiercest warriors in all of ThunderClan just to contrast how far I still have to go.

Once all of the mice were devoured, Ivypool stood up and turned to face the direction of the twolegplace. "Now for the part that is going to suck. None of my training has prepared me to deal with twolegs and kittypets, but I'll do my best to keep you safe no matter where Jayfeather's trail leads. Are you ready to go, Briarlight?"

Briarlight pushed herself to her paws, licking the last scraps of mouse from her lips. "I don't think any warriors are trained for this sort of thing, but I'm ready. Let's find Jayfeather!" Even if we aren't bringing him home. I am really not looking forward to telling her the truth.

"Then let's go," Ivypool meowed, and she padded through the tall leafy twoleg plants.

Briarlight followed, excitement and terror competing for control in her mind. They padded between the miniature trees until the sounds of twolegs and monsters filled her ears. The foul scents of twolegplace rolled across her tongue and the mice in her belly turn at the stench.

But no smell could dissuade her. She hurried forward when she spotted a strange glimmering object lying on the ground. The twoleg thing was round, shiny, and about as thick as her head but much longer. It almost looked like it was made of ice and when she sniffed it, it carried an unusual sweet scent unlike any plant she had encountered before.

"Do you have to sniff every single new plant and twoleg thing we come across?"

A huff escaped Briarlight's lips as she prodded the transparent object with a paw. "Where's your sense of wonder? We're never going to be this way again so why not take it all in and enjoy it?" She suddenly snapped her jaws shut. She had accidentally implied that she didn't plan on returning the way they had come, but Ivypool didn't notice.

"Fine fine, but don't let it slow us down. If you have to wonder at every new thing we find, it'll be seasons before we even get out of this field."

Briarlight sighed and stood up straight but she couldn't stop the corner of her lip from curling with amusement. She understood Ivypool was much more hardened to seeing new and horrible things since she trained in the Dark Forest. Ivypool had been on the front lines when the cats of the living had defended their Clans from Tigerstar and Brokenstar's invasion, and Jayfeather's sister Hollyleaf had died protecting her when a Dark Forest warrior had attacked her. In fact, she probably feels guilty, like she has to find and save Jayfeather in repentance for being the reason his sister dies in the Great Battle. Even though no cat blamed her for Hollyleaf's death, Ivypool won't feel that way.

Briarlight followed Ivypool who had turned and padded towards the sound of twoleg monsters. As they reached the end of the twoleg field, the edge of a large thunderpath opened up before them. The monsters shook the gray and unnaturally flat stone path as they stomped back and forth but they didn't bother the cats that stood at the edge. This wasn't their first thunderpath on their journey, but it was by far the largest with the fastest monsters.

Ivypool quivered with uncertainty as the wind from the beasts buffeted the cats' fur. "Jayfeather's trail is faint but he definitely came this way. I assume he crossed here so we'll have to be caref-"

Briarlight let out a loud gasp of shock, interrupting her Clanmates mid-word. She could see what looked like the remains of a creature lying on the far side of the thunderpath, and for a heart-wrenching moment, she thought it could be Jayfeather's still form.

"Relax, it's only a fox," Ivypool reassured her, seeing the creature only moments after Briarlight had. "At least I think it's a fox. Monsters don't leave much behind. We can investigate it more once we're across."

Briarlight took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. "Everything about this place feels so wrong. I wonder how some cats like Purdy manage to stay here most of their lives. Why would any cat choose this over a nice clean forest full of mice?"

"All the stories make them sound really horrible," Ivypool agreed. She looked down the thunderpath one way and then the other, tracking the monsters as they roared past. Her dark blue eyes were filled with disgust.

Briarlight held her head high as she prepared herself to cross. "Never mind that. Let's just get past this thing and deal with the twolegplace as quickly as possible."

Ivypool seemed frozen in place, flinching each time a monster thundered past. Briarlight realized her companion was just as terrified as she was. She rested her tail on Ivypool's shoulder comfortingly. It didn't matter how fast or strong a cat was, a monster would kill them all the same. "We just need to wait for there to be no monsters coming from either side and then run across together."

Ivypool gave her pelt a vigorous shake and she she flexed each paw in turn. "Okay, you're right. When I say 'cross,' we'll run as fast as we can to the other side. Hopefully, neither of us will be eaten along the way by one of those things." Ivypool pointed with a paw towards a wall of bushes that lined the other side of the thunderpath. "We can hide in there once we get across. Try not to get eaten."

Briarlight nodded in understanding. "Not getting eaten is always good." The cats' pelts tossed and shook in the wind the monsters created as they stormed past. Please don't get us both killed, StarClan.

"Cross now!"

Briarlight kicked off against the pebbly ground as fast as she could and her hind legs screamed as she did her best to keep up with Ivypool. Her heart pounded in her chest and she felt the rough surface tear at her pads but no monster pounced on them. It was only a few moments before they were safely on the other side.

The two she-cats ducked into the bushes just as the ground began to shake again as another monster approached, but they were safe. "That wasn't so bad," Briarlight panted, her breath sending up small clouds of dust as she crouched in the dirt. "One thunderpath down, a hundred more to go."

"I'm going to have some great stories to tell Dovewing when we get back," Ivypool meowed humorously, trying to steady her own shaking voice. "She might still be able to see and hear us from the camp using her power. We made it to the twolegplace, Dovewing!"

Briarlight purred in a amusement. "Shhh, don't be too loud. We don't want whatever creatures lurking nearby to hear us."

"Sorry, you're right, we still have a long way to go before we can celebrate." Ivypool closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Would you like to rest here for a bit before we brave the main part of the twolegplace?"

Briarlight shook her head. As much as crossing the thunderpath had shaken her, the thought of spending any more time in twolegplace than they had to left a sour taste in her mouth. "I want to take a look at the dead fox first, but then we need to keep moving while we can. I can't see the mountains anymore, but I remember where they were last. As long as we keep going straight towards them, we should be fine. Can you tell if Jayfeather went this way?"

Ivypool sniffed around at the nearby rocks and branches, and shook her head. "No, not anymore. It rained not too long ago so it may have washed away the trail. But he has to be around here somewhere, assuming he crossed the thunderpath safely."

Briarlight sighed, her pelt prickling. It's really hard to believe Jayfeather could come through here without help. In a loud, foul-smelling place like this, he really would feel totally blind. But I also know he's stubborn and intelligent and he'd find a way to make it through one way or another. "Let's just try and walk in a straight line. The sun was rising above the mountains so we can use that to orient ourselves eve if we lose sight of the mountains themselves."

Ivypool grunted in understanding. "That's a smart observation. We can also ask the cats we meet if they've seen Jayfeather. Let's check on the fox before we go deeper into twolegplace?"

"Sure."

The two she-cats cautiously stepped out from under the bush and lurked towards the pile of red fur lying motionlessly by the side of the thunderpath. On closer inspection, Briarlight confirmed that it was indeed a dead fox, and not a tabby gray cat. The carcass reeked but not of crowfood. It still smells very strongly of a fox so it must have died recently. Though it doesn't look much like a fox anymore, the monsters have torn it to pieces.

Ivypool took one look at the fox and turned her nose up in disgust. "Everything about twolegplace is vile and wrong."

Briarlight shrugged, holding her paw over muzzle to block some of the smell. "We eat mice and birds. Monsters have to eat, too- it's only natural."

Ivypool let out a low growl and turned to look over the gray stone path where the monsters were still thundering past a few tail-lengths away. "Nothing about them is normal or natural. Look how they travel straight all the time and never leave the thunderpath. If you look closely, there are colored lines on the thunderpath and the monsters stay between them. No creature in the forest does something that. They're weird!"

Briarlight left the fox carcass behind and joined her companion by the edge of the wide path. Ivypool was right; the monsters moved in predictably straight paths following the lines on the ground. "Monsters aren't the only animals to travel in straight lines like that," Briarlight meowed thoughtfully. "Ants do it, too."

Ivypool gave Briarlight an incredulous look but he didn't try to deny the facts. Instead she lowered her head and muttered something under her breath.

"What, it's true!" Briarlight laughed. "I've seen ants follow each other in almost perfectly straight lines just like the monsters!"

Ivypool rolled her eyes and turned back towards the bushes that bordered the thunderpath. "I'm not going to argue with you anymore. Let's get moving."

Briarlight followed, her whiskers twitching with amusement. She agreed that monsters were weird, but comparing them to tiny ants somehow made them less scary in her mind. As long as they travel in predictable paths, we should be able to handle them. It's the twolegs and kittypets that are going to be an issue because they can be anywhere. She shivered and steeled herself for whatever horrors were waiting for them inside the twolegplace.


:3


The sun was setting behind the horizon and the sky was turning a ferocious orange and red. The towering twoleg dens sparkled and shroud the two she-cats in darkness as they darted from one shadow to the next. Briarlight was relieved that the twolegs didn't seem to like the dark. Lights flickered on from within the twoleg dens as most of the tall creatures hid away as the night encroached. Even the monsters seemed to be finding places to sleep as there were fewer of them on the thunderpaths.

Briarlight followed Ivypool's lead as best she could, but her hind legs were getting very tired. This place feels like it goes on forever. "We should find a place to stop," she meowed to her companion, panting as Ivypool rushed them along another one of the smaller paths that lined the larger thunderpaths. While they were in twolegplace Briarlight had noticed that almost every thunderpath had a slightly higher path on both sides of it where the twolegs liked to walk, and she had cleverly named these smaller paths 'twolegpaths.' "Didn't you hear me?" she added gruffly when Ivypool didn't respond. "We need to-"

"Shhh!" Ivypool suddenly slapped her tail over Briarlight's muzzle and kept up the brisk pace. "We are being followed."

Briarlight spat the fluffy tail from her mouth and her eyes darted around nervously. The tall twoleg dens with their bright glowing openings confused her and the smell of festering bins of rubbish masked the scents of any other nearby creatures. She looked behind them down the path but she couldn't see anyone. "Where? Is it a kittypet?"

"It's a kittypet alright, and I only just noticed him. He's on the other side of the thunderpath and I can see his eyes glowing every time he walks under one of the twoleg light-tree-things. Let's keep moving, maybe we'll lose him if we're quick enough and take many turns."

Briarlight looked over her shoulder to the opposite twolegpath. At first, she couldn't see anything, but then a cat peeled away from the clinging shadows and raced through one of the artificial pools of light created by a twoleg light-tree. Briarlight's heart skipped a beat when the flashing eyes locked on to her. The kittypet was definitely after them.

"Try to ignore him," Ivypool panted, not slowing down. "Maybe he'll lose interest and back off on his own. The last thing we want is to start a fight."

Briarlight swung her head around to keep her eyes focused on the pale path before her. Ivypool was right that they should avoid all confrontations with the strange cats that lived in the twolegplace, but Briarlight was also confident that between the two of them, they could take on the kittypet if he forced them to fight. Most kittypets were fat and pampered but she had heard some stories of kittypets that even gave Clan leaders trouble.

Ivypool's fear scent gave Briarlight a tiny spark of strength that pushed her aching paws to move faster. They sprinted down the twolegpath, dodging around the occasional twolegs that walked by. At first, she and Ivypool had been terrified of the tall pink creatures, but they had been avoiding them all day and most of the twolegs didn't show any interest in the cats. To Briarlight's surprise, some of the tall creatures actually seemed alarmed of them and would make strange noises and pick up their feet as the cats darted past. Ivypool had decided it would take moons to travel through twolegplace if they stopped for every single one, so instead, they would just try to slip past them as quickly as possible.

Briarlight was panting hard as she did her best to keep up, but the rough stone was tearing at her pads and her legs felt wobbly. The twolegplace seemed to be made up of predictable turns and paths that crisscrossed each other between the giant dens. They had gotten lucky so far to not run into any problem-cats or twolegs, but it looked like their luck was running out. The kittypet didn't want to leave them alone.

Ivypool lead them down as many turns as possible until they slipped into a dark, foul-smelling crevasse between two smaller dens. "I think we gave the kittypet the slip," Ivypool muttered once they were both hidden in the shadows of a rubbish container.

Briarlight let out a breath of relief as she crouched down, her shoulders tense with apprehension, but she was too exhausted to even look up and see if the kittypet would show up. If he did, he wouldn't be able to scent them over the stench of filth and hopefully he wouldn't see them since there were no light-trees over their hidden thunderpath.

Briarlight's heart pounded as she waited in silence with Ivypool. More moments passed and still no cat showed up. She looked up to see if any paws would step into sight from around the corner. If he was chasing us, he would have gotten here by now.

Ivypool let out a slow breath. "I think we lost him. It should be safe to-"

There was a sudden roar behind them and both cats leapt into the air in terror. A monster had been sleeping farther down the path and it looked like it had woken up when it spotted the cats. Briarlight quickly counted at least six glowing eyes on the beast as it lurched towards them. "We need to get out of here right now!" she cried as the monster's eyes started flashing frantically and it let out a deafening wailing sound unlike anything she had ever heard in her life.

"There's no time!" Ivypool yelped, her pelt flickering blue and red under the hysterical glare of the monster. "Hide behind the rubbish bins and get as close to the wall as you can!"

Briarlight obeyed and the two cats pressed themselves against the twoleg den wall just as the monster stomped out of the shadows and screamed past them. The massive creature seemed to ignore the cats as it hastily made its way onto the main thunderpath and rumbled away in earnest, still screeching loudly. Even when it had disappeared, the sound was still loud and clear.

As the wailing faded off into the distance, Briarlight was still gasping for breath as her heart thundered in her chest. The world around her spun and she sank to the ground. I can't take much more of this. I could actually die of exhaustion if this twolegplace doesn't give us a break.

"Are you okay, Briarlight," Ivypool panted when she noticed her companion collapse. She looked tired as well but the glint in her eyes was still bright and alert. Her training had made her strong. "I know you aren't accustomed to non-stop action like this, so we can rest here for a bit. Great StarClan, I hate this place!"

"It's okay, I'll be ready to move again in a short while. We need to find a safe place to stay the night." Briarlight wanted to believe that she would be ready to travel again soon, but her hind legs felt as sturdy as blades of grass. She was lying to herself trying to sound strong and Ivypool seemed to know it, too.

Ivypool let out a small sigh and padded closer to her. Even in the darkness, Briarlight could tell that her pelt was ruffled and fluffed out in fear, but other than that, she looked completely fine. "Take as long as you need to recuperate, we are in no hurry. Wherever we are now seems like a decent place to hide since it looks like most monsters, twolegs, and kittypets don't come through here."

"Kittypets? You wouldn't be talking about cats like me by any chance, would you?"

Briarlight looked up in dismay to see a shadowy figure lurking on a large silver structure embedded into the side of the twoleg den many tail-lengths above her head. Oh, please no! I don't have the energy to fight or flee right now!

The hidden cat leapt down from his perch just a couple tail-lengths away from the Clan cats who both bared their teeth and hissed. He was a black-furred tom with white marks around his green eyes and muzzle. "I haven't seen your faces around here before. Where are you from?"

"We come from a forest a few days travel from here," Briarlight blurted, not wanting to start a fight.

The kittypet's eyes widened in surprise for a moment, then quickly focused again. "There are two ways this can go. You can come with me quietly or you can come with me in pieces. I'm one of the houseplace protectors of this area and you've caused quite the disturbance."

"Houseplace protector?" Briarlight asked.

"What disturbance?" Ivypool snapped, taking a protective step in front of Briarlight who was still lying down. "We've hardly met a single other cat since we entered the twolegplace!"

The black tom's whiskers twitched and he narrowed his eyes to slits. His voice was slightly hoarse like a cat who had inhaled too much smoke. "You must be a those forest savages I've heard about, running through the streets in broad daylight. This housefolk's place has rules to keep everyone safe and when the cat-nappers come out looking for reckless street-cats, you put us all in danger. I'll say it again, you need to come with me. My boss will know what to do with you."

Ivypool took a step back and turned to Briarlight. The silver and white tabby fur along her spine was spiked with uncertainty. Briarlight heaver herself to her paws, her hind legs trembling from the strain. The look in Ivypool's eyes was shear confusion as if she were asking Briarlight what they should do. I don't know if we can trust this kittypet. He seems to be part of some sort of group that we don't want to get in trouble with. But we also have to be wary of a possible trap if he leads us to his friends.

"I need a decision," the black cat growled, lowering himself into a battle stance. He pulled his lips back and snarled revealing sharp yellow teeth. "Come with me or we fight here and now."

Ivypool spun around to face her opponent and dropped into her own battle stance. "We don't want to fight, but we will if you make us!"

Briarlight's eyes widened as she realized a scuffle was almost inevitable. She unsheathed her claws but she knew she wouldn't be much use in a fight until she had rested. "We're sorry, we didn't know the rules here. Couldn't you just lead us out of the twolegplace? We promise never to return."

"Not an option." The kittypet lunged forward with his jaws agape and Ivypool met him with a shriek of fury.

Fur flew into the air as the Clan cat swiftly maneuvered to the side of the kittypet and raked her claws down his flank. With a howl of pain, the black cat swiveled, trying to face her, but Ivypool quickly dropped into a low crouch and swiped the tom's legs out from under him. He fell with a thud onto his side and Ivypool pounced at the opening with her teeth bared.

"Stop!" Briarlight cried, realizing that Ivypool was going in for the kill.

Ivypool diverted her attack at the last moment so her teeth snapped shut just in front of her enemy's muzzle instead of around his throat, but it was enough to make the kittypet scramble backwards in shock. It had been a short fight, but it was obvious who was the winner. Ivypool's pelt was disheveled but there wasn't a single scratch on her. Meanwhile, the kittypet's sides oozed with blood and his green eyes were round as moons.

"So the legends about forest savages are true!" the kittypet gasped in fear. Without another word, he spun around and fled towards the lights at the end of the stone path.

Once the kittypet was out of sight, Ivypool sat down and let out a couple of ragged breaths. Even with all of her training and conditioning, the day's adventure was starting to take its toll on her as well.

Briarlight remained rooted where she stood, her heart beginning to slow down as the calm and quiet of night fell over them. She felt the familiar worm of jealousy wriggle in her chest after watching her Clanmate's fantastic combat skill and wondered if she would ever be so fast and strong. In the distance she could still hear the screeching monster from before but the sound of blood rushing through her ears was louder. "You fought really well," she whispered to Ivypool. "But we need to move before he comes back with his friends."

Ivypool padded over to Briarlight's side and used her shoulder to offer some support. Her pelt quivered slightly but her voice was surprisingly steady. "Are you able to move now?"

"I think so. We need to find a place to hide where the kittypets won't discover us. Either that or we aim to escape the way we came and try to get out of the twolegplace completely."

"I like the second option more." Ivypool murmured. "At least we know what's behind us. Going deeper into enemy territory sounds like an awful idea now that we know they are organized."

Briarlight nodded. She sheathed her claws and took a wobbly step. The adrenaline in her muscles had dissipated and been replaced by a feeling of awfulness. Her legs didn't feel like blades of grass anymore, they felt like heavy logs. But she forced them to move as she followed Ivypool back towards the main thunderpath.


o.o


They didn't make it far. As much as she hated it, Briarlight hadn't been able to run fast enough to escape and Ivypool had refused to leave her behind. They had been chased onto a broad thunderpath as wide as a field with sleeping monsters lined up in neat rows when the kittypets had caught up to them and surrounded them.

A skinny sandy-furred tom stood on the face of a nearby sleeping monster as he glared at the Clan cats in disgust. His pelt was criss-crossed with battle scars and he seemed to be the leader as more hostile-looking cats stepped out from behind the monster. "My name is Sentinel and I'm the top cat around these parts," he meowed. His voice carried an authoritative arrogance as if he were scolding naughty kits.

"Briarlight, stay behind me," Ivypool ordered, her fur fluffing out as the kittypets got closer. "It looks like these furballs want a fight."

But the Clan cats where dreadfully outnumbered as more cats slipped out of the shadows to surround them. Briarlight's fur rose and her paws tingled with fear. She had heard stories of nasty kittypets making trouble and this looked like another one of those times. If only I wasn't so weak, we could have made it out before they found us.

Sentinel must have spotted her discomfort because he grinned and bared his teeth. "I was told you ran through the streets scaring the housefolk and then almost killed one of my houseplace protectors when he confronted you. Tisk tisk, that is no way to behave when you enter another cat's territory."

"What- no!" Ivypool objected indignantly. "He attacked us first! We've never been to a houseplace before, we didn't know the rules."

"I was also informed that you were given plenty of chances to come peacefully and you refused," Sentinel continued, flicking his tail for his cats to move forward.

Briarlights eyes widened and she stepped forward to stand defiantly by Ivypool's side. She was scared, but she would do her best to get them out of the situation alive. "We didn't know if it was a trap or not! You can't possibly expect us to trust a strange cat we just met in a land we've never been to."

"Trust a kittypet, you mean," Sentinel snarled, dropping his facade and letting anger fill the features of his face. He spat the word out as his cats tightened their circle around the Clan cats. "I bet you forest savages have plenty of tales about kittypets, as you call us. We've heard plenty of stories about you, too, like how you are murderers and thieves. Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to learn our customs before you leave- assuming you ever leave at all."

I know Warriors is supposed to take place in Britain, but I'm not familiar with that demographic so I'm retconning the story to take place in the USA.