Chapter 2

Tyler was dreaming. Again he was in this very familiar forest, yet a thick fog ran through the woods and silence greeted his presence. Yesterday, he was all alone in this place, hunting like a wild cat. Now, no prey-scents invaded his nostrils, but he felt small under the gaze of hundreds of invisible cats hiding in the shadows. The tabby crouched, his head turning left and right, but the yellow and green flashes he saw only for a moment vanished before he could direct his attention to them, making him wonder if they were actually real.

He woke up with a start, finding himself in his comfortable bedding that his housefolk prepared for him. It was only slightly damp and muddy, the rain from the previous night that had clung to his pelt like fleas now sucked in by the strange yet soft material. Tyler was mildly thankful to his housefolk for this, yet this is the kind of comfortable life that he so desired to leave behind. He could never be a real cat if this kept going.

Walking through the cat flap, the scorching sun had decided to make an appearance, finally letting its rays shine. Tyler embraced its natural warmth with glee, realizing not a single cloud remained in the sky. This was the perfect day for hunting, he realized.

"So you finally decided to wake up, eh?" Smudge's voice interrupted Tyler's thoughts. He was watching him from up the fence. "All this talk about being a wild cat yet you sleep the day away."

Tyler growled. "Well, I was in the woods all night instead of sleeping."

"Too bad nothing caught you," Smudge scoffed. "You were lucky to made it out alive, and they even left you a little gift to remind you to never go back." He was staring at the soft scar in Tyler's muzzle. "How nice of them."

"Hmph. Against three of them, this is just a kitten's scratch."

"Three of them?" Tyler stared at Smudge's expression with satisfaction. Now he had the plump cat's attention. "You didn't fight all three, did you?"

"Of course I did!" Tyler boasted with a smile. Smudge's shock strengthened. "And after seeing my battle skills, they asked me to join them."

"Wait, what?" Smudge leaped down from the fence and now stared directly at the tabby. "And you trust them?"

"Well, yeah. That's why I'm going back."

"No, you can't!" Smudge meowed in alarm. His reaction made Tyler's eyes widen.

"Well, too bad, I've already made up my mind." Tyler began walking past Smudge. "You said it yourself, my housefolk will get a better cat that you can be friends with."

He could feel Smudge's stare burning the back of his head, yet Tyler ignored it and kept walking, head high, straight to the forest. It was only a bit earlier than Bluestar had instructed, yet he could barely hide his anticipation.

"Tyler!" Smudge wailed from behind. After a moment of silence and visible hesitation, a bit lower: "Take care."

Tyler stopped and now looked back. Smudge was already leaping the fence to the other side, his side of the garden. "Goodbye," he murmured seeing him go, inwardly wondering who would be the next cat to take his spot.

He decided to run for it, tail high in the air, reaching the forest in just moments. It was still early for Lionheart to arrive, so he decided to scan the air with his nose for any hiding prey. He hadn't eating, his belly was already growling, yet he refused to eat any more of his pet food. The Clan cats had recognized his strength, it would be a betrayal of their trust to eat anything other than prey now. But there was nothing hiding nearby, at least that his untrained nose could detect.

"There's still a lot for you to learn, young cat," Lionheart's voice reached his ears, and Tyler jumped in surprise. "I've been hiding here for some time. Even the youngest Clan newborn can tell when another cat is nearby." Tyler bristled and glared at the golden warrior, ashamed at what he perceived to be an insult. "Let's test you a bit more. Am I alone?"

Tyler forced his fur to lie flat, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. Not now, he had to control his temper. Bluestar said it herself, didn't she?

He lifted his muzzle, sensing nothing. Whatever scent was here the day before had been already washed away by the rain. Tyler opened his eyes, staring at Lionheart, trying to figure out what his expressionless face was telling him.

"No," the tabby answered hesitantly. "No, there's someone with you." He stiffened as another cat appeared behind the tom: a pure white warrior with yellow eyes, muscular and dignified.

Lionheart purred. "Good job, young cat. This is Whitestorm, one of our senior warriors," he meowed flicking his tail at the white warrior. Whitestorm dipped his head to Tyler, and he returned the gesture, relieved that his answer was correct.

"Hello," Whitestorm murmured. "Bluestar told me a lot about you."

Tyler's ears perked up in surprise. "Really?"

"Come on, you two," Lionheart interrupted. "We have to get back to the camp."

As they padded through the forest, Tyler couldn't help but stare at the white warrior with shining eyes, as the majestic feline weaved through the branches with confidence and haste. The tabby immediately realized this was a test, as the two grown cats were getting further and further away. Whitestorm took a glance back at him, yet his expression revealed nothing, and his paws were not stopping.

Tyler's paws got tangled in a root. He stopped and stared at his paws, hissing. The warriors did not wait for him. But I can't stop now! With more force than he knew he had in his body, he yanked his paw away from the roots and ripped them from the ground. With no time to waste, he darted in the direction the ThunderClan warriors had left, paying no attention to the tendrils gripping his claws.

"You're going to have to learn how to walk through this forest eventually," Lionheart commented as the tabby reached them. "This is the place you'll live in from now on."

"Now, Lionheart," Whitestorm intervened, "at least he got out. I'm sure that careless attitude might serve well in battle." He blinked at the tabby with an amused smile. Tyler puffed out his chest. That's right! he thought, with a new wave of respect for the white warrior flowing through his veins.

Then, the two cats stopped. Tyler stared at them quizzically, and fueled by curiosity, he tested the air. Instinctively his fur fluffed up and he stood on his toes.

"Relax, kitten," Whitestorm meowed.

In front of them was a thorn bush, covering many fox-lengths. Tyler's senses were overwhelmed by unfamiliar cat scents. Whitestorm and Lionheart exchanged a pleased look, before taking the lead and walking straight into an opening between the leaves. Tyler quickly dashed forward.

Once on the other side, the cat scent incremented, and now his eyes were looking at so many cats; much more than he had seen back in his housefolk home. Some were walking back and forth through the irregular ground, others enjoying the soft breeze under the sunlight and licking each others' fur. Only a few were eyeing him straight, yet they quickly lost interest when they realized the intruder was not a threat. At the same time, other, much younger cats, came walking towards him with high tails.

"There will be time to show you around later, young kitten," Whitestorm meowed alerting Tyler, his nose high up. "Here comes Bluestar."

The leader, as strict as she seemed the night prior, looked pleased to see Tyler now. She marched towards him, a purr caught in her throat. "You came," she meowed, addressing him. Then, turning to face the older warriors; "What do you think of him?"

It was Whitestorm who replied. "He managed to keep up." He made a pause with a twitch of his whiskers. "Though with some difficulty... but he is very persistent and brave. He has potential."

Bluestar nodded to the warriors, then turned around. A boulder stood firm in the middle of the clearing, a seemingly warm surface with a strong shadow underneath. That was the leader's den and, as Tyler assumed, the best place to rest in the entire territory. He stared at it curiously, wondering if it would be as comfortable as his housefolk home, and picturing himself resting on it, looking at the Clan below...

He shook his head. Bluestar yowled, bringing the cats' attention to herself.

"Cats of ThunderClan," then, once the gazes were onto her, her voice lowered. "As you know, we are in dire need of more warriors. It has been decided..."

As she continued, Tyler felt the gazes of countless cats piercing into his skin, and not all of them were friendly. As soon as Bluestar announced he would be joining their ranks, he could feel more and more the disapproval from his peers. Yet he did not flinch, and forced himself to sit straight, staring at nothing but the leader. His legs were shaking, wanting to crawl or run away, and he growled internally at his body.

Once Bluestar was done talking, the protests began. One cat in particular was louder than the rest. "Look, he's a kittypet! He still has a collar!"

Against his will, Tyler's head spun to stare at another warrior. A pale tabby with dark stripes, and an elegant long tail. He was sneering at him. "What ThunderClan needs is stronger warriors, not soft kittypets!"

Soft! Tyler growled. He wished to teach that smug warrior a lesson! But with all other cats staring and judging him, would that be a good choice?

"Seriously! You should go back with your Twolegs. That annoying noise from your collar will make you an awful hunter, and I'm not going to feed a cat who cannot hunt for himself!" The rest of the cats agreed with the tabby, which seemed to give him more confidence. "You will never have warrior blood. All you can do is go home and act cute for your Twolegs so they can feed you!"

Tyler hissed. It didn't matter now; he crouched and leaped at the pale tabby, claws revealed. The tabby was unprepared. He was pinned to the ground, but he easily struggled away and stood firm on his toes, tail lashing left and right.

He spat. "Coward move," he hissed and immediately retaliated. Tyler withstood a flurry of strong blows and bites, trying to strike back. Yet the warrior dodged all of his attacks with impressive mobility, finding any little opportunity to keep clawing at Tyler's fur, tufts of dark brown flying everywhere. He knew he was holding himself back; a fact that hurt him much more than the blows he was receiving.

Tyler turned around tried to leave, but the warrior sprung and pinned him to the ground.

"I knew it," he purred. "You are just a coward!"

The ThunderClan cats wailed and roared in excitement, each one of them chanting the name Longtail. Tyler could feel the heat rising throughout his body, and he hissed through his teeth.

"I think that's enough," the pale tabby meowed gleefully. "You've learned your lesson now, right?"

The tabby's grip on Tyler lessened, and without second thought, the kittypet rolled over and swiped at Longtail's chest, his abnormally long claws able to pierce through the warrior's fur and skin. He yelped in surprise, gasping as the ground revealed scarlet droplets. He wasn't allowed time to process what happened, as his opponent attacked again with the same ferocity the warrior had shown before. Longtail could easily dodge many of his attacks, but Tyler wasn't holding back. He clawed and bit the air relentlessly, and even clumsily, but consistently. Longtail had enough. He hissed with the ferocity of a fox, causing Tyler to flinch by pure instinct, and he received a strong slice to his muzzle; the same location where Graypaw had attacked him before.

"That's enough!"

Longtail was about to strike back, yet Bluestar's command stopped him. The two males were panting heavily, Tyler's legs were ready to give up but he forced himself still, while the warrior was standing proudly and eyeing him coldly. Much to the kitten's surprise though, his gaze softened.

"No, Bluestar-I'm still not done."

"Longtail!" Bluestar protested, but the warrior had already sprung forward, aiming for Tyler's neck. The dark tabby clawed the air helplessly, to no avail. He felt the pressure of his collar tightening, and yet, only a moments after, the weight lifted, the collar lying limp on the floor.

Longtail turned around, giving Tyler one last glance. The kittypet could not decipher anything from his expression, yet Bluestar didn't give him much time to ponder.

"You put up a good fight, young cat," she commented with a soft meow. Then, her voice resonated strong in the ThunderClan camp; "the newcomer has lost his Twoleg link in a battle of honor. He is now ready to join the ranks of ThunderClan as an apprentice."

The other cats said nothing. Tyler purred to himself, he had proven himself to be a worthy opponent, it would be a matter of time before he became the strongest warrior in the forest. He would prove his worth to all the cats that had doubted his abilities as soon as he stepped in. Sitting down, his dark tail covering his long claws, the sun shone down on his pelt making it glow like fire.

Bluestar stood in front of him, her nose touched his briefly. Her eyes, hopeful, stared at his own. "From this day forward, until he has earned his warrior name, this apprentice will be known as Tigerpaw." She backed away. "You fought well, Tigerpaw."

The tabby felt a surge of pride. He had an apprentice name! Did that mean he would train with the older warriors? Would he be able to fight like Longtail? Or even better than him? The other cats began saying his name in unison.

"Tigerpaw!" Graypaw appeared, his fluffy tail pointing to the sky. "Great fight! Longtail finished his training not too long ago, but he won't be happy knowing he couldn't even beat a kittypet!"

Tigerpaw snorted. "Well, I'm no ordinary kittypet. If I were a warrior like him, he wouldn't have a chance!"

Graypaw purred approvingly. "That's true. He's all talk no bite!" He made a pause, looking around. "Come with me! I'll show you around."

Tigerpaw followed the gray tom. The realization hit him again, and he felt even more proud of himself. He was no longer a kittypet. No longer a toy for his housefolk or a helpless kitten. Now, he was a ThunderClan cat!