He ran until the moon had set. The night darkened and the forest seemed to hold its breath, waiting for the sun. Dawnheart skirted the edge of the twoleg path, unease pricking at his pelt. He had passed the edges of Clan territory not long ago but already everything was so different.
The foliage was thinner and the ground was flatter. Odd smells drifted to him from every direction and in the distance he could hear an occasional rumble of the Thunderpath.
He had heard stories about the Thunderpath and all the dangers it posed to cats. It was a wide stretch of sticky black stone that twoleg monsters traveled on at impossible speeds. Any cat who dared to cross one was in danger of being struck and killed by one of these huge, shiny creatures with round paws and glowing eyes.
Dawnheart had tried to take a guarded approach to these stories. He didn't want to believe such things existed but as he neared the rumbling sound and acrid scents he started to think that they might be true.
A flash of light through the trees ahead made Dawnheart jump and scramble for cover under a bush at the edge of the path. He watched, terrified, as the beam of light grew larger and the rumbling sound of what could only be a monster filled the night air.
Dawnheart shrank back as an impossibly huge thing sped across his vision through the trees. The harsh lights disappeared as it roared by, leaving only an eerie red glow in its wake. Dawnheart stayed where he was until his heart slowed and his fur flattened on his shoulders. It seemed that the stories were true.
He slipped out from under the bush on shaking paws. There was no sign of the monster in either direction, although scenting it was out of the question. The overpowering reek of the Thunderpath obscured even the scent of the pine trees around him. He crept forward. Constant thoughts of his Clan were the only things keeping him from turning tail and running.
The snow under paw became gritty with rocks and grime as he approached the Thunderpath. Dawnheart choked back bile as the stench of crowfood and monster filled his nose and mouth. His eyes watered but he stepped up onto the slightly raised black stone.
He looked left down the wide path and saw something that made his heart leap and his stomach clench simultaneously. A soft glow of unnatural light lit the trees in the distance.
Twolegplace.
The sun had risen by the time Dawnheart caught his first view of a twoleg nest. He had followed the Thunderpath for ages but the glow of twoleg lights hadn't seemed to get any closer. Until now.
He could see the weird, square twoleg nest beyond a field of tall grass and a tree covered hill. It was so close. He looked down at his paws. They were firmly planted on the wrong side of the Thunderpath. In order to get to the nest he needed to cross it. He had suspected that this might happen but he had prayed that it wouldn't.
He shook his head. StarClan couldn't do anything about the placement of twoleg things. He raised a paw and set it on the unnaturally straight white line that edged the Thunderpath. It felt smoother than the rock around it. He focused. He couldn't feel any vibrations.
Dawnheart had learned that he could feel the approach of a monster before he heard or scented it. Hopefully this worked with every monster. He took a deep breath, looked both ways, and ran.
Once he was out on the open path a wave of panic gripped him. His legs flexed and drove him forward faster than he had ever run in his life. In a moment it was over. He had crossed the entire thing in less than four bounds. He looked back, shocked. Adrenaline still pumped in his veins and he wasted no time diving into the safety of the tall grass.
He crouched there, heart banging wildly in his chest, and tried to calm down. It took a while but eventually his heart slowed and his senses cleared. He looked up to the sky and saw the sun peeking out above the trees in front of him.
Look to the dawn. He thought, resigned.
He set out through the long grass.
He crossed the field of strange long grass and came to a twoleg thing that reminded him of the sticks driven into the ground at the edge of the border path. The shiny tendrils were thinner than the ones in the forest. He stretched out his neck, trying to sniff them.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." A voice said from somewhere above Dawnheart. He jumped and stepped back from the wooden thing. Then he looked up.
A cat was lounging on a branch of a tree that stretched out over the field of grass. The tabby tom examined Dawnheart with a lazy amber gaze. His tail flicked once and Dawnheart noticed that it was bent in the middle.
Could this cat be a kittypet? His fur was sleek and well-groomed but he had an air of danger around him. Claw marks scored the trunk of his perch and he had a nick in one ear. Dawnheart straightened up, aware of how frazzled and dirty he must look.
"Why not?" He asked the stranger. The tabby lifted a paw and began to clean it.
"It'll hurtcha." He said, not looking at Dawnheart. Dawnheart tilted his head and looked closer at the tendril. It didn't look sharp. He looked back up at the tom, unsure.
"How?" He asked. The tom looked down at Dawnheart through one amber eye. He snorted.
"Try it. I don't care." His voice was strange. The middle of his words were drawn out and he sounded as if he were talking through his nose rather than his mouth.
Dawnheart eyed the twoleg thing warily. He decided not to risk it.
"Is there another way through?" Dawnheart asked instead. The tabby looked down again, this time with both eyes.
"Why?" His voice sharpened.
Dawnheart winced. "I'm looking for something."
That proved to be the wrong thing to say. The cat jumped down from his tree and landed in front of Dawnheart, teeth bared. Dawnheart backed up. He was sure he could take this cat in a fight, the tabby wasn't even using the correct battle stance, but he knew that violence wouldn't get him any closer to the catmint.
"If you're after the chickens- "the tom spat, unsheathing his claws, "I'll have you know that no cat has ever stolen from me."
Dawnheart cocked his head. Chickens?
"I'm looking for a plant." He said quickly as the tom advanced. The cat froze.
"A plant?" He sounded bewildered.
"Yes, catmint. Have you heard of it?" Dawnheart said carefully. This cat was volatile. The tabby's neck fur flattened and his tail lowered.
"No." He said. Dawnheart's heart sank. "But I know someone who might've."
Dawnheart's tail shot up. He couldn't keep his excitement hidden.
"Can you take me to them?" he said eagerly. The tom looked Dawnheart up and down with a suspicious eye.
"You promise you aren't here for the chickens?" he said.
Dawnheart nodded. "I don't even know what those are."
The cat shrugged and started walking away. Dawnheart guessed that he should follow. The cat led him a few foxlengths along the side of the twoleg thing to where the limb of a tree was resting against it. The tabby jumped up on the fallen limb and used it to leap neatly to the other side. Dawnheart followed, apprehensive.
The log shook under Dawnheart's weight but he managed to scramble to the other side and drop down next to the cat.
"I'm Fitzy by the way." The tom said. Dawnheart blinked. What a strange name.
"My name is Dawnheart." Dawnheart said. Fitzy twitched an ear. Dawnheart guessed that he was just as confused by Dawnheart's name as the Clan cat was by his.
Fitzy gave another shrug and led Dawnheart into the trees. They were all bare of leaves and grew entangled in one another's branches. The ground was covered by dirty, churned up snow. Fitzy led the way up a short hill and out of the tiny forest. Dawnheart peeked out from under a leafless bush, surveying the land.
Several tall pine trees stood about a tree-length from where Dawnheart crouched. Beyond them was a slightly sloped patch of snow-covered ground that was bare of any vegetation. Just beyond that lay the twoleg nest. He tried to get a good look at it but was interrupted by Fitzy's annoyed voice.
"Hey, you comin'?" The tabby called from behind the dried husks of a tall plant Dawnheart couldn't identify. He took a few careful steps out into the open and stopped.
Another, smaller twoleg nest had been obscured by the tree Dawnheart had been hiding beneath. It was a fraction of the size of the other one and it was surrounded by more of the shiny tendril stuff. A gust of wind brought a magnificent smell to Dawnheart's nose. It was like that of a pigeon or blackbird but much stronger.
His mouth watered and his belly rumbled. He hadn't eaten for a long time.
"Don't even think about it." Fitzy said, raising his hackles.
Dawnheart snapped his jaws shut, immediately feeling guilty. The smell must be coming from those 'chickens' he had mentioned. He could see why the cat was so suspicious that other cats would want to hunt them. They smelled intoxicating.
"I'm sorry. I haven't eaten in a while." Dawnheart admitted. Fitzy narrowed his eyes.
"Well, you aren't eatin' here." He said. Dawnheart nodded. His belly growled unhelpfully.
Fitzy rolled his eyes and bounded through the snow towards the larger twoleg nest. Dawnheart followed until the tabby stopped under one of the large pine trees. He turned and eyed Dawnheart again.
"I have to go get her." Fitzy said. "Stay here." He jumped down onto a stack of rocks and sped across the snow and around the side of the nest. Dawnheart sat and curled his tail over his paws. This cat was naïve. He was just leaving a stranger on his territory unsupervised. If he wanted, Dawnheart could probably sneak one of the chickens and be gone before Fitzy returned.
The smell of the creatures was overwhelming so close to their nest. Dawnheart found it hard to focus on anything but the hunger in his belly and the scent of prey. Now that he was still, he could pick up a quiet buhc buhc sound from behind him. He turned and saw what had to be the chickens picking their way around the wall of their nest and into view.
He had been correct in thinking they were birds but he was shocked at how large they were. They were about the size of a full-grown cat. They stood on two scaly legs like most birds and had a variety of colorful feathers. They eyed him with beady black stares. Low warning crows started deep in their throats and they strutted around warily. Their movements were so weird.
They bounced with each step and their heads bobbed. The birds Dawnheart was used to seeing were quick with their movements and hopped around on two feet. These things were very different.
Dawnheart let the enticing scent of the chickens carry his paws close to the barrier between them. He glanced up. It would be so easy to climb into the enclosure, kill one of these fat things, and be off without consequence. Great StarClan, just one of these beasts could feed the elder's den for days.
Disgusted, Dawnheart turned away from the things and padded away to wait for the kittypets.
Dawnheart turned to see the tabby and two new cats approaching him. The first was a ginger tabby tom with a white chest and belly. His yellow eyes twinkled with quiet amusement. He looked like a Clan elder; skinny but with an air of wisdom about him.
The other cat was-
Dawnheart's belly lurched. The other cat looked just like him.
Well, 'just like' was a stretch but there was certainly a resemblance. The she-cat was plumper and shorter than Dawnheart but her paws, tail, ears, and face were all the same shade of grayish brown that his were. Her coat was cream colored just like his and her striking blue eyes gazed at him curiously from an angular face that Dawnheart had only seen in his own reflection.
The she-cat's round eyes grew rounder and she stopped in her tracks. They stared at each other for a moment before she let out a high-pitched squeal of joy and broke into a run. Dawnheart barely had time to react before she launched herself at him and bowled him straight over with a cry of "It's you!"
The she-cat was surprisingly heavy. Dawnheart gasped for air as she choked him with her thick fur.
"You're going to smother him!" A stern but amused voice said. The she-cat's weight disappeared from Dawnheart's chest and he quickly rolled back to his feet. The she-cat was standing close enough that Dawnheart could feel her breath ripple over his whiskers.
She gazed at his face with a look of such delight that he couldn't help but purr. She was fairly odd looking up close. Her eyes seemed to look in slightly different directions and she had a patch of ginger fur on her forehead.
"I knew I'd meet you one day." She breathed. Her voice had the same strange accent as Fitzy.
"I, uh," Dawnheart began, still bewildered. "Do I know you?"
The she-cat stepped back and struck a pose. He thought that she must be trying to look impressive but her abnormally round belly and funny eyes ruined the image.
"Don't you recognize your sister?" she announced.
Dawnheart blinked.
"There is definitely a resemblance." The older tom said. His whiskers were twitching as he watched. Fitzy snorted.
"Yeah, and there's a resemblance between a mouse and you." He said.
"Their markings are identical!" The ginger tom argued.
Dawnheart drew in her scent. A faint memory, as thin and wispy as a cobweb, floated to the surface of his mind; a warm nest, sweet milk, squirming bodies, and that scent. His eyes grew wide as a flood of emotion crashed against him. He looked into his litter-mate's eyes and felt like his legs were going to give out on him.
"I'm Kibby." She said in her squeaky mew. "Our mother named me Chamomile but no one calls me that."
"Chamomile." Dawnheart said out loud. The name was strange to his ear but it felt right on his tongue.
"Kibby." The she-cat said slowly. "What's your name? Well, I know what mother called you but you probably have a different one now." Her babbling reminded Dawnheart of Specklepaw.
"Dawnheart." He said. Kibby's eyes grew rounder still.
"You're a warrior! That's amazing!" she cried, shoving her muzzle at him to forcibly touch noses.
Dawnheart stared at her.
"You know what a warrior is?" He managed to say.
Kibby nodded enthusiastically.
"Mother knows all about the Clans." She said.
"She…what?" Dawnheart's jaw dropped. His head spun. This was too much. He knew that his mother had given him to the Clans of her own accord but he had always imagined the act to have been one of desperation, but now, now nothing made sense.
The orange tom padded up and laid his tail over Kibby's shoulders.
"You're going to overwhelm him, little one." He said.
Kibby huffed. "I told you not to call me that, Oliver!"
The older tom shook his head slightly and turned to Dawnheart.
"You're looking for catmint?" He said in his calm, level voice. Dawnheart nodded. Oliver's gaze turned solemn. "Is there sickness in the Clan?" he asked.
Dawnheart was left speechless again. How did these cats know so much? He gaped for another moment before composing himself with a deep breath.
"I'm sorry. I'm just-"
"Surprised?" Kibby interrupted. "I knew you would be."
Dawnheart shook himself. "There is sickness," he continued. "I was told there might be catmint in Twolegplace."
"There is!" Kibby chirped. She gave a little skip.
"There might be." The ginger tom corrected her. He turned his yellow gaze on Dawnheart. "There is a place where it grows but the early frosts might have killed it."
Dawnheart's belly lurched. "Can you take me there?"
Oliver nodded. Kibby bounced with excitement.
"Can I come?" she asked.
"Uh, sure." Dawnheart said.
"I'm staying here." Fitzy growled from the tree above. Dawnheart hadn't even noticed when the tabby tom had jumped up there. "Somecat has to guard the chickens."
"And what were you doing when you found Dawnheart?" Kibby said slyly.
Fitzy hissed and retreated into the shadows of the tree. Kibby turned to Dawnheart, her tail straight up in the air. She kneaded the ground with her paws.
"Come on!" she squeaked. She turned and bounced through the snow towards another large pine tree that grew close to the twoleg nest's outer wall. Oliver glanced at Dawnheart. He gestured with his white ringed tail and the two toms began to trot after Kibby.
"Sorry about her." Oliver said.
"It's fine. I just wasn't expecting all of this." Dawnheart admitted.
As they bounded after Kibby, Dawnheart looked up at the looming twoleg nest. His pelt stood up along his spine as he looked at it. It was so angular and unnatural. He shivered as he imagined going inside and being trapped by those strange walls.
Kibby noticed him eyeing the nest. "Are you hungry?" she asked.
Dawnheart cocked his head. "Yes, but-"
Kibby hopped once. "You should come in for some kibble! It's very good, and we get as much as we want."
Before Dawnheart could answer, Oliver did it for him.
"He's a wild cat. He wouldn't like the taste of our food." he chastised the younger cat. Kibby deflated slightly. Oliver waved his tail at the thick, tall grass on the other side of a flimsy looking twoleg tendril barrier.
"Maybe you could find him a mouse instead?"
Kibby brightened at that, and without a word, sped off into the grass.
Oliver seemed content to stand around and wait, but Dawnheart was feeling restless. He was about to ask if they could move on without her when Kibby reappeared from the grass. To Dawnheart's astonishment she carried not one, but two mice.
"Sorry that took so long!" Kibby said breathlessly. She laid one mouse at Dawnheart's feet and the second at Oliver's. She gave the older cat a little bow of respect as she did so, as if she were feeding a Clan elder.
Dawnheart felt annoyed at this gesture. Clan elders were respected because of a life of service given to their Clan. What had this spoiled kittypet done to deserve the same respect? Especially in a place where mice could be caught in moments and Twolegs gave you as much food and protection as you wanted?
Irritation bubbled in Dawnheart's belly, chasing away his appetite. He looked down at the fat field mouse at his paws. It had been killed clumsily. Any Clan apprentice would have known that a bite to the back of the head was a much cleaner kill than causing evisceration. He felt slightly sick at the sight.
Kibby stood close by as Oliver tucked in to his meal. She watched Dawnheart with expectant eyes.
Part of Dawnheart wanted to turn and kick dirt over the prey. The other part of him knew that it was wrong to waste prey, and that the action would hurt this soft cat's feelings.
Begrudgingly, Dawnheart bent and crunched a few mouthfuls off of the mouse. Kibby purred loudly. Shame stuck in Dawnheart's throat like dry prey. These cats weren't Clan cats. They could live however they pleased. They were being kind and hospitable to him. He shoved away any negative feelings and finished the mouse in a few ravenous bites. It filled his belly despite the messy kill.
He straightened up and swiped his tongue over his lips. He nodded to Kibby. "Thank you." he said.
Kibby wiggled with pleasure.
Soon, Oliver finished his mouse as well and they continued on their way.
Kibby led them through a hedge of bushes that seemed to act as some sort of twoleg border. The land on the other side was flat and snowy, but there was another nest here and different twoleg things. They crested a small hill and overlooked more twoleg nests all in a row. Dawnheart was thankful to see more trees. Being out in the open like this was wearing on his nerves.
Oliver took the lead down the slope and into the trees. Kibby fell back and started walking next to Dawnheart. She struggled a bit as she pushed through the snow. Dawnheart's longer legs lifted him above the frozen stuff. He watched her, bemused, as she outright refused to use the trenches that Oliver was carving ahead of her.
Dawnheart's curiosity got the better of him. "You said that I had a different name before." He said. "What was it?"
Kibby looked up at him and nearly tripped over her own paws in her excitement. Dawnheart made to steady her but she just sort of threw herself back on balance and continued like nothing happened.
"Ginseng." She said.
Dawnheart blinked. Was that familiar? He couldn't remember. He did remember more than one squirming littermate though.
"Do we have siblings?"
"Two! Chai and Matcha. They live far away though." Kibby said this brightly as if having her littermates live away from her was completely normal.
"Mother's name is Jasmine." Kibby continued.
"Does she live nearby?"
"Yeah!" Kibby nodded.
Dawnheart didn't know how to react. These cats and this place felt unreal. Kibby and Oliver were well-fed and healthy. They didn't have to fear the cold or hunger. They could afford to protect prey for their Twolegs instead of eating it for StarClan's sake.
A thought occurred to him. If his mother knew about the Clans, she had to know how hard Clan life was. Why was she so willing to give one of her children to that life?
He watched Kibby scamper up to Oliver to tell him something. The older cat purred and waved his tail at her. They were so happy with their simple lives. He thought back to the camp he had left with the illness, hunger, and fear that hung like a mist over every cat's head. He thought of Blackmoth's blood-soaked pelt and Spottedfur's lifeless eyes.
A bolt of pain shot through Dawnheart's chest and he faltered. Kibby and Oliver turned to face him.
"Are you okay?" Kibby asked.
Dawnheart nodded shakily. "Just stepped on a sharp stone." He lied. Kibby seemed satisfied but Oliver's yellow eyes lingered on Dawnheart before he turned away again.
"We're almost there!" Kibby mewed, hanging back to wait for him. Dawnheart could hear the sounds of another Thunderpath to their right. He shivered, hoping he wouldn't have to cross it.
The group came to a narrow twoleg path that was cleared of snow. It was made of some sort of flat gray stone, like slate, but it felt grainier underpaw. Oliver led them up the path and through the pine trees until they came to another twoleg nest. This nest was smaller than the others Dawnheart had seen, but just as intimidating.
Dead vines, bushes, and flowers crowned the outside of the den. It looked like nature had taken the structure for its own but upon closer inspection Dawnheart could see the harsh glow of Twoleg lights from within the nest.
Kibby and Oliver walked right up to the nest without fear. Dawnheart hung back and watched as the older cat reared up and put his paws onto a wooden slab on the side of the den's outer wall. Oliver let out a loud yowl. There was movement within the den.
Fear shot through Dawnheart and he dashed behind a tree as the wooden slab swung outward. He peeked around the trunk of the tree and watched as a twoleg emerged from the nest. It was tall and pink, with colorful pelts draped over its fur-less body. The twoleg let out a yelp of delight and knelt to touch Oliver. Dawnheart expected the tom to run, fight, or at least dodge the twoleg's weird fleshy paw, but he stretched his back up to meet it instead.
Kibby jumped up onto a smooth, stump-like object that had a wilting fern growing out of the top. She leaned into the twoleg's touch as well and mewed like a queen greeting her kits. Dawnheart watched the bizarre spectacle with increasing bewilderment. He finally had enough and turned away.
This was so wrong. Clan cats avoided twolegs. They abhorred them. Twolegs were dangerous to cats and either wanted them dead or enslaved in their nests. Twolegs were the reason that Dawnheart was mistrusted among his own Clanmates.
Dawnheart shook his head. He would get what he needed from here and leave. He had no reason to feel any kinship with these cats. Sure, he had been born alongside the strange Kibby but that was it. His real family was waiting for him.
He straightened up and raised his head. He let a cold, resolute expression fall over his face. He was here for one reason and one reason-
A smell hit his nose. A sweet, calming scent that revived the deepest memories he could have. He turned and found himself staring into his mother's eyes.