Rusty sighed. This had to be the day he saw Smudge again! He could feel it. He reached his head up, looking. He could hear Henry calling for him, but he couldn't just abandon his post. What if Smudge came, expecting a warm welcome, but found only an empty garden?

Rusty saw a russet-furred squirrel scramble up an oak closest to the nest. It could've just been his lousy view from on top of the fence, but it almost seemed like… it was calling him. It turned its head, its beady black eyes staring at him. He found himself jumping down and running to the tree.

"What is it, squirrel?" he murmured, tilting his ginger head.

The rodent just stared down. It flicked its bushy tail, then skittered to a branch and jumped to the next tree. Rusty followed from the ground as it jumped from tree to tree. He almost yelled for it to slow down, but that would be ridiculous. It wasn't as if it was intending to lead him somewhere. He was just… hunting.

Rusty followed relentlessly, even after his legs began to hurt. Soon he forced himself to stop and catch his breath. As he panted, he realized that the squirrel ran back to a tree in front of him and was seemingly waiting. He clambered back onto his paws and approached the oak.

"I have to be imagining this," Rusty told it, craning his neck to get a good look at it. "What do you want, little squirrel? Do you even understand me?"

The squirrel did nothing but flick an ear. Suddenly, it flinched and looked over to the left. Its chest rose and fell quickly. It scrabbled as if trying to move away, but it ended up falling to the forest floor. A cat pounced on it and bit its spine. The house cat's jaw fell as he backed away.

"You shouldn't be here, kittypet," the gray cat growled. He looked up from his catch. "You must be lost."

"Just let me go, okay?" Rusty asked, almost begged. He felt his heart pound similarly to how the squirrel's did right before its death.

"My mentor taught me to send every trespasser away with something they'll remember me by," the wild cat hissed as he approached Rusty, his big yet young paws revealing sharp claws. "And I do as I'm told. Perhaps you'll go away unlike the other one."

"What other one?" Rusty questioned him, his mind flashing to Smudge. "What did you do to him?"

The wild cat said nothing in response. With his amber eyes gleaming, he pounced on the smaller cat. Rusty screamed as flashes of brutal pain went through him. He'd never felt anything so awful in his life. The gray tom's claws scored him over and over as he held him down.

Rusty tried fighting back, but he had no strength or experience. He managed to scratch him on the stomach a few times with his hind claws, yet he knew that he wasn't anywhere near winning the battle. He felt a desperation so unknown to him, so unlike anything else. He wanted to live more than ever.

Rusty, with strength he didn't know he possessed, threw his attacker off and jumped to his paws. The wild cat twisted so that he landed on all fours. He only seemed excited that his prey was fighting back. His fluffy tail lashed, and his yellowed teeth bared.

"Come at me, kittypet!" he growled. "I'm ready."

Rusty shook his head. "Please leave me alone," he told him. "I just wanna go home."

"What's going on here?" a deep meow sounded from behind him. Rusty whipped around, bristling defensively. He made eye contact with a large golden tom.

"Graypaw, what's going on?" a lean tabby asked, looking over the scene. He turned his head to the wounded house cat. "You've caught yourself a kittypet. We don't need another one, you know."

"Darkstripe, I tried to chase it off-" Graypaw began defending himself.

"You should've just warned him," the golden tom interrupted. "What does Darkstripe teach you?" He shook his head, then looked to the small black-and-white cat beside him. "Stormpaw, you might know this cat. You came from the Twolegplace, after all."

"I think I might, but I didn't know scents there," Stormpaw told him. "I would have to know his name." He thought for a moment. "Actually, I know for certain I know him. If I'm right, this cat was my best friend." He approached him. "Rusty, right?"

Rusty nodded. He could recognize this cat's look from first glance. He'd memorized every little detail. "Smudge!" he breathed. They embraced in a nuzzle.

"Have you come to join me?" Smudge- no, Stormpaw asked. "I'm sure Bluestar will allow you!" He turned to the golden tabby. "This is my mentor, Lionheart. Darkstripe and Graypaw are mentor and apprentice too." His smile faded. "We really need to get you to camp. You look awful."

Rusty only just realized he'd been trembling. He was covered in his own blood and wounds, his striped fur a mess and caked with dirt and grass. He almost shook his head, but he knew he couldn't deny help. He could hardly stand.

"Do you have a vet?" Rusty asked him tentatively, his voice small and shaky.

Lionheart shook his head, his amber eyes confused. "Whatever that is, we don't have one," he replied. "We have a medicine cat. The least we could do is have your wounds treated. Think of it as an apology for Graypaw's behavior."

"But he trespassed!" Graypaw protested. "He got what he deserved. We shouldn't waste herbs on him."

"Don't be rude," Stormpaw hissed. "You assaulted a helpless cat, Graypaw. We aren't ShadowClan; we don't do that. Plus, it's greenleaf! We have plenty of herbs."

"Quiet!" Darkstripe ordered, then looked to Lionheart. "I can't help but agree with Graypaw. The kittypet got what was coming to him. We should make him leave and not worry about it."

"Darkstripe, I don't think you understand the severity of your apprentice's actions," Lionheart meowed seriously. "We're going to have Spottedleaf treat his wounds, and we'll send him back to the Twolegplace with an escort. We don't assert order by violence."

Darkstripe huffed, glaring at the other cat. He looked down at Graypaw. "Grab your squirrel," he demanded. "Let's move. We'll go before them and warn camp."

Graypaw lifted his prey, having to raise his head high as to not drag it on the ground. Mentor and apprentice padded off, and neither looked back. Rusty stared after them, sighing. He turned his head up to face Lionheart.

"Lionheart, thank you," he murmured. "I just hope I don't bring any trouble or anything."

"You won't," Lionheart assured him. "Your name is Rusty?" The house cat nodded. "Well, Rusty, I hope you don't think ill of ThunderClan because of those two. They're just… very aggressive. They really aren't bad cats."

"Graypaw's actually really nice on a good day," Stormpaw added, offering a reassuring smile. "He may have a real anti-kittypet attitude because of his mentor, but I joined when he first started his training. Before Darkstripe began having an influence, he was cool."

"I don't know…" Rusty muttered, shrugging. "I just want this pain to go away."

"If you join, you can learn how to get him back," Stormpaw told him. "I'll help you!"

"Stormpaw, we don't attack Clanmates!" Lionheart reminded him.

"I meant I'll help him with his battle training," Stormpaw mewed, grinning innocently.

"Besides, you don't even know if he wants to join," Lionheart continued. "And if he did, it's up to Bluestar. She almost didn't even accept you." He sighed, shaking his head. "Let's get going. Those two have probably rallied the entire Clan into a battle patrol."

"Lean on me, Rusty," Stormpaw advised. When he did, the three set off.

Rusty thought about everything that had happened. What if he did want to join? Did he? He couldn't, especially not after seeing what wild cats were like. But then he thought of the russet squirrel. It had led him into the woods for a reason. Maybe he was supposed to join Stormpaw.

"I want to join," he found himself whispering.