The she-cat opened her eyes to find herself on top of a mossy nest. She was in a leafy bramble den that smelled strongly of herbs. Morning light filtered through a few gaps in the leaves and through a big hole in the middle. The den was empty, but a damp wad of moss was placed by her nest along with a plump frog. The she-cat sat up, feeling weird. She didn't know where she was and there was an empty feeling around her neck where she had once had a collar.
Then with a gasp, the she-cat remembered the events of the day before. The frightening car ride, the sharp points as it cut her collar away, the soft thud and loud jingle as the collar hit the ground. She shivered as she remembered the sharp stick poking into her flank and driving her away from her owner. Not that she had wanted to stay of course. Then she remembered the white she-cat that helped her. Was she in her den?
Her belly growled, and the she-cat gazed reluctantly at the frog. She didn't want to eat it and besides who would want to eat frogs anyway? Then her belly growled again, and the she-cat bent down to take a bite, finally deciding that a full stomach was better than an empty one. She let out a purr as her belly gurgled with happiness. It was the first meal she had had in a long time. The frog, which the she-cat would normally have avoided and ignored actually tasted quite good. She licked her lips, wanting to get every last morsel. Then she stretched her neck forward and lapped at the moss. The water also tasted good, much better than the stinking tap water that she always received. She felt strength and energy returning to her limbs for the first time in two moons.
"That's right, get some food and water. It will help you feel better." The she-cat looked up in surprise. In front of her stood a dappled gray and white tom with green eyes.
"Who are you?" The she-cat asked, her voice hoarse as if she hadn't spoken in a long time. In fact, she hadn't spoken to any cat in a long time since she left her family for the cruel human that took care of her.
"Dapplepelt," the tom answered. "I'm Shadowclan's medicine cat." A medicine cat? Is that like a vet? The she-cat wondered. She had never been to a vet but before she had left for her new home, her mother had told her about them. Apparently, they help sick cats. Perhaps a medicine cat was similar?
"Who are you?" Dapplepelt asked breaking the she-cat out of her thoughts.
"Uh…" The she-cat paused, what did her owner name her? She didn't remember and even if she had one, she preferred not to remember. Perhaps it was best if she forgot that part of her life? Her mind flickered back to her mother. What had she called her? Aurora? Yes, that was it. It meant dawn according to her mother. "I'm Aurora," the she-cat meowed.
"Aurora?" The tom frowned. "That sounds like a kittypet name."
"Is she finally awake?" A she-cat meowed, padding in with a bunch of plants in her jaws. She had a dark ginger pelt with silver stripes crisscrossing it. One of her eyes was silver and the other was green.
"Yes Antpaw, she is." Dapplepelt answered, nodding approvingly at the she-cat.
Antpaw? Dapplepelt? Aurora repeated silently. What strange names!
Antpaw's eyes gleamed and the she-cat padded deeper into the den. Antpaw eventually disappeared into a hold where a bunch of strange scents hit Aurora's nose as she turned her head to look in the direction.
"So…. Aurora," Dapplepelt meowed, sitting down in front of her. "Your pelt is covered in scars which is highly uncommon, I'm assuming, among kittypets."
"My owner beat me and starved me," Aurora answered quietly. "They adored me when I was a kitten but when I grew up, they seemed to hate me."
"I'm sorry about that," the tom meowed calmly. Dapplepelt rose to his paws. "Froststar would like to speak with you, if that's alright with you?"
Aurora nodded, "it's fine. But…um…who is Froststar?"
"Shadowclan's leader," Dapplepelt answered simply. Aurora watched as the medicine cat left the den, wondering what 'Shadowclan' was. Then she began to groom her matted pelt, ignoring the pain as it tugged against her skin. She also killed any parasites that she came across as well.
"Aurora?" The white she-cat that Aurora had seen the day before padded into the den. Aurora looked up, ceasing her grooming though her pelt wasn't even close to being done.
"Yes?" Aurora answered, feeling scruff-looking and dirty compared to the sleek she-cat that now sat in front of her. What made her feel worse was that this cat was also leader.
"I'm Froststar," the she-cat introduced herself. "I'm sure you have had exceptional care in the paws of our medicine cats."
Aurora nodded, now wondering why she had ate the frog. Then she blamed it on her hunger, assuming that it had driven her to it. "Froststar, why did you want to speak with me? I'm just an abandoned house-cat."
Froststar gazed at Aurora curiously. "I can't learn more about the clan's visitor?"
"I guess you can," Aurora mumbled.
"Anyway, would you like to stay with the clan awhile? You look like you'll need fattening up before you embark on your life as a loner." Froststar meowed, her icy gaze not giving away anything.
"Uh…sure," Aurora answered.
"Good, I'll announce your presence to the clan." Froststar rose to her paws. Aurora felt her frosty blue gaze flick over her pelt. "Perhaps you should stay here and get yourself presentable. I've always thought kittypets were fat and sleek, not skinny and matted."
Aurora just glared at Froststar as the she-cat left the den. She didn't like the term 'kittypet'. Aurora also didn't like the assumptions these cats or clan, as Froststar had called them, place on kittypets. Then she began to lick her pelt again, struggling even though she ate the frog not long ago.
"Need help?" Antpaw offered as she emerged from the hole.
"Thanks," Aurora murmured to the young she-cat. Antpaw crouched down beside Aurora and began to lick her matted fur. Between the two of them, they managed to get most of the mats out.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather around for a clan meeting!" Aurora heard Froststar's voice from her nest.
Antpaw leaped to her paws and glanced at Aurora, who was stubbornly licking at another mat. "I'll be back soon. If you need me or Dapplepelt don't hesitate to give a shout."
"Ok," Aurora responded. She continued to lick her fur, knowing that her owner hadn't brushed her in a long time. It had also been a long time since she was able to groom herself. The cleanliness felt good and Aurora's mind wondered to the 'Shadowclan' cats. Why were they being so nice? Don't wildcats fight all the time?
Soon the she-cat finished grooming her fur. She rose gingerly to her paws, feeling the need to explore. Aurora trembled as she walked into the clearing. Whether it was because she was weak or scared, Aurora didn't know.
"Is that the newcomer?" A cat asked.
"She looks like she can hardly stay on her paws!" Another said.
Slowly, Aurora realized that she had walked out into a gathering of cats. Scared, Aurora dropped down into a submissive crouch as the cats turned to look at her. There's so many! A yowl for silence made Aurora look upwards. In front of her was a big rock and perched on top it was Froststar. One by one, each cat turned to face their leader.
"This kittypet will be staying with us until she recovers her strength. Then Aurora will leave us to live as a loner," Froststar announced.
A dark brown tom with a white paw snorted. "She looks like she can hardly stay on her paws! Let alone live in the forest as a loner! Let's chase her out so Thunderclan can care for her! What do we want with a worthless kittypet?"
"I'm not saying that she will join us," Froststar meowed. "She can if she wants but I want her to recover her strength first."
A silver tom nodded. "That's right. Everything is uncertain with this kittypet."
"Thanks, Moonstripe." Froststar meowed, dipping her head to the tom. "Until then, treat Aurora as you would a clanmate. Meeting dismissed."
Aurora sat down and watched as the cats broke up into separate directions. Curiosity pulled at her paws at the life of a clan cat, but she quickly squashed it. She wasn't sure that she still wanted to be a house-cat, but she certainly didn't want to be a wild cat! If only there was something between the two!