"What are you doing here?"

The three kits stared at Rockkit - or in the black one's case, glared - as he stumbled out of the den for the first time. One golden, one gray, one black - and all smelling of fresh food and a soft life.

"What business is it of yours?" he croaked.

"The warrior code-" The black one piped up again.

"Leave it, Hollykit." interrupted the golden one.

The gray kit stared mutinously. His eyes looked weird -

"Are you-" he began.

"Yes." the gray kit gritted out. Rockkit shut up. He wouldn't have wanted to talk about something like that either.

"I'm Lionkit." announced the gold one. "This is my sister Hollykit, and this is my brother Jaykit."

"So all your names end in kit then?" Stony-Rockkit's voice was still reedy, and he kept striding toward the pile of prey in the center of the clearing. His mind raced. Whatever this Clan place was, it seemed clear it was where that badger had sent him. But why? What could he possibly do with these crazy wild cats?

"Yes," cut in the irritating black one - Hollykit, was it? Another weird name. "It's part of the warrior code."

"And." Rockkit deliberately deadened his voice. If they weren't going to explain things before telling him about them, he wouldn't give them the pleasure of asking.

The kits glanced among themselves, obviously surprised. Had they never met anyone outside this...thing? A gust of wind ruffled his fur, and the sun gleamed through the trees above. Everything felt so...cold. Yet cleaner, fresher. In a way, at least.

"The warrior code," Hollykit's green gaze bored into him, and her voice had gotten louder, like she was trying to teach him something. He half-listened as he got to the prey pile.

"...rules that we live by. Warriors must…" More rules. He was tired of rules, and he didn't need anyone. He heaved a sigh. Why had that stupid badger sent him here?

"When do we get to leave this…" He fumbled around for a word.

"Camp." Hollykit cut him off. "And you'll get to leave once you're an apprentice."

"When's that?"

"Soon." grumbled Jaykit.

"I hope." interrupted Lionkit.

"Why-"

"Because these three decided to go fox hunting before they were out of the nursery." whined an arrogant voice. Rockkit sniffed, then turned to see a cream-colored cat with a stump tail sending a superior glance his way.

"Shut up, Berrypaw." mewed Lionkit. "You-"

"Have you checked with Ferncloud to see if you can get out of the nursery?" sneered the cat.

"Who are you?" grunted Stony.

"Could ask you the same thing, rogue." sneered Berrypaw. "You look like you…"

Rockpath tuned out the chatter, but he could still hear that word. Rogue. And that sneer. If all the Clan cats were like that...it was going to be a long day.

A Dream

The wind surfed over Rockkit's nose, prickling his fur. Gray blanketed the dreamscape's sky, and silver-sheened rock stretched off in every direction. Sunset's blood bloomed from every crack in the sky, and cracks of dulled thunder pealed in his ears.

He scratched his claws on the rock, then winced as the sound screeched in his ears. The day had been long, and the cats hadn't helped. He could see the pity in their faces, the contempt for his weakness. They thought he was nothing because he was from the Twolegplace, so why should he stay? Because of some dream?

He scratched the ground again. It didn't hurt, though. It felt almost...soft. As if his claws were sinking in something. In...he was bleeding. Or was that red pool bubbling around his claws...was that coming out of the ground?

"Having trouble?"

Rockkit jerked. Something was emerging through a cloud of black mist. A shadow...a small one, but his heart still thudded. The wind howled across the rock. Blood pooled around him. The clouds darkened.

And a collared black cat barely taller than himself strode out in front of him. Some kind of kitty-the collar had teeth. Dog's teeth. And it's claws...shining, long, unnatural. What-

"My name is Scourge." The frozen snarl trickled into Rockkit's ears as he shrank back. The scent...he stank of blood, and rot, and all the dredges of a Twolegplace.

"Who…" stammered Rockkit as he tried to unwrinkle his nose. The ice-blue eyes bored into him. "What…" His stomach shook with each breath.

"I am the leader of BloodClan." Scourge's breath hissed in his ears, and the tom shifted his one white paw, scoring the earth with those unnatural claws.

"I didn't think that was...one…" His mouth still jittered too fast for words.

"We aren't." sneered Scourge. "And stop shaking. I'm not here to kill you."

"O...okay." huffed Rockkit. How did he expect him to stop shaking with...he had to pull it together. Be strong. No more weakness.

"You must have wondered why you were summoned here, Stony."

Rockkit...Stony...nodded. How did this cat know his names? It was a dream. Just...like the one that had sent him here.

"You were summoned by StarClan." Scourge lashed his tail and paced around Stony as he continued. "Those fools wanted to use you for their destiny. To manipulate you to serve the Clans. By now you must have seen how they treat cats like us. How their precious code protects their soft life."

Scourge's eyes bored into him.

The stares of the Clan cats flashing through his mind. The whispers of "rogue". The mutters. The cats clustering and huddling away from him. A few greeted him - the one named Squirrelsomething and her mate, the one called Cloudtail...but most just stayed away.

Because they knew who he was - no, because they hated who he was. Because they thought some scrap-eating kit from the paths was too filthy for their camp. That leader probably let him in because he thought they'd fix him.

"Yes." His body pulsed as he thought of Berrypaw's sneering insults. That filthy apprentice had kicked him around, sending him thudding to the ground. And those kits had laughed. They thought everything was a game.

"Good." Scourge's mew softened...like ice slicking off one drop of water. "Then you can help me make them pay."

"Pay?" His voice jittered again. That sounded like… "Pay for-"

"Once…" Scourge began. "It would be better to show you."

Cats ready for battle in a clearing of four trees. A flame-colored cat across from Scourge's eyes, the enemy Firestar.

"The forest is ours. We rule here by the will of Starclan."

Then the battle, and death.

"Now you see." sighed Scourge. "We wanted what they had. Food, a healthy home, not to be hunted...but it was denied to us. Because of their precious StarClan, and their precious code. It's all about the code to them. They don't care about other cats. They just want to keep their plenty, while we wait in the shadows to rot."

Stony pulsed with the fury of battle. He'd heard about this StarClan. Their warrior ancestors, the cats claimed. Why they worshipped a bunch of dead cats, he had no idea, even if they were real. And to use them as an excuse to drive others out...it was like Biter all over again, chasing the runts off his streets.

Something echoed, a faint cry in the sky. Scourge stiffened.

"StarClan." he hissed. "They can't see me, not yet. But think on what I said, and tomorrow night tell me if you will be my apprentice, and help us bring true justice to this filthy lake."

The echo grew louder. How could he let this pass? He wouldn't let them hate cats like him any longer. This was his destiny, this was his path of stars.

"Now go." spat Scourge.

All he had to do was take the leap.

"I…" muttered Stony. "I...accept."

The echo of Scourge's laughter still rang in his ears when he woke.