3rd POV
"Why don't you find yourself an owner with a nice cozy house instead? Your life would be much easier," Rusty meowed. "There are plenty of housefolk who'd take in a kitten like you. All you have to do is sit where they can see you and look hungry for a couple of days—" "And they'd feed me pellets that look like rabbit droppings and soft slop!" Graypaw interrupted. Shadow couldn't help but agree that is part of the reason she stopped being a kittypet in the first place.
"No way! I can't think of anything worse than being a kittypet! They're nothing but Twoleg toys! Eating stuff that doesn't look like food, making dirt in a box of gravel, sticking their noses outside only when the Twolegs allow them? That's no life! Out here it's wild, and it's free. We come and go as we please." He finished his speech with a proud spit, then meowed mischievously, "Until you've tasted a fresh-killed mouse, you haven't lived. Have you ever tasted mouse?" Shadow was starting to like this kit.
"No," Rusty admitted, a little defensively. "Not yet." "I guess you'll never understand." Graypaw sighed. "You weren't born wild. It makes a big difference. You need to be born with warrior blood in your veins, or the feel of the wind in your whiskers. Kitties born into Twoleg nests could never feel the same way." Shadow growled lowly. She may have been born a kittypet but she was able to become a strong loner same with their father Jake!
Meanwhile Rusty remembered the way he had felt in his dream. "That's not true!" he mewed indignantly. Graypaw did not reply. Shadow crouched down smeling two new cats coming this way. Greypaw suddenly stiffened midlick, one paw still raised, and sniffed the air. "I smell cats from my Clan," he hissed. "You should go. They won't be pleased to find you hunting in our territory!" Rusty looked around, wondering how Graypaw knew any cat was approaching. He couldn't smell anything different on the leaf-scented breeze. But his fur stood on end at the note of urgency in Graypaw's voice. "Quick!" hissed Graypaw again. "Run!"
Rusty prepared to spring into the bushes, not knowing which way was safe to jump. He was too late. A voice meowed behind him, firm and menacing. "What's going on here?" Rusty turned to see a large gray she-cat strolling majestically out from the undergrowth. Shadow stepped out of her hiding spot but kept as quit as she could not to alert her brother and the grey kit. The grey cat was magnificent. White hairs streaked her muzzle, and an ugly scar parted the fur across her shoulders, but her smooth gray coat shone like silver in the moonlight.
"Bluestar!" Beside Rusty, Graypaw crouched down and narrowed his eyes. He crouched even lower when a second cat—a handsome, golden tabby—followed the gray cat into the clearing. "You shouldn't be so near Twolegplace, Graypaw!" growled the golden tabby angrily, narrowing his green eyes. "I know, Lionheart, I'm sorry." Graypaw looked down at his paws. Rusty copied Graypaw and crouched low to the forest floor, his ears twitching nervously. Shadow on the other hand kept her crouch low but dangerous ready to attack if needed. These cats had an air of strength Rusty had never seen in any of his garden friends. Maybe what Smudge had warned him about was true.
"Who are these two?" asked the she-cat. Rusty flinched as she turned her gaze on him. Her piercing blue eyes made him feel even more vulnerable. Rusty realised she said two and looked behind him to she Shadow in crouch ready to attack. "Shadow!" Rusty smiled before running up to shadow and nuzzled her shoulder "I thought you left!"
Shadow got out of her stance to reassure her little brother"I just got here do you and do really think I would leave you here?" Flashing Rusty a smile before glaring at the three thunderclan cats. "The tom is no threat," mewed Graypaw quickly but glanced at Shadow wearily. "He's not another Clan warrior, just a Twoleg pet from beyond our territories." Just a Twoleg pet! The words inflamed Rusty, but he held his tongue. Shadow on the other hand could not help but at least let out a low growl. The warning look in Bluestar's stare told them that she had observed the anger in his eyes and heard Shadow's growl. "This is Bluestar; she's leader of my Clan!" Graypaw said to the two. Shadow widened her eye's she did not mean to threaten the leader! Shadow gave Bluestar a respectful nod before letting her relax and listen to Graypaw.
"And Lionheart. He's my mentor, which means he's training me to be a warrior." "Thank you for the introduction, Graypaw," meowed Lionheart coolly. Bluestar was still staring at the two. "You fight well for a Twoleg pet, and you seem to be a loner yet you are loyal to your brother" she meowed. Rusty and Graypaw exchanged confused glances. How could she know? Shadow smiled slightly. "We have been watching you both," Bluestar went on, as if she had read the two kits thoughts. "We wondered how you would deal with an intruder, Graypaw. You attacked him bravely." Graypaw looked pleased at Bluestar's praise. "Sit up now!" Bluestar looked at Rusty who held Bluestar's gaze evenly as she addressed him.
"You reacted well to the attack, kittypet. Graypaw is stronger than you, but you used your wits to defend yourself. And you turned to face him when he chased you. I've not seen a kittypet do that before." Rusty managed to nod his thanks, taken aback by such unexpected praise. Her next words surprised him even more. "I have been wondering how you would perform out here, beyond the Twolegplace. We patrol this border frequently, so I have often seen you sitting on your boundary, staring out into the forest. And now, at last, you have dared to place your paws here." Bluestar stared at Rusty thoughtfully. Shadow smiled proudly at that. "You do seem to have a natural hunting ability. Sharp eyes. You would have caught that mouse if you had not hesitated so long." "R-really?" Rusty stammered. He looked towards Shadow to confirm this which she did with a nod and a smile.
Lionheart spoke now. His deep meow was respectful but insistent. "Bluestar, this is a kittypet. He should not be hunting in ThunderClan territory. Send him home to his Twolegs and a loner should be near hear!" Rusty and Shadow prickled at Lionheart's dismissive words. "Send me home?" he mewed impatiently. Bluestar's words had made him glow with pride. She had noticed him; she had been impressed by him. "But I've only come here to hunt for a mouse or two. I'm sure there's enough to go around."
Shadow growled at this her eyes flashed with anger at his worlds. Bluestar had turned her head to acknowledge Lionheart's words. Now her gaze snapped back to Rusty. Her blue eyes were blazing with anger. "There's never enough to go around," she spat. "If you didn't live such a soft, overfed life, you would know that!" Rusty was confused by Shadow's and Bluestar's sudden rage, but one glance at the horrified look on Graypaw's face was enough to tell him he had spoken too freely.
Lionheart stepped to his leader's side. Both warriors and loner loomed over Rusty now. He looked into Bluestar's threatening stare and his pride dissolved. These were not cozy fireside cats he was dealing with—they were mean, hungry cats who were probably going to finish what Graypaw had started with.
"Well?" hissed Bluestar, her face only a mouse-length from his now. Lionheart and Shadow remained silent as they towered over Rusty. He flattened his ears and crouched under the golden warrior's cold stare. His fur prickled uncomfortably. "I am no threat to your Clan," he mewed, looking down at his trembling paws. "You threaten our Clan when you take our food," yowled Bluestar. "You have plenty of food in your Twoleg nest already. You come here only to hunt for sport. But we hunt to survive." Shadow nodded at the leaders words. The truth of the warrior queen's words pierced Rusty like a blackthorn, and suddenly he understood their anger.
He stopped trembling, sat up, and straightened his ears. He raised his eyes to meet hers. "I had not thought of it that way before. I am sorry," he meowed solemnly. "I will not hunt here again." Shadow gave Rusty a small nod before sitting back down and relaxing. Bluestar let her hackles fall and signaled to Lionheart to step back. "You are an unusual kittypet, Rusty and you are a unusual loner Shadow," she meowed.
Graypaw's sigh of relief made Rusty's ears twitch. He heard the approval in Bluestar's voice and noticed as she swapped a meaningful glance with Lionheart. The look made him curious. What flashed between the two warriors? Quietly he asked, "Is survival here really so hard?" Shadow's face went solemn for a moment "In some places its harder than you think" She mumbled hoping that no one heard unfortunately the two thunderclan warriors heard and shared a glance for more than one reason.