She woke up in the hollow of a tree, curled up with another warm body. Feeling comfortable and loved, she snuggled closer and lay there for a while, purring lightly. The other cat also woke, and began to groom her with his tongue affectionately.
"My clan is probably wondering where I am," she meowed quietly.
"Why don't you come with me? There is a world out there to see, Speaker." The nickname was affectionate, and she did like it. The rogue had probably selected it to rid her of the clan affiliation, but it was loving nonetheless.
She curled further into him, and he continued to lick her. "I don't know. If I leave my clan, I would never be allowed to come back, you know? My ancestors are from here, and all I have never known is here..."
Dreamspeaker woke in a nest of moss and grass. It took her a while to adjust to her surroundings. She recalled the events of the days prior. She had already gotten used to the fish smell, though its presence was constant still. She had chosen to approach Bogclan because they tended to be friendlier than the other two. Bushclan and Tunnelclan had long feuded over where the forest ended and the plains began, especially as much of their prey was shared. She wanted to be with a more neutral party.
She groaned and stood, bones aching. She was not a young cat, and her dreams of her old lover made waking alone especially painful. There was no fur against her fur, only cold morning air and the scratchy thin leaves that made her bed. She forced herself to exit the nest. She had been given her own space near the leader's den. Thunder and Leaper had slept in the warrior den, and Stick had been given an open nest in the medicine den. She had spoken briefly with Gravelfur and determined that he was an honorable cat. He had not existed when she lived in the clans, and his age made her feel much older. Cobweb's time as leader would not be far.
Her fellow troupe members were at the freshkill pile, so she joined them. They had managed to find rodents among the provided prey, and all that remained were fish. She selected one for herself, a moderately sized food and stink, and brought it with her to eat with her comrades.
"That is the worst thing I've ever smelled," said Thunder politely, gesturing with his nose to the fish.
"It is food so I will savor it," Dreamspeaker said, amused by the tomcat's expression.
"And she does best to," added Stick. "Respect all prey, young cat."
"Right." Thunder tucked lamely into his own mouse. It seemed that the hunting party had been conscious of the visitors and decided that it would be appropriate to snag a few land-creatures. From what Dreamspeaker remembered, Bogclan was as averse to the other types of prey as they were to fish. She dug into the plump animal. It would be much more pleasant to eat if it hadn't come from the swamp. It was of the bottom-feeding variety, and tasted of mud and swamp water. Gross but filling.
While the fighter, Thunder, sulked, Leaper asked, "What is the plan, Dreamspeaker?"
Speaker thought for a moment. "We will for sure attend the gathering tonight. At the gathering, we will have to decide where we may settle the Troupe. I believe that we will encounter opposition... but you do not have to worry about that. I will do all of the talking."
"Hmm." Leaper seemed unsatisfied.
More cats approached the group of four.
Specklestar was accompanied by the old medicine cat, Gravelfur. Dreamspeaker dipped her head to them politely.
The Bogclan leader didn't beat around the bush, settling next to them with ease. "Tell me about your group, the Troupe."
"What would you like to know?" asked Dreamspeaker.
"There are many things I would like to know. How about it's origin?"
"I'm not sure exactly how it started. When I came across them it was a small group of mostly elders. They told stories, some of them fictional. They were not well fed, but managed to get by on tall-one scraps. I suppose you would call them twolegs."
"And it is no longer a group of elders?"
The other cats listened to the conversation between leaders without interrupting. Dreamspeaker explained: "More cats joined. A few rogues, a few kittys. I ended up becoming the leader, though not under Deadclan. You may have noticed that my name is still Dreamspeaker."
"I did find that curious." Specklestar cocked her head in thought. "Perhaps it is because you have not received any sort of blessing from a previous leader."
Suddenly they heard a piercing yowl coming from the medicine den.
"That must be Swamppaw, I'll go check on her," said Gravelfur. He rushed to the yowl. Dreamspeaker watched, shocked and intrigued, as a young cat stumbled out of the medicine den. The cat herself was odd, as she only had one eye centered in her face. She seemed shaken. Another cat approached the scene. Dreamspeaker looked away, deciding that the situation was controlled, and none of her business anyway.
Specklestar did not seem amused. "I'm never sure what to do with that kit."
"What do you mean?" asked Dreamspeaker.
"Oh, it's nothing. Now, why don't you cats tell me a bit more about yourselves? Do you have a deputy?"
"Cobweb would be my second. He is not here..."
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Breaking 10k words :D