Chapter 5

Into the Forest

Shell paced restlessly in front of the box where Patch and Scar lay sleeping. She had woken up a while ago and was too excited to continue sleeping, so she has been pacing for quite some time. Her father was already up and had given her a few details as to what they were to do when in the forest. He, Tails, and Claw were talking nearby, but too far away for Shell to hear what they were murmuring about. Sky, Sprint, and Yowler were curled up in one of the other boxes, still fast asleep. She didn't spot Shadow anywhere so she figured he was out hunting or something.

The young she-cat's ears pricked up as she suddenly heard movement from behind her. She quickly turned to see that Patch and Scar had woken and were stretching, trying to get themselves more awake. Shell padded over to Patch as the black and white tom finished his stretches and touched noses with him. She purred and stood back.

"Ready?" she asked, her voice trembling with excitement.

"As ready as I'll ever be," he mumbled sleepily while stifling a yawn.

Shell turned to Scar but saw that he was just staring at them. She thought she saw a tiny hint of jealously in his gaze, but before she could be sure her brother stood and padded over to their father. Although still curious, Shell pushed her thoughts about Scar to the back of her mind and turned back to Patch.

"I suppose we should go tell father we're up and ready," she mewed.

Patch only nodded then began walking over to their father.

Shell quickly scampered after her brother, halting as soon as they stood before the large calico. "We're ready!" she informed him, her tail twitching back and forth, showing her impatience to start this new and interesting adventure.

"Good," Bear meowed. "Scar and I will lead you to the end of the upwalker nests. Once we get to the forest it will be up to you two to find the Clan cats."

Both siblings nodded in understanding.

Shell followed her father and Scar as they led her and Patch out of the alleyway. Once on the other side of the fence Shell began to explain to Patch the details Bear had told her earlier.

Shell wandered cautiously into the forest, Patch just behind her. Bear and Scar had just left them. They had both said their good-byes and Bear had also added that him and Scar would try to meet the two here in exactly a moon. Bear had said that they should let them have time to settle in, but after that they would most likely meet more often.

The two siblings were covered in dirt and their pelts were sticking out in a few places. They had to look like they had been traveling for many days, or that's what their father had told them. As Shell and Patch continued on they were both keeping alert for any forest cats.

They had traveled some way when the ground began to get more bare and rocky. A large boulder sat nearby and Shell quickly bounded over to it, springing up and landing on it gracefully. She opened her mouth and breathed in the scents around her.

"There's definitely a strong scent of cat here," she informed her brother, who was slowly making his way over to the boulder where his sister stood. But before Shell could say anything more a loud yowl pierced the air. Shell whipped around to see four cats streaking towards her and Patch, all of them muscular and ferocious looking. Soon enough they were surrounded. A black she-cat with white paws and a young dark gray tom were circling Patch, their fur bristling and their lips curled up into snarls. Patch's tail lashed back and forth and his eyes narrowed, but that was all.

A large, long-haired ginger tom and a young dark brown tabby had leapt up on the boulder and were standing in front of Shell. They both gazed at her accusingly but only the brown tabby's claws were unsheathed. Shell's fur bristled with fear but her eyes did not betray her. They remained wary and narrowed, gazing back and forth between the brown tabby and the ginger tom.

"What are you doing in ThunderClan territory?" the brown tabby spat, his lips curled up into a snarl.

"I-I-I'm sorry….we just…" Shell stuttered, seeming lost for words all of a sudden.

The large ginger tom rested his tail on the tabby's shoulders. "Calm down, Pinepaw. She's scared and she looks starved."

"But Lionclaw! She's an intruder in our territory! We should chase her out!" He turned on Shell with narrowed eyes.

Lionclaw seemed to ignore the younger cat and he turned his amber eyes back on Shell. "Come," he said, his voice firm but there was also a slight gentleness in it. He leapt off the boulder and Shell could do nothing but follow. As she crouched down to get back on the ground she felt a rough nudge in her side. She turned to see Pinepaw next to her, his claws still unsheathed. She glared at him for a moment before scrambling down off the boulder. Pinepaw landed next to her and herded her into the small circle that Patch stood in, the other two cats still circling him.

Lionclaw had seated himself in front of Shell and Patch and with a flick of his tail the other three cats sat down around the two young intruders. Patch remained standing but Shell sat down, her legs trembling slightly.

"So strangers, where exactly are you from?" Lionclaw asked calmly, his voice only filled with curiosity.

"They smell like Twolegplace," Pinepaw spat, his fur still bristling.

Lionclaw gave the tabby a hard stare then looked back at Shell and Patch.

Shell hesitated, waiting to see if Patch would speak. Her brother remained silent, so seeing that it was up to her to explain, she began. "Well, my brother and I were separated from our parents about a moon ago. I don't know of this Twolegplace you speak of, but we've been traveling among the upwalker nests since then. Food, water and shelter are hard to find there. Only a few days ago did we hear a group of cats say something about wild cats who live in Clans here in the forest. We thought…well, we thought that we could find these Clan cats and maybe…maybe join them. We believe we might have a better life if we do," she mewed, repeating the story Bear had told her to say.

Lionclaw looked at the siblings thoughtfully. A few moments passed before he actually spoke. "You two are young and could make promising warriors. However, there is a lot about the Clans you do not know. I don't have the authority to say if you can join the Clan or not. I don't even know if we could trust you." He paused. "Although, since you are young and you both seem exhausted, I will take you back to our camp and you may speak with our leader."

The ginger tom looked over to the black she-cat with white paws and the dark gray tom. "Whitefoot, Shadepaw. Go ahead and inform Thornstar that we have visitors." The black she-cat nodded and bounded back the way they had come, the dark gray tom following close behind her.

Turning back to the siblings Lionclaw mewed, "I'm sorry but we haven't formally introduced ourselves. I am Lionclaw, deputy of ThunderClan." His tail flicked towards the brown tabby. "That's Pinepaw, my apprentice." Pinepaw only scowled at the two, his eyes still narrowed. "The black she-cat was Whitefoot, a ThunderClan warrior, and that dark gray tom was her apprentice, Shadepaw." Lionclaw continued, simply ignoring his apprentice's rude behavior.

Shell smiled at Lionclaw, glad that at least one of the Clan cats they had run into was so friendly. She didn't really have much of a clue what he had told her, about deputies, warriors, and apprentices, but she figured she would probably find out soon. "I'm Shell and this is my brother, Patch." Patch nodded curtly but said nothing. "We appreciate you taking us with you to your camp." She dipped her head slightly in a respectful way.

Lionclaw nodded then turned and began trotting in the direction the other two cats had gone. Shell rose to her paws and started to follow. She could hear Patch behind her and Pinepaw bringing up the rear.

The fur along Shell's spine stood on end as they made their way through the forest. They were headed into a…camp? Was that what Lionclaw had called it? Anyways, they were heading into this camp where Shell supposed the rest of the Clan lived. She didn't think waltzing into a place full of wild forest cats was a very good idea, but if it somehow got them into the Clan it was worth it.