It was not only the sounds of her kittens mewling that woke Rose that night shortly before dawn. Through the underbrush her keen ears picked up the sounds of cats moving only tail-lengths ahead of her.

Shadowclan warriors.

Rose crouched down to hide in the ferns. Her rosy gray pelt made her blend in with her surroundings. Would that be enough? I am banished from Shadowclan, she thought silently. They must never find me or me and my litter will be killed.

"Ginger, I smell strange scent over in the ferns over there," a voice said. It belonged to a calico she-cat.

The ginger what seemed to be an apprentice hissed. "I think you're right, Lila. Intruders."

Intruders? Rose wondered. She had not remembered straying into another Clan's territory.

"Who goes there?" Lila ordered. "Show yourselves."

Rose could not remain hidden any longer. She grabbed the two kittens and emerged into the open in front of the strangers. Her fur bristled. She was a fierce Shadowclan warrior before her banishment, and one of the most strict rules she learned as an apprentice was not to act inferior to anyone. "I am just passing through. If you want to hurt my kits than you will have to fight me to the death," she snarled.

"We have no business with your kits or you," meowed Ginger. "We mean no harm. We are merely passing through ourselves." He let his fur lie down flat. He gave her a cautious sniff. "You smell strange."

Rose narrowed her eyes. "So do you. Are you from a Clan?"

"A Clan? We don't know what you mean by that," Ginger replied.

Lila brushed her tail along Rose's flank. "Never mind that. Your kits are getting cold. We will take you somewhere safe," she purred.

"Thank you," Rose said gratefully. She would safely leave the forest, she knew, and leave the threat of Shadowclan far behind her, along with all her memories of Clan life.