Chapter 2

"Who is she?"

"She's not from any clan I know…"

"Is that a loner?"

My ears twitched from the ridiculous comments some of these cats had to say. But, I had been teased a lot at school, so I knew how to handle it. I lifted my chin high as I strode through the crowd of cats, to the giant ledge on the side of the hollow. Yet, nothing I could do could keep me from staring. This camp was a whole other look from the perspective of a cat. Every rock wall loomed over me, and I couldn't help but feel a bit claustrophobic.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the Highledge for a clan meeting!" A great flame-colored cat yowled from atop a ledge. Behind, I could see a gaping hole, probably where he slept or something.

"That's Firestar," Jayfeather hissed in my ear. "He's the clan leader, and my grandfather."

I nodded. He was like the president of a big company, or the principal of a school. Anyways, he was the perso- er, cat in charge.

Jayfeather leaped up next to Firestar, which looked extremely straining for a cat his age. I smoothly followed him.

I watched as more of the cats – ThunderClan, according to Jayfeather – trickled out of the dens. I saw a pair of young cats race out of a thorn-bramble den and start tussling on the ground. A pair of grizzled tabbies – like Jayfeather himself – stumbled out and started conversing amongst themselves. A pair of fluffy kittens bounded out of yet another den and started to squeal loudly. And finally, a tabby and white cat padded out of a clove in a rock and her eyes widened when she saw me, but kept her muzzle shut.

"As you can see, Jayfeather has returned from the Moonpool," Firestar started. "And he has brought back a, er, friend."

"A loner?"

"A Rogue!"

"RiverClan!"

"QUIET!" Firestar roared.

"If I may," I meowed (really? I meowed? Right, I must remember, I am a CAT.) politely.

Everyone stared at me. It was like, "Oh my god, the loner can speak!"

"Number one, I have NO IDEA what the heck RiverClan is," I meowed coolly, which earned a number of gasps.

"Second, I am NOT a loner, rogue, or outcast. I am a regular… erm, cat."

"And thirdly, my name is Ay- eh, Dawnpaw, and I am Jayfeather's apprentice."

I nearly lost my ears after that one, with all the screams sent my way.

"QUIET!" Firestar, Jayfeather, and (surprisingly) the tabby and white cat yowled.

"Jayfeather, are you seriously going to take this, this loner as your apprentice?" A sleek ginger she-cat yowled up at Jayfeather.

"I am NOT a LONER!" I screamed. Everyone ignored me.

"She was chosen by StarClan." He meowed simply.

"NO WAY!" One of the fluffy kits squealed.

"Flailkit, be quiet!" A plump gray cat hissed.

"Jayfeather, think this through!" The tabby and white hissed. "You have no idea who she is! She could kill us in our sleep!"

"She can't, even if she tried," Jayfeather meowed smugly. "She tripped fifteen times on the way back, and we were walking. She's harmless."

The whole clan burst out laughing, and I felt my whiskers and tail (Look at that! I have a tail! Oh, and I can move it!) twitching angrily.

"Oh, she looks angry!" a burly yellow tom laughed. "What are you gonna do about it?"

I slid out my claws. (Oh my, those too?) And with a snarl, I lept onto the tom in mid-laugh.

I landed on his shoulders with a grunt. I lashed out with my claws, raking them across his face. Back at home, I would probably do with the guys at home…

Anyways, back to the fight.

He staggered around, with me latched onto his shoulders. I frantically bit him in the ear, shredding his left ear with my new fangs. (My, I'm getting everything today!)

He yowled in pain, so I spat out the shreds of he ears and quickly shredded his right one.

With a pained yowl, he reared up like a horse, and I was thrown from his back. I landed with a thud, and the wind was temporarily knocked out of me. I struggled to my paws, but I quickly shut my eyes as he raced towards me. With a thud, he shouldered me against the quarry wall, and everything went black.