"Do I know you?" Flicker narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"Flicker of course you know us! It's us, Moonshine and Wolffang!" Moonshine purred.
"Moon? Mist?" Flicker squinted his eyes, as if he couldn't believe his sisters were standing in front of him.
"My name isn't Mist, it's Wolffang." Wolffang scoffed.
"It is you!" Flicker purred.
"Flicker, what are you doing here? What about Thomas?" Moonshine asked.
"Thomas doesn't need me anymore. Do you know what he did? He got a dog! It was small at first but it wouldn't stop barking at me, so I left." Flicker shrugged.
"It's good to see you Flicker." I purred.
"Isaac? Is that you?" He asked.
"Yes, but my name is Vinepelt now." I told him.
"Such strange names." Flicker muttered.
"Flicker, do you remember me? My name is Shadowstar. I was Shadowclaw when we met." Shadowstar mewed.
"Of course. You were starting a Clan and Wolf and Moon joined you." Flicker nodded.
"Well, that Clan turned out great." Shadowstar purred.
"What happened to the rest of you? I'm guessing, this must be Fox," He flicked his tail to the StormClan deputy. "And these two must be those two tiny white bundles of fluff who came by." He purred, flicking his tail to Snowberry and Fuzzynose.
"That's right!" Foxtail purred.
"But you," He turned to Ashpaw. " I thought you would have grown. It was a long time ago that you came by but you're still tiny." Flicker frowned.
"What are you talking about you crazy kittypet?" Ashpaw growled.
"Ashpaw, be nice." I warned him.
"Flicker, this is my son Ashpaw. The cat you are talking about is Stormkit. He, he died. We were in a battle and he died. He never made it past an apprentice." Shadowstar mewed sadly.
"I'm sorry to hear that, I really am. I was quite fond of the little guy." Flicker sighed.
"Flicker, why don't you join StormClan? We are searching for a new home. We are going to the end of the forest." Foxtail mewed.
"Are you crazy? He's a kittypet. He wouldn't survive a moon out in the forest." Ashpaw sneered.
"Do you know who you're talking to? Foxtail, Wolffang, Snowberry, Moonshine and I were once kittypets. We managed just fine. Flicker will do just the same." I growled at the obnoxious apprentice.
"Flicker, would you like to join StormClan?" Shadowstar asked.
"It would be an honor." Flicker purred.
"Good." Shadowstar mewed.
"We'll need all the cats we can to find the home BrightClan has waiting for us." I toldhim.
"It will be perfect for all four Clans, lots of hills and moorland for BreezeClan, rivers for BrookeClan, thick bushes for ShadeClan and lush tree's for StormClan." Moonshine purred.
"I don't know what BrightClan is, but I know a place like that. I saw it the other day when I was exploring!" Flicker purred.
"Really?" Ashpaw asked.
"Yeah, it isn't too far from here. I can take you there tomorrow." Flicker shrugged. Maybe this journey isn't as hopeless as I thought it was.
"Who's this?" Rainpaw narrowed her eyes.
"I don't know. He's some kittypet." I scoffed, glancing over at the black tom, Flicker.
"Rainpaw, can I ask you something?" I asked.
"Sure, what is it?" She replied, her eyes locked onto the newcomer.
"Do you ever miss someone really bad, and you know not supposed to miss them and you don't know what to do?" I asked nervously.
"Ashpaw I don't understand what you mean." Rainpaw frowned.
"Do you miss Swiftkit, Ivykit and Sandkit?" I asked her.
"What? No, we're not allowed to mourn for them. They had it coming for them, they deserved what they got. It's not my fault they didn't follow the rules. Why do you ask?" She mewed.
"No reason." I muttered.
"Ashpaw it's not allowed!" Her eyes widened.
"What are you talking about?" I scoffed.
"Ashpaw, you can't mourn for Ravenkit and Tawnykit. It's against the rules!" She hissed.
"Rainpaw keep it down! I'm not mourning for them. I'm glad they're gone, Shadowstar pays more attention to me now." I mewed.
"You know that's a lie. You are so mourning for them!" She growled.
"I am not! They were nothing but filthy Unwanteds!" I spat.
"Good. Ashpaw, you said it yourself. They're filthy Unwanteds." She smirked.
"I don't understand what you're getting at." I frowned.
"You said yourself that they are filthy Unwanteds. Just remember that it came out of your mouth, remember your words. Swiftkit, Sandkit, Ivykit, Ravenkit, Tawnykit, Rabbitkit, Dustkit and Snakekit, they all have one thing in common; they were all nothing but filthy Unwanteds." They are filthy Unwanteds, they mean nothing to me. I've over come the stigma of two worthless littermates. I don't care about them.
"Tawnypaw, your on the dawn patrol." Foxpaw and Nightpaw nudged me awake gently. I yawned before sitting up. I glanced over at the nest next to mine, Ravenpaw was gone.
"He went out hunting with Nightsun." Foxpaw mewed.
"Mistycloud told us to wake you. We're on the dawn patrol." Nightpaw purred. I stretched as I stumbled to my paws and drowsily padded out of the den with the two toms. Our mentors stood waiting.
"Took you long enough." Foxfoot, Nightpaw's mentor scoffed.
"Foxfoot be nice, when they were kits they didn't have to wake up so early." Softpetal, Foxpaw's mentor cuffed the senior warrior on the ear.
"They should be used to waking up early, they've been apprentices for almost six moons now." He retorted.
"Whatever, let's just go." Mistycloud rolled her eyes. We followed our mentors out of the hollow. Six moons since we were abandoned. It seems like longer.
"Why are we following him? We don't even know him!" Ashpaw scoffed.
"You don't know him. We do, and we trust him. Why don't you just be quiet like the other apprentices." I growled at the obnoxious tom.
"Sorry Vinepelt." Ashpaw mumbled. I scowled before turning my attention back to Flicker, who was leading us into the forest.
"Shadowstar, are you sure we can trust this kittypet?" Rabbitstar asked.
"Yes." Shadowstar confirmed. The four leaders talked while we followed the black tom. He seemed to know where we were going. I tasted the air, catching the scent of cats in the distance. Shadowstar and the other leaders must have smelled them too because they stopped us. I watched as six cats stepped into the clearing. Three small cats and three bigger ones. The one ahead was a white she-cat. Beside her was a small rusty tom. Next came a big ginger tom and a small black tom. Behind was a black she-cat and a dark gray she-cat.
"Who are you?" The big ginger tom demanded.
"We are the leaders of BreezeClan, BrookeClan, ShadeClan and StormClan. We were told by BrightClan warriors to come to the end of the forest.
"Well, this is the farthest into the forest you're going to get." The black she-cat retorted.
"I am Rabbitstar, leader of ShadeClan. What are your names?" he asked.
"My name is Softpetal." The white she-cat purred.