Elisa bounded breathlessly through the forest, trying to get away from her home as fast as she could. Should someone have noticed her go into the forest, she may have been followed, and that was the last thing she needed.
Once Elisa was satisfied that she had gotten far enough away, the tortoiseshell skidded to a stop, kicking up leaves from under her paws. The forest around her was silent, and for a moment, Elisa feared that the Clan cats had lied to her, and were not planning to return to her.
However, a familiar scent came to her, and Elisa looked over her shoulder, watching as a familiar bright orange tabby walked out of the undergrowth.
"Have you made your choice?" Cherrystar asked coolly. "I cannot be away from the Clan for too long."
Elisa swallowed, but kept her head held high. "I have decided to join you," she meowed. "I... already said my goodbyes to my family."
Cherrystar nodded. "That must have been hard for you. Hopefully, this will be easier."
Without warning, Cherrystar began to walk briskly in the other direction, pushing her way through the thick, tangled undergrowth and bushes. Elisa sprang after her.
"So," Elisa panted, struggling a bit to keep up. Rocks dug into her paws again, but she forced herself to ignore them as she tried to follow Cherrystar. Her tail was straight as a rod, tip twitching from side to side in the air, as if beckoning for Elisa to follow. "How did you become leader, being an Iota and all? Did you have to prove yourself?"
"I did, but not in the way you are probably thinking," Cherrystar replied, showing no evidence of fatigue or stress. "I had to prove, just like any other cat, that I would be a strong, fair leader, and that I would be able to provide for my Clan."
"So your Clanmates didn't care that you were of a Lower Dynamic? It didn't matter to them?" Elisa had to admit, she was curious. During her twelve years of life, she had always been taught that Lower Dynamics, and sometimes even the Middle ones, were not fit for leadership. They simply did not possess the biological capabilities of an Upper.
"What my Clanmates thought or think of me is unimportant," Cherrystar meowed. "What is important, is my capability. The previous leader thought me capable enough, so he made me deputy. When he died, I became leader."
"Oh... so it isn't familial, then? You don't have a better chance by being the leader's daughter?"
"No," Cherrystar said flatly. She took a sharp turn, and Elisa nearly ran into a tree, before righting herself and continuing to follow Cherrystar. "In fact, it's frowned upon to make someone related to you your deputy. It is seen as a recipe for disaster, as it usually is."
Elisa nodded, noticing as Cherrystar's pawsteps began to slow. Silently, she thanked her, as her own paws were starting to get sore. She was not used to this, and that was obvious. Was she going to be cut out for Clan life?
"I'm sorry for all of the questions, it's just... this is all so new to me," Elisa mewed. "I was told that the Clans were dangerous, and would kill any outsiders."
"It is against our code to kill for the sake of killing," Cherrystar told her. "Especially a young one like you. We only kill in self-defense, or when the situation calls for it."
Elisa felt a shiver go down her spine. "Will I have to kill others?"
"Many omicrons never have to make a fatal blow, thankfully," Cherrystar replied. "So, it is most likely that you will not have to kill anyone else."
"Well, that's a relief," Elisa sighed. Suddenly, Cherrystar stopped, and Elisa had to stop just as suddenly to keep from running into her. "What –"
"Stop for just a moment," Cherrystar said. "Scent the air. What do you smell?"
Elisa hesitated, lifting her nose to the air and sniffing. Her tail twitched slowly back and forth. "I smell... lots of cats. Lots of different cats. And... food?" She paused, looking at Cherrystar out of the corner of her eye to gauge her response.
The older she-cat nodded. "Yes, good. For now, you may only be able to tell that there are many of us, but soon, you will be able to tell each individual cat apart by scent. You may even notice how different Clans smell differently, as well."
"Well... where I used to live, all families had a different scent," Elisa said. "So I guess this is similar, except with more cats."
"Right." Cherrystar began leading her through what appeared to be a tunnel of woven branches and stems. "It gets dark in here, but this is where you will enter the camp. We keep it well armored, so that it is more difficult for enemies to enter. One of the jobs of the Rabbit Feet is to make sure that this entrance is in good shape."
Elisa nodded. "Okay... and I'm going to be a Rabbit Foot?"
"Yes," Cherrystar replied. "You will be assigned a mentor, and you will train alongside the other Rabbit Feet. Like Cinderpaw." Elisa grimaced a bit at that, not exactly looking forward to training with the feisty Omega, but she quickly changed her expression before Cherrystar could notice.
Finally, there was light between the tangled branches, and then, Elisa was stepping into a world she had never seen before.
