Chapter 2- Into the Dark

The bushes were thick, closing off the scene of blood and claws. She could hear every cry of pain, each hiss or bark of anger, yet what was actually occurring was left to her imagination. Maplewind waited unmoving, her heart struggling to keep up with her rapid breathing. Someone had saved her. No, not just anyone. Reedfang! His auburn pelt was unmistakeable. Yet how had he come back? Maplewind had seen the twoleg monster run him down. She had been the one to bury his lifeless body in the icy rain. She remembered, because she had been unable to touch his bloodied corpse until the tom's body had grown cold. Even then, she had cried the entire burial, her tears mingling with the rain drops.

Maplewind felt her fur steadily lie flat. No, she had been mistaken. As much as she wished for her mate's revival to be true, it was not possible. Someone else had saved her. Several someones, in fact.

The she-cat turned her head slowly to the side before letting them fall on the cat who had dragged her away. White ears were pressed to the sides of a finely-sculpted head, and the queen's fellow feline turned to look at her. A chill ran down Maplewind's spine at the sheer intensity in the cat's hazel eyes, and she resisted the urge to look away.

"Just stay put. You're safe now." The white cat meowed reassuringly, and the she-cat realized it was a tom.

She let her breathing calm and nodded rather slowly. She didn't know if she could trust this stranger, but he'd saved her, which was good enough for her. The sound of disturbed undergrowth caused both eyes to turn, and Maplewind stiffened, half-expecting the dog to leap out at them. However, instead she was greeted by a soft-furred tabby. The white cat seemed to know the newcomer, for he stood up and padded over to her.

"Brisca, did you call for Harrison and Splash?"

The tabby nodded, and the tom seemed to relax before noticing the cat's interest in Maplewind.

"She was being chased by Burfen, but Rale and Kane are holding him off. I'm going to go join them, so could you…?"

At the white tom's words, the tabby, Brisca, nodded in understanding and headed over to Maplewind, who tensed and shirked away. The cat realized she must be scaring the queen, and so she paused and let her expression soften.

"It's alright, I'm not going to hurt you. My name is Brisca. I'm a friend of Sage."

When Maplewind did not relax though, the she-cat sighed and sat down, wrapping her striped tail about her paws.

"You must have been through a lot, so I won't make you say anything you don't want to. Just know that we mean you no harm. When my friends are done with the dog, they'll come back and maybe we can all talk then, okay?" Brisca tried a smile, and received a weak, anxious look in return.

Maplewind had felt fine with the white tom, yes, because he had rescued her. And even though Brisca seemed a friend of his, she had heard her call the dog Burfen. Did dogs even have names? And how had that she-cat known what it was? Cats and dogs did not speak the same language, nor did they call one another by name, anyhow. Instantly, her boundaries had gone up, and the she-cat watched the stranger cautiously. Anyone who was a friend of a dog was an enemy to her. She had seen the things that dogs had done to her clanmates back home.

A few moments of silence passed before the bushes rustled and three bodies emerged. One, Maplewind recognized as the tom from before. She recalled that Brisca had called him 'Sage'. He looked ruffled now, his sleek fur pushed the wrong way and the faintest hint of red on his paws. Maplewind felt guilt gnaw at her insides. He could have gotten hurt protecting her. Beside him, a dark tom close in resemblance to Brisca was panting heavily, and Maplewind realized with a jolt that he was bleeding thick red rivulets from his shoulder.

But more than the sight of the two battered toms, her eyes scoped out that familiar auburn pelt that now burned dimly in the forest shadows, though it still glowed like the embers of a sleeping fire. She swallowed the lump in her throat. He really was the spitting image of Reedfang. He even shared her mate's vibrant sky-blue eyes. The tom turned his head, and their gazes met for a split second before he blinked and started over towards Brisca.

"So? Is she alright?"

He meowed frankly, jerking his head in Maplewind's direction. The tabby she-cat rose and shrugged, smiling at Maplewind again.

"I think so. She's just shaken up, that's all."

"She didn't get hurt, did she?" The injured brown tom meowed ironically as he walked over to the queen's side. Maplewind was about to back away before she remembered that the tom was in a more vulnerable state than herself. She let him lay beside her, trying not to recoil at the blood scent clinging to his pelt.

"No, I'm fine."

She meowed, and the other cats blinked in surprise seeing as it was the first time she'd spoken. Determined not to be any more of a burden, Maplewind sucked in her gut and summoned all her courage.

"Um, thank you. For saving me…" She glanced down at her paws, suddenly finding the weeds very interesting to look at. She heard someone whisper something to another before pawsteps sounded and a shadow was looming over her.

Raising her head, Maplewind had to fight back the familiar shock as she once again found her gaze on the golden-russet tom's face.

"Why didn't you run? You had time, and there were plenty of trees around you." The tom was speaking now, his voice condescending as though Maplewind had done something stupid.

The she-cat felt the immediate need to defend herself, but as soon as her mouth had opened, she realized that the tom was right. She could have escaped if she'd really wanted to. However, before being forced to give her entire story to these strangers, the dark tabby on her left spoke up.

"Oh, lay off her Rale. She was probably scared. Anyone would be after staring a dog right in the face." Mentally, Maplewind thanked the kind tom and wished she knew his name.

"Yeah, and in case none of you ignorant toms noticed, it's not always easy running for more than just yourself." Brisca added, and every tom (including the injured tabby), seemed to burn red with embarrassment at not having realized Maplewind's condition.

"What… Well, she's so underfed you never would have noticed. We should take her back to Iris before she has time to digest the rest of her own body."

Rale was muttering in an attempt to cover up his own disbelief as he turned on his paws and headed back to join Sage.

"Kane, you should probably get your shoulder fixed up too." Brisca meowed, walking over to the two and pressing against the dark tom's pelt. He smiled and stood up to join her, careful not to put too much weight on his injured side. He beckoned for Maplewind to follow, and the queen guessed that the two cats must be littermates. They looked alike, though the dark tabby was a little bigger.

Rising on her own four paws, she hesitantly followed after the four, figuring it was all she could do in this situation. The strangers didn't seem like they planned on hurting her, and they appeared friendly enough. Brisca and the dark tabby had been relatively friendly to her, and she wondered if perhaps the littermates' parents had also been well-mannered. If Windclan found a stray in their territory, they wouldn't think twice about chasing them off. Then again, Maplewind had been a second away from losing her life. Even her home clan would not be so cold.

Her paws barely touched the ground as she hurried after the group. Her stomach was tossing and turning anxiously as she wondered where she was being taken.

..…..…

When the she-cat's paws brought her to a wall of thick briars, she hesitated. She'd narrowly avoided being torn apart by a canine. Now it would happen at the claws of a bramble thicket?

That was why relief washed through her as she saw the four others slip through a small opening that she hadn't noticed before. She eagerly followed after them, though she went a little too fast and, being unfamiliar with the route, left behind a tuft of fur from her underbelly. It didn't hurt, but she made sure to be more careful after that.

When Maplewind had passed through the thorny hedge, she had to hold back her gasp of awe. From outside the grassy walls, the destination had looked small and insignificant. From within though, the she-cat could see all sorts of towering trees with low-hanging branches. A massive oak off to the side of the clearing had a dark hollow amidst its roots, and her blue eyes widened as she saw two gray ears pop out followed by a dark head and bodice. A smattering of large boulders dotted the area, and a thin stream banked down into a ditch running through one side of the make-shift camp. She wondered vaguely what the cats did when flood weather came around, but then she noted that the downward slope of the creek must keep their nests safe and dry. She envied these cats. Their home looked even nicer than Windclan's.

"Wow. It's like you have your own little community."

She meowed at last, unable to contain her admiration for the civilization that had been established. There were numerous dens amongst the rocks and trees, and she could even see what looked like a decoration of sorts behind the oak tree. Numerous small moss-covered rocks lay all neatly stacked in a pile, and a pretty bunch of white flowers had sprouted up. Somehow, Maplewind found them suited.

"Right? It used to be a lot smaller. It was Sage and Dandy's idea to move the boulders from the stream to make new dens." Brisca purred to Maplewind, glad that the queen was now talking.

However, the sandy she-cat merely nodded, blue eyes wide as she glanced around the clearing. It seemed peaceful enough, and she wondered how many generations of cats had lived here before. All her time in Windclan, she'd never once considered that other cats might live in similar groups. The she-cat wondered if perhaps these loners lived by some sort of code, too, and if there were others like them. Before she could ask though, three cats were bounding towards her, one so small she almost didn't notice. The tallest, a black and white tom, looked at her curiously before glancing at Kane.

"You didn't say you picked up a wanderer. What's your name sweetie?"

The tom meowed, switching his eyes down to Maplewind as he smiled gently.

Blushing, she glanced down at her paws before realizing she had nothing to be embarrassed about. The tom was probably just being kind.

"I'm called Maplewind."

All 7 cats now turned their heads in unison, and Maplewind suddenly realized how strange and odd her name must sound to the ears of these loners. Back home, they would be the ones who were strange.

"Maplewind, hmm? That's just…. Lovely." The black and white tom's gaze softened, and the small ginger cat beside him rolled her eyes and huffed.

"Just ignore Harrison. He was born creepy. Are you alright Maplewind? The Idiot and Splash told me there was another run in with a dog." The ginger she-cat glanced over the queen's pelt before smiling at the conclusion that Maplewind was unharmed.

"Yeah, um, thank you again." She meowed politely, though really she felt so awkward and out of place. All these cats seemed so friendly and used to one another, while here she was. The boring she-cat bearing kits who was just weighing them down. Brisca and her brother were probably just being nice to her.

And then her thoughts snapped back to when Brisca had called the dog by a name. Maplewind could no longer recall exactly what Brisca had said, but the she-cat had definitely referred to the canine by a title. The familiar distrust rose in her chest as she glanced up at the cats around her.

"That dog.. It wouldn't happen to um… Be able to talk to cats or anything, right?"

She meowed hurriedly, knowing how ridiculous her words sounded yet realizing that she couldn't just straight out ask Brisca if she was a cat who spoke dog.

Rale seemed to find her question foolish too, for he instantly scoffed and cocked his head at her.

"What kind of a kit's tale is that? Of course not. Dogs and cats are different species. Besides, dogs are too stupid and slow to communicate with us."

Instantly, Maplewind felt ashamed, and she looked down quickly to hide her burning face.

"Gosh, who put a thorn in your bedding? Just ignore him, Maple. Um, is it okay if I call you that?" Brisca asked, smiling hopefully at the queen. Raising her head, the sandy tabby nodded slowly, receiving her a bright expression of warmth from the other.

"Hey guys, I really don't mean to be rude or anything, but Kane's not doing so great. Iris, do you think you could…?"

Sage's voice rose above the others, and when Maplewind glanced over at the handsome tom, she noticed with fear that the dark tabby, Kane, was leaning heavily on the other. The walk to the camp must've taken a toll on him, for his shoulder was suddenly bleeding a lot more, and his eyes seemed dilated, as though he was falling in and out of consciousness. Instantly, the ginger she-cat pushed past the others and braced herself against Kane's other side. Maplewind couldn't help but note how strange a sight they made, what with the orange cat not being worth much of a physical support.

"Right. He's bleeding pretty heavily. Rale, Sage, you two don't have any injuries, right?" The she-cat meowed, glancing over at the white tom and then Rale as she helped Sage bring Kane along. Maplewind watched curiously, wondering if perhaps this 'Iris' character was something like a medicine cat. She was also curious to know whether they had a medicine cat's den, or if injured cats were kept anywhere special.

"….No..…" Rale said after a pause, but Iris noticed how he shifted slightly as though to cover something up. The she-cat frowned and motioned with her tail for the tom to turn around. With a sigh of resignation, the auburn cat obliged, and even Sage grimaced at the sight of the ugly gash along the side of the tom's neck. Maplewind must've missed it before because his rustic fur disguised the scarlet liquid. She swallowed, for it looked like it must hurt a great deal.

"Bless the Great One, Rale, you're bleeding yourself a river there. Get your tail in my den before you contaminate the whole clearing." Iris meowed gustily, though Maplewind could sense the concern in her voice. Grudgingly, Rale followed after Sage assured Iris that he himself was fine.

Maplewind watched with interest as the four headed to the giant oak and disappeared into the hollow. Vaguely, she wondered why the gray cat had been in there before if Iris wasn't present. However, she forgot all about it when she felt another pelt brushing up against her own. Turning her head, she blinked in surprise as she found herself looking up at the black and white tom. She tried to place his name, but just couldn't remember.

"If you want, I can show you to a free den. Or you could always join me-" He was cut off by a sharp cuff to the ear that sent him falling forward with a grunt.

"Stop bin' a mouse-brain, Harrison. No she-cat in her right mind would ever wanna be with you."

The voice was that of a young tom splashed silver and white. Maplewind realized he'd been accompanying Harrison and Iris before. She purred in amusement.

"Asides, there're more 'portan' things ta do. Sorry Maplewind, but yer gonna have to wait a whiles afore you can rest. We'll have some'un make a nest fer ya, but we need ta explain some stuff to you before that." The she-cat blinked at the fair cat's vague accent, wondering perhaps if she had fuzz in her ears.

Harrison seemed to pick up on this, for he rose with a hefty laugh.

"Don't mind Splash's voice. His mother made him eat carrion whenever he swore, so he talks 'all funny-like now'." The silver and white tom didn't find this so amusing, for he narrowed his blue eyes and snapped angrily at the harlequin tom.

"Actually, I'll have ya know I was born somewhere's that idiotic voices like yers were 'sidered strange n' obnoxious." The black and white cat's eyes widened at this, and he suddenly smiled with unknown motives.

"Now now Splash, I know I said 'strange', but where do you think you're going calling your own speech mannerisms 'obnoxious'? You're not really self-conscious, are you?"

Something inside the silver and white cat seemed to snap, for he let out a furious snarl and moved as if to maul Harrison. He was stopped by the touch of a tail resting on his shoulder. Jolted out of his anger, he turned to see that Brisca was still there, having watched the whole affair from afar.

"I'm disappointed in both of you; acting like this in front of Maple. You're going to scare her more than she already is!" Shaking her head in dismay, the tabby smiled apologetically at Maplewind.

"If you come with me to the Council, we can sort everything out."

When Brisca received a confused look from Maplewind, she purred patiently and beckoned the she-cat along.

"The Council are like our leaders. They're the descendants of the original founders of this 'outcast haven', you could say. They make the major decisions here, and decide whether or not strays can join."

Maplewind nodded slowly at the tabby's words. So in way, this place was like Windclan, only they had several leaders? And those leaders were decided by blood?

Blinking, she tried to imagine the four clans set up that way, but knew that there would be far too much controversy. After all, what if the leaders didn't agree, or what if a bad cat was born into the Founder's lineage?

But Maplewind didn't have time to think of the consequences, for soon she found herself following after Brisca and the two toms. She swallowed the rising anxiety in her throat as they headed towards a low overhanging of fern and moss-covered pines. The she-cat winced as the bristles threaded into her fur, but forgot all about her discomfort as she spotted an opening at the base of the trunk. It led down into a dark place, Maplewind knew, and she wondered with dread if she'd have to go down there. The she-cat had never had that much luck with dark places. She shivered and sucked it up as she slid into the hole. It was just big enough for a plump fox, and it wouldn't be surprising if it had originally been meant for such a purpose anyway.

Maplewind held back the urge to run back as the tunnel walls closed in around her. She sought solace in the occasional brush of Splash's soft gray tail against her nose, but other than that, the world was lost in the darkness. Maplewind closed her eyes, relying on her other senses as she prayed for Starclan to guide her pawsteps because, if they didn't save her, than she would be lost to the emptiness inside her.