I have news. '_'? I'm probably going to shock a lot of you.

FMTTS will be ending soon.

You're probably thinking, "What? What are you talking about?" But there's a reason.

I have no time.

I have school, homework, soccer, animal caretaking, and several assignments I must do and tests I must study for. I'm like, failing, in math. I need to focus more on "Reality" and less on "The World of ."

But there will be a sequal.

I'm not sure what it's going to be called, but it will begin on the journey Tinypaw and Foxpaw will have to take to get...to a place that newcomers don't know of yet. Though I'm sure my followers from my previous story that was cancelled will know what I mean.

Now, please read this extra long chapter. It has much care and attention put into it and I'm hoping you people will like it.

...

I was hunting.

Or, at least, trying to.

"Ahhh ya!" I screeched, jumping-albet awkwardly-towards a chickadee on a twig on the ground. It gave a startled peep and fluttered under my paws when I landed. I gave a startled high-pitched squeak in excitement at my first victory, but it turned into a frustrated yowl that ended in a dissappointed whine when the tiny bird peaked between my toes and flew away.

"Again!?" I whimpered in defeat. "That's the fourth time today!"

Crackling twigs from behind me made me look over my shoulder at a humorous Foxpaw.

He chuckled. His voice made my fur stand on end. "You're trying too hard," he said. "And your supposed to stay quiet. Howling your happiness to the world won't scare the prey into your paws."

I sighed in defeat and tucked my tail down, ears flattening.

"I can't do it, Foxpaw. I can't," I murmur sadly. "I can't do anything right."

Expecting his laugh to turn mocking, I was startled when his warm scent thickened and his body curled around my comforting.

"Keep in mind that it's near Cold-Time. The prey is getting ready to hibernate. And when that time comes your white fur will make it easier to hunt," Foxpaw started, but I cut him off.

"You don't get it!" I whined. I pressed into his chest unexpectedly. "I'm useless. Unwanted. Uncared for. I can't DO anything! My leg messes up my hunting, and my face has ruined my ability to even have friendship, let alone mateship, and I-"

The determination in Foxpaw's eyes stopped me. My blue eyes were caught in his brown and our faces were inches apart.

"Tinypaw, you aren't useless. You aren't unwanted. You're important." His eyes went soft. "And you're certainly not uncared for. You may think so, but you're special, not weird. You're unique, not different. And you're beautiful in my eyes. Why do you differ?"

I turned away, disbelieving. "I'm the reason you're here, aren't I? Why we are both here?"

Foxpaw sighed. "Not entirely. I've been outclanned for my own reasons."

The sudden use of the word "Outclanned" had me reeling back in shock. "What?!"

Foxpaw stiffened, and his ears flattened.

"Why do you think I was out here?" He gave a weak laugh. I could tell it was fake. "Apparently Breezestar wasn't happy about what I'd done."

"And what did you do?"

There was silence for a moment before-

"HWOOOONK! HWOOOONK! HWOOOONK!"

I turned towards the bushes Foxpaw had come out of, and was startled to see it wasn't him making the noise.

"W-What's that?" I stutter, the moment ruined. Would I ever have a real conversation with him?

"I...I don't know. A fish?"

"HRRRRRROOOARRRR!"

"Not a fish," I stated, suddenly trembling. "Definitely not a fish."

Then the ground under my paws was shaking, small particles of dirt and pebble rocking around. Even my own body was shaking.

"F-Foxpaw?" I whispered, backing up. "I think we should run."

But Foxpaw was frozen. My supposed courageous hero was stiff as a board, fur on end and back arched. I whimpered when the sound got closer. Why wouldn't he move?

"Foxpaw!" I howled. He didn't move.

I forced down my terror, my fear, and leaped forward, crashing into the red tom and rolling us several feet away. We both cowered when vibrations traveled through the ground as the sound got even closer, and, panicking, I looked up wildy, looking for a way to get away, and then realised I had thrown myself and Foxpaw into a wet ditch that would take a while to crawl out of. And we didn't have any time to try. We were doomed.

Yellow lights connected with my eyes through the willow trees and I winced, turning away. The sound was suddenly deafening, and the ground around us vibrated. I screamed, a fierce, unforgiving yowl of terror that was barely heard over the creature's roar, and then closed my eyes, waiting for death.

But nothing happened.

The sound began to die away, the vibrations getting softer, and then it was silent. I didn't know what to think.

"...hear me? Tinypaw?"

The familiar voice brought me back to Earth, and I shivered, the adrenaline in my body going away as fast as it had come, and I was suddenly exhausted.

"Tinypaw? Tiny? Look at me. Look at me!"

"What..." I started, "What was t-that?"

A warm body encircled mine. I could smell my own fear, as well as Foxpaw's. I didn't like it. Foxpaw was supposed to be the strong one.

A warm tongue licked my ear. "Shhh, Tiny. Your heartbeat is much too fast. Calm yourself. It's over now."

There was the tom I lo-knew. The tom I knew. He was here. He was fine. He was Foxpaw.

I tried to stand up, but just collapsed instead.

"C-Can't...I can't..." I whimpered. I was too tired to move.

Foxpaw's eyes met mine. I snuggled to him in a rare sign of affection. It was an odd thing for me to do, but Foxpaw didn't even comment. He just curled his large body around mine.

"That's was a two-leg contraption," Foxpaw mewed, his voice soft. "Two-legs control them. They are mechanical beasts with no mindset of their own. That is why they are enslaved."

I nodded, but didn't really understand. If something didn't have a mind, would it really be considered alive? And if it was alive, then wouldn't it have free will?

"Let's get out of this ditch." I suggested, feeling dirty from the water we were sitting in. My pelt was stained brown. Foxpaw's was better off, but he was still soaked.

"Good idea," Foxpaw agreed. He stood and shook his fur, splattering me with mud. When I buffed, he gave a tomish grin.

"Sorry," he chuckled.

I gave a tight smile, then attempted to stand, but Foxpaw immediately pushed me down.

"What am I thinking?" be muttered, more to himself than me. I cocked my head to the side in question. "You've been terrified, hurt, and haven't had much sleep. You're probably in shock. That's why your legs can't support you. You need to relax. I'll get some poppy seed, though in these woods I'll probably only find valerian leaves, which will make you sleepy, not relaxed, but it should be fine. And I-"

I cut in. "I'm fine, Foxpaw. Just help me up. We build a nest in the mid of some willow tree branches. We will be off the ground, safe, and the top of the willow will protect us from bad weather. Good, yes?"

Foxpaw gave an anxious look, but nodded, allowing me to lean on him as we crawled out of the muck. I stumbled a bit, but soon found myself on solid ground. There were tracks where the two-leg monster had been, and soil had been dig up in places, but it had created a dirt path through the willow trees and made the journey to find a good tree much easier.

"This one," Foxpaw meowed after, his voice set. We were beside a tall, twisted willow with a thick trunk and tangled vines in the middle. It was very close off. "The rooting is good. And the trunk has some stepping spots. We can nest here."

Nest, a voice whispered, like where a bird raises its young.

Or a cat mothers kittens.

Moments later, I was drowsing sleepily between a tangle of branches that connected underneath each other and formed a sort of net under me. Then Foxpaw was nudging me and pushing soft grass at the edges of the net.

"You need bedding," he murmured ago my questioning look. I was too tired to be shy. "And a proper meal. I'll find a nice pheasant for you, and I'll even pluck it."

Not meaning to be rude, but still protesting, I mewed softly, "Shadowclan cats eat differently. Have you no courtesy or knowledge on the needs of a she-cat?"

The words shocked me. Had I really just spat at Foxpaw? On purpose?

"I-I mean," My stutter was back. "I mean to say that I'd rather prefer a soft-skinned toad over a prickle-plucked pheasant." Again, had I really just say that? The words coming out and find my mouth weren't even my own!

But instead of being mad, or even surprised, Foxpaw laughed out loud, spitting grass out in the process.

"There's that Shadowclan attitude," he clarified. My ears shot up. Focpxpaw just grinned. "You've always been shy, but I knew you were a spitfire on the inside. I was waiting for it to come out.

Mortified by my actions and extremely embarrassed, I tensed and curled up, my ears flattening as I muttered muffled apologies.

"Chill, Tinypaw," Foxpaw chuckled again. He backed up and balanced on a single willow branch. "I like seeing the real you. Now, why don't you get some shut eye. I'll go find that toad for you, and-"

There was a loud snap, and suddenly the place where Foxpaw had been standing was gone, along With the himself. My heart skipped in fear. I jumped out of my leaf bed and leaned over the side of the tree, searching frantically for Foxpaw. Was he hurt? Where did he go?

"Over here, Tiny!"

It was the first time I realised Foxpaw had been calling me "Tiny." But instead of finding it cute, as I would usually do, I found it offensive.

I leaned farther, and saw my love-intrest was clinging to the side of the willow trunk, unhurt. Which gave me more reason to be mad at him.

"That's rude," I spit. My fur bristled. "My name is "Tinypaw," not "Tiny.""

There was a burst of laughter, and a another thud as Foxpaw hit the ground. I huffed, turned away, and settled back into my leaf bed. Moments later, Foxpaw climbed up and settled beside me.

"You're funny," he humms. I snort, my bad mood lashing out. I didn't know what was wrong with me today.

"Leave me alone, you horrid tom," I mutter. It was as if I had no control. "You tell me to sleep, but then you never shut up. What's that about?"

Another laugh. Another humm. I angrily turned away and shut my eyes. My exhaustion took over, and sleep came to me.

I never felt the tail that curled around mine as I slept, or the warm body that covered mine to keep me warm.

...

(Next day)

I awaken to a cold nest and very muscles. I sat up and stretched, then looked around briefly. Foxpaw's scent lingered, which meant he was here not long ago, but there was also a musky, warm smell, like that of fog on a rainy day, with a hint of something else. I didn't understand what it was until I stood up and breathed it in.

Heat scent.

Immediately, my entire body flushed with embarrassment. My fur felt hot and my ears flattened with the implications of that one scent.

I was in heat for the first time.

It wasn't something that had happened before-I was still just a young she-cat-but I wasn't oblivious to it. It was what had been making me bad tempered and possibly the reason Foxpaw had left in the morning-Toms had hard time resisting. And it would also mean that if I mated-consensual or not-I would most likely get pregnant. Which meant that I had to avoid toms for the next few days, Foxpaw or not.

I awkwardly shifted over the nest and shimmied down the willow trunk deciding I needed to find Foxpaw. We had yet to have our talk and I needed to explain the situation-As if he didn't already know.

"Foxpaw!?" I called out into the woods. "Foxpaw?"

I heard pawsteps and soon saw the red pelt of my tom coming through the willow trees.

"Tinypaw...Heh heh...Hey," Foxpaw muttered. He shifted for a moment and then stepped closer. "I went for a walk to find some prey. I couldn't find any. Wanna help me?"

I cocked my head. "We need to talk, seriously. I've been missing from my Clan for three days and you have been outclanned for some reason I'm not aware of."

"Alright," Foxpaw agreed. "Right after breakfast...?"

I sighed and then nodded. I was hungry anyways.