Chapter 3

I didn't try to look menacing. Unsheathe my claws, bare my teeth, but just turned around. Looking down at me, was a small black cat with one white paw. I assumed he was a kitty-pet, he had a purple collar, But, was that a tooth pushing through a hole in it?

"I said, who's there?"

His voice was one of a kit's, but with a menacing chill. I straitened up.

"I'm Beechpaw, a warrior of ThunderClan."

Silence.

I don't know why I didn't just stand tall and hiss, say something menacing and sarcastic. My heart was still raging, thumping louder than a twoleg monster, or even Bloodfur, when he's angry.

"What are you doing way out here? It's moonhigh."

"Really? I hadn't noticed?" There. That's more like me.

"Oh."

Silence.

What is it with this cat?

"You know, it's dangerous over here."

I really didn't have anything to say to that. But huh, what am I saying? Of course I do!

"If you're the worst Twolegplace has to throw at me, then I think I can manage."

His ice blue eyes glinted. "I doubt that."

Suddenly, he leapt down, but not the way you'd expect a cat of his size to. He jumped in a delicate, yet fierce motion, and immediately was staring at me, closer than I'd like. His eyes were again gaining my attention, they almost seemed to sparkle, the light of the moon radiating off them and, taking my breath away. I wasn't sure if it was a good or bad way though, even to this day.

Standing this close to him, it was hard to miss his eyes flicker to something behind me. I turned, but saw nothing, and when I looked back at this mysterious tom, he wasn't even there. I barely saw his tail tip flick as he crested the fence, and then was gone, just like that.

"Beechpaw?" I turned, and saw Whiterain pad out into the clearing just before the twoleg fence.

"Oh, uh, evening Whiterain!" I laughed nervously, and awkwardly.

My mother's stern gaze didn't falter as she came to a halt in front of me. "What are you doing out so late? It's nearly moonhigh."

Oh, Have we been through this before? I think we have, but that's just a hunch.

"Just taking a walk." My voice trembled a little, still shaky after my strange encounter. Whiterain turned back to the forest and gestured with her tail for me to follow. I nervously padded after her, because I seriously doubted we'd just walk in silence the whole way back to camp.

After a moment, she commented,"It's nice out tonight. The moon's almost full." No kidding, I thought warily to myself.

"Yeah."

"You know, I'm sure you can make it to the gathering, if you just improve your behavior." She said that with authority, like this was nothing but a disciplinary problem, nothing personal.

I really regret coming out here. "Like that's a possibility. Bloodfur thinks I can't do anything right!"

"He doesn't really think that-"

I interrupted her, "How would you know, exactly?"

Whiterain didn't hesitate to retort, "I spoke to him today, he really didn't mean to say those things. But, I know he wouldn't have if you would just listen, and not have something to say all the time."

I thought about saying, 'because you know him so well', but before I could, she continued. "Beechpaw, listen to me, I miss your father too, but we have to accept that he's dead. You can't live your life like this, always angry, upset. He's gone now, we must move on." She swallowed, and I could see grief dulling her eyes. "I'm not telling you to forget, but to just... Just..."

I never thought she would just suddenly come to me like this, with all her feelings and thoughts. Especially not about my father. But really, we never spoke to each other about anything in particular so this was more than just surprising.

"Whiterain, I- I really don't know. I do miss him, and I don't try to act the way I do. I... I'm sorry. And I promise I'll try to do better at- at everything I do."

She looked down at me, and I think for the first time, she seemed like she actually cared about me a little. As we entered the gorse tunnel, and went to our separate dens, I remembered the black tom with a tooth in his collar, and I made a promise to myself that I would speak to him again.

Little did I know, our next meeting would come sooner than I thought.