Expectations.
I sat crossed legged on my bed. I inspected the necklace for the hundredth time. How was it possible that I could turn into a cat? And why me? Why not someone popular like Zinnia or Livvy? I peered down at the sharp points of the cat's ears. It really looked like the symbol of a clan, but which one? Another question. Why didn't it have a lightning bolt for Thunderclan, or a tree sign for Skyclan? And what else could the necklace do? I had so many questions that were unanswered. I figured, if it could turn me into a cat, could it turn a cat human? Could it, perhaps, bring me to Thunderclan? I got off my bed and walked over to the dusty bookcase in the corner of my room. I'd have to dust it before my mother said something about that. I plucked out a Warriors Book. Omen of the Stars: The Fourth Apprentice. I flip it open. I put the necklace around my neck, then clasp the charm in my palms, eyes closed.
"Um, let's see, I wish, um, I had a cat?" I open my eyes, but nothing happened. I decide to try a different wish.
"I wish, uhh, to have, I don't know, Graystripe in my room." I open my eyes again, but this time, still, nothing has happened. I sigh. Maybe I imagined everything that happened on Friday. I was crying so much I wouldn't be surprised if I saw pirates.
"Sage! Get down here!" I sigh again as my mother calls. Closing my book, I jump off my bed and run down the stairs. My mother calls again.
"Sage! How many times do I have to call you before you come?!" I run faster and slide into the kitchen before she explodes. My mother is standing my the counter, her hair tied back messily, wearing a ruffled shirt and pajama pants. I take a breath.
"Yes mom?" She glares at me.
"It's yes mother. And why did you leave so many cups in the sink." I resist the urge to roll my eyes.
"Um, there is only two cups in the sink, and I didn't put them there, so-" Before I can finish speaking, I feel a burning pain shoot through my right arm.
"Ow!" I exclaim. My mother keeps glaring at me.
"Don't talk to me that way!" She then goes into a rant full of curse words and swears. I blink back tears, and put the cups away quickly before rushing into my room. Zinnia knocks on the door a moment later. I look up.
"Sorry about what happened." She says. I freeze.
"You saw? Wait a second, didn't you leave those cups in the sink?" Zinnia nods meekly.
"Sorry." I almost yell at her the way mom does to me.
"Why did you let me take the blame? Look what she did to me!" I show her the slowly fading red mark on my arm. "Zinnia, don't you see I'm your sister? It's like you care more about Livvy than you care about me!" Suddenly, all the feelings I had flood out.
"Stop treating me like a stranger!" Zinnia looks guilty for a second, then it quickly turns to anger.
"I'm not doing that! It's not my fault you let them bully you! Maybe instead of yelling at me like this, you can tell Livvy yourself! Sometimes, I'm glad I'm nothing like you!" With that she spins around and flounces out the door, slamming it behind her. I glare after her. I don't care about Zinnia, or Mother, or Jake, or stupid Livvy and her brainless followers. I'm sure to have other people who care about me. Right in my book. I stomp over to The Fourth Apprentice and open it to the first page. I hold the necklace, along with my book, and almost yell:
"I wish I was in Thunderclan, with real people that care about me!" Suddenly, everything flashed golden, and when I opened my eyes, I was standing in a forest. Everything was peaceful. Birds tweeted and flew from branch to branch on tranquil trees, while bushes and flowers blew in a gentle breeze. But I was still human.
"Yes!" I exclaim.
Was I really in Thunderclan? I decided to test something out. I still have my book, and it has a map. I walked straight foward until I get to the lake shore, then scan the area. I'm surely in Thunderclan territory. A moor slopes on the left side of me, and dark pines tower in the North east. I nod. Now to find their camp. Following the map, I jump over sticks and bushes, climb slopes, and duck branches until I'm overlooking the camp. I duck behind a few trees and watch. Cats a walking in and out of the thorn barrier. A see a flame colored tom sitting on a large rock with a light ginger tabby next to him. Firestar and Sandstorm. This was definitely the camp. Next order of business? Turn myself into a cat, introduce myself, and go live with the Warrior Cats forever! All my problems would be solved. I felt ready to burst with joy. I close my eyes and whisper:
"I wish I was a cat." the tingling shot through me again, then I dropped downward, and was a cat. I looked at myself in a nearby puddle, just to be sure. I'm a cat, but the necklace is still around my neck. Then I walked toward the Thunderclan camp, then stopped. What would I say to them? I walked back to my puddle and stared at myself.
"Hi, my name is Sage, and I want to live with you." Too straightforward.
"Hi, my name is Sage, and I know you're Thunderclan, and could you ask Firestar if I could join?" That looked like I knew too much.
"Hi, my name is-" I couldn't finish before a yell interrupted me.
"Hey! What are you doing in Thunderclan territory?!" I turn around, but it's too late. A fluffy weight it thrown on top of me.
"Oof!" I say before the attacker stands up, their paws squarely on my chest. I blink. It's a cream colored tom. Berrynose. I forgot that towards the beginning of The Fourth Apprentice, Berrynose, Lionblaze, and company are going on a water patrol. Drat.
"Who are you?" Berrynose says. Before I can answer, a golden-yellow tom walks over.
"Give her a break Berrynose." The tom says. Berrynose gets up, but still looks at me through narrowed eyes.
"What's your name?" He asks. I'm guessing this is Lionblaze.
"Uh-" A voice interrupts me. Will I ever get a chance to speak here?
"Have you forgotten what Leopardstar told you at the gathering last night?" The voice says. "The fish in the lake belong to Riverclan." Cloudtail, who was also apparently there, replies to the tom that bounded forward.
"We're not here to fish," He says. "We only want water. You're not going to deny us that, are you?" I suddenly remember the argument between them and the Riverclan warriors. So this must be Reedwhisker. After they go through the entire argument, we are walking back to the camp. Lionblaze looks back at me. '
"So, what is your name?" Lucky for me, I'm already named after something in nature.
"Sagepaw." I reply. Lionblaze's eyebrow shoots up.
"Are you from one of the other clans?" I shake my head.
"Nope. I was a kittypet, and no one cared about me, so now I want to join Thunderclan. You're Lionblaze right? And that's Berrynose?" I point to the cream warrior with my tail. Lionblaze's eyes widen. So do Berrynose. Maybe I shouldn't have included so much information.
"How do you know all this?" Lionblaze asks. Berrynose narrows his eyes.
"She's just like Sol." Double drat! I forgot about Sol. Cloudtail walks forward.
"Berrynose has a point, you know. Let's bring her back to the camp and tell this to Firestar."
*o*o*o*
"So, Firestar, that's why we think she shouldn't be accepted into this camp. She's just like Sol." Cloudtail finished. Firestar looked down at me from his perch on high rock. I shrank underneath his gaze.
"So, you say you're from the Twoleg place?" I nod.
"I need time to think about this." Firestar says. "You can stay until moonrise. Then I will decide." I breathe a sigh of relief. I'm not accepted into their camp, but I'm not declined either. I sit under a tree in the clearing and watch the cats. Most are watching me wearily, while others don't seem bothered. The sun climbs across the sky, while I sit under my same tree. Even during dusk, the sweltering heat beats down on the camp. By now, most cats are sharing tongues lazily in the haze. My stomach grumbles as I watch a she-cat bite into a mouse. It smells delicious, but I still wince at the blood sitting around the flesh and bones. After another protest from my tummy, I can't resist it. I walk tentatively toward Firestar. He's sitting under highrock, talking quietly to Graystripe, Sandstorm, Brambleclaw, and Millie. They all turn towards me. I can't help but waver as I would a new teacher. I never thought I'd be shy towards a cat, but here we are.
"Well?" Firestar says. I realize I've been staring at them for the past minute. I take a breath.
"Um, could I, maybe, have something to eat?" Brambleclaw's eyebrow shoots up.
"I never thought a kittypet would want to eat a mouse." He chuckles, then stops once he meets Firestar's gaze. I almost laugh at how he forgot his leader was a kittypet. But Firestar doesn't seem bothered.
"You're welcome to take something." He says. I walk over to the fresh-kill pile, then take a small mouse. I stare at it's eyes, still shiny, and it's still warm body. My mind wanders back to my hamster that died a few years ago. I think of it crawling up my hand, and nuzzling me with it's fluffy fur and soft whiskers. I stare at the dead mouse in front of me. I look up and notice everyone in the camp looking at me. No. I can't. Carefully, I push the mouse back to it's place next to the fresh-kill pile. Firestar's whiskers twitch. Berrynose, Dustpelt, and a few other cats stare at me in scorn. Some cat calls out:
"Even a kit know not to play with prey!" A few laugh. No one says anything in my defense. Just like home. For the first time since I was there, I thought of Zinnia. What was she doing now? Was my mother looking for me? Did they care? Did I make the right choice? A single tear splashes onto the dusty ground. This was not what I expected.