We're back, with chapter two!
Thank you to everyone who reviewed or followed or favorited the story! Encouragement means a lot to us.
Also, expect irregular updates. Since we're taking turns writing these, the next member in line may not always be on. And then we revise and edit until we're sure that it's good enough to publish.
So, without further ado, let's get back to Speckle's world!
Disclaimer: We do not own Warriors, but we own our story, and all the characters, and the plot idea, and our own way of collaborative writing. We do not like it when people copy us.
Chapter 2 written by RainFilly - JynxJania
Speckle dove through the thorn barrier, closing her eyes. When she opened them, she found herself in a large, open area; with lots and lots of cats swarming around. There were cats eating, talking, sleeping, grooming, kittens playing around in the dirt, cats adding a few dead mice to a pile of prey, elderly cats lying in the sun. Speckle just stared in amazement at all of this. How do they stand living together? Don't they ever want some time on their own?
"Come on! Don't just stand there all day!" growled Stoneclaw, jabbing her forward with an outstretched paw.
Speckle stumbled forward awkwardly and fell down. Just then, a magnificent gray tom stepped over to them, his blue eyes shining.
"Silverfur," murmured Stoneclaw, and for a moment Speckle was taken aback by strange submissiveness in Stoneclaw's voice, before realizing that the tom, Silverfur, must be pretty important and high-ranking.
"Stoneclaw..." the tom returned, before looking down at Speckle, "What do you have here?"
"We found...it out on border patrol." Stoneclaw responded, nudging the loner lightly with his paw.
Speckle flinched back from the tom's heavy paws, and toppled into Silverfur's feet. She shrank down, embarrassed, wishing that she'd be able to fall down a hole somewhere and never have these cats see her again.
"Stoneclaw," Silverfur growled, warningly. "Leave her alone. Are you okay?"
It took Speckle a moment to realize the tom was talking to her, but gradually she nodded her head.
"Let's get you to Moonstar," he murmured softly, and helped Speckle to her paws.
Silverfur strode past the annoyed Stoneclaw, and Speckle followed him, dazed. Who's Moonstar? Why are they talking to me like I'm an...it?
Speckle kept walking, unaware of the many eyes on her. "She smells funny," squeaked a small voice.
"Shh!"
Speckle turned around to see a black and white she-cat scolding a small, spiky-furred white tom-kitten. Speckle flattened her ears, and hurried after Silverfur, trying to block out the stares and questioning mews she knew were spreading behind her back.
Soon, Silverfur led her to a small ledge. Leaping up onto it, he led her into a small den, where a comfortable-looking moss and feather nest was tucked against the wall. "Moonstar?" he called.
Speckle shifted her weight nervously as a beautiful silver-white she-cat padded out of darkness of the den. "Silverfur, and..." she purred, dipping her head to the tom, and cocking her head a little at Speckle.
"Sp-Speckle."
"Speckle." Moonstar dipped her head in acknowledgment. "Why don't we come in my den to speak?"
Speckle lowered her head to step in the den with Silverfur and Moonstar. The den was hollowed from stone with moss heaped on the ground. It looked cozy and comfortable. Especially on a cold night, Speckle thought to herself.
"Now, why are you here?" Moonstar asked, curling her tail neatly around her small silvery paws.
"Stoneclaw found her on border patrol," Silverfur meowed.
Moonstar turned to look at Speckle. "Speckle, where did you come from?"
Speckle shifted uncomfortably, hoping she wouldn't have to give out too much information. "I wander round the place."
"Who are your parents?"
"Oh, just...just two other loners."
Moonstar nodded thoughtfully. Out of the corner of her eye, Speckle could see the handsome silver tom shifting his weight from his paws as he stood near the wall of the den.
"Have you always been alone?" Moonstar asked.
Speckle nodded, hoping once more that she wasn't letting this strange cat learn too much about her.
"Okay, Speckle, you're going to stay in the spare den until we decide what to do. Silverfur, it's your job to organize guards for it." Moonstar dipped her head to the them, dismissing them from her den.
Speckle padded out of the den wordlessly, shocked. Stay in this place overnight? Until they decide what to do with me? They made it sound like I'm an extra piece of prey!
Silverfur bounded down from the ledge, and Speckle followed him. "I'll need to set up a guard-"
The tom was cut off by a very excited brown ball tumbling up to him. "I want to!" the thing, which Speckle could now see to be a she-cat, cried, looking very, very excited.
"Calm down, Maplepaw!" Silverfur scolded.
"Sorry, Silverfur," The she-cat, Maplepaw, apologized, though she didn't look to be very sorry. "Can I guard it, Silverfur? Please?"
Speckle shifted her gaze from the she-cat to the tom.
"I'll check with your mentor," Silverfur sighed.
Maplepaw's eyes lit up with excitement as Silverfur scanned the cats in camp. "Bluestep!" he called, after a few moments of looking around. "Can Maplepaw guard the den?"
"Sure!" replied a gray and white tom, whom Speckle assumed was Bluestep.
"Okay," sighed Silverfur. "You can show Speckle to it as well."
Maplepaw bounded away happily, and Speckle hurried to catch up to her. Soon, Maplepaw showed her to a large pile of rocks, with a nest inside. "This is your nest," Maplepaw explained, "And I guard it, like this. See?" She sat down at the front of the den, and curled her tail around her paws, looking forward with a mock-serious face.
Speckle purred, and Maplepaw got up, coming back over to her. Now that Speckle could look at Maplepaw closely, she could say that Maplepaw was about the same age as her, 8 moons. She was a dark brown tabby she-cat, with a few patches of golden, light tabby brown. One of her eyes were green, and the other was blue.
"So..." Speckle looked up at Maplepaw's words, "Have you always lived on your own?"
"Yes, my parents were loners, and I was raised as one."
"Have you ever had any friends? I mean, if you live by your own..." Maplepaw's words trailed off.
Speckle thought for a moment about a certain handsome, kind ginger tom, and all the fun times she had with him, talking from the first light of dawn until the sun had well and truly set. "Yes," she replied, nodding her head, "I'm friends with a tom known as Flame."
Maplepaw gave her a cheeky grin, and Speckle felt her fur grow hot. "Not like that!" she protested. "We're just friends!"
"Sure, sure," Maplepaw giggled in a sing-song voice.
Speckle growled a little, and cuffed the she-cat lightly over the ear. "Anyway, you don't even know him."
"Yeah..." Maplepaw's voice trailed off, the momentary pause giving Speckle the time to look around the camp. A small black tom-kitten was dragging a shrew over to the white tom-kitten and black and white she-cat from before. Beside them was a silvery she-kitten, who seemed to know the cats well. A blue-gray tom, who looked just a little older then Flame, was sparring with a blue-gray and white she-cat. A spiky-furred brown and white she-cat came through the tunnel to the camp which Speckle had passed through before, leading a orange tom, a pale ginger she-cat and a golden brown tabby tom. All of them were holding prey, and Speckle watched as they deposited it on a growing pile of prey in the middle of camp.
"What's your favourite piece of prey?"
Speckle stared at the she-cat for a moment. Well, that was random. "Ahh..." She paused to think for a moment. "Shrew." Out of the corner of her eye, Speckle could see Silverfur talking to a muscular golden brown tabby tom.
"Okay. I like sparrows!" Maplepaw replied, very excited.
The golden brown tabby tom came over to them, holding a mouse in his jaws. "Maplepaw," he said in a deep and serious voice. "I'm here to release you from your guard duties."
Maplepaw's tail dropped, and she looked up at the tom. "But, Oakfrost," she complained, drawing out each word. "I was only just put here!"
"Yes, but your job was to guard the prisoner, not to chat with it."
Maplepaw flicked her tail, and turned to Speckle. "Sorry 'bout that," she meowed. "I'll see you later, I guess."
Speckle watched sadly as her newfound friend dragged herself over to the pile of prey, picking up a bird and carrying it over to a small group of other young cats. "Here, eat." Oakfrost's deep voice scared Speckle for a moment, but soon her fur was lying flat again. The tom pushed the mouse over towards her, and she obediently started eating the mouse.
Soon, the mouse was finished. Without anyone to talk to, Speckle soon got bored. Very bored. Lying down, she place her head on her paws and watched the Clan life.
One of the young cats from before, the blue-gray tom, was dragging moss in and out of one of the dens. Speckle caught a whiff of a warm, milky scent. Must be the den for the queens and kittens, she mused. The pale ginger she-cat from before was sharing a mouse with a pale brown tabby tom, and Speckle could see Maplepaw playing with a black she-kitten.
Speckle watched as the sun dipped in the sky. Soon, it was night-time. She padded back into the den, and curled up into her nest.
That night, Speckle dreamed. Her dreams were filled with the ginger tom, Flame, and the thought of what would happen if she stayed with the Clan.
Soon it was morning, and sunlight seeped through Speckle's closed eyes. Blinking them open, she looked around the camp. She could see Maplepaw following a group of older cats out the barrier, and a small black she-kitten was dragging two birds over to the nursery.
Looking around at the Clan, Speckle realized, for the first time, how organized and close it was. One of the warriors was helping up a kitten who had tripped over the tail of the squirrel it had been carrying, and she could see Moonstar grooming the spiky-furred she-cat from before.
Speckle thought for a moment, if they were this organized and close, then maybe becoming a part of the Clan wouldn't be so bad.
"Speckle, Moonstar would like to see you."
Silverfur's words jolted Speckle out of her thoughts. Nodding her head, the speckled she-cat got up and padded over to Moonstar's den. Moonstar bounded up onto the ledge. "We're going to have a Clan meeting, Speckle," the silver she-cat meowed, "And the Clan will decide what happens to you."
Speckle gulped, suddenly nervous. She still didn't know if wanted to stay or not!
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather underneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!"
Speckle jumped back in fright as the silvery she-cat yowled out to the Clan. She could see Maplepaw's patrol returning, and the kittens tumbling out of the nursery.
Speckle leaped down, and sat at the base of the High Ledge, fear prickling through her pelt.
"Today we gather to decide the fate of Speckle, a loner whom we found yesterday..."