Cherrystar, Birchclaw, Pikepelt, and Whiteclaw walked along the fence, searching for a pair of loners. A kittypet in a nearby house had told the clan cats that the pair they were looking for was a black-and-white tom and his ginger tabby mate. For the past couple of days, they had stayed in the human territory, taking food from helpful kittypets and hunting birds when they could. They had decided that if they couldn't find the pair within the next couple of days, they would have to recruit others or move on.

"I hear something," Whiteclaw hissed suddenly.

The other three swiveled their ears in hopes of catching the sound. Cherrystar glanced down to see two pairs of eyes peeking out of a bush. The dark ginger tabby waved her tail and jumped down. The eyes retreated but there was a rustling in the bush. They smelled well-fed and strong, a boon to any clan. They might make good warriors, she thought, if they accept.

"We won't harm you," said Cherrystar evenly, forcing herself to remain calm. She was only a little more than four seasons old and surely these loners would be older. Would they even bother to listen?

A black-and-white tom stepped out. He looked to be younger than Whiteclaw but older than Cherrystar and her siblings. His posture spoke of utter confidence but his twitching ears showed nervousness. "Who're you?" he drawled, sitting down in front of the shrub. "I've never seen you before."

"I'm Birchclaw," said the silver tabby tom, "these two are my sisters, Pikepelt and Cherrystar, and this is Whiteclaw."

"Strange names," commented the other tom.

"We're clan cats," explained Cherrystar.

The black-and-white tom's only reaction to this was a twitch of his ears. "I'm Cloud."

"And your mate?" asked Pikepelt.

Green eyes bored into amber. "I don't know who you're talking about."

Protective, thought Cherrystar. It might take a bit to win them over. Out loud, she said, "We're here because we wish to recruit you and your mate into our clan."

"And what is a...clan?" asked Cloud.

"A clan is a family," replied Pikepelt, "where cats live and hunt together, protect each other, and help to raise the next generation. Everyone has a role in a clan. Cherrystar is the leader, and makes decisions that will affect the clan as a whole such as pairing mentors and apprentices. Birchclaw is her deputy, and makes the daily decisions such as who to send out on patrols. I'm the medicine cat; I take care of the clan's physical and spiritual needs. Warriors like Whiteclaw hunt and fight for the clan. For each other. Though we don't have any yet, elders are retired warriors who have earned a great deal of respect for having lived so long." She finished with a nervous glance at her sister. Cherrystar nodded with approval. It had been a good summary of what clans were, and what they hoped it to be.

Cloud chuckled with disbelief. "And what if you're injured?"

"Then you rest while someone else takes over your duties," said Cherrystar. "A healthy cat on patrol is more useful than a sick or injured cat on patrol. Besides, injuries can get aggravated which would be bad for your long-term health, while sicknesses can spread."

"What about kits?"

"Kits are protected," replied Cherrystar, an angry glint in her eye. "They cannot be harmed or taken on patrols. The queens will be sequestered to prevent any...accidents from happening. And if anyone shows an inclination to harm a kit of their own free will, we will exile them."

"I think I've heard enough," said a soft voice from behind Cloud. A ginger tabby, heavily pregnant, stepped out delicately from behind the bush. "If you can protect me and my kits, I'm willing to join."

"But Garcia-!" said Cloud quickly.

"No," she responded with an air of finality. "You seem like good people. And a few helpers in raising my kits wouldn't hurt." Cloud seemed as though he wanted to say more, but didn't speak. "We will get new names?"

"Yes," responded Cherrystar, relieved that they had managed to win the pair. "A new name for a new life. And your kits will receive clan names, too."

Garcia dipped her head in acknowledgement. "So be it," she said.

"What are you like?" asked Whiteclaw, her first words since pointing out where the pair was. Cloud and Garcia blinked their confusion. "Do you have any notable skills? Personality traits?"

"Garcia's the best hunter I've ever seen," bragged Cloud. "No other loner could hope to match her."

Pikepelt laughed softly. "I'm sure that she'll make up for Birchclaw's...deficiencies."

"Hey!" exclaimed Birchclaw. "That's not fair. I've gotten better."

Cherrystar flicked her tail to stop her siblings before the banter got any worse. "And you, Cloud?"

"Uhh..."

"He's kind," replied Garcia. "Kind, calm, gentle. Everything you want in a mate."

"Then welcome to Cherryclan," said Cherrystar, "as Beewhisker and Magpiecloud." As she said the names, she looked at the appropriate cat.

"Beewhisker," mused the black-and-white tom. "I like the sound of that."

The newly-renamed Beewhisker smiled. "And your name is perfect. Thank you," she said to Cherrystar, "for taking us in."

Cherrystar dipped her head. "I will warn you," she said, "that we will be travelling in order to recruit more cats and to find a territory free of clowders and gangs. When your kits are old enough to be apprenticed and start learning how to hunt and fight, we will not give them to you as it would be better for them to learn how to be independent of their parents. However, if we find apprentice-aged cats, we may ask you to mentor them in clan ways."

"We understand," said Magpiecloud and Beewhisker together. The tom snorted with near-silent laughter.

"Then let's go." Cherrystar gave a flick of her tail and without waiting to see if the others were following, padded off.

The next two seasons were spent well, as Magpiecloud and Beewhisker seemed to serve as a catalyst. They learned about clan ways quickly and helped teach new recruits what they had been taught. More than ten cats had joined the clan but more often than not, would leave for various reasons. Lilac, Spectre, and Bird, who had been renamed to Tawnystripe, Blackfur, and Blizzardface, had been the only three retentions. While unfortunate, Cherrystar preferred a small number of cats who were completely dedicated to clan life instead of many cats whose loyalties were questionable. Beewhisker's two kits, Mistkit and Nightkit, were almost ready for their apprenticeships by this time. A third kit had been found, seemingly abandoned by her parents. She had been renamed to Lightkit for her pale gray fur.

Another season passed and another mated pair, along with their apprentice-aged son and warrior-aged friend, joined the clan. They were renamed, too, and Cherrystar noted with approval how quickly Duskpaw became friends with now-Lightpaw. All the cats were taught about clan ways and Pikepelt had been surprised but pleased to note how many had believed in some form of the afterlife and how accepting they were of an afterlife reserved for clan cats. It was interesting, the medicine cat had once noted, how they believed that while they would now go to Starclan, they would still be able to interact with their loner family and friends. But whatever beliefs they held could be excused, she had concluded, as long as they were loyal to Cherryclan.

Another moon and Beewhisker was pregnant again. The clan was elated and Tawnystripe insisted on holding a celebration in which the clan rested for a day and jubilant pair ate more prey than their usual allotment. Soon after, a kittypet named Rose joined the clan as Dawnface for her exotic-looking elongated features. The clan was, for the most part, content, but there were a few points that Cherrystar intended to address. For one, they needed a territory to claim as their own. She could only hope that they would find a suitable wilderness in which they could stake their claim. In addition, Pikepelt had been pestering her to start looking for a medicine cat apprentice as an insurance policy for the budding clan. Thankfully, the second point was easily resolved when Brownpaw, formerly a young brown-furred loner named Esther agreed to join the clan as Pikepelt's apprentice. Soon after, two more warriors-Fawnflower and Gingerstorm-joined the clan. By this time, they had finally appeared to reach the limits of the human territories and were looking at a forest. Perhaps they would find what they were looking for here, although Cherrystar had her doubts. They would need to travel deep into the forest to avoid humans, and would need a defensible camp. The first complaint was easy to resolve but the second... Maybe they would get lucky. She could only hope.