"Why would you want to come with us!" Destiny exclaimed, seeming doubtful, "What about all those clanmates of yours?"
"They aren't- I don't want to talk about it," Thunderstrike muttered, she had started avoiding both their gazes. She didn't want them to end up like every other cat, she had just met them.
"Why not?" Destiny continued drilling.
"I don't need to explain myself to you!"
"Then maybe I won't let you come with us." She hissed a response.
"Watch it," Thunder growled, "Might I remind you I know this territory like the back of my paw and if you crossed without my guidance you-
"Oh please!" Budderhats squealed, "Can she come!? It would be so fun, I promise I'll watch her and take care of her and… and…"
"Excuse me I can take care of myself." Thunderstrike replied indignantly. Budderhats looked at Destiny with pleading eyes, whimpering a little, when a call interrupted their session. "Destiny, Budderhats? Where are you guys!" It was a male voice, followed by squealing and loud shuffling which caused a yell of, "Kittypet! Get out of that tree before I you get stuck again. I don't want to have to drag you out like last time." Budderhats perked up at the commotion, "That decides it; she's staying," Budderhats squealed, "Everyone's already here!" She was right, a blue tom with darker spots came through the bushes followed by three she-cats, one brown and gold, one grey and one… rainbow. It was the weirdest gaggle of cats Thunderstrike had ever laid eyes on.
Destiny sighed and walked over towards the group, stopping and motioning them all to follow her as she fell behind Thunderstrike. Tentatively Thunder started to guide them to the other side of the territory, stopping and scenting the air. A border patrol was coming towards them, and picking up speed. Nobody else seemed to notice, they were distractedly chatting about their guide and most wondering who she was. "Guys!" Thunderstrike exclaimed urgently, "We need to group and get out of the territory sight line quickly, there's a border patrol coming and they won't be too happy about this if they catch us." Head-butting Destiny across the border she watched the group take off at rabbits pace before she followed suit and belted into the trees.
Stopping only when she caught up, Thunderstrike collapsed to the ground panting next to Budderhats, "Great Starclan that was too close for comfort." Destiny just got back up and padded away, the group following her, going through the trees they came to a wire twoleg fence that was falling apart. Everyone looked winded and there were complaints from the brown and gold she-cat but they continued, past cut down trees, walking stiffly past a sleeping monster; one bigger than the ones on the thunderpath, then coming to an old and abandoned looking twoleg barn. Everyone started to file in gratefully, besides Thunderstrike who sat there unsure what to make of the large twoleg nest, having never seen one herself. Budderhats padded back outside at her absence, "What's wrong?" she mewed.
"I've never seen a twoleg nest before, especially one this big," she shivered, "I don't like it."
"This isn't a twoleg nest silly! It's a barn, they use it to store things, but no twoleg has been here for quite a while," she said, "It's safe, I promise." Budderhats padded behind Thunderstrike and half shoved her inside, bounding up a fallen board to a second level. Having renewed enthusiasm, which wasn't much in the first place, she followed Budderhats up the board, being met with the sight of cats settling themselves all around. One looked up with a curious expression; others disregarded her being too tired to care. Destiny looked up moments after she came up, still radiating complete mistrust.
There was a mutter passed from the rainbow colored cat to the blue tom, "Who put ants in her pelt this morning?"
"I don't know, she's been acting like this since we found her and Budderhats with that cat."
"Who is that anyway?" the blue cat looked over at her as he spoke, not realizing she was looking straight at them. Squeaking with surprise he hurried himself to another spot farther away from where she was, making her sigh and flop onto her stomach in defeat. She barely even noticed when the brown and gold she-cat sat down beside her, "Hi!" she exclaimed, "I'm Kittypet! We didn't have the chance to introduce ourselves earlier and I thought that I should start!"
"H-hi," Thunderstrike mewed back, startled, "I'm Thunderstrike."
"Thunderstrike?" she giggled, "That's a silly name!"
"My name is silly? What kind of dignified name is Kittypet?" Kittypet had to think a minute before answering, rubbing one paw over the other thoughtfully, "You know… I don't know!" she replied happily. The grey she-cat padded over subdued, "O-oh are we doing introductions? Then I'm Sheep… I mean not to interrupt you guys! But I-
"Whoa Sheep calm down! She's not going to bite your tail off," Kittypet tried to calm her. But the cat just kept on worrying like she had offended them, "She's right you know, I'm okay with it. I'm Thunderstrike," she soothed.
She didn't see a use in introducing herself by her full clan name anymore, nobody was going to use it and she wasn't exactly a clan cat anymore, if she ever had counted as one. Sheep just finally walked off, still in a tizzy about Starclan-knows-what. All right then, Thunderstrike frowned, that was odd. As if reading her thoughts Kittypet sighed, "She's really shy, give her a while. Once she gets used to you she'll be fine." The other two cats came up to introduce themselves, the rainbow colored she-cat sticking quite close to the tom which made him flinch uncomfortably and growl in his throat. The she-cat was introduced as Tessa and the blue tom BerryJay, "Hey," BerryJay piped up, "We were going to go hunting, do you want to come with us?"
"Sure," Thunderstrike stretched and yawned, "Sounds fun."
They all bounded out of the barn, Thunderstrike only half consciously taking lead as she scented mouse, she stalked towards the scent, keeping low as she motioned with her tail for BerryJay and Tessa to stay there and keep low themselves. They nodded and crouched where they were as Thunder continued to stalk the mouse, obscured from the view of the other two she pounced and came back up with a mouse in her jaws, "How do you hunt like that?" Tessa asked, "It didn't see you or anything!"
"Well a mouse will most likely hear you before see you, aren't you taught this?" BerryJay shook his head confused, "Where did you learn this?"
"My mentor taught me when I was part of the clan back where we came."
"You're a clan cat?!" they both jumped back in surprise.
Not this again, that old rumor that kittypets spread around that clan cats were vicious. She sighed and swiped a paw over her ear, "Listen I just-
Something made her stop. She put the mouse down and scented the air, what hit her nose nearly made her jump out of her fur and she abandoned the mouse. "Move!" she yowled, shoving them both in the direction of the barn. It was too late, dozens of tiny furry bodies streamed out of unseen hiding places, appearing out of what seemed like nowhere.
Rats.