CHAPTER 21-A New Companion

The fallen leaves were slick and shiny from the recent rain. They dotted the forest floor, painting the ground with loud colors that shouted at you to be noticed. Red ones, orange ones, yellow and browns mingled together to form a canvas of pictures. It was strange, I thought. Back at home, I had never noticed how bright the autumn leaves were. Back at my real home, I meant. I winced.

We traveled for many days and many nights, and the trees gave way to rocky dirt that dug into my paws. The prey became scarce. Sometimes, we went days without eating.

A Twolegplace loomed up in front of us, complete with bustling cars that honked every minute of the day and tall skyscrapers that reached towards the stars.

It stretched out for as far as the eye could see.

There was a gap in the fence, and we easily squeezed in.

The warriors flinched when they heard the sharp squeal of car tires.

They stood rooted to the spot, their eyes wide and their ears laid back against their heads. Their fur began to bristle when they heard all of the unfamiliar noises and sights, of car horns and thousands of people shouting to be heard above the ruckus of the traffic.

I mewed, "It's alright, the monsters won't hurt you unless you get in their way, and the Twolegs won't even notice you."

Dewstep was reluctant. "How can you be so sure?" he asked.

"Uh…I…" I quickly thought of an excuse. I couldn't tell him that I was a human, could I? "I used to live in a Twolegplace. Trust me."

Snowstorm's bristling fur began to lie flat, but he still looked wary as I led them on the sidewalk.

A truck zoomed past us and buffeted us with the wind. Dewstep immediately leaped back and snarled.

"Calm down, the monsters won't leave the Blackpath. Just stay on the sidewalk," I meowed calmly.

I was a little bit amused at how much they didn't know about the city.

Eventually, the side walk ended. A group of humans milled around. They didn't so much as glance at us.

The cars continued to growl and lurch across the road.

Snowstorm asked, "How do we get across? We can't run across the Blackpath, can we?" He gazed at me expectantly.

I looked up at the pedestrian traffic light on the large metal pole. A red hand was glowing on it, which meant that the humans had to stop and wait.

I sat down and told the cats, "Just wait. When the red hand turns into a picture of a green Twoleg walking, that's when it'll be safe to cross."

Dewstep was skeptical. "How can you be so sure?" He narrowed his eyes.

I shrugged, and continued to wait. After a few more minutes, the pedestrian traffic light changed.

The cars slowed to a stop, and the humans began to cross. I beckoned to the warriors, and strode onto the black road.

Snowstorm's eyes flashed with surprise. He glanced at the cars, then back at me. He flattened his eyes and hissed, "Ashley! What are you doing? It's dangerous!"

I waved at him with my tail and called, "Come on, hurry up! If you wait any longer, the monsters will start growling again."

They stared at me a while longer, and I was afraid that they would refuse to cross.

Finally, Dewstep hesitantly placed one paw on the surface of the black road, and he quickly dashed across it.

Snowstorm followed.

After we were all on the other side, the light turned into a red hand again, and the traffic started up.

Snowstorm snapped, "Don't do that again! The monsters could have killed you!"

I cocked my head to one side. "I keep telling you, it's safe. As long as the light shows a green Twoleg walking, you can cross."

Dewstep rolled his eyes and muttered something. It was obvious that they still didn't believe me.

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For the rest of the day, we tried to navigate through the city, avoiding stray dogs and cars and trying to keep the mountains in sight. At times, it got frustrating, but still, I felt a little bit…smug. Just a little bit. I finally knew something that they didn't.

When night fell, we stopped to rest our aching paws. The mountains seemed to look a bit closer as I drifted off to sleep.

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It was our third day in the city when we stumbled across the she-cat.

We had shared a moldy piece of sandwich that we'd found lying in a gutter, and we were padding across the sidewalk when I heard a small mew. Startled, I peered around the corner. A small black and white kitten bounded up to me, his amber eyes glittering. "Hello!" he squeaked.

Dewstep came over. He leaned closely to the kit's face and inspected him. Leaning back, he grunted, "Where's your mother? You shouldn't be wandering off."

I suggested, "Maybe he's lost." Before I could ask, a sharp screech erupted from the shadows, and a thin, frail she-cat limped out. Her shaggy brown fur was thin and worn, and her blue eyes flashed with fury when she saw us.

She quickly swept her tail over the kitten and spat, "Stay away from my kit!"

Dewstep flattened his ears in irritation.

Snowstorm dipped his head at the she-cat and mewed, "Sorry. We'll be leaving now."

As we turned and left, I could feel her gaze, full of hatred and spite, boring into the back of my skull.

The kit whined, "But Mom, can't we go with them? They can take care of you!"

She snapped sharply, "Be quiet! I'm perfectly fine!"

I noticed how thin she was, and how all of her ribs stuck painfully out of her sides. Her blue eyes were dull and grey, and her breathing was thin and ragged. She heaved every time she moved, as it were painful to breathe. There was a limp in her step.

She looked sick. And she had a kit to take care of, too.

Snowstorm nudged me and walked away, but I hesitated. I couldn't just leave her could I?

I slowly padded after the toms, but I risked a glance back. The she-cat was licking the top of the kit's head, with the kit meowing in protest.

My gaze softened, and I hurried after the others.

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The night was cold as we slept in a hollow log. We huddled up against each other for warmth, and I was just drifting off to sleep when I heard a soft mew.

Glancing up, I saw a small, thin black and white kit gazing at us at the opening.

It was the kit from earlier.

"Hello?" I said. What was he doing here?

"Do you know a warm place to take my mum? It's really cold, and she's sick, and…" his voice trailed off. He gazed up at me sadly with his amber eyes. I carefully wrapped my tail around him and squeezed him tightly, since I couldn't think of anything to say.

Dewstep shifted, and he opened his eyes. "What's he doing here?" he muttered. "His mother's going to throw a fit."

"We're going to take him with us," I finally decided. I couldn't leave him here in this city of corruption.

Dewstep's eyes widened in surprise. "Are you sure?"

I nodded. "We'll take the she-cat along, too. It's too far to take them to ThunderClan, but the mountains are nearby. I'm sure the Tribe will accept them."

The kit's eyes lit up. "We're going to the mountains?" he squeaked joyfully.

Snowstorm's eyes blinked open, and he yawned.

His ears pricked up when he saw the black and white kitten. "Where's his mother?" he asked.

Before we could say anything else, a black shape flitted from the branches and the she-cat let out an ear-splitting cry. It shattered the quiet night like a mirror.

"How dare you kidnap him!" she yowled.

She unsheathed her claws and crouched in front of the kitten, her teeth bared and breathing heavily.

Dewstep flattened his ears and hissed, "Hey, we didn't steal him. He came wandering off on his own terms."

"Liar!" she screeched. Her fur was bristling and her eyes were red with rage. It looked as if she would pounce at any minute and rip his face off.

The kit protested, "He's right, Mom! I came here on my own! They know a safer place where we can stay, somewhere other than the city!"

He turned and looked up at me. His eyes lit up. "Is there a lot of prey there?" he asked.

"Of course," I replied.

"And is it warm?"

"Warmer than the city."

He turned back to the she-cat and begged, "Come on, they can lead us there!"

She glared at us, and then glanced back down at her son. She seemed to be thinking, for her eyes flickered with the faintest thought. Her fur began to lie flat.

She sighed, and seemed smaller somehow. Her legs gave way and plopped down on the grass, as if she was too tired to stand up.

"Fine then," she rasped. "Take me to this warm place."

Her eyes hardened again, and she growled, "But if you lay one paw on my kit, I won't hesitate to rip you to shreds."

It seemed as if she was too weak to stand, let alone fight. But I didn't say anything. Snowstorm twitched his whiskers in amusement and mewed, "Very well, then. We're leaving tomorrow."

We settled back into the hollow log.

The she-cat curled up nearby but refused to join us. She held the kit next to her despite his mews, and in a while, she was asleep.

What was I thinking? I couldn't just take her to the Tribe, could I? I can't just poke my nose into other people's business. But she looked so thin and tired, and she even had a tiny son to take care of.

As I began to doze off, I saw her thin form outlined against the light of the moon.

Her paw twitched, ever so slightly, as if she was dreaming that she was running.

What were her dreams made of? Did she dream of sleeping warm and curled up in a soft feathery nest, of chasing mice with the memory of hunger long forgotten? Maybe she dreamed of an endless prairie with boundless flowing grass, where the sky was so blue and the birds sang.

Perhaps she dreamed of a safe place that she once knew.

I closed my eyes and thought of home, where the red shingles overlapped like fish scales and the flowers waved in the front lawn. I dreamed the same thing as her.

Author's Note: MMMMMMM I hope you like this chapter yeeee