Chapter 3

Her mind was a flurry of panic. Mosspaw kept looking between the fence and the shadowy streets. Her tail twitched frantically about. Her dinner forgotten, she parted her jaws to taste the stranger's trail. She hurried after them.

Ragged breaths catching in her throat, she ran through the zigzagging maze of alleys and back roads until halting suddenly before the shell of an old car. There she stood, panting and wondering why the thief in question hadn't run off any farther than this. It was only a couple of blocks from camp.

Mosspaw drew in every smell the air carried and there was nothing else unfamiliar to be found. They were alone, whoever they were. Nevertheless, she could feel her pulse in her ears. She hadn't exactly thought this through. It had been a long day.

Steeling herself, Mosspaw charged forward and leaped into the back seat of the metal den. The figure inside recoiled as Mosspaw bared her teeth. She fluffed herself up as much as possible and took a few steps closer. She placed herself over the chicken and got close to the stranger's face with a warning growl. They shoved themselves in the opposing corner with eyes like amber saucers.

"Who are you and what are you doing stealing from my Clan?" she demanded in her most intimidating voice.

"Your-your what? I was just- he already had the squirrel, so I just followed him until I could… your friend doesn't need that much and I'm starving!"

Mosspaw examined the frightened feline and softened a bit. "He's not my friend. But this isn't your food. You're a pet, right? Are you lost?"

"I-no I- I'm not… I don't know what I am, okay?" The Abyssinian shook herself off and sat up just a bit. "All I know is that my destiny was stolen from me, but these weird cats in my dreams told me to follow a star and I'd get to have it back."

"What?"

"It's weird, I know. I don't have any other choice though! What else am I supposed to do? Just accept that I'll never have the life I've always wanted? These cats, StarClan or whatever-"

"Wait, huh? StarClan?"

The two shared a wordless moment.

"Hey, that's right! The cats in my dream kept going on about Clans or something. That's what you said you are, right?"

"I belong to one, yeah," said Mosspaw, finally relaxed enough to start smoothing out her fur. "I've never heard of any StarClan, though."

There was a yowl from outside, startling the both of them. Mosspaw crept back toward the car's threshold and crouched on the edge of the dirty old cushion. A pair of green eyes stared back at her. Rattail blended well with the shadows, but Mosspaw recognized his voice.

"What's going on out here? Hawktalon's more riled up than a trampled bed of fire ants."

"Um, well this pet stole the chicken he brought back, so I followed her here. It's really weird, though. She's saying she had dreams about a Clan? I'm sorry; I should've come to a warrior, but I just panicked and-"

"Never mind," he said with a sigh. "Come on back, and bring 'er with you. Darkwood's gonna want to hear this."

#

Carmen's stomach growled, and she stared enviously at the meat and bones dangling from Rattail's maw. She eyed her surroundings for the whole trip in search of an exit. These mongrel cats were scary. They had strong frames and sharp teeth, and she decided not to run.

The leader's room was in the back, and it was cut off from the trickle of nocturnal light that poured in through the ceiling in the main area. Ragged silhouettes shifted in and out of her view on the way in, and their hushed chatter had felt prickly in her ears.

The Clan cats introduced her to their leader, a ragged tabby with a piercing gaze, and left the two of them alone. Darkwood sat atop an old desk and watched her for a while. Carmen felt her skin crawl. She nearly jumped right out of it when he finally jumped down in front of her.

"Carmen, was it?"

"Yes."

"Carmen, would you care to explain why you're out here?"

She took a breath and began her story. "I was going to be a Show Cat. I was supposed to be a Show Cat! But… our human and her friends picked my brother instead. It's not fair. I wanted to be a Show Cat and win competitions! I wanted it more than anybody else!"

"Then I started dreaming about these weird mongrel cats. One of them came to me and said that if I followed the brightest star I see, I can have everything I ever wanted. My destiny."

"I see," said Darkwood with a nod. "You said they were a Clan, though?"

"They said they were StarClan, and that there were other Clans too, but they "strayed" or something. I don't really get it. I just want to be a Show Cat, so I've been following the bright star. I'm… I'm starting to think I was wrong to sneak out." She looked down at the dirty floor. "Because humans know better than me, right? They don't make mistakes. So maybe… Maybe I'm not meant to be a Show Cat after all…"

Darkwood didn't answer right away. When he did, his voice was much softer than before. "Humans do make mistakes. They make mistakes all the time."

She looked up at him, jaws parted to defend them. Her voice caught in her throat. If humans didn't make mistakes, it meant that Carmen was wrong to defy Sophie's wishes. If they did though, it meant life was far more uncertain than she'd ever thought. Those words left her on a ledge. If she remained, Carmen would be trapped in a place that made her paws itch and her heart heavy. If she left it behind, jumped down into a dark unknown, who knew where she'd land?

"We heard of Clans many moons ago from some cats passing through the City. Inspired by their stories, we've worked to be one. We don't have much to go on, however. I wonder… Can you point this star out to me?"

Together they made their way outside. The small yard was broken concrete patched with grassy bits. Carmen spotted her guide immediately; there it was, bright as a full moon, twinkling far above the highest skyscraper.

"It's there," she said, pointing her muzzle to the sky.

"Where? I can't see it."

"How?" she asked, blinking at him. "It's right there. I don't know how anyone can miss it."

"Well, you're the one who got a visit from this spirit Clan. I guess they only want you to see it." He regarded her with an expression she couldn't read. "Spend the night here with us. It's safe, and you can have something to eat."

Carmen wasn't so sure about safety. She didn't know much about mongrel cats. She'd always heard that they were dirty and mean, and her first impressions of this "Clan" didn't give her much to disprove it. Their blood was tainted with countless unknown lines, their traits a sloppy mixture that could scarcely be predicted.

But she was tired and hungry, and it didn't sound any worse than being all on her own tonight.

#

Nearly everyone was sleeping. Wickertail and Kestralclaw were on night watch at the camp's entrance. Mosspaw, Shadefur, and Fogtail were yawning just outside the leader's room. Outside was the distant chirping of insects. The claw moon's light shone through the hole in the ceiling, and dust drifted in its wake.

"Come in."

The three of them padded into Darkwood's chambers. He sat atop the desk, tail wrapped neatly around his forepaws and eyes a pair of yellow slits. Mosspaw sat between the warriors.

"All right. Fogtail, you are among our strongest warriors and you've got a level head. Shadefur, your kindness and resourcefulness has served us well on many an occasion. Mosspaw, you are a loyal and hardworking apprentice, and it was in service of your Clan that you found our little guest. Therefore, I've chosen you three as my council tonight."

"Council?" asked Fogtail.

"I want your opinions. There's an important decision to be made." Darkwood examined a paw, painfully devoid of the claws it'd once bore. "You're going to help me decide the future of our Clan."