Chapter 12

"She swears up and down that it's true," said Mosspaw over the cacophonous howl of cicadas and toads, four of which laid dead at her feet. "Says it was the ugliest cat she's ever met."

"There's no such thing as a hairless cat," Carmen argued.

"How can you be so sure? You said there's like, hundreds of different purebreds."

Glaring down at her from a low branch, Carmen snapped, "there's no such thing and I don't care what Whiteroad says; she's full of it!"

"Really," Mosspaw purred. "I'd like to see you say that to her face."

"Wha- are you trying to get me killed?"

Mosspaw laughed. Carmen rolled her eyes and hopped down from her perch to collect her haul. She'd gotten a touch better at this whole hunting thing in the time it'd taken the moon to grow from a sliver in the sky to almost half. Still, a toad was considered among the easiest prey to get, and she wasn't all that proud of herself for catching three of them. It didn't really feel like hunting at all when all her targets could do was clumsily hop and stumble through the grass. She was happy for the absolute score of a hunting ground this park was, but Carmen was still itching for a challenge all the same.

Speaking of itching, the pet had been doing that quite a lot recently. The chemical smell that her human had bathed her in on the regular had clung to her for a while. Now that it had faded though, she was coming to understand why part of every apprentice's duties was cracking fleas they rooted out from the elders' pelts. And why any and all repelling herbs were so important.

The two of them carried their prey away from the bunch of trees and cut across a sea of manicured grass. No humans were around to meddle, giving them some much needed breathing room. The star had led them into a more policed region of the City, however, where humans valued their posh appearances a bit too much to leave feral cats alone for too long. They needed to stay vigilant.

That said, Carmen hadn't felt so at home in a long time. She couldn't explain all the tangible details that made her know this place was for the fancy types; she just did. And Carmen, lest we forget, was a very fancy cat. She wondered and wondered for the past three days if this was the place she was meant to be, but StarClan's guide was still notably distant. Not right above them, marking this place as where she belonged. It was disappointing to be sure, but there was a little voice in the back of Carmen's heart that whispered with every beat: not yet.

With not a drop of rain to grace them in all this time, the cats had to gather their water from fountains. Opossumfang and Scatterstep, wet rags before them, were speaking with Rubyheart at the edge of a playground when the two younger cats joined them. The fog had mostly lifted, giving way for a pale blue to wash across the landscape. There was a growing glow in the eastern sky to betray the sun's arrival.

"Good. Let's take the prey back to our temporary camp and then the two of you can make another water run."

"What? Me?" shrieked the pet.

"Yes, you." Rubyheart's tone dared her to argue further.

Unfortunately for the frayed nerves of all involved parties, Carmen took her up on it. "I've already helped plenty today!"

"And everything's not done yet. Queens and elders have to drink as much as they can, and you've got able paws."

"So? There's a lot of other cats with "able paws" and I already caught a bunch of prey!"

Rubyheart scoffed. "You call those pathetic scraps "a bunch of prey?" This is your first trip, for rats' sake!"

Carmen's ears drew back. The red warrior's voice could be like broken glass at times. Jagged and threatening to draw blood if you were careless. Evidence of violence with damage yet to do.

She'd spent a bit of time around that short fuse, though. "It's a lot more than what we've been having!"

"So, you grab a few and call it a day while Mosspaw's on her third trip?"

"I'm not Mosspaw!"

"Damn right! I'd never tolerate this kind of behavior from my apprentice."

"Why-why are you guys bringing me into this?"

Scatterstep rolled his eyes and shook his head whilst his mate padded forward to separate them. Opossumfang turned her pointy muzzle first to Rubyheart. "Easy now. Remember Darkwood's orders."

"Yeah, you can't hurt me! I'm not even supposed to be doing any of this; it's all your job 'cause I'm leading you to the star!" Her amber eyes were blazing with ire and victory.

But then the mottled molly was in Carmen's face. "Don't get too big for your pelt, kit. We're only playin' Follow the Leader for so long. You'd be maggotfood in a day's time without us, so if you wanna get to wherever we're going, you'd better start showing us mongrel cats some respect."

"But my blood-"

"Your blood's just as red as any cat's, an' you'll see for yourself if you're caught in a bad spot without our protection. Don't forget that."

#

They were well outside familiar land, even for a more nomadic colony. Pharaoh wouldn't deny that chasing after these pests was petty; he'd plenty of loners to rule over back home. Cats who respected his power. Cats who knew a true king when they saw one. Cats who knew their place.

So, letting the Clan just up and leave before he could make an example out of them simply wouldn't do, petty or not.

In spite of himself, Pharaoh's spotted silver pelt was raised. It had been ever since they stepped into this human community. Even kings had to waver when it came to forces of nature, and humans were at best annoying and at worst a natural disaster. They were unpredictable. He'd seen cats on the brink of death reappear with shiny coats and noisy collars. He'd seen cats lured into cages, only to come back missing an ear tip and, well, something else. Some just disappeared completely like dust in the wind. Others still… he shuddered.

Sometimes Pharaoh thought he'd been alive for too long. Longer than any cat had a right to live. But he was here, his claws were still sharp, and he still knew his rightful place.

Even though the memories were muddled these days.

"Spark," he called, his voice clear and crisp. "Come here."

The tuxedo tom rose from his spot in an instant and scurried over to him. The colony had taken refuge in a massive garden with owners too busy to care about their presence yet. Pharaoh was lounging on the biggest, comfiest piece of patio furniture available. He allowed his tail to sway, but only at a relaxed pace, lest he show the extent of his anxieties in full. No weakness.

"You called, Your Majesty?" Spark gave him a bow and then stood to attention, tail still and eyes down.

"I'm ready to hear what you gathered while you were out a few days ago. Tell me why the Clan is moving, and why they have a princess with them."

"Well, it's-it's-I…" He cleared his throat and said, "I gathered that they're on the hunt for better territory. Land that's safer and, um, with more prey. A place… A place that's not so harsh on kits, so that they can see more from every litter survive, ra-rather than lose half or more before six months. A place with less human intervention."

"You're rambling, Spark," said Pharaoh, his tone dripping of a boredom he didn't feel on the inside.

"I… Right. Yes. Um, they're looking for a new place to settle down."

"And the pet?"

"She's, um, she's helping them."

"Get to the point. I know there's more you're not telling me."

Spark fidgeted a bit. "I heard talk of some-some ghost Clan. Ancestors of other Clans from long ago or something. They… They're called StarClan, and Ca-and the pet… They chose the pet to help guide the Clan to their new place. There's a s-a star that only she can see, and they're following that."

"Ancestors…"

"Stars you say?"

Pharaoh was so taken aback by the news that he nearly broke his composure at the interruption. It was her again, that idiot calico freak with two halves of different faces and eyes of moss and amber. An old piece of cloth strung through the center of a blue marble and hung loosely around her neck. Where she'd gotten it, nobody knew, and nobody really wanted to, either. Spark made a discreet exit as quickly as he could.

Tiger she was called for the wild black stripes that splayed across her back. What a pity that such an impressive name was wasted on a she-cat so… whatever she was. Pharaoh couldn't help but rattle his brain with an internal groan so low and aggravated that one could mistake it for a growl if he should let it ripple out from his throat.

Why did I ever let her join us? Come to think of it, where did she even come from?

"Perhaps I can help. I'm something of an expert on all things sky. And even things beyond the sky. That's where stars really are, you know. They'd burn the world to ashes in a blink if they were actually right up there."

"Yes, yes, we all know your crazy theories," said Pharaoh with a dismissive tail flick. "Not one cat here needs your help."

"Are you suuure?"

Damn, she had that eerie look in her eyes again. The one that let her get away with disrespecting a king so openly. The one that suggested a dangerous playfulness. The one that told of knowledge no cat should have.

"Oh, fine," he said with an eye roll. "What is it?"

"I propose a double agent situation. I infiltrate the Clan and learn everything I can about these star cats and their special guide. Maybe I can even get a glimpse of it myself. Then-"

"Now hold on a second, rot-brain. Do you not think it'll be a bit suspicious to the Clan that a cat of your… that a cat such as you has just appeared out of nothing with hopes of joining them?"

"Oh, I'm sure it will be quite suspicious. But you see, I've got a trick up my sleeve."

"And that is?"

Tiger grinned deviously, her fangs glinting in the dawn's light. "Someone in the Clan is an old friend of mine, and he owes me a big favor."

#

I finally made my self-inset oc cat. She's weird. Hope you like her. Now... how will this play out? =)