Chapter 2: Family of Choice

"What a night! That poor molly… I just hope that she can find closure from what she went through… And, just maybe, she can find a new family here."

He was curled up in his den, whisker twitching and ears flicking. The blanket that he lay on was worn but soft, his scent infused with it. He heard the other cats moving around and felt the warmth of the sun floating down.

This was comforting: this was his family.

"Nothing could be better than this!" the tom thought. "A great, loving family, good friends, great food… This is the life!"

"Dreamweaver! Are you awake?"

"Just five more minutes, sister," he groaned. "The weather is good for once, and it is perfect for sleeping in!"

The tom felt the webs around him shake as paws entered his den. The warm and loving scent of his sister embellished him as she poked him with her paw.

"Get up Dreamweaver, you lazy bones!" she playfully scolded. "You have been in bed for too long. The day is wonderful, and we have so much to do!"

"But it is perfect day to sleep in!" he answered with a purr, opening an eye. "The warmth is coming into my den; I am surrounded by those that I love and love me in return! Things are good!"

"Though I will say that everything is not perfect," he added. "I still have to fight to be accepted by some cats… And… I want to be a Knight just like Father! I have to prove myself."

"Come on, silly brother," mewed his sister, her warm breath in his ear. "Ada and Lord Arthur want to speak to you. I am sure it is about that molly that you helped."

"Well, why didn't you say that earlier?" he mewed, letting out a big yawn. "Silly big sister!"

Her tail flicked his nose with a playful purr as he stretched out. His claws dug in the dirt as he made sure the long fur that covered his face was on the right side.

"No need to show others my bad side," Dreamweaver thought. "After all, no need to give Fawkes and his gang more to tease me with…"

Dreamweaver followed his sister out of his den, their pawsteps echoing around them. Once outside, he sighed as he felt the sun on his pelt. However, the peace failed to last.

"Father!"

The body of his daughter flew into him, hugging him around his midsection. She purred into his fur as three more scents joined them.

"Hello, Jay, Lay, Tay," mewed his sister joyfully. "And Fiona. How are you doing today?"

"We are fine, Auntie Rose!" purred Jay. "We just wanted to see Father before training today."

"That is right!" added Lay. "Even more since our sister will be joining Grandpa's patrol along with Cousin Skylar."

"However, the rest of us are heading out with some of the teachers," Tay mewed. "To practice moving silently on human-made objects like the sidewalks and the roads."

"Just be careful, my kittens," Dreamweaver purred as Fiona stopped hugging him. "Just remember that the roads are dangerous. Anyone could get hit on the road because of the many vehicles that run on them."

"Just like poor mother," Dreamweaver thought. "Who was a kittypet, beloved by her twolegs. All it took was one step on the road… And she was gone…"

Shaking off the dark memories, Dreamweaver turned and buried his nose in Fiona's fur. Her long, rough fur tickled his nose as she purred against him.

"Now, now, kittens!" Rose stated happily. "Run along now. Your father is needed by Ada and Lord Arthur. Get something from the cooks and get ready! We all have busy day."

"Okay, Auntie Rose!" all his kids mewed back cheerfully.

Dreamweaver hid a laughter of meow as his kittens ran off. While they may not be biologically related, those four were still his kittens. Being able to observe them growing to be fine cats was rewarding to him.

"While I wish that I could find someone that would love me for me," Dreamweaver reflected as he waved his tail goodbye. "I am proud of my kittens! Even if they can be a pawful at times!"

"Come on, little bro!" Called out Rose. "You don't want to keep Lord Arthur or Ada waiting! I am going to get Father."

"Understood!" he called back. "Don't get distracted by Morgana on the way!"

"Dreamweaver!"

With a low meow of laughter, Dreamweaver waved his tail in Rose's direction as he walked off. The low hum of life surrounded him as he swiftly moved along as the scent of smoke entered his nose. Despite his hunger, he failed to follow the scent, listening to everyone around him. He heard both Batty and Avis landing nearby: Batty with her wide wingbeats and soft steps and Avis with a heavier thump. There were several groups nearby, their words soft with the breeze.

"Now, I wonder why I am being called?" He wondered as he followed the pathway to Lord Arthur's den. "Rose said something about the molly that I saved from a fox… After last night… Has she come to a decision? She has been here healing for about a month now… Though, we would be willing to help her for as long as necessary. We are not those selfish clan cats!"

"Oh look who finally came out of their filthy den!"

"I know right! I mean… What true cat wants to sleep with webs?"

"Then again, is he much of a cat anyways? I mean… Isn't he just a waste of space?"

"And here are Fawkes and his group," Dreamweaver bitterly thought. "Here to make everything worse! Why can't they just leave me alone?"

"Fawkes," Dreamweaver mewed in an annoyed tone. "What do you want? I am busy."

"Ah but surely you are not too busy to spend some time with friends," Fawkes purred, his stinky breath in his face. "After all, we all grew up together!"

"Fawkes," Dreamweaver bluntly stated, hiding his anger. "We are not friends. Now, leave me be! I need to go and…"

"But surely whatever you need to do is not that important?" interrupted the only female voice in the group, coming from his side. "After all, who would want anything to do with such a useless cat?"

"Agreed," added a second tom's voice from Dreamweaver's other side. "I mean… He is still a Squire. Meanwhile, we all are true, blue Knights!"

"And unlike him," the molly continued on. "Everyone knew that we were destined to be Knights… With our strong bloodlines and even stronger bodies! Unlike you and your outsider blood!"

"You act like being adopted is a bad thing," Dreamweaver stated coolly, flicking his ears. "Or that being different is bad. You know that is not true! It's our differences that allow us to be great. And you know what is said about pure blood…"

"Well, we certainly don't want nor need wastes of space like you!" Fawkes growled out. "You are good for nothing! You can't even hunt properly like a real cat!"

"Oh, you are wrong on that front!" Dreamweaver thought with a hiss, trying to control his anger. "While I may not be able to join in on the boar hunts or other similar large game hunts… But I can still follow a scent trail, and I still have my fangs and claws! I am far from helpless!"

"Anyways…" Fawkes had continued on as if he thought he was the most important cat in the area. "I believe that useless cats like you should be thrown out on the street. We don't need you here!"

"What about our Elders?" Dreamweaver questioned, bored of this. "Are they useless too? All because they are unable to patrol or hunt like normal?"

While Dreamweaver heard the other two cats nervously shuffle their paws, Fawkes just purred at his words.

"Unlike you, the most honored Elders have served their time to the Knights!" Fawkes hissed out through his purr. "They were of good breeding and fought valiantly for the cause! Unlike you… Shifter scum!"

"Fawkes. That is enough."

Dreamweaver felt the three cats surrounding him freeze in shock. If he could have smiled in that moment, he would have. A mixture of the familiar smokey scent of the Knights and the sterile of the humans' vets entered his nose as his oldest sister, Ada, was on the scene.

"Er… Lady Ada!" quickly muttered the molly. "We were… Er, we were…"

"Karen," Ada cut in, voice cold and filled with authority. "Bruce. This is not the first time you have picked on my little brother."

"We were only joking, my lady!" Fawkes laughed with a hint of nervousness. "It was nothing serious…"

"So, putting my only precious brother on the streets was a joke?" she sneered. "All three of you… Prepare for punishment when we are done with our business!"

"But… My lady!"

"You can't be serious!"

"It was only a joke!"

"Tell Lord Arthur that when I tell him!" Ada snarled back. "We are all family here. Blood nor ability have anything to do with it!"

As they left the three to shriek out their frustrations behind them, Dreamweaver had to hide a giggle under his breath.

"Well Fawkes, that is what you get!" Dreamweaver mentally cheered. "Now you know why my older sister's title is The Loyal Tyrant! She will not take any chances with troublemakers…"

"Little brother," Ada stern yet soft mew irrupted his thoughts. "It wasn't like you to be late, so I came looking for you. Does that happen often?"

"Unfortunately," he answered honestly. "Though not out in the open like that. They must have thought that no one would notice with everything else going on."

"So they haven't changed," Ada hissed. "I thought that would have learnt from their times as Pages… I wonder where in the world they learnt such terrible ideas! Their parents were not like that at all, nor were their mentors…"

"There is no telling," Dreamweaver muttered, feeling the dirt under his paws turning to stone. "All I know is that it is hard to change someone's mind when they believe that deeply in something."

Ada just hissed in response. While they quietly walked toward while their leader lay, Dreamweaver was just glad to be by his sister's side. She was strong, proud, and knew what she wanted. She took nothing from no one, even when some cats would whisper behind her back.

"Especially about her decision to never have kits," Dreamweaver reflected. "While others say that it is a shame that her bloodline will not continue, that she was a fool to walk into the human's trap and demand that they take her to the vet. But to me, that just shows her strength of character! She knew what she wanted, and she grabbed it with both claws!"

As an added bonus, at least in Dreamweaver's mind, she carried a unique scent that caused her to stand out to him. While she had the same smoky undertone as the rest of the Knights, she also carried the hint of clean and sterile place of the vets. However, that did not make her lazy like with kittypets. In fact, Dreamweaver remembered growing up with the story of Ada beating up some of the naysayers while she still had snitches on her lower stomach.

"Lord Arthur," Ada mewed respectfully. "Ada here. I have found Dreamweaver and bought him here!"

Dreamweaver realized that they were standing in front of Lord Arthur's den, the faint hint of flame and parchment coming from the hole. He heard the rustle of the leaves of the oak and felt the breeze dancing through his fur. After a moment of silence, a reedy voice answered back.

"Ada. Dreamweaver. Come in!"

Dreamweaver waited until Ada entered the tunnel before following her. The stone under his paws was cool to the touch as the scent of dirt entombed him. His whiskers twitched sadly as he felt the warmth of the sun getting farer and farer away. However, like all the Knights, he knew why Lord Arthur lived here: it was to keep his parchment safe from the light of the sun. Then, a hint of smoke entered his nose as they entered where the undying leader of the Knights lived.

"I remember that some of the other cats say that Lord Arthur is strange looking," Dreamweaver thought as he bowed his head. "With a twoleg's eyes, long toes, and a bizarre gait, there are still to this day some cats that can't stand to look at him. But… I don't understand that. He may have his moments where he has trouble remembering things, but he is kind, understanding, wise, and always tries to pass the fairest judgement that he can. Plus… He is always willing to give anyone a chance. Even a cat like me…"

As the hum of Ada and Lord Arthur's chat buzzed on in his ears, Dreamweaver realized that they were not the only one in the room. A familiar yet different scent hit him: one that mixed a leafy forest with the sickly smell of incest, a reminder of what happens when families get too close together. It was the scent of his greatest enemies: the forest clan.

"Oh! I had been wondering how she had been doing!" he mentally added to his self, catching the hint of blood in her scent. "Poor dear… Getting attacked by a fox is never fun, but then to have your family not even look for you… No matter what she decides, I will do my best to help her, even if it means that she goes back to that horrible clan."

"Now, Dreamweaver, of House Lion Spear, was it?" an amused, thin voice broke through his thoughts. "You don't have to keep your nose in the dirt."

Embarrassed at getting caught off guard, Dreamweaver did as his leader asked. He was surrounded by flame and paper, waiting for orders. The flipping of pages filled the room as the old tom looked through the things that held his memories of the past.

"Ah, yes, here it is!" Lord Arthur chirped. "Sir Dreamweaver, The Hidden Sight, son of the Knight Michael, The Bold Soldier, and the love of his life, Petal the housecat. Brother to my very helpful second, Ada, The Loyal Tyrant, and… Let's see her… Also, brother to Rose, The Swift Thorn, and the now named Nutmeg, a housecat. Father to Pages Fiona, Tay, Lay, and Jay… An excellent member to the Knights if I say so myself!"

"Thank you, my Lord," Dreamweaver muttered, pinning his ears back in his embarrassment. "You are too kind…"

"Nonsense my boy!" the old tom laughed. "I can see hard work when I see it! Now… Why did I call him here..? Oh right! The young molly you saved! Miss Cherry, correct?"

"Yes…" the molly spoke up, sounding unsure of herself. "Though, my name is Cherrypaw but… Oh, I don't know!"

Dreamweaver was alarmed by the confusion and anger in her voice, so he quietly walked other to her and put his large, plumy tail around her in comfort. That earned him a quiet hiss of approval from Ada, who he knew was at her usual place by Lord Arthur's side.

"Well, Cherry or Cherrypaw, it doesn't matter," Lord Arthur stated plainly. "We will call you by whatever fills right to you. You only need to tell us."

"That is the problem, er sir," Cherry mewed. "I mean… I have a family, but… They… They failed to look for me! I want to be upset… Furious, even… But…"

"Look, from what I understand," Lord Arthur interrupted her. "You have a right to feel that way. If you need to talk to someone, you can always find…"

"But it was my own fault!" Cherry cried out. "I was the one that disobeyed orders! I should never have left on my own! If I haven't… I… I…"

"Cherry…" Dreamweaver mewed, purring to try and comfort her. "From what you had told me… And the Healers of course, is that you were trying to hunt for your Clan. You were trying to provide food…"

"Was it smart to do so?" Lord Arthur continued on. "No, but you are young! You are supposed to make mistakes and learn from them! And… Your heart was in the right place. You were only trying to help your clanmates."

However, Dreamweaver could feel that Cherry didn't believe Lord Arthur's words by the way she continued to shake. Ada sighed.

"Cherry. Look at me," Ada ordered the young molly. "And repeat after me. It is not my fault."

"But… it is…"

"It is not my fault," Ada stated again firmly, ignoring Cherry's words. "Please repeat after me."

"Okay…" Cherry quietly mewed. "It is not my fault."

"Whatever my sins were, I did not deserve this," Ada stated. "I was young... and foolish."

"Whatever my sins were, I did not deserve this," Cherry echoed back. "I was young… and foolish."

"I deserve to forgive myself," Ada finished. "I deserve this second chance."

"I deserve to forgive myself," Cherry mewed. "I deserve this second chance."

"Now that is over," Ada stated. "Back to business… Miss Cherry, your healing is almost complete. I do not believe that it is in your best interest to be stuck here!"

"Indeed," Lord Arthur said, flicking a page. "Now, while you are with us, I believe that it would be good for you if Dreamweaver acted as your mentor."

"Me?" Dreamweaver squawked in shock. "A mentor?"

"Yes you," Ada purred. "As you were the one to first jump into action to save her… And like her, you have your own problems that you must work around."

Dreamweaver knew that she was referring to Cherry's missing eye and leg. While the Healers were able to save her life, they were not able to save an eye and one of her rear legs. So, while the young molly was out of it, the healers took her to the veterinarian and asked them to help her. It was helpful that many of the cats of the Knights had taken lessons in writing from their allies, The Judgement, so that they could chat with the humans.

"Though I never got the mouth feel for using a pencil," Dreamweaver sighed. "Well, not that it matters much for me… I can't write anyways… Though Cherry should be thankful that she was with us Knights! If she had been found alone or with another group besides the Judgement, she would have been spayed on the spot."

Cherry had thrown a bit of a hissy fit when she had learnt that she had been inside a vet's office! However, it had been the only way for her to heal: no decent Healer was going to leave an infected eye nor a useless leg on a cat if they could help it!

"Or at least, that is what Aura says anyways," Dreamweaver recalled. "Not that I understand most of that! I have no want to be a Healer, so that information is not important to me!"

"…Now," Ada had continued on. "Since Cherry seems to be okay with the idea, Dreamweaver. Would you like to take on Cherry on as your Page, until the time she chooses to leave us or graduates into a Squire as yourself."

"I would be honored to do so," Dreamweaver answered, bowing his head again, ecstatic that they were giving him this chance.

Before he could do anything else, Cherry turned towards, escaping his grasp, and touched her nose to his. He almost jumped back in surprise, not expecting that. Silence filled the room.

"Er… Did I do something wrong?" Cherry asked, sounding confused by everyone's reactions. "That is what I did when I got my mentor back in ThunderClan…"

"Er…" Ada muttered out. "No… It is just that… We don't do the nose touch here. That is usually for close friends or lovers…"

"Oh," Cherry mewed quietly. "I didn't know…"

Wanting to move on from the awkwardness, Dreamweaver turned toward Ada and Lord Arthur and bowed his head again.

"Lord Arthur," he began, "Sir Ada. I ask your permission to take leave?"

"Permission granted, Sir Dreamweaver," Ada answered back. "Take Cherry with us and get something to eat. Then meet up with the rest of the patrol. Sir Micheal is in charge."

"Understood, Sir Ada," Dreamweaver replied, flicking his ears towards her. "Taking leave now."

As Dreamweaver and Cherry began to leave, he heard Ada telling Lord Arthur about Fawkes and his group. He quickly exited the tunnel into the sunlight, not wanting to know anything about their upcoming punishment. If he knew even a hint of what was going to happen, then Fawkes would blame him for it.

"Then again, Fawkes loves to blame me for anything he can," Dreamweaver thought as he caught a smoky scent in the air and began to follow it. "Doesn't matter what it is, it is my fault… somehow. Even if I was nowhere near him."

"Er… Where are we going?"

"We are heading over to the cooking area," Dreamweaver answered Cherry, nose in the air as he tried his best to keep his mouth from drooling. "And getting something to eat. Then we are going to meet up with the rest of the patrol."

"Cooking… Area?" Cherry questioned, seemingly confused. "What is that?"

"Right… Sorry," began Dreamweaver with a shake of his head. "I forgot that most cats eat raw prey. Anyways… Here in the Knights, we have a group of cats dedicated to the cooking and preparation of food… In order to feed every cat of the Knights."

"What is this… cooking?" Cherry asked, still confused and nervous. "What good does that do?"

"Good questions," purred Dreamweaver as he tried to comfort her. "Well, here, we cook the meat for several reasons. While the Cooks themselves could give all the reasons better than I could, there are three major reasons. The first is that it kills a lot of things that can make you sick. Two, certain ways of cooking can make the meat last much longer than would be normal. Three… Well, you most likely already noticed… Well, Lord Arthur is unable to stomach most raw meat."

"Unable to eat meat?" Cherry exclaimed. "Just what kind of cat can't eat meat..?"

"Well, there are several possibilities for that," Dreamweaver sniffed, filling the dirt under his paws slowly turning to sand. "But in his case, it is because he is a hybrid. A human-cat hybrid, in fact."

"A hybrid? Human?" Cherry just sounded even more confused than before. "Wait… Do you mean a twoleg?"

"Twoleg… Upwalkers," Dreamweaver mewed. "There are many different names that cats have for the humans… But yes, I am talking about them."

Cherry's scent spiked with fear at the mention of humans. However, before he could say anything to comfort her, they entered the cooking area. The smell of cooking meat surrounded them as one cat shouted at another.

"Don't burn the stock, Leafy!"

"Help me get this off of the grill, Pepper!"

"Help yourself, Salt! I'm helping someone else!"

"Set those other there! We will start smoking them soon!"

It was a scene of playful chaos. Dreamweaver sighed with delight with all the aroma entering his nose. However, based on the way Cherry's tail had been slapping him, Cherry seemed upset.

"Why is there fire?" she questioned furiously. "Fire is bad! Fire only destroys!"

"And yet, we here at the Knights have learnt to use it as a tool," a tom's voice answered her before Dreamweaver could. "It helps us cooks, cleans… Lord Arthur even uses fire to forge the armor used to protect us!"

"Armor?" Cherry echoed. "What is that?"

"I wouldn't worry about it now," Dreamweaver mewed, headbutting her playfully in order to distract her from her worries. "There is a good chance that you will see our armor in action in the field."

"That is true," added the tom. "It is a sad fact of life that many of the kittypets, rogues, and loners don't like us… Hello, Dreamweaver! What can we do for you?"

"Back at you, Ralph," Dreamweaver stated back. "We are here to get something to eat."

"Gotta!" Ralph meowed back, happiness in his tone. "Speaking of which… One of the Hunters bought back something for you! They happened to find some very, large roaches… That doesn't seem to be native to here! Wait here, I will get them for you! As for you…"

Dreamweaver got the sense that Ralph was looking over Cherry, trying to decide what would be the best for her. After a few heartbeats, Ralph sighed.

"Newcomer, I see," Ralph stated nervously. "What do you like to eat, young molly?"

"Er… I am used to eating mice and squirrels?" Cherry answered, sounding confused on why he was even asking her anything.

"All right," Ralph mewed. "I think that I can find something for you. Wait here."

Dreamweaver heard Ralph move again. While waiting for him to return, Dreamweaver took a sniff of all the wonderful scents and listened to the sizzling meat. However, Cherry just seemed uncomfortable, her fur brushing up against his own long fur.

"Sory fo the wait!" Ralph muttered as he came back, mouth full of sticks that held the food.

Dreamweaver waited until Ralph placed the sticks in front of them before sniffing both. He carefully picked up the one that smelled like decaying matter in his jaws, Then, he turned and went away from the heat of the flames. Then, after finding a place to eat in peace, he lay down and gently placed the stick between his front legs. Carefully using his teeth to pull off one of the roaches, he crushed the roasted insect in his teeth, letting the cooling juices run over his tongue.

"So…" Cherry mewed as she joined him. "How do I… Eat this?"

"Place the stick between your forelegs," Dreamweaver ordered after swallowing the roach. "And use them to hold in place. Then just grab a bite and rip it off. However, while the organs are gone, you are still going to have to be careful of bones."

Dreamweaver listened in silence as Cherry seemed to decide what to do. Then, after a few heartbeats, he heard her bite into the cooked flesh gently.

"This is… A bit weird," Cherry finally stated after swallowing. "The meat is chewy and there is no blood… And it tastes like smoke!"

"That is understandable," Dreamweaver sighed as he quickly swallowed another roach down. "From what I understand, it is an acquired taste to the Knights. However, our way does some good, so I guess that it evens out in the end."

"Why are you eating bugs?" questioned Cherry as if she just realized what he was eating. "That is… Gross! Bugs are disgusting!"

In response, Dreamweaver just turned his good eye towards her, giving her a quick wink while snapping up the rest of the roaches. He just grinned as Cherry let out a hiss of displeasure.

"Now, now Cherry!" he purred playfully. "We still don't know each other that well yet! I not going to give up all my secrets!"

He let loose a meow of laughter as Cherry sputtered, picking up his now empty stick to return it to the Cooks. Dreamweaver heard Cherry quickly picking at the meat on her stick in order to join him. After placing his finished stick on the stone stale that acted as a table, he waited for her to join him.

"There you are, son! I was wondering where you were!"

Dreamweaver's tail shot up straight with delight as he turned to face his father. He bowed his head and caught the scent of the rest of the patrol.

"Father," he purred as he stepped forward to rub his head on his father's shoulder. "Good to heard you too. So… Am I the last one?"

"Unfortunately, dad… Yes, you are!" Fiona chirped from behind her adopted Grandpa. "We even got Skylar here first!"

"Fiona!" whimpered a second young molly. "I am not that bad!"

"Juliet had to drag you out of your nest!" Fiona playfully snapped back. "Come on, it is fun to go on patrols!"

"Maybe for you," muttered Skylar. "But being around all those outsiders… It is frightening!"

"Now, now Pages, behave!" scolded an older molly. "Now is not the time for fun and games!"

"It is good to see you too, Dreamweaver!" purred another molly, belonging to one of his best friends growing up. "Finally, out of your own den?"

"Panther," Dreamweaver greeted. "Juliet… Like you are any better at times?"

Dreamweaver also noticed that another Page, Algar, and the cat assigned to be his mentor, Helmfield, were also here. Rounding up the group was one of the Teachers, Roxy, to try and watch over all the Pages in the group.

"This is a group, strong patrol," Dreamweaver thought. "At least, for our mission… We are not expecting a fight. We are just searching for someone. So… This is a good mission to bring some of the Pages with us… But, if I am remembering correctly, the area that we are looking is near…"

"Oh, who is this?" questioned Juliet, breaking his thoughts.

Cherry had finished eating and had joined the group, placing her empty stick on the stone table. Dreamweaver felt everyone's curiosity turn toward the young molly.

"Oh," Panther mewed. "This is..?"

"The young molly from the forest!" Juliet stated. "I see… So Dreamweaver! Got yourself a Page then?"

"At least, until she decides to leave us," mewed Skylar nervously. "After all, isn't she one of those Clan cats?"

"Er…" Cherry spoke up. "I was wondering something… Why do you all have those twoleg… collars on? With those large round things…"

"Oh these," Dreamweaver heard Panther mew. "These are not collars… At least, not in the way you think they are!"

"Lord Arthur created the metal for us!" added Juliet cheerfully. "Using some random materials for our necklaces, he forged our armors and gave them to us when we graduate to Squires!"

"I think that we are just confusing her more, Juliet," Michael stated sternly. "Now that we are all together, it is time. Juliet, open the way!

"We are on our way! We are coming for you, nephew! We will find you!"