CHAPTER 3
Through the night and into day, Missy had the dream again, but more vivid. She had no collar on and the wind ruffled her fur. She stalked the small creature on, but she felt as if eyes were watching. In the shadows eyes were watching her, the Clan cats had entered her dream.
Missy woke up and stretched her legs. Her food dish was cleaned out and filled with the same murky Twoleg water. Missy preferred to drink out of puddles, but it was easier to drink this water on hot days. Would she leave this life just to go to the wild?
She shook that thought to the back of her head as she ate and drank. Missy walked out the cat flap once she finished eating and drinking. She jumped up on the fence and sat down looking out into the forest.
“Hello, Missy!” It was Travis. She jumped up on the fence and looked at Missy. “How was the forest?”
“I met some of those wild cats.” Missy meowed.
“Really? Did they hurt you?” Travis meowed.
“Nope, but I did fight the youngest one.” Missy felt pure joy run through her. Fighting Berryfur was the best thing that had happened to her.
“Wow!” Travis meowed in awe. “Fudge, you got to come up here!”
“I can hear fine from down here, thank you.” Fudge meowed, a little annoyed.
“They also asked me to join their Clan.” Missy meowed. She tried to explain everything that they said to Travis.
“Please don’t go.” Travis looked down at her paws.
“But I really want to go.” Missy meowed. “Don’t worry, I’m sure my Twolegs will get another house cat for you to spend your time with.” Missy reassured Travis.
“It just won’t be the same,” meowed Travis. “But I can’t stop you. This will be my last morning with you. Let’s go say bye to everyone.”
Missy nodded in agreement. As they walked on saying bye to neighborhood cats, Missy was thinking about everything she had done when she was younger. It was hard to leave behind kithood memories, but she had to.
As Missy walked on toward the forest, the meows of every cat rang in her ears. She could smell all the delightful forest scents from yesterday and some new ones too. She sat down in the same clearing from yesterday and opened her mouth. No new scents were here, just the stale scents of the Clan cats.
“You’ve got a lot to learn, young one,” the meow came from behind Missy and she saw a pair of eyes in the bush. “Am I with another cat?”
Missy opened her mouth to scent the air. She could smell Lilyflower’s scent, but whose was the other?
Lilyflower stepped out of the bush with a dark ginger tom behind her. “This is Firestone,” she meowed.
“Hello young one.” Firestone meowed. “Flamesky has told me all about you.”
Missy looked up at him in awe/ He reminded her of Flamesky except he was a ginger tom and Flamesky was a tabby tom.
“Lilyflower thought you would never come.” Firestone continued. “She thought you were too soft to even come out here again.”
Lilyflower shot him a glare. “We must be off,” meowed Lilyflower. “We don’t want to be late.”
Firestone nodded and the two set off. It took Missy more paces to keep up since she was smaller. Missy was panting hard and her legs were getting tired, but she had to keep up with them.
Firestone and Lilyflower slowed down, and soon came to a stop near a rock. Missy had time to catch her breath then.
“You must be able to scent it now.” Firestone meowed. He turned his head so he could see her.
Missy opened her mouth. She could smell more cats with the same scent as Lilyflower and Firestone.
“We are almost to camp.” Lilyflower meowed. She stood up on the rock and looked out.
Firestone had been quiet for a while and now spoke, “We should go now.”
“Of course,” meowed Lilyflower as she jumped off the rock. She signaled with her tail for Missy to follow.
They picked up their pace and once again Missy had to run to keep up. They walked down a hill and came face-to-face to a small hole in the middle of a bush.
“This is the entrance to our camp,” meowed Firestone. He padded on into the hole followed by Lilyflower.
Missy stopped for a minute to take it all in. She then raced into the hole. On the other side, she walked into camp. Her eyes went wide, it was a amazing! Cats were sitting in the clearing grooming each other.
“This is a time for sharing tongues.” Lilyflower meowed.
“Sharing tongues?” echoed Missy.
“It is when we groom each other.” Lilyflower continued. “It is a time for grooming and sharing the news of the day.”
Missy nodded. All eyes had turned to her now for they all smelled her unfamiliar stench.
“Here comes Flamesky now.” Firestone meowed.
Flamesky walked up to them. “I see she has come. So what do you think?”
“She kept up well coming here.” Firestone meowed.
“So she shall be a member?”
“Yes.”
“I shall tell the Clan now.” Flamesky walked away and jumped up on a rock and yowled. “Those cats old enough to catch their own prey come under the Dawnrock for a Clan meeting.”
The cats in the clearing stood up and made their way toward the rock.
“You all know that newleaf has come late and we have less apprentices than usual.”
A light gray tabby she-cat stood up. “Ya, but that mustn’t be the reason you called this meeting.”
Flamesky flicked his tail for silence. “So we have accepted an outsider into our Clan.”
Everyone turned to Missy.
“Who is she?”
“Where’d she come from?”
“What Clan is she from?”
The voice that rang above the clamor was the light gray tabby she-cat. “She’s a kittypet. Look at her collar!”
The other cats fell silent. The light gray tabby she-cat had gotten their attention.
“With that collar on her neck, she’ll scare all the prey away!”
Flamesky flicked his tail for silence. “Lilyflower and Firestone have met her and agree she should be apprenticed in DawnClan.”
The cats murmured with each other. Missy felt fear cling to her fur. Would the rest of the Clan agree?
“Once a kittypet, always a kittypet.” The light gray she-cat meowed again. “DawnClan needs wildborn cats not another soft mouth to feed.”
The rest of the cats went silent again staring at her. Missy felt her fur grow hot and fear still clinging to her.
Lilyflower bent down to talk to Missy. “That is Hollyfeather, she smells your fear-scent. They all do. Are you going to fight or be rejected by the Clan?”
Missy couldn’t move from the spot. Her legs were glued to the spot.
“With is tingling, the enemy will know we’re coming.” Hollyfeather taunted. “With a kittypet, the other Clan will just laugh at us thinking we’re too weak so we took in a kittypet!”
The rest of the Clan started nodding with her. Missy knew this would be her only way to win the trust of the Clan.
She snarled and flung herself at Hollyfeather. Hollyfeather wasn’t ready for the attack. The Clan moved out of the way as Missy and Hollyfeather rolled around clawing and biting each other.
Missy bit her ear and clawed across Hollyfeather’s side. Hollyfeather spat and hissed at Missy while clawing at her shoulder and face. Missy seemed to be winning over Hollyfeather.
Missy felt her collar tighten around her neck. She rasped for breath and flailed her paws at nothing. First she thought she was going to die then the tension on her neck gave way and she slid back. Hollyfeather fell on the ground.
She stood up and loomed over Hollyfeather seeing her collar in Hollyfeather’s mouth.
Flamesky jumped off the rock and walked over to them. He took the collar from Hollyfeather and placed it in front of Missy. “Our newcomer had lost her Twoleg mark. She is now free to join our Clan.”
The Clan nodded in agreement. Missy pushed dirt on top of her collar like she was burying her dirt.
“From now on she shall be known as Heatherfur.” Flamesky continued. “There is no doubt StarClan had wanted her to stay.”
The Clan sat silent for a while then they started to cheer her name.
“Heatherfur!”
“Welcome Heatherfur!”
“Hey Heatherfur!” The meow came from somewhere behind.
Not wanting to loose who it was, she quickly walked on. She then found herself face-to-face with a small blue-gray she-cat.
“Berryfur!” Heatherfur meowed.
“Flamesky chose a good name for you.” Berryfur purred. “It’ll be so much fun training with you by the way you beat Hollyfeather.”
“Thanks,” meowed Heatherfur a little embarrassed.
“Good thing Hollyfeather only became a warrior two moons ago or you would have been torn apart!” Berryfur meowed. Heatherfur just nodded.
“Hollyfeather was a pretty she-cat and that gash you gave her in the ear won’t let her forget you too quickly. You definitely ruined her look.” Berryfur felt happy talking to the lively cat she had met in the forest yesterday.
“Hey, where did Hollyfeather go?” meowed Heatherfur as she looked around.
“Probably off to our medicine cat.” Berryfur meowed. Berryfur nodded her head towards an area covered by the branches from a low tree. “Dustpelt is our medicine cat. Not bad looking either. Younger and more handsomer than other-“
A low growl from behind them stopped Berryfur mid-sentence. They both turned, Heatherfur recognized the sleek black cat who had been next to Hollyfeather.
“Darkshard,” meowed Berryfur while dipping her head respectfully.
The sleek tom eyed Heatherfur. “Lucky that collar of yours snapped when it did. Hollyfeather is young, but I can’t imagine her being beat by a kittypet,” he spat the word kittypet as if it were a curse word. He turned around and walked away.
“Darkshard,” Berryfur hissed to Heatherfur. “Isn’t young or hansom…”
Heatherfur was just about to nod when a yowl came from a dark gray she-cat.
“Shadepelt can tell something is wrong.” Berryfur meowed.
Heatherfur didn’t have enough time to look around when a cat came crashing out of the bushes. He was skinny and gray with darker flecks.
Berryfur let out a gasp. “That’s Sootfur! Why is he alone? Where is Jayfeather?”
Heatherfur looked at Sootfur as he staggered into the clearing. He was breathing very heavily. His fur was mattered and dusty; his eyes were wide and terrified.
“Whose Sootfur and Jayfeather?” Heatherfur meowed to Berryfur. Others went around the two to meet the new arrival.
“Sootfur is an apprentice. Jayfeather is his mentor and a warrior.” She explained quickly. “He, Jayfeather, and Nightfire went out on a mission against WaterClan, lucky fur-ball!”
“Nightfire?” Heatherfur was confused by all the names she was learning.
“He’s Flamesky’s deputy.” Berryfur hissed. “But why did Sootfur come back alone?” She lifted her head to listen to what Flamesky was saying.
“Sootfur?” the tom spoke calmly, but a look of worry clouded his amber eyes. The other cats drew back with anxiety.
“What happened?” Flamesky turned around and leaped up on the Dawnrock. “Speak, Sootfur!”
Sootfur staggered to his feet. His sides still heaving and the grass and dirt around his turned red from the gash on his side. He managed to get up on Dawnrock and stand beside Flamesky. He got enough strength to tell the crowd he was looking at, “Nightfire is dead!”
