Chapter Text
Rusty’s eyes scanned the undergrowth, searching for the source of the quiet rustling. It was dark but the scents drew him closer. He opened his mouth, the warm smells of the forest reached him. An abundance of plants and the scent of the creature mingled together creating something unique, something he’d never smelt before. The creature raced out and he tensed. His eyes were pinned on it and he readied himself to pounce.
The bushes rustled again, just as Rusty leapt for his prey. This time the creature was bigger, it barrelled into him, sending the mouse scurrying quickly back into the undergrowth and Rusty tumbling. He scrambled to his paws and stared into the amber eyes of a much larger cat. The cat lifted a paw and struck down, claws unsheathed.
Rusty rolled out the way, his heart beating wildly in his chest. Why did this cat want to kill him?! The cat pounced at him and Rusty was unable to avoid it this time. His head was spinning and he looked at the tom through blurred eyes. Then, a spark filtered through the leaves. It grew and grew and Rusty beckoned it to come save him.
The flame weaved its way toward them. The larger cat remained unaware as he opened his jaws, ready to kill him. He begged the flame to hurry; it did. The flames raced forward, weaving its way around Rusty, causing the tom to back off lest he be burnt.
Rusty crouched to the ground but the flames that encircled him did not lick at his fur, they didn’t pounce and try to devour him, it protected him. Fire had saved him.
The welcoming warmth was driven away as he was pulled from his dreams. It was replaced by a small chill and the enticing scents of the forest, replaced by the dusty smells of bland food filling his bowl. He stretched and padded across the kitchen floor. The food was dry, tasteless and cold. He swallowed one more mouthful then turned away, toward the small flap in the door.
He slipped through it and stepped out into the garden. The grass was damp beneath his paws, cold again. He wished for the warmth of the fire to return, to protect him, but he jumped onto the fence, steadying himself.
He stared up at the stars. Rusty had always felt drawn toward them, like they were more than just weird glowing things in the sky. Certainly there was more to them when so many littered the darkness.
His housefolk called for him but Rusty ignored them. He’d rather be outside racing through the trees than sleeping curled up in their nest just as Princess would be. They called again, but he didn't listen. Instead, his bell rang as he leapt down to the other side of the fence.
His head was now full of enchanting dreams. Running through the forest, hunting, eating mice. The attack in his dream was nothing more than his overactive imagination, a vision of all the terrifying stories he’d been told by his friends and mother.
“Where you off to rusty?” A familiar voice called. Rusty looked behind him to spot a larger kitten balancing on the fence.
“Hi, Smudge.”
“You’re not going off into the forest are you?” Smudge’s amber eyes were huge.
“Just for a look.” Rusty promised.
“You wouldn’t get me in there. It's dangerous!” He wrinkled his nose back. “Henry said he went into the woods once.”
“That fat old tabby never went into the woods!” Rusty scoffed. “He’s hardly been beyond his own garden since his trip to the vet. All he wants to do is eat and sleep.”
“No, really. He caught a Robin in there!”
“Well if he did then it was before the vet. Now he complains about birds because they disturb his dozing.”
“Well anyway,” Smudge continued. “Henry told me there are all sorts of dangerous animals out there. Huge wildcats who eat live rabbits for breakfast and sharpen their claws on old bones!”
“I’m only going for a look around. I won’t stay long. Besides, that’s only a kit’s-tale. He was just trying to scare you.”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you!” Smudge turned and jumped back into his own garden.
Rusty sat down in the grass just beyond his garden fence. He gave his shoulder a nervous lick. The stories had to be false, there were no wildcats living in the forest. It was just a story to stop kittens from adventuring in there and getting lost.
Suddenly, the movement of a tiny creature caught his eye. It scurried under some brambles and he dropped into a crouch. He slowly moved forward, one paw after another, as quiet as possible.
It was a mouse. He rocked his haunches from side to side, preparing to leap. He held his breath and his head pounded inside his chest. He was going to catch a mouse! Then, there was cracking twigs and crunching leaves. He jumped, remembering the claws too large for a cat scraping his head and the way he’d almost died inside his dreams. There was no fire to protect him now.
His bell jingled and the mouse darted away. Rusty stilled and looked around. There was a white tip of a bushy red tail trailing through some tall ferns. It was neither cat nor dog. Curiosity pricked at him. Just what was the strange creature?
He strained his senses and stalked forwards. Then, another noise, behind him. It was muted and distant but Rusty spun around nonetheless, not risking getting his pelt clawed off in the case smudge was right.
A creature— a cat— raced out from the bushes. Rusty narrowly avoided being rammed into. The cat didn’t give up though, it leapt onto him, fastening itself to his back and gripping him with sharp claws. Rusty writhed, trying to free himself to no avail. Then, he flipped onto his back. He knocked the breath out of his attacker. He scrambled to his paws and began to run home to the safety of his garden.
His attacker, however, didn’t give up. There was a rush of paw steps behind him and Rusty spun back around. There was no way he was going to be killed from behind, Rusty was going to be brave.
He faced his attacker— another kitten with thick grey fur. The kitten crashed into Rusty at full pelt, taken by surprise at Rusty’s sudden stop. He staggered but quickly found his footing and arched his back. His orange fur stood on end, he was ready to fight but the kitten simply sat up and began to lick a forepaw.
“Hi there, kittypet! You put up quite a fight for a tame kitty!” Rusty allowed his muscles to loosen and his paws to drop. Relief flooded through him. He’d rather talk it out than fight. “I’m Greypaw by the way, I’m training to be a Thunderclan warrior.”
“Thunderclan?”
“You must’ve heard of the four warrior clans that hunt around here?” Rusty shook his head, Greypaw sighed. “Well there’s four clans, I belong to Thunderclan, the other clans are always trying to steal prey from our territory, especially Shadowclan. They’re so fierce they would have ripped you to shreds, no questions asked.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Like I said, I’m Thunderclan. And I didn’t think it was worth hurting you, you clearly weren’t from another clan.”
“Do you only fight?”
“Of course not. Warriors hunt for their clan too, for the cats who can’t hunt themselves and we protect them too.”
“What if you get hurt?”
“You ask so many questions, kittypet.” Greypaw complained but continued on anyway. “Then we go to Spottedleaf, our healer, she knows how to heal injuries and look after the s—“ Greypaw suddenly sniffed the air. “I smell cats from my clan.” He hissed. “You should go, they won’t be pleased to find you hunting in our territory.”
Rusty looked around. How could Greypaw know any cat was approaching? He couldn’t smell anything but a leaf-scented breeze.
“Quick! Run!” Rusty prepared to spring away but hesitated, not knowing which way was safe to jump.
“What's going on here?” He was too late. A large grey-blue she-cat strolled out from the undergrowth. Scars marred her, parting the fur wherever they cut through.
“Bluestar!” Greypaw crouched down and narrowed his eyes. Rusty glanced between them, taking a moment before copying him. Greypaw crouched even lower when another cat stepped into the clearing. This time it was a large golden tabby.
“You shouldn’t be so near to twolegplace, Greypaw.” The tabby scolded.
“I know Lionheart, I’m sorry.” Greypaw looked down at his paws, Rusty’s ears twitched nervously.
“Who is this?” Bluestar asked. Rusty flinched as her gaze was turned upon him. The stories Henry had told smudge were true.
“He’s no threat,” Greypaw leapt to his defence. “He's not another clan warrior, just a twoleg pet from beyond our territories.”
Just a twoleg pet?! The words made his fur bristle. He had nearly beaten Greypaw in a fight and the cat calls him just a twoleg pet! He held his tongue, not wanting to anger the much larger cats in front of him.
“This is Bluestar; she’s the leader of my clan.” Greypaw hissed under his breath. “And Lionheart, my mentor, which means he’s training me to be a warrior.”
“You’re not a warrior?”
“Greypaw has a long way until he becomes a warrior.”
“You fight well for a twoleg pet.” Rusty and Greypaw exchanged confused glances. “We’ve been watching you both. We wondered how you would deal with an intruder, Greypaw. You attacked him bravely.” Greypaw preened under Bluestar’s praise. “Sit up.”
“That meant you too, kittypet.” Lionheart chimed in when Rusty stayed bowed
“You reacted well to the attack, kittypet. Greypaw is stronger than you but you used your wits to defend yourself. You turned to face him when he chased you, I’ve not seen a kittypet do that before.” Rusty nodded but was taken aback by the unexpected praise, he was expecting her to finish what Greypaw had started. “I have been wondering how you would perform out here, beyond twolegplace. We patrol this border frequently so we have often seen you sitting on your boundary, staring out into the forest. And now, at last, you have dared to place your paws here.”
“I had a dream….” Rusty mewed quietly, feeling tiny under Bluestar’s gaze.
“A dream?” It seemed to catch the Thunderclan leader off guard. “What about?”
Rusty shifted his paws uncomfortably. “I was hunting and— and this cat attacked me.”
“And you still decided to come into the forest?” Lionheart asked.
“Well— you see— fire protected me and I thought that… well it was just a dream and… and I could come try hunt for real…”
“Fire?” Lionheart echoed.
“Fire only harms though!” Greypaw interjected.
“Enough.” There was understanding in Bluestar’s eyes, like she knew something more. “That is a curious reason to come into the forest. Nonetheless, you do seem to have a natural hunting ability. Sharp eyes. You would have caught that mouse if you had not hesitated so long.”
“Really?”
Lionheart spoke again. “Bluestar, this is a kittypet. He should not be hunting in Thunderclan territory. Send him home to his twolegs!”
“Send me home?” Rusty mewed. He was only there to hunt for a mouse or two! Surely there was enough to go around! He remembered Greypaw’s words earlier. The hostility towards the other clans trying to steal prey. He figured it would not be so wise to mention it. “I just wanted to explore.”
“Explore elsewhere, away from clan territory.”
Rusty shuffled his paws nervously. Clan life seemed so much more interesting, more like living than ‘kittypet’ life as they called him. He dipped back into a crouch, as low as he could go, hoping it was the right thing to do. “May I join Thunderclan?”