[MillietheWarrior]

As she padded across the moors, her mind focused on ThunderClan and the forest, a sudden, piercing yowl cut through the silence, and Splash whipped her head around to see a skinny black tom cresting the rise of one of the hills. Three more cats suddenly appeared behind him, and with another yowl, they scrambled down the hill after her.

Fur bristling with alarm, Splash took off as their shrieks sounded behind her. “Intruder!” they wailed, and she felt a shiver run across her spine; if this was the welcome she could expect, then maybe she really didn’t know what she was getting herself into.

“I’m sorry!” she yowled over her shoulder but didn’t dare look back to see how close they were. She barreled ahead, imagining the patrol of cats nipping at her heels. And plunged through the grasses and the bracken near the edge of the forest. As she leapt over a clump of fern, she thumped into something solid, and with a shriek, she and the ‘something solid’ went tumbling across the forest floor.

[MillietheWarrior]

The patrol had skidded to a stop near the edge of the forest, and Splash leapt to her feet, not bothering to see what she’d crashed into until a set of teeth fastened themselves on her scruff and yanked her backwards. Yowling, Splash was slammed back into the hard forest floor, a heavy paw pinning her in place. She wriggled desperately, but another paw joined the first, and a growling voice above her stilled her frantic movements.

“Knock it off, rogue, before I bite your whiskers off!”

Splash’s eyes widened as she stared up at a large, golden tabby tom, his teeth bared in a snarl and his eyes narrowed in anger. An embarrassing squeak wrenched itself form her muzzle, and she was suddenly aware of the heavy air of tension surrounding the area. She twisted her head to see the patrol that had chased her into the forest facing off with four other cats. Their pelts were bristling, and they snarled across at one another angrily.

[MillietheWarrior]

“Leave off, mange-pelt!” a large golden tom was growling. “This is ThunderClan territory!”

“Fine,” the black tom who had led the attack against Splash snarled. His eyes flickered to her and narrowed, before he offered the cats on the forest side of the border a disdainful sniff. “If you want trouble, you can have it. That’s all a rogue like her will be. But I forgot-” he continued with an air of superiority. “-ThunderClan is known for taking in strays.. So good luck with that.”

[MillietheWarrior]

The golden tom growled, but said nothing as the black tom led his patrol back across the moorlands, their skinny bodies disappearing from sight. Splash was relieved for only a moment…relieved, until, of course, the attention shifted to her. She was still very aware of the two powerful paws of the tom above her holding her in place, and she tried to make herself appear as small and feeble as possible, her blue eyes widening as she gazed up at him.

“Who are you?” the golden tom asked as he stalked back towards her and her captor. Three other cats flanked him; one was a dark gray she-cat, the other was a reddish brown tom, and the last was a fluffy white she-cat. Splash raked her gaze over them, before she turned to the tom pinning to the floor.

[MillietheWarrior]

The golden tom growled, but said nothing as the black tom led his patrol back across the moorlands, their skinny bodies disappearing from sight. Splash was relieved for only a moment…relieved, until, of course, the attention shifted to her. She was still very aware of the two powerful paws of the tom above her holding her in place, and she tried to make herself appear as small and feeble as possible, her blue eyes widening as she gazed up at him.

“Who are you?” the golden tom asked as he stalked back towards her and her captor. Three other cats flanked him; one was a dark gray she-cat, the other was a reddish brown tom, and the last was a fluffy white she-cat. Splash raked her gaze over them, before she turned to the tom pinning to the floor.

“It’d be easier to tell you,” she gasped, trying to draw a breath beneath his immense weight. “-if I wasn’t being crushed.”

[MillietheWarrior]

The tom growled, but reluctantly let her up as the other cats began to slowly circle her, keeping her trapped and unable to flee. Splash gave her shoulder a few self-conscious licks, her heart still racing from the fright of being chased by so many cats. “My name-” she began, though her voice came out as a squeak. She cleared her throat, and tried again. “My name is Splash. I-I’m sorry to trespass and cause trouble. I didn’t know I would be chased like that.” She cast an anxious glance back over the moorland. “I came to-to join ThunderClan.”

88888

[MillietheWarrior]

“What do you think, Lionblaze?” Cinderheart whispered carefully. Thornclaw was eyeing the new she-cat distrustfully. After she’d unceremoniously bowled him over, he didn’t seem too happy about her sudden declaration about joining ThunderClan. Foxleap and Whitewing didn’t seem to inclined to distrust the she-cat; and Cinderheart couldn’t help but agree. She didn’t look dangerous; she was almost small enough to be an apprentice, but there was no mistaking the age reflecting in her blue eyes.

“I’m not sure. Should we take her back to camp?” Lionblaze sounded unsure. He didn’t really know how to handle a situation like this.

[MillietheWarrior]

“I say we take her back!” Foxleap declared, his bushy tail twitching with excitement. “Maybe she’s got some interesting stories to tell us.”

Whitewing looked thoughtful, and finally dipped her head. “I agree with Foxleap. It might be a good idea to take her back to camp. At the very least, we need to know where she came from, and if there are anymore.”

Thornclaw growled, not looking happy with their decision. “Fine,” he snarled, casting a suspicious glance in the new she-cat’s direction. She withered under his gaze, and he tried to ignore the sharp pang of guilt he felt when he saw her shrink away. Okay, so he hadn’t meant to be so rough when he’d tackled her to the ground. She hadn’t realized she’d run into him, and if she was a rogue, then she obviously had no idea about borders. And she didn’t look all that bad.

[MillietheWarrior]

Okay, she looked pretty good, he had to admit, but he quickly pushed that wayward thought to the back of his mind.

“All right,” Lionblaze’s voice cut through his thoughts, and Thornclaw jerked his head up to see the golden tom beckoning the she-cat with his tail. “Follow us. We’ll take you to camp, and you can plead your case to Firestar. He’ll decide what to do with you.”

Thornclaw thought he saw a flash of hesitation dance through the she-cat’s eyes, but she stood and obediently padded after Lionblaze and Cinderheart. Thornclaw took up post beside her, with Foxleap on her other side, and Whitewing bringing up the rear. Thornclaw couldn’t help but shoot a cross look at the young tom on Splash’s opposite side, and then wondered why he’d be cross at Foxleap in the first place.

[MillietheWarrior]

“S-so what’s your name?”

The soft mew caught him off guard, and Thornclaw’s gaze immediately shifted to the she-cat. She was watching him anxiously, her ears twitching nervously. She looked as if she was waiting for some cat to leap out at her and claw her ears off. Thornclaw felt another twinge of guilt at how he’d treated her earlier, but once more pushed it to the back of his mind.

“I’m Foxleap!”

[MillietheWarrior]

Thornclaw’s head jerked up as Foxleap proudly told her his name. She wasn’t talking to you, he thought, feeling a stab of annoyance shoot through him. “I’m Thornclaw,” he said quickly, hoping to steal the she-cat’s attention away from the younger warrior. “That’s Lionblaze and Cinderheart,” he indicated the two in the lead with his tail, and both cats turned to glance over their shoulders with a faint nod from each. “And Whitewing,” he continued, nodding his head to the white she-cat behind them.

Whitewing dipped her head, her eyes shining with curiosity as Splash glanced back at her over her shoulder.

[MillietheWarrior]

“How do you know about the clans?” Thornclaw questioned, and ignored the sudden annoyed look Foxleap shot at him over the she-cat’s back. Stop acting like a kit who’s had his favorite play thing stolen, Thornclaw growled mentally, meeting the younger tom’s gaze. You don’t even know her. And for that matter, neither do I. What are we getting our tails in a twist about?

“I believe,” Cinderheart’s smooth voice cut through his thoughts before Splash could reply. “That it would be best if she explained only once. We don’t want her to have to tell her story twenty different times.”

[MillietheWarrior]

“Twenty?” Splash asked, looking form Thornclaw to Cinderheart. “Are there really that many of you?” Instead of being afraid, as Thornclaw might have expected from a rogue, Splash seemed excited by the idea of meeting so many cats. Thornclaw was surprised; she didn’t seem so excited a few moments ago. He would’ve guessed she was a timid little she-cat from her earlier mannerisms; but now, with her eyes stretched and shining, she looked completely different.

“Just about,” Thornclaw grunted, trying to sound as detached from the situation as possible. He couldn’t deny, however, that this she-cat intrigued him.

“All right, we’re here!”

[MillietheWarrior]

Cinderheart’s mew once again cut off Splash’s reply, and the she-cat swung her head away from Thornclaw to the thorn tunnel as Lionblaze and Cinderheart squeezed through. She hesitated for a moment, before Thornclaw lightly nudged her with his paw. “Come on,” he encouraged, wondering why he was being so kind. He squeezed through the tunnel beside her, and felt his fur grow hot with embarrassment when his pelt brushed hers. Splash almost instantly leapt away once they’d cleared the thorns, her eyes slightly wide as she cast a surreptitious glance his way.

Thornclaw ignored the way his heart sped up when she glanced at him, and quickly reverted his attention to Lionblaze and Cinderheart, who were speaking with Brambleclaw.