☁ 𝒜𝓈 𝒞𝓁𝑜𝓊𝒹𝓈 𝒞𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒮𝓀𝓎 ☁

Prologue

A brown tabby tom continued to creep among the dense undergrowth that made up their territory. His yellow-green eyes were set on a familiar black and white figure, its pelt glinting in the light of the almost full moon. What is he doing? The tabby wondered silently to himself, watching as the tom stopped abruptly, almost running into something. The brown tom was about to jump out of his hiding place, worried the shadowy object was a fox or a badger, but as he squinted and let his eyes adjust to the darkness, he realized it was another cat. He couldn't make out the newcomer's features in the darkness of the night though, as the towering trees above him blocked out most of the moonlight that shone down on the forest. Luckily, the brown tabby was just close enough to hear them once they began to speak with one another. Maybe I can figure out what he's up to by listening to their conversation. He thought to himself, pricking his ears.

"It's been nearly a moon! Where have you been all this time?" By the tone of voice, the watching tom could tell the strange new cat was female.

"I'm sorry. I've just been... busy." It seemed as if the black and white tom couldn't think of what to say after he trailed off for a moment. But the brown tom was relieved this strange cat wasn't aware of what was going on among the clans, as well as their clowder.

"Busy with what? You're a wild cat. The only things you'd have going on would be hunting and surviving!" She snapped. "But that wouldn't take up an entire moon! You must have tons of time on your paws!"

The black-spotted tom flinched slightly at her words. "You shouldn't be so loud," he told her in a hushed mew. "You never know who could be listening to you." A chill went down the brown tabby's spine as he spoke. Did he know the tom was spying on him?

He quickly shook the thought away. How would he know? I've been silent this entire time. He even masked his scent by rolling in the dirt and leaves of the forest after realizing how suspicious the white tom seemed before he left the flower-filled hills that they called their home. The tabby concluded he was probably just cautious of any wolves or foxes that may have been around at the time. After all, they were known to mostly be active at night, and BreezeClan was filled with them, whether the strange she-cat was aware or not.

"Don't be silly." The she-cat's tone was still serious, reminding him of Thornflame, a FlameClan she-cat he had met when he was looking over each clan's kits to find a suitable successor among them. But why would the white tom be speaking to her? And in BreezeClan territory of all places? "What mouse-brain would be out at this time of night? That would just be asking to be eaten by a fox."

Yet here they are. The brown tabby thought. Fortunately, any smart predator would stay away from clan territory after scenting the number of cats that made up each clan. Although some didn't pay as well attention as others.

"Well, have you considered my offer?" She questioned after a long pause of silence between the two of them. The white tom looked to her sharply, meeting her blue gaze that pierced the darkness of the night.

"I-I..." The tom trailed for a second before letting out a heavy sigh. "Yes, I've made my decision," He finally told her. "I'd hate for those kits to not know their father, so I'll join you."

Confusion clouded his mind. Was he going to leave? Just like that? He hadn't even chosen an apprentice yet. As the five chosen cats in the Clanless Clowder, their SpiritClan ancestors had made it very clear that they weren't allowed to take a mate or have kits, as the immortality they were all granted would be disrupted and ultimately change their group's entire future. He wanted to jump out and stop his friend, but in the back of his mind, he knew such a decision would lead to a terrible outcome.

"Wise choice, Bounce. Now come on. We should get going as soon as possible." She told him, and it seemed to the tabby tom that the she-cat was worried Bounce would change his mind if they stayed any longer. As the two cats padded on and out of clan territory, the brown tabby followed them for just a few more fox-lengths before he turned, taking one glance at his friend, knowing it would be the last he saw of the black and white tom.