Alone #1: The Raven's Flight

Chapter 1

Ravenpaw's ears twitched. Paw steps sounded outside the medicine den. She stood up from where she'd been sorting herbs, her fur bristling.

"Who is it?" she called, trying to sound confident.

"It's just me, Kestrelflight." Ravenpaw relaxed and sank back down.

"Why are you so jumpy anyways?" Kestrelflight purred, amused.

"I had a bad dream last night," Ravenpaw admitted. "I dreamt of a raven being burnt."

Kestrelflight looked thoughtful. Ravenpaw jumped back, alarmed. "Was that a vision?"

"It's quite possible that it is," Kestrelflight mused. "You'll just have to stay safe, I guess." He added playfully. 

Ravenpaw sighed. No one ever seemed to take things seriously. Not Crowstar, her leader, not Kestrelflight, her mentor, not Tinypaw or Mosspaw, her adopted siblings, or even Owlfur, the cat who'd fed her milk after Crowstar had ordered her to. Ravenpaw knew that Owlfur had never really liked her, and she knew why.

She had been just a kit when she'd been found by Crowstar and taken in by the Clan. The elders had told her that if Crowstar hadn't found her, she probably would've starved to death or been eaten by a fox.

Kestrelflight was looking at her weirdly.

"S-sorry?" she stammered.

"I just asked you, do you think we should go gathering for catmint as it's leaf-fall?" Kestrelflight repeated.

"I suppose so." Ravenpaw mumbled.

"What's this suppose so?" Kestrelflight snapped. "You've been a medicine cat apprentice for a moon already. You should know that we go foraging for catmint in leaf-fall."

"I forgot." Ravenpaw retorted.

Kestrelflight let a hint of a snarl enter his voice. "Go find some catmint. And don't come back until sunset." He hissed before stalking away angrily.

Ravenpaw shrugged. It wasn't her fault that Kestrelflight was a grumpy old cat. There was a rumor that went around camp that Kestrelflight could've retired moons ago, yet didn't, since he didn't have an apprentice yet.

Leaving the den, Ravenpaw stomped across the clearing. Several cats looked at her to find the source of the sound, but none talked to her. Clearly, they could sense her mood.

Of course, the one cat that talked to her was the one she hated the most. Crowstar.

"What's wrong?" He mewed sympathetically.

"Everything's wrong!" she screeched. "Stop pretending I'm a WindClan cat! Because I'm not!"

"Who told you that?" Crowstar looked alarmed.

"Every cat hates me for being a rogue!" Ravenpaw yowled. "I don't want to stay in this stupid Clan if I'll just get judged. I'll leave if you really want me to." She stopped, panting heavily.

"Ravenpaw, we want you here." Crowstar's blue eyes bored into hers. "Stop this nonsense and continue with your medicine cat duties!"

Ravenpaw let out a growl and swished her tail in annoyance. Leaving the camp, she felt her Clanmate's stares on her, but she didn't care. Now that she was out here, she might as well do her duties. She opened her jaws, tasting the wind. The strong wind carried a faint scent of catmint from the Twolegplace on their border.

Good.

Ravenpaw flexed her claws, then tensed her hind legs. She burst into a run, her legs pounding on the dirt rhythmically. She felt the wind in her ears; it hit her face lightly. Kestrelflight had often said she wouldn't have done badly as a warrior either; she was incredibly fast with good reflexes.

There! The Twolegplace's walls shone in the sunlight. Ravenpaw winced. The shiny stuff hurt to look at. Ravenpaw slowed her pace as she drew nearer. Her ears pricked up instinctively, no cat knew what Twolegs could do. Her black pelt stood out in the white of the Twolegplace, so Ravenpaw went through her earlier training as a warrior. She spied a forest near the Twolegplace, one unclaimed by the Clans.

Venturing into the forest, she felt a sense of peace. It felt right to be in the forest, which only confirmed her suspicions that she didn't belong in the moor. She stayed on the edge, occasionally peering inside Twoleg nests to look for catmint.

"Hello!" Ravenpaw spun around, alarmed, claws unsheathed.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you!" a kittypet was talking to her.

Ravenpaw looked up with moderate interest. She wasn't really into kittypets, but this one seemed nice enough.

"Hi," she said at last.

"I'm Peanut! Are you one of those wild cats?" the kittypet mewed cheerfully. "I've heard about them. They eat bones and kill kittypets!"

"Um...no." Ravenpaw stuttered. "We eat mice and rabbits, but we don't kill kittypets. That's against the warrior code."

"Ooh! So why are you out here?" Peanut purred.

"Looking for catmint, I suppose." Ravenpaw muttered.

"Really?" Peanut asked shrewdly.

"Well, no." Ravenpaw admitted. "My Clan took me in as a kit, but I've never really felt like I belonged. I honestly only came here because I needed some alone time."

"Oh! Well, I don't know if I can help you 'belong', but my housefolk have a whole supply of catnip!" Peanut chirped.

"I'll take some then, if that's okay." Ravenpaw dipped her head to the ginger and white calico kittypet.

"This way!" Peanut led the way through twisting alleyways and finally stopped at a Twoleg nest. "Go ahead," she offered.

"Thanks, Peanut. You're a nice cat." Ravenpaw mewed and was surprised to see it was genuine. Peanut, although a kittypet, was much nicer than Crowstar or Kestrelflight.

Ravenpaw tore as many stalks off as she could, then grasped them in her mouth. Dipping her head once again, she leapt out of the Twoleg nest and raced back to the camp.

"Wow!" Kestrelflight exclaimed. "Where'd you get all that catmint from?"

Ravenpaw bit her tongue. She didn't want to tell Kestrelflight about her only friend. "I stole some from a Twoleg," she lied.

"Good job," Kestrelflight's mew was choked with worry. "I had an omen while you were gone."

Ravenpaw's curiosity took hold of her. "What was it?"

"A raven swooped into the camp. One of its feathers fell. There was no breeze, but the feather was swept away. Towards the Twolegplace." Kestrelflight looked at her.

"A raven? Whoa, was it talking about me?" Ravenpaw was shocked. Why would she leave and go to the Twolegplace?

"I believe you are destined for a quest." Kestrelflight mewed somberly. "Tonight, we are going to the Moonpool. We'll try find out what's happening."

"Okay." Ravenpaw agreed. Her mind was whirling. If the feather went to the Twolegplace, maybe she was destined to live with Peanut! But she liked running free. Not being trapped in a Twoleg nest. No. The life of a kittypet would not do.

She'd just have to wait to go to the Moonpool for some answers. 

A/N Please comment if you've read this! It can be just 'hi', but it would help me a lot!