Warriors: Into The Wild

Chapter two

“Well?” hissed Bluestar, her face only a mouse-length away from his now. Lionheart remained silent as he towered over Rusty. 

    He flattened his ears and crouched under the golden warriors' cold gaze. His fur prickled uncomfortably. “I am no threat to your clan,” he mewed, looking down at his trembling paws. 

    “You threaten our clan when you take our food,” yowled Bluestar. “You have plenty of food in your twoleg nest already. You come here only to hunt for sport. But we hunt to survive.” 

    The truth of the warrior queen's words pierced Rusty like a blackthorn, and he suddenly understood her anger. He stopped trembling, sat up, and straightened his ears. He raised his eyes to meet hers. “I had not thought of it that way before. I am sorry,” he meowed solemnly. “I will not hunt here again.” 

    Bluestar let her hackles fall and signaled for Lionheart to step back. “You are unusual for a kittypet, Rusty,” she meowed.

    Graypaws sigh of relief made Rusty's ears twitch. He heard the approval in Bluestars voice and noticed as she swapped a meaningful glance with Lionheart. The look made him curious. What flashed between the two warriors? Quietly he asked, “Is survival here really so hard?” 

“Our territory only covers part of the forest,” answered Bluestar. “We compete with the other clans for what we have. And this year, late newleaf means prey is scarce.” 

“Is your clan very big?” Rusty meowed, his eyes wide. 

“Big enough,” Replied Bluestar. “Our territory can support us, but there is no prey left over.”

“Are you all warriors, then?” Rusty mewed. Bluestars' guarded answers were making him more and more curious. 

Lionheart answered him. “Some are warriors. Some are too young or too old or too busy taking care of kits to hunt.”

“And you all live and share prey together?” Rusty murmured in awe, thinking a little guiltily of his own easy, selfish life.

Bluestar again looked at Lionheart. The golden tabby stared back at her steadily. At last she returned her gaze to Rusty and meowed, “Perhaps you should find these things out for yourself. Would you like to join ThunderClan?” 

Rusty was so surprised, he couldn't speak.

Bluestar went on: “If you did, you would train with Graypaw to become a Clan warrior.” 

“But kittypets can't be warriors!” Graypaw blurted out. “They don't have warrior blood.”

A sad look clouded Bluestars eyes. “Warrior blood,” she echoed with a sigh. “Too much of that has been spilled lately.” 

Bluestars fell silent and Lionheart meowed, “Bluestar is only offering you training young kit. There is no guarantee you would become a full warrior. It might prove too difficult for you. After all, you are used to a comfortable life.”

Rusty was stung by Lionheart's words. He swung his head around to face the golden tabby. “Why offer me the chance then?” 

But it was Bluestar who answered. “You are right to question our motives, young one. The fact is, ThunderClan needs more warriors.”

“Understand Bluestar does not make this offer lightly,” warned Lionheart. “If you wish to train with us, we will take you into our clan. You must either live with us and respect our ways, or return to your Twolegplace and never come back. You cannot live with a paw in each world.” 

A cool breeze stirred the undergrowth, ruffling Rustys fur. He shivered, not with the cold, but with excitement at the incredible possibilities opening up in front of him. 

“Are you wondering if it's worth giving up your comfortable kittypet life?” Bluestar asked gently. “But do you realize the prize you will pay for your warmth and food?” 

Rusty looked at her, puzzled. Surely his encounter with these cats had proved to him just how easy and luxurious his life was.

“I can tell that you are still a tom,” Bluestar added, “despite the Twoleg stench that clings to your fur.” 

“What do you mean-still a tom?” 

“You havent yet been taken by the Twolegs to see the Cutter,” meowed Bluestar gravely. “You would be very different then. Not quite so keen to fight a Clan cat, I suspect!”

Rusty was confused. He suddenly thought of Henry, who had become fat and lazy since his visit to the vet. Was that what Bluestar meant by the Cutter? 

“The Clan may not be able to offer you such easy food or warmth,” continued Bluestar. “In the season of leaf-bare, nights in the forest can be cruel. The Clan will demand great loyalty and hard work. You will be expected to protect the Clan with your life if necessary. And there will be many mouths to feed. But the rewards will be great. You will remain a tom. You will be trained in the ways of the wild. You will learn what it is to be a real cat. The strength and the fellowship of the Clan will always be with you, even when you hunt alone.” 

Rustys head reeled. Bluestar seemed to be offering him the life he had lived so many times, and so tantalizingly, in his dreams, but could he live like that for real? 

Lionheart interrupted his thoughts. “Come, Bluestar, let's not waste anymore time here. We must be ready to join the other patrol at moonhigh. Tigerclaw will wonder what had become of us.” He stood up and flicked his tail expectantly.

“Wait,” Rusty meowed. “Can I think about your offer?” 

Bluestar looked at him for a long moment and nodded. “Lionheart will be here tomorrow at sunhigh.” She told him. “Give him your answer then.”

Bluestar murmured a low signal, and in a single movement the three cats turned and disappeared into the undergrowth. 

Rusty blinked. He stared-excited, uncertain- up past the ferns that encircled him, though the canopy of leaves, to the stars that glittered in the clear sky. The scent of the Clan cats still hung heavy in the evening air. And as Rusty turned and headed for home, he felt a strange sensation inside him, tugging him back into the depths of the forest. His fur prickled deliciously in the light wind, and the rustling leaves seemed to whisper his name into the shadows.

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