Phantom of the Clans

Chapter 2

Spirit's POV

"Come, we can speak more once we are in the camp," ordered Lionheart, and, without pausing, he and the other clan cats leapt away into the undergrowth. Rusty and Spirit jumped to their paws and followed as quickly as they could. Although Spirit was going much slower due to his injuries. Rusty and Spottedleaf flanked his sides to make sure he didn't get left behind. Graypaw had sped ahead to the camp.

The two warriors made no allowances for the young cats as they sped through the forest, and before long, Spirit was struggling to keep up. Their pace barely slowed as they led Rusty and Spirit over fallen trees that they cleared in a single leap, leaving the two younger cats to scramble over them paw by paw. Spottedleaf would gently nudge Spirit so that he could make it over them as well. They passed through sharply fragrant pine trees, where they had to jump across gullies churned up by a Twoleg tree-eater. From the safety of their garden fence, they had often heard it roaring and snarling in the distance. One gully was too wide to jump, half-filled with slimy, foul-smelling water. The Clan cats waded through it without hesitating. Spirit stared at it. He wasn't sure he would be able to swim like this. He let out an indignant squawk as his brother grabbed him by the scruff and hauled him across. He glared at Rusty when he was set down.

At last Lionheart and Bluestar paused. Rusty and Spirit skidded to a halt behind them. Spottedleaf came up beside them. Rusty was panting tiredly, Spirit's shoulders slumped. He had opened a few of his injuries back up with the running. The two warriors stepped onto a rock that rested on the edge of a small ravine.

"We are very close to our camp now," meowed Lionheart. Spirit had smelt the scent of other cats with his enhanced senses long before and looked down the ravine. Rusty, however, took several moments longer. The older warriors looked as though they were getting impatient.

After being prodded by Bluestar he finally spoke. "I can smell cats."

Lionheart and Bluestar exchanged amused looks.

"There will come a time, if you are accepted into the Clan, when you will know each cat-scent by name," Lionheart mewed. "Follow me!" he led the way nimbly down the boulders to the bottom of the ravine, and pushed his way through a thick patch of gorse. Spirit looked down and saw how flattened the grass looked. 'This must be the main entrance.'

Beyond the gorse, a clearing opened up. The ground at the center was bare, hard earth, shaped by many generations of pawsteps. This camp had been here for many seasons. The clearing was dappled by sunshine, and the air felt warm and still.

Spirit looked around, mildly surprised. He'd never seen this many cats grouped together in one place. Perhaps he had simply never noticed what other animals did in his old life and had passed it off as nothing. He hoped he could make up for his ignorance in this life. He finally broke out of his musings as he listened to Lionheart explaining clan life to them.

Spirit decided to observe what the cats were doing themselves. He heard Lionheart say something about "sharing tongues" and saw that it was much like meal time with his friends at school had been, only there had been no grooming involved. He smiled inwardly as he thought about Sam and Tucker. He wondered briefly what they would say if they were to see him now.

He noticed then that the other cats had become aware of their presence at last, as they had begun to turn and stare curiously in their direction. Amused, he flicked his tail towards them in greeting and nodded his head. He glanced at Rusty, who was avoiding the gaze of the other cats. 'I can't believe we're related sometimes. Though I suppose Rusty is not as used to attention as I am.'

He looked in the direction of the nursery as Lionheart began explaining that the queens all shared responsibility for the kits of the Clan, and that loyalty was one of the first rules of their warrior code.