Book 1 - Warriors: The Shadow Outcast

Chapter Twenty

As Sweetpaw had told him, they found Leslie, the strange cat that had helped him when he'd passed out, just a few houses away.

Leslie lived in a small cardboard box with a blanket in it, which wasn't much of a house at all to Rainfur. There was so many things that could get the poor she-cat here, and with kits this just made things worse.

"Leslie!" Sweetpaw called as a tall black she-cat got herself out of the box. This she-cat had bright blue eyes, which stared at him with a certain interest. Her stomach was also very swollen, making Rainfur wonder if she was due to kit yet.

"Hello, young one," said Leslie, smiling at Sweetpaw. "Has you're friend woken up?" Sweetpaw nodded, looking over to Rainfur before looking back to the black she-cat.

"Yeah, just a few moments ago," Sweetpaw replied. "He says he's fine, but after yesterday, that's the last time I'll believe him." Rainfur snorted, teasingly of course.

"As if you were any better," Rainfur teased, smirking. "Even when you were a kit, all you did was get into trouble." Sweetpaw stuck her tongue out at him with that, both of them playing.

"You got into even more trouble!" Sweetpaw accused. "And you were an apprentice!" Rainfur rolled his eyes, laughing under his breath. Leslie was amused as well, it seemed.

"You two get along well," she mused. "Are you related?" Rainfur shook his head.

"It's. . .complicated," Rainfur muttered.

"No it's not!" said Sweetpaw to Rainfur before turning to Leslie. "He was born here, and then after his brother died, he came to the Clans. WindClan kicked him out, and that's when Robinwing found him. Then Ravenstar announced him to the Clan, and that was when I told him that I was making him my brother, since he didn't have any other family." Leslie nodded, now even more amused.

"You lived here?" Leslie asked, looking to Rainfur with curiosity.

"Er, yeah, to an extent," Rainfur murmured. "I was, uh, born here but that was a long time ago." Leslie chuckled before shrugging.

"I'm new here," said Leslie. "I came here to try and get to the forest where you came from, but after I met Carlisle, I decided to stay. Especially now with the kits coming."

"Is Carlisle the one who hunts for you?" asked Rainfur, clearly curious. "I was just wondering." Leslie nodded, smiling.

"Yes, that is true," she replied. "However, I try my hardest to do all I can. I feel worthless, sitting in this box all day."

"I'm sure Carlisle disagrees," Rainfur commented. "It's how I would act if I were with Robinwing right now."

"You have a mate?" asked Leslie, quite surprised. "Why aren't you with her? I can see that you love her. You're eyes give yourself away." Rainfur lowered his head, frowning. Being exiled was the last thing he wanted to talk about.

"The Clan I belonged to exiled me," Rainfur explained, looking at his paws. "It was my fault, I guess, but I'm still sad to know that my own kits will never know me."

"What did you do?" asked Leslie, not really understanding how bad it was. Rainfur looked up to her, keeping his emotions to a minimum.

"I killed their leader," said Rainfur, making Leslie gasp with shock.

Suddenly, a large cat lunged right into him. Rainfur's breath was knocked out of him as the tom that was on him hissed. Rainfur gasped for air, instinctively unsheathing his claws. That was a mistake, for this just made the large tom atop of him grip harder with his claws.

"Stop!" Sweetpaw shrieked. "He didn't do anything!"

"He's a killer!" the large tom hissed. "He should not have come! I will not let him near my mate!" Sweetpaw then lunged, bringing the tom off of Rainfur. The tom was surprised.