Impregnable

Prologue

"I want to show you something, hurry!" A cream she-cat cheered, dashing toward a hidden part of the misty forest. Behind the small she-cat's trail, a larger cat came barreling through, shaking the leaves, spraying an aroma of mist and flies into the air. Another set of paws followed, leaping off the ground with the strength of a warrior, dashing after the two white she-cats ahead. Her black pelt stuck out too much in the white forest, but her sharp eyes caught each little movement from the rustling of the two ahead.

     "Wait up! You're going way too fast!" One of them called, leaping off a branch. The cat in the lead glanced over her shoulder, claws gripping the branch tightly, tail whisked around the bumpy surface.

     Then she lunged into the air, flying above the she-cat on the ground. Her body was lean and swift in the air, paws nimble and tough at the same time. Reaching for the branch above, her front paws hooked around it, causing the tiny she-cat sitting on the branch to let out a yelp. Hanging with her front paws, the black she-cat tightened her muscles and swung her back legs up, locking all four paws on the branch, hoisting herself up.

     "Hey! You could've warned me that you were going to jump over my head!" roared the white she-cat below, stomping her feet on the ground angrily. "You could've hurt Cardinal, too!"

     Hearing her mate's protests, Cardinal smiled and leaned forward, trying to reach Icicle. "Don't worry about me, honest. Here, nothing can harm us and even if I lost my balance, I'd only get back up." The white she-cat on the ground didn't look happy but accepted the fact and the other cat on the branch rolled her eyes, licking her paw.

     "What did you want to show us so badly, Cherry?" she taunted, ignoring Icicle's next protest. Smirking, she turned to the little she-cat who smiled, brushing her old name off her shoulders. That name did stab the feisty cat below even more, and a series of hisses and snarls erupted from her.

     "I heard rumors that there's supposedly a pool around here that can show us the past or there's a cat waiting there to share some kind of information," Cardinal explained, whiskers twitching. "It sounded really cool and I couldn't help but want to find it myself! Granted, I'm not very strong and I wouldn't be prepared if something were to attack me from behind."

     "You really are dense, aren't you?" muttered the black she-cat.

     "Hey! This may be the Tribe of Endless Stars, but that doesn't mean cats from the other tribe will come over and attack! Shouldn't you know this by now, Imperfect?" Icicle growled, managing to crawl on the tree. Cardinal let out a little peep of shock when her mate forcefully grabbed her scruff and pulled her close. The black she-cat stayed there, a glimmer of amusement flashing through her blue eyes.

     "And aren't I enough proof that not all Imperfects go to that place? Look at Cinder and your supposed Alpha," she spat, a particular event coming into her mind of the two she-cats playing a prank on a group of cats and then running away as fast as their little legs could take them. The next day, the two returned for more mischief and ran away without getting caught.

     Nearby, there was a shuffle of leaves, and when all three of them turned their attention toward the noise, an orange tail disappeared in a bundle of leaves before they could get a full look at the cat. However, they didn't need a face to identify them, and they waited until the sounds of whispers faded away, leaving all of them in silence. Icicle slammed her mouth shut and Cardinal weakly beamed, smoothing her mate's fur with her pink tongue.

     "She's right, Icicle," she murmured. "No matter how you look at it, Tsunami's been very good to us despite our past lives. She doesn't mind that you love me and I love you, and she doesn't hold very many grudges against us. We should be grateful someone like her welcomed both of us so warmly."