Chapter Text
Rusty flicked his ears as he heard the kibble poured into his bowl. He tried to stay in the dream, but it was too late, the sound had woken him up. Padding over to his food bowl, he started chewing on the dry brown pallets. He ate enough of the stuff to keep himself full and then headed outside through his cat flap.
It was a pleasant surprise to see Smudge already sitting on his fence, waiting for him.
“Hi Smudge,” Rusty greeted while leaping onto the fence, “How’s your paw feeling now?”
Smudge raised the paw that Rusty had just mentioned. “It’s pretty much fine now! My housefolk took me to the vet yesterday. I’m pretty sure that my housefolk were supposed to keep me inside but they gave in after I scratched and meowed at the flap the entire morning.”
It was good that his friend was feeling better. Rusty had more to say to Smudge, however. “I think I’ll go look in the forest today. Last night I had this dream that felt so real! I was hunting for something in there, but I woke up before I could catch it.”
“The forest? Didn’t Henry catch a sparrow there once?” Smudge meowed.
Rusty couldn’t hold back a snort. “Henry? Have you seen him? Wait, you can see him right there.”
The ginger tom and the patched tom watched Henry, who was sunning himself lazily in his bed. “No way that cat caught anything!”
Smudge defended Henry, but Rusty didn’t really care and was getting impatient now. “I’ll be off into the forest now. Take care!”
“What? Now? It’s dangerous! Rusty! The wildcats-” The ginger tom however did not take notice of the warning and leaped off his fence, pushing past the first few bushes which bordered his fence and the forest.
-o0o-
Rusty stalked through the forest, his natural instinct helping him stay quiet, A dark red form caught his attention. He started to sneak around it, watching. His attention was diverted however by a mouse scuttling in the undergrowth just a few taillengths away.
Trying to not make a sound , Rusty drew close to the mouse. Eventually, he was close enough to see the mouse nibbling on a seed.
Should he attack now? Or just wait for another second-
“Pounce, now!”
Rusty did not know who had said that, but the voice startled him into following its instructions. His form was not good, but the mouse was distracted by the seed and couldn’t scurry out of the way.
Wow… Rusty looked at the mouse, limp, and impaled on his claws.
He was so ecstatic by the catch that he temporarily forgot about the voice that had helped him. Where was that cat?
There was no cat to be seen and Rusty could only hear the birds chirping.
He decided that he would go take this mouse back to show Smudge. Perhaps he could somehow persuade his friend to go with him another day.
As Rusty was approaching his fence, however, a grey form emerged out of some undergrowth and leaped at him.
Rusty was bowled over by the grey cat’s first leap and dropped his mouse. He wriggled free to look at the attacker more closely. It was just a kitten! Rusty could tell that they were about the same age, but the other kitten was still bigger than him.
What should he do now? He could just retreat into his yard, but then the little grey tom would take his mouse! Rusty turned around to face his attacker. He would have to somehow ward him off long enough to get his mouse back into his house,
Both toms tumbled around, occasionally lashing out with a paw. Just as Rusty was about to give up, the voice spoke again. “He lashes out with both front paws, leaving his belly exposed .”
Huh… Rusty waited for “Downy,” the name he had made for the grey kitten, to strike. Downy did in fact leave his fluffy belly undefended. After a few more blows, Rusty saw that Downy was about to do the same thing again! He kicked out with his hind legs and launched the other tom into the air .
Rusty was just thinking that he could take his mouse back finally , until the undergrowth rustled again, revealing two much older and stronger cats. Rusty fluffed his fur up and kept his tail over his mouse.
“That is enough,” the blue she-cat spoke. The large golden tom next to her walked over to Downy and helped him up by his scruff.
“Graypaw, what are you doing so near the Twolegplace? Just another foxlength and you’ll be in that kittypet’s nest.”
Downy, or Graypaw, looked quite abashed. “Sorry, Lionheart. I was just scenting a mouse that had come this way, but then this kittypet caught it!”
Rusty subconsciously copied Graypaw, crouching lower to not stand out in front of these wildcats. Perhaps he should have stayed to listen to Smudge. The patched tom had said something about the wildcats, something he had not heard.
The blue she-cat looked at Graypaw. “Yes, we already know.”
Rusty was surprised. How had he not noticed them? Lionheart then said, “Bluestar and I are impressed, Graypaw. You attacked the intruder bravely, and now you know a flaw in your fighting.”
Graypaw glanced over at Rusty. “Well, I guess thanks kittypet. Now I can become even stronger and be the best warrior in all the clans!”
Rusty sat there dumbfounded as Graypaw gave him a nudge as if he hadn’t just attacked him a few seconds ago!
He felt even more astounded as the Bluestar meowed, “I have been wondering how you would perform out here, beyond the Twolegplace. We patrol this border frequently, so I have often seen you sitting on your boundary, staring out into the forest. And now, at last, you have dared to place your paws here.”
Bluestar stared at Rusty thoughtfully. “You do seem to have a natural hunting ability . Sharp eyes. You also managed to catch that mouse. It was good to see that you snapped out of your hesitation and pounced. Had you waited for just a second longer, the mouse would run off.”
He was just beginning to process the praise when Lionheart prompted, “Bluestar. He is a Twoleg pet. We should send him back into his yard, without the mouse, as that is ThunderClan prey.
Without his mouse? Rusty couldn’t believe it! Even though the wildcats lived in the forest, they couldn’t just take what he had caught.
It was just one mouse! He opened his mouth to tell Lionheart, but was interrupted by that voice again! “There is never enough food to go around. Choose your next words wisely.”
Rusty made sure to follow the voice's advice as it had been helping him the entire time.“I’m sorry if you need this mouse… but maybe we can make a deal? I can show this mouse to my friends and then give it back to you at dusk.”
“Dusk, you say,” Bluestar replied.
Was she considering it? Rusty pricked his tail up in anticipation. He knew that he hadn’t really considered eating the mouse, as he just wanted it as a… “trophy.”
Lionheart however wasn’t amused. “Bluestar, we could just chase him off here and now. There's no need to paw around.”
“Bluestar is the leader, and she has the final say. Keep that in mind,” the voice reminded Rusty.
So, all he had to do was make sure Lionheart couldn’t convince Bluestar! Maybe he just had to distract them long enough.
“Is survival here really so hard?” he asked at random.
“Our territory covers only part of the forest,” answered Bluestar. “We compete with other Clans for what we have. And this year, late newleaf means prey is scarce.”
“Is your Clan very big ?” Rusty meowed.
“Pretty big.”
Rusty glanced at the three cats surrounding him. No reaction.
“Big enough,” replied Bluestar. “Our territory can support us, but there is no prey left over.”
“Are you all warriors, then?” Rusty mewed.
Bluestar’s guarded answers were just making him more and more curious. Lionheart answered him. “Some are warriors. Some are too young or too old or too busy caring for kits to hunt.”
Perhaps Lionheart was now distracted enough that Bluestar would take the deal?
Bluestar looked at Lionheart. The golden tabby stared back at her, his gaze sharpening as he guessed what she would say next. At last, she returned her gaze to Rusty and meowed, “Perhaps you should find out these things for yourself. Would you like to join ThunderClan?”
“Yes!” the voice shouted. Rusty however was a bit hesitant. He did want to, but how about the cats he would be leaving behind?
As he was thinking this, Graypaw blurted out , “But kittypets can’t be warriors! They don’t have warrior blood!”
A sad look clouded Bluestar’s eyes. “Warrior blood,” she echoed with a sigh. “Too much of that has been spilled lately.”
Bluestar fell silent and Lionheart meowed, “Bluestar is only offering you training, young kit. There is no guarantee you will 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 that Bluestar does not make this offer lightly,” warned Lionheart. “If you wish to train with us, we will have to 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 Rusty’s 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?” asked Bluestar gently. “But do you realize the price 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 haven’t 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 are many mouths to feed. But the rewards are 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.”
“Come, Bluestar, let’s not waste any more time here. We must be ready to join the other patrol at moonhigh. Tigerclaw will wonder what has become of us.” Lionheart stood up and flicked his tail expectantly.
“Wait,” Rusty meowed. “I accept, but I want to say goodbye to my friends first. I understand that I can’t go back, so I want to give them a proper goodbye.”
Bluestar nodded. “Lionheart will be here at sundown- dusk. Bring the mouse with you. That can be used as your offering to join ThunderClan as an apprentice.”
Rusty stood up enthusiastically. He could join ThunderClan, and show the mouse to Smudge! “Thank you, Bluestar. And Lionheart!”
He watched as Bluestar signalled for Lionheart and Greypaw, and all three wildcats’ tails disappeared into the forest. Today was truly something! It was already past sunhigh however, so he only had a few hours left until his initiation into ThunderClan.
Rusty was quivering with excitement so much that he slipped when jumping onto his fence and had to awkwardly scrabble his way up .
-o0o-
“Smudge! Smudge! I have to talk to you!”
He was almost certain that Smudge didn’t hear him until the said tom emerged from his house. “Heya Rusty, what’s got your fluff in a twist?”
Rusty paused, not sure how to tell his old friend what had happened. “I met some wild cats,” he began.
“What!” Smudge was clearly shocked. “Did you get into a fight?”
“Sort of.” Rusty could feel the energy surging through his body again as he recalled the strength and power of the Clan cats.
“Were you hurt? What happened?” Smudge prompted him eagerly.
“There were three of them. Bigger and stronger than any of us.”
“And you fought all three of them!” Smudge interrupted, his tail twitching with excitement.
“No!” Rusty mewed hastily. “Just the youngest one; the other two came later.”
“How come they didn’t shred you to pieces?”
“They just warned me to leave their territory. But then…” Rusty hesitated.
“What!” mewed Smudge impatiently. “They asked me to join their Clan.”
Smudge’s whiskers quivered disbelievingly.
“They did!” Rusty insisted.
“Why would they do that?”
“Bluestar- one of the cats, said that they could use some extra paws in their clan,” Rusty answered.
“Sounds a bit odd to me,” said Smudge. “It’ll also be horrible! There’d be no housefolk to feed you!”
“They don’t need housefolk,” Rusty purred softly. “And I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to join them.”
Smudge scrambled down from the fence and stood in front of Rusty. “Please don’t go, Rusty,” he mewed in alarm. “I might never see you again.”
Rusty nudged him affectionately with his head. “Don’t worry. My housefolk will probably get another cat. You’ll get on with them just fine. You get along with everyone!”
“But it won’t be the same!” Smudge wailed.
“It’ll all turn out alright Smudge.”
Rusty had planned to say goodbye to a few more cats that he had known, but he couldn’t just leave his best friend alone. The last hours of his life in his housefolk den were with Smudge, reminiscing about everything they had done together.
-o0o-
“Bye Smudge!” Rusty called, surrounded by the trees of the forest . His new home.
“Goodbye, Rusty,” Smudge called back, perched on his fence.