-The Cat Clan-

-Prologue-

Wind blew over the rocks, making ghostly noises as One Ear padded up to the woods, his black fur bristling and his tail twitching. The woods towered over him, big and majestic. Leaves crunched as his paws led him into the dark canopy. His one ear turned this way and that, listening for any sign of movement. A mouse scurried behind him and a crow flew overhead, but no other sound came; not even the falling of a leaf.  The moon shown through the trees’ leaves, casting dancing movements on the forest floor. One Ear muscles ached; he’d been walking all night, and had hunted all day.
Soon he found a small crack between two rocks underneath a large oak. Inside he heard slow, steady breathing. A cat! I thought there were no cats here! He thought. Peering in, One Ear spotted an orange cat with one white paw and a scar over an eye sleeping peacefully. One Ear backed away quietly, then heard a loud yowl of grief. One Eye froze, his heart beating wildly. Is he awake? What will he do? He looks pretty strong…. One Ear shook. COWARD! You can fight him! He thought, and raised his hackles. But no more sound came but the wild beating of One Ear’s heart and the blood rushing in his ears. Then it hit him. Flea brain! He thought. He’s still sleeping! One Ear felt a pang of pity for the cat. He must having a nightmare. One Ear had an urge to wake him, but the cat might be hostile, so he crept away instead.
As he stepped over smooth pebbles by a river, he suddenly felt as though he could walk no more. The river rushing soothed him, and his eyes drooped. He settled down on the sand on the side and allowed sleep to overcome him. I can continue another day….

“Hello?”

One Ear opened his eyes and jumped into the sky. A furry white she-kit stood staring at him with green eyes. She looked as though she were almost an adult, but not quite. One Eye relaxed. He licked a paw and ran it over his ear. The kit watched him. One Ear stretched and sat, unsure of what to say. Fortunately, the white she-kit started the conversation for him.
“What are you doing here?” she asked. “I’ve only seen my mother and father on The Shores.” One Eye drew a line in the sand with a claw nervously.
“I was just passing through. Do you know a scared orange tom? I-” but that’s as far as he got. The small white cat had ducked inside some reeds, her furry pelt shivering. She looked around with wide eyes, seeking the cat that One Ear spoke of.
“N-no. My mother is orange, but she has no scar, and she also has three white paws. She does have an enemy, though- a short-haired ginger tom with one white paw and a scar over one eye- Scare. She told me of him. He used to be a hero, but it got to his head and he was cast out, but anger seized him and he attacked my mother. He would have really hurt her, but my father, Drip, attacked him as well as my grandfather and mother. My grandfather gave him a scar over one eye and together they cast him out. I could tell you the version my mother tells me, if you want. But I advise you to stay away from him. Anyway, where did you learn of him?” One Ear was surprised at the small she-kit. She certainly knows a lot for a kit. One Ear twitched his tail tip as he let the words sink in. Finally he drew a breath and answered.
“Oh.. around. Cat’s talk,” he lied. “Anyway, what’s your name?” The kit let out a mew of amusement.
“I’m Feather. What’s your name? One Ear, I suppose? Not to be rude!” The she-kit answered. One Eye nodded.
“Yes, actually,” he said. Feather nodded respectfully and leaped on an empty clam shell and rolled around several times, as if fighting hard prey. Finally she mimicked a killing blow, licked her paw, and turned to One Eye, a glimmer of an adventurous spirit in her eyes. She settled down on the sandy shoreline and licked her paw again.
“Do you want the full story? Of me?” she asked hopefully. One Eye decided not to disappoint the young kit and nodded. Feather meowed with excitement and began….

“My mother, River, lived with a group of cats called, ‘Lion Pouncing’. She lived with her mate-to-become, Drip, and his mother and father, as hers had died. She often played around a group of stones called ‘mountain’, as she called it, until she grew to be a couple more moons old then I, and mated Drip. Soon before she became pregnant with me, an evil cat named Faster Stream came and tried to take over. He put the cats into labor, and if they did a thing wrong, he would claw them. If they dared step up to him, he would gather cats and attack the one that had stood up and torture her, then kill her. Then, Scar, who was know as Ginger Fur, gathered many cats and drove off Faster Stream. He was a hero! Cats all over congratulated him, until he decided he was worthy to become leader of Lion Pouncing, but the true leader, Pouncer, wouldn’t step down, so Ginger Fur attacked him. He was drove out as I said, and left bearing the name, ‘Scar.’ Then River became pregnant with me, Frog, and Ink. She thought it too dangerous to stay in Lion Pouncing, so she moved here- a perfect place with a river and short, flat rocks to play on.  And it IS perfect- for kits. But I’m a big cat now!”

“Yes….” agreed One Eye. But a feeling of dread washed over him.

I don’t want to run into any more cats-  certainly not Scar….