CHAPTER 2

“Well? ” hissed Bluestar, her face only a mouse-length from

his now. Lionheart remained silent as he towered over

Rusty.

He flattened his ears and crouched under the golden

warrior’s cold stare. His fur prickled uncomfortably. “I am no

threat to your Clan, ” he mewed, looking down at his

trembling paws.

“You threaten our Clan when you take our food, ” yowled

Bluestar. “You have plenty of food in your Twoleg nest

already. You come here only to hunt for sport. But we hunt to

survive. ”

The truth of the warrior queen’s words pierced Rusty like

a blackthorn, and suddenly he understood her anger. He

stopped trembling, sat up, and straightened his ears. He

raised his eyes to meet hers. “I had not thought of it that

way before. I am sorry, ” he meowed solemnly. “I wil not hunt

here again. ”

Bluestar let her hackles fal and signaled to Lionheart to

step back. “You are an unusual kittypet, Rusty, ” she

meowed.

Graypaw’s sigh of relief made Rusty’s ears twitch. He

heard the approval in Bluestar’s voice and noticed as she

swapped a meaningful glance with Lionheart. The look

made him curious. What flashed between the two warriors?

Quietly he asked, “Is survival here real y so hard? ”

“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, his eyes wide.

“Big enough, ” replied Bluestar. “Our territory can support

us, but there is no prey left over. ”

“Are you al 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. ”

“And you al live and share prey together? ” Rusty

murmured in awe, thinking a little guiltily of his own easy,

selfish life.

Bluestar looked again at Lionheart. The golden tabby

stared back at her steadily. 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? ”

Rusty was so surprised, he couldn’t speak.

Bluestar went on: “If you did, you would train with

Graypaw to become a Clan warrior. ”

“But kittypets can’t be warriors! ” Graypaw blurted out.

“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 spil ed

lately. ”

Bluestar fel silent and Lionheart meowed, “Bluestar is

only offering you training, young kit. There is no guarantee

you would become a ful warrior. It might prove too difficult

for you. After al, 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

wil 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 wil 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 tel that you are stil 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 wil demand

great loyalty and hard work. You wil be expected to protect

the Clan with your life if necessary. And there are many

mouths to feed. But the rewards are great. You wil remain

a tom. You wil be trained in the ways of the wild. You wil

learn what it is to be a real cat. The strength and the

fel owship of the Clan wil always be with you, even when

you hunt alone. ”

Rusty’s head reeled. Bluestar seemed to be offering him

the life he had lived so many times, and so tantalizingly, in

his dreams, but could he live like that for real?

Lionheart interrupted his thoughts. “Come, Bluestar, let’s

not waste any more time here. We must be ready to join the

other patrol at moonhigh. Tigerclaw wil wonder what has

become of us. ” He stood up and flicked his tail expectantly.

“Wait, ” Rusty meowed. “Can I think about your offer? ”

Bluestar looked at him for a long moment and nodded.

“Lionheart wil be here tomorrow at sunhigh, ” she told him.

“Give him your answer then. ”

Bluestar murmured a low signal, and in a single

movement the three cats turned and disappeared into the

undergrowth.

Rusty blinked. He stared—excited, uncertain—up past

the ferns that encircled him, through the canopy of leaves,

to the stars that glittered in the clear sky. The scent of the

Clan cats stil hung heavy in the evening air. And as Rusty

turned and headed for home, he felt a strange sensation

inside him, tugging him back into the depths of the forest.

His fur prickled deliciously in the light wind, and the rustling

leaves seemed to whisper his name into the shadows.