Outcasts of the Stars: Exiles (Book 1)

Chapter 2

            All four clanmates pushed through the thorn bushes at the edge of camp. They were greeted by lush ferns and trees that separated the camp from a secluded meadow. Oh how wonderful! If we claim this as our territory then I can still go out without the trees bothering me all the time... They skirted the meadow and climbed over piles of massive stone. On their way the forest was alive with sounds that accompanied the search like music.

              Starlingfur began to lag behind the group. "What? Tired already?" Branchtail mewed. "N-no I, my paw, I'm losing feeling in it!" Gorsethorn rushed over to take a look. "Oh. Don't worry, theres just a thorn that's really deep."
She crouched down and grabbed the thorn with her teeth, grimacing as blood gushed out from his paw as it was removed. "Ow! Did you have to be so rough?" "Sorry. You might want to stay off that paw for a while."

                The patrol pushed on, through bushes and rough undergrowth. Eventually, Quickwind saw something interesting. "Hey look, that tree over there is huge!" The others gasped in awe as they saw said tree, looming far above the others in the distance. "That looks like it could be a special place, lets go head for it." Branchtail bounded to the head of the patrol and ran ahead, not waiting for the other cats to catch up.
                 When they arrived, they were greeted by what looked like a massive cave at the base of the tree. "I call dibs on getting in there first!" Starlingfur mewed playfully. He struggled with his injured paw but managed to scramble up into the cavern entrance. The others joined him, and took the first steps in.

                   At the base of the hole was a large puddle, surrounded by glowing moss. It was dark, but the moss lit the area just enough for the cats to see what was happening. "Do you think this is the place?" Starlingfur whispered. Gorsethorn flicked her tail, "Looks pretty sacred to me." Branchtail scored his claws on the wooden floor impatiently. "Well how do you suppose we talk to Starclan? Do we splash around in the puddle?" Quickwind nudged him, "Don't be silly. Maybe we should try what the cats did at the moonpool back home, but leave out the drinking of the water since that puddle seems awfully small..."

                      Gorsethorn was the first to try it, touching her muzzle to the puddle and closing her eyes. Everyone sat there, frozen in place in anticipation of what might happen. This went on for a few heartbeats until Gorsethorn sat up, frustrated. "Did something bad happen?" Quickwind asked. "Ugh, nothing happened at all! What do we do now?" Each cat gave unsure glances to one another, until Branchtail spoke up.

                       "Maybe it only works at night? I used to be friends with a clanmate of mine who occasionally was visited by dead cats, and he told me that they left when he woke up." "You may have a point there, so why don't we try waiting until moonhigh?" Starlingfur mewed. "Sounds good to me, I guess" Gorsethorn replied crossly.

                       "It's still early in the day, so we could probably spend time marking where we want the edges of our territory to be." Quickwind suggested. The other cats mewed agreement, and they left the cavern. They decided that including the Glowing Tree in their territory wouldn't be smart, because of how long of a trek that would take. They ventured out as a patrol until they once again hit the rock pile. Branchtail set the first markings, right around the edges of the pile, and continuing on to the surrounding trees.

                         Each cat participated until their own territory was thurally marked. They crossed back over the scent line and headed for the trees as the sun set behind them. By the time they reached the Glowing Tree, it was just before moonhigh. The cats made their way into the cavern again, hopes rising as the moss around the puddle grew brighter with every heartbeat. As each cat took their place, the moon's light traveled to the puddle surface from a hole in the roof, illuminating the puddle in a spectacle of true beauty.