Broken Reflection

Chapter 2

A loud roaring filled Echoheart's ears as she blinked open her eyes. Unfamiliar cats milled around her, busy in the early morning. 

All the memories flooded back to her again. She, Whispersong, and Bumblefrost had found the mountain cats at last! They'd arrived here just two days ago, and the Tribe cats had taken them to the Tribe leader: the Teller of the Pointed Stones, or just Stoneteller. He had seemed pleased to see them, saying that he'd received a sign from the mountain cats' ancestors moons ago, and that they'd told him two foreign cats would soon find them. Echoheart had been shocked. Another StarClan?  she had thought. Another set of warrior ancestors?

Echoheart shook her thoughts away and looked around her. Whispersong and Bumblefrost were sharing tongues a few tail-lengths away, while some of the Tribe cats goggled at them. They acted like they'd never seen another cat before! But then again, Echoheart realized, they hadn't ever seen a cat outside their Tribe before. No other cats lived here in the harsh weather. Just the Tribe of Rushing Water.

Echoheart yawned.

Whispersong turned and exclaimed, "You're awake, finally!"

Bumblefrost turned to her too. "Moth offered to take us on a hunting patrol, so that while we're here we can learn their ways."

Echoheart nodded. "Alright." Moth that Flies at Night had been one of the first mountain cats they'd met, along with Rain that Falls from Sky and Flower that Grows from Soil.

Echoheart turned to Bumblefrost. "When are we leaving?"

The DayClan warrior shrugged.

"I hope we'll be able to catch something," Whispersong murmured. "I don't want to look like we can't hunt, like we're weak and pathetic."

Bumblefrost licked her cheek. "I'm sure we will; we're warriors."

Suddenly Echoheart heard a loud squealing behind her, and she turned her head. Two black- and gray-patched kits were racing after each other, laughing as they tumbled across the stone floor.

"Night! Howl!" A brown- and black-patched she-cat was racing after the two kits, who'd crashed into a large, dark brown tom.

The brown tom chuckled. "Oh, don't worry about them, Moss. They're just kits, after all."

"I suppose," Moss sighed.

"Am I going to be a cave-guard like you, Screech?" one of the kits asked the brown tom.

Screech shrugged. "Stoneteller will decide at your to-be naming ceremony."

Cave-guard? To-be?  Echoheart felt so confused.

"Come on," Moss told her two kits.

One of them followed, but the other stayed behind, staring up admiringly at Screech.

"Howl," Moss called, and edge to her voice.

"Yeah, Howl, come on," taunted the kit's sister. "I'm going to get to the den first!" Then she turned and raced ahead, her black and gray fur disappearing inside an inner cave.

"Night, that's not fair! You didn't say go!" Howl called, racing after his sister.

Moss shook her head and sighed, then followed her kits into the cave.

"Ready?"

Echoheart turned around at the voice and saw Moth, a large, thick-furred, dark gray tom with amber eyes.

"Yes," Whispersong replied, yawning as she arched her back in a stretch.

Bumblefrost nodded and got to his paws as well.