Chapter Nine

We've done it. We've actually done it! We've made it to the territory of the great Clans! Lynx's words spin back through my head. WindClan is the fastest Clan, with a tendency for eating rabbits and a love of the open sky. I'm so excited I can't even speak, so the she-cat hisses again, "What are you doing on WindClan territory?"

"Please forgive us," Rose mews softly, bowing her head. "We've been looking to find a Clan for sunrises."

The she-cat turns back and exchanges a glance with her companions, who both shrug. Turning back to Rose, she asks, in a slightly calmer voice now, "Why have you been looking for a Clan?"

Before Rose can speak, Owl leaps to his paws, fur puffed up with excitement. Those amber eyes of his are sparkling with excitement now, reflecting his utter joy. "We'd like to join your Clan. That's why we've been searching."

One of the toms steps forward now, eyes narrowed in either confusion or hesitation, I wasn't sure which. His fluffy tail twitches ever so slightly back and forth, over and over again. "Bristlestream," he addresses the she-cat. "How could we be sure these cats are not infiltrators, planning to tear us apart from the inside?"

"They're hardly older than kits, Firetail," the she-cat, evidently known as Bristlestream, remarked sarcastically. "I don't think anyone would send kits to take over our camp."

Rose's eyes widened, and she turned and shot a horrified glance at me. I knew that she was also curious about why any cat would ever dare to infiltrate the camp of one of the Clans. Quietly, we sent a silent agreement between each other that we would wait until we were addressed to speak again. Had to seem kind, you know.

Firetail rolled his eyes and dug his claws into the heather-laced ground of the moor, upsetting dirt, which bundled around his claws. "I still say it's fishy. What if these three bring trouble to our Clan?"

Bristlestream sighed and stared up at the sky, an exasperated look upon her face. "You worry too much. I say we should take them to Skystar. See what he says." Turning back to the three, she asked in a curious tone, "What are your names?"

"I'm Owl," the tom spoke first, as he usually did.

"Rose."

"…Arachnid," I spat out, feeling the horrible word like a bitter piece of prey on my tongue and spitting it out before I had to take another bite. Rose and Owl stare at me, confused, and it takes me a second I haven't told them my full name yet. "But you can call me Ara," I said to Bristlestream, who smiled ever-so-slightly.

"We can't have a cat named Arachnid-call-me-Arapaw in the Clan, you know," Firetail remarked over Bristlestream's shoulder; her blue eyes flashed with anger.

"Then we can adjust. Spiderpaw would fit just the same purpose, and cats could still call her Ara, though I guess that would be kind of weird…ah, well. We'll deal with that when we get to camp." The black she-cat peered over her shoulder at the tom still hovering, watching, not making any move of any kind. "Firetail? Do you have anything to say?"

Firetail blinks, as if he doesn't like being put in the limelight, but I don't know how that could be – he had seemed so confident and maybe just a bit arrogant before! "I don't trust them," he finally spits out.

Well, that much was obvious. Sheesh. I groan inwardly.

"Please," Rose begs in her polite little voice. "We mean no threat to you. We just want to find a Clan."

Bristlestream smiles. "And I'm not going to stop you. Firetail, Amberfur, you run back along to Skystar and tell him we have new cats coming to join the Clan."

The two cats nod, though Firetail mutters under his breath before he turns away with a whip of his large, furry ginger tail. I watch with interest as they disappear into the heather. Would I ever be able to run like that? This is WindClan, cats of the moor…I can see Owl going that fast, maybe.

A shudder passes throughout my body before I can stop it, but not a shudder of fear or of horror, but a shudder of delight. It's been so long since I've had one of those the feeling is almost unfamiliar to me. We're at a Clan! We've made it! I can finally escape for real and carve my own destiny – a destiny where I'm not struck by spiders and cruel siblings around every corner!

Bristlestream turns to us, blue eyes sparkling, and I realize that she's almost as excited as we are. "So, are you ready to meet the Clan?"

Rose exhales, quivering slightly, while Owl's amber eyes are alight with delight. "Yeah," he breathes.

"I hope so," the tortoiseshell whispers.

All eyes turn to me. Am I ready? Am I ready to change my life, twist it upside down, meet new cats and have new adventures? Am I?

Memories flash through my mind – Tara pinning me down, her teeth at my throat, warm breath against the side of my face. Her whispers, the same whispers that still haunt my nightmares. I remember Widow's den, and her smile, as grim as the night itself.

"Yes," I say, with confidence brimming at the edge of my voice. "Yes, I am."

Bristlestream nods, and something tells me that I'm going to like her. She turns without another word, beckons with her tail to follow, and sprints off into the heather leaving not a trace behind except for her pawsteps and the dust she has stirred up. Rose, Owl and I stare at each other in awe, eyes wide and excited, before we take off after her too.

Maneuvering through the heather and rocks is actually a little harder than I had thought at first. Several times I slip on a stray rock that seems to just appear out of nowhere, and the dust being kicked up from Owl, who is right in front of me, blurs my vision and doesn't help any. I cough, trying to get it out of my system, then yelp as I realize I'm being left behind.

Rose is no better off than I am; in fact, she's doing worse. She can't seem to figure out where to put her paws, or how to position them to make it through the harsh moor. I feel pity for her, but don't know how to help her without seeming weak in front of this Clan.

Owl is doing great, like I suspected. His long, lanky legs and small frame are perfect for weaving in and out of the different aspects of the moorland, and he catches up with Bristlestream easily. She looks surprised, but doesn't question him, which only makes me irritated and more determined to keep up. I push my paws harder, and then all of a sudden the two in front of me have skidded to a halt, but I'm going too fast, and now Owl and I are tumbling head over heels through the dust into a slope of sorts. Cats are yowling but I can't make any one word out; I'm too dizzy. And then it stops.

I lift my head up, still slightly groggy, but blink as a new face appears in front of mine: a concerned face belonging to a blue-grey tom perhaps a little older than I am. His bright blue eyes seem to peer into me.

"Are you okay?" he asks, mew slightly over a chuckle.

Heat rises to my head; I fold my ears back and look away. "Yeah…just a little tumble. I'm fine."

He laughs. "If you say so. I'm Dewpaw, nice to meet you. You must be one of the new ones that Amberfur told me about." Dewpaw's eyes are bright and beautiful, a sky blue that seems like the shade you would see in dreams alone. I find myself staring.

Owl struggles out from underneath me, groaning, an irritated look on his face and in those clear amber eyes. "Hey, I'm one of the cats too! Yeah, isn't that cool?" There's an edge to his tone that I don't quite understand. Why does he seem so angry? Clearly Dewpaw is just trying to be nice.

The tom doesn't answer, studying me, though my eyes must be nowhere as nice as his in comparison. "What's your name?" he asks curiously.

"Owl!" comes an indignant voice from behind me.

"Arachnid," I breathe, heart suddenly beating way too fast. "But…but I like to be called Ara."

Before Dewpaw can say anything more, there's a skidding noise behind us and I see Bristlestream and Rose panting. "Are you alright?" Rose asks us both, eyes wide and panicked. It seemed she had been worrying. She had no need to – I was obviously okay. Maybe even more than okay. I was in a Clan! I had escaped my life!

"Fine," Owl grumbles, white fur puffed up for whatever reason. "Just fine."

Someone must have gotten on his nerves. Maybe he'd prefer joining a different Clan? Nah, he was perfect for WindClan. I couldn't seem to figure out what was wrong.

Dewpaw laughs and smiles, tipping his head to one side at me. "My father will want to see you three now," he meows in a smooth voice, a little high-pitched but nothing that makes me feel uncomfortable. "He's the leader, you know. Skystar."

"Finally you acknowledge my existence," Owl snaps, brushing off his coat with one of his paws and grunting.

Rose shoots him a worried glance, but turns back to Dewpaw. "So where is your father?" she asks, before staring up at something behind me, eyes going wide. I start to ask her what's wrong, when I feel a darkness like a shadow leaning over me. A shudder goes down my spine, and I know that I'm being watched. Turning slowly, hardly daring to move more than that, I look up and see the largest tom I've ever seen in my life. He's huge, with long, shaggy blue-grey fur and dark green eyes that seem to pierce my very soul. He pulls back his lips, revealing long, yellowed, jagged teeth. He looks like he's going to eat me up, and I shrink backward, terrified.

Dewpaw speaks then, his voice just as calm as ever. "Ara, meet my father…Skystar."