DTUFF

“Ratfang, the Pine welcomes you to our ranks and praises you for your loyalty, your bravery, and last but not least, your positive messages.”

“Ratfang! Ratfang!” The brown tom sat silently, though he ducked his head slightly.

“Jackdaw.” Swiftdapple’s gaze fixed onto the small black cat, who met her gaze with excitement.

“Who the Sky are you?” Adderfang yelped as a golden she-cat stood over him, her teeth curled into a snarl as her blue gaze blazed through his. “You’re not from around here!”

“You’re one of those Group kitties,” the cat spat befire sitting back in her haunches, licking her paw. “I’ve heard of you. And for your information, I am from around here. My name is Swift and you have heard of me, I presume? Wow, you have a lot of fur on you!”

“I do,” Adderfang muttered. “It keeps me warm in leaf-bare.”

“Found her!” Swift’s ear twitched. A brown tom trotted out of the bushes, a black tom following after several heartbeats later, though more nervously. “Swift, quit trying to run off on us! You did bring us back here after we got exiled.”

“Ratfang!” Adderfang’s fur bristled until he tipped his head to the side. “Jackdaw? Why are you with this cat? I thought you were driven out of the forest.” I don’t trust them. They were a bunch of troublemakers before they were exiled.

“Swift brought us back,” Jackdaw purred. “We went far away until she found us like mice. Now we’re back.” His blue gaze was wide with happiness, and then he became distracted by a fluttering butterfly, trying to catch it as he chased after it.

“The young one speaks the truth,” Swift grunted. “The young kit one, I mean, not the young annoying one.”

Ratfang’s ears flattened. “Hey!”

“Hello.” Swift waved her tail at the tom jokingly. “Now fluffball, take me to your camp or else I shall happily guide myself.” She fell down by his paws while Ratfang let out a sigh.

“Swift, you know Adderfang isn't going to take us that easily.”

“I don't care ratface! I do things my own way. If you want to staymout here and get eaten by a mange-pelt like a fox, then you have my blessing,” Swift retorted. Adderfang stared bewilderedly at the she-cat. I thought all she-cats were sweet and gentle! This one’s different!

“Don't you call me that!” Ratfang retorted, crouching low to the ground as if he was thinking of pouncing on the cat.

“I just did. What are you going to do about it, wail like a kit?” Swift questioned. She then turned to Adderfang. “Take me to your leader, whomever that may be. Just don’t lead me to a ditch and throw me in there like some fox-heart tried to do to get rid of me.”

“What? I’m not fox-hearted, and you were the one who ran and fell into it!” Ratfang frowned.

Swiftdapple turned as a ghostly brown tim stood in front of her, his claws unsheathed, tearing off clumps of grass. She gasped, her eyes stretched back as the tom was Mud, the former leader of the Shadow, which was then renamed Mud’s Cats.

“You!” she exclaimed, and couldn't help but show her shock and surprise. “You don’t believe in the Sky? Mouse-dung, now we’re stuck with each other forever!”

Mud’s ears twitched as he shook his head slowly and repeatedly. “I am afraid that will never happen,” he replied emotionlessly. “You see, I admire your fighting skills and the fact you, as much as I would never admit to any living cat, are a good villain.”

Swiftdapple narrowed her gaze suspicously. “Do you think I’d really be mouse-brained enough to believe in a word you say?” she questioned. “You may have had Ratfang and many other cats wrapped around your tail, but you'll never have me.”

“Of course I know that,” Mud muttered under his breath. “I have feelings, as much as you would never think nor believe. I was evil and wanted to kill, root by root, your home—the Pine—in revenge for my father.”

Swiftdapple’s ears flicked up. He’s referring to that story Fallenpetal told me before, she realized. “Mud, you have no parents,” she told him straightforwardly. “Fallenpetal—your so-called mother—only looked after you because your true parents abandoned you in the forest.”

Mud’s yellow gaze blazed with defiance. “That isn't true!” he hissed, his tail lashing as he crouched lowly. “My only parent was Reedtail. Fallenpetal is dead to me—and she even deserved her death! I have no mother.”

“Wrong. Reedtail wasn’t your father, either. He and Snowflower took you into the Pine after finding you and Russetsky in the forest.” Mud was listening, half-interested even if he didn't believe it. “Russetsky. . . I think he might be your kin though Fallenpetal says you aren't.”

“No way! Him and I are never going to be kin! As far as I'm concerned, my only kin is Reedtail.”

Swiftdapple’s tail twitched with annoyance. “Listen, stupid furball!” she growled.

“Swiftdapple, I am sorry, but you can never walk with the Sky Cats for your terrible crimes,” Fallenpetal told her with sorrow, as if each word had pained her and tore through her like thorns. “I never wanted it to turn out like this.”

Swiftdapple’s eyes blazed with fury, her mew full of disbelief as she tried holding back her anger. “What? How can you reject me? I am loyal and I only served justice! All the cats I killed deserved it for their lies.” Her voice was a low growl.

Fallenpetal sensed her anger but still kept calm. “It is not my decision to make, my former campmate. Your sins cannot be forgiven however much you believe you were doing the right thing.”

Many other cats appeared in a circle by Fallenpetal. Tallcloud, Ebonyfur, Nightbreeze and several other cats stood out among them. She tried looking for Russetsky, who had been killed by Mud, but couldn't spot him in the crowd. Why isn't he here?

Two small kits scampered out of the crowd towards the dappled cat, purring, their eyes wide with happiness, though they were too young to understand what was really happening.

“My kits, my precious little kits!” Swiftdapple purred as she swept them close to her with her tail. “Oh, how much I’ve missed you.”

Shyleaf did all the talking since her sister Mintfur was mute. “Mama, we misses you. Fallenpetal took good care of us while you were gone,” she squeaked.

Fallenpetal looked away, her green gaze full of regret. “Kits, I am so sorry. . . You will never be able to go near your mother again, however much you want to.” Her mew was quiet and pained.

Shyleaf tilted her head to the side. “What do you mean? Mama’s here, silly.”

Fallenpetal shook her head. “No, Shyleaf. Swiftdapple does not belong with us. She. . . she has to go to the Forest of Fire for the rest of her life. You will never see her again.”

Swiftdapple flattened her ears as she stared bitterly at the black she-cat. “Stop trying to steal my kits from me!” she hissed. “Wherever I go, they go, too. We’re a family.”

“I looked after and tried being a mother to kits once. They were Russetsky and Mud. Do you think I got let off easily, knowing one of the cats I saw as a son is a burden to the lake? Do you even know how it feels to have him disown you and blame you for the death of an evil warrior who sought  only bloodshed? He’s evil yet as his mother I still love him no matter what. I didn’t need to give birth to them for them to be my kits.”

“You never had kits. Every cat knows that.”

My name is Swift. I am a newcomer to the Moor Cats, formerly a rogue who was soon the run from a bunch of bloodthirsty cats. I like it here; it's peaceful and full of space. I can always feel the wind ruffle my fur.

Nightbreeze walks up to me. I don't like her but Brightclaw and Rubble insist on me befriending her just because they happen to like her. “Hello,” she greets warily. I mumble a greeting in return just to be polite.

Brightclaw stares hopelessly at me but I don't care too much, and he lets out a long sigh as if he didn't know what to do. “Come meet Mud,” the ginger tom offers. “He’s one of my closest friends. He’s not that bad once you get to know him.”

In other words, you mean he's a useless pile of crowfood. I bite back my comment because I didn't feel like starting a fight. “Fine,” I mew through gritted teeth. I follow the tom to a brown tom who was sharpening his claws on a scrap of bones, leftovers of some fresh-kill.

“Mud, this is Swift.” The tom immediately rises to his paws, his yellow gaze burning through mine as he stares down at me. He wasn't that much taller but it was clear he was trying to look more intimidating.

“That new cat?” Mud questions.

“Well, you don't say! Looks like we have a tom who can actually see around here through opened eyes! No, I'm sorry, I am not Swift. Well, you're certainly a clever one, aren't you?” I answer sarcastically.

Mud twitches his ears while his gaze darkens, his sharp fangs baring into a snarl. “You, pipsqueak, don't talk to me like that,” he growled.