Our heads snapped towards the exit of the den, to see Ra standing outside, looking in. He jumped in, but in his eyes you could see they hadn't fully adjusted to such darkness.
SmokeTail just stood still, looking at Ra. Ra had his ears pressed on back his head. But as his eyes adjusted to the dark, his ears pricked up.
"SmokeTail. It's been along time old friend" Ra sat down. He knows SmokeTail?
"Yes it has, R. You know my niece?" He asked. It sounded strange being called niece. Why is he calling him R? He said 'old friend' if he's an old friend he should know three letters of Ra's name. Ra nodded. "My apprentice when we were still at The Horizon Clan. We're now on our way to The Peace Clan. I thought it would be the best place for her." Ra said.
SmokeTail nodded. He knew The Peace Clan was my parents old clan? But he didn't tell me.
"And you knew she was my niece?" SmokeTail asked. "I guessed so. She looks too much like you." Ra said.
"Well, we best be off. There's no time to waste" Ra said. SmokeTail looked at me as if asking me if I wanted to stay.
Just me and you. Ra then looked at me too with a suspicious look.

"I..." I began. Yes, there are many down sides. No clan, leader, or cats my age. I will have to leave Gentle, Better, Backstab, Snicker, Flower, Blackhawk and Ra. Yes, I do have so many questions to ask Flower and Ra. But think of the up sides. SmokeTail knows so much about this shadow stuff. Plus, this is my one chance to be with family! I wish I could be with mother, father, and StripeTail, but now I have the chance to be with family! Plus, he knows so much about the shadow and my family and clan, that I have no idea about. This is an advantage! Maybe if I don't like it, SmokeTail can lead me there. It's only a days walk away...

"I...will stay..." The words barely escaped my mouth. "Thank whiskers! I might go crazy if I keep living on my own." SmokeTail looked quiet happy. Did I make the right choice? Is it safer at The Peace Clan? Will he be mad if I take it back?

Ra nodded at me. He looked some what disappointed. "Come around soon R" SmokeTail nodded with a smile clear across his face.
Why is he calling him R again? They're friends he should know more letters...unless he's just saying R so I don't know the rest...? I suppose it's the best explanation.

"Bye Ra." I said. I was somewhat disappointed I'd have to leave all these cats. And Blackhawk. How could I live without Blackhawk?
Ra nodded at us both, then ran off.
"How much of his name do you know?" SmokeTail asked. "Ra" I replied. "Excellent! It feels like it was years ago when I'd still call him R!" SmokeTail chuckled. "Well... It was years ago."
"How much do you know?" I asked, hopping he'd tell me all the letters he knew. Curiosity was who I am.
"Ra- hey I see what your doing" SmokeTail grinned. I shrugged.

There was a long pause. "You made the right choice. There's so much you can learn here." SmokeTail said, sensing that I was unsure of my decision.
My biggest regret was Blackhawk. He was like family. How can it be just me and you without Blackhawk?

"Alright, let's get some rest, tomorrow you need to learn to be a lone cat." He said to me. I nodded and curled in the corner of the dark den.
My eyes closed, and sleep swept over me.

"Stay... Away...from them all..."
A voice echoed in my ears.
"Who? Stay away from who?" I asked. "Them all " The voice repeated.
"Everyone? Why would I stay away from everyone?" I asked.
"You will only cause pain." The voice said. I couldn't tell who it was.
"I would never!" I almost hissed.
"Oh, yes...you will." I could tell who it was now. Neako. But why was he giving me this warning?

"You must stay away....from everyone." He said again.
"That's what I do." A different voice said, clearer, and not as far away as Neako's voice. It was Vamp.
Everything was black. Nobody was there. Until finally Vamp appeared, his black fur blending in with the black background. "Are you really Vamp? Or are you just a dream?" I asked.
"I am Vamp. And I have come to warn you." He said. "You can visit dreams? How?" I asked. All I was doing was asking questions, but I was a curious kitten. Plus, questions are important for me to learn. "Come to me...when your eight months old... Come to me." He said. "Where are you?" I asked.
"Follow my voice... And you will find me..." He began to vanish, and I was left there to wonder....

I woke up, and looked around.
Where am I?
I stood up and sniffed my surroundings. I spotted a fluffy grey cat, snoring in the corner if the borrow den. Oh yes...just me and you, uncle. I finally remembered. I didn't know if I had made the right choice, but I didn't feel too happy about it.

SmokeTail stood up slowly, and stretched his paws. "Good morning kit." SmokeTail meowed.
"Good morning uncle." I replied.
The word 'uncle' seemed strange on my tongue.

"Now, like I said yesterday, I'm going to train you to be a lone cat." SmokeTail meowed. I nodded.
"To start, you must make yourself fresh and clean. Duh." SmokeTail sat down and began liking his fur.
"But that doesn't have to do with being a lone cat." I said.
"I know. But looking at your fur, I guess you don't do this every morning." He said. I looker down at my fuzzed up fur. "Yeah, your right." I sat down and began liking my brown fur. I thought about my dream.

Why would I hurt anyone? I have never hurt an animal without having a good reason to do so. And Vamp?
He said 'that's what I do'. So he harms cats, so he has to stay alone?
But I don't harm cats, so what's the warning for?

"Alright! Now for today, we will be hunting. You must learn how to hunt on your own." SmokeTail said, standing up and exiting the den.
I was right at his tail.

We walked for about five minutes through the forest.
Why can't my dreams just be clearer?
Vamp said to meet him when I'm eight months old...how long will that be...?
Only two days! That means in two months I could be classified as an adult cat!

"Here we are. This is where most prey hangs around." SmokeTail said.
Vamp had said to follow his voice...but what does that mean? He will be calling me? I guess I will know when I'm eight months old...

A deer walked out from the trees.
"Now as a lone cat, you don't go looking for deer's." SmokeTail pointing with a paw to the deer that ate happily at the green grass.
"They are too strong, fast, and big for a lone cat. You go for something that will just fill you for the day, and isn't as dangerous as a deer. Remember, if your a lone cat there aren't any medicine cats to heal you." Uncle SmokeTail said. "Medicine cat?" I questioned, cocking my head to one side. "Well yes, clans are meant to have medicine cats, but most don't have them these days. But The Peace Clan has medicine cats. And so did HomeValley." SmokeTail said.

"Now, the type of prey you go for as a loner, is something like a small rodent. Like perhaps a mouse, rabbit, squirrel or possum." SmokeTail said.
"Possum? There are possums around here?" I asked. "Of course, they just only come out at night. Plus they are usually hiding under rocks or in trees. "Oh, okay." I nodded. "But I won't be showing you how to catch something like that quite yet." SmokeTail grinned. "Why not?" I asked.
"Because often there are food shortages, and the loners are the first to feel it." SmokeTail walked up to an old, splintered tree. "So if there ever is a prey shortage, you will have nothing to eat, except the backup food." SmokeTail said.
"Back up food?" I asked.
SmokeTail took his claws out and began scratching the tree, like he was sharpening his claws. But after a little while of weakening the old tree, pieces of bark began to rip off from SmokeTail's claws. One large piece fell on to the ground, and insects and bugs crawled around as there room was stripped off. SmokeTail put his muzzle in and pulled out a cockroach, its legs swinging around as it dangled from SmokeTail's mouth.

"Ew!" I meowed. SmokeTail crunched the little creature in his mouth, then swallowed. "I take that as you have never experienced a prey shortage?" He asked. "No" I meowed.
"Well, this is what you will have to do." He said. "You try."
I scrunched up my face in disgust, I had never seen so much bugs and insects in one spot before, all crawling around together. I felt like itching myself just from looking at there little legs crawling about.
I stuck my muzzle in, feeling all the insects making there way on my muzzle, and some running away.
I finally grabbed something crunchy in my teeth, and I pulled my face out.
I tiny bug tried crawling out of my grasp. "Now eat it." Uncle SmokeTail meowed. I looked down at the little bug, and pulled it into my mouth using my tongue. I crunched the tiny creature in my mouth then swallowed.

"Now those are much easier to find and catch, but they don't have much vitamins. Though it is much harder and much more rare, you should go for the worms, slugs and snails." Uncle SmokeTail said.
"How do you find those?" I asked.
"They can only really be found when it is or has been raining. They all have to retreat from underground so they don't drown, and that's when you catch them. If they aren't there at the time, all you need to do it dig and you will find them within a minute. But only if it is a healthy area, if it is all dead and try soil, it will be very difficult to find any." SmokeTail said.
"Oh, and try to avoid spiders, they can be very venomous. Just try and eat the usual bugs you see all the time. These guys may be small, but they can kill you." SmokeTail said.

"I will remember that." I said.
"Now before we move onto the bigger prey, I want to give you a small test."
I nodded. "Which of these trees can you get insects from?" He asked.
"Any...?" I asked, having no clue.
SmokeTail shook his head.
"Um...the healthiest ones?" I asked.
SmokeTail shook his head again.
"The oldest ones. You can get from most trees, but they are the most likely ones." Uncle SmokeTail said.
I nodded, and my eyes scanned the clearing. "Like that one?" I asked, padding to an old looking tree.
"Exactly! Now let's move on to the bigger prey."

BlueWhiskers1
BlueWhiskers: {Book two}
Awakening Shadows.
Chapter 5.