Smoke led the black she-cat through the forest. He could hear her limping, and walked slower than he would in a normal situation. The sun was almost down when Smoke reached the limits of the forest. He knew that Bloom had never left her house, and she didn't know how to defend herself in the city alleys and streets.

He waited until she was by his side and meowed "Stay beside me all the time." Bloom nodded and they left the cover of the trees. Smoke felt more comfortable out of the forest and in the middle of the city. He grew up alone, and learned how to survive in the city. The gray tom suffered from hunger sometimes, and hunted in the forest to survive.

The thing he most liked to do in the forest was to make fun of the forest cats. Every time Smoke encountered a clan cat, he made fun of them, especially ThunderClan. They get mad so easily. Smoke had already fought a ThunderClan and a ShadowClan patrol, and they were pretty tough. The problem is that it was an unfair fight; 3 against 1, both times. The gray tom had ran away, but always returned to hunt and tease them.

Smoke led Bloom through a hidden path between two houses. He could see that something was bothering Bloom, cause she had her head bowed, and was strangely quiet. Usually, he'd ignore, but something in her made him care about her. "What's bothering you?" The gray tom asked softly. Bloom looked up, and met Smoke's gentle gaze staring at her.

At first the black she-cat didn't say anything, and looked back at the forest. Smoke couldn't even imagine was going through her mind right now. The forest doesn't mean anything to her, does it? Smoke asked himself. Bloom stopped abruptly, and the gray tom thought that her leg was bleeding again, but when he looked at her leg it was just fine. He knew that it would leave a scar, but besides this Bloom was alright.

"What happened in the forest?" She asked finally "I mean, to those cats you were talking to." Smoke could notice that Bloom's meow sounded more like a squeak. He couldn't lie to her, could he?

Smoke glanced around, and when he could tell for sure that he and Bloom were alone, the gray tom meowed "It was your father. They saw Scourge in you." He sighed and continued "Cloudtail, Sandstorm and Thornclaw fought against BloodClan, and when they saw you, they were reminded of Scourge and the battle, where they lost loved ones. Just like Jynx, your mother that lost Scourge, Ame, my mother that lost Bone, and me. I lost everything I had."

He never wanted to admit it, but he missed his family. A year had already passed since the battle, and he still suffered he lost of his family, especially Bone. Even if he was BloodClan's deputy, he always had time to be with Ame and teach a young Smoke some simple fighting techniques.

Something snapped him out of his thoughts, and Smoke saw Bloom brushing her fur against his "I know how you feel. I've lost everything that I had." The smaller cat meowed "But now I have you." And then she rested her head on his shoulder. Without even knowing, Smoke gave Bloom a lick on the forehead. The black she-cat purred and pressed her muzzle against his shoulder fur.

"Come on," Smoke murmured into Bloom's ear. "We're almost there. And I also need to get Jynx something to eat." She nodded and they kept walking through the hidden path. They were heading to Hell Alley, one of the most dangerous alleys in town, where Smoke 'lived'. He usually spent only the nights there, but now, he was sheltering Jynx, Tiny and Venom, and had to stay in the alley more than he wanted. As neither Tiny nor Venom knew how to hunt and fight, and Jynx was getting old, Smoke had to hunt for himself and more three cats, and defend them.

The molted gray tom had already got in too many fights because of Tiny. Every time he left the alley to search for food, Smoke had to chase someone out of the alley. Now, the black and white tom had been forbidden to leave Hell Alley alone. Venom, by the way, didn't give Smoke much trouble. He knew some fighting skills, and when the dark gray tom couldn't fight, either he made himself bigger to intimidate his enemy or he ran away swiftly, never to Hell Alley, but to somewhere he could outwit his pursuer.

When Smoke and Bloom were near the alley, he stopped by a trash can and asked Bloom to enter it and find some food to Jynx. She protested a little, but after the gray tom said that he wouldn't let anyone approach the can nor see her, Bloom agreed to enter the trash can. The black she-cat returned with a half eaten burger and an old can of cat food. Smoke thought that it was enough, and thanked her.

They were now in the middle of the city, in the entrance of Hell Alley. Smoke was used to the place, but he could tell that Bloom was scared and nervous. She had her tail tucked under her legs, and the gray tom could smell her fear. "You need to relax, ok?" He meowed calmly, putting the burger on the ground "Otherwise the other cats may want to attack you." The small she-cat took some deep breaths, and when Smoke thought she was ready, he entered Hell Alley.

The rotten smell of the alley flooded his mouth. Now he felt home. Living with this horrible smell made Smoke one of the best trackers of Hell Alley. He could see that Bloom was pretty calm, and the molted gray tom padded to an old cardboard box, that could easily hide four cats. That was where Smoke hid Jynx, Tiny and Venom. Venom was the one in charge when Smoke wasn't in the alley, and Tiny looked after Jynx.

The cardboard box was about 2 foxlength away from Smoke when a figure ran out of the hiding towards the molted gray tom and Bloom. As the cat approached, Smoke could recognize Venom, and he had a worried expression. "It's Jynx!" The dark green eyed tom panted "She is very sick!"

Smoke dropped the burger and dashed to the box, while Venom stayed behind with Bloom. He entered the box and saw Tiny washing his mother's fur, and Jynx laying on the ground, a small puddle of blood in front of her. The speckled gray she-cat was coughing when Smoke arrived and he thought he knew what she had. With the patrols of warriors and medicine cats he had already met in the forest, he thought that it was blackcough.

"Is she wheezing and coughing?" Smoke asked nervous. Tiny nodded and pointed to the small pool of blood in front of Jynx. "She is coughing blood." He murmured to himself. Jynx was heaving, and her eyes, that were closed, opened. At the same moment, Venom arrived with Bloom. As Jynx saw the black she-cat, she murmured something and tried to get up, but Tiny held her down. They all knew that the gray she-cat was very weak.

"Soul..." Jynx murmured and coughed. She had recognized Bloom as her daughter. Smoke turned searching for the black she-cat, and saw her by the entrance. He called her and explained quickly what Jynx had. Tiny and Venom were trying to understand the situation. They knew that their sister was lost when she was a newborn, but never thought they would ever see her.

"Mom?" Bloom asked gently, and Jynx looked up.

"Soul," the gray she-cat coughed "I hoped I'd see you again, and here I am, with all my kits." Jynx looked at her three kits and continued "I just wished Scourge was here with me, with us. He would be proud of you." Bloom gasped silently, and only Smoke heard. Has she finally realized I am telling the truth? the molted gray tom asked himself.

Bloom shook her head and looked at Jynx, smiling slightly and pain in her eyes. She had just met her real mother, and couldn't even really talk to her. Smoke had never experienced that pain before, but he guessed it was almost like seeing your mother kill herself.

Smoke was only 2 moons old. He lived with Ame in one of the safest  alleys in town. All of his other littermates had died of hunger or taken away by another cat. Ame had stopped grooming Smoke and herself, and was asleep most of the time. Ame was neither searching nor eating anymore, and Smoke had to find food himself. Most of the time she was awake, Ame called for Bone, her mate, lost in the battle against the Clans.

The molted gray tom had met his father, and Bone had taught him some basic fighting and hunting skills. After he died, Ame was never the same. It seemed like she had lost her reason for living. Smoke had known that his father's death had affected Ame, but he didn't know that she'd kill herself because of that.

On the day Ame killed herself, she had gone alone to an alley where lived a dangerous dog. Smoke had followed her, because he knew that Ame never did anything, and mostly because of kit's curiosity. Ame entered on the alley, and Smoke hid himself behind a trash can. He craned his neck to see his mother in front of the dog, claws sheathed, eyes closed. It was like Ame wanted the dog to attack and kill her.

There was blood all over the alley, and Ame was only a mess of blood and fur. After the dog had gone away, Smoke ran to his mother's body crying. He had lost his mother, someone that can't be replaced by anyone. While his mother was being attacked, Smoke couldn't close his eyes, even if he tried. That night, during his sleep, Smoke saw his mother dying again, but this time it was worse, because he was being attacked in his nightmare too.

The only good thing that happened that day was Smoke realizing that he had to avenge his father's death. At that time he didn't know how, but as he grew and learned the ways of the city, he discovered that if he wanted revenge against the Clans he would have to recreate BloodClan. He needed help, and who better than Scourge's kits?

Smoke snapped out of his thoughts as he heard Jynx coughing again, louder this time. He could see she was in pain, and could bare to see Bloom staring at her dying mother in horror. The molted gray tom unsheathed his long sharp claws and headed to Jynx neck. He looked down at Jynx as if asking her if he could do this. The gray she-cat nodded and then Smoke eyed at Tiny and Venom and showed them his unsheathed claws. They nodded.

He turned to face Bloom. She had already understood what he wanted to do and nodded, her eyes closed. Smoke gazed down and Jynx. She had her eyes closed, waiting for the strike. The molted gray tom rose his paw ready to strike "I'm sorry..." he whispered and tore Jynx's neck open. She began to writhe and make strange noises. Less than a heartbeat later Jynx laid limp on the ground. Smoke couldn't see her belly rising and approched to hear her heartbeats, but nothing. Jynx was dead.

This wasn't the first cat Smoke had killed, but killing Jynx was harder than killing a cat during a battle. As soon as Jynx stopped moving, Bloom pressed her muzzle against Smoke's shoulder. Only then he realized she had lost two mothers in less than a week. She was suffering even more than Smoke had during all his life, which was a lot.

Now he knew that Bloom would help him rebuild BloodClan. If it wasn't for Iris and her old clan life, Iris would still be alive, and Bloom would never have left her housefolks. Smoke just needed to make Bloom see the things the same way he did. Maybe if I persuade her the right way, she will help me avenge Bone's death by rebuilding BloodClan, and she will be able to get revenge against the Clans.

Smoke rested his chin on Bloom's head and gave her ears a comfort lick. He could see Tiny and Venom comforting themselves, and wished he had someone to comfort him when Ame died. Even after all those moons, he could still remember every second of his mother's death.

Smoke pulled away from the small she-cat and asked Tiny to help him take Jynx's body out, and he asked Venom to find somewhere they could bury Jynx "Can I come with you?" Bloom asked Venom. He gazed at Smoke for an asnwer, and the molted gray tom nodded.

Turning to his sister he meowed "Sure, just stay behind me."

"I can take care of myself, don't worry." the black she-cat meowed, still sniffing, to Venom.

Tiny looked at Smoke, trying to know if she was telling the truth or not, and if he should keep and eye on her. He whispered "Keep and eye on her." hoping Venom would be able to read his lips. The dark gray tom nodded and left with Bloom.