What felt like moons was actually just a few moments. Morningfrost still hadn't returned, and he was getting more and more frightened. The sky grew darker and darker, along with Hawkpaw's hopes.

His ears perked up in alarm when loud footsteps sounded from behind the trap. It wasn't like a cats, there was no quiet and soft movements.

"Wha-mrow!" The box lifted off the ground, causing him to crash into the side of the box. The farther the ground got, the more he knew Morningfrost wouldn't make it back in time.

Pink skin came into view, followed by bright green eyes. Hawkpaw scooted to the back of the cage, knowing exactly what this thing was. The elders had described them so many times, with such detail. Their menacing eyes and unmerciful ways. The monsters they kept as pets.

Yes, the thing holding his cage up was in fact a twoleg.

And he had no idea what this thing was going to do.

-=+=-

The twoleg narrowed his eyes and shouted something to another one. A loud pop was heard, causing Hawkpaw to flinch.

The box started shaking violently as he was taken over to the back of what looked like a monster.

The apprentice started screeching. He didn't want to be eaten by a monster!

He was set inside, but that did not quiet him. The twoleg sighed and stuck a needle into the side of the cage, and straight into Hawkpaw's flesh. He screeched in agony, but whatever he was dosed with strangely calmed him, and made him suddenly very tired.

Before he knew it, the world faded with the constant growling of the monster.

-=+=-

Daylight seeped through the sides of the monster, as it sped across the uneven thunderpath. His cage bounced all around the back.

When it came to a sudden stop, he slid and crashed into the side. Silence followed.

The back flew open, and he instantly looked through the metal bars. It was nothing like he'd ever seen before. Twoleg dens so close together that you could look through the clear thing and see the other twoleg living next to you.

And the smell...oh the smell! It reeked of thunderpath and twoleg garbage, along with the faint scent of dog.

The twoleg brought Hawkpaw's cage up to the entrance of the nest, and knocked on the side.

The wooden slate opened, with another twoleg standing behind it. Where do they all come from?! He thought sourly.

He was brought inside and set down on the ground. The twoleg's hands started to unlock his cage, and when the door opened he sprung out.

Startled, the twoleg stepped backwards as the tabby hid behind a big black box thing. He was in a corner, which wasn't the safest. But anything to get away from those things.

From the corner of his eye, a cat head poked around from the corner in curiosity. Yes! They'll know the way out!

"Hey! Over here!" Hawkpaw called, and the grey cat's head whipped over in his direction. The grey cat rolled his eyes and padded over.

"Why are you here, in my house?" He said, licking a paw.

"Y-You're..house? I'm sorry sir, I-I'm not sure where I'm at. I was captured by those twolegs and brought here." Hawkpaw responded, noticing the twolegs coming closer and closer.

"Twolegs? Oh, you mean the humans. So you're the new guy, eh?"

"New guy? I don't plan on staying here." The black box was moved, leaving him vulnerable.

"Ah, but once you're here, there is no way out. Me and Dia have been searching for ages. Jaguar made it out, but he was hit by a car." At the mention of his old friend, the cats eyes darkened.

"Sir, who's Dia.. and what's a c-AR!" The twoleg roughly picked him up and forced a purple ring around his neck. Unsheathing his claws, he did what any noble warrior would do, and defended himself. The twoleg screamed and dropped him, but he landed right on his paws.

One perfect lash across the face.

The grey cat's eyes widened in shock. "For someone looking as young as you do, you've got some skill, kid. Where'd you learn?"

"I-I'm from the forest, sir. Wi-"

"Storm. My name is storm." He interrupted.

"Storm. I lived in a clan. We called ourselves ThunerClan, and were next to three other clans. We fought alot, though."

Storm nodded, but Hawkpaw could tell he didn't comprehend it that well. "Interesting. What's your name, kid?"

"Hawkpaw." He responded, standing up a bit straighter.

"Don't get too proud there, kid." He chuckled. "I don't know anyone with a name as strange as that. I'll call you just Hawk."

The twolegs had disappeared, probably to tend to the wounds of the first one. "Hey Storm, one more thing. What's this?" He asked, beckoning to the purple ring around his neck. It was hard to breathe with it on.

"Ah! That's a collar. Somewhere under this fluff, I got one too.." He stuck his paw in his neck fur and pulled a green collar from his neck.

"How are you able to take it off like that? I can hardly breathe in mine!"

"Eh, it wears down after a while. Your's won't come off for a while though." He said, throwing his off to the side.

"Now that the humans are distracted, let me introduce you to Dia and her kits." He said, padding off.

"Wait, she has kits? Who's the father?" He asked, quickly catching up with him.

"Jaguar." He said curtly, not even looking at him. Jaguar must've been a very good friend, if it caused Storm so much pain to remember him.

"Don't mention his name around Dia. It won't end pretty." He whispered as they neared. He shivered, wondering what she could do.

Storm led him into a room off from the long passageway, and instantly the mewling of kits erupted from the inside.

"Hello, Storm." A soft voice said. The accent in their voice was recognizable from fox-lengths away. Hawk looked around the comer to see a beautiful calico she cat with three kits suckling beside her.

"This is Hawk. He just came here." Storm said, beckoning over to Hawk with his head.

At the mention of a new member, Dia's eyes turned icy, but softened a bit as they landed apon him.

"Look at that! He's so young! Ah' didn't expect this!" She said, smiling warmly.

"Where are ya' from? You must be starving! Poor thing. Here, eat." She pushed a bowl of small brown pebbles to Hawk's paws. "There's enough for both of y'all."

Hawk looked at the pebbles in doubt. It looking more like dry rabbit droppings than any kind of food. "Uh, I'm not really hungry." He lied. His stomach was growling as loud as a monster.

"You are from the forest, aren't ya' young'un? Ah've never seen the forest. Jaguar used to tell me all about it...from the green leaves to the soft grass under his paws. He wouldn't eat this stuff either, when he first came here. Ah' was born and raised in this house. 'Know every passage and secret way out. There is none."

Hawk instantly felt bad for this cat. Raised in captivity can't be good for anything, much less a cat. He looked back down at the dish. The little pellets Dia had been eating her whole life.

He licked up one and chewed. It was hard, sort of like chewing on a breakable stone. But soon many flavored were noticeable. There was something he had never tasted before, but whatever it was, it was amazing!

"Chicken and turkey. Mah' personal favorite." She mewed proudly.

He greedily dug in, only leaving a quarter of what was in the dish for Storm.

"Ah' was right! You are a hungry one. How long were you in the darned cage?"

"Days, I've heard." Storm said, crunching the pellets.

Hawk whipped his head around. How would he know how long Hawk had been in there?

"Human talk." Storm reasoned, seeing his confusion. "Four days."

Hawk's eyes widened. Four days?! "Four days! I couldn't be asleep for four days! That's impossible!" Hawk cried.

"Ah'm afraid not, with that medicine. You're lucky. Usually the new ones are asleep for five to six days. But ah've never seen four days."

I'd had been four days, his sister was probably worried sick. And mother, and Morningfrost...

Hawk raced over to the window and stared out. One thing was for certain, he was going to get back to ThunderClan.