I never thought that I'd have to return to this alley again, and I had been perfectly fine with that.

But there I was, standing right in the center of it and feeling more nervous that I had felt in days.

And I practically felt as if I couldn't move as I watched Scourge leap up to the same green square box that I had taken shelter on top of just a couple of days earlier. He grabbed some Twoleg rubbish food from the piled-up mess, jumped back down, and then set it down just a few tail-lengths in front of me.

I then tried as hard as I could to keep my composure as Scourge then walked up to meet me. "Alright," he breathed, his gaze dark as he stared deep into my eyes. "You're ready."

"Am I?" I couldn't help but reply as I tried to keep my fur flat.

Scourge then slowly narrowed his eyes down into slits, and he was silent for a few moments. "You still want to be a part of BloodClan, don't you?" he eventually muttered.

A shiver ran down my spine. Well, that tone makes me question it, however... I thought to myself, taking a deep breath and straightening my posture. It's time for something new. Something different, and I don't even fully care what it is or why this feels right. "I can't believe that I do," I then replied with a shrug.

"Well then, yes. You are ready," Scourge answered coldly, giving a single sharp nod. Sharp tingles then seemed to run down my fur as Scourge's brushed mine, and he put his muzzle close to my ear. "You have no choice at this point," he then whispered before walking back to join the other BloodClan cats had actually come to watch my task.

Hoot, Jumper, and Scraps, who all looked ridiculously smug, but simultaneously a bit nervous as they stared ahead at the stray food that Scourge had set out, and they all listened intently as Scourge spoke again. "The dumb brute typically stops by around this time to look for food," he meowed more loudly as he followed the toms' gazes.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at that comment. Hm. I already figured that out by accident.

Scourge then sat down next to his Clanmates, flashing me a brief, unreadable glance. "We just have to wait for him to arrive, and then it's all you, Mist."

Exciting... I thought, having to take a moment to catch my breath as my current reality hit me like a monster all over again. Oh my moles on a mountain of mountain lions and maggots, how the heck am I going to do this?

I then shifted my gaze from where I had been looking at Scourge to the three strange spectators who had joined us. "And they're here because...?"

Scraps, a patchy black, white, and tortoiseshell, let out a snort and narrowed his gleaming amber eyes. "You'll find that we're always up to watch a good fight when the opportunity comes," he meowed slyly. "That is... if you even live to find out..."

I then rolled my eyes once again as Hoot and Jumper laughed at that comment. To my surprise, Scourge actually looked over at the other three, flashing them a dark, warning look through narrowed eyes.

However, not as surprisingly, he didn't deny what Scraps had said. For some reason, this somewhat amused me. But only a little. I was mainly feeling uneasy about Scraps' teasing threat,

But Scraps would never know that, of course.

So, instead, I couldn't help but meow teasingly, "Hm, even if a dog attempts to shred me to bits, Scourge won't be able to help swooping in and helping." I then flashed the black tom a smug look.

Scraps' eyes immediately widened at my words, and his jaws practically dropped to the ground. "Whoa, what?"

Next to him, Hoot looked just as amused and bewildered as he stared over at Scourge. "Ah, so you really did save her from that dog once already?"

"Forget that!" Jumper then... jumped in. "You saved someone? That's unheard of! You've done nothing of the sort since you first scared away that dog before you even joined BloodClan!"

I raised my eyebrows with intrigue at what Jumper said. Scourge also fought a dog in order to make it into BloodClan? Is that the rite of passage here?

I didn't get long to contemplate that, with Scourge actually letting out an infuriated hiss. "Shut up," he barked to his Clanmates through gritted teeth, actually looking way more than just mildly annoyed like he usually was. He then turned his head to flash me a shocked and angry look, acting as if I had said something that I shouldn't have.

And, I mean, sure, with how Hoot, Jumper, and Scraps were reacting, I supposed I would have been angry too. But this angry? I was just teasing. What's the big deal?

"No way!" Scraps then went on again. "There's already been speculation, but now we know for sure that Scourge – our leader – is a big-'ol softie! Bringing a cat like her here is one thing, but you saved her from this dog?"

Hoot was now shaking his head in disbelief. "Holy heck, who would've thought that Scourge would let a pretty cat get to his head so much?"

Scourge finally seemed to reach his breaking point, the growl that had been rising in his throat finally breaking as he whipped himself around to face his Clanmates, his fur bristled out fully. "Shut up! All of you," he roared as he then began to slowly approach them, causing them to slowly back away. "First of all, as I've already reiterated several times today, what I do around here and why I do it is none of your business."

The BloodClan leader then briefly flashed me another completely ambiguous look before returning to staring down the three toms. "And second of all, for all you all know, maybe I just didn't want a rotting corpse lying around in my territory. However..."

I then felt my eyes slowly widen as Scourge unsheathed his large, sharp claws. "...I'm never completely opposed to the idea..."

Whoa.

I was appalled by this very harsh and threatening tone, to say the least, but I also felt as if I was having to push down my intrigue and admiration as I simply watched the confrontation go on.

Scourge, who seemed to get his point across, was just beginning to turn back around when Jumper suddenly muttered, "Maybe."

Scourge stopped in his tracks as abruptly as if he'd just become frozen in ice. "What was that?" he murmured ominously as he then slowly turned his head back to look at Jumper.

Jumper then looked down at his paws as he began to shuffle them back and forth. "Um..."

"Yes?" Scourge then hissed, fully turning to face the dumbfounded black and white tom.

I actually felt another twinge of admiration at just seeing Jumper push on despite his leader looking like he wanted to brutally murder him. "Well, you said... maybe," he then meowed very matter-of-factly. "Maybe – when you were talking about not wanting the rotting..."

He then gave a shake of his head, almost as if to center himself again. "Like... that that maybe wasn't the reason that you saved..."

Jumper then trailed off, which I honestly thought was smart of him, as Scourge now looked like he was going to explode – his fur bristled, his teeth barred, with his claws somehow digging into the concrete ground. "You seriously think that this is funny?" he roared once again, stepping forward to get right into Jumper's face. "You seriously-"

Almost abruptly, Scourge's words then became blurry as I heard heavy pawsteps in front of me.

And I finally was able to acknowledge the new, horrible scent that I'd been too distracted to notice for a while.

I dreaded having to turn my head around.

But as Scourge's words "you have no choice" echoed in my mind, I forced myself to do just that, my stomach dropping as I saw exactly what I had dreaded to see.

The same dumb black dog from what just felt like moments ago was steadily creeping up to the food that Scourge had set – not noticing me or the others at all, even despite their bickering behind me.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to vomit or pass out.

I had to admit, I even had a moment where I was so scared, and so sure that I couldn't do it or even try, that I considered just letting the dog eat the food and then walk away like it was nothing. But I knew that even with the bickering that was still going on behind me, I could never get away with that.

And along with that, there also just wasn't much time to waste – to avoid a stupid tug-of-war or immediate death with or from the dog, I knew that I had to grab the bait before the dog got too deep into his meal. I really do have no choice now...

For just a couple of heartbeats, I then looked behind me back at the four BloodClan cats, absolutely shocked to see the four of them still at each other's throats, and Scourge still scolding them

For some reason, this sight actually gave me another moment of amusement. Despite all of those tom's really, really brutal threats, wouldn't he kill them if he really wanted to? I couldn't help but wonder. I mean, I'm sure that he does want to rip into them to some extent, but at the same time, it's clear that he gets some satisfaction with having cats that blindly follow him.

I then flicked my ears as something else crossed my mind. Is that what I'm doing by trying to prove myself and join this Clan?

I then let out an almost inaudible hiss as I gave a quick shake of my head. I'm not following anybody. I told myself. I'm here to find that new life.

I then finally turned around to face the dog, who was opening his jaws and bending down to take the first bite of its treat. And it begins now.

With those words now echoing in my mind, I sprang forward, trying not to let any more nervous thoughts come to the forefront as I pelted ahead to snatch the food.

As I did this, I quickly observed that all of the voices behind me had suddenly gone silent, and Scourge's scolding finally stopped, causing me to assume that one of the cats had brought what I was doing to his attention.

Now there was really no turning back now.

I came to a sliding halt in front of the dog's meal, grabbing it in my jaws and simply tossing it to the side. Here we go.

And this action did have the desired effect, the dog quickly growing angrier than almost anything that I had ever seen and pelting straight for me.

"Nice knowing you, Mist!" I could hear Scraps shout behind me.

"Hush!" I hissed back at him as I tried to think fast, dodging the dog's advance.

Partly to throw it off, and partly because I was petrified.

And as I then watched the dog whirl around, and the reality of the situation hit me yet again, I found myself in a moment of complete and utter helplessness.

What the heck was I doing? How the heck had I gotten to this point, and how had I let myself get to this point? Why had I committed to this when I knew very well and had made it very clear that I can't fight to any capacity.

I had no idea what to do, or even where to start, and I had absolutely no frame of reference to try and figure out either of those things!

And to add to all of this horribleness, I was going to embarrass myself in front of these cats that already seemed to think fairly lowly of me. And Scourge, who for some reason saw some sort of potential in me, was going to realize that his initial, negative thoughts about me were right all along.

And I hated that that bothered me so much.

And to even top that, I'd become a failure all over again.

I let my own parents slip through my paws to vicious dogs before.

With that thought, to my own surprise, I actually thought that I'd have to sink to the ground in grief as this thought resurfaced. My legs did feel weak, and for a moment, I actually thought that I would have to run away in order to fight through my grief and then try again later.

But instead, I ruthlessly tried to push these thoughts down, and tried to replace them with the anger and determination that was beginning to blaze in my heart. And I'm never going to let a dog take anything from me or dictate my future ever again.

My anger now practically blinding me, I then leapt straight for the dog, using my seasoned skills to jump right on the brute's back, scratching it and letting its pained yelps drive me forward rather than guilt me in any way.

As I expected, the dog tried to snap at me and bite back at me a few times. I tried to dodge as best as I could, only receiving a few minor scratches in the process, and my adrenaline blocking any pain they may have brought.

I then eventually leapt completely off of it, thinking on my paws as I went straight for one of the Twoleg nest stone walls next to us, then proceeding to leap back down to the ground right in front of the dog. The dog whipped its head around from left to right, taking a moment to even process what I'd done before whirling itself back around and pelting back towards me.

But I was ready, running right towards it and ducking under it, screwing my eyes shut for a moment as I heard the dog's loud snap of its teeth come just a mouse-length's away from my tail. But I quickly shook my fear away once again, deciding to swerve back around and leap back on the dog's back from behind.

I then ran forward, trying to keep my balance the best I could despite the dog's wriggling, and feeling my anger rise more and more the more that I fought.

This was the kind of creature that had killed Sparrow and Chrissy.

This thought has simply made me sad before, but now that I had an opportunity, I was going to make it pay.

So, letting out a raged hiss, I then raised up my right paw, unsheathing it for one of the first times in my entire life, and then proceeded to use it to scratch the dog across the face.

I flicked my ears, startled, as the dog let out a very loud yelp of pain.

And as I realized that I had deeply scratched it across one of its eyes.

Both out of satisfaction and complete alarm, I found myself leaping back off of the dog, for some reason assuming (and hoping) that something like that would do the trick. Please.

And sure enough, I felt comfortable enough just staying where I was as I watched the brute struggle and wriggle in pain for just a few moments before it did indeed begin to run away.

And even after it disappeared into the darkness, its yelps and cries slowly fading into silence, I could only stare ahead at where it disappeared, panting as I tried to come down from my anger and adrenaline.

I'd done it. I had completed my task. And in a way... I thought as I tried to push away another wave of grief. I feel as if I have avenged my parents.

Now completely overwhelmed with emotions and exhaustion, I let myself fall onto the ground. Wow...

Just a heartbeat after that, I actually heard pawsteps slowly approach from behind me, and soon enough, I found that Scourge was standing by my side. I simply stared up at him, anxiously awaiting his comment that surely would come after what had just happened.

"Hm," he eventually grunted, also staring ahead at where the dog had run away as he gave a single lash of his tail.

I sniffed at that. "Funny enough, that's actually more than I thought you'd say," I managed to purr.

I then let out a sigh, having to muster up some courage once again as I forced myself to press the tom. "However, I must still ask... how was that?"

Causing my stomach to twist, Scourge slowly turned his head to look down at me, his blue eyes actually deep and thoughtful. "Honestly?"

The anticipation now killing me, I let out a sigh and let my head fall down on my paws. "I have nothing to lose. Go for it."

"I can work with that."

I then flicked my ears, having to suppress a gasp as my head shot up to look at Scourge. "Really?" I asked in complete disbelief.

My excitement then beginning to rise, I actually nudged the tom's shoulder with my tail and let out a quiet purr of amusement. "Does that mean I get to eat now?"

Scourge's eyes remained on me as I then attempted to stand up, his eyes narrowed. "Hm, I'm surprised that you didn't want to go ahead and eat the dog's eyeball that you likely scratched out."

I then actually let out a gasp, stumbling just a bit as I cringed from the small wounds that I'd received in the fight. And to my shock, Scourge actually took my weight when I nearly fell to the side. "Ah, you saw that?" I replied sheepishly.

Scourge looked back at where the dog had run away once again. "The dog couldn't," he muttered.

I purred with amusement. "So, you think that you can work with that, and everything else that you just saw, huh?" I asked, finally finding my paws and standing up fully. "So, does that mean that I'm officially in now?"

Once again, Scourge stared back at me, his captivating blue eyes thoughtful as they began to narrow. And this time, I observed that they seemed to be at least a bit softer than usual. "I think that it does," he replied huskily after a few moments.

I took a deep breath, trying to remain calm as I then straightened up and gave the tom a single nod. "Hm. Alright."

But on the inside, my heart was soaring, and my stomach had practically flipped upside down. The past was fully behind me now, and I could forget about all of the pain and grief I had endured.

Today, my new life was beginning.

"But don't forget how stubborn you've been since you've gotten here. You're on thin ice," Scourge then hissed into my ear, breaking into my thoughts.

I rolled my eyes at the comment, then watching Scourge as he padded up to the three other toms that had simply been watching us with wide eyes. "We're done here," he meowed sharply to them, giving a lash of his tail. "Head back."

I then raised my eyebrows as Jumper let out a purr and gave a nudge to Hoot. "Ah, so did Ms. Fluffy Cat make it in?"

Hoot let out a snort, nudging his Clanmate back. "I think she would have made it in no matter what she did out there."

This time, despite the toms' very clear goal to get under Scourge's fur again, he simply ignored the comment, looking annoyed as he and I began to trail behind the three other BloodClan cats.

And as we began to walk through the Twolegplace, I couldn't help but watch Hoot and Jumper specifically as they continued to joke with each other. In fact, I had done so since I had first been introduced to them – right before we had all left for my mission.

Why? Well, simply put, they both looked so much like Barley that it wasn't even funny.

In my eyes, there was no way that they all weren't siblings or just related somehow. But how would that even be possible?

But then again... I thought as Scourge and I almost simultaneously swerved past a Twoleg. It's not completely outrageous...

I still remembered very well how Barley had actually managed to speak about this Twolegplace and BloodClan all that time ago, and how dangerous and off that it was and how I should avoid it. Was it possible that Barley himself had once lived here, and that was maybe why he'd been able to speak on it?

I couldn't be sure though, and I knew the only way that I could know was to ask him.

But even if there wasn't one question in the world that I had for him, I had missed him so, so much after all of this time. Maybe I'll muster up the courage to visit him soon...

I then nearly let out another gasp, abruptly being pulled out of my thoughts as I felt Scourge give me a rough nudge. And as soon as I looked back at him, he almost seemed to glance forward, possibly to check and see that the others in front of us weren't listening, before speaking. "Nice job," he hissed quietly back at me.

I blinked back at him, surprised by the harsh tone, for once. "Um... thanks?"

"Not with the dog, you idiot!" he barked back at me before lowering his voice down to a whisper. "Why would you tell them that I saved you from that dog once before?"

I began to shake my head back at him in bewilderment. "What!?" I asked out of pure shock. "Because you did!"

"And that's the last thing that I'd want any of these other idiots to know!" Scourge retorted, lashing his tail to his Clanmates ahead.

For a moment, I could only stare back at the black tom in amazement. "...even though you did it?"

"Yes!" Scourge then growled back at me, for some reason looking shocked that I couldn't understand his anger.

"I never thought that I'd run into a cat that was humiliated by putting another cat before themselves."

"My Clanmates were already questioning me bringing you here," Scourge continued, taking a step towards me and meeting my gaze harshly. "And this new information is surely going to spread like a wildfire, which is not going to help at all!"

I slowly shook my head back at him. "Not help with...?"

"It's going to make these cats think that I care about outsiders," he ranted on. "It's going to make them think that I just... crack down in certain situations, when I absolutely don't!"

I actually found the smallest speck of affection making my stomach twist as I then replied more quietly, "But... you did, Scourge."

And to my surprise, Scourge went silent for a few moments, looking ahead and letting out a sigh. "I can't believe that I did," he then muttered almost inaudibly.

I then found myself taking a step towards him this time. "It's really so horrible for you to care about another cat?" I then asked him more softly.

Scourge then flinched, almost stopping in his tracks for a moment before looking coldly back at me. "What makes you think that I care about you?"

I shyly looked down at my paws for a moment, the hollowness in my stomach becoming more and more noticeable. "Well, I would mention the incident again, but I'm afraid to say it out loud..."

Scourge simply rolled his eyes, letting out a small hiss before breaking his gaze away. "Well, I don't," he then muttered dismissively.

As much as I hated to admit it, I actually felt a pang of hurt at that reply. "Are you sure?" I tried to press as casually as possible, despite that.

"I'm always sure."

"Okay," I then breathed, trying with all of my might to push down the negative emotions rising within me. Why are they even there in the first place? I don't need this tom's care or approval. At least, not beyond his approval in order to let me into BloodClan. "Then..."

"Then, what?" Scourge asked, suddenly looking genuinely intrigued.

"Then... maybe don't do these things?" I meowed wryly, tilting my head at Scourge. "If you're so determined to look so powerful, strong, and stoic, then all you have to do is not save me from dogs, or even let me into the Clan in the first place."

Scourge simply let out a groan and rolled his blue eyes. "Oh, come on!"

"Well? Am I wrong?" I then pressed, raising my voice slightly and turning more towards the BloodClan leader. "As far as I know, you had a choice in both of those matters."

I then watched, the hollowness in my stomach returning all over again as Scourge actually closed his eyes for a moment, letting out a deep, quick sigh. He then took several heartbeats to simply just stare ahead before meeting my gaze once again. "I suppose that I did," he meowed quietly to me before pelting forward towards his three Clanmates.