A/N: This is more like an AU than just a short story. Mild spoilers for Squirrelflight's Hope.

   The calico she-cat dropped into a crouch, the sweet scent of prey making her mouth water. Her belly rumbled loudly to remind her of her hunger. I haven't eaten well in... well, a while.

   She began stalking towards the mouse, her plumy tail high in the air behind her and twitching gently back and forth. Closer... closer... you're mine! She let out a triumphant yowl and leaped, only to be knocked backward by a sudden force. She grunted as she hit the soft grass, and instantly shot back to her paws. "That was my catch!" She shouted indignantly. "Who did that!?"

   "Sorry," a sleek white she-cat padded out from the undergrowth, her silky pelt stained green by the grass. "I didn't see you stalking it."

   The calico's eyes softened, and she let her whiskers twitch. "No worries, Bella. It's fine." But her belly said otherwise, letting out a growl of protest.

   Bella chuckled. "Hungry, huh?" Her gaze suddenly darkened and dropped to her paws. "Me too."

   "It's not like we ever had to hunt back in Twolegplace," the other molly muttered. "The toms did everything, and besides, there usually wasn't much live prey to hunt."

   "Do you regret it, Lily?" The white she-cat took a step towards her, her eyes round with concern. "You aren't thinking about going back, are you?"

   Lily was quiet for a few heartbeats. She and a group of she-cats had stood up to the toms of the Alley Cats, challenging their way of life and persecution against she-cats. The leader, King Pike, was enraged by their protests and demanded that all the rioting she-cats leave, or else they'd be thrown to the dogs. Only a few she-cats had the courage to step up and pad away from their home, and Lily had been one of them. She often wondered if it had been worth it, but a voice in the back of her mind always knew the truth. It is worth it. You saw how they treat she-cats, like they're no better than mouse droppings.

   "I do think about it often," Lily began carefully. Bella wasn't a bad friend, but she was always the first one in on the gossip. "But I know that I made the right decision by leaving. No, I don't regret it."

   The white molly smiled. "I'm glad. It's getting dark. Let's head back to camp."

『••✎••』

"What are you suggesting, Maple?"

"Is it wise to return so soon? It's only been a few moons."

A group of she-cats sat around a large, flat stone. Lily sat off to the side, sharing a measly chipmunk with Bella, while the group held a meeting.

"We must attack," a dark tortoiseshell, Maple, declared. "What's the point in rebelling if we aren't actually going to rebel?"

"Don't you think we should wait a while longer?" A blue-gray she-cat asked, her eyes narrowed.

Maple flicked her tail dismissively. "What difference would it make? The sooner we act, the sooner they'll fear us."

"But that's not what this is about!" A cream she-cat shouted, pounding her forepaws on the stone. All the cats in their makeshift camp swiveled heir ears towards her, shocked expressions on their faces.

Maple and the blue cat, too, looked stunned. "What, Tulip?"

"This isn't about power! It's about equal rights!" Tulip yowled, towering over the others. "Our message is that she-cats should be treated as equals when compared to toms. This isn't about winning a stupid battle, Maple! Get that through your stupid bee-filled brain!"

Maple curled her lip, but didn't say anything. It was Minnow, the gray cat, who broke the silence. "This meeting is adjourned. We can discuss this again tomorrow."

   Lily took another bite of her meal, watching the "council" pad away in three different directions. "Bella, how can we hope to restore the Alley Cats if we're divided amongst ourselves?" Her thoughts were racing, and she muttered under her breath. "Is it even worth it to restore the Alley Cats?"

   "What do you mean?" The sleek she-cat gasped. "You don't think we should fight for equal rights? We should just go home with our heads bowed and our tails between our legs, ready to give in to any tom's command?"

   The tortie's eyes widened. "No! I just thought that maybe... we don't need to go back. Maybe we could stay here."

   "Forever?" Bella snorted. "You may be enjoying your time here, but I'm heading back to Twolegplace as soon as I can. I miss the hard stone underpaw, and the available food around every corner. Food that can't escape, I might add."

   "Yes, but there's also no competition for the food," Lily pointed out. "And no petty battles, or pits of dogs to throw cats into if they so much as set a paw out of line."

   Bella shrugged. "That's just how cats solve their problems."

   "It doesn't have to be!" She was on her paws now, her pelt spiked. "Haven't you heard of the way the Clans do things? Diplomacy before death threats."

   "Well if you love the Clans so much, why don't you go live with them!"

   Lily's eyes widened, and she could tell by the horrified look on her friend's face that she hadn't meant it. She made her fur lie flat again. "I'm not saying their society is perfect. But reason and logic should be used before cats starting unsheathing their claws. Don't you agree?"

   "I do." The white she-cat stood and started padding away. She glanced over her shoulder at her friend. "Maybe you should talk to Maple, Minnow, and Tulip. I think they might like to hear what you have to say."

   "Really?"

   Bella's whiskers twitched. "Yes."

   "Huh," the calico murmured to herself. "Maybe I will." She turned away and trotted across the camp to where Minnow was picking at a bony squirrel.

   The blue-gray she-cat looked up as she approached. "You're Lillian, right?"

   "Yes, but you can call me Lily," she dipped her head. "I was wondering if I could speak tomorrow at the meeting."

   Minnow's eyes flashed with curiosity, but she didn't press the young she-cat. "Of course you may. Do you think you have the solution to our problem?"

   Lily smiled. "I do."

   『••✎••』

   Lily had been thinking about what she would say at the meeting all night and all day. After she went hunting with Bella mid-day, she had brought up an idea to her that kept coming back to her mind. Her friend, eyes round, had exclaimed that it was a great idea. But as the time neared for the meeting, Lily's nerves were starting to get the best of her.

   What if I make things worse? Will they banish me? Or kill me? She gulped. I have to do this. It might be the only chance to save us she-cats.

   Movement at the edge of her vision made her head snap around. Maple was padding out from her den under a fallen tree, while Minnow and Tulip emerged from under a berry bush. Lily took a deep breath. This is it. She padded towards the others, holding her chin high.

   The other three cats were already seated around the stone as she reached them. "Greetings, Lily," Minnow purred. "Please, have a seat."

   "What's she doing here?" Maple eyed her up and down. "She's not even old enough to comprehend our upcoming discussion."

   Lily forced her fur to lie flat. "I've come to make a proposal," she meowed evenly.

   The dark tortoiseshell snorted. "Go ahead, then. It's not like there's an urgent matter we need to discuss. Oh, I must've forgotten— the fate of all she-cats rests on our shoulders!"

   "Hush!" Tulip growled. "Let her speak."

   All three mollies stared at her intently. Lily gulped, but managed to stand without her legs trembling too much. "Have you ever considered that the way the Alley Cats do things is wrong?" Minnow and Tulip suddenly looked intrigued, while Maple still looked annoyed. "I mean, of course they don't respect the she-cats. That's the reason we left in the first place."

   "We know that." Maple rolled her eyes. "Do you think we've got bees in our brains?"

   "I'll shove some bees in your ears if you don't shut up!" Tulip shouted, glaring at her campmate. She blinked sympathetically at Lily. "Take no notice of her. She's as grumpy as a badger."

   Lily's whiskers twitched. "It's alright. Anyways, have you ever thought about the way we do things? We have a strict hierarchy, that could potentially put evil cats in charge of the whole group. Cats can be put on trial and thrown to dogs to be torn to shreds for the pettiest reasons. It makes me sad that these are our morals. You've all heard of the Clans, right?" All three nodded. "The Clans always try to negotiate before resulting to battle. Doesn't that sound more sensible?"

   "You make a compelling argument," Minnow commented. Her expression was unreadable. "But how do you suggest we convince the toms of this."

   "I don't." The calico smiled at the council's bewildered expressions. "I'm suggesting that we never return to the Alley Cats. I think that they're beyond saving - rooted in terrible traditions and following unreasonable laws. But us who left, the 'rebels,' if you will, I think still have some level of morality. I'm proposing that we live here, in the forest, far away from those ridiculous rules and oppressing toms."

   Tulip blinked, her gaze clouded with confusion. "But how can we live without toms? How could we produce more young cats to keep our society thriving?"

   I haven't thought that far ahead, she gulped. But suddenly, a bright light shone at the edge of her vision. She glanced sideways and gasped.  There, floating lazily above a pile of fallen leaves, stood a ghost. An actual, dead cat.

   She glanced sideways at the council. They all looked as shocked as she felt. Good. I'm not hallucinating.

   Then, something even more astonishing happened. The apparition spoke. "Listen to the young one," the foggy gray cat meowed. "She speaks wise words. There is a way to survive without toms. Come, and I will tell you all that I know."

『••✎••』

✎  And from that day on, the "rebels" of the Alley Cats came to be known as the Sisters. They forever lived without toms, and protected one another as fiercely as they would family. Lily became the first leader of sorts of the group, letting her heart guide her instead of her head. The Sisters continued to grow and prosper for many seasons, moving from home to home, picking up and dropping off members as they went. Now, they are a kind and compassionate group, but also a force to be reckoned with if you rub their pelts the wrong way.