Hello Feline Friends

Treewhisker stared down his opponents challengingly, and it seemed there was about to be a blowout fight until Foxfury put himself between the groups of cats.

“Stop this nonsense!” The older tom commanded, narrowing his eyes at both Treewhisker and the clan cats who had wanted to escalate the situation beyond mere words. “Infighting will solve nothing.” Turning to Treewhisker, He mewed “Treestar, I️ think your friends have seen enough.” As much as he tried, he couldn’t avoid saying the word friends with a bit of disdain.

Violetwing pinned her ears back and swallowed, again feeling a flash of hurt that the cats she’d known and worked with for so long believed the rumors that were going around. She hadn’t wanted to mate with Nightclaw, he’d forced her! He’d threatened Hazelpaw!

Hazelpaw meekly poked her head through the camp entrance and looked around, entirely unsurprised to see the bunch of kittypets. She was reluctant to enter, though, because that would put her behind the kittypets and separated from the rest of the Clan.

Graypaw leaned against Violetwing, breathing heavily and seeming to be on the verge of some sort of anxiety attack. How could Dad do this!? This isn’t what a clan cat does!

Treewhisker frowned and turned his body protectively when a few warriors began to direct their anger from him to his friends, meeting the looks of the warriors with a low growl and a threatening glare. The situation had rapidly declined into a standoff between Treewhisker and his soft, frightened kittypet friends and the rest of his clan.

“Does this have something to do with Violetwing, Treestar?” Protested Cherrypelt, an elder, who quickly caused more accusatory mews and yowls.

“I️ bet he’s going to take one of those furballs as his mate since he can’t keep a clan cat down!” Sneered a warrior, causing Treewhisker to snap his glare to them.

The Tom’s face darkened. It hardly had to do with that, and his push of Snowball proved it. But nobody the clan cats would trust had seen it! He had been the only one there!

Violetwing frowned deeply at her mate, highly disapproving of him just bringing a bunch of cats that did not belong to the Clan into the heart of the territory, into their camp. Regardless of the fact that he trusted them, that was just not done, not least because it was putting all the cats who couldn’t defend themselves in danger.

“These cats,” Treewhisker attempted to yowl over the clamber, “are all interested in learning the ways of our clan. Can you show them respect!?”

More anger from the clan cats, causing Graypaw to whine softly, his eyes wide with horror.

Violetwing soothes her son with a lick to his ear and rested her tail on his shoulders, keeping her incredulous gaze focused on Treewhisker.

Immediately the goals of protests rang loud and clear through the clearing, and Treewhisker gazed around at his cats in disbelief.

Graypaw watched with wide eyed before bolting over to Violetwing, frightened.

Violetwing jerked her head around when she scented the unfamiliar cats and watched in disbelief as her mate led a veritable horde of kittypets into the camp.

Graypaw’s nose twitched as he scented multiple unfamiliar cats, and his fur bristled slightly in fear, the newly minted apprentice knowing he wasn’t ready for a battle.

Treewhisker padded into the camp nonchalantly, his charges gazing around in wonder as they filtered in behind him.

Hazelpaw looked worried by this point. He was leading a bunch of cats into the heart of their territory, into the camp where defenseless kits were. Kittypets or no, if her father was wrong about trusting them, it could end up being disastrous!

Yellowfoot followed behind the group, though it seemed silly to do so by now. They were clearly all headed for camp.

Hazelpaw waited until her mentor started moving after them until she started moving as well.

Yellowfoot glanced back at the group as they began to move along, the shy cat who had spotted them looking their direction one more time before padding off, trying to catch up to Treewhisker on shorter legs.

Hazelpaw ducked her head in embarrassment and immediately let her tail fall down, pinning her ears back.

Yellowfoot turned his head and glared at Hazelpaw when her puffed-up tail rose up too high, and one of the kittypets seemed to take note. He seemed shy, though, and didn’t interrupt Treewhisker as the clan tom spoke.

Hazelpaw’s tail was bushed out by this point with agitation and she was barely remembering that they were supposed to be stealthy.

When they reached the right place, Treewhisker stopped his group on the border, explaining to them what the markings meant.

Hazelpaw followed after her mentor, a frown on her face. What was her father thinking, just bringing a bunch of cats that weren’t part of the Clan into the territory?

Treewhisker padded along, making friendly chatter with the kittypets as he went along. Some he remembered from before he joined the clans, and others he had grown to like over the last few days, when he had started visiting again to ensure that only the cats he trusted most would get to see the clan Camp. Frankly, he was tired of being rejected and looked down upon by the clan cats, and he could hardly go to Violetwing for comfort at the moment. These cats respected him, and he liked it.

Yellowfoot followed behind the group, careful to stay downwind to keep from raising Treestar’s ire.

Hazelpaw stared at her father, ears flattening.

Treewhisker didn’t seem to have noticed, instead hopping atop the fence and then jumping back down, walking past the two clan cats with a half-dozen wide-eyes kittypets in tow.

Hazelpaw startled and backed off.

It seemed as if Treewhisker’s eyes were fixed directly on Hazelpaw’s when the She-cat returned to peeking, the tom padding towards the gap intently and a bit of a frown on his face.

Hazelpaw flattened her ears and looked back through the hole.

Yellowfoot gave the same confused look in return. After spending all that time he spent insisting he’d abandoned his kittypet roots...