We're not in Kansas anymore

[Lem]

Witch Hazel lifted a paw as if to take a step, hesitated, and then placed her paw back down on the ground. She exhaled audibly through her nose, her brows knitting together and her eyes still wide with the shock of everything that had happened. She had been slowly making her way away from where she had been unceremoniously dumped, and she could see in the dancing shadows that filtered down from the trees that the light of the day was beginning to fade. Wrapping her chocolate-striped tail around herself, she just sat for a moment. It was almost impossible to believe what had just happened... But here she was. Alone, her twolegs gone, surrounded by trees and underbrush, somewhere completely unfamiliar to her. The air smelled like pine and dirt and leaves, with hints of birds and small animals, and even hints of something that was mildly concerning to Witch Hazel- Faintly, a sharp, earthy cat-scent. Or rather, the scent of many sharp, earthy smelling cats. Her mind flashed back to something one of the neighboring cats had told her once.
"...And even worse than the bone-eaters deep in depths of the streets, there's the wild cats! They live not even around any twoleg homes! They live in deep, dark woods, even when it's snowing, and they don't just eat bones, I hear they'll eat other cats, and eat their own sick or weak!"
Of course, the cat who told her that was notorious for telling ridiculous stories, and she hadn't believed a word of it, but... Still. The thought of it made the fur on her spine prickle. And it was undeniable; the scent of cats was present here. Cats, unmistakably, but the smell was nothing like any other cat she had ever smelled. She was as alert as she had ever been, her whiskers quivering slightly as every nerve was on edge. Witch Hazel's tail pulled closer to her body, wrapping around, as if her tail could protect what was inside her, in her swollen belly. She felt huge now, she figured it couldn't be much longer. And that was probably the scariest thing about being out here, now. She hadn't even been able to catch birds around her yard recently, as her belly made her clumsy. As if on cue, her stomach gurgled with hunger. How was she going to feed herself? There were no bowls of crunchy bits out here, or even bowls of water. There weren't even any puddles on hard grey walkways, as there weren't any walkways. Witch Hazel turned her face up towards the sky, now beginning to fade from the heavy blue of after sunhigh, to the greyish blue, tinged with orange, that marked sundown. There was still enough time before it got dark for her to continue walking for a while. And she needed to at least find somewhere sheltered for the night. So uncurling her tail, she got to her paws, and with one more glance around at the forest, she resumed picking her way through the underbrush.

[bbun]

Whinchatfang was padding alone in the deep forest, looking out for any intruding cats. Now that it was greenleaf, it was much warmer than that harsh leaf-bare they had suffered moons before. That meant that a rogue, loner, or even an adventurous kittypet could easily sneak out and trespass over PineClan territory, stealing their prey without being caught at all, and the thought of it made Whinchatfang irate. Her leader wouldn't tolerate an outsider taking what was theirs! No! She would have to defend her Clan like any other good warrior would.

Scenting the air, she noticed an unfamiliar scent, one not of PineClan, or any of the Clans, but not a kittypet (or else it'd be much fresher, in a way.) The brown tabby she-cat slowly padded forward to see if there was any cat nearby. It was sundown, and the sun was casting its shadow over the trees and ground and on most things around in. In a bush she noticed the movements of a she-cat. Could this be the cat Whinchatfang had scented earlier? Checking the scent, it pretty much confirmed it. This cat was an outsider on her territory, who had to be driven off at once!

"Hey, you!" the she-cat growled. "Get out of there and show yourself! What are you, a scaredy-mouse?"

[Leah]

The young apprentice practiced her hunting between the trees; she already caught a mouse and was eyeing a sparrow. It had made its way to the ground, possibly to get some worms to eat (eeeew!). She was still, crouched in the undergrowth and balanced with her weight to her front paws. She was about to make her move, before the familiar voice of her Clan's Deputy shouted "Show yourself!" the noise startled the sparrow, but Hazelpaw was okay with it. There was an intruder in Pineclan's territory, how exciting!

She could not smell any other cats, that means they must be downwind, as she recalls her mentors' lessons. Hazelpaw followed Whinchat's words clearly mocking the outsider's cowardice. Maybe she should find Morningfang first, but the conflict might be over by the time they return!

She spotted the brown tabby eventually, wondering if she should announce her presence. Well, if she doesn't, Whinchatfang will smell her anyway. "Is there someone here?" she tried not to sound to excited, though the squeak in her voice probably gave it away. But, that was a dumb question, of course someone was there! "Uh, I mean, is it a Rogue? Kittypet?" she couldn't pick up any familiar scents. She's learned the other Clans' scents but has never come across outsiders, so it must be. Otherwise, the cat could be hiding its scent.

[bbun]

Whinchatfang sniffed the area again. "Looks like it's a kittypet who was kicked out by their Twolegs. Oh, what a shame, not being fat all the time. Now they try to survive like the rest of us!" she told Hazelpaw. "Want to help me scare them off?"

[Leah]

"Hmmm, are you sure we don't need anyone else? I'm hunting out here with Morningfang..." to be honest, she wasn't entirely sure going up against another cat was a great idea, seeing how young she was. Sure, she was eleven moons old, she could become a Warrior soon, but the cat might still know how to fight. She's heard from Elders that kittypets are soft, lazy and weak but they sound like they're exaggerating. Aren't they cats, after all? Maybe if they waited for another experienced cat. Who knows what a kittypet is doing all the way out here!

She flexed her claws and sniffed the air again, there was a strange smell that made her nose crinkle more than Grassclan's weird scent. It didn't smell like anything she was familiar with. When it came to scents like Marshclan, Hazelpaw noticed that they seemed ordinary, even if she hated the smell. This wasn't like the scent of whatever you and your Clanmates eat all the time or roll around in, this was a musty and bland smell.

But she realized, it could take until the sun is eaten up by the horizon until they find or wait for Morningfang! As much as she didn't want her mentor to miss out on all the fun, she decided that chasing the intruder off quickly was the best idea. "Yeah, come out you coward!" She yowled, and from the corner of her eye she saw that the echo of her voice had startled some birds. She wanted to continue and mock the kittypet, but maybe... no. She looked up at her deputy with excitement in her eyes, either they'd have fun chasing out a kittypet or she'd have her first battle!

[Lem]

Witch Hazel stiffened, freezing in the bush she had been crawling past, as a voice called out. She hadn't even noticed there being a cat nearby! Truly, she felt a wash of relief, knowing that there was someone else out here. It was stifled, however, by the prickling memory of the stories from the other kittypets, of wild cats who live in the forests... And this cat did sound not exactly super friendly. But they hadn't jumped out and attacked her, so really, she doubted it was some kind of bloodthirsty killer or anything. And either way, there was no point in ignoring the command to show herself, so show herself she did. As she climbed out of the bush, towards where she had heard the voice, her ears pricked at the sound of a second, younger sounding meow. Twitching her brown-tabby-and-white flank to dislodge a leaf that had stuck itself to her, the little molly stepped out, into view of the two cats.
Her head tilted to the side slightly as she studied the two. One was a bigger brown tabby, obviously the one who had commanded her to come out. And the other was a younger cat, also brown tabby, but with white bits much like Witch Hazel herself.
"Um," She began, the tip of her tail twitching nervously. "Hi! Hi there. I'm... Witch Hazel. I'm kind of... I'm not from around here." She tried to sound friendly, hoping to make a good enough impression on these cats. "Do you guys... Live around here?" She glanced over their shoulders, as if she might suddenly see a twoleg nest that she had just somehow managed to overlook. Blinking, she added, "Um, sorry if I'm intruding on your turf or anything. I just kind of... Ended up here. Well I mean, my twolegs kind of? Just dropped me off here? Oh, that sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? Like, I can hardly believe it myself I guess." She had begun to babble a bit, and so she stopped herself, clamping her jaws shut, and waiting now for whatever the other cats had to say to her.

[Leah]

Hazelpaw heard the kittypet stammer and stutter, her ears twitched at its name. Witch Hazel. An unusual name, the kittypet even looked like her somewhat. Hazelpaw continued to flex her claws, ready for battle or at least some action, before she looked down a bit and noticed the cat's swollen belly. She hasn't seen that often, but she knows what it means. "Are you expecting kits?" she said out loud, now completely distracted from annoyance or anger. They can't attack a queen! She looked at her deputy with fear in her eyes; she was ready to fight just a minute ago, but there's no way she could hurt an expecting cat, even if she's a kittypet! "We can't attack her..." she said almost inaudibly. Surely Whinchatfang wouldn't harm a queen?

[Cobalt]

The pale ginger tabby was only inches away from a good, fat swallow perched in the tree. His jaw hung slightly open as he crept forward, balanced perfectly on the branch. He had left Hazelpaw to her own devices for a bit, confident that she would be able to catch a few things on her own. His ears swiveled in voluntarily at the sound of voices nearby, though, and his lapse in focus made him slip enough to alert the bird to his presence. Morningfang let out a small hiss of annoyance as he jumped down, pinpointing the source of the voices easily and heading for them with long strides.

The first thing he saw was Hazelpaw, murmuring something about "can't attack". "Can't attack who?" he asked as he approached, but his question was answered as his gaze fell on the kittypet. She was quite noticeably pregnant, and nervous. "Ah, I see." He turned to the kittypet. "Are you able to fend for yourself?" He knew it was really up to Whinchatfang what to do with her, but if she needed shelter he knew PineClan couldn't turn her away.

[bbun]

Whinchatfang watched as a brown tabby-and-white she-cat climbed out the bushes to face her and Hazelpaw. It was obvious that the cat was a former kittypet, and her scent easily supported this. She was clearly pregnant, too; her belly was the typical round shape of a queen's belly when she was expecting kits. The cat began looking at Whinchatfang and Hazelpaw, making the PineClan deputy impatient. Eventually the cat revealed herself to be someone named Witch Hazel. It was odd that she didn't easily pick up that she and Hazelpaw lived around those parts. Eventually Morningfang, Hazelpaw's mentor, joined them as well.

"I wouldn't attack a queen, Clan or not. Her kits can be beneficial to us," Whinchatfang pointed out, "and we could always use another warrior in our Clan. Let's bring her to Plumstar."

[Leah]

Hazelpaw's head turned at the sound of Morningfang's voice; she didn't think he'd find them that quickly. She once again looked at Whinchatfang; her body tense and her fur on end. "I wouldn't attack a queen," the deputy said, and she instantly relaxed. Her suggestion to bring Witch Hazel into the camp was a welcome idea. Without thinking, the bounded towards the kittypet, or, former kittypet, soon-to-be Pineclan Queen, and said, "Your kits are going to be Pineclan! They're going to be Warriors!" in an even louder voice, hoping that the deputy; who typically helps the Leader choose apprentice and mentor pairings; would hear, she said "I hope I get to mentor one of them! I'll be seventeen moons old by then, and a Warrior!" or older, depending on how long it will take for the kits to get there, but hey, what does it matter?

[Lem]

Witch Hazel was slightly startled by the sudden appearance of a third cat. She blinked her yellow-brown eyes quickly, as they spoke to her, asking if she could fend for herself, and then, a bunch of stuff that made absolutely no sense to her. Warrior? Plumstar? Clan? These words might as well be random sounds to Witch Hazel. Well, not completely random. If she gave herself a moment to think it over, she could probably infer from the context that Plumstar was the name of somecat, and Clan was some sort of organization or group, that the speaker obviously identified themself as. But before she had time to give it much though, or reply at all, the youngest of the three strangers was suddenly bouncing up and down around her, with a whirlwind of things spewing out of her mouth, many of which seemed to be related to the things the other cats had said, but all of which just served to confuse the young queen further. Reeling back slightly, Witch Hazel lifted a paw in surprise.
"O-oh," she stuttered, disoriented by the barrage of unfamiliar terms, (but truthfully much relieved at the obviously friendly attitude of the young cat,) "I-" She took a second to orient herself, and turned to the cat who had most recently arrived on the scene. To answer his question, she meowed honestly, "Well, er, that depends on your definition of fending for yourself, I guess. I mean, I've caught birds before and stuff but it's been harder since, y'know," she gestured with her tail to her belly, "My current situation, body-wise. And I don't know my way around here at all, I mean, I'm not even sure where to find water, and truthfully, I'm getting rather thirsty since I've been wandering around out here..." She trailed off for a moment, then turned her gaze to the brown tabby who had first spoken to her. "But, um, who's Plumstar? Also," she glanced at the excitable younger cat, who had just been spouting off, "Clan? PineClan? I'm sorry, but I'm really, really, really not from around here, and I really don't have any idea what's going on. I mean, I've gathered that yes, you lot do live, er," she glanced around at the trees for a moment, "Here, in this forest, but... Really, I'm just completely confused." By now, Witch Hazel had lost most of her apprehensiveness, and had sat down, her tail-tip flicking absentmindedly as she studied the strangers inquisitively. Now, while they had so far proven not to be a threat, she was simply confused. The only thing that was concerning to her was that the little cat had been going on about doing something with her kits, making them into pine warriors or something. But her kits as individual beings were still mostly an abstract concept to her, as they were simply a somewhat-squirmy swelling in her abdomen at the moment. (Though she supposed it wouldn't be long until she got to meet them. She hadn't met newborn kittens before. Well, since she was a newborn kitten, with her siblings. But she barely remembered that time. She wasn't really sure what to expect, but she wasn't really concerned about it, either.)

[Leah]

Hazelpaw dropped her stance a bit as she noticed the kittypet was beginning to look a bit uncomfortable. She backed off a few steps, but she was still visibly excited. Wait... did she just say she's caught birds before? She'd heard from the grumpy elders that yucky Twolegs do everything for kittypets, including getting their food. Hazelpaw becomes amused at the thought of Twolegs attempting to catch mice with their weird paws. "Um..." she looked back at Whinchatfang; she wanted to answer these questions, maybe help the kittypet be less startled and shaky, but the deputy might not like that. "Well..." she wondered, about to finish her question with 'why are you out here if you weren't planning on joining a Clan?' because Witch Hazel really sounded as if she wasn't planning on this. But the words never came out. Maybe it would be better if Morningfang or Whinchatfang answered her questions. "Well, no worries," she had to give encouragement even if she didn't plan on answering her endless queries. "you'll be fine!" she hadn't realized she'd stepped closer to the kittypet once again, and was just a few whiskerlengths from her face.

[Cobalt]

"Hazelpaw, you're getting ahead of yourself. We should be getting her back to camp," Morningfang sighed. Sprucepaw had always been the same, speaking before thinking. He fixed his gaze on the kittypet. "Plumstar is the leader of our Clan, PineClan. We are taking you to see him. He will likely allow you to join us if you wish, but you aren't required to. However..." Morningfang glanced down at the kittypet's swollen belly. "We can provide you food, shelter, and training, and we could use the extra paws." He turned, indicating with his tail for her and Hazelpaw to follow. "First, however, we are going back to camp." He looked over at Whinchatfang, a signal that the deputy could lead if he wished.

[Lem]

Witch Hazel raised her brow at the the little cat's somewhat odd and useless reply, but quickly her attention turned back to one of the older cats. He spoke, giving her a better explanation, and her shoulders visibly relaxed as he spoke of food and shelter and safety. She wasn't too sure about that whole "joining a Clan" thing, as she still wasn't entirely sure what a "Clan" entailed, but that could wait. He said said they wouldn't force her to join if she didn't want to, so it wasn't like they were holding her hostage or making her do anything against her will. Witch Hazel's eyes widened with gratitude as she tilted her head at the wild cats.
"Oh, thank you! I'm terribly lost, as I've mentioned, I mean actually I'm not sure I'd ever be able to find my way back home if I tried and... And it really does sound lovely to have somewhere to go." She nodded decisively. "I'll go with you!" She got to her paws, stepping forward towards the PineClan cats. "Take me to your... Er, Clan. Thing." Witch Hazel looked at the cats trustingly, having decided already that there was nothing to fear about them. They were promising her food and shelter, and seemed friendly enough. Especially the enthusiastic younger cat. From what she was able to deduce, the younger cat was in some kind of training to become a "warrior", which is what she assumed the older cats were. All these titles... "warrior", "Leader", it was bizarre to her. But there would be plenty of time for it to be explained to her back at the... Camp, or whatever they called it. The place they were bringing her. I wonder how many cats will be there... The way they spoke of it, there were obviously more, but she had no idea how many. Five? Ten? More? She hadn't ever seen a group of cats living together, other than the one house a little ways away from her home where there were eight cats who all lived together, but she was pretty sure this was a very different arrangement here in this "PineClan". Much more organized, obviously. And without any twoleg at all taking care of them, or being involved in anything. Really this whole day felt like some story her neighbor would tell! Being dropped in the middle of nowhere, meeting forest cats who lived with no twolegs, being invited to join a "Clan" and going to their "camp"... It all sounded so ridiculous! She would have thought it was a dream if it all wasn't so sharply real (and if her paws didn't hurt so badly.)

[Leah]

"Oh, sorry!" she squeaked at Morningfang. She backed off again and could feel her face heating up in embarassment. She twitched and scurried back onto her paws when her mentor began to move. Without thinking she piped up again at Witch Hazel's words, "oh, yeah! Plumstar will welcome you gladly! He's such a great Leader! One of the best Pineclan has ever seen! Or, I mean, I think so. I haven't known that many Leaders, you know, since I'm young and stuff, but I'm sure he's the best, because-" she stopped in an instant. They had all stopped moving and the kittypet was not any less nervous since a few moments ago. Hazelpaw had started speaking super fast again and, as Morningfang once told her, nobody catches a word when you can't stop talking! Or... something like that. She never remembers the exact words that cats say...