The inside of the Horseplace made Riverpaw's jaw drop in surprise. It was very big, and there was not a horse in sight. Not a single one, or animal.

There was a lot of yellow moss-looking things though in a couple of piles that were made neater.

The twolegs must be as obsessed with keeping things clean as Sapwhisker is. Riverpaw thought, twitching his whiskers in amusement.

On one of the piles of whatever it was, there laid an almost as beautiful brown tabby she-cat with yellow eyes.

Her eyes were closed as her chest fell up and down rhythmically.

Zinnia approached her, her paw steps awakening the sleeping female.

"Huh? What is it?" The she-cat mewed sleepily, her voice deeper than what a normal female's sounded like.

The female stretched, arching her back in a long yawn, tongue poking out more than enough.

"Ah!" She purred as her back cracked, and she appeared more awake than before.

The she-cat sat back down, staring at her subjects and then stared at Pearl. She hissed right away.

"Traitor!" She growled, bunching her muscles as if preparing herself to pin down the cream tom.

Pearl looked at the ground. "Oh I'm the traitor? You sent your cats after me to murder me so I wouldn't tell anyone of what you've done!" Pearl snarled, unsheathing his claws as if to prepare to fight her.

"Dude, you can't fight a girl! Especially not our leader!" The black tom mewed, pressing a paw against the growling tom to stop him from mangling the beauty in front of him.

"Does it matter? She's going to kill us!" Pearl snarled, curling his claws against the ground, making a clinking sound.

It would seem as if the ground here was impenetrable.

The brown tabby flicked her tail in amusement. "Zinnia, you have the weirdest of friends." She purred before her gaze landed on the two apprentices.

"And who might you two cuties be?" She asked as she leaped down from like to approach the two young cats.

Riverpaw puffed out his chest. "I'm Riverpaw!" He mewed proudly.

The she-cat gasped loudly, stumbling back as if she had received the blow from Pearl.

"From....RiverClan? Is that your clan?" She asked, whisking her tail back and forth.

Her neck was strained forward and her ears moved to hear his response.

"Yes? Was it my name that gave away the clan? Or was it perhaps my pelt color?" He asked her.

She shuffled her paws as she stared at the ground.

She seemed to be embarrassed at the fact she asked them that.

"Well, your name is Riverpaw, so I was wondering if you were named after you clan is all. And my mate was brutally murdered by a cat of your clan." She told him.

Riverpaw and Wildpaw were shocked.

"Well, yes he was named after our clan." Wildpaw meowed.

"And what are you talking about?! Clan cats don't need to kill to win their battles. You must be thinking of WindClan." Wildpaw meowed.

This is pretty shocking. What clan mate of ours would be willing enough to murder such an innocent cat like that? Riverpaw wondered, sniffing at the base of the weird yellow stuff.

"No. It's not this so-called WindClan. I remember it being by the river. It has to be this RiverClan. The clan you're in. What was the red tom's name who brutally killed my mate without letting us explain first?" The she-cat wondered, putting a paw to her chin.

It was a weird sight to behold upon.

Riverpaw and Wildpaw glanced at each other.

Did this she-cat—no! Did Gecko seem a little more malicious than the two were expecting?

Sure they expected her to be mad, but she seemed crazy.

"Hmm, oh I know! It was that little piece of shit, Hotpaw!" She snarled, going in their faces.

Her breath smelled rank.

Zinnia padded to her mom, and placed a paw on her shoulder.

"You're spiraling again, Mom. Remember revenge isn't the answer. Please, we must at least treat these two...what kind of warriors are you right now?" Zinnia wondered, bending her head Riverpaw's way.

"Apprentices," Riverpaw mewed quickly.

"Right, apprentices with respect. They didn't kill father." Zinnia meowed, bending her frontal body with her paws lowering to the ground.

The brown tabby swayed as she faced her daughter.

"Right. Sorry. I just really want that cat to die so badly. He and that Lilystem destroyed everything for us, and I can't get over his death." The brown tabby mewed.

"Of course not mother. But not all RiverClan cats are bad. These two apprentices ventured here all on their lonesome. Please. Let them stay here with us for the night. They seem exhausted." Zinnia meowed softly.

Riverpaw loved hearing her voice. It was like putting a poultice on an infection.

"Fine," she mewed. "But I would like to know these two apprentices names before I allow them in."

Zinnia pointed her tail at Riverpaw first, which made him feel happy for some reason.

"The Gray tom with light green eyes is Riverpaw." She introduced.

She turned back towards them.

"Guys, this is my mom, Gecko. Sorry if she seems a little cranky or mean. She's had it really rough between her mate dying and the rest of the litter dying. I'm the only surviving kit."

Riverpaw felt pity writhing within his body.

Poor Zinnia and Gecko. They've had it rough. But why would Hotpool kill any cat? He wondered.

"And who's the bouncing cat?"

Zinnia's voice turned into a whisper.

"That's Wildpaw. He's pretty wild."

A small chuckle could be heard from the tabby as her golden eyes flowed softly.

"And are these clan cats nice?" She asked.

"Well, they haven't tried to kill us yet, so I'm sure it's just Hotpaw and Lilystem." Zinnia soothes as she rubbed herself against her mother's body.

That seemed to sooth the she-cat as Gecko turned back to the two of them.

"Are they still alive?" She asked Riverpaw, glaring into his eyes with a hatred for her past.

"Yes." Riverpaw mewed. "Hotpaw is now Hotpool and Lilystem is now Lilystar."

The information seemed to give Gecko more energy.

"Alright," she growled darkly, lashing her tail.

"Thank you for telling me."

The expressions on her face then turned happy and inviting. "Welcome to the Horseplace. When the twolegs left us rogue cats from all around decided to stay here. Like a sixth clan." Gecko informed them.

Her eyes turned towards the weird ground that surrounded Riverpaw and the others.

"But," she growled, lashing her tail with hatred. "The clans don't want us here. We 'invade' their territories and take 'their' prey. So when we go and have a walk in their territory they don't show mercy." She growled, spiraling.

"Mom's right. The clans have been hostile to us ever since we've come by. Has there been an invasion of rogues that scarred them?" Zinnia wondered thoughtfully.

"But you guys don't seem hostile." Riverpaw meowed.

"Exactly!" Gecko snarled, lashing out at one of the other cats nearby who was sleeping.

A red she-cat with a white chest awoke with a start, her Amber eyes looking around wildly before landing on her leader.

She then shrugged and then went back to sleep.

"Anyways, you two are welcome here anytime. Unlike those filthy clan cats you two call your family." Gecko meowed, friendliness in her mew.

Wildpaw seemed disturbed for some reason.

"Thank you, but it will be just for one night." Wildpaw mewed.

"What are these yellow twigs?" Riverpaw asked as he pawed the yellow twigs that were stacking up on the ground.

Zinnia and Gecko purred. "That's hay." Zinnia informed them. "Have you never seen hay before in your life?"

"No. We haven't ever seen this stuff before." Wildpaw mewed.

"Can you eat it?" Wildpaw continued as he took a mouthful.

He immediately spat it out. "Yuck!"

The two she-cats giggled. The white tom and brown she-cat joined them in the laughter.

Wildpaw licked his own fur to get the taste of hay out of his mouth.

"Yuck! Yuck! Yuck! That tasted gross! I don't like that taste!" Wildpaw meowed like a Kit, hopping around on his feet.

"Of course it tastes bad. What'd you expect from cow and horse food? Something meaty? Of course it's going to taste weird! You're a strange cat, Wildpaw." Gecko meowed a purr rumbling within her throat.

"This hay is what we use for our bedding, silly. It's not a treat."

Wildpaw's ears folded in embarrassment.

"Oh." He meowed.

Riverpaw's eyes shown with amusement. His brother was silly.

"Now, if you will follow me. I have to show you two where to sleep." Gecko meowed.

She beckoned them to follow with her tail.

The two apprentices followed her with Pearl behind them.

"You can also stay if you want, Pearl." Zinnia meowed.

Pearl rolled his eyes.

"I'll stay for the two numbskulls who need to think smarter than they are." He meowed.

Was that an insult? Riverpaw thought as Gecko showed him which hay pile he would be sleeping on.

He dipped his head and thanked her, stepping into it, and fell asleep.

These cats aren't nearly as bad as Pearl and Iceclaw told me they were.
—————

Author's Note: Thanks so much for getting this far in the story!

Now that the actual plot is kicking, I'm kicking too!

Now that you've met Gecko what's your thoughts on her? And what about the cats in the background?

Would you like to see the background cats more often?

What do you think will happen next?

And until next time...have a drawing I made of Pearl. I will be doing this with most major characters. If you have a request for me from this book I'll draw and show you the cat in a chapter.

And if you want to draw them too you Can. Don't forget to tag me if you are!

And once again thanks for reading!