"Claw! Stop it!" Sunday's kit heard Feather trying to jump on Claw, who was giggling the whole time. Feather and Claw were Snowfall's children.

Snowfall had been nursing her for a few moments. One second, she had been flying through the air, another she was sitting in a warm nest, next to a new cat.

"Swamp, Sunday never told me her kit's name. What should we call her?" Snowfall asked Swamp, who was standing next to Snowfall.

"Maybe Bird, or Leaf. What about Owl?" Snowfall suggested.

"Lets call her Runt. Since she's the runt of whatever her litter was."

Sunday's kit did not like that name, but she could not remember what Sunday had called her.

Snowfall stopped speaking, and went silent.

"She's not ours." Swamp explained.

"I know that." Snowfall snapped. "Runt just seems...you know what, it's fine. Runt it is."

"Great. I'm going hunting now."

"Bye..." Snowfall whispered.
She sighed. Runt did not like her name.

"Snow...fallllll?" Runt tried.
Snowfall turned to Runt, and started speaking. "Good job, Runt." Snowfall said runt with a distasteful sound. "You know what? I'm not calling you Runt, It's a bad name. You shouldn't have to grow up with that. I'm calling you Star. I wanted a kit named Star."

Star liked her name now. She wanted to get up and do a happy twirl. So, she pushed herself up, but her front left foot turned on an angle and she hit the moss with a thud.
"Star? Are you ok?" Snowfall sounded worried.

"Yup. Yup yup yup." Yup was the one word Star could say.

Snowfall laughed. "Let me help you." Suddenly Star let out a yelp as big paws wrapped around her and pulled her up. But her paws landed squarely on the ground, and she toddled over to the sounds of Claw and Feather.

But the sounds stopped and footsteps came running over to her, until she could feel two breaths on her face.

"Whoa! What's wrong with her face!" Feather screeched.
"I think her eye is pretty. What happened to your other one? It's gone!" Claw asked her.

Star stayed silent. Were they talking to her?
"Hello?" Claw asked again.

"Sweetie, she can't talk yet. She's only a moon old."
That was Snowfall. The only voice who Star trusted.

"Yup." Star said.

"Mommy, why does she look like that?" Feather whisper shouted.

"Feather, don't be rude."
"Sorry."
Star wanted to walk more, so she walked forward again, just to fall right into Claw, who yelped.
"Gah! Look where you're going!"

"Claw, sweetie, she can't see. She's blind. That's why she has a glassy eye."
"Ohhhh. That makes more sense."
"...yup?" Star questioned.

"C'mon. Let's play." Claw said, taking her paw and rushing a little quicker than Star was ready for, farther away from Snowfall.

"Yup?" She asked again.
"Ugh. Say something else." Feather groaned, catching up to them.
"Erm, ..."
"Here. Try Claw." Claw said. "It's my name. Claw."

"C...Cla..."
"Close!" Claw cheered.

"Feather now!" Feather demanded. "Feather!"
Star stayed silent now, trying to figure out what sounds to make. "Fed...er?"
Claw giggled again as Feather swatted at him.

"No, it's Feather. Not feeder, or whatever you said. Try again."

They had practiced all day on words, and the next moon too. Being two moons felt amazing. Star could run, jump over stones when Claw or Feather told her when, and talk. Talking was fun for her. Swamp had disappeared one day, and Snowfall hadn't seemed to care, but some nights Star could hear her crying. Star had met many cats in the junkyard, and learned that they were a big community. They worked together to survive.

"Hey Claw!" She called.
"Yeah?"
"Check this out!"

Star then ran forward, super fast.
"Star!-" Claw yelled at her.

"SHH!" She yowled back.

She kept running, but in her mind, she felt something tug up. The tugging got harder and harder but she kept running. Suddenly, her paw slammed into a rock. She tripped forward, and slammed her face on the ground. The tugging up had stopped.

"Star! Star, are you ok?!" She could feel Claw's paw on her back as she rolled over, he grabbed her paw.

Feather screeched when she saw Star.
"Mommy! Mommy! Star has blood on her nose! It's blood! It's gross! Bleh!"
Snowfall ran out.
"Oh Star. Let's get you to Clear thoughts. He'll know what to do."

All Star could do was whimper. Her face hurt, and she felt embarrassed. She had been working so hard to learn how to run without tripping and now she had tripped in front of Claw.

"Mommy? Is she going to be ok?" Claw asked, sounding worried.
Snowfall sighed. "She'll be fine."

"Good."
When they came up to the healer's den, which was in the middle of the junkyard, the center is what it was called, where all the rogues came to socialize and collect prey. Some even came to try and create small groups which they would live with and have a higher chance of surviving. Clear thoughts, the healer, healed cats, but for a fee, depending on his relationship with them. For example, he healed his kin for free, and kits for free, but older rogues had to bring him prey and the herbs he needed. Some cats got away with getting a smaller price but most did not.

Clear thoughts lived in a giant rock, which was sitting in the middle of the junkyard. Some leaves were weaved into a den, and Star could hear them rustling as they entered.

"Excuse me?" Snowfall said, Claw and feather trailed around her while Star was cradled in her arm.

"Clear thoughts?"

A kind voice came out of the shadows. "Come on in, Snowfall."