A dark grey tom was waiting for us at a pile of broken, crushed rocks, his amber eyes serious, yet warm at the same time.

When he spotted us, he padded over. He spotted in front of me and gave me a smile. "I'm glad you wanted to hunt with me."

"I'm coming along too, if you didn't realise," Clover Shine mewed bluntly.

"I am aware," Thorn's Shadow responded curtly before turning to me. "Where do you want to hunt?"

"I don't know," I admitted, unable to remember any iconic hunting spots around the lake. "Why don't you decide?"

"I know a place," he replied. "Follow me."

Thorn's Shadow headed into the direction of the lake, his paw steps fast and confident. He must be eager to show us, I thought.

No cat spoke - luckily - as we trekked after the older tom. We padded past many possible hunting spots, which roused my confusion even more. Where is he taking us?

"We are getting close," Thorn's Shadow reassured.

As we walked around a set of spiky bushes, a tall, dark brown trunk loomed in front of us.

I gasped as I marvelled at its terrifying height. So, he was taking us to the Sky Oak. I should have known.

Clover Shine did not look impressed on the outside, but I caught a glimpse of awe reflecting in her leaf-green eyes. It's hard not to be impressed by it.

"There are many squirrels we can catch here," Thorn's Shadow meowed. "I used to come here all the time with my brother. Together, we chased after squirrels until the end of time."

His eyes suddenly dulled with sadness. "For a while at least." It was so soft that I barely caught the words, but I was blown away by what he said. Could it be linked?

"Let's just start hunting," Thorn's Shadow meowed quickly.

"Just don't follow me," Clover Shine mewed, prancing off in a random direction.

As for me, I took a position closer to the Sky Oak and instinctively began to sniff out prey. The air was stained with faint scents of squirrel, but luckily for us, some were fresh.

My instincts took control and I found one nibbling at a small, round nut nearby. It was so focused on the nut that it was unable to react in time for my well-timed pounced.

I gave it a swift ending and spat out its fluffy fur that got stuck in between my teeth.

I stashed it inside the cover of a leafy bush, silently urging myself to remember its location, knowing that my memory was poor.

I was lucky to find another squirrel quickly. My heart soared at the thought of managing to catch two squirrels in a row. Encouraged, I pounced with my claws out, eager to sink them into the prey.

However, the squirrel was obviously more experienced than the other one I killed. It dropped its nut and ran, slipping out of my grasp. I gritted my teeth as I silently seethed in anger, chasing after it, determined not to lose the catch.

Unfortunately, the squirrel was very fast, already gaining more than a fox-length of distance away from me. It was running towards the direction of the Sky Oak and if I was unable to catch it before it reached there, it would be able to escape by climbing the tree.

That pesky prey! I growled in my mind.

Suddenly, the unexpected happened. It was so fast that no living thing could have reacted in time. Thorn's Shadow intercepted the squirrel's escape route and successfully caught it.

"Thank you for chasing it into my claws," he mewed, staring at the dead squirrel that lay beneath his paws. "We make a good team."

"I guess we do," I smiled, stopping to catch my breath.

"Have you seen Clover Shine?" Thorn's Shadow asked. "I did not see her while I was up on that tree."

"No," I replied.

"That's strange," he commented. "She must have wandered off from this area."

"The question is, why?" I muttered, more to myself.

Barely a heartbeat later, a yowl sliced through the air, so sharp that it could have broken glass. "Clover Shine!" I gasped, dashing off into the direction of the yowl.

The tiredness I felt previously from the chase evaporated, replaced by a burning desire to save and protect.

I brust into a clearing to a screen of red. The scent of blood was powerful, attacking my nose relentlessly as I realised that Clover Shine was in danger by one of the most feared predators by cats: foxes.

Clover Shine's once gleaming white pelt was matted with blood and bite wounds, fresh by the looks of it. She stood her ground, snarling at the pair of foxes - her attackers - persistently.

"It's too risky," Thorn's Shadow growled as if he knew what I was thinking about.

My steely face of determination met his concerned ones, wordlessly sending him a clearly spoken message.

With a battle yowl rumbling in my throat, I charged into the fray.

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Sucks to have a white pelt in the wild. Anyway, after the tenth chapter, there will be the allegiances for ancients.

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