in the strangest of times... [c]

Even though everything seemed changed with the Asylum takeover, Cedarheart’s daily routine hadn’t changed much. Patrols, hunting, lounging in camp, eating, sleeping. It was all of that, except accompanied. Followed. Watched. She had been assigned to a morning patrol, and as she dragged herself out of her den and into the sunlight, she felt a shiver run down her spine. Waiting for herself to wake up, and her companions to join her, she stood. When they had all arrived, she set off, into the forest. It was a simple ordeal, marking borders, but it felt good to be doing something normal, like nothing had changed. Even a small reminder of what had been was good.

As she neared the border of the Thunderpath, the putrid smell hit her nose, and she recoiled slightly. She had never liked the loud noise of the racing monsters, zipping fast. She quickly moved on from that spot, cutting through Snakerocks, partially separated from the rest of the patrol. As she trotted through, a small noise made her stop. She backed up a few steps to find a kit, resting on a rock. Her breath caught in her throat in surprise. This wasn’t one of the clan’s kits, although for a moment she had wondered if ut was one that had gone missing. She couldn’t have been more than six moons old. So what was she doing here all alone?

She approached her slowly, not wanting the scare her. "Hello, little one. I’m Cedarheart. Are you out here all alone?" she asked gently, eyes flitting around in search of some sort of parent. If she figured out who this kit was, maybe she could help return her back to her family.

Reign let herself rest on the smooth rock, trying to get heat from the sun to land on her back and warm her up.  She had a short fur coat, so this made her get colder faster than some other cats.  The hollow log she used to sleep in, started braking down and soon it became fragile and exposed, making it no longer a safe hiding spot.  This was the first time in about two moons that she convinced herself that it was safe enough to be out in the wild and rest.  Although, she did not expect to fall asleep, but soon enough, her eyes closed and she felt like she could no longer move.

She woke up and saw that no harm had come to her.  Relieved, she stretched out her paws and yawned, making a small tired sound while she was yawning.  She closed her eyes.  A kind, but startling sound awoke her.  Reign subconsciously, but quickly, jumped off the rock and hid under the side of the rock that the creature that woke her was not on.  She did not really know what was happening, but when her mind had a second to process it, she realized the creature said words that she understood, which must mean that it was a cat.  She stood up so she could see the cat.

"Y-yes," she responded.  The only time she was able to see other cats, was when she was fearfully running away from the ones that wore other animals pelts and when she hid from small groups of cats that she saw killing other animals.  None had spoken to her.  None probably even saw her.  She was very careful, most of the time.

"I am alone.  I have been alone for a while," she looked back up at the large cat and took a couple steps back.  "Who- who are you?  Why are you talking to me?"  She definitely was not used to hearing another cats voice anymore, especially one that was speaking to her.

Cedarheart’s brows furrowed as the she-cat answered. It didn’t seem like she was lying, but who would leave a kit all alone, just before leaf-bare started? And with the Asylum takeover, it was awful timing to be all alone. Filling with sympathy, she made sure to stay just a few steps away from Reign, to make sure she felt comfortable. "Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you." her green eyes met the small cat’s.

"I’m Cedarheart. I live in Thunderclan." She was determined to not call it the Asylum. They were the clans, not the Asylum. They would never be the Asylum, not in her eyes. Not in the eyes of the clan. "Leaf-bare, the coldest season is coming, and I wouldn’t just leave a kit I saw alone in the forest." She explained, hoping that the black kit would be more trusting of her. She wasn’t sure why she felt this way, but she felt protective over her already. Like how she felt about her kits, even.

"If you’d like, you could come live with me. We have a clan full of cats, all working together. There’s warmth, and food." She offered. She hadn’t meant to leave out the Asylum, but it wouldn’t seem very welcoming to a young cat if she describe the invaders. There weren’t much other options for the youngster. She could try to survive on her own, of course, but without any training that was dangerous in itself. There were a few rouge groups, the Asylum being the most notable of them, but would they accept Reign? Her best option, in the tabby’s eyes, anyway, was to join Thunderclan.

Reign's expression turned to both nervous and confused.  She was happy to meet this cat, but she did not expect Cedarheart to to give her this offer so quickly.  She hesitated.  It could be a trap, but if she was telling the truth, maybe it was not such a bad idea.  The promise of warmth as well as food was something she would do anything for.  The previous nights had been spent with her consistently waking up shivering, because of the cold winds coming in leaf-bare, as the new cat put it.  She was near starving and did not think she could survive too much longer on her own.  She had hid from cats who were trying to hide in the forest.  She had ran from cats without making any noise.  She had learned how to hunt mice at around three moons old.  If anything seemed wrong, she bet she could escape there.  It was better to try to get help then to slowly begin to die of cold and starvation.  Reign walked towards Cedarheart.

"That would be great.  Thank you."

Cedarheart smiled at the smaller cat, licking the top of her head affectionately. "What’s your name, little one?" The tabby asked. She had heard of strange names being held by outsiders, and the cats of the Asylum didn’t have names like the clans either. In the clans, names were about nature, about color. In the Asylum, they were meaningless words, a bunch of sounds jumbled together. Names were important. An apprentice was excited to get their warrior name, it was more than a title. It was a thing of glory, of accomplishment. Most loners that became clan cats adopted different names, but some kept their former ones, as somewhat of a link to their former life, before the clans. A new place didn’t mean you had to give up everything about yourself, after all. Sometimes, it was a way to explore yourself, to learn about it in new ways that you couldn’t have before.

She was excited to introduce her companion to the rest of her family. She knew that they would accept her with open paws. Her kits would gain a sibling, Ferretnose and Beecloud would get another member of their kin. Family wasn’t blood, it never had been. Family is who you care for, who cares for you. It’s not just who you are related to, but a link that bonds you together.

Reign sighed when Cedarheart asked the question.  "Reign," she mumbled.  "My name is Reign.  I never really liked it though.  Ever since-" she stopped speaking.  She could not tell this kind cat her horrible tale.  The past, although it had been a while, had still haunted her.  She still had nightmares about the dogs biting her father and the battle that she heard after she closed her eyes.  Cedarheart had promised to give her something that she desperately wanted and she did not want her to have any second thoughts about helping her, so she needed to keep as much to herself as possible.  "Where are we going?" she said with a kind and innocent tone of voice.

Cedarheart had been planning on suggesting another name, most loners to join the clan would do so. Perhaps, if it was simple enough, adding the suffix ‘kit on. But when the she-cat said her name, the warrior couldn’t bring herself to do that. Not after everything that had happened. It would be hard enough being half-clan, this poor kit didn’t need something else hanging over her like that. The tabby noted the hesitation in Reign’s voice, but decided not to pry. If she wanted to tell her, she would when the time was right. "That’s okay. Names work a little bit different in Thunderclan. You don’t have to, but if you’d like, you could change it." she offered. After all, there was an apprentice who kept his old name after joining. She hadn’t spoke with him, but he seemed nice enough.

"It’s not far. We’re going to the camp, where I live. If you decide to stay, you’ll have a grandmother, an uncle, and a few siblings." explained the tabby, leading the bi-colored kit to what she assumed would be her new home.

Reign hopped up to keep up with the large cat.  "Thuderclan?" She asked.  "Like a Thunderstorm?"  She was pondering the name of the place they were going, but then became even more confused by the other things the cat told her was ahead.  What was a grandmother?  Or an uncle? she thought.  She knew what siblings were, as her parents had told her that she had none when she was young.  So, were the other ones also family?  This questions she could not answer.  She always wanted siblings and now she was finally getting them she was very excited.  She was interested when the cat mentioned that she could change her name.  Maybe if I'm going to a place called Thunderclan, my name should have something to do with a storm.

Cedarheart nodded. "In Thunderclan, cats are named after nature. The first leader of Thunderclan was called Thunderstar." She explained. "For us, names change throughout our lives. When I was born, I was named Cedarkit. But when I became an apprentice, when I was six moons old, I was named Cedarpaw. I began training then. After I finished my training, I became a warrior. Warrior names are unique because you get a fully different name from the other cats." They had almost reached the border now. She turned to look at her smaller companion. "Are you sure you want to come? It will be a totally different life, and things might be hard sometimes." she explained. She didn’t want to trick the young cat into thinking she was going to get a perfect life in Thunderclan, because, especially now, it was far from that.

Reign ducked her head down and then looked up at Cedarheart.  "Life out here is hard," she responded.  "I was two months old when my parents either died or left me." To this day she still did not know which one was true.  She liked to imagine that her parents were still out there somewhere.  That they escaped the dogs.  She was pretty sure that her mother did, but unsure about her father.  At the same time, her parents should have known where to find her, which meant if they did not come back that they did not want her or care about her, which nearly hurt her just as much.

"Ever sense then I had to learn how to survive on my own." A brief pause took place as she closed her eyes a moment and sighed.  "I don't expect anywhere to be perfect, but as long as they don't force a cat as young as me to fight or hunt, I can bet that it is better than out here."

Cedarheart sighed as the young kit spoke. She had already experienced so much at such a young age. She wished she could have stopped that, could have changed what had happened. But all she could do was make sure that Reign was well cared for. She entered camp, beckoning the kit with her tail. She looked around for Nettlestar, her eyes finally settling on the tabby.

She walked closer to the leader, her stomach bubbling with nerves. Considering her past, she was a bit nervous speaking to her leader, even though all was said and done now. "Nettlestar, I found this kit. She doesn’t have a home, and I believe she would like to stay." explained the molly.

Nettlestar watched with vague weariness as Cedarheart approached her. The last time she had spoken with the warrior, it had been regarding a major violation of the warrior code. She certainly hoped that was not the case again. She had more than enough to deal with already.

It was then that she spotted the young kit by the warrior's side, and was pleasantly surprised to hear that all that was the matter was that Cedarheart had found the kit and wanted to bring her into the clan. After all, a new addition to ThunderClan was always welcome.

"She is more than welcome to stay if that is what she wishes," the she-cat replied. She turned her green gaze from Cedarheart to the kit. "What is your name, little one?"

Reign turned her orange and blue eyes to look at Nettlestar.  She wondered why they all seemed to have two names that did not match.  It was sort of fun though.  She wanted to fit in with this new place that also had two names.  Thunderclam... she thought, hoping she remembered the name correctly.  "Reign," she mumbled in response to Nettlestar's question.  "Are you part of Thunderclam?"

Cedarheart smiled, quietly observing as she let the two speak. She tried to ignore the kit’s mismatched eyes, but they made her think of Smallbean. She had pushed away the memories and the feelings, tried to shield them away. She didn’t need them, and she didn’t need him. But sometimes, on dark nights she could feel her mind drifting back to then. To their first meetings. They had been so innocent, so naive of what was to come. Even though she didn’t like to admit it, she wondered how he was doing. She hadn’t seen a cat from another clan in ages, and she would’ve liked to know how they were doing.

From overhead conversations it seemed the Asylum had taken the whole forest. Maybe it was good that Reign had stumbled into her life. A distraction from whatever was happening was well needed.