characters involved
summary
Rusty, a twoleg pet, is dreaming, hunting for a mouse. Waking up after the mouse escapes, Rusty goes out into the garden, surveying the forest until his friend Smudge visits. They gossip about rumors of wildcats in the forest, and Rusty decides to find out for himself, leaping down from the fence for the first time.
He spots a mouse, but before he can attempt to catch it another kitten crashes into him. They scuffle before Graypaw, the kitten, ends the fight and introduces himself. He belongs to ThunderClan, one of the four Clans of wildcats. Suddenly two other cats appear - Bluestar, leader of ThunderClan, and Lionheart, Graypaw's mentor. Bluestar takes an interest in Rusty, but Lionheart is impatient to return to camp. Rusty asks why it's such a big deal that he should hunt a mouse or two and is surprised by Bluestar's strong reaction - he realizes he's not dealing with cozy fireside cats.
He spots a mouse, but before he can attempt to catch it another kitten crashes into him. They scuffle before Graypaw, the kitten, ends the fight and introduces himself. He belongs to ThunderClan, one of the four Clans of wildcats. Suddenly two other cats appear - Bluestar, leader of ThunderClan, and Lionheart, Graypaw's mentor. Bluestar takes an interest in Rusty, but Lionheart is impatient to return to camp. Rusty asks why it's such a big deal that he should hunt a mouse or two and is surprised by Bluestar's strong reaction - he realizes he's not dealing with cozy fireside cats.
events
Page 8 - Rusty wakes upPage 11 - Rusty enters the woods
Page 14 - Graypaw introduces himself
Page 17 - Bluestar and Lionheart appear
quotes
"He closed his eyes and breathed in the smell of the woods once more. It seemed to promise something, tempting him onward into the whispering shadows."
- Narration, page 10
"Henry told me there are all sorts of dangerous animals out there. Huge wildcats who eat live rabbits for breakfast and sharpen their claws on old bones!"
- Smudge, page 11
"Oh I'm far from the most dangerous [thing in the woods]. If I were even half a warrior, I'd have given an intruder like you some real wounds to think about."
- Graypaw, page 14
"I guess you'll never understand. You weren't born wild. It makes a big difference. You need to be born with warrior blood in your veins or the feel of wind in your whiskers. Kitties born into twoleg nests could never feel the same way."
- Graypaw, page 16
"I have been wondering how you would preform out here, beyond the Twoleg Place. We patrol this border frequently, so I have often seen you sitting on your boundary, staring into the forest. And now, at last, you have dared to place your paws here."
- Bluestar, page 18
"Theres never enough food to go around. If you didn't live such a soft, overfed life, you would know that."
- Bluestar, page 19
- Narration, page 10
"Henry told me there are all sorts of dangerous animals out there. Huge wildcats who eat live rabbits for breakfast and sharpen their claws on old bones!"
- Smudge, page 11
"Oh I'm far from the most dangerous [thing in the woods]. If I were even half a warrior, I'd have given an intruder like you some real wounds to think about."
- Graypaw, page 14
"I guess you'll never understand. You weren't born wild. It makes a big difference. You need to be born with warrior blood in your veins or the feel of wind in your whiskers. Kitties born into twoleg nests could never feel the same way."
- Graypaw, page 16
"I have been wondering how you would preform out here, beyond the Twoleg Place. We patrol this border frequently, so I have often seen you sitting on your boundary, staring into the forest. And now, at last, you have dared to place your paws here."
- Bluestar, page 18
"Theres never enough food to go around. If you didn't live such a soft, overfed life, you would know that."
- Bluestar, page 19