The Tests: Wait 2

The Tests: Wait 2

### Characters Present

Harnor, Fringe, Luana, Bird, Snow, Ivy, Thunder, Eclipse, Black Bird, Sunny, Feather, Fini, Palm, Dune, Wren, Cobweb, Wisp, Dusk, Rattlesnake, Frostsong, Quintessa, Echo, Leaf, Tawny, Storm, Wildflower, Tornheart, Frost, Vanilla, Leafy

### Important Events

A funeral for Dune is held, Dune and Wren are revived, Luana and Wren meet

**Wait 2** is an episode in *The Tests*.

## **The Tests: Wait 2 (The Plains)**

“Congratulations on passing the first Test — well, some of you, anyway.” Harnor flew down from above and landed in front of the cats. “We’ll all mourn . . . Sandy, was it? Or was his name Mouse-brain — because he certainly did have the brain of a mouse for jumping off that cliff.” The giant red god barked a laugh.

The cats trembled below him.

Oh, this was so much fun. “Let the second Wait begin,” Harnor cried — and then, with one beat of his powerful wings, he was lifted into the air and vanished into the sun.

The cats were left in a completely open plain with no sign of shelter. The only water was from small puddles, so they hoped that it would rain again soon. There was prey in the longer patches of grass, but after one point, the long grass and puddles stopped, so the cats all thought it was a better idea to stay in the area that could provide for them. The cave exit disappeared, leaving the plains even emptier.

“Dune. . .” Fringe said softly. “Why did he have to die?” She had heard a name he said — Wren. Perhaps a lost littermate or friend? *Harnor! What is this? Why are you doing this?*

Luana growled and snarled at the tom flying away. “It was Dune, you pathetic, evil. . .” She panted hard and squeezed her eyes shut. *He really was a mouse-brain. . .* She sighed deeply before turning to stalk off. “Leave me alone.”

“Why do we have to die? Why are you torturing us in this way?” Bird asked.

Snow stared blankly at the grass around her. She laid down on the ground, trembling. The first cat had died. How dare Harnor laugh. She glared upward, but looked around. She needed to hunt; she was starving. She forced herself up and tasted the air for a rabbit.

Ivy turned her dark blue gaze around the clearing. “So what now?” she wondered aloud.

“We wait. We survive until the next Test. It’s all we can do,” Thunder replied.

Eclipse and Black Bird were sitting next to each other once again, as far away as possible from any of the puddles.

Eclipse ended up having hit her paw pretty hard against a rock right before they left the last cave, so it was easier for her to sit. “He wasn’t even a good cat! He knocked Black Bird down into the water when he could barely swim! Doesn’t he care he could have killed my brother and ruined the chances of getting the key?” she hissed at the cats.
Feather growled. “Dune wasn’t a mouse-brain! Don’t you dare call him that!” A tear trickled down her face. *Dune . . . why did you die?* She glanced at the sky. “All of this is because of you!” She unsheathed her claws. “I wish you had never existed! You’re the mouse-brained fox-heart!”

Sunny padded to the center of the clearing. “Dune,” she began, “you were an honorable fighter, loving the cats you were close to. Your bravery and skill will be remembered, and may we say our thanks as the spirit-cats accept you into their ranks.” Looking up at the stars, she continued. “You saved my life back at the flooding cave, and I will forever be grateful.” She flicked her tail to Feather, gesturing to her to give her thanks.

Feather nodded. She wasn’t in the mood for a ceremony, even for Dune. She padded away from the others and curled up next to a puddle.

“I didn’t know you well,” Fringe said, surprising herself by joining in, “but you seemed like a good cat, Dune. You were always trying to make friends, even when we were all thrown into this mess.” She stepped back, finished. *Maybe this is what Sparrow meant,* she thought, *when she talked about missing cats she didn’t think she knew.*

Luana slowly padded back towards the group of cats. “Dune was . . . a difficult cat,” she purred softly. “Even if he did act rude, I think it’s obvious he had a good heart. He was certainly brave to face his fears in the first cave and help others. He will forever be in our hearts.” She closed her eyes as wind ruffled her fur.

Ivy stared at her paws, wondering if the others expected her to say something.

Snow blinked, and padded over to the others and mewed quickly, “None of us had known him very long.” She glanced at Eclipse and Black Bird, but continued. “But he was a good cat — brave, and the first to . . . leave.” She trembled. “And others will go, whenever or not we know them well, however they die. This is a symbol, a reminder of what we have to keep.” She bowed her head. “We have to stick together, help one another. And if we can’t do that — even though, in the end, only one will become a god, we will all die.” She laid down, feeling unable to stand after her unexpected words. She said nothing.

“Those are wise words, Snow,” Sunny mewed. “Does any other cat want to say anything?”

Snow blinked at the dismissal of her words and stood up, shaking. What had happened? Why was every cat like this? Why now? Would they act like this when some other cat died? She took a step back and raced away. She made sure she was far enough from the group and collapsed on the ground. Her wound had healed nicely and was now just a scar. There was no more pain. She stared blankly at the world around her. Her stomach grumbled, but she didn’t care, becoming lost in thought.

Eclipse and Black Bird shook their heads in unison, refusing to say anything nice about the dead cat. They didn’t even know him, for Harnor’s sake!

Eclipse just looked away and fell asleep, a steady rising and falling of breath against Black Bird’s chest.

Trying hard not to wake Eclipse, Black Bird got up to drink some water from the puddles and tried to hunt. A fat robin was feeding on seed, and he stalked up behind it, tail barely above the ground, not making a sound. He crept up and pounced. The bird was dead in a matter of heartbeats. He took the bird back to his sister and woke her up. “We need to eat,” he said simply as he dropped it in front of her.

Black Bird and Eclipse shared the robin.

Eclipse saved one of the gray feathers and wound it around her moonstone necklace. It reminded her of Ash. She lay her head against Black Bird. “I miss Ash. . .” she said.

All Black Bird did was nod. “So do I.”

Feather glanced into the puddle and saw Dune in it. “D-Dune,” she whispered. She touched her nose to his image, hoping to see him — not in the water, but the *actual* Dune. She lifted her snout out of the water sadly. “Dune . . . when I die, I’ll find you, and we will be together. I can’t live without you. . .” She stood up and trudged her way to some sand. She heard the sound of a bird and stalked it. It was a wren. She whispered, careful not to scare it away, “Wren. . . ” She pounced on it and heard a hawk. She made sure she was downwind, then pounced on its back. The hawk let out a screech. She bit down on the hawk’s neck and plucked a feather from it. She carried the wren and feather to the sand and buried the wren. Then she covered it back up, and drew a picture of a dune over the wren with her claws. Finally, she put the hawk feather upright on the dune. “We’ll miss you, Dune. Remember that we will be together one day.” She glanced down at the grave and then padded slowly back to the group, forgetting about the hawk.

Fringe saw the cat, Feather, leave the hawk behind. *Free prey. Nice.* She dragged it off to where no one was watching and dug in. *And I’m not sharing a bite.* She flopped down, resolving to be completely lazy until she could get her power and get out of the Tests.

Fini could hear murmurs. She padded closer and heard one of the cats, who was named Feather, mourning the loss of Dune. Still, she was hidden and out of sight. Her ears twitched as she heard the yowls of cats. The black she-cat tried her best to resist the cries of sadness. Hunting would take her mind off of all this stress. In the end, she caught a mouse and plopped down.

Sunny sat vigil near Dune’s grave, eating a plump mouse that she had caught. Despite her still-growling belly, she still sat vigil, too deep in grief to be tired. When the first trace of the sun came, she drank some water and curled up in some grass, going to sleep.

“Now that we know what we’re in for, we should form small groups so we can keep track of each other,” Thunder suggested.

“Seriously? After what that stupid winged cat said about only one of us winning?” Fringe snapped. “We’re better off on our own.”

Ivy glared at Thunder. “I can take care of myself, thanks,” she hissed. She stalked up to a mouse. She pounced and killed it with a swift bite before finding a spot aways away from cats. She sat down and took a bite out of her prey.

Luana nodded. “I’m afraid I don’t see the point. We’re all going to *die*, anyway.” She crept through the tall grass and heard something rustle the stalks. Waiting, she clumsily leapt and landed on a mouse. She purred and ate quickly.

“Where I come from, cats stick together and look out for one another. We protect each other, care for each other,” Thunder said. “Wolves are stronger in a pack.” He turned to Luana. “We’re not going to die if we combine our strengths.”

Snow had eaten and was over what the group had done earlier. She looked up at the sun that was slowly rising and looked around eagerly, waiting for the next Test to begin. She wanted it to come soon. For some reason, when they were all doing the Tests together, the group was more friendly. She didn’t like all of this distrust and selfishness. She sat down, her tail flicking. She sighed and looked at her paws.

With a loud thump, Harnor was on the ground in front of all the cats, his wings spread out wide. “I have a gift for you,” he said. “Some new . . . spares, so you’ll have more of a chance of survival.”

Suddenly, a ginger cat with a golden tail and a black tom appeared in the crowd.

“Oh, and one more thing.” Harnor slowly lifted up one of his wings. Behind it stood a gray-and-white tom with bright green eyes.

The murmurings went around the cats.

“Dune!

“It’s Dune!

“Dune’s back!”

Then Harnor lifted up his second wing and another cat stood there: a small white she-cat with brown stripes, with one yellow eye and one light blue eye.

Dune and the other cat ran forward into the crowd.

Harnor disappeared again.

Dune couldn’t believe it — he was back. And Wren was here too! “Listen up, everyone,” he hissed. “This is my sister, Wren, and no one is going to do anything to hurt her.”

“Oh, shut up, you,” Wren laughed, giving her big brother a friendly nudge. “Hi, I’m Wren. I’m Dune’s brother, and I would love to meet you all,” she involuntarily squealed.

Suddenly, Dune caught a cat's eye in the crowd — Feather. “Feather!” he cried out. He ran up and smiled at the gray she-cat, too shy to touch noses with her or nuzzle her.

Wren padded after him. *I’m glad my brother is making friends,* she thought.

Feather gasped. “Dune!” She bounded over to Dune and nuzzled him. “I missed you so much,” she whispered in his ear. All she cared about was being with him.

Dune stiffened as Feather nuzzled him, but then relaxed and nuzzled her back. “I missed you,” he whispered. He breathed in Feather’s scent, and then stepped back. He had something else to do. “Feather, I’m so sorry. I don’t know why I jumped. It was stupid, and I realize now that I should never have put you through that pain. I left you, and I don’t know if you’ll ever forgive me.” Tears rolled down his cheeks, but he shook them away. “I hope you understand that this is probably the first time I have ever apologized,” he joked.

Feather purred. “All that matters is that you’re here.” She pulled away from him. “I’ll be back soon. I promise.” She licked his cheek and then padded away in search of prey. She scented the air. There was a strong scent of rabbit, as well as mouse. She made sure that she was downwind of the rabbit, and then followed the scent trail. Once it was found, she pounced on it and bit its neck. She carried it back to the group of cats and dragged it through the crowd, careful that no one would take it. She dropped it at Dune’s paws. “It’s for you.”

Eclipse saw the kind-tempered Wren and held back a gasp. The she-cat was beautiful — at least, in her eyes. She hid it well, though — as even Black Bird, who was amazing at reading her expression, didn’t notice. She almost couldn’t help staring, though, and that was easy enough, as she was on the side of Black Bird where she didn’t have to turn her head too much.

Black Bird groaned when he saw the now-alive Dune and the two new cats. “Why are there so many cats?” he sighed. He finished off the robin and began to sleep next to Eclipse now.

Luana yowled in joy. “He’s alive!” She bounced around, and her eyes sparkled with joy. She saw him run over to Feather and decided to leave them. She purred loudly and padded up to Wren. “So you’re the infamous Wren?” she giggled. “It’s nice to meet you!”

“Nice to meet you too,” Wren mewed.

Sunny woke up due to shouting. Running to see what the noise was all about, she saw Dune and two new cats. “You must be Wren,” she mewed respectfully. “I’m Sunny.”

Wren heard a mew from behind her. “Oh, hi,” she mewed. “Yeah, I’m Wren. What’s your name?” She loved meeting new cats; these Tests were going to be fun. But she still had her brother to look out for as well, so if she needed to be a little manipulative to help him out, then she wouldn’t hesitate.

“I’m Sunny,” Sunny replied. “Your brother saved my life once.”

“Wow,” Wren mewed. “I didn’t know that Dune had it in him to save a cat’s life. He’s never really liked others.” She giggled. “Who’s that she-cat that he’s over there with — the gray one? He seems to really like her. Also, everyone’s talking about how he’s ‘back’. What happened to him?” She was really nervous. What had happened to her brother that made all the other cats so happy to see him?

Black Bird heard Wren and yelled over, “He might have saved her, but he almost killed me!” he hissed. He was never going to let it go, because he was stubborn.

“That she-cat is Feather.” Sunny’s eyes gleamed with amusement. “And . . . do you not know what happened to Dune?”

“Oh, Feather. She seems quite pretty, and I can see why Dune likes her. To be honest, I don’t know what happened to Dune. I feel bad because I always knew what was going on with him. I saw him jumping into somewhere, but I couldn’t see anything but him. I saw him after that as well, but we couldn’t talk, and I could just see him — nothing else that was around him.” Wren’s eyes started to well up as she realized why the cats looked so happy and why there was a drawing of a sand dune on the ground. “He died, didn’t he?” she mewed. Trying to take her mind off of the puzzle that was her brother, she looked around at the other cats, trying to pick out some faces. She gestured over at two black cats sitting side-by-side. One of them seemed to be staring at her eyes. “Who are they,” she whispered, “and why is that one staring at my eyes?”

Luana purred. “That’s Eclipse, I think. She’s looking at your eyes because they’re really pretty.” She realized what she’d said and stuttered, “Yeah, they’re pretty — but, y’know, like, uh. . .” She blushed and laughed nervously.

“Thanks,” Wren mewed. Great — now she was blushing. She smiled at the black she-cat. “Those little white speckles down your back are really pretty as well,” she mewed to the she-cat, blushing even more than before.

“Thank you.” Luana blushed harder. “Um, well, so . . . uh, I find it kind of amusing how, I guess, *different* you and your brother are. It’s like me and my sister!” she purred.

Eclipse realized Wren had seen her and quickly looked away. Then she realized she had already noticed her and gave up. She got up, waking and startling Black Bird, and padded over to Wren. “My name is Eclipse, and you must be Wren. What relation do you have to Dune? He’s . . . *unpleasant* most of the time." She tried to sound as kind as possible, but knew one cat would get onto her, so she added, "He almost killed my brother here,” she meowed with a flick of her tail to Black Bird.

*Oh, well,* Wren thought, *I might have to manipulate this cat just a little bit. She can’t say things like that about my brother.* She flicked her ear, sat down with her tail curled around her paws, and began washing. In between washes, she spoke sweetly to Eclipse. “Oh, Dune is my brother. We’ve been close all our lives; he’s like a best friend as well as a brother. And he’s saved me from so many scrapes,” she mewed. *Yes, this is going well,* she thought. *Now Eclipse should be feeling a little bit guilty. Now to change her mind about my brother.* “After I ‘died’ back where we lived, he’s never trusted anyone. He won’t apologize for anything and cares little for other cats. He took risks with other cats’ lives — all because he thought that they didn’t care about him or anyone he loved. So why care about him?” She stifled some fake tears. “I feel like it’s all my fault. If I hadn’t been hunting that night, then I wouldn’t have been killed in front of him, and he wouldn’t be like this. He’s a great cat at heart; he really is. Please give him a second chance. He’s had a hard life, and he just really needs some cats to show to him that strangers can be nice — and then he doesn’t need to be like this anymore.” She let the tears flow freely now. She hoped she had just changed Eclipse’s mind. She didn’t really like being manipulative, but if it was to help her brother, then she would.

Sunny looked at Wren. Clearly she was smarter than she looked. She liked her, and she had a feeling Wren would be a good friend and a useful ally.

Black Bird had come up to Eclipse in time to hear Wren say that, and he growled. “Well, he’s fine! I don’t care for him. The only reason I’m here is to protect Eclipse,” he spat.

Eclipse hit him on the nose, scowling. “I don’t need protection, fluff-brain,” she said, though he knew she was only joking. Ever since Ash had died, they had never let each other out of their sight. “And I’m sorry, Wren,” she added. “But anyone who doesn’t care so much he hits my brother into a rushing stream is a fox-heart. What he did was wrong — whether you admit it or not.” She tried not to sound rude, but it just came out. She couldn’t help feeling that hatred for Dune — and for herself for not getting the key and putting Black Bird in danger. Though slightly sad she had basically yelled at a she-cat who might act friendly to her, she stalked away with Black Bird.

Black Bird and Eclipse sat down to wash each other, and lay down to rest. As they both drifted off to sleep, their only thoughts were, *We have to win. For Ash.*

*This is unfair. I’m leaving.* Bird thought about it — maybe he shouldn’t leave. *Never mind. I’m staying.* He sat in the corner, alone. He sighed. Nobody bothered to talk to him. *I guess I am crazy after my best friend’s death.*

Thunder saw Dune. “How in the name of. . .” He didn’t finish his sentence, as he was too busy sniffing Dune and the new arrivals. “Dune! How are you here?! We watched you jump — I’ve heard some crazy stories, but none of a cat surviving a fall like that. I think we now know for sure that these Tests are legit. How does someone come back from the dead? It’s unnatural!”

Ivy stared at Dune. “How are you here?” she wondered aloud.

“I’m not sure, okay?” hissed Dune. “And I don’t know why anyone cares, anyway. I’m back, and if you don’t accept that, then suck it up. You’re stuck with me.”

“Um, excuse me, what’s going on here?” Palm mewed, trying to get his voice heard. So many cats — so many new friends he could make! The palm branch earring weighed heavy in his ear. *Or maybe it could be many friends to lose,* he thought. He saw a friendly-looking black-and-silver she-cat and padded over to her. “Hello,” he cried. “I’m Palm. Could you tell me what’s happening here? Also, what’s your name? And why is everyone getting so excited about that grumpy cat over there? What are we meant to be doing? Should we go hunting? I love hunting — my favourite food is shrew. Do you like shrew, or are you more of a rabbit cat? Oh — or do you like birds? I don’t like eating birds; they have too many feathers. Am I rambling? I think I’m rambling. I’ll stop now.” He clamped his mouth shut. How embarrassing — he had started to ramble again.

Snow stared at the cats in a mix of excitement and puzzlement. “Dune! Y-you’re alive? Wow. . .” She turned to Palm and Wren. “Hello! I’m Snowdapple, but you can call me Snow.” She flicked her tail, happy to have Dune back, along with the new cats. She darted away from the welcome of Dune and the other two cats. She felt uncomfortable with all the commotion. She laid down in the grass, it gently tickling her nose. She gave a small sneeze and watched the group silently, feeling a little left out and puzzled, conflicted with all of the change in the group and wondering where she would belong.

Cobweb was sitting in an oak tree, eating her mouse she had caught earlier. She enjoyed eating prey from aboveground rather than below. It was a lot more enjoyable sitting in a tree, looking at the view rather than staying on the ground and eating. It had been a moon since Star’s death, but the memory of his terrified face and the scent of his cold fur, reeking of death, was still fresh in her mind. The horrific look of his dead face still haunted her dreams. She shuddered. She paid no notice to a she-cat as she jumped down the tree to get some water. *The “Tests” can’t be that hard, right? Ugh, I’m stupid to think that! If someone died and had to be brought back from the dead, it has to be hard,* she thought as she lapped at the silver surface. She got up. “I wish this Harnor would have brought Star back,” she mumbled. She walked down a steep hill, lost in thought.

Wisp jerked up suddenly, having accidentally taken a nap. “Um . . . what’s going on?”

“W-what’s going on? Dune is alive? And who are the other two?” Fringe asked, confused.

Dusk looked around, surprised to see so many cats. *Father never told me that there would be so many cats!* She felt uncomfortable. She tried to look for someone she could say hello to, but they all looked so scary.

Fringe saw another cat looking around, obviously uncomfortable. *Well, I guess I could make a friend.* She padded up to the other cat. “Hi. I’m Fringe. What’s your name?”

Palm saw a confused-looking she-cat standing in the middle of all the cats, so he ran over. “Hi. I’m Palm,” he mewed. “What’s your name? And do you have any idea why there are so many cats here?” He was finding it all a bit confusing. He loved to meet new cats, but this was too much.

Fringe caught a rabbit, and ate it thinking of her sister Sparrow. “Sparrow loves rabbit,” she muttered to herself. She watched the events play out, amused. “The next Test couldn’t come later,” she muttered.

Rattlesnake sat alone, not caring whether or not any cat came to talk to him. He liked it this way, anyway. Just soaking up the sun alone without anyone or anything bothering him.

Sunny ate a finch as she looked at the other cats.

“What are you looking at?” Frostsong snapped. She was new here and was uncomfortable around other cats — often acting cold and harsh due to her confusion about how things worked. She stalked off to hunt. *There’s a mouse!* Gathering up all her skills, she pounced, determined to seem fierce, though she was trembling on the inside. She got it! It was a messy kill, but still, it was food. She padded over to a corner and gulped down her mouse.

Sunny spotted one of the new cats, a she-cat, eating a plump mouse. She looked tough and she scowled so much she wondered if it was permanent. She shot the she-cat the fiercest glare she could muster.

“Oh, it’s you,” Frostsong said dryly. “I guess I should introduce myself. I’m Frostsong, and I used to be a kittypet. Then I was abandoned, and now I’m here. I’m not looking forward to this at all.” She paused and took in the look of this new cat. “Why are you glaring at me like that? I’m not evil, you know. I’ve just been through a lot.” She glanced down at her paws, lost in thought. She suddenly realized what she was saying and stalked off. *I must be more careful! I don’t know who to trust anymore after I was abandoned.*

Quintessa wasn’t the least bit surprised at the sight of all the cats. *Of course* anyone and everyone would want to be a god. She looked around, unsure of what to do next. Talk to the others? Wouldn’t that be fraternizing with the enemy? But it appeared she didn’t have a choice. Soon, some cat would probably come up to her, trying to get her to spill her secrets. Lucky for her, she had been practicing her scowl for years, perfected to the point she could make kits cry. So she put on a scowl now, hoping the other cats would take from it she wasn’t here to chat and play moss-ball. She looked around, watching the cats hunt. She sighed, then got up from her spot on the ground — which was very comfortable, if you asked her — and went to hunt. She crouched down, sneaking around until she found a good-sized mouse. She pounced, swiftly bit its neck, then carried it back to her spot on the ground and started eating. She was bored. Bored out of her mind. Bored out of her soul. Bored out of her — *let’s not go there.* Basically, she was so bored she considered clawing her ears off just so she had something to do. “Ugh,” she groaned. *Nobody is going to talk to me, so why even bother?* She started examining her claws while also keeping an eye on the others — just in case.

Dune thought he should go and check out some of the new cats. So after eating Feather’s rabbit, he padded over to a dark brown tabby. “Why are you here?” he spat. “I don’t need more competition. I’ve already died once; I don’t need any more cats to get in my way.” He unsheathed his claws and faked a blow to the she-cat’s muzzle. He didn’t want to hurt her yet, but if she seemed too determined to win, then he would kill her. Just because he had his sister back didn’t mean that he still didn’t want to win. If she died in the Tests, he would fight even harder, and cats would die if they crossed his path.

Cobweb hissed as she saw a tom hit a she-cat. “Stupid, selfish furball!” she hissed in rage. “If that was Star he hit, Star would have had him torn into pieces by now!” she muttered, climbing a tree so she could get a better view of the fight.

Rattlesnake watched Dune and Quinsetta. He wanted to interfere, but if he did, he could get hurt by that tom or be chased off by the she-cat. He couldn’t risk it.

Quintessa looked calmly at the attacker, swiftly dodging the fake attack. “For your information, I’m here because if I become an immortal cat, then I can go home,” she said, dangerously quietly. “And, I don’t want to pick unnecessary fights with a tom who has anger issues, so *please* leave me alone.” She flicked her tail irritably.

Luana trotted over the Dune and the new cat. “Dune! There’s no need to pretend to hurt her! She’s new!” she scolded. “I’m sorry. This grumpy-fur *loves* to scare the new cats. I’m Luana.” She smiled cheekily.

Dune hissed at Luana, but then smirked at her. He liked Luana. She wasn’t as nice or pretty as Feather, but she’d been kind to him, and his sister had already taken a liking to her. “Oh, you would be in for it now if my sister hadn’t taken a liking to you,” he joked. He sheathed his claws. “Where’s Feather gone?” he asked. He flicked his head around at Quintessa and scowled. “Just keep your distance, okay?” he spat. “You’re lucky it was Luana who came. If it had been another stranger like you, then I would have shredded you both.”

“Luana!” Wren mewed as she saw her new friend with Dune. “He’s not being a meany again, is he?” she asked the small black she-cat. She turned her head to Quintessa. “Hi, I’m Wren, and that grumpy mouse over here—” she nudged Dune affectionately “—is my brother.”

Frostsong padded over silently.

Sunny walked away from Frostsong and shot a fierce glare to Quintessa. She slept, curled up in some long grass.

*In Sunny’s dreams, she saw Silver and Rain dying in front of her, though sharper — and clearer — than ever. Then the dream disappeared and there was only darkness. Suddenly, she saw a familiar light gray tabby tom with amber eyes. She blinked. This was a cat she hadn’t seen in a long time. “Rain?” she mewed softly.*

Quintessa looked at Wren, then Luana, then Dune. She sighed. “My name is Quintessa,” she said. “May I kindly remind you—” she looked at Dune calmly “—that *you* padded over to *me*? So *you* can stay away from *me* and I’ll return the favor, okay? *Okay.*” She felt eyes on her, and turned to see another she-cat glaring at her and running over. *Oh, come on,* she thought. *When the heck did I become so popular?* She rolled her eyes at the new she-cat, then turned back to the trio.

Luana purred and smiled. “Hehe. Yeah he is!” She turned and saw a cat running up behind Quintessa. “You sure aren’t making many friends, huh?” she mumbled.

Suddenly, Frostsong spoke. “Quintessa, is it? Nice name.” She paused, glancing around. “I’m Frostsong. I like your style.” Then she trotted off, head high. *She really has a nice name. I like her spirit. She may be a useful ally soon. She’s a lot like me. Sarcastic and down to earth. Nice.*

Quintessa was, let’s see: *Full, not thirsty, not bored.* So now there was one more thing to do: go to sleep. She found a nice, quiet spot away from the others, lied down, and closed her eyes. However, sleep avoided her.

*The second Quintessa closed her eyes, she saw memories of her family. Painful memories.*

 Quintessa flung her eyes open, gasping for air as if she had just surfaced from a deep dive underwater. She looked around, making sure that the memory was just a memory. *Good,* she thought. *Nobody noticed me. Hopefully.*

Fringe saw the she-cat, recognizing the plague of bad memories. Shrugging, she padded over. “Um, hi. I’m Fringe.”

Quintessa was about to send a death-glare to the new she-cat, but realizing she wasn’t going to fake-attack her or try to intimidate her — like *some* cat had tried to — she flattened her fur. “My name is Quintessa,” she introduced herself for the second time. “And I’m sorry for . . . disturbing you. I just had a nightmare, that’s all.” She shuddered involuntarily as she remembered the memory specifically.

*Quintessa, barely four moons old, glanced around, wondering where her mother was. “Momma!” the dark brown she-kit cried. “Momma!” But no voice could be heard. The little she-kit wandered around, tired and cold and hungry until she found a small shelter near the mountains, bursting with warmth and mice.*

*Quintessa eventually figured out how to hunt and fight, teaching herself, and eventually left the shelter, being fully capable of taking care of herself. In the end, the she-cat grew to love the mountains, favoring them over forests or shelters.*

Frostsong watched Quintessa silently from the shadows of a large rock in the plains. *She must be having bad memories. I know what it feels like,* she thought. *I hope she can cope well enough to survive . . . Frostsong! What are you thinking? How do you know who to trust? Everyone could be waiting to attack you. I just hope some cats can see beneath your frosty exterior.*

Sunny saw the she-cat suddenly wake up from her sleep, startled. She studied her. The she-cat looked tough, a cat you wouldn’t want to mess with — but clearly there was more than what met the eye.

Echo blinked. *Wow.* There were more cats than she’d ever seen in her entire life gathered here. Well, if she wanted to get somewhere in the Tests, she had to at least socialize and know the others. She timidly padded over to a dark brown tabby she-cat. “Hi,” she said softly. “What’s your name? Are you new too?”

Leaf found herself in a mass of cats. Being a city cat, she could tell who hung out with who — who was the joker, who was serious. She was a bit nervous, so she scanned her surroundings to get used to the fact of all these cats. *What now?* she thought suspiciously, her eyes darting around. She had never had to be in such a large group of cats, preferring to be on her own. She spotted a white she-cat with amber eyes looking as confused as she was. She padded over to the cat and cautiously mewed, “Hi. What’s your name?” She had never started conversations — but this was a different place, a different world. At least, it seemed so. . .

Snowdapple watched a she-cat with interest, along with a different one. She knew new cats when she saw them. She remained where she was, though, listening peacefully to the plains around her. She sighed and laid her head on her paws, a little bored and wanting someone to talk to as she watched a grasshopper hop on by without fail.

Palm saw that a cat looked quite sad to him. He padded over, accidentally stepping on the grasshopper that she seemed to be watching. “Hi, I’m Palm,” he said. “No one really seems to want to talk to me. Do you know what’s going on here?” He watched the she-cat with interest. She was quite pretty — yet seemed like she hadn’t made any close friends.

Snow looked at him. Brightening a little, she lifted her head and meowed, “Hello. Nice to meet you, Palm. I’m Snowdapple, but you can call me Snow.” She thought about his question before answering and mewed, “So, um, all of us here have been offered to do the ‘Tests’, which are basically challenges that we have to complete. They keep on going until only one of us remains.” She gave a small grimace, but continued. “Soon, we’ll get powers, after we complete a few more of the Tests. We’ve just completed the first one. Our goal at the end is to become a god.” She paused, unsure how to go on, but meowed, “We all want to become a god, where we’re immortal and can do whatever we wish. Most of us have someone we wish to see again.” She glanced over at Wren and Dune and then back at Palm. “But for now. . .” She glanced around the plain. “We’re waiting for the second Test to begin.” She looked back at Palm and mewed, “Sorry if I confused you. Harnor explained it to me better . . . but thanks.”

Though being an introvert, Rattlesnake padded over to a she-cat walking down a steep hill. Protection, he thought. He didn’t say anything, though, until right behind her. “H-hi . . . I’m . . . I’m Ra-Rattlesnake . . . wh-what’s you n-name?” he stuttered.

Cobweb swerved around to face the tom. “Cobweb. And yours?” she said with a glint of amusement in her eyes.

“Rattlesnake,” Rattlesnake said, slightly more confident.

“How long have you been here?” Cobweb asked.

“Not long,” Rattlesnake replied. His tail flicked every once in a while and the fluffy part got caught on some bramble. He pulled his tail out, slightly falling over in the process and successfully leaving fluffy copper fur on the bramble. He sighed. He was never going to get used to more cats watching him be clumsy and shy and stutterish.

“I just got here too — not from the cat who brought you, but on my own. Kind of ironic, isn’t it?” Cobweb said.

Palm needed to stretch his legs, so he sprinted around, chasing the butterflies that danced around the open grassland. Suddenly, he crashed into a little amber tom. “Oh, sorry,” he mewed. “I’m Palm. What’s your name?”

Rattlesnake jumped when Palm ran into him. He almost ran as far as possible, but when he heard how nice the tom was being, he let his guard down a little. *Great heavens, now two cats are around me. I hope this doesn’t turn into a fight. I might have to run away. I can’t remember my fighting moves that much right now. Haven’t met that many hostile cats in a while. Which ways could I run? I could. .* . He went on and on in his brain, and he just realized he was staring into space. “I — um . . . Rattlesnake,” he managed to get out.

“Hi, Rattlesnake,” Palm mewed. *This is so awkward,* he thought. “Are you new here as well?”

“Yes. I’m new too, Palm.” Rattlesnake tried not to stutter, but what he wanted to say never came out the right way. He could’ve tried to say *thank you* and it would have come out as *th-thanks y-you*.

Snow looked around, feeling hungry and thirsty, but just wanting the day to be over. She was hot and there didn’t seem to be any water anywhere. She sighed, wondering if she should try to make conversation with some cat or not. She got up and looked around, wondering if she should hunt, or. . .? She narrowed her eyes and scanned the clearing. The sun seemed to be in the same place and she felt weird. Was it the sun? She shrugged and tasted the air, trying to ignore the burning sun on her back. She found a rabbit and stalked it slowly. She pounced, but missed and landed just a mouse-length away from the rabbit. The rabbit sprinted away, leaving her in the dust. She sighed, displeased with herself at her failure, and wondered if she should try again. She looked around, scanned her surroundings, and sat down, trying to rid herself of the heat by grooming herself lightly. Her paws felt heavy as she drew them over her ears. She blinked, her eyes heavy, but not wanting to sleep. Her hunger and thirst drove her forward. She again tried to hunt, her eyes watchful and alert for any signs of prey, or more importantly water.

“Mouse-dung!” Tawny hissed as leaves rustled behind her. The mouse she was hunting darted away out of sight. Since she had arrived, she had decided not to talk to anyone. That was more of her style. The mouse would have been the first thing she had eaten since she arrived. She was annoyed, but then she stopped in her tracks. She was sure that she hadn’t made the noise. She sighed and turned to a bush. “Who are you? Your hiding skills definitely aren’t the best. I know you’re there.”

Snow turned. She hadn’t meant to rustle the leaves; she had been so close to nabbing the rabbit, but it had darted away before she could have caught it, and when she had stood, her tail had rustled the bush behind her. She snapped up at the voice — she hadn’t been trying to hide. She padded around the bush and found a she-cat staring at her. “I’m Snowdapple, but you can call me Snow. . .” she mewed, her voice a little flat, trying to ignore the comment. “I’m really tired and hungry. I keep getting thrown off guard when I’m hunting for some reason, and I hit the bush with my tail. Sorry.” *Probably because you’re a really tired mouse-brain,* she thought admittingly. “Anyway — uhh, sorry if I ruined your, uh, catch. . .”

Tawny opened her jaws to make a sharp remark, but closed them, deep in thought. “I’m Tawny. I’ve seen you around.” She looked at the she-cat. Snow looked very tired. “You need sleep. You know, Snow, you’re the first cat I’ve actually spoken to. I hope for you to be an ally during the Tests.”

Storm watched Snow from the bushes, wondering when to approach her.

Fini was hidden, but her gaze fell on a cat named Snow who looked super exhausted. A voice in her mind told her that she shouldn’t come over — this cat could be hostile. So the black she-cat let that part win and padded away. She gazed at the others, who had no idea that there was another cat among them. The small she-cat exhaled a deep sigh as she saw how friendly everyone looked, having been so long since there was a cat being friendly to her. The most recent cat she had spoken to was a thickset tom named Rustle.

Wildflower hung in the shadows, not yet ready to reveal themself. They scanned the crowd for familiar faces, but found none. These Tests would be harder than they had thought. They looked around at the others and noticed a lot of unfriendly faces. They sank a little farther into the shadows, nibbling on their mouse.

Tornheart scowled at the cat in front of her. “Why should I believe you?” she scoffed. The shadowy figure stepped forward. Tornheart recognized him. “Harnor, what do you want?” she snapped.

Frost caught a mouse, as it was her favorite of the new foods she had discovered, and ate it alone. She hadn’t really been with other cats before, just rabid Twoleg kits around the park. She was okay to be alone for now; looking at the sky was a nice change to the park. She just sat there, thinking to herself about random things and eating her mouse. Cat interaction wasn’t necessary to her at this point in her new “group” of cats.

Vanilla opened her eyes, and was stunned by her surroundings. This wasn’t her soft nest in her Twoleg house! That was when she remembered — she had already left that place and probably would never go back. But for now, the past didn’t matter. Shaking her head, she pricked her ears and became more alert towards her surroundings. There wasn’t a single soul she recognized, just strange cats she had never seen before.

Leafy snuck through the night, climbed up a hill, looked at the sky, and said, “Oh Harnor, will I ever be good enough?” Then she went to the other side, saw a she-cat, and mewed, “What do I do now? Do you know anything about Harnor? Or are you just . . . a Clan cat?” Then she snarled at the thought of the Clan cats that had mistreated her.