Эрин Хантер - Secrets Оf Тhe Clans

Floss is a small gray-and-white she-cat, whose kits were taken away by the Nofurs (their name for Twolegs).

“Your kits! Where have they gone?”

The barn suddenly seemed a large, forbidding space, with a thousand different places for kits to get hurt. I scrabbled through a stack of hay next to my friend Floss. She had recently had kits—but her kits had vanished.

“Their eyes were still closed! They couldn’t even walk!”

Floss was lying on her side in a patch of sunshine. She blinked large, sad eyes at me.

“It’s the Nofurs,” she explained. “They take our kits after they’re born. They took my first litter too.”

“Why would they do that?”

“Maybe they think three cats in one barn are enough?” Floss meowed. “Maybe there are other barns that need cats.”

I curled my tail over my stomach as if I could already protect the little lives inside. I thought there might be three of them, from the way they kicked and wriggled.

“But—you never see them again?” I meowed softly.

“One moment they’re here.” She lifted a paw and licked it. “The next, they’re gone.”

I studied her face carefully. I think she was more heartbroken than she was letting on. “Then I’ll have to leave,” I meowed. “I’ll take my kits far away from the Nofurs.”

“Where will you go?” Floss asked. “And how will you survive, all on your own with a family of hungry mouths?”

She was right. I wasn’t used to being on my own. I wouldn’t know how to feed myself or my kits. And I would miss the friendship of Floss and Smoky.

“What about those new cats?” I remembered. “The ones who moved to the lake?”

“Strange creatures. Why not find a nice warm barn to live in?”

meowed Floss. “It must be cold and wet out there.”

It was true; I hated being cold and wet. But some of those wild cats had looked friendly. There was that white tom who had nodded to me, and the orange leader who had warm green eyes.

Floss narrowed her eyes. “We don’t know anything about those cats, except that there are a lot of them,” she meowed.

But I was sure they would help me. I could carry my kits there, if I needed to. I knew Smoky wouldn’t try to stop me. He had always cared more about Floss than me. Perhaps out there I could find a cat to care about me the way Smoky and Floss care about each other. And he’d take care of my kits too.

I knew there were scary things outside the barn, but I was sure that the wild cats would protect me and my kits, so that I could see them grow up. I knew what I was going to call them too: Mouse, Berry, and Hazel. They’re going to be fine, strong cats, and I will be there for every pawstep.

Cats that live with Twolegs are called kittypets. They wear collars and are usually timid, soft, and scared of Clan cats. They are fed by their Twolegs, and so have no need to hunt. They have only a vague sense of territory beyond their Twolegs’ garden.

Smudge:Friendly, plump, and contented black-and-white tom. He lived next door to Firestar, whom he knew as Rusty. He sees none of the appeal of the forest or Clan life.

Princess:Firestar’s sister. A light brown tabby with a white chest and white paws. She is intrigued by the forest and gave up her son, Cloudkit, to be raised as a ThunderClan cat. Yet she finds it terrifying too; she could never leave her Twolegs to chase mice in the forest! Cloudkit had some trouble adjusting to the warrior code at first, and he has never believed in StarClan, but he is still a brave, loyal ThunderClan warrior.

Cody:Sweet, plucky, tabby kittypet with blue eyes. Cody ran away from her Twolegs, intending only to have a bit of fun before returning home. She was caught by the construction crew tearing down the forest and thrown into a cage with the wild cats. Here, she befriended Leafpaw, and after they were rescued, Cody went with her to ThunderClan.

Although she was willing to help the Clan in their hour of need, the precarious, violent life of the warrior cats was not for her, and she returned to her housefolk. She will never forget her friend Leafpaw.

Jacques and Susan:Jacques is a huge black-and-white tom with a torn ear. Susan is a small tabby she-cat. They live in a Twoleg nest in ShadowClan’s lake territory. Both of them are hostile and dangerous, with no warrior code to guide their actions. When the warrior cats moved into their territory, they showed their displeasure by targeting young or weak cats. ThunderClan helped ShadowClan teach them a lesson.

Millie:A light gray tabby she-cat. Millie befriended Graystripe when he was captured by Twolegs. When he decided to leave in search of his Clan, she chose to leave her housefolk and go with him. Although she was raised as a kittypet, Graystripe has trained her to fight, and she is committed to becoming a true ThunderClan warrior.

Russet-red fur, bushy tails, sharp teeth, and pointed noses. Look a bit like dogs.

Live in dens, often in sandy ground hidden by undergrowth.

Live alone or with their cubs.

Mean, suspicious, and hostile, they don’t eat cats, but they will kill for pleasure and not just for prey.

They hunt mostly at night and have a strong and unpleasant smell.

Large, with short black fur and a white stripe down their long, pointed muzzles.

Small, beady eyes, powerful shoulders, and sharp claws.

Live in either caves or sets, which are tunnels underground, bushes, or tree roots.

Live alone or with their kits and have a very distinctive smell.

Badgers sometimes prey on young cat kits. Can trample their victims with enormous paws or deliver a deadly bite.

Have tremendously powerful jaws that make it nearly impossible to escape their grip.

Midnight:An exceptional badger at the sun-drown-place. She has no hostility for cats. She has a special connection with StarClan and can speak both Cat and Fox. It was Midnight who passed on the message that the Clans must leave the forest.

Size varies from that of a kit to a pony. Fur can be long or short, white, brown, black, gray, or a mix. Can have pointy or flat noses, droopy or sharp ears.

Make loud, angry noises and love chasing cats.

Live mostly in Twoleg nests or barns.

Wild dogs might sleep anywhere; one pack in recent Clan history made their home in the caves below Snakerocks.

Loud, fast, and sharp-toothed. Many dogs seem to be devoted to their Twolegs and are seen only in Twoleg company.

There is a theory that most dogs are too dim-witted to be truly dangerous. Packs of dogs are always to be feared. (See ThunderClan, Brightheart Speaks: The Death of Swiftpaw .)