In all of Dapples life, through all the harsh winters and rainy summers sh'd never seen a storm this fierce and desctructive. Every couple of heartbeats a massive crack of lightning zipped through the sky followed by that boom of thunder. Rain pelted down faster than escaping prey onto the field.

With no large trees nearby most animals living here were caught out in the middle of it. At least mice and voles had burrows or holes. Dapple and Peak however, did not. Another flash of lightning followed my ominous  calls of thunder made Dapple's brown dappled fur stand on end. Well, sort of. Both her and Peak were long haired cats, meaning they got soaked more than any cat.

"We can't go back to our den! It could have caved in or flooded." Peak called to her, his brown and black striped fur was sagging through the rain, nearly covering his white chest. His two whites paws, which were only on his right foreleg and hind leg along with his other paws were tucked close together.

"Where are we supposed to go then?" Dapple yowled, another bright strike lit up her friends worried face. Along with her own paws, splayed out in front of her instead of tucked in like Peak's.

"The Sunshine Group, they'll help us. They'll help any cat I figure." Peak replied, and turned slowly on rain soaked paws and headed out. Dapple trudged after him, ears back against the rain. Her yellow-green eyes squinted through the watery haze. 

The field was surrounded by sloping hills, right next to it was a small meadow where Tremble's group lived. The Sunshine Group lived in a Twoleg park.

 Dapple let out a distressed mew as she sank leg deep in a puddle of thick mud. She struggled to free herself and stumbled out of the way of it. She kept her head downward, only glancing up once to see Peak's wet dripping form. They both knew the way so even if they got lost they could meet up at the Sunshine Group Base. 

It  was long and slow and Dapple tired quickly, but kept moving. She would do anything for one less second out in the rain. Soon, the cold lights of the Twolegplace was upon them. Slippery tone beneath their pad replaced the sagging grass. 

They pressed close to the edge of Twoleg walls, hoping to find a bit of shelter, however the wind kept changing and blowing all over the place, streaking straight for them no matter what. A familiar red wall came in Dapple's limited view. This was where the Sunshine Group normally was.

Dapple followed Peak past the black gates, slipping easily through the cracks. Her long fur dragged ont he ground as they wallowed  through a mud patch. It would be hard to see their Base, but way to easy to see the tree in which it sat upon.

A big looming brown and white tree loomed out in front of them. Tall and imposing. Nestled high in it's branches was an abandoned Twoleg Mini-Nest. That was the Sunshine Group's Base.

She bunched her legs and leaped vertically up the tree, claws unsheathed. She caught the bark and was driven back by the rain a whole tail length, but she held on. However the rain in Dapple's fur made it harder to scale the tree.

Using all her might she hauled herself up. Peak, who had slightly shorter fur right beside her. They finally came upon the Base. Hooking her claws on the splintered, wet wood, she stumbled onto the platform.

A second later and Peak was up to. They trodden towards the entrance, where a black and gray splotched tom with green eyes was sitting, his tail tip flicking. He instantly noticed them and sipped his head, "Greetings friends. Did your den collapse?"

"We suppose so, we didn't want to risk it. Will Bengal let us stay here until the storm passes?" Peak asked.

"I'm sure, come inside." He turned and beckoned them to follow with his tail.

"Thanks Pine Leaf." Dapple huffed and eagerly padded in after him. 

They had seen this place many times. A squat wood room with a small platform with a blue cylinder thing at the top of it. The whole place was just one giant nest. It was stuffed with moss and leaves, a pile of soaked prey sat in the center.

On the platform was the leader's nest, Bengal's nest. The beautiful spotted she-cat was grooming her fur elegantly. 

"Bengal, Dapple and Peak wish to stay." Pine Leaf called.

Bengal turned around to them, her glimmers golden eyes shining, "Of course." She mewed and dipped her head.

"Visitors?" Two small calico head popped up from a heap of moss. Dapple purred as two kits, Blazey and Ray, bounded over to them. The kits had been previously abandoned by their mother, so Bluewing, took her in along with her own son, Blue Jay.

The black kit was snuggled deep into Bluewing's belly fur, his small gray patches showing the ruffling of his fur. The black she-cat shook her head, smiling.

"It's okay, their just Dapple and Peak." She said, stroking him with her tail.

"No." He responded and tried to bury himself deeper.

Dapple giggled, she always liked that deep, sensitive kit. Always determined to stay at his mother's side. Blazey meanwhile was trying to claw her way up onto Dapple's back, using her long fur as a climbing tool.

"I'm a little bit wet." She warned.

"I know, so? I want a ride! Blue Jay doesn't want Bluewing to get up so she can give me one!" Blazey insisted.

"Well then, do you need help?" Dapple asked her, making sure to stand as still as possible for the kit.

"It's ok! I practiced my climbing! I'm gonna be the best tree climber in the park!" She mewed happily, scrambling onto Dapple's back.

"Well I want help." Ray said, pawing at Peak's legs.

"Ok." Peak scooped the little tom up and put him in his back.

Dapple turned forward, she padded slowly at first, but picked up the pace at Blazey's constant mewings to go faster. She knew the she-kit was strong, however she remembered to be careful. She was just a kit after all.

"I wish I could have a ride." Called a voice from the opposite side. She turned to see Mocking Bird, the black she-cat with the red-brown paws and reddish amber eyes. She was also the youngest sister of Cardinal and Bluewing.

"Your not a kit anymore." Cardinal giggled.

"Close enough!" Mocking Bird whined.

Dapple purred again, continuing on to finish Blazey's ride. The storm would send rains and thunder down on them, but nothing would ever stop a cat's friendship. For now.