Yay, another loooong chapter from Blizzard! To keep y'all busy while I take care of my busy-ness! (ba-dum CHING)

Get it? Busy? Business?

No?

You know what, forget I ever said that. On to the chapter; this one is set in Thicket's perspective, so it'll be an interesting chapter! (In my opinion, of course. Think whatever you like about this.)

   The thunderstorm started when I was wandering about on the west side of the forest.

   I thought I'd take a nice walk in unfamiliar areas so I could get a better look at the entire forest. This was the last part I had to get through before I would finally know every tree, every rock, every hollow and den and bush and grove and hiding place in the entire forest. I'd only been at the far edges of the forest; I had just come here.

   Mainly it was because of my parents' fighting. My father, Char, a scarred black tom with proud amber eyes (that's where I got my eyes from), is an esteemed fighter, and would fight his way through anything if he could. My mother, called Thunder, is a silver-pelted tabby with blue eyes, the peace-loving and quiet molly who would rather hide than fight with her claws. They bickered a lot, mainly over whether they should move back into the forest to check on some friends of theirs. Some cats named Glacier and Torrent, I think. I don't know them; I've only heard of them while eavesdropping on my parents' "intense discussions," as they call the verbal wars.

   Finally - and I regretted doing this - I couldn't take their fighting anymore and ran away to the forest. If they wouldn't take action, then I would. Besides, if their friends Glacier and Torrent lived in this forest, I thought to myself, then perhaps I could say hello to them for Char and Thunder. Even if my parents will never receive their response.

   But I still regretted it. Mainly it was because of the looks everyone gave me when I moved into the forest. Animals of all kinds kept shooting me glares or casting suspicious looks or whispering to others or just straight up ignoring me. It was just... strange. I didn't know what was up with them. It was so weird; even my prey looked at me funny when I tried to hunt.

   I couldn't shake the feeling they knew my parents somehow, and my suspicions were confirmed when I overheard a conversation between two gossiping rabbits sunbathing in a clearing of warm grass. It was something like:

   "Oh my gosh, did you hear about that new cat who just joined us?"

   "Yeah, heard he's not very trustworthy and a sure traitor."

   "Heard he's Char's son."

   "Ooh, Char?!"

   "Yep. The same Char we've come to know... and hate."

   "No doubt this thistle will finish what his father started in the forest!"

   "Like father, like son."

   As soon as I heard this I ran. I pelted away from the clearing as fast as my paws could carry me. I didn't want to believe a single word they said, but at the same time was terrified for my life.

   In case that was true, I never returned to Char and Thunder outside of the forest. I didn't want to know if it was true. Perhaps it was, perhaps it wasn't. I just didn't want to know.

   In fact I was thinking about said thoughts while I was patrolling the west bounds of the forest. Hunted down a couple mice, ate my fill, buried the remains, sniffed at more rocks. The clouds bunched up overhead, gray as one of the mice I ate. I shrugged. It'll rain, then it'll cease. Nothing for me to worry about.

   It did rain, for a little while. I heard pawsteps squelching my way, so I hid in the nearest low dip, just under an overhanging sturdy rock. The West Rock Ledge, as I like to call it.

   A dark gray pelt, dripping wet with rain, bobbed into view next to my rock. I'd never seen this tom before; he must have lived at the east side of the forest for the most of his life. Either that, or he was new here. His yellow eyes glinted in the rain as he saw the Rock Ledge - and to my dismay - headed toward me.

   Uh-oh, I thought. I'm going to be kicked out into the rain -

   "Oh, hey there," the dark cat greeted. "Sorry, I didn't see you there."

   I was genuinely surprised. Surely this cat didn't know me, at least not by sight. I blinked a few times, then replied timidly, "H-hi."

   The other cat dipped his head a little. "I'm playing hide-and-seek with my friends, is it okay if I join you under here? It's quite wet out here, you know."

   I tipped my head in response. "Sure," I replied, scooting over to the side a little so he could move in. He really doesn't know who I am?! That's a first.

   "Wait." The dark cat stood back, under a nearby tree, and shook the water out of his pelt, then quickly raced under the Rock Ledge and squeezed in next to me. This tom, whoever he was, definitely had manners.

   "As it seems I'll be down here until one of my friends - most preferably Clover - comes here to find me, I'll be stuck here with you for the time being," the tom remarked. "By the way, my name's Shade. I'm from far out east, past the East Rock, where a small grove on the side of the forest sits. My friends and I live there." He stuck out a paw in greeting.

   So he really doesn't know me at all. That makes things easier for me. "I'm Thicket. I used to live outside of the forest, but I moved here several moons ago." I stuck out my paw to gently bump into his. This was our greeting - the friendly gesture used among all those animals with paws to say hello. Except I hadn't used it in almost forever.

   "Thicket." Shade let my name sit on his tongue for a while, his yellow eyes delved deep into thought. Then he shrugged. "Nice name there."

   My heart soared and the churning in my belly eased. He actually doesn't know me!  I almost leaped in joy at the thought. I can finally make friends with at least someone in this forest!

   Shade and I chatted for a long time, talking about things varying from the rain that was now pouring outside to the rest of Shade's friends. There were Clover and Shock, his two best friends, whom he would hang out with every day. His younger and smaller littermate, Jay, who was one of the best at hide-and-seek. Shock's sister Owlet, who was very smart (and loud) for her age and had sharp eyesight, unlike Shock, who was very silly and tended to be joking half the time. And Clover's older littermate Starflake, who took on the role of "leader" among this friend group just because she happened to be the oldest. Shade bragged that she took the job like a pro, and was the best hunter he'd ever known, besides her father, Glacier.

   Glacier? I thought at the time. That's... my parents' friend?! So these Starflake and Clover cats are his kits?!?!

   I was about to ask Shade more about Glacier (and possibly get him to talk about Torrent) before a large drop of water splashed under the ledge and onto my snout.

   And then the second most terrifying event that ever happened to me decided to happen.

   A blast of light shot out towards the north, followed not too long after by a rumble of thunder. I heard a crackle, then saw a burst of orange flame.

   I panicked. There was a fire.

   Shade seemed to panic too, because his eyes suddenly grew distraught and his tail thumped in a steady beat thump thump thump on the ground away from me and his heartbeat was thump thump thumping  at the same speed. (A/N It's actually called tempo, but these are cats, not music experts, so you have your answer if you happen to know what tempo is and you're reading this.)

   My new soot-colored friend scanned the space outside our little temporary sanctuary for something. I guessed it was one of his friends (by his detailed description I guessed he might be searching for Clover), or anyone else who might come our way to search for him.

   Please don't bring me along I'll only add to your burden leave me here to fend for myself -

   A few more blasts of light struck the forest before the sound of more pattering paws approached. Shade stuck his head out. "Clover?" He called. "Clover, if that's you, say my name!"

   "Shade!" Came the reply, and Shade gestured to me to follow him. "Come on, it's Clover, we're safe. Thicket!" I shook my head, snapping myself out of my thoughts, and turned to follow him.

   We pelted across the gap between the West Rock Ledge and Clover, to find that he had brought along a lot of other animals. As they saw me they all narrowed their eyes with suspicion, though I didn't pay much attention to that. I was quite used to these looks, seeing that I was some sort of "future traitor" in their eyes.

   "Shade!" A black cat with green eyes called as my new friend bundled into him. "Shade, you're alive!"

   "Of course I'm alive, you night-pelted nitwit!" Shade replied, stepping back. "And I saved someone else, too." He gestured with his tail to me. "This is Thicket."

   "Hello to you, Thicket," Clover greeted with the same regard as Shade had hours before.

   "Traitor," whispered the others. "Thicket, son of Char the traitor."

   "Come on, Thicket, I'm glad we found you," Clover said with a calm sweep of his tail. "We'll head towards the north and see if we can find my sister, then decide on where to go." He beckoned to Shade. "Let's go."

   Clover and Shade took off at the front, with me following a distance behind them. I noticed the other animals flying or running a distance from myself. I could see why they weren't leaders - a good leader, as Char once told me, would wait until everyone went, then follow them in the back to make sure they wouldn't stray behind.

   Ironically, I got my answer to a good leader when a molly with a pelt the polar opposite color of Clover's nearly crashed into the latter and Shade. They conferred for a while, then the white molly issued orders and waited while the others left.

   I was a burden; no one liked me anyways. I figured if I stayed behind the leader molly wouldn't notice. I sat down, my eyes fixed to the floor as animals ran past me muttering traitor and burn.

   I was wrong. Her pale blue eyes turned out to be sharp as a falcon's, because she spotted me sitting and waiting for my doom. So she waited. I didn't need to look up to know that.

   "Go on," I mumbled in a defeated tone, hoping she'd give up and go without me. "Go ahead without me."

   "No way," the molly snorted, her voice sharp as ice and fierce as fire all at once. "I said I would make sure no one is left behind and I'll stay by my word."

   She is definitely a leader. Oh stars, this will be harder for me to figure out. "I'm not anyone to them." I didn't dare look up. "I don't see why you should waste your time on me."

   Only the crash of trees falling, crackle of burning plants, roar of thunder, and pattering of rain broke the silence. I thought the molly was actually going to wait for me until she died, but then the most terrifying thing happened to me.

   This molly actually had the nerve to smash one of my forepaws under her hindpaw.

   That hurt like the opposite of heaven.

   I screeched in the highest pitch I had probably ever screeched in, scrambled to my paws, and limped right off at top speed in the direction of the others. Whoever this molly was, I didn't want to be near her for another moment. I just zipped off and didn't look back. All other thoughts but pain had left my mind.

   If my paw wasn't broken it would be a miracle.