“Well?” hissed Luna, her face only a mouse-length from hers now. Applejack remained silent as she towered over Applebloom.
She flattened her ears and crouched under the golden warrior’s cold stare. Her fur prickled uncomfortably. “I am no threat to your Clan,” she mewed, looking down at her trembling paws.
“You threaten our Clan when you take our food,” yowled Luna. “You have plenty of food in your Twoleg nest already. You come here only to hunt for sport. But we hunt to survive.”
The truth of the warrior queen’s words pierced Applebloom like a blackthorn, and suddenly she understood her anger. She stopped trembling, sat up, and straightened her ears. She raised her eyes to meet hers. “I had not thought of it that way before. I am sorry,” she meowed solemnly. “I will not hunt here again.”
Luna let her hackles fall and signaled to Applejack to step back. “You are an unusual kittypet, Applebloom,” she meowed.
Sweetie Belle's sigh of relief made Applebloom’s ears twitch. She heard the approval in Luna's voice and noticed as she swapped a meaningful glance with Applejack. The look made her curious. What flashed between the two warriors?
Quietly she asked, “Is survival here really so hard?”
“Our territory covers only part of the forest,” answered Luna. “We compete with other Clans for what we have. And this year, late newleaf means prey is scarce.”
“Is your Clan very big?” Applebloom meowed, her eyes wide.
“Big enough,” replied Luna. “Our territory can support us, but there is no prey left over.”
“Are you all warriors, then?” Applebloom mewed. Luna's guarded answers were just making her more and more curious.
Applejack answered her. “Some are warriors. Some are too young or too old or too busy caring for kits to hunt.”
“And you all live and share prey together?” Applebloom murmured in awe, thinking a little guiltily of her own easy, selfish life.
Luna looked again at Applejack. The golden tabby stared back at her steadily. At last she returned her gaze to Applebloom and meowed, “Perhaps you should find out these things for yourself. Would you like to join ThunderClan?”
Applebloom was so surprised, she couldn’t speak.
Luna went on: “If you did, you would train with Sweetie Belle to become a Clan warrior.”
“But kittypets can’t be warriors!” Sweetie Belle blurted out.
“They don’t have warrior blood!”
A sad look clouded Luna's eyes. “Warrior blood,” she echoed with a sigh. “Too much of that has been spilled lately.”
Luna fell silent and Applejack meowed, “Luna is only offering you training, young kit. There is no guarantee you would become a full warrior. It might prove too difficult for you. After all, you are used to a comfortable life.”
Applebloom was stung by Applejack's words. She swung her head around to face the golden tabby. “Why offer me the chance, then?”
But it was Luna who answered. “You are right to question our motives, young one. The fact is, ThunderClan needs more warriors.”
“Understand that Luna does not make this offer lightly,” warned Applejack. “If you wish to train with us, we will have to take you into our Clan. You must either live with us and respect our ways, or return to your Twolegplace and never come back. You cannot live with a paw in each world.”
A cool breeze stirred the undergrowth, ruffling Applebloom’s fur. She shivered, not with the cold, but with excitement at the incredible possibilities opening up in front of her.
“Are you wondering if it’s worth giving up your comfortable kittypet life?” asked Luna gently. “But do you realize the price you will pay for your warmth and food?”
Applebloom looked at her, puzzled. Surely her encounter with these cats had proved to her just how easy and luxurious her life was.
“I can tell that you are still a she-cat,” Luna added, “despite the Twoleg stench that clings to your fur.”
“What do you mean—still a she-cat?”
“You haven’t yet been taken by the Twolegs to see the Cutter,” meowed Luna gravely. “You would be very different then. Not quite so keen to fight a Clan cat, I suspect!”
Applebloom was confused. She suddenly thought of Henry, who had become fat and lazy since his visit to the vet. Was that what Luna meant by the Cutter?
“The Clan may not be able to offer you such easy food or warmth,” continued Luna. “In the season of leaf-bare, nights in the forest can be cruel. The Clan will demand great loyalty and hard work. You will be expected to protect the Clan with your life if necessary. And there are many mouths to feed. But the rewards are great. You will remain a she-cat. You will be trained in the ways of the wild. You will learn what it is to be a real cat. The strength and the fellowship of the Clan will always be with you, even when you hunt alone.”
Applebloom’s head reeled. Luna seemed to be offering her the life she had lived so many times, and so tantalizingly, in her dreams, but could she live like that for real?
Applejack interrupted her thoughts. “Come, Luna, let’s not waste any more time here. We must be ready to join the other patrol at moonhigh. Rainbow Dash will wonder what has become of us.” She stood up and flicked her tail expectantly.
“Wait,” Applebloom meowed. “Can I think about your offer?”
Luna looked at her for a long moment and nodded.
“Applejack will be here tomorrow at sunhigh,” she told her.
“Give her your answer then.”
Luna murmured a low signal, and in a single movement the three cats turned and disappeared into the undergrowth.
Applebloom blinked. She stared—excited, uncertain—up past the ferns that encircled her, through the canopy of leaves, to the stars that glittered in the clear sky. The scent of the Clan cats still hung heavy in the evening air. And as Applebloom turned and headed for home, she felt a strange sensation inside her, tugging her back into the depths of the forest. Her fur prickled deliciously in the light wind, and the rustling leaves seemed to whisper her name into the shadows.