chapter 3:
The seven cats stood their ground as they heard many paws steps thundering forward. “Who are you?” a tortoiseshell she-cat growled lashing her tail slightly with her teeth bared in a vicious grin. “Calm yourself maplestar” a golden tabby tom mewed gently, laying his tail tip on maplestar shoulder. Echo stepped in front her head held high and she sat down, her eyes narrowed as she looked at the four cats who stood in front with cation. “Who are you all?” echo mewed in a tone of a leader, all the cats stopped talking and looked at the grey she-cat echo lifted her chin and curled her lip in a snarl as she repeated “who are you?” the elder tom stepped up his eyes gleaming with pride. “I am Sunstar of pantherclan” a black she-cat elder spoke up “I am Tigerstar of wolfclan” she said with a slight glare at sunstar, the tom ignored her. “I I’m fawnstar of deerclan” a brown tabby mewed looking around anxiously. “And I am maplestar of foxclan” the tortoiseshell gave a small hiss. “Who are you?” sunstar mewed curiosity pricked at him echo sighed, “I am echo, the leader of the tribe of echoing silence.” Echo looked at the cats then licked her chest fur thinking of what to do next. “Well, well, it’s been a long time…maple” a voice mewed from in the cave. Echo looked back and saw her father shadowstrike with a vicious wicked smile on his face as he looked at the tortoiseshell, she-cat. “Its maplestar now you piece of crow-food!” maplestar spat flattening her ears. “Ah come now darling are you really going to be cold to me?” the tom grinned as he stepped closer and then sat next to his daughter. Echo looked bewildered then as she looked at the gleam in her father’s eye, she had a disturbing thought and it struck her, she hissed with violence, her hackles raised. “she’s, my mother?!” echo gave a screech of horror and rage as her claws ripped into the earth, disgust gripped her stomach, she could not believe it! She was half kittypet! Everyone gasped in confusion and bewilderment. Shadowstrike sighed, “yes, yes she is echo” he glared at maplestar with hatred “so, this sorry excuse for a leader is my daughter?” maplestar spat with a sneer on her face and a snarl of laughter. The two she-cats glared at each other with rage and hatred in their eyes, amber eyes blazing like forest fire. “You take that back! You stupid piece of fox-dung!!” shadowstrike snarled baring his sharp thorn teeth, as he stood up arching his back. Echo gave a soft gasp of surprise, he had never defended her ever in her life and this…this was a change, she was wrong to not trust him.