"Promise, why were you outside!? It's pouring out there. Our two leg isn't going to be very happy seeing you dripping rain water around the den." Frost questioned her kit upon seeing her trot in soaked to the bone.

"I made a friend, mama!" Promise leapt in glee.

"Promise! You're getting water all over the place!"

"He was a forest cat! He was HUGE! He had scars all over him too. He looked so cool!" Promise exclaimed completely ignoring her mother's previous comment.

Frost froze in place. Her green eyes darted from her kit to the window. It was still pouring outside and lightning flashed brightly.

"A-a forest cat? Did he do anything to you!?" Frost panicked.

Branch strode in the room hearing the racket. He shifted his eyes from his daughter to Frost, whose eyes were now filled with fear and uncertainty. Upon seeing the fear, Branch padded towards the beautiful white she cat.

"Frost, what's wrong?" The sleek tom asked, his voiced laced with worry.

"A forest cat. Promise met a forest cat." Frost was able to barely choke out.

Branch whipped his gaze to the confused, soaking kit. Taking a breath trying to calm his nerves, Branch thought through what to say.

"Did he do anything to you, Promise? Did he hurt you in anyway?"

"No! He was really nice to me. He told me that he would come back and tell me more about his life in forest. He even told me that he would teach me the ways of a forest cat! Isn't that so cool!"

"And you trust this cat? How do you know he's not just saying this?"

"I trust him with every inch of me! He was super kind."

"What did he say to you? Did you engage him?"

"So many questions. I offered him inside so he could warm up and get out of the rain. He refused but he promised that he would return just to talk to me! He even gave me his name! Fogpelt!

Branch turned his attention from the questions to his mate. She looked a little bit less on edge, knowing that her kit was safe and unharmed.

"He is a great friend and I hope that you can grow to trust him like I do." Promise spoke quietly. "He's the first forest cat I met and I am aware that not all forest cats are as kind as him but that's why I want to learn the ways of one. I want to go out there and be able to fend for myself if I need to. Fogpelt is the best option I have."

"Branch told me that we should try training you anyways. We knew that the day would come where you would meet a forest cat and want to go but we had no clue it would be so soon. I wish we had prepared you better, just in case he wasn't as kind as you make him sound." Frost breathed out finally.

Promise was surprised to hear her mom tell her that they were planning on training her for going to the forest. Sure, she figured that her parents would eventually let her go out there but she never would have guessed they thought of training her already.

"Fogpelt may be better at training you though." Frost chuckled lightly. "He actually know how to hunt, fight, and survive out in the wild."

Promise let a small gasp of excitement. "You mean you will let me train with Fogpelt?! You are actually ok with him teaching me?" The small brown kit flicked her tail happily. She had never looked forward to something more than she was looking forward to training with a real forest cat.

"We aren't ecstatic about the idea of you getting taught by someone we don't really know but you are right. Fogpelt is our best option and we can see you really trust him. We are willing to give him a shot." Branch smiled at his overjoyed kit.

"Thank you so much! I love you so much! I'm going to go tell Maggie, I'll be back soon." The young she cat purred happily. With the bell on her collar ringing wildly, Promise sped out of the open back door, towards her friends den.

"Maggie! Are you home?" Promise questioned loudly to her unseen friend.

"Goodness, Promise. Do you really have to be this loud this early in the morning?" A tiny ginger she cat padded out of the small flap in the door of the two leg den. Her short orange fur stuck up slightly in some areas, signifying that she had just woken up.

"It's not that early. But that's not what I came here to tell you! I met a forest cat this morning!" Promise beamed to her friend.

"What!? Were you scared at all?" Maggie asked, astonished by the news.

"Of course I was a little scared. It was storming and he jumped over the fence. He was covered in scars and he was so big! He looked super strong and threatening but he was actually super nice. He promised that he would come back, answer my questions and train me to fight and hunt like a forest cat." The thick furred kit explained.

"How did your parents react? I know that your mother isn't the biggest fan of the forest."

"They were a little skeptical at first, but once I told them that I trusted him and how kind he was, they loosened up a little. Turns out they were planning on training me on how to hunt and fight anyways, so they will let me continue to see him and train."

"I am so jealous of you, Promise. I guess your early rising problem was good for something for once."

"It's not a problem! You're just mad that I have more energy than you and you just sleep half the day away." Promise joked.

"Hey, that's rude." Maggie joked back.

Giggling, the brown she cat bounded over to the fence and clawed her way up to the top. Her ginger friend tiredly followed her and struggled up the wooden posts.

"I'm going to be out there someday, Maggie. Running with the rabbits, climbing the trees with the squirrels, adventuring and living in the wild. I will be free." Promise purred, gazing out at the forest. She was unable to distinguish anything in the trees but that's what fascinated her. She wanted to discover everything that the forest had in store for her.

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A/N: Hello! It's me! The one who can't post a chapter in a reasonable amount of time :D But HEY! I GOT A LONGER CHAPTER FOR YA! Hooray!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I will hopefully get another chapter in soon... that's a big hopefully :/

-Warriorloves14/ Erin Johnson