Moonshiner

'I've been a moonshiner

'For seventeen long years

'I spent all my money

On whiskey and beer

''Marie softly padded through the cat door, carrying a small mouse. She heard huge, thumping footsteps coming down the stairs and froze in horror, black-and-white fur bristling.

''"IS THAT ALL YOU'VE GOT YOU LOUSY CARCASS?!" screamed her owner. He kicked her in the ribs, where she was still sore from the last time. She tore away from him, off into the night-dim street.

''"YOU BETTER RUN!" he shouted after her. "YOU AIN'T WORTH WHAT YOU COST!"''

Several moons later, the memory still ached. Almost as much as her empty stomach, she thought absently. It was almost impossible to find enough food on the streets, and cats from StoneClan would probably take it and leave you with a few scratches for your pains anyway.

"A bunch of thugs," muttered Marie.

"Who?" asked a bright voice. It was her tortoiseshell friend Leaf. How she could still have such life in her voice, Marie didn't know- the tortoiseshell was just as hunger-worn as she was.

"StoneClan."

"Oh yeah," growled Leaf venomously. "They think they're so great 'cause they've got a Leader and a Code-" facetious capitals snuck in, "-but they aren't any better than the rest of us street cats."

"And then they have the nerve to take what's ours. Like I said, thugs."

"Still, I would be careful what we say about 'em. You wouldn't want to slip up at the Gathering tonight, would you?"

"The Gathering's tonight?"

"Yeah. Full moon. You're going, right?"

Marie thought for a second. StoneClan may be a bunch of rats, but maybe they could meet some nice loners there.

"Sure, why not?"

'I go to some hollow

'And set up my holy holy still

'If drinking don't kill me

Then I don't know what will

Leaf dropped a fat pigeon at her paws.

"Where in the name of the stars did you get that?" demanded Marie in shock.

"Caught it out in a vacant lot where the StoneClan cats don't go. You know how the Twolegs treat pigeons. Eat up, the Gathering's soon."

"What, all for me?"

"I ate already," Leaf lied. Marie knew better than to protest.

As she tucked into the pigeon, Marie wondered how long they could keep it up. Cats had to eat, but she and Leaf counted themselves lucky to find half of this.

Still better than living with that rotten Twoleg, she thought.

'I go to some bar room

'And drink with my friends

'See if women and men would come to follow

See what I might spend

They arrived at the Gathering, with too many cats to count gathered in an old building, moonlight through the windows flashing off pelts and eyes. Marie felt like every cat was staring at her and Leaf, and suddenly felt very conscious of her withered body and dull fur.

"You look fine," Leaf murmured, as if reading her thoughts.

They found a spot near the edge of the crowd, but close enough to see where StoneClan's leader would stand. Through the chatter, she heard a cat pad up behind her. She turned around to see a small tabby tom who looked friendly.

"What's your name?" she asked nervously.

"Tawnystripe," he said. She mentally cringed a bit at his name, though he didn't look like a thug the way his Clanmates were.

"I'm Marie," she mumbled. "This is my friend Leaf." She was relieved to see that he wasn't looking her over disdainfully. In fact, he looked just as ragged as she did. He was about to reply when Graystar leaped up on the old pile of boxes and yowled for the Gathering to start.

'God bless them handsome men

'I wish they was mine

'Their breath is as sweet as

The dew on the holy holy vine

While the massive gray tom called on cats to announce whatever important had happened over the past moon, Marie kept glancing back to Tawnystripe. He was so unlike the other warriors- he would occasionally lean over and whisper to Leaf as though she weren't a fleabitten loner and he a warrior from the greatest power in Twolegplace.

She edged closer to him, and spent the rest of the Gathering talking with her best friend and the warrior she was beginning to love.

'You're already in hell

'You're already in hell

'I wish we could go to hell

'When the bottle gets empty

And life ain't worth a dram

"And remember!" yowled Graystar in the traditional way of ending the Gathering. "We are strong! We are powerful! We are unyielding! We are StoneClan!"

The warriors in the audience yowled back in solidarity while the loners hung back politely.

In the chaos of cats meeting up and leaving after the Gathering, Marie saw a white she-cat pad up to Tawnystripe and press against him affectionately. Her heart sank as Leaf led her back to the alley where they stayed.

Back to hunger. Back to pain. Back to cold, illness, death. Away from the first true happiness she had felt in a achingly long time.