Part 1
The sun glares down on your fur as a short gust of wind kicks sand up into you face. You cough and screw your eyes shut, bringing a paw up to try and wipe the sand from your eyes but only furthering the problem as your paws are, quite obviously, covered in sand themselves. Sitting down on the sand and trying to brush the sand from your fur, you try in vain to clear the sand from your eyes once again. A frustrated yelp escaped your mouth as the sand refused to leave you eyes despite your best efforts.
As you swipe at your eyes over and over again, you fail to notice the quiet footsteps approaching from behind. "Oh dear, l-let me help you.." A nervous voice says as two paws successfully wipe the sand from your eyes. You blink repeatedly as the blazing sun assaults your eyes once again, you briefly miss the darkness closing your eyes brought. You turn round to say thank you to the cat who assisted you.
The first thing you notice is they're undersized for what sounded like an adult cat and they're dancing on the sand as they wait for you to speak. Their fur is a bright orange and white and is shorter than much of anything you've seen, topped off with a shorter tail than a normal cat too. You tell them thank you, or try to, they interrupt you before the first syllable is fully out. "O-oh! No need to th-thank me, but you don't look like you fit in here..." They pause and look at you thoughtfully before their eyes light up and a smile spreads across their face. "I know! I-I'll take you underground to see Rumble! I-if you want to come..?"
Without many other options other than wandering the sand, you nod and agree to follow the little orange cat wherever they take you. They grin and bounce happily before speeding off, only to pause and realise you're not as used to the terrain. "Sorry! I'll try and go at your pace, not used to being on the surface with anyone who isn't a Swiftpaw," they explain, a nervous smile on their face. You assure them it's okay and the pair of you keep going.
The pair of you travel across the sands slowly and mostly silent, the only sands being a small tune the small cat is quietly humming to themselves. Despite the heat, you find yourself glad to have met a friendly face before anything more dangerous in this unknown place, you still don't even know how you got there. The humming stops for a moment and the small cat speaks again, "Oh no! I forgot to introduce myself, didn't I?" You nod and they continue. "My name's Fleetfoot! I'm a Swiftpaw from the Caverns!" They explain excitedly.
It takes a lot longer than either of you anticipated before you reach a well hidden entrance to an underground tunnel where Fleetfoot slips inside with ease. It takes a bit of squeezing but you soon follow them in, standing at your full height once out of the entrance way. You can see many different tunnels branching off in different directions but no other cats around. "This way!" Fleetfoot exclaims, dragging you form your observations as you run to catch up with them.
It's not long before you come to a small cave with a dusty brown, one-eyed she-cat inside. She stares at Fleetfoot for several moments, causing the small cat to shrink away from her dark yellow eye. "Who is this, Fleetfoot?" She asks, briefly turning her stare on you. "Th-they didn't give a name b-but--!" Fleetfoot begins, interrupted by the brown cat before they can explain. "How can you be sure they're not some Highland spy?" She asks, her voice level and calm but her anger evident in her eye.
"I-I can't, ma'am.." Fleetfoot mumbles, staring down at the floor and pressed up against the far wall of the cave. The brown cat sighs, her gaze softens and she smiles at them. "You've got to be more careful, Fleetfoot. And please, I've said before you can just call me Rumble. I'm your mother first, leader second. And anyway, this stranger has been standing here rather politely, so I doubt they're a threat," the brown cat, Rumble, says as she walks over to give Fleetfoot a gentle nuzzle on his head. "I'm sorry I had to be so hard on you there."
"I-It's okay.." Fleetfoot mumbles with a sniff, straightening themselves up. Rumble gives them a soft smile before turning back to you. "Apologies for the wait, there. Now, may I ask what you are doing in our territory?" She asks, a firm look on her face.
