Greetings! he called out as he drew nearer to the group of cats. Hesitantly, Alderheart began padding down the slope into the center of the hollow. Alderheart thought he had seen her somewhere before, but the other cats were all strangers to him. A small, silver-gray tabby she-cat lay stretched out in their midst. Straggling bushes surrounded it, and when Alderheart looked more closely he spotted a group of cats huddled in the shelter of the branches. In the bottom of the hollow was a small pool, the surface glittering in the sunlight. He couldn’t remember ever having visited this hollow before, and a pang of apprehension seized him as he wondered if he had managed to wander away from ThunderClan territory without realizing it.
Blinking in the dazzling rays, he glanced around and tried to work out where he was. The sun edged its way above the horizon, casting a flood of golden light over the grassy hollow where Alderheart stood.