Book One of A New Era: A Clan of Fire

Chapter Six

Flare was in a clearing surrounded by trees. She felt no fear or confusion. She knew this place and she knew who sent her here. Pumpkin appeared in front of her, just as Flare knew she would.

"Hello, mother," Flare purred happily.

"My daughter. I am so happy to see you," Pumpkin purred back.

"I have a question that I want to ask you," Flare told her.

"Yes?" Flare saw something flash in Pumpkin's eyes.

"Last time I saw you, in the barn, you said 'you have a great destiny to fulfill, my love.' What did you mean by that?" Flare asked her mother.

"Ah. That is why I brought you here. I have come to give you a message from StarClan," Pumpkin replied.

"Who?"

"StarClan, the warrior ancestors of the clans, ThunderClan, WindClan, ShadowClan, RiverClan, and SkyClan. I am not a descendent of any of them," Pumpkin explained.

"Then why are you here?" Flare asked, confused.

"StarClan allowed me to join them, along with Frog. They say that there must be another clan and its leader will be a descendant of mine. Every cat who joins her will become part of the clan. Their ancestors will join StarClan," Pumpkin sighed.

"What does that have to do with me?" Flare demanded.

"You are my daughter," Pumpkin purred, a mischievous glint in her eye.

"And?"

"I am to choose who will be the leader. You are a great cat, Flare. You led the cats out of the burning barn. You went back to save your friends. You are strong, kind, loyal, and brave, all qualities of a leader," Pumpkin purred softly.

As Pumpkin's words sank in, Flare gasped with surprise, "Me?!" A leader?!"

"Yes. StarClan wants it to be," Pumpkin purred, pride clear in her voice.

"I can't do that!" Flare exclaimed.

"Yes, you can. I know you can. Don't worry, you are not alone. I will help you," Pumpkin told her firmly.

"I don't know how the clans live! I didn't even know that they existed!" Flare meowed indignantly.

"Like I said, I will help you."

"Tell me a bit more, then," Flare demanded.

"Your clan will be known as SunClan. As leader, you will have to give warrior names to the apprentices, make decisions for your clan, and keep them well fed and protected," Pumpkin began.

"Queens, kits, and elders will eat first, then warriors and apprentices. When a kit reaches six moons old, you must make them into an apprentice. Apprentices are cats in training to become warriors. They must take care of the elders and feed them. Warriors will hunt and fight for the clan.

"You will have to appoint a deputy at some point, but for now, you must get to know the cats better. The deputy will organize hunting and border patrols after you mark out your territory. The deputy will also be in charge of the camp when you are gone, and when you die, he will become the leader, so choose wisely.

"And finally, the medicine cat. There is usually one medicine cat who will take on an apprentice, who will become a medicine cat after them. The medicine cat will heal wounds and cure diseases. They also share dreams with StarClan. They read our omens and prophecies."

Flare listened intently, taking in every word.

"Right. Then there is the warrior code," Pumpkin purred cheerfully.

"The what?"

"Warrior code. A set of laws that makes the clan a clan. Without it, the clans are nothing. They would be no more than a brutal group of rogues. I will only tell you a few for now," Pumpkin explained, surprisingly patient.

"Go on."

"The weakest cats eat from the freshkill pile first. You must not have kits with someone outside the clan. Although, this will not apply for a while. Kits must be at least six moons old before apprenticed. No cat should kill another cat, whether they are a clanmate or not, unless you have to. Always remain loyal to your clan. To be deputy, you must have had at least one apprentice, and again, this does not apply immediately. Along with the next one. The deputy must be appointed before moonhigh. This must happen the day that the clan was left without a deputy," Pumpkin meowed importantly.

"Is that all?" Flare asked.

"For now. There are two more, though. They are not in the warrior code. They are in the code for medicine cats. The medicine cat will never be allowed to have kits or a mate and they must heal any cat in need." Pumpkin finished with, "Any questions?"

"Yes, actually. What would names be like?" Flare mewed.

"Okay, so, kit names will always end with 'kit' and start with something else, like these names: Branchkit, Graykit, Sandkit and so on. They will always carry the starting part of their name. When made apprentices, they have the ending 'paw.' When made warriors, you have to decide the ending of the name. Examples are Branchclaw, Grayfur, and Sandpelt. You could use the ending 'heart,' or 'storm,' and many others. The ending of their warrior name will be based off their personality. And finally, the leaders. They also carry the beginning of their name. The ending to their warrior name just changes to 'star,'" Pumpkin told her.

Flare's head spun as she tried to memorize everything. There were so many rules! How am I going to remember them all? Flare asked herself. Pumpkin looked at her with sympathy.

"It may take a while to get used to, but in the end, it will all be worth it," Pumpkin purred encouragingly.

She began to disappear, getting fainter and fainter, until Flare was left alone in the clearing. Then, just like Pumpkin, the clearing faded away, leaving Flare in a black void. Surprisingly, Flare was not afraid. She felt no panic, only calm.

Flare opened her eyes from beside Salem. Dawn was setting in around her and the sky was scarlet. Flare thought about her dream. She was just told about the clans! I am going to lead a clan! Excitement swelled inside her, but anxiety rose with it. What if I am not good enough? What if I fail? Should I really be a leader? Doubt itched at Flare's paws. She pushed it away with a shove. No! I will be a leader! I can do it! Besides, I will have Pumpkin and a deputy to help me. Then it hit her.

Can I really choose between my friends? Who will be deputy? Flare sighed. Pumpkin's words rang through her mind. Choose wisely. There was also the warrior code and the names, along with the role of each cat. How will I remember it all? Flare suddenly found herself in over her head.