FireClan-After the Ashes

Chapter One: The End

                Smokepaw’s nose twitched excitedly as the greenery in front of him rustled. He was starving, and he could smell the delicious frog, but he frog couldn’t smell him. It hopped closer, unwittingly sealing its fate. With one smooth leap Smokepaw caught it deftly between his claws. He resisted the urge to eat it right then, instead standing up with the warm body hanging limply between his jaws, and looked around for his mentor.

            “Oakfur!” He attempted to mew, with the actual word sounding more like “Orffoor!”

            His mentor’s voice came from the other side of a holly bush. “Smokepaw! What did I tell you about interrupting my hunting!?”

            Smokepaw dropped his mouse. “Um, I-I-I’m sorry. I was just going to show you my frog.”

            The brown tom rolled his eyes, sauntering off in the direction of camp just as lighting raced across the dismal sky. “Come on. Thank Starclan, it’s going to rain. I just don’t feel like getting caught in it.” Smokepaw followed with his food. I’ll bring this to Runningnose! He thought. Then he won’t be so cross with me when I check him for ticks later.

            It seemed like every cat in ShadowClan had been grumpy the past moons, though. A drought had made the prey scarce in all the Clans, even RiverClan. There was almost a fight at the last gathering. It had been Smokepaw’s first, since he was newly apprenticed. “Aren’t you proud of me, Oakfur? It was my first frog. I’m a pretty good hunter…not like you…but I’m only just seven moons old. I think for an apprentice I’m doing pretty well. Oakfur? What are you looking at?”

            Then Smokepaw noticed the smoke. It rose into the sky with foreboding. The tips of the high flames were visible. The camp was on fire. “You go help Littlecloud! Now! If you can’t find him, take care of Tallpoppy or Runningnose!” Heeding Oakfur’s orders, Smokepaw raced toward the flames. The medicine cat was first priority, since without him any burned cats would get even sicker from infections.

            “Littlecloud!” He yelled into the camp. He coughed, chocking on the thick, burning smoke. “Littlecloud, where are you?!”

            He found his way to the medicine den where Littlecloud scrambled around gathering herbs. “Smokepaw! Thank StarClan. Okay, you grab that horsetail. We have to get out of this place.” Picking up a bundle of some other herb, Littlecloud led the way out of camp.

            After clearing the camp boundary, Smokepaw murmured around the horsetail “Where are we going?”

            “Towards Fourtrees.” But as he spoke this, another bolt of lightning struck the dry ground in ThunderClan territory. “CINDERPELT!” He exclaimed in fear. Littlecloud veered left, planning to rescue his medicine cat friend.

            “Smokepaw jumped on top of the crazed cat, yowling “Stop! Your duty is to your clan first, then to her!” Slowly his eyes came back into focus. “Let’s head to the thunderpath, near Fourtrees.” They raced as fast as they could without dropping their precious cargo of herbs, towards the safest place they could think of. Thunder rolled across the air like a hungry dog, and again the lighting took another victim as massive, flaming tree crashed down on top of them.

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            Stormfur searched frantically for Feathertail. He knew if he could just find his sister, they would make it through this. They always made it through things. “Feathertail!” he mewed as he spotted her in the queen’s den.  She was helping the mother Dawnflower with her three kittens. Knowing he had to help, he went to pick up Tumblkit as the deputy, Mistyfoot approached with a grave expression.

            “We can’t hide with ThunderClan. Look.” Stormfur saw tendrils of smoke rising from the forest on the far side of the river.

            “Then, where?” He replied around the kit squirming in his teeth.

            Feathertail approached the duo with Pebblekit in tow. “Let’s follow the river into WindClan, then to Fourtrees.” Mistyfoot nodded her assent, then began to walk off when she noticed Dawnflower. The queen was so weak from nursing while facing starvation that she could barely stand, let alone carry her final kit, Minnowkit, in the river with her.

            “I’ll take her, Dawnflower. Just follow us and don’t get lost. They still need you.” The queen gave a weak nod, following the warriors who carried her tiny kittens.

            How will we ever survive? A fire engulfs everything; kits, elders leaders, warriors, all of us are going to die!

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            The faint sun broke through the trees. Crowpaw was awakened by it. He stretched and yawned, then let out a piercing yowl of pain. His left shoulder burned with pain. Then he remembered. Burning. Flames. Tallstar!

            The apprentice looked around for the leader he had led out of his burning camp. They were sheltering in a birch copse near Fourtrees, the place where they had landed when Tallstar had collapsed from smoke inhalation. “Tallstar?” Crowpaw meowed quietly. Please…don’t be dead. Please.

            “Crowpaw?” Flipping around with surprise, Crowpaw saw his leader leaning against a tree. He looked quite bedraggled, but was alive, and that was good enough for Crowpaw. “We should head to Fourtrees. That’s probably where the other cats will be.” If there are any cats left.

            The worst fire in the history of the clans had just passed through all four territories. Lightning had caused it and rain had put it out, after it had destroyed three fourths of WindClan’s territory, and probably just as much damage to the other Clan’s territories. Fortunately, Fourtrees had been spared from the inferno. Crowpaw agreed that any of WindClan’s survivors probably would go to Fourtrees.

            As they entered the hollow, the first cats they saw were in fact WindClan. “Tallstar! Crowpaw!” Exclaimed an excited Onewhisker, with Morningflower in tow. After those two greeted them, Crowpaw noticed the rest of the hollow. On the opposite side were Tawnypelt and Tallpoppy of ShadowClan.  To his right were a group of RiverClan cats, with kits by the looks of it. Since he was an apprentice and had yet to meet all the cats in every clan, he didn’t recognize any of them except for Mistyfoot, the RiverClan deputy. Is this it? Where’s ThunderClan? Are they all....gone?

          Rustling came from the bushes between Tallpoppy and Mistyfoot as a ginger paw poked into the clearing.

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What do you guys all think? I like the concept. I set it in the forest cause I like the characters and setting better. Who do you think the ginger paw belongs to? If you get it right I'll dedicate the new installment to you!