Beyond the stars: Ripple of fire (Book #1)

Chapter - 9

Ravenpaw was horrified at the sight of her mentor on the brink of death; her claws were dug fiercely into the smooth branch and her eyes were wide with fear. 

Maplesky was hanging onto the branch with her two forepaws while her hind paws struggled to get a grip on the surface, her teeth bared as the fire roared, flaming higher to nearly touch her tail.

"Maplesky!" Ravenpaw wailed, scrambling forward but then moving back as the fire warmed her paws

"Ravenpaw!" Maplesky gasped, surprised by the apprentice's arrival. "What are you doing here!"

"Saving you, obviously!" Ravenpaw yelled over the burning flames. "Although, it's proving to be exceptionally difficult."

"Ravenpaw, leave, now!"

"I haven't saved you yet!"

"Get out of here", Maplesky screeched, her forepaws digging harder onto the smooth surface of the branch.

"I'm not leaving you here, Maplesky!" Ravenpaw said seriously, her voice turning softer as she gazed into her mentor's blue eyes.

"Ravenpaw, you are going to get hurt! Leave now, I'll be fine", Maplesky sighed, her voice barely audible as the fire crackled, reaching towards her.

"No, no you won't!" Ravenpaw cried, glancing around to find something to help her with. "How do I help you? How do I put out the fire?"

"Ravenpaw, I'm not letting you get hurt!" Maplesky yelled, tears running down her cheeks from the smoke burning her eyes.

"I'm not leaving!" Ravenpaw yowled again, her eyes burning and watering up, making her blink rapidly as her vision blurred and she let out a fit of coughs.

Suddenly, she had an idea. 

"Maplesky, I have an idea!" Ravenpaw called up to her, still coughing. 

"I hate your ideas!" Maplesky howled, her eyes set on the fire climbing its way up the tree trunk.

"It's only a matter of time before you get burned alive, so listen up!" Ravenpaw screeched over the roars that drowned her voice. "Just let yourself fall".

"Are you insane?! I'm going to get burned alive, Ravenpaw", Maplesky screeched, then she spoke again in a much gentler tone. "There is nothing you can do for me".

"Wait one second. I'll be back".

"Don't come back! Leave, I say. Find your clanmates and get out of here, now!" Maplesky yelled, her grip on the branch loosening. "Please."

"I'll be back", Ravenpaw promised, before taking off toward the camp. 

She scraped up some moss from underneath an old oak tree and turned around, racing into the camp and dipping the moss into the pond at the edge of the clearing; she stopped herself from taking a drink as she didn't have much time at all. The smoke was choking her as she rushed back to Maplesky, tears rippling down her cheek as her eyes watered from the fog. 

"Maplesky, jump", Ravenpaw said, dropping the moss onto the ground.

"I'm not jumping!" Maplesky yowled at her, glancing down as the fire crackled higher and climbed up the tree, dancing its way to her.

"Please, I'll drag you out of the fire as soon as you fall!"

"You are not stepping into the fire!" Maplesky hissed warningly, her eyes alight with fear.

"I'll be fine; I've got water in case we burn!"

"Ravenpaw, stop", Maplesky groaned, tilting her head back and gripping tightly onto the branch with her forepaws as they slipped a little.

"If you don't fall, I'm going to wait until you do", Ravenpaw mewed. "It's going to happen eventually; you can't hang on there forever!"

Maplesky glanced around for a moment, blue eyes wide with exhaustion as she gripped harder to the smooth branch that creaked a little from her weight. Ravenpaw sat down stubbornly to make her point as the tortoiseshell she-cat muttered something under her breath, her mouth curled into a frown.

"Please, I've got you I promise!" Ravenpaw said after a moment, the smoke burning through her lungs as she coughed harder.

"Fine, fine", her mentor sighed, her grip loosening as she stared into her apprentice's hopeful blue eyes.

Maplesky let herself plummet to the ground as the fire roared greedily; its flames growing red streaks through it as she fell. Ravenpaw jumped to her paws and raced into the fire, feeling the burns as she latched her jaws on Maplesky's fur and pulled her away from the crackling fire that screamed into her ears with rage.

"I've got you!" Ravenpaw cried out, releasing her mentor when they were a safe distance from the raging flames and pressing the cold moss to her body.

The duo remained still for a moment, feeling the coolness of the moss against their blazing paws as they observed the flames surging toward them with intense rage. As they summoned the strength to rise, they began their cautious journey through the dense woodland, carefully sidestepping the smoldering branches that emitted a menacing hiss with every passing step. The searing in their paws served as a reminder of their pain. The coughing spells were becoming more severe, they frequently paused to cough and wheeze, struggling to get a breath of fresh air; the air was polluted with smoke, making it difficult to breathe normally.

"Here", Maplesky rasped, picking a flower from a patch of burned plants and dropping it at Ravenpaw's paws. "Chew this. I think it eases up breathing".

Ravenpaw did as she said, nodding gratefully at her as they continued, drained of energy but still tirelessly running to safety. There was a quiet yowl in the distance that made them prick their ears and follow; as they got closer, Ravenpaw realized it was an Oakclan patrol that was out looking for them. Ravenpaw ran faster and threw herself at her mother, who was leading the patrol, and pressed her head to the crook of Ravenstream's head in relief.

"Ravenpaw!" Ravenstream wailed, her voice cracking as she gazed at her daughter. "Don't ever do that again!"

The other warriors gathered around Maplesky, comforting her and rubbing against her happily as Ravenstream licked down Ravenpaw's fur. She knew she looked like a complete mess; her fur was scraggly and matted, adorned with twigs and leaves intertwined throughout. Her paws were burning from the intense heat, with scratches along her muzzle from pushing through tangled branches. Her eyes were exhausted, devoid of any emotion except for a hint of relief, and her voice was raspy from all the smoke she had inhaled into her lungs.

"I won't, mother. I promise!"

"Good", Ravenstream mewed, licking the fur between Ravenpaw's ears. "I can't lose you too".

Ravenpaw felt a hint of guilt start to eat away at her; she had left her mother alone, and if something had happened to her, Ravenstream would have lost her daughter too. She could not leave Ravenstream as Pinetooth had done all those seasons ago.