Burst of Fire

Chapter 7

Cloud sighed with relief as he slunk into his sleeping-place. It had been a long, hard day of hunting and overlooking the young-ones' training. It had been 3 sunrises since Petal's kittens had been born, and Fire had come rushing to Cloud, warning him of a prophecy that the cats of the clouds had foretold. Their conversation rang in Cloud's mind.

"Cloud! Cloud!" Fire called, dashing under the big rock and nearly running into the walls in his haste. "Cloud! Listen! It's Dove! And the cats, of the, of the clouds. They gave a prophecy. And, and..."

"Whoa, slow down!" Cloud mewed, backing away, his own prophecy in mind. "What are you saying? What about Dove? What prophecy? Who did they give it to?"

"I'm saying," Fire began, more slowly this time, "while Petal was kitting, the cats of the clouds came to her and gave her a prophecy. They told her, 'One must die to give new life. As the sun rises tomorrow, a beautiful bird will fly into the clouds and never fly out!' Dove is going to die!"

"No!" Cloud refused to hear it. "The cats of the clouds only speak to tribe cats! TRIBE. That blue furred soft heart is NOT TRIBE AT ALL. You may think you've interpreted an important prophecy, but it was just a dream! No way is Dove going to die at dawn. NEVER!"

"But Cloud!" Fire exclaimed, "I know a prophecy when I hear one. What about the Burst of Fire prophecy?"

"What Burst of Fire prophecy?!" Cloud mewed in surprise. "I've never heard of it!"

"Really." Fire said loudly. "This is my prophecy that was interpreted by Storm, your brother. You two were so close. How could you not know about this already? Storm shared almost everything with you!"

"Oh..." Cloud had blurted with surprise, "What did it say?"

"It said," Fire stated, head held high, " 'Behold a flame that sets a'fire, a life in the sky as the sun as the highest. The flame will rise to the the top of the world, and in the form of four paws a fire will burn. The fire will burst throughout the forest, not creating a burn, but a light to lead the others on.' "

Cloud's mouth had drooped open in astonishment.

"You... you liar!" He gasped. "No one will chose you to be leader! This prophecy is a fake! Both of these omens are phony! Get away from me, you lair of a cat!" Fire had taken a step backwards, seeming unsure of what to do. However, he regained himself quickly, insisting,

"No, Cloud. You have to listen. You just have to! Don't you want to be with your mate during her last moments in the forest? Before she rises to the sky and joins the clouds? Don't you want to be there to comfort her? To nuzzle her? To reassure her of a wonderful life in the clouds? Maybe you could even-"

Cloud had cut Fire off with a flick of his tail. With sorrow in his eyes, the flame colored cat had padded away into the open. Night was falling and the sun was setting. With a huge, gaping yawn, Cloud had curled up in his sleeping place and drifted into the world of dreams.

With a sigh, Cloud wondered if what he had done next was the right thing.

He had woken up to a dawn sky, the rest of his tribe still in a deep sleep. In truth, he had believed what Fire had said. Every single word of it. Padding towards the birth clearing, where Dove still slept soundly. Untouched, unharmed. Still, what else could Cloud do? I'll make it fast. He had thought. Flexing his claws, Cloud thought of all the moments they had shared together. After everything he and Dove been through, Cloud would be there in her final moments. "You are a killer." Heart's meow rang in his ears. Cloud smiled weakly, realizing that what he was doing was proving that mangy she-cat right again. In Cloud's opinion, what he did was loving, caring.