Dwindling Flames: Fire Ignites (Warriors #1)

Chapter Four

Dwindling Flames
Fire Ignites
Chapter Four's View Point: Blaze

Blaze blinked as her paws clinged to the ground. She had fallen asleep only to be stuck on a cliff in her dream. She moved one paw down to a rock poking out from the cliff. Slowly she moved another, until she was sprawled out helplessly against the cliff wall. She flattened her ears against her head and she moved an uncertain paw down. She moved the other one down too. Now she was too scrunched up. Blaze glanced down. She wasn't too far up, right? She could just jump down. Blaze considered it for a moment before pushing off of the cliff and twisting her body. The ground rushed to meet her and Blaze remaindered herself it was like climbing a tree and jumping off of it too catch a bird. She landed hardly on the ground and gave a grunt as she pushed herself up. Her muscles felt sore.

She heard a purr and looked to her side. Firestar stood there, looking proudly at her. "Well done. SkyClan would be proud of that leap."

"SkyClan? Is that one of the clans? Is it the clan you were raised in?" Blaze mewed. Firestar looked surprised.

"You know of the clans?" Firestar tilted his head.

"My friend Spot helped me out with your prophecy. He found out what the first part meant, I think. You want me to make my own clan right?" Blaze asked, wondering if she and Spot where right. Firestar nodded approvingly.

"It is. My own clans are shattering. I left in my own to tell another cat to make a clan, and that cat is you." Firestar purred. "Spot must be smart."

"Nervous, yes, smart, definitely." Blaze purred back. "I told two toms, George and some amber-eyes tom to spread the word a new clan forming. We're sugar-coating it though."

"Sugar-coating?" Firestar wondered.

"Oh-um, not taking about the disadvantages of being in a clan. Making it as appealing as possible. You know." Blaze shuffled nervously under his gaze. Is this how Spot felt when she asked him a question?

"They do need to know the bad parts too, they are accepting into their lives forever." Firestar mewed sternly.

"Yeah, yeah. But I don't know much about clan life. Is it like BloodClan?" Blaze pondered. Firestar jumped.

"BloodClan?!" Firestar said, suddenly fearful.

"Um, yeah. It's a group of vicious cats who wear collars studded with teeth. They aren't as bad as the stray and alleyway cats though. The strays, umm... You know... Force she-cats to have their kits." Blaze explained. Firestar stared dumbly at her.

"Really? BloodClan is still alive? And, not to barge into your personal life, but have any toms...?" Firestar sounded like a concerned father.

Blaze shrugged. "They've tried."

Firestar sighed. "You... You wanted to know about the clans?" Blaze nodded excitedly. "The clans are a group of cats who live together. Their is a leader, who leads obviously, a deputy, who is the second-in-command and takes over as the leader when they die or retire, a medicine cat who heals cats and speaks with StarClan- StarClan our your ancestors. Then there are warriors, who hunt and fight for their clan. Apprentices are kits older than six moons old and are training to become warriors or a medicine cats. Queens are she-cats expecting or nursing kits. They stay queens until their kits become apprentices, then they become warriors again. Elders are retired warriors who tell kits stories. They are wise and useful."

Firestar gave Blaze a moment to let it all sink in.

"Customs?" Blaze immediately responded when he stopped. Firestar looked at her in surprise. How had she already process that information?