Prologue
Whispertail raced through the forest like the whole of Greyclan was upon him. His throat was rough from shouting.
"Hazelclan's on fire! Help us please," a silent tear rolled down his cheek as air whipped his face. He reached Oliveclan just as his feet started falling out from under him.
"Fernstar! Heatherstripe! Someone, help," Whispertail fell and rolled down the slope that led to the dens. His head hit a rock and he felt warm blood running down his forehead. He choked back a sob as he saw cats running towards him.
"Help please, my clan's on fire," he croaked as his eyes closed heavily.
He woke up in an unfamiliar den with a ringing sound in his head and a terrible headache. A cat whom he supposed was the medicine cat was staring at him worriedly. He picked up his head but immediately set it back down as pain flooded his vision. The medicine cat came over and stroked his white temple gently with her tail.
"Shh, go back to sleep," she whispered.
"What about my clan?" Whispertail asked.
"Don't worry, Whispertail. Your clan will survive," she said confidently, flicking her blue tail and locking her grey-green eyes with his amber ones. He lifted his grey tail in thanks and laid his head on the moss nest that he was in. He dreamed of yesterday, when the fire had started. Two trees had been rubbing against each other's trunks, and as they caught on fire cats had panicked. The fire had spread quickly over the whole camp, engulfing the dens like a kit eating for the first time in moons. Cats had been running out of camp, and trying to locate others in the thick smoke. In Whispertail's dream Thornstar, had been lying in front of him, his ginger pelt hardly moving. Bracken had blocked the exit, and Whispertail was stuck in camp with the raging fire, he had soon caught fire, and was watching his fur burn, the acrid smell mixing with the smoke. His fur was gone, and all that was left was blackened skin, he screamed, and dug his claws into the tar colored soil, but still the pain stayed.
He woke to a paw gently tapping him on the shoulder. It was the medicine cat.
"Wake up, you lazy mouse-brain!" She batted him gently and jumped nimbly out of his way as he flicked his paw out to trip her.
"I can see you're feeling better," she mewed happily.
"Yes, my head hardly hurts," Whispertail mewed, licking his paw and bringing it over the sore spot. He brushed against the cobweb bandage, and felt the wet herbs inside.
"By the way, my name is Goldenfrost," she mewed, " I never properly introduced myself,"
"My name is Whispertail," he said.
"I heard," she said, a humorous glint in her eyes.
"Did you rescue any of my clanmates?" Whispertail asked hopefully.
"No, not yet," Goldenfrost answered, her eyes falling regretfully to the floor.
"Have you even searched the camp?" Whispertail asked taken aback.
"No, the fire is still burning," Goldenfrost whispered, looking at him with sadness in her eyes.
"Oh," he said dolefully, hanging his head.
Goldenfrost turned and padded out of the den, glancing back at him, and motioning for him to follow. He curiously stepped out of the aromatic den into the camp. Cats were bustling around as if they all had a specific job. A black tom with a nasty scar down his cheek ran into me. He mumbled curses at me and bounded on. I weaved through the waves of cats about as nimbly as a badger. I caught up with Goldenfrost after a tortoiseshell she-cat had hissed at me, and a brown and black tom had complained loudly about my being in his way.
"Whew, it sure is hectic here," Whispertail sighed.
"I don't find it so bad, but I've lived here all my life, so I'm used to it anyways," Goldenfrost stated.
"Do you think that the fire will stop?" Whispertail asked vigilantly.
"Maybe, but we'll have to wait it out," Goldenfrost replied softly.
"Do you think I was the only survivor?" Whispertail asked, staring into the sky.
Goldenfrost shrugged in response. Suddenly a tom broke through the same entrance I came through, and sprinted down the slope.
"We've found another! Fernstar, you have to come now!" the tom collapsed as the leader of Oliveclan stepped out of her den with the deputy, Heatherstripe following. The tom told Fernstar where the cat was. He also described the cat.
"He's white with a black ear," He gasped, "he has a grey tail. Beware, he's been brutally killed."
Fernstar nodded.
A convulsion shook through my body. That was my father.