Summary: After living the warrior way for a week, Rusty retreats home, not wanting to continue the rough life. But, another kit decided to venture out after hearing about his tales. Will fire truly save the Clan?

Fire Rising

by. Forever A Writer

ThunderClan

Leader: Bluestar - blue-gray she-cat with silver tinged muzzle

Deputy: Lionheart - magnificent golden tabby tom with thick fur (Apprentice: Graypaw)

Medicine Cat: Spottedleaf - beautiful dark tortoiseshell she-cat with dappled pelt

Warriors:

Tigerclaw - big, dark brown tabby tom with long front claws (Apprentice: Ravenpaw)

Whitestorm - big white tom (Apprenice: Sandpaw)

Darkstripe - sleek black-and-gray tabby tom (Apprentice: Dustpaw)

Longtail - pale tabby tom with black stripes

Runningwind - swift tabby tom

Willowpelt - very pale gray she-cat with unusual blue eyes

Mousefur - small dusky brown she-cat

Apprentices:

Dustpaw - dark brown tabby tom

Graypaw - long-haired solid gray tom

Ravenpaw - small, sleek black tom with white dash on chest and tail tip

Sandpaw - pale ginger she-cat

Queens

Frostfur - beautiful white she-cat with blue eyes

Brindleface - pretty tabby

Goldenflower - pale ginger she-cat

Speckletail - pale tabby, oldest queen

Elders

Halftail - big dark brown tabby tom with part of his tail missing

Smallear - gray tom with very small ears

Patchpelt - small black-and-white tom

One-eye - pale gray she-cat, virtually blind and deaf. Oldest cat in ThunderClan

Dappletail - once-pretty tortoiseshell she-cat

Cats Outside of the Clans

Smudge - small black-and-white kitten who lives in a house at the edge of the forest

Rusty - fiery ginger kitten who lives in a house at the edge of the forest, used to be Firepaw

Patty - small red-golden tabby she-kitten, Rusty's neighbor

Chapter One

The sun has just peaked over the horizon. Patty lay at the window, long tail sweeping the air as she watched the sky become illuminated with reds, oranges, and yellows. The kitten heard a long creak and looked over her shoulder, pale eyes wide as she watched her Twoleg emerge from it's nest. Sometimes Patty enjoyed sleeping with the short, quiet Twoleg. The kitten watched as the Twoleg moved slowly to the feeding area, and the kitten jumped up at the sound of shaking pellets.

Patty walked over to her Twoleg, twisting around her odd legs before mewling for food. The pellets weren't the worst tasting thing in the world, but sometimes her mouth became dry. The Twoleg made a noise before leaning down and rubbing Patty. The kitten purred as she continued to eat. Soon, she would go outside and enjoy the morning.

Her food was quickly finished and Patty watched her Twoleg for another moment before going to the back of the den and through the small opening the Twoleg had given her. Outside was warm and the leaves were rustling in the breeze. Patty purred as she stretched out, claws digging into the soft dirt. She trotted over to the fence and wiggled a little before leaping up and landing perfectly on the fence line. The kitten sat down, claws digging into the wood to hold herself, as she looked over the forest. Patty closed her eyes, taking in the scents of the forest that were carried on the wind.

Her ear twitched when she heard the familiar sound of a bell and looked to her neighbors lawn to see Rusty, a fiery ginger tom, walk out of his own Twolegs den.

"Rusty!" She exclaimed, walking across the fence to the tom's, "What are you doing back? I thought you left to live in the forest with the wild cats?"

The tom shivered and that's when she noticed a little cut in his ear. He wiggled before jumping up next to her, collar jingling. His green eyes were wide as he sat down, looking out at the forest.

"Oh, Patty, it was terrible." He groaned, ears flatting.

"What do you mean? I saw those cats you went off with, they looked nice!"

"The moment I got there, a cat attacked me! He slashed my ear and tore my collar off," the tom flicked his ear, "And then another cat was killed and they brought his body back!"

"Well, it is the wild," Patty murmured, looking over the forest again.

"It sure is," Rusty said, "and they changed my name to Firepaw."

"That's a cool name," Patty said, yellow eyes glistening.

"Not really, the other kittens just made fun of me for living with Twoleg's," the kitten snorted and looked down.

"It's different," Patty said, "we live different lives." The she-kitten looked out in the forest and then jumped down, grass stiff under her paws.

"What are you doing?" Rusty hissed about her, "are you mouse brain?"

"Well, I want to look," she said, looking out at the forest, "I know you had a bad time, but it might be different for me."

"I'm warning you, it's not what you think," Rusty said, "be careful, Patty."

"Sure thing Rusty," Patty purred, "you're acting like you'll never see my again."

"Because I might not!"

"Don't be so worried," Patty turned and started walking towards the forest, "I'll be back by nightfall."

With that, the golden-red tabby she-cat trotted into the forest.

The father she ventured into the forest, the more scents surrounded her. Long grass brushed her fur as she walked along, the damp smell of moss, which clung to gigantic oak trees, mixed in the breeze with the scent of prey. Another scent clung in the air, a foreign one that didn't smell like nature, but was none the less natural. Birds twittered and Patty could hear rustles of animals within the forest. Her ears were perked up, tail high with curiosity. She could barely see the blue sky through the thick canopy above her, but sunlight dappled the forest floor. Patty purred loudly as she pushed herself to the ground, stretching and rolling around the grass.

Soon, the kitten wandered farther into the forest, nose twitching as she took in new scents, eyes wide as she took in new sights. Patty soon heard a soft tumble, almost like water, and followed the sound. She began to step over rock and stones until she reached a river, a large pile of stones and rocks next to it, creating a warming place. The smell of many different cats covered the area and Patty wondered if it was the scent of the wild cats Rusty has talked about.

With a slight wiggle and a big push, Patty thrusted herself up onto the rock pile, claws scratching against the surface. This high up, she could see the river bend and flow. She walked to the edge of the stones, mouth falling open at the sight of a drop just over the edge of the rocks and into the river. The kitten inched back before turning around and jumping down to the ground again. She yawned, stretching and clawing the stone. With the sun this high up in the ground, the rocks were warm and a desirable place for a nap. Patty laid out, purring happily at the feel of the sun on her pelt. She closed her eyes, ready to doze off.

"What are you doing on RiverClan territory!" A yowl came from across the river and Patty jumped up, fur bristling. Across the river stood a small, silver kitten. Her fur shone in the sunlight, but her eyes were fiery.

"Ah, I-I," Patty stuttered.

"We won this territory fair and square!" The she-kit squealed, claws coming out and digging into the sand.

"Sorry, I didn't-,"

"Silverpaw, I told you not to run off," a older, she-cat's voice hissed and a spotted, golden tabby she-cat sulked out of the reeds on the opposite side of the river, eyes narrowed angrily towards the she-kit.

"Sorry Leopardfur, but I smelled ThunderClan, and this is our territory."

Patty hunched down, frightened by the two cats across the river. Before she could say anything else, the bushes behind her shook and the she-kit looked over her shoulder to see two cats and a kitten appear. The first, a lithe white tom, narrowed his yellow eyes at the RiverClan cats before they darted towards Patty, widening for a split second. The second, a pale tabby tom with an unusually long tail, raised his lips in a hiss towards the cats across the river. And the third, the kitten, looked at Patty with wide eyes, fur bristling.

"Whitestorm," the spotted she-cat, Leopardfur, called, "what is the meaning of your apprentice being on our territory?"

"Apprentice?" The pale tabby snorted, looking at Patty, "she's not-,"

The white tom's tail flicked, silencing the other tom. Whitestorm stepped forward, looking to Patty for a brief second before addressing Leopardfur.

"Our apologizes, Leopardfur. She didn't mean to trespass. It is her first day outside of camp and she got a little ... carried away."

The she-cat narrowed her eyes, inspecting the other cats before giving a short nod and flicking the silver she-kit's ear. "Come along, Silverpaw, let's continue our patrol."

"But-,"

"No but's, come along."

The two cats disappeared back into the reeds, and once their scent was gone, the three cats near Patty all turned to her.

"Now, what's a kittypet doing this far into the forest?" The pale tabby hissed, twitching an ear that had a deep V-scar in it.

"Longtail, don't be rude to our new apprentice," Whitestorm hummed, tail flicking out to stop the tom from taking a step forward.

"Apprentice? Whitestorm-," the kitten next to him mewled worriedly and the tom gave her a hard look.

"Sandpaw is getting at something, Whitestorm," the tabby, Longtail, said a little more calmly, "after the last kittypet..."

"Y-you mean Rusty?" Patty finally spoke up, all the cats redirecting their attention to her.

"You know Firepaw?" the apprentice said, nose twitching, "He disappeared the other night and ... we were wondering where he was."

"He's with Twolegs," Patty huffed, her pelt flattening, "he told me that the forest was scary, and he was attacked, so he left. I think it's beautiful so far though, I don't know why he was making such a fit over it."

The three cats blinked at her in silence, Patty watching the all of them with a twitching tail and ears. She sniffed the air, fur ruffling a little as a soft breeze swept past them. Whitestorm looked to Longtail, the pale tabby shrugging and turning around to walk back into the bushes.

"I'd like to introduce you to someone, kittypet." Whitestorm hummed, walking forward and wrapping his tail around her shoulders.

"It's Patty."