My paws beat against the ground like a drum. Tha-Dump. Tha-Dump. Claws bared, I leap as far as I could, grabbing my brother's shirt in my teeth and leap again.
My eyes burn from the smoke, and my heart beat hard, trying to escape the fear and adrenaline rushing through my entire body. Tail waving, ears pinned back, I yowl to the sky. Not this time. I wasn't gonna screw it up.
"Rachel!" The shout was distant, but familiar. Chris? Nope. I couldn't turn back. I knew the scent that I was following, and I wasn't veering off. Not yet.
A tree branch crashed in front of me, and I leap away, terrified. Flames filled my vision, crying drowned out the beating of my heart. Smoke choked me. I cough, veering away from yet another tree branch.
"Rachel, stop." Chris had raced after me, and tried to turn me away.
"NO! Our brother's out there!" I choke, shoving him onto his side and running off again.
"What?!" I ignore him, and follow the scent and the sound of sobs.
"Wha-?" A much smaller blond than I expected was sitting on the ground, trying to push a small tree off his leg. I help him, not caring who it really was, and get him onto my back. No way was I letting someone die just because I didn't know him. The scent, though. It was unmistakable! It should have been Martin... I shake the thoughts off, and the boy clutched my head fur tightly.
"I'll get you to safety, kid." I promise through gritted teeth. He leaned in to look at me sideways.
"You can talk..." He said. "My name's William, by the way, Cat." William... The name, the smell, the crying. It all came to me so suddenly. It was my brother's son! I had just gotten a second chance to prove myself to a parent, but not mine. I was not going to let go of William now. Chris appears, and I tell him to help me.
"My older brother's still out there." William whimpered. "Will you two cats help?"
"You go with Chris, William. I'll get Jamie." I say, head-butting him towards Chris. Haring after the smell again, I suddenly get struck by something. A burning tree branch choked me out, and I feel my form slowly changing back to human. I was dying, I knew it.