Firestar stared in bewilderment at the two cats before him. He was just out on a hunting patrol with Thornclaw and Rainwhisker, when Squirrelpaw and Sorreltail had come trampling through the undergrowth, looking as if they were being chased by a pack of dogs... Wait, they better not be.

"What's wrong?" He demanded as he took in their trembling forms, ruffled fur, and fear-wide eyes. Sorreltail was struggling to breathe. "What happened?" He asked again, fur bristling as he itched to race into the forest and face any opponent they might have.

"It's Leafpaw!" Squirrelpaw managed to gasp out. "We found her, but the Twolegs are putting her inside a monster's belly. They're going to take her away; I know they are!" She was almost in hysterics.

"Leafpaw?" Firestar asked, stepping forward now. He was about to tell Squirrelpaw to lead him to Leafpaw when a new scent came to him. He paused, "You can come out, Brambleclaw." He called into the undergrowth.

The tabby stepped out into the open. "I'm looking for Squirrelpaw," he blinked as he saw the trembling apprentice in the middle of the path. "Are you okay?" He asked with concern.

"I found Leafpaw!" Squirrelpaw hissed. "The Twolegs are going to take her away! We have to rescue her now, or I'll never find her again."

"Then we better get going." Firestar meowed. Beside him, he could sense his warriors getting ready for their upcoming challenge.

"We can't let the Twolegs take out cats if there is anything we can do to stop them," Rainwhisker growled, raising his chin in the air confidently.

"We should not give up without a fight," Thornclaw agreed with a nod.

Firestar turned to his daughter, "Lead us to Leafpaw." He told her and leaped up to follow her as she bounded through the forest. As he ran he felt a flare of pride for his Clan. His warriors were ready and able to take on Twolegs at the cost of rescuing an apprentice. They may not be able to save the entire forest from its slow destruction, but they can win this battle!

"Slow down!" He called as the break in the trees thinned up ahead. He ducked behind a bramble thicket and his warriors crouched beside him. Peering through the bush, he followed Squirrelpaw's gaze to where a Twoleg was carrying cages form a wooden nest into a monster's belly. Crouched so close, he could feel his daughter's ginger pelt trembling beside his own.

"She's already inside," Squirrelpaw whispered, her eyes tracking the Twoleg's every movement.

Firestar pulled back and turned to address his warriors. "Brambleclaw," he began, "you and I will distract the Twoleg. Thornclaw and Sorreltail, I want you two to climb into the monster. Rainwhisker, you can go in the nest and let those cats out."

"What about me?" Squirrelpaw asked, tail lashing.

"You're going to stay here," Firestar told her firmly, turning away to peer through the brambles again. "I need to you watch and yowl if you see more Twolegs coming." He tried to continue before she could protest, but Squirrelpaw stood abruptly, eyes flashing with her furious expression.

"I'm getting my sister out of that monster!" She demanded loudly.

Firestar glared equally back, not in the mood to deal with his daughter's arguments. They had bigger things to worry about than her role in the rescue mission! "You're staying here." He ordered firmly and turned away once more. He ignored her angry complaints and motioned for Brambleclaw to crouch down beside him. "Get ready..." He whispered, waiting for the Twoleg to step into the open with its next cage, "Now!"

They sprang forward at once, streaking across the open stretch of mud and leaping at the Twoleg. The creature howled with surprise as Firestar sank his claws deep into one of its hind legs, and Brambleclaw swiped dangerously at the other. It jumped, trying to shake the cats off, and dropped the cage in the process. The mesh sprang open, and a gray cat was freed.

The cat turned with a furious hiss, and Firestar recognized it to be Mistyfoot, the RiverClan deputy. Mistyfoot did not hesitate to join the battle. She leaped at the Twoleg and hurled herself at the creature's leg, gripping it as if climbing a tree. With three cats attacking now, the Twoleg screamed louder and began to jump and stomp in an effort to shake them off.

Firestar sheathed his claws and leaped away from the Twoleg as a fleshy paw came down to strike him. He narrowly escaped the blow, but twisted in the air and landed neatly in the mud. Out of the corner of his eye, Firestar saw his warriors sneaking into the monster. With a flare of anger, he saw the ginger pelt of his daughter disappear inside as well.

A couple Twolegs appeared around the side of the den, howling with concern. They thundered over, their heavy paws sending waves of mud splashing onto the warriors' pelts. Firestar snarled and turned on the closest one. He scored his claws down its leg and it leaped back in a mixture of pain and fear. Ears flattened and fur bristling, Firestar hissed at it dangerously.

Brambleclaw flashed past him as he went for the second Twoleg, latching onto its hind leg and biting without any hesitation. As they fought, Firestar caught sight of cats racing past him, fleeing into the safety of the forest. None of them were cats he recognized, only kittypets and rouges. Eventually, Rainwhisker joined the fight, having freed all of the cats from inside the den.

More Twolegs came into view, and Firestar began to panic. There were too many, he realized, staring up at their howling forms and flailing paws. What was taking them so long inside the monster?

"I'm going into the monster!" He yowled to Brambleclaw, who only nodded his understanding in the heat of battle. Firestar turned and bounded for the monster. He leaped up the edge of it and dove into its belly. Inside, he saw Sorreltail, Squirrelpaw, and Cloudtail all crouched anxiously around the last, unopened cage. Leafpaw was nowhere to be seen, so she must have escaped already.

"There's too many Twolegs!" He yowled at them. "What are you doing? Get to the trees!"

Cloudtail turned to him with panic, his tail fluffed. "Brightheart's still trapped." The white warrior told him, "Her cage won't open!"

Firestar shouldered his way in between the cats and began shoving them toward the entrance. "I'll take care of it! Move!"

Squirrelpaw and Sorreltail turned and fled from the monster, not needing to be told twice. Cloudtail however, was frozen as he stared with horror at his mate trapped in the cage.

"I'll keep her safe," Firestar growled and gave him a final shove from the monster. "I promise!" Without looking to see if Cloudtail had landed okay, he turned and gripped the catch in his jaws. He bit down so hard that he began to taste blood, but he continued to bite through the pain. Finally, the catch moved and the door of the cage sprang open.

The white-and-ginger warrior leaped over his head and dove out of the monster. As Firestar turned to bolt after her though, he was faced with a Twoleg. Brightheart ducked between its hind legs and slipped into the opening. Firestar however, was trapped. The Twoleg bared its teeth at him in an angry grin, then slammed the side of the monster shut.

Firestar was thrown into darkness, other than the small shaft of light streaming from the top of the monster's belly. The creature roared to life and began to move. Cages fell and toppled over in the movement, and he was struck in the side with no way out. Desperately, he climbed over them in an effort to see through the hole at the top. His paws slipped and his claws ached, but he finally managed to look out into freedom.

And there, he saw the last glimpse of his family and Clanmates racing after the monster with horror and shock in their eyes.