Flamepaw walked through the forest. The young medicine cat apprentice was looking for marigold, for most of the rest of it had been used recently on a border skirmish. She smiled, enjoying the greenleaf warmth and scent of freshness. As the bright orange she-cat reached the border beside Windclan, she looked for the tree that had a bunch of marigold growing beside it. When Flamepaw found it, she frowned to see part of it eaten by rabbits.
"Those little furballs don't know what they're eating," she thought, unhappy that a rabbit's brain was so full of thistledown. As she began to pick the marigold, her ears pricked.
"Footsteps?" Flamepaw thought, confused, "The border patrol just got back!" She turned, and gasped. In front of her was the biggest fox she had ever seen. It had a scarred muzzle and very long, sharp teeth. The fox growled, slowly approaching her. Flamepaw instinctively began backing up.
"Flowerfrost hasn't taught me any battle moves yet!" she thought, panicked. She glanced around, trying to find an escape route. The fox suddenly yowled, and rushed at her.
"Help!" Flamepaw cried as she ran. Time slowed down. She felt teeth dig into her shoulder, causing her to cry out in pain. The world blurred as the fox shook its head, let go, and she hit a tree. She laid at the thick roots, smelling the newly grown grass underneath her. Flamepaw looked up at the fox towering over her, felt its claws start to dig into her side, and closed her eyes, waiting for death. A yowl caused her to open her eyes again, and she looked to see Chivenose, Shadeheart, Splashpaw, and Snowfall running towards her. Chivenose swiped at the fox's nose as Splashpaw jumped on it and clawed its back. Snowfall bit its leg, but Shadeheart came running over to her.
"Flamepaw, it's alright," he whispered quickly, confronting but she could hear panic, "Just keep your eyes on me, don't close them." Flamepaw struggled to focus on the dark grey tom's one white ear, the sounds of the fight overwhelming her senses. She felt herself slipping away, her vision becoming blurry. Shadeheart seemed to sense it.
"No!" he said desperately, "Please Flamepaw, you can't give up! Please! Just a little bit longer; we sent Icestorm to get Flowerfrost." Flamepaw blinked, staring at the tom.
"Shadeheart, my brother from another litter," she whispered. Flamepaw stopped talking as a sweet smell surrounded her.
"Sandshine?" Flamepaw thought, "Impossible. She died after kitting me." She suddenly saw her beside Shadeheart, but she was faint.
"It's time, my daughter," Sandshine whispered. Flamepaw nodded, "Goodbye Shadeheart."
"Flamepaw?" The last thing she heard was his heartbroken voice before she closed her eyes, and a wave of black overtook her. Flamepaw opened her eyes to sky blue ones identical to her. She purred as she stood and nuzzled her mother's neck.
"I missed you so much," she whispered. Sandshine smiled.
"Come," she beckoned with her tail. They walked through a forest full of stars, though the sun was shining, much like the Thunderclan one, heading deeper into the trees.
"Where are we going?" Flamepaw asked. Sandshine, again, just smiled.
"You'll see," she promised. Flamepaw felt her curiosity begin to fill her entire being. As Sandshine pushed a bush aside with her tail, Flamepaw gasped. The clearing was being occupied by two, to be exact, week old kits. One was orange and white, the other grey with lighter flecks.
"Fishkit! Goosekit!" Flamepaw ran to her lost littermates, touching noses with both of them. Both toms had been born weak, and died soon after they were born.
"How's Mintpaw?" Fishkit asked.
"She's doing well," Flampaw purred, but it caught in her throat. She wouldn't see her grey tabby sister in a long time. Sandshine laid her tail gently on her daughter's back.
"We'll all watch over Mintpaw from Starclan," she promised, "And remember, she still had Shadeheart, Littlesong, and your father Cloudbreath." Flamepaw nodded, still feeling a little sad; her sister had been the only littermate she had gotten to grow up with. But as Flamepaw looked at her brothers' happy faces and her mother's loving gaze, she smiled.
"It's not going to be so bad," she thought happily, "Time to get to know my family."