Fireclan

Chapter 1

Ren cracked his eyes open. For a moment his head spun, senses dulled by sleep and a strange noise that rumbled around him. He shook his head to clear it and looked around. He was in a small cage. Three sides were made of thick plastic and one was made of wire mesh. A ring of small holes went around the middle of the walls, casting streaks of sunlight onto his orange fur. Suddenly he remembered were he was. The strange noise was the hum of the car owned by his housefolk as it drove over the smooth road. The cage rattled as it went over a bump. His collar tugged uncomfortably against his neck. The tom raised his head, his ears almost brushing against the top of the cage. His housefolk chattered excitably about something he couldn't understand. He unsheathed his claw, wincing as they scraped uncomfortably against the bottom of the cage.

"I hate housefolk" he growled half to himself.

"It's not so bad" Toeser's cracked voice rang up from the cage beside him.

Ren glared through the holes at her cage. "How?"

"You get free food and no badgers to eat you" The old cat's voice was dull as if she was tired from having the same conversation over and over again.

"Too bad that won't protect me from the badger in the cage next to me" Ren joked quietly.

Toeser let out a low warning growl.

"But really" Ren persisted "Haven't you ever wanted to live in the wild? To hunt for your own food and live like a real cat? To know what it's like to fend for yourself and not have to rely on housefolk for everything?"

Toeser's piercing yellow eyes glared out at him, slightly dulled with age, "no."

Ren sighed and rested his head on the bottom of the cage "Well I have. You've never thought big. You've always been content with being trapped as a housecat. But not me. I'll find a way out of here, no matter what I have to do to"

"You always did have your head in the clouds"

The cage heaved as the car lurched to a sudden stop. Ren scrambled to keep himself from slamming into the side of the cage. He heard a click and a slam as his housefolk exited the car in front of him. They opened the door next to him and heaved up his cage. He slammed into the side as the cage swayed. Finally the housefolk set it down with a thud. Reaching out its thick, clumsy paw it unlatched the cage door and swung it open. The young cat quickly stepped out of the cramped cage, squinting as the bright sunlight burned his eyes. Slowly his eyes adjusted and he glanced around.

A house stood in front of him, much different than the one he had lived in only a few hours ago. It was made of old, dark wood covered with places where the wood was split. Its dark green roof was sagged on one side. Dirty windows dotted the front of the house and leaky gutters dripped water to the untrimmed lawn. Big, leafy plants with drooping yellow flowers ran along the edge of the walkway leading to the house. A stretch of newly painted fence went out from the side of the house, as if the previous owner had attempted to make the house look nicer.

Ren sniffed the air and wrinkled his nose. "What is this place?"

"Our new home" Toeser said as she walked past him towards the house. Ren took one last look around and darted off after the old grey and white she-cat.

Ren's fur was bleached yellow in the sinking sun. He balanced delicately on the rough fence, sinking his claws into the soft wood. To the back of him was a neatly trimmed lawn bordered by drooping plants. Stretched out in front of him was a dense forest filled with unfamiliar scents and the soft rustling of prey. Toeser lay stretched out on the old porch tucked against the house. She yawned and murmured something, but Ren wasn't paying attention. His brown-tipped ears were pricked towards the forest and the mysteries that lay within it. His paws itched to leap off the fence and rush into the forest, but he held back. The young cat had no idea what was waiting for him one the other side of the fence.

"Beautiful ain't it?" A gruff mew made Ren jump. He whirled around to the fence next to him and saw a rugged grey tom sitting loosely, balancing easily from years of practice. He was staring out at the forest with a dull glimmer in his yellow eye. A thick black collar was strapped uncomfortably on his old neck.

Ren nodded "Have you ever been there?"

"Indeed I have" the old cat turned and Ren tried to resist letting out a gasp of horror. A huge scar ran down the left side of his face, starting at the base of his ear and going down until it thinned out over the bridge of his nose. In the place where his eye should have been, instead, was a gaping black hole. "I used to live there"

Ren stared at him in wonder, scar forgotten in an instant. He could only guess what kind of adventures this cat had gone through. The old cat flicked his tail "I haven't seen you around here before. What's your name youngster?"

"I just moved here." Ren shifted nervously "My name's Ren"

"Hm, well in the forest they called me Scarface." His eye clouded with grief "but that was a long time ago. Here my name's Tommy"

"So you used to live in the forest?" Ren asked, his gaze shifting back to the thick trees.

Scarface nodded "I lived with the clans"

"Clans?" Ren echoed in confusion.

"Four clans live in those woods" Scarface began. Ren got up and walked across the fence, settling down next to him "Fireclan, Lakeclan, Stoneclan, and Eagleclan. The territory is divided evenly among them, and they viscously defend their borders. The cats of their clan hunt and fight together in a strict social system…."

The sadness in Scarface's eye was soon gone as he began telling the basics of the life he had once lived. His voice was filled with excitement as he explained the ways of the wild. How kits became trained to become fighters and hunters when they turned six months old. How they trained under mentors with the speed of a rabbit, the eyes of a hawk and the wit that seemed to surpass all the other creatures of the forest. Ren felt like he was truly in the forest at the old cat's words, fighting and hunting for himself and his clan. He wanted even more to leap off the fence and explore the forest for himself, joining the wildcats in their own home. Finally Scarface stopped, and the illusion was broken. Ren found himself back on the old dirty fence. He glanced at Scarface. The old tom was huffing as if he had just gone out on a hunt instead of just telling about them. Ren quickly leapt at the silence.

"So how did you end up here?" he asked quizzingly, tail swaying side to side "with the housefolk I mean"

Scarface took in one more breath and gazed out into the forest. For a moment he was quiet, almost as if he was trying to remember "I was a warrior at the time" he began finally "I had been one for only a few moons, and I wasn't ready to join the elders anytime soon. In fact I found them annoying. Even though I was no longer an apprentice, somehow I always ended up doing chores for them. Fetching them water, gathering moss, and cleaning away their dirt. It was so annoying for me. I was a warrior! Why did I have to take care of a bunch of old useless cats? But that's not important. One day I was out looking for some herbs. Leaf-bare had come early that year and lots of cats were getting sick. As I made my way through the forest I heard something. I was so arrogant back then, I simply ignored it. Twolegs made weird noises all the time. But I should have listened…. Anyway, as I came around the bend I heard it again, much louder this time. It seemed to be coming from around the bend and…. Curiosity overcame me. The last thing I saw were three twolegs holding something long and shiny. I heard a loud noise and the next thing I knew I was in a cage with my face hurting terribly"

Scarface, stopped, his good eye clouded with sadness. Ren looked at him sympathetically. He couldn't imagine losing such a wonderful life in a matter of seconds. Suddenly there was a shout from behind. One of Ren's housefolk stood on the porch beckoning him to come in for the night. The young cat hadn't realized how quickly time had passed. The forest was already bathed in a deep red from the barely visible sun. Ren hopped off the fence into his yard and waved his tail to the old cat that had been sitting next to him "See you later Scarface"

Scarface gave him a sad look "It's Tommy now".

Ren watched sympathetically as the old cat leapt off the fence out of view. With a sigh he crept into the house. His housefolk stroked his back and he automatically let out a purr, but his heart wasn't in it. His mind was buzzing with all the things Scarface had told him about the life he had always wanted to live. Now he wanted it more than ever. A familiar clattering made him turn his head to where his housefolk was pouring dry pellets of food into his bowl. He took a whiff and almost gagged. Scrunching up his nose he took a mouthful. As he gulped down the musty food, he made himself a promise to escape.

Ren's sleep was fogged with dreams. Dreams of walking through the forest, stalking mice, and fighting alongside other wildcats. They were clouded and distant yet so very close. For a moment he thought he was truly living in the forest. Everything was quiet, and it seemed that mysteries lurked around every tree. He took a deep breath in the clouded forest and smelled the deep earthy smell. Suddenly he heard a chirping. In the deep silence of his dream forest it rang out quite suddenly. Ren jumped with fright, then listened, keen to hear what the strange sound was. It was distant and fuzzy at first, as if it was clear on the other side of the thick trees, but it soon got louder and clearer. Ren screwed his eyes shut to try to block out the tremendous cries as they shrieked louder and louder. When he opened them, the forest was gone. He was sprawled out on the old couch he had fallen asleep on. The Twoleg scent chased away the smell of the forest that had clung to his nose. The chirping was coming from a small bird in the windowsill that was shrieking its heart out.

Ren jumped onto the floor and stretched luxuriously, flicking his tail at the bird. He wished he could sink back into sleep and tromp through the dreamy forest again, but the real forest awaited him. The cat padded through the old house to the kitchen where the humans fed him. On one side was a door made of a thick, clear substance that led outside to the backyard. He couldn't go out unless his housefolk opened it, so he sat down and waited. The sun was barely touching the sky and the forest was bathed in a blood-red light. Still-gathering dew shone in the light, looking like fresh drops of blood. Ren shivered, partly from the cold and partly from the image of the torn battlefield bathed in blood that flashed through his mind.

The tom suddenly felt a presence next to him and turned to see Toeser sit down at his side, soft fur fluffed up in the chill of the morning. They sat in silence for a little while, watching the sun slowly make its way into view. Finally Toeser mewed in a casual tone "Your going to do it aren't you?"

Ren simply cocked his head.

"Your going to escape into the forest, am I right?"

The young cat bit his lip. It was the only answer he could give, but it was enough for Toeser

"I figured it would happen some day" she said, her voice unusually soft.

"What do you mean?" Ren mewed innocently.

Toeser sighed and shook her head "You can't fool me Ren. I may be old but I'm not stupid. You were always saying you wanted to escape, and I always knew you would. I've known you since you were tiny kit Ren, I know when you mean what you say."

Ren sighed. "Yes it's true, I'm going to escape. But I just can't stand it here anymore." He gazed at her softly "I hope you won't be lonely"

Toeser let out a playful growl "Don't you worry about me youngster. I did fine for years before you came, and I think I can manage that again. Besides maybe without you I can finally get some peace around here" she flicked her tail in mock impatience and strode away around the corner. Ren let out a purr of amusement. He was going to miss the old cat he had known for most of his short life. After a few minutes his housefolk finally emerged from the hallway, lumbering with drowsiness. Ren never understood why housefolk took so long to wake up. With one last uncoordinated lurch his housefolk slid open the door and Ren darted out. He trotted across the lawn, feeling an uncomfortable sensation as dew squished between his toes. After shaking off the water from his paws he jumped up on the fence and peered over to Scarface's lawn. The old cat was nowhere to be seen. Ren felt a prick of disappointment. He had wanted to see him one more time before he set off.

With one last breath he leapt down from the fence to the grass leading to the forest. It felt rough compared to the soft grass in his yard. Ren shook his head. It wasn't his yard anymore. The whole forest was his yard. With that thought buzzing in his head he carefully made his way into the dense forest. All of his senses were open to this new wild world. Birds chirped overhead and the bushes seemed alive with prey. The thick trees cast ever-changing shadows on the forest floor and a cool breeze made him ruffle up his fur. He inhaled deeply, letting the rich forest scents hit the taste glands on the roof of his mouth. It was even better than his dream. This forest wasn't clouded or distant, but clear and closer than he ever imagined.

Suddenly he perked. There was a commotion ahead. It was far away, but his keen ears picked it up. As he strained his ears it began to get closer. He leapt up on a rock to see over the thick bushes and ferns. A lone cat was rushing wildly through the underbrush. A group of cats were chasing it, yelling at it to stop. As the cats got closer Ren made a decision, one of those quick, mindless decisions that Toeser had warned him not to do. He crouched on the rock, ready to spring when the chased cat rushed by.