Prologue

Little Mew P.O.V

I slowly crept up behind Birdy. The light silver she-cat was crouching with her back turned to me, dabbing at a beetle on the ground. Totally unaware that I was only a couple rabbit-lengths behind her. I wriggled my haunches, whiskers twitching in amusement. Suddenly I exploded forward, landing on top of my sister. She yelped and flailed, flopping limply onto her side. I squirmed my way off of her, waving my tail.

"Little Mew! I was playing with that beetle- now it's escaped," Birdy snapped. She threw herself at me, and we rolled over in the scruffy grass beside the barn. Soon we were joined by Raindrop and Pad, who launched themselves into battle with us. I growled playfully as I gently snagged Raindrop's tail with my teeth and tugged her backwards. She spun around and swiped at me, and I darted backwards, just out of reach.

Finally we all broke apart, panting. The late afternoon sunlight warmed our backs. Dirt had been kicked up by our churning paws, and our pelts were ruffled and dusty. Birdy set to grooming herself.

"That was fun," Raindrop announced. "What should we do next?"

I rolled my eyes. Raindrop was always full of energy, leaping headfirst into one game after another. She was often a fun cat to be around, but she could sometimes be rather insensitive. Birdy was the opposite- she was more shy and quiet, and the kindest cat I knew. Not that I knew many cats. But if I did, I couldn't imagine one being nicer than Birdy.

I shrugged. "I'm hungry," I meowed. "We should go hunt."

"Good idea," Pad readily agreed.

Raindrop shrugged. "Alright, I guess."

Birdy said nothing, but followed us as we trekked into the barn.

Inside, it was cool and shady. The musty smell of hay and straw drifted through the air. Straining my ears, I could hear the tiny squeaks of mice scurrying in the dark. We walked to the edge of the straw and stood there, tasting the air.

"Over there," Pad hissed quietly, tilting his head toward the strongest scent. We crept up to a small tunnel through the straw. Pad and Birdy circled around the sides, leaving Raindrop and I crouched in front. Suddenly Birdy and Pad leaped into the mound of straw, digging down into it. I tensed, waiting. A little brown mouse raced out, right into Raindrop's claws. I caught another, while a third got away, diving into the safety of a nearby mound.

We did the same thing with the next mound of straw, only this time Raindrop and I leaped on top. More mice scurried out. Two of them blundered into Pad, who easily killed them. Raindrop launched herself off of the mound, disappearing for a moment, then popped back up with a mouse. Birdy pounced on another.

We did one more mound, then piled the fresh-kill beside the barn doors. The sun was beginning to sink in the sky, turning it vibrant shades of orange and pink. Birdy trotted off to find Husker, Moss, and Splash so that we could share the mice.

Moss purred when she saw the pile of fresh-kill. "You are all turning into such great hunters," she meowed. Raindrop, Birdy, Pad and I puffed out our chests in pride.

We all settled down to eat the mice outside in the last bit of light before the sun disappeared completely. Then we wandered into the barn, curled up together in our nests in the straw, and began drowsily sharing tongues. I drifted off to sleep to the sound of contented purrs.

It was the smell that woke me. A sharp, acrid smell that burned my throat. I remembered a similar scent from the time the twolegs had burned a huge pile of brush in an open field. Sleepily I looked around, but couldn't see anything from our mostly hidden corner, although the barn seemed brighter than I thought it would be. I reached out, nudging the body next to me. It was Pad.

"What? What is it?" He whispered. Suddenly he grimaced. "What is that smell?"

"Wake the others," I meowed. Birdy was already lifting her head, her yellow-green eyes confused. Pad woke Splash, who in turn woke Husker and Moss. Birdy was trying to wake Raindrop, but the dark gray she-cat was a heavy sleeper. Finally, in frustration, Birdy bit Raindrop's tail- none too gently.

Raindrop pulled her tail away, looking only half awake. "Wha's that?" She asked, her words slurred with sleep. "Something nibbled on my-" she yawned, "-tail."

I ignored her. A red glow was shining from behind the mound that we were nestled into. Suddenly flames sprang into view, swiftly racing across the barn wall until it reached our corner. Husker saw it too.

"Fire!" He screeched. We all shook off the last of our sleepiness at the word. Already the top of the pile of straw we had been sleeping by was beginning to burn. I raced to the edge of the straw, then drew back in horror. Beyond the straw, flames had spread to the doors. The heat made my eyes water. The others appeared at my side.

"What are we going to do?" Birdy whimpered. "We're trapped!"

The fire had spread to the roof now. I crouched, frozen with fear. The sliding doors of the barn were burning fiercely. I stared at the small gap that we used to squeeze in and out. It was getting harder and harder to see it as the smoke thickened. Above us, one of the main beams that stretched from one side of the barn was on fire. The fire was surrounding us now.

"We have to get to the doors," Splash was meowing.

"The twolegs will come, won't they?" Birdy meowed, her voice trembling. "They'll fix this."

Hope soared through me. But it plummeted when Husker spoke.

"We can't wait for them. We have to get out now."

The barn creaked and groaned. The walls had the worst of the fire, and they were holding the weight of the entire roof. I glanced up fearfully. The main beam was steadily burning away.

"Alright. On three, we run for the door," Moss meowed. "I'll lead. Ready?" She paced to the front of the group, peering around the corner. "One, two, three!"

She charged out. I followed her, stumbling over a piece of burning straw. When I looked up, Moss was gone, the haze of the some concealing her path. I spun around. Where were the others?

A large crack and crash sounded, and I heard cries somewhere ahead of me. I raced forward, running into Pad. We tumbled to the ground, and I struggled to my paws with a quick glance around. One of the beams had given in to the fire and fallen.

Birdy hauled Pad up. "We have to hurry!" She screeched, her eyes wide. She shoved us forward. Just ahead was the gap. To my left I saw Raindrop. She was crouched in the middle of the floor. The fallen beam had narrowly missed her, it appeared.

I darted over and grabbed her scruff. "Come on!" I mumbled through a mouthful of fur. I dragged her toward the gap. Birdy raced out, with Pad on her heels. I followed my brother's tail, pulling Raindrop along with me. Finally she started to run, and I let go as we fled the barn.

The four of us stopped in the shelter of a small bush several fox lengths away. We crouched there, coughing.

"Where's Husker and Splash? And Moss?" I choked out.

Birdy shook her head. "I don't know!" She wailed. "Moss disappeared! And then… I don't know what happened!"

"Husker saved me," Raindrop whispered. "He pushed me out of the way before the beam fell."

Silence settled over us. I didn't want to believe that the rest of my family was dead. But it seemed that way… I buried my head in my paws. Vaguely I heard Birdy speak.

"What are we going to do now?"