Flames sear the air, the heat making my vision hazy. I can't go on much longer, the fire and smoke will eventually catch up to me. But I have to find her. I can't give up. Not now, not ever. The once strong and powerful elm trees blaze against the dark night sky, a great contrast that scares me as I stumble through the forest.
Something deep inside me tells me, Don't call for them! It will only make you weaker! But I did not listen. Typical me.
"Anna!" I shout into the inferno. The cracking of wood drowns out my voice as branch falls only a tail-length in front of my face, causing me to hiss and jump back. My feet start to carry me farther away, towards the direction I last saw her.
The heat stings my eyes as I sprint farther and farther. It's hopeless, she's dead, says that part of me. But then, there's that second part, whispering to me.
Don't lose hope.
And for the time being, I won't do that.
The flames show no mercy as I dig my way through the burning brush, searching without end. I can't stop. Not now. Not when we were so close. So close to everything we'd ever wanted.
My shouts start weakening as the smoke fills my lungs, embers scorch my paws and heat blurs my vision. But I keep going on. I'm just so smart that way.
As the world starts to blur, the roar of the fire echoes in my mind. This is it, I think. I'm going to die, never knowing what-if. I collapse into the dirt, resting y head onto the ground. Closing my weary eyes, I give up.
"Horus!"
I bolt straight up at the sound of my name, crisp and clear against the sharp crackling of the flames. The voice rings in my ears.
Her voice.
I shout for her excitedly, receiving the same response. Calling for each other, I feel myself come alive again. I leap and bound, the tongues of fire trying to catch me like humans reaching to pet me. They will never catch me. Not while I know she's out there.
I reach a clearing, and call out her name once again. "Anna!" She does not call back. She does not need to. Across the clearing, I spot her sparkling blue eyes, filled with fear, which quickly turns to pure joy.
I purr, and start to run to her, Anna doing the same, her pale silver coat smeared with ashes.
Then, it was all just a blur.
A sickening crunch.
A horrified yowl.
The thud of a tree.
The sound of my paws, running to try to save her. That voice comes back to me as I watch the flames rise higher, mocking me.
Under the collapsed tree, I see her limp body, crushed and motionless. Quickly, I rush to her side, not remembering how I came to e there. All I know is that I feel empty and that I feel cold as I cry to the sky in mourning for the one I loved.
Then, I feel nothing.
Nothing but a plain, lonely darkness that wraps its sticky tendrils around my now black heart. Her beautiful blue eyes stare up at me, glazed over, though they still reflect the stars high up above.
The empty darkness consumes me. I collapse, my mind numb, my heart cold as the tongues of fire eat away at the world around me.
The next thing I notice as I flutter open my eyes is the commotion. Hushed but hurried whispers tickle my ear as I feel paws prod me. Slowly, I take a glance around.
I'm inside a small cave that smells of plants and herbs, a fresh pool of water off to the side. Finding no harm in it, I pad over, and take a long, refreshing drink. My soar throat flares up in a numb pain. Soon, as I take another quick peek around, I realize something.
It hits me. The memory hits me hard. The fire, the search, the death…
None of it should have happened. But it did. And now I'm stuck here.
Wait? Where is here? And where are all these voices coming from? I sense my amber eyes widen as I try to spot a way out, quickly finding a hidden but large opening. Padding out, I see a group of cats huddled around something.
The tension in the air is so thick; I could have sliced it with my claw as I approached the group. Nobody seems to notice me as I peer over their heads. They are staring into a cave, the entrance sealed off.
I wonder why… I never finish the thought. An agin golden she-cat exits, her eyes emotionless. She opens her mouth to speak, and the sound that comes out I did not expect.
In an elegant, completely enchanting voice, she announces, "StarClan has delivered me a prophecy! The son of the flame shall save us all!"
This seems like a giant shock to them, and nobody notices me yet. What the heck is StarClan? Son of the flame? I'm not extremely intelligent, but I'm pretty sure that fire can't give birth.
The loud cries of disbelief and confusion are silenced by a fierce roar. The cats all stop, as if they had suddenly sot the ability to speak.
Leaping down from a rock-hanging, a large dark-grey tom approaches the group. Hs amber eyes match the exact shade of mine, fiery and fierce.
"I will speak with Flamepetal, she has the right to know," he announced in a demanding and what was supposed to be an intimidating tone. Then, he searched the crowd, until his powerful stare rested on me. I sit down, and wrap my white tail around me. Then I take note of something. My once perfectly snow colored pelt is now smudged with soot.
The tom narrows his eyes, giving me a quick once-over. "And you," he says, his voice lined with bitterness. "I'll deal with later."
Thus, starts our story.
My story.
"Sootspots!" comes the she-cats voice, making my eyes shoot wide open. I sit up groggily, my eyes adjusting to the little amount of light in the den. "Wake up you lazy mound of fur!"
I scowl at that. Well, I hadn't been smiling before, but now I was for sure scowling, a dark glint in my eyes. But even so, I sit up, snowy white tufts of fur sticking out like trees in a meadow. Then, the cat that had been speaking comes into view.
She's a bit older, but not old enough to be an elder, not at all. Her golden fur is streaked with silver and white, her golden eyes stubborn. She takes one glance at me, and turns back into the den, where herbs are stored.
"Ah, good," she says after a brief pause. "You're awake."
I roll my eyes, standing to my paws slowly. "I was guessing that would be obvious, Sunfeather."
Sunfeather.
The name suits her. Her long tail and silky pelt most likely was once pure and beautiful, but now it was dim and her muzzle was graying. I suppose she may have once been pretty, but now she was just another old she-cat.
And what of my name? Sootspots. I'm white! Pure white! The color of freshly fallen snow or a thick cloud in the sky, but no, they just had to remind me of when I came here by naming me after the reason that I've been taken prison-I mean, joined them.
Back in reality, Sunfeather laughs, and I sense her rolling her eyes. We both do that a lot. "Yes, about as obvious as the adder hiding beneath the rocks. Come help me," she mews, laughing a bit.
A frown still on my face, I slowly pad back there. The smell hits me immediately.
Herbs have different smells, ranging from sweet to bitter, strong to weak. I close my eyes taking in the smell, trying to sort out my favorite. Lavender, I decide. The small purple flowers always soothe me, always calm me down.
I sit beside Sunfeather, looking to her for instructions. "Now, which herbs does it look like we need some more of?" I glance at our stores, most of the things still crisped from the fire. There most likely won't be the things we need, but I had ways of finding things…
"Comfrey," I start, gazing down at the limp pile of petals, ends scorched. "Budrock root, and Juniper berries." I glance to Sunfeather, who nods her approval. She starts, "I've told Emberstar-"
She's cut off by my moan of deperation. I can't lie. We hate each other. Ever since the moment he's laid eyes on me, and I laid eyes on him, we just wanted to rip each others throats out. The leader is too full of himself, too proud, too… much.
Sunfeather silences me with a glare. "As I was saying," she mewed. "I've told Emberstar you're going out. He's decided to send a warrior with you."
I feel my eyes widen with disbelief. What in the world would be the reason I need a warrior to come with me! I can care for myself. He sends Sunfeather alone, just why not me? Oh, yeah. He hates my guts. Right…
I take a moment to compose myself before saying, "And whom might he be sending with me?" I asked, the slightest bit of sarcasm worming its way through my voice.
"No whom," she mews, her small paws walking over to the cave entrance. She stands by the doorway, allowing me to look into the camp from the safety of the den. "Who." She gestures with her long tail to two cats sitting besides the camp entrance, the pair chatting it up.
The first has a midnight back pelt, eyes a fearsome green. Shadeflower, I think. Emebrstar's precious little baby. The second cat I know all too well. His light golden pelt shimmers, his white belly and paws neatly groomed to perfection. Lightningblaze, perfection of perfect.
In case you couldn't tell, I hate him too.
Sunfeather purrs in amusement, blocking the way for me to go back into the cave. "Behave yourself, Sootspots."
I sense her eyes on my pelt as I walk over to them, my scowl deepening. They don't notice me – or perhaps they do – as they continue to talk and laugh, joking with each other.
"Excuse me, but I'd like to be able to cure some sick cats today, so unless you two are too busy gazing lovingly into each others eyes, I would suggest you come with me," I mew calmly, but as I walk I away, I can't help but smile at my own comedy.
As I walk out, the steam warms my fur, making me suppress as sigh. You see, ElmClan is hidden behind a waterfall in a large, round, filled with a bunch of smaller caves, which are used as dens. They receive light from the front entrance, which is actually quite a bit considering pouring water conceals the entrance.
"Wait up!" comes a voice. I don't even turn around. I know just from the sound of it, that it's Shadeflower, her footsteps swift and quiet, though Lightningblaze's are loud and heavy. Go figures.
She steps in front of me, glaring at me with two orbs of forest green. Unlike her father, Shadeflower has eyes that can unsettle any cat. I'd never met a cat with green eyes, let alone of this intensity, which only adds to it.
But I can mask my emotions pretty well, so I just merely sit down and give myself a few quick licks, remembering my tree-in-a-meadow fur earlier. I glance back at Shadeflower, who stands there with narrowed eyes. "Don't do that again," she growls before slowly turning around after beckoning Lightningblaze to her side.
I roll my eyes, but feel a little relieved that I don't have to walk in the front anymore. I take a quick glance around the once mighty forest of elm trees. The ground is lined with ash and soot, the trees fried, leaving only crisp twigs.
We've been walking for a few minutes now, but I remember where I've gotten all my herbs for the last ten moons.
Ten moons.
Have I really been here that long? Have I really become so adjusted to clan life that I know it all know?
No.
Something inside me flares up, I can feel it.
Stopping, I glance at the two cats in front of me, both of which are still talking. I start walking again, and wonder how long it will take them to notice that I'm gone.