Sorry this chapter is sorta wierd. Next one will make more sense i hope, maybe it'll be longer too!


The autobiography of Sootfur

I am nobody. Nothing. Floating in a pool of existence. Misplaced. Extremely out of place. I am the cat that you never see. But always am there. My story never was told, never will be told, never can be told. I may be nobody, but I am a hero, a silently hidden hero.

I was an apprentice there, in the old forest. It was my home. Father died. It tore Mother to pieces. She died then, and with her death came the most bitter winter that I know. At first I had my sister and brother, but slowly, they drifted further and further away from me. I was truly alone that spring. I scarcely spoke, perhaps a little to my siblings, or my mentor, Thornclaw, but not much. That was when I first laid eyes on Echowind.

I was always shy, shyer than all of the kits. My mentor said that I was too humble, but I still felt that it wasn't enough. I wasn't doing as good as I could.

A she-cat walked up to me one day, one who I had never met before. She was a brown tabby with green-gray eyes.

"Hello," she called to me, "who are you?"

"My name is Sootpaw," I mewed in a whisper. She nodded to me. With a whisk of her tail, she signaled for me to follow her. I did not know which clan she came from, so I refused.

"What clan are you from," I hissed as gruffly as possible. She shook her head. "Kittypet? Rogue? What are you?" She shook her head again.

"I am not a cat."

"What? What do you mean you're not a cat?"

"Do you know the Willow Tree which sits above the banks of the river, as the wind beats consstantly through it's branches? That is I. I am not a cat; I am a tree. Rather a tree's spirit. I am Echowind."

"Rubbish! Tree spirits don't even look like cats!"

"No," She agreed, "It is a shame. But when the situation demands, we can change form." I looked upon her scornfully, but she didn't seem to be lying. "Sootpaw, I need your help!"

"My help?"

"Yes. Your help and your help alone. The forest is dying. The humans shall come to reap, shake us at our roots, and we shall die." She mewed, motioning with her tail to all of the surrounding trees.

"No," I gasped. What would Thunderclan do? I thought. My home. Was it possible that anyone could come and tear it down? Why? We had always lived here, back in the age of Lionclan, Leopardclan, Cheetahclan, and Tigerclan.

"You mustn't tell Thunderclan, nor anyone! Please, I want you to do me a favor." She outstretched her paw and handed him twenty-seven seeds. She continued, "These are our children, all of our children, take care of them, I beg of you."

"I will."

"Promise me you won't tell anyone anything about this."

"I promise."

Echowind and the other trees died, just as she predicted. I carried the seeds all the way to our new home, to make twenty-seven strong trees. I cared for them all. Each one was beautiful, and I gave them all names.

No one will ever know, just as I promised. So I continue to be nobody. Nobody, the trees' hero.


ASHFUR IS NEXT! And then will be either Smokepaw, Snowkit, Swiftpaw, or Shrewpaw - vote now!