Gray smoke filled the air as crackling orange flames ate away at the trees and all surrounding life.
A golden cat ran through the burning clearing, his eyes frantic, searching. As he looked around at his surroundings, he saw everything: his life, his home- everything he held dear to him, everything he had ever accomplished, burning to dust. Yet he was powerless against the raging flames, there was nothing he could do.
The terror-filled screams and horrified yowls of his clanmates pierced his heart as he watched them desperately trying to escape the fire's hungry path, running to escape the prison which had once been their place of warmth, comfort, and safety.
"Everyone get out of camp, now! Quickly!" he yowled.
A gray tom flashed by his side.
"Ivyfoot!"
Ivyfoot stopped suddenly and approached the speaker. He was panting heavily and having difficulty breathing in the smoke; the audible wheeze in his breath was enough to show that he had inhaled a great deal of it.
Despite this, his eyes were hard and determined.
"Get everyone out of here as fast as possible!" The golden tom ordered. "Check all the dens, start with the nursery!"
Ivyfoot nodded firmly and sprinted towards the vine cave across the way that acted as the camp's nursery. He gritted his teeth as he took in the sight. The fire had just reached the top and was now rapidly spreading down the structure.
He stuck his head into the smoke-filled entrance of the den and scanned the area. The queens were watching the burning flames with wide, terrified eyes from beneath the brambles; some were protectively covering their kits, and one in particular, a spotted queen, was trying desperately to gather them up.
"You have to leave now! The fire is already spreading down from the top! Hurry, we'll use the back way!" he shouted.
Ivyfoot rushed into the nursery, grabbing one of the kits the spotted queen was having trouble with, and inclined his head toward an opening in the back of the brush, a motion to show the queens where to go.
The queens wasted no time in scooping up their kits and pushed through the brambles until they were outside of the smoke and ash, thankful to have their kits in an area with more breathable air.
Before she left, a queen with a black pelt noticed her denmate was still lying down, that her eyes were shut tightly and her teeth were gritted in pain.
The she-cat's eyes widened and she hurriedly went to the other female's side.
"Longtail, we have to get out of here!"
The Siamese she-cat attempted to stand up, but instantly collapsed, her eyes tightening in pain. The black she-cat's bushy, white tail swayed anxiously back and forth.
"Please, Longtail! We have to go!"
She came closer and attempted to pick Longtail up, supporting the she-cat's weight on her side.
"Come on, I'm not leaving you here..." she heaved as she tried to carry Longtail toward the opening the others had only just left through.
"We've almost made it."
The vine shelter gave a horrible creak, and with a sickening crack, several flaming branches fell abruptly before the two cats and blocked the exit. The black she-cat's head immediately whipped around to check the opposing entrance, but it was already inflamed.
Longtail gave a groan and collapsed onto the ground, and the she-cat's eyes suddenly widened in shock at the situation set before her.
Meanwhile, a large group of cats were clustered together in a small clearing far away from the burning wreckage of their forest home.
The golden tom from earlier was sitting on a tree stump in front of the crowd.
"Ivyfoot?" he called.
The gray tom from earlier stood up.
"Here."
The golden tom nodded.
"Cherrynose?"
A small, maple-brown she-cat stood up and sat back down after receiving a nod.
The golden tom's voice was but a distant hum to a black and white she-cat in the back of the group. She stood tall and inclined her head to see around and over the clan of cats. Her vibrant, blue eyes shifted quickly, and her movements were growing more and more frantic as time passed.
"Fern-"
"My sister! Where's Windstream!? Where's my sister!?" she cried.
The cats in the clearing turned to look at the worried she-cat and began mumbling amongst themselves, looking around the clearing, apparently seeing no sign of the cat in question.
"Longtail's not here either!"
"I don't see them anywhere!"
"Longtail? Windstream?"
"Sunstar, they're not here!"
The golden tom was scanning the crowd with his eyes, but he could find no trace of the two missing she-cats. He jumped off the tree stump without a word and raced back in the direction of their smoking camp; the rest of the clan quickly following behind.
The fire had stopped by now, and smoke rose from the ground and trees; ashes drifted in the air like new-fallen snow.
Everyone was quiet as they silently took in their surroundings, all with mournful eyes. Everything was quiet, even the small stream that flowed through the camp couldn't seem to be heard as the clan discovered what remained of their home.
Silentshadow, the concerned black and white she-cat from earlier, had rushed over to the nursery the second she set her paws in camp.
"Windstream? Windstream, can you hear me!? Windstream!?" She cried as she dug through the sticks and rubble blocking the entrance to the nursery where her sister had been staying; luckily the nursery itself hadn't collapsed entirely.
When the hole became big enough, she squeezed through the opening and into the burned den.
The smoke and dust trapped within immediately began to filter out through the hole she'd made and the foggy space began to clear. The ground inside was covered in a light layer of ash and the surrounding tree branches were charred extensively.
Silentshadow froze when she saw a dark figure lying in the back of the den. She stepped forward cautiously on shaky paws.
"Windstream?" she questioned tentatively.
The figure didn't move.
As she stepped closer, she could feel her heart drop like a stone falling in the river.
But she didn't need a stone, her heart was heavy enough.
"Wind?" Her voice cracked. She didn't want to accept it, but she knew.
When she was close enough, Silentshadow could see a clear outline of her sister's body. She quickly rushed to her side, choking softly at the sight of Windstream ashen and covered in burns, her eyes peacefully closed as if in a comfortable sleep.
Silentshadow stood looking down at her sister and tears soon began to roll down her soft, feline cheeks.
"Oh, Wind.." She sobbed, crouching down to touch her forehead to the fallen she-cat's fur.
Sunstar, Ivyfoot, and Cherrynose stood at the back of the den, their faces shadowed with grief as they looked remorsefully on and away as Silentshadow cried for her sister.
Cherrynose felt a great pain as she watched her friend's agony, and quietly she joined the grieving she-cat's side and began to grieve over Windstream as well.
Ivyfoot watched his mate go to comfort her best friend, but his eyes shifted back to the ground. He, Cherrynose, Sunstar, Silentshadow, and Windstream had been close growing up.
She was always there for everyone, and she was the type of cat who would always help someone no matter what. When asked, she would simply say, "I think, that everyone should be treated a certain way. Not because of any rules or code, but because it just seems like the right thing to do."
She had this way of seeing the good in cats and took pleasure in meeting what she would call the "rare case of a genuine good cat".
He smiled softly and was almost lost in his musings when a flicker of movement caught his eye.
His breath hitched.
"Longtail!" he exclaimed.
Sunstar followed Ivyfoot's gaze as a cream colored she-cat began to crawl out of a small hole underneath the roots of the tree making up the larger side of the nursery.
Sunstar and Ivyfoot briefly exchanged shocked glances and quickly rushed to her side and helped carry her out of the ruined den.
Once out in the open air, they were amazed to see her set down a tiny kit that curled into her bellyfur as she laid beside it.
Longtail's eyes were tired, and her spirit broken, but she smiled weakly.
"I think I'll call her Greykit."
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Welcome to the trilogy.
Yes, I realize cats do not physically cry. I have five, and have had cats all my life. It is Anthropomorphism/Personification meant to make the characters more relatable to us as humans, however, if it is bothersome, I will make edits in the future. I may even do so of my own volition.
If you have an opinion on this, please let me know, because at this point I have not changed anything, and feedback is always great.
P.S Thanks for reading!
As an added note I'd like to mention that I am writing this note almost two (maybe two+((?)) years after I actually wrote this). I am currently in the slow process of renovating it, so to speak (when I find time). I've gone through a few of the early chapters and very late chapters and I've made numerous little grammar corrections here and there- things of that nature. I have not added any new content as a whole, I've just updated the story to make it more bearable to read.