Hi guys! This is my fifth fanfiction on Fanfiction, and my first for Warrior Cats series. I decided to do something harder than all my previous one shots or short chaptered-stories, so I thought of this one. Please give me constructive feedback!

Aster's POV

"Mother! Father! Lilac! Chestnut!" A young she-cat yowled. Her throat was aching, but that was nothing compared to the agony that tore her heart apart as angry tongues of flame consumed the den—with her family inside. She took a step closer, then jumped back when a wall of fire unexpectedly shot up in front of her, denying entrance to the smoke-stained den, twigs ablaze. The she-cat could only watch helplessly, horror etched on her face, as the den collapsed and the sickening smell of burning flesh rose in the air…

Aster jolted awake, her pads sweating and her fur standing on end. She let out a soft snarl as she let her fur lay flat again. She came to hate the nights, for the nights brought sleep. And everytime Aster went to sleep, her dreams would be haunted by that terrible memory, when she lost her loved ones to fire. Since the accident, Aster vowed to never feel love for anyone again, in order to protect herself from being hurt.

It's for the best, She thought, stretching her paws and back as she crawled out from her den. I will never be hurt again. No one can use love against me, and no one will be able to betray me.

Aster opened her jaws to taste the air, and caught the scent of rabbit. Swiveling her head around, she spotted the long-eared creature snuffling around some leaves. Dropping into a hunting crouch, she slowly crept forward, placing her paws down soundlessly, making sure her tail didn't brush against any leaves. The rabbit continued nibbling.

A twig cracked. The rabbit immediately darted off. Aster pushed off with her back legs and trapped the rabbit between her paws. As the rabbit squealed and squirmed, she nipped its neck. It fell limp in her claws. She picked up the rabbit in her jaws and carried it over to a bush, then settled down to eat. When she was finished, Aster twisted around to groom her white fur, dappled with brown. As she licked her paw and swiped it over her face, there was a rustle of leaves, and a sudden weight dropped down on her back, invoking a startled yowl that pierced the air. She wriggled out from whatever had fallen on her and leaped to her paws, fur bristling and her blue eyes stormy with anger. In front of her was a ginger tabby cat. His thick, short fur clumped in different directions, and was matted with mud. Groaning in pain, his head rolled over, and his green eyes locked with Aster's own blue ones.

Aster growled and unsheathed her claws. "Who are you?"

The tom immediately sat up straight at the sight of her sharp claws. "I'm sorry for falling on you," he apologized sheepishly. "It seems that my tree-climbing skills need a little work."

Huffing in annoyance, Aster turned away, letting her neck fur lie flat. "Work on it then, mouse-brain." She began to pad away.

"Wait!" Aster turned around to glare at the tom again. He tipped his head to the side, whiskers twitching. "My name's Sunblaze. What's yours, kitty?"
Aster snarled at the word 'blaze'; it reminded her of fire…the very thing that killed her family. "That's none of your business. And don't call me kitty." Sunblaze ignored her rude tone. "Come on, tell me. I want to be friends. And you can teach me tree-climbing."
Aster let out a snort of disbelief. "I only just met you," she hissed. "Besides, I don't want to be friends with a mouse-brain like you who doesn't understand what "none of your business" means." She turned and padded away.

Sunblaze padded alongside her, clearly not taking any heed to her words. "You're afraid of fire, aren't you?" He suddenly meowed.

That made Aster stop in her tracks. She whipped her head around, eyes wide. "What makes you think that?"

Sunblaze shrugged. "Well, it's just the way you reacted when I introduced myself. You flinched at the 'blaze' bit." Aster lowered her head, avoiding his gaze. There was no way she was going to admit to being afraid of fire; she didn't want to appear vulnerable.

"That's not of your business," she meowed for the third time. "Now go away and leave me alone." To her dismay, Sunblaze just stayed by her side. He was also starting to look annoyed.

"Tell me your name or else I will keep pestering you." He pressed on. That was the last straw. Aster whirled around and pinned the annoying tom to the ground, a paw across his throat with claws unsheathed.

"I can kill you to shut your annoying mouth up, you know." She hissed. Sunblaze just snorted, and in a quick, deft movement, he grabbed her shoulders with his paws and flipped them around. Aster gritted her teeth as she ended being the one pinned down. She glared up into Sunblaze's green eyes, which were dancing with mischief and determination. His paws were on her chest. Aster tried heaving upwards, but Sunblaze was bigger and heavier, and his greater weight kept her down. She lashed out at his shoulders with unsheathed claws. As she raked his skin, he winced, but kept pinning her down. Aster hissed.

"What are you going to do to me, mouse-brain? Kill me?" Aster hissed as she vainly attempted to push him off. Sunblaze snorted in amusement. His muzzle was barely a whisker's length away from hers.

"No, I'm just going to keep you down here until you tell me your name and agree to be friends with me." At these words, Aster flattened her ears, and her eyes shone with annoyed uncertainty. She tried one last attempt to shove Sunblaze off her, but Sunblaze's strong limbs kept her locked underneath him. Aster let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Fine," she meowed, with the faintest hint of a growl in her voice. "I will be your friend." Sunblaze let out a kit-like yip of excitement and leaped off her, circling around her enthusiastically. He glanced at her expectantly.
"Well? Aren't you gonna introduce yourself?"
Aster gazed at him. She knew she had promised herself not to love anyone else again, so she would never be hurt. What if she grew to consider him a friend too much? But friendship isn't love, is it? She thought. It will be fine, Aster. You're thinking too much.

"Yes. The name's Aster."

Yay, first chapter done! Romance comes in later chapters, but right now it's about Aster going on about how annoying and idiotic Sunblaze is :D