Chapter 3

"It started on a bright sunny day in newleaf," Ashcloud started. "It had been raining off and on for the past quarter moon, not a single cat had suspected what would happen that day. At around sunhigh, it started hailing, but there were no clouds over the sun. The clan cats shrugged, sometimes the weather in the valley was strange, it didn't mean anything would happen. I watched the skies for a sign despite my clanmates' relaxed nature."

"It just feels odd doesn't it? Don't these showers usually come a moon later than this, at least?" Ashcloud sighed with his eyes turned to the sky.

Brightpaw, who was sorting herbs farther in the den chirped back to his mentor, "What do you think it means then Ashcloud? Has StarClan given you a sign?"

Ashcloud shook his head and kept his gaze trained on the far horizon, "Not yet Brightpaw, but I can feel it."

"Not long after did I doze off, despite my best intentions, my age got the better of me. I was awoken by the thunder, my sleep bleary eyes opening just in time to see the lightning crash down right outside of camp. Several cats in camp screeched, all of their pelts fluffed defensively. As the noise and shock wore down, an apprentice yowled:

"I smell smoke!"

The camp uproared in panic. Stormstar began instructing his clan as calmly as he could.

"Head for the river! Get at least to the bank! Someone find the patrols that are out! Warriors carry the kits! Someone help Ashcloud and Brightpaw see if we can carry out some supplies to help with burns before we all get smoked out of here!"

Even with the best of luck, the clan lost all of its apprentices and several senior warriors. The deputy had died saving the two queens in the nursery. My brother and I both had serious burns, I lost and ear and he lost sight in one eye. The ones left alive felt guilt. Parents who couldn't save kits, kits who couldn't save their mothers and fathers. Under all of the grief, the clan was reborn into what it is now. The forest is still recovering, and so is FernClan." Ashcloud finished with a grave tone.

Mudkit looked over to Cherrykit, her eyes wide as the moon. "Wow that's really awful Ashcloud. I'm sorry that happened to you." she said, not entirely understanding the gravity of what the story meant to the clan.

Gingerstripe had woken up and pulled herself into a sitting position to face the kits and rumbled, "It still feels like it was yesterday for me. I lost Brackenface, and I lost a piece of my soul I think."

Mudkit could tell that the relaxing and mood boosting effects of the thyme were helping Gingerstripe as she started into her traumatic story. He was going to get up, but since she was going to tell a story he hadn't heard before, he figured he better stay put.

"I hardly remember how and when the fire started," Gingerstripe began. "I was helping carry out a young warrior who had recently sprained his paw while showing his brand new apprentice battle moves. That was Rabbitpelt. He'd never had a sprained paw before and had been resting in his nest and when Stormstar had ordered everyone to evacuate, I picked him. I almost wish I hadn't. The clan was bolting through the hot crackling undergrowth. We reached the river to the south and I set the heavy muscled warrior down. He kept muttering apologies to me the best that he could. That he should have been the one carrying me." Gingerstripe paused and sighed, her voice beginning to waver, "It doesn't matter. There couldn't have been a happy outcome. When I reached the bank I realized that my mate, Brackenface, had taken a hunting patrol with nearly every apprentice we had. I wailed and wailed. I tried to go back into the burning forest, but my clanmates held me back. They tried to reassure me, that the hunting patrol had probably found the river in time. I didn't need to worry. I don't remember how long we waited for the rain to put the fires out. It felt like a lifetime of stressing. As the flames died down, we could see what remained of the forest, which was very little. Some huge charred trees, and the rocks, and the blackberry brambles. The ground was hardly cool enough to walk on, the warm ashy mud was just about all that was left. A patrol I begged to be a part of went to survey the territory and see if it was safe to go back to camp. It was easy to check because there was almost nothing left. That was when we found them. I don't think I'll ever forget how I felt when I clambered over the tree that had fallen from the fire against a steep rock face. They must have been trapped. Furless, charred, melted bodies. Four small ones, later we would learn their parents had died in the camp, and my mate. Thrushleap was with me on the patrol, the apprentices who died were her brothers and sisters. Her parents had another litter, but she never got to see them become warriors and grow up. I'll never forget my mate's sunken empty eye sockets and his mouth trapped in a permanent scream. It was hard to bury them. Their bodies kept falling apart. We did our best and returned to the clan with the news. After the clan was slowly rebuilt with mostly brambles for walls, I retired. So did Ashcloud and Stormheart." Gingerstripe looked to the other elders sighed again tiredly.

"Thank you for your story Gingerstripe. I really appreciate it. I hope that we as a clan keep recovering, and then someday you can find true happiness before having to give in to StarClan." Mudkit stood and bowed solemnly.

Gingerstripe stood as well and nosed the top of his head, "You're a sweet boy, you know that? The way you're growing into such a responsible young cat does my heart good. Now run along, I'm sure Cherrykit still needs a tour, it is definitely more fun than listening to elders' stories."

At the mention of her name, Cherrykit stood, her wobbly asleep legs tottering for a moment before she followed Mudkit out of the nursery.