Okay, okay. Soooo... I bet you guys have been wondering where I've been for three months, huh? Well, as Feeling Rushed said, I was feeling rushed and wasn't really enjoying writing this, which defeats the whole point of writing in the first place! But, I'm back again, and I should be posting much more regularily. However, please consider that I am still in school and in the process of moving, so please be gracious to me in that I am still very busy.
Anyway, I'll stop yammering and just let you read the long-awaited chapter.
Skye came a while later to retrieve the cats. As she was placed in her weird tiny nest, which Rose called a cage, she heard a 'psst' from across the room.
"Hey, hey you! The orange and white cat. Yes, you. I'm up here. No, I'm the owl on the top shelf by the window."
Blaze didn't know what a window was, but she found the elderly owl near a hole in the wall with clear glass covering it; that must be the window. Blaze faced the owl. How did he know she could understand him?
"I'd assume you are wondering how I know you can understand me?" Blaze just nodded. "I watched your little chat go on out there. While I couldn't hear what was said, I could tell that you knew clearly what the other owl was saying. I hope you were making a plan to get out of here." Blaze nodded again. "Then you should there's a big red button up on the wall there." Blaze looked and nodded a third time when she saw it. "That button will let us all get out of these cages," the owl explained. "Get Skye to trust you so you can walk around freely, and you'll be pressing that button in no time.
"I forgot to introduce myself." The owl bowed, sweeping one pale grey wing behind him. "I'm Carlisle."
Blaze smiled. "I'm –" She cut herself off. The owl couldn't understand her.
Carlisle shook his head and smiled. "It's alright. I'm sure your owl friend will tell me your name when I meet her." He turned his head toward the flap Rose called a door. "The other human will be coming soon. Get on their good sides."
Blaze nodded determinedly just before the door opened and a different female twoleg with long light brown fur on her head and the same shade of eyes stepped in. Blaze swallowed back her pride and mewed at her, purring and trying to get her attention.
The female twoleg brightened at seeing her. "Well, you look better! Warming up to us, are you?"
"What was that, Robin?" came Skye's voice from around a corner.
"The orange and white cat? She likes me!"
Blaze had to force herself to keep purring as her heart was tugged. This twoleg's name was Robin. First the twoleg with a name like Flowersky, and now Robinpaw! Was StarClan trying to tell her to go back? But she couldn't! She would never be accepted! And the friendship she built with Flowersky… it would have all been for nothing if they realized whose blood she carried.
"Hey, you okay?" Skye walked into the room, noticing Blaze's sagging head. "Did you hurt her?"
Robin shook her head. "No! That happened when you said my name… strange. Maybe she knows someone named Robin. You gonna be okay, little flame?"
"Flame?"
"Yeah! Doesn't her pelt look like it's on fire?"
"Hmm… a pale fire I suppose," Skye admitted. A tear slid down Blaze's face. "Wait, is she… crying?"
That was it. Blaze had to get home. Even if she saw them one more time it was enough, even if they rejected her. But… Flowersky wouldn't… right? No! She had to get home!
Blaze looked up, her golden eyes pleading. "You have to understand me," she begged the twolegs. "I have to get home…"
Skye looked down at the little cat meowing at her. "We need to let her go…" she whispered.
"What? What are you talking about? Do you know how much trouble we would get into?" Robin was nearly freaking out.
"I know…" Skye whispered. "But I feel like it would be the best thing. Just look at her. She looks so miserable. They all do." She looked around at all the animals in the cage. "They were made to be in the wild, not victims to Richard's experiments!" She stalked over to the big red button, reaching her hand back.
"Wait! Skye!" Robin stepped up to her, smiling. "We do it together."
Skye smiled back, and together, they slammed their paws into the button. An alarm sounded and the cage doors jerked open. Skye and Robin ushered the animals through the many corridors and doors until they were out in the open air. Blaze ran and ran, until she noticed Carlisle wasn't with them. She glanced around, calling for her friends.
Jenna flew down to her level, with Jag and Splash close behind her. "What's wrong?" the owl asked.
"There's still an old owl in there. He helped me escape. We need to get him!" Blaze insisted. Jenna nodded with Jag and the two started toward the building. "I'll lead you to him. Splash, you need to find a little fox pup. She has no mother, and I think someone like you may really help her."
Splash gave her a short nod and dashed off, her nose to the ground.
Blaze rushed after Jag and Jenna, showing them the way. She ignored Skye and Robin's questions of why she was back, and with a wolf and an own no less, padding quickly to where Carlisle was still in his cage.
Jenna flapped up to him, explaining that they were there to help and asked him to get onto Jag's back. The elderly owl was surprisingly willing to get onto the predator, needing the younger owl's help. It was only then that Blaze noticed he didn't flap his wings; he couldn't fly, or had lost the ability to.
They went back outside, Blaze smiling when she noticed Rose, Jay and Fawn reuniting. They gave them a nod, going on their way. Jag was following the scent of the two wolves, and since Blaze didn't really have anything better to, she walked alongside. The four found Splash talking, or trying to talk, with the seemingly brother and sister.
"Oh, good, Jag is here. Maybe then you'll listen to me!" Splash looked a little annoyed, but protected the little fox by her side all the same.
"You found her." Blaze was relieved.
Splash smiled at the much smaller she-fox. "I did. Thank you for pointing her out to me. though, I'm not quite sure what to do now. The prophecy was right; I did find a mother figure here, and it has to be me, for little Ember here."
Jenna brightened. "Perhaps Carlisle is the father figure." Carlisle smiled.
Jag looked to the other two wolves. "Who are you?" he asked politely.
The older one, a grey-brown male, stepped forward. "My name is Hawk, and this is Raven. I was teaching her hunting when that male Hunter found and captured us." His eyes moved around the strange group. "What are you all doing together. It's a weird group of animals to seem comfortable with one another."
Jag glanced at each of his friends, grinning. "The Ancients gave us a prophecy that a cat, an owl, a fox, and a wolf would have to come together to get what they most desired in life. for me, it was sibling love and interaction, as I never got any when I was younger; I was the runt."
Hawk peeked at his sister, who nodded a little, before turning back to Jag. "You could come with us if you wanted. Any wolf who can become friends with the likes of a fox has some smarts in him." He smirked. "What's your name?"
"Jag." He was still grinning. "If you don't mind, we four will need to talk to know where each of us is going." The four friends gathered in a little group a little way away from everyone else. "Well? What are we doing?"
Splash looked at Ember waiting eagerly for her. "I need to go back to my Colony. Maybe they'll accept that I don't want to be the queen and just a normal citizen."
"I want to go back home with Carlisle," Jenna said. "We talked a little and he says he doesn't have anywhere better to go."
"I want to go with Hawk and Raven. Maybe I can finally have the family I dreamed."
Three pairs of eyes landed on Blaze. She, who had become a sort of leader to the group in planning.
"I need to go home," she admitted. "Maybe they'll accept me for me, and not what blood runs in my veins." And maybe Flowersky will accept me too… "But I want to see Echopaw's warrior ceremony first. I promised her I would be there."
"Then we should go," Jag decided. "We will all branch off into different areas as we go on our journey, so let us say our goodbyes now."
The friends took a little while to say goodbye to those they had known for the past five moons, then started their journey as eight.
As they went on, Jenna taught Carlisle how to fly again, fluttering over the travelling eight. About one moon into the journey back, Splash and Ember said goodbye, and their group was now six. Once Carlisle could fly properly again, two moons after starting the journey, the pair flew off, leaving four. Finally, when nearing the barn three moons in, Jag said his farewells. Then it was just Blaze as she approached the grey barn again, six moons after she had left.
Sparkle was very welcoming, as were Grace and Silvia, who were really happy to tell Blaze that Echopaw had been coming to visit when she could, and telling them all sorts of different things. Blaze listened to them all, learning that she would have had her assessment that very day, leaving Blaze with not much time to get to the border.
Blaze ate a quick meal of mouse, rushing off to the FlightClan border. She got there just as a dark tabby pelt was turning from the scent line. "Tigerflight?" Blaze panted. "Don't leave! I'm here!"
The winged cat turned back and smile at Blaze. "You did come; Echopaw was sure you would. Come with me, Dragonstar has been expecting you, and you will be treated as a guest of honour."
Blaze followed the warrior through a little cluster of trees and onto the moor. She smiled, breathing in the wonderful scent of the wind. She couldn't wait to be home, where it was colder and her lungs could be filled with frost again.
Blaze stepped down into the FlightClan camp, receiving smiles and a beaming Echopaw. She looked good; she had gotten bigger, like her sisters, and her eyes were bright, her muscles strong beneath her glossy pelt.
"You came!" she cried happily. Tigerflight nodded at a big ginger tom with green wings; Dragonstar.
The leader leaped onto a large rock at the edge and centre of camp. "Let all cats old enough to fly gather here!" The Clan quickly gathered, and Dragonstar looked around at his cats, his gaze landing on Blaze. "We have a special guest here, who will be witnessing Echopaw's warrior ceremony. She was the one who suggested Echopaw join our ranks, and we owe her for that. Echopaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"
A Clan that Echopaw wasn't born in still accepts her as one of them. Will you do the same, SnowClan?
"I do." Echopaw's voice rang clear and strong. This decision was one long coming and she was sure of it without a doubt.
"Then by the powers of SpiritClan, I give you your warrior name. Echopaw, from this moment on, you shall be known as Echoblaze, for the cat who was your first mentor. SpiritClan honours your loyalty, and your kindness, and we welcome you as a full warrior of FlightClan."
Blaze felt pride flow through her as Dragonstar spoke. Echoblaze had gotten her wish, wanting to be named that after Blaze, and Blaze couldn't be prouder that she was a warrior already. That made her realize just how long she had been away from home.
Echoblaze turned to her, her green eyes shining. "I got my name!" she cheered.
"I noticed," Blaze purred. "But… I have to go home now."
Echoblaze smiled knowingly. "I know. I wondered how long it would take you to realize that you really did need your Clan. My best wishes go with you, Blaze."
"Thank you, Echoblaze." She affectionately touched the grey tabby she-cat's head with her nose before Tigerflight led her back to the border.
Blaze spent the night in Sparkle's barn, ate breakfast, then left for SnowClan. She had to get there as soon as she could. She knew it would take a while, but she had to get home. If they were real family, they would never reject her, right? Blaze didn't think so.
She wondered what Flowersky and her family would say when they saw her again.
Yeah, me again. Before you make a review saying this was rushed, I know. I just kind of wanted to get along with everything without dragging it out, because, yeah, I was excited to be writing this again, and wanted to get to the better parts of the story, namely, Blaze going back to SnowClan.
Please let me know what you think of this chapter, and I promise the next one won't come out in three months again. But please let me write on my own terms and time. Either way, I should get the next chapter done in about two weeks. However, school takes a lot of my time, and I'm moving this weekend sooo... yeah. Just please be patient, you guys.
Thanks to all those who actually read all the way down here.
Many thanks for waiting!
Tigerflight