Prologue (F):
Firestar stared in bewilderment at the two cats before him. He was just out on a hunting patrol with Thornclaw and Rainwhisker, when Squirrelpaw and Sorreltail had come trampling through the undergrowth, looking as if they were being chased by a pack of dogs... Wait- they better not be!
"What's wrong?" He demanded as he took in their trembling forms, ruffled fur, and fear-wide eyes. Sorreltail was struggling to breathe. "What happened?" He asked again, fur bristling as he itched to race into the forest as his mind whirled with assumptions about what this new threat might be.
"It's Leafpaw!" Squirrelpaw managed to gasp between heaving breaths. "We found her, but the Twolegs are putting her inside a monster's belly. They're going to take her away; I know they are!" She was almost in hysterics.
"Leafpaw?" Firestar echoed, his heart leaping into his throat. Leafpaw, his daughter, had been missing for several days now, having vanished without a trace from her Clan. "Where is she? We need to-"
He was about to have the she-cats lead him to where Leafpaw was when a new scent came to him. He paused in what he was saying and glanced over his shoulder, "You can come out, Brambleclaw." He called into the undergrowth.
The tabby stepped out into the open, looking at them all with worry. "I'm looking for Squirrelpaw," he blinked as he saw the trembling apprentice in the middle of the path. "Are you okay?" His concern was very evident in his voice.
"I found Leafpaw!" Squirrelpaw hissed, fur bristling with her energy. "The Twolegs are going to take her away! We have to rescue her now, or I'll never find her again."
"Then we better get going," Firestar told her with a curt nod. Beside him, he could sense his warriors getting ready for their upcoming challenge. Thornclaw was sheathing and unsheathing his claws readily, while Rainwhisker was bristling beside him.
"We can't let the Twolegs take our cats if there is anything we can do to stop them," Rainwhisker growled, raising his chin in the air confidently.
"We're not giving up without a fight," Thornclaw agreed with a nod.
Firestar turned to his daughter, "Lead us to Leafpaw." He told her and leaped up to follow her as she bounded through the forest. As he ran he felt a flare of pride for his Clan. His warriors were ready and able to take on Twolegs in a moment's notice if it meant saving their Clanmate. They may not be able to save the entire forest from its slow destruction, but they can win this battle!
"Slow down!" He called as the break in the trees thinned up ahead. He ducked behind a bramble thicket and his warriors crouched beside him. Peering through the bush, he followed Squirrelpaw's gaze to where a Twoleg was carrying one cat-containing cage after another from a wooden nest into a monster's belly. The stench of Twolegs and monsters blocked Firestar's senses, but he knew that there were countless of cats being trapped in that den.
"She's already inside," Squirrelpaw whispered, her eyes tracking the Twoleg's every movement. Crouched so close to her, he could feel his daughter's ginger pelt trembling beside his own.
Firestar pulled away from the thicket and turned to address his warriors. "Brambleclaw," he began, "You and I will distract the Twoleg. Thornclaw and Sorreltail, I want you two to climb into the monster. Rainwhisker, you can go in the nest and let all of the remaining cats out."
"What about me?" Squirrelpaw asked, tail lashing.
"You're going to stay here," Firestar told her firmly, turning away to peer through the brambles again. "I need you to watch and yowl if you see any more Twolegs coming." He tried to continue before she could protest, but Squirrelpaw stood abruptly, eyes flashing with her furious expression.
"I'm getting my sister out of that monster!" She demanded loudly.
Firestar glared equally back, not in the mood to deal with his daughter's arguments. They had bigger things to worry about than her role in the rescue mission! "You're staying here." He ordered firmly and turned away once more. He ignored her angry protests and motioned for Brambleclaw to crouch down beside him. "Get ready..." He whispered, waiting for the Twoleg to step into the open with its next cage, "Now!"
They sprang forward at once, streaking across the open stretch of mud and leaping at the Twoleg. The creature howled with surprise as Firestar sank his claws deep into one of its hind legs, and Brambleclaw swiped dangerously at the other. It jumped, trying to shake the cats off, and dropped the cage as it did so. Crashing to the muddy ground, the cage's mesh sprang open, and a gray cat was freed.
The cat turned with a furious hiss, and Firestar recognized it in a flash to be Mistyfoot, RiverClan's deputy. Mistyfoot did not hesitate to join in with the battle. She hurled herself at the creature's leg, ignoring the mud that was clinging to her pelt, and gripped it as if climbing a tree. With three cats attacking now, the Twoleg screamed louder and began to jump and stomp in an effort to shake them off.
Firestar sheathed his claws and leaped away from the Twoleg as a fleshy paw came down to strike him. He narrowly escaped the blow, but twisted in the air and landed neatly in the mud. Out of the corner of his eye, Firestar saw his warriors sneaking into the monster. With a flare of anger, he saw the ginger pelt of his daughter disappear inside as well.
A couple of Twolegs appeared around the side of the den, howling with concern. They thundered over, their heavy paws sending waves of muddy water splashing onto the warriors' pelts. Firestar snarled and turned on the closest one. He scored his claws down its leg and it leaped back in a mixture of pain and surprise. Ears flattened and fur bristling, Firestar hissed at it dangerously.
Brambleclaw flashed past him as he streaked towards the second Twoleg, latching his claws its hind leg and biting without any hesitation. As they continued to fight, Firestar caught sight of cats racing past him, fleeing into the safety of the forest. None of them were cats he recognized, only kittypets and rouges. Eventually, Rainwhisker joined the fight, having freed all of the cats from inside the den.
More Twolegs came into view, thundering across from the far edge of the muddy clearing, and Firestar began to panic. There were too many, he realized, staring up at their flailing arms and hearing them roar and howl to one another. What was taking his warriors so long inside the monster?
"I'm going to check on the others!" He yowled to Brambleclaw, who only nodded his understanding through the heat of battle. Firestar turned and bounded for the monster. He leaped up the edge of it and dove into its dimly-lit belly. Inside, he saw Sorreltail, Squirrelpaw, and Cloudtail all crouched anxiously around the last, unopened cage. Leafpaw was nowhere to be seen, so she must have escaped already.
"There's too many Twolegs!" He yowled at them. "What are you doing? Get to the trees!"
Cloudtail turned to him with panic, his eyes filled with more horror than he'd ever seen on the self-assured tom. "Brightheart's still trapped!" The newly freed warrior's voice was high with concern, "Her cage won't open!"
Firestar shouldered his way in between the cats and began shoving them toward the entrance. "I'll take care of it! Move!"
Squirrelpaw and Sorreltail didn't need to be told twice. The heartbeat that the words left his mouth, the two she-cats turned and fled from the monster. Cloudtail however, was frozen as he stared with horror at his mate still trapped in the cage.
"I'll get her out," Firestar barked and gave him a final shove from the monster. "I promise!" Without looking to see if Cloudtail had truly left, he turned and gripped the catch in his jaws. He bit down so hard that he began to taste blood, but he screwed shut his eyes and continued to bite through the pain. Finally, the catch moved and the door of the cage sprang open.
The white-and-ginger warrior leaped over his head and dove out of the monster. Firestar turned on the spot and went to bolt after her, he found himself faced with an enraged Twoleg instead of an open way to freedom. Brightheart ducked between its hind legs and slipped into the opening just in time. Firestar however, was trapped. The Twoleg bared its teeth at him in an angry grin, then slammed the side of the monster shut with a loud bang.
Firestar was thrown into darkness, other than the small shaft of light streaming from the top of the monster's belly. The creature roared to life around him there was a jerk of motion as it began to move. Cages fell and toppled over in the sudden rush, and he was struck in the side painfully. Desperately, he dodged one and climbed over several others in an effort to see through the hole at the top. His paws slipped on the thin mesh and his claws ached with the effort, but he finally managed to look out into freedom.
And there, peering out from the very top of the monster, he saw the last glimpse of his family and Clanmates racing after the monster with horror in their eyes and crying out for him.
Thank you all for reading. Don't forget to leave your thoughts in the reviews!
