Midday heat beat down upon three, seemingly lifeless bodies of helpless felines. Dried mud still clung to their matted pelts from the night before; particles of hot sand scattered among fur went unnoticed while its hosts were otherwise unconscious. Flanks scarcely moved, proving that they were indeed breathing, but barely. A single, sharp cough brought the life back into their eyes. The faded glory of amber orbs lazily drifted open, the brightness that once conquered had been diminished. The reddish crown lifted off the sand, fogged senses spotting an almost familiar gray shape with a white chest blaze, the other was long legged with orange and white fur. A cough escaped her parched jaws.

"What's going on?" she rasped, the lack of moisture in her mouth evident by the way she spoke, her voice no longer sharp with hostility. Her companions stirred, an ear twitch or a tail flick. The amber eyed she-cat struggled to remember, most of her thoughts muddled by blackness. One name jumped out at her the moment her gaze fell back on the tom. "Fallenpaw," the name rolled off her tongue as she shakily rose to her paws, those same black feet caked with dried mud and sand as she urged herself closer. The tom stirred again, this time with a twitch of his paws and an audible exhale of breath. The reddish feline extended a black paw, quickly poking the other awake with a series of claw jabs to his muzzle.

"Wildpaw, not now," he murmured sleepily. "I'm not scheduled to go on the dawn patrol."

Flarepaw's ears twitched angrily. How dare he mistake her for that lustful tom who pranced after every she-cat that caught his eye! She leaned down towards his ear, having to resort to drastic measures. "Fallenpaw get off your lazy butt and wake up!" Her tone was so ear-splitting, not only did it succeed in waking up the orange and white tom, but the gray she-cat as well. Both had sprang to their paws in a hurry, eyes wild and frantic.

"Great StarClan, Flarepaw! What are you- wait, Flarepaw?" Fallenpaw glanced at her with wide green orbs, studying the matted pelt of the she-cat.

"Yes, it's me you daft cave mouse!" spat Flarepaw, neck fur bristled. "Now what do you have to say about this? I expected this from Wildpaw, but from you?"

"Flarepaw, I just woke up with you screeching in my ear," the orange and white tom growled out, voice strained. "Would you please explain the thing I did wrong?"

"Simple, look around wormgut," Flarepaw hissed, unlocking her colorful vocabulary of curses. "Two she-cats, one tom. And you say you don't know what's going on." Fallenpaw's eyes narrowed, rising to his full height to tower over the she-cat. His feathery tail swished in irritation. "Listen here, little miss bossy. First of all, I haven't done anything that concerns your security. You nor her," he gave a sideways glance to the trembling shape of the gray she-cat. Flarepaw looked as if she were about to respond but held her tongue, glancing away. Fallenpaw's aggressive stature abruptly fell, curiosity plastered over his bright green optics. "Where are we anyhow?"

"That's what I want to know," huffed Flarepaw, giving a disdainful look at her matted pelt coated with sand and mud and who knows what. She cast an irritated amber gaze across the land, only spotting a landscape of sand for what appeared to be miles. Behind them were an outcropping of rounded stones and to their front were the gentle waves lapping up at the shoreline. None of the surrounding land looked familiar.

"W-Where's my brother?" the gray cat spoke up timidly, breaking the silence. Her frightened blue gaze went from side to side, unable to spot the darker pelt of her sibling within her vision.

"You mean that black tom that pushed me into the mud," hissed the crouched shape of the reddish feline. "You and him both."

"I told you about that temper of yours," Fallenpaw scolded as he padded over to the gray cat. "What's his name?"

"Floodpaw," she answered quickly, body quivering. "And I'm Mistpaw. We're never separated and we were only made apprentices two sunrises ago. I'm scared. And I'm sure he is too." Fallenpaw nodded, turning his crown to where the landscape of sand took a turn around the bend, the view beyond obscured by more rounded stones. "That way," he pointed his pink nose in that direction, a small rumble of muffled sounds were able to be heard. The long legged tom made quick strides, noticing that Mistpaw was instantly on his heels, Flarepaw was hanging back and looking distant.

"Flarepaw? We're moving," the orange and white tom called back. "Are you coming?" Her answer was a snort but never the less, the feline had rose to her black paws and padded forward. "Why not?" he heard her mutter as she passed him. "Nothing ever comes good with being alone anyways."

Fallenpaw felt himself smile. He had known Flarepaw for a long while. Sure she could be insanely grumpy and self-centered, but he knew she had a heart and couldn't leave someone behind. Unless of course it was Wildpaw. She had proven that theory many times over.

The heat blazed down upon the trio's pelts, succeeding in nearly scorching their fur off. Flarepaw seemed to be the most irritated, for she hadn't had the time to wash the mud away that continued to matt her pelt and give it an ungroomed, disdainful look. Fallenpaw seemed to be taking it better, but he couldn't help but admit the heat was becoming slightly unbearable. The OceanClan cat- Mistpaw- took second in the ranks, obviously not taking it like Flarepaw but certainly lagging behind with staggering movements and labored breathing. It was obvious she wasn't suited for far traveling either. After all, Flarepaw and Fallenpaw had been apprentices for several moons- Flarepaw actually being the eldest despite her attitude of a six moon old kit. Never the less, Mistpaw and her brother had only been named apprentices two days ago, proving their stamina to be quite limited. The intense humidity wasn't helping either.

"So, do you think we're the only survivors?" the surprising question came from Flarepaw herself, her stance tense and rigid though plainly clear she was trying to keep calm. "I mean, I've only seen you two but I can't help but think the others aren't out there. Cause I mean, surely if there were others they would find us by now and we wouldn't have been too far in the first place and I suppose they're out there, but-"

"Flarepaw," Fallenpaw interjected cautiously, giving the reddish she-cat a wary look.

"-where? I don't want to be alone but I guess I'm not totally alone, I've got you two even if it is pretty pathetic company. One's a soft-hearted mouse and the other's a stuttering OceanClanner. That's pretty low even for a MagmaClan cat such as-"

"Flarepaw," the orange and white tom called louder, clearing his throat though she only rambled on longer.

"-myself. Who am I to associate myself with the likes of them? MagmaClan is independent and doesn't need looking after. I can look after myself but I suppose it's nice to have some company or someone to talk to. Not that I don't care for you, I mean you're better than rocks or sand or whatever but-"

"Flarepaw!" Fallenpaw lost it, lashing out at the rambling she-cat with a harsh growl.

"I want Blackshadow!" Flarepaw wailed suddenly, falling muzzle first in the sand, salty tears flooding her vision. The orange and white tom was at her side instantly, whispering softly into her ear as he crouched next to her, stroking her spine with a feathery tail. The she-cat's body was shuddering, though it seemed to calm with the tail touch.

"Who's Blackshadow?" Mistpaw mewed, overly cautious that she'd struck a nerve.

"That's not my place to say," the orange and white tom sighed.

"Then why's she...like that? She seemed so sure of herself, if not a little arrogant," Mistpaw's voice lowered in fear that she would get snapped at by the said arrogant apprentice.

"Flarepaw's MagmaClan. She- like the many of her Clanmates- don't do well with harsh temperature changes. You must know that MagmaClan cats live underground with the magma pools, their bodies tolerable of the ambiance. But when faced with a harsh snowfall or rainstorm, they're easily subject to mood swings. The gathering...that was too much rain...then too much heat for her to take. It doesn't help that we're all a little dehydrated and hungry. We should get out of the sun, find some shade." His wary green gaze surveyed the sandy landscape, desperately searching for a place to gather strength. He paused upon spotting a large enough crevice for the three of them with possible extra room. "There," he meowed softly with relief, gripping Flarepaw's scruff with his teeth. With the help of Mistpaw, the reddish she-cat was safely on the back of Fallenpaw as they made quick strides for the crevice.

The interior wasn't much cooler than its exterior but it was shady enough to provide a substantial place for rest. Flarepaw was set in the rear where it was the coolest, hoping the presence of shade would help her calm down. She continued to faintly shudder, eyes clamped shut as she inhaled and exhaled shakily. Fallenpaw resumed his position by her side, stroking his feathery tail across her spine, a content smile crossing his features as he felt her stance relax.

"You care for her," Mistpaw pointed out calmly, observing the scene with warm blue eyes.

"We've all gone through a lot," Fallenpaw avoided the statement, turning the conversation without batting an eye. "We've all taken a toll on the flood. I'm not even sure who survived. It's better if we all have each other's backs. For safety reasons." His eyes closed, taking in a small breath and falling into a state of relaxation. It wasn't very long before the silence shattered, the cries of panic easily heard.

"Help! Help!" a voice screeched wildly from the outside of the crevice.

"That voice!" Mistpaw shot to her paws, racing for the entrance. "It couldn't be..."

Dun dun dun! Who's in need of danger? And how does Mistpaw know? On another note, what do you all think of it so far? The ending might seem a little rushed but I blame that on the flu. Yes, our dearest Snarky is stuck in bed with the flu. I had an itch to write and this was pretty much the final result. After a well deserved nap, I'll get the next chapter up. Remember to read and review! I like to read your comments and especially constructive criticism.

-Snarky