From the very beginning, I liked the heat. It could have been because of my thin fur, it could have been because I'm ginger, or it could have been because of my personality. Maybe it was because my name meant fire. Either way, I liked it to be hot.
My birth wasn't anything normal. The home that my mother, Scarlett, had lived in was on fire when she gave birth to me and my brothers, Scorch and Ember, both of whom looked like my father, Shark. Our owner, who I later learned was called Miss, and my mother died in the fire. My father had gotten me and my brothers out, and Mister, Miss's mate, took us in.
When I was able to start talking, my eyes had taken a fiery amber color, the same as my mother's. Both of my brothers had gotten my father's eyes, which were yellow. It was when we were at this age that our father told us he was leaving.
Protest after protest could not convince Shark to stay, so that night when we went to sleep, we woke up to find him gone.
Scorch took his leave the hardest. He was the smallest out of the three of us, and the most timid. He became depressed, and he refused to eat. He soon died.
Ember took our father's leave better than I did. He was back to normal life, taking care of his littermates. When he left, saying he had other things on mind, I wished for him to come back the most.
I lived alone with Mister after they all left me. I knew he enjoyed the company, but every time I saw his blue eyes, I knew Mister hated me with every last fiber of his being.
He didn't want me around, yet he still gave me a little blue collar with a little bell on it. I wore it proudly, hoping that Mister would like me better, but he didn't.
Then he started hitting me. It wasn't bad at first. He had only tapped me on the nose or pulled my tail. Then he started taking his paw and hitting me with all his might. It was the worst pain I'd ever felt. I was constantly bleeding from all the cuts and scrapes.
I hated life, and thought about suicide more than once. I tried to kill myself, but there was no way to do it. I had tried running away as well, but never succeeded.
At one point, Mister had come home and not beaten me. He picked me up, gave me a loving stroke, and put me into a cage. For a while I couldn't see, I could just feel the bumps from the road. When we finally stopped, I could see a large hill. Mister took me out of the cage and set me on the ground. I never saw him again.
The hill was large, and I was alone. I felt more lost than I'd ever been. The collar on my neck jingled as I searched for shelter.
Eventually a tom took me in. He never told me his name, just that he was a friend. I trusted him. He had reminded me of my father and brothers, mostly Scorch. He became like a father to me, and for a while, I was happy again.
The black tom managed to take off my collar. I didn't like it, but he said it was for my own protection. I hated the bareness on my neck. I felt naked. I felt like I wasn't me.
The black cat told me about the hill we resided on. It was called Griffin Hill. The hill was the greatest part, and that was where part of the name came from.
One morning I had woken up to find the black tom was gone, just like Shark when he left me. I wandered, alone once again, for what seemed like ages.
I found a den near a border that smelled of cats. The scent of cats was definitely of more than one, and they all generally smelled the same. I settled in the den and began my new life.
I never dared to cross the border whenever I went out. Whether it was to go hunting or just to go on a walk, I never crossed the border. Yet, curiosity always crossed my mind.
It wasn't until I ran in to three cats on the border than I found out what the border was for.
AN: This is pretty much a summary of sorts of Fiora, a character of mine. This is Tacoverse, of course. I felt like I had to. She deserved it, 'cause Fiora is awesome.