Crouching in fear, Fire gazed up anxiously at the surrounding cats, and her ginger pelt bristled indignantly. "I-it wasn’t my fault!" she protested. "It was a-an accident!"
A scarred dark tabby tom looked down at Fire. His icy eyes glinted with disapproval and disappointment as he shook his head sadly. "Fire, we all know what happened." His voice instantly changed to a fierce snarl. "Just admit the truth, and we might

let you back with us."
Fire shook her head, and her ears flattened back in fear at his tone. "I told you, I didn’t do it! It wasn’t my fault, Scar!"
The tabby named Scar growled suddenly and put his face closer to Fire’s. The young ginger she cat flinched and whimpered. "It was

your fault! If you two hadn’t gone out there, this wouldn’t have happened, would it?"
Fire sighed in grief and looked at her paws. "No, it wouldn’t have," she reluctantly conceded.
"And you had the perfect motive, didn’t you?" Scar sneered as he looked over at a brown, brokenhearted tom.
"No!" Fire shook her head, mortified. "I didn’t..."
A ginger tabby tom, the same age as Fire, stood between her and Scar. "Fire would never

do anything like that!" he hissed.
Scar rolled his eyes and shoved him out of the way. "Don’t defend her anymore just because she’s your littermate, Storm," he growled.
"But-"
"Enough!" Scar spun around and swiped his paw across Storm’s shoulders, sending the young tom to the ground a few tail-lengths away. "I’m

in charge here!"
Storm, stunned, looked up at Scar with hatred flashing in his blue-gray eyes. Fire also glared at Scar and unsheathed her claws.
Scar looked at Fire. "Just leave. Leave and never come back."
Fire looked around at the many pairs of eyes watching her. "Fine," she hissed. "I’ll go. But I am innocent, and someday perhaps you’ll see that. But," she scowled at Scar defiantly, "it’ll be too late. I’m leaving, and I will never

come back." She stood still for several heartbeats, then turned around and walked off.
"Fire, no! Don’t leave!" Storm staggered to his paws and started to run after her.
Scar grabbed him by the scruff with his teeth and brought Storm back to the rest of the cats. "Let her leave. We certainly don’t need her with us anymore."
Storm growled, but Scar silenced him with one menacing look. The young tom laid down and sadly watched his sister as she ran farther and farther from them. A single tear ran down his face when she became a mere spark of fire running into the distance. Goodbye, my sister...

~ ~ ~

Leaving tufts of orange fur behind like embers, Fire crashed and stumbled through the bramble bushes. She screeched in pain as a thorny tendril wrapped around a hind paw, and the cry sent nearby birds flying in panic from the trees above. She eventually got loose, but she looked back to see her hind paw stained a deep, dark crimson. She tried to reach back to lick it but was too close to other brambles. She shook off the pain and drove on through the thicket, wincing at every step.
Much to her relief, Fire soon came upon a small glade. Behind her was the bramble thicket she had been traveling through for the past few days; before her was a gentle creek next to the edge of a forest. Fire smiled tiredly and stepped forward to the creek. Her tongue was dry and her throat parched from her run through the brambles, and it was well past sunhigh.
Fire dipped her head, and her tongue lapped at the frigid creek water. She nearly recoiled from its iciness, but was so thirsty she didn’t care. After she had had her fill of water, she laid down and slid her bloody hind leg into the cold creek. The water downstream from Fire turned a pale pink. She laid her head on her front paws and fell asleep to the gentle sound of the creek coursing beside her.

~ ~ ~

When Fire woke up, it was completely dark except for the nearly full moon that sruggled to rise above the trees. She stood up, stretched, and took a few quick drinks from the silvery, moonlit creek.
She suddenly realized that she hadn’t eaten that day. She let her ears swivel and twist, catching any possible prey sounds nearby, and heard the light sound of a mouse’s paws scampering across the forest floor. Fire suppressed a purr and followed the noise, scenting the mouse as the breeze blew in her direction. She soon found the mouse nibbling on a piece of grass. Remembering what her mother had taught her as a kit, Fire rouched and stalked forward, swift and silent. She leapt and landed on the mouse, killing it instantly with her claws. She purred, satisfied, and started eating.
When she was done, Fire stood up and looked deeper into the forest. How big is this thing, anyways?

she wondered. She studied the surrounding trees and picked one. She unsheathed her claws and started to climb. She had to hold back a scream of pain as her wound from that day scraped against the rough bark. She climbed onto one of the upper branches and looked out. She couldn’t help but gasp as she took in the scenery.
In front of her was a small expanse of trees that, Fire guessed, she could get through by dawn if she hurried. Beyond the last line of trees was an open field with a creek running through it. Fire twisted her head around to see that it was the same creek that she slept next to that day. She could see that it lead up into a range of beautiful, majestic mountains. Just looking at them caused Fire’s heart to beat faster, and it made her want to run forever until she had climbed to the very top of the highest of those mountains. I think I have found my new home!

Fire scrambled down the tree and started walking towards the mountains.

~ ~ ~

Fire limped through the shadowy forest as twilight fell. She had been traveling all day, and she sensed that she had barely made it halfway through the trees. Pain coursed up her leg and throughout her body at every step. Fire whimpered and sat down; she had to rest, or she thought she would pass out from the pain. She sniffed the air. Great,

she thought. Just what I need. Rain!

Fire muttered under her breath some unpleasant words she had learned from the rogues but had never been able to say around the others. She debated whether or not to stop and find shelter, but she decided to keep moving.
As she spotted a gap in the trees ahead, Fire realized that she could go no farther. She collapsed to the ground, and she didn’t care that her injured leg was folded underneath her the wrong way. She was about to fall asleep, when...
Splat!

"Grrr..."
Fire hissed in anger when a raindrop splashed her on the nose, but froze when a low growl came from behind her. "Wh-what? Who i-is it?" she mewed shakily.
All that came in response was another growl.
Fire sat up. What

is that?

She stood up and unsheathed her claws, the fur on her spine standing straight up. She slowly backed away.
A long, ugly, scarred face emerged from the shadows. Fire crouched in fear as the scruffy stray dog came even closer. It barked and lunged for Fire.
Fire shrieked and tried to scramble up the nearest tree. She slid back down as quickly as she had clawed herself up, and the steadily strengthening rain just made matters worse. She growled in frustration and looked back. Bad idea.

The dog was slowly walking forward, drooling. It must have noticed that Fire was injured, for it was taking its time.
"Get away!" Fire hissed. "Leave me alone!"
Amusement glittered in the dog’s cold brown eyes, and it seemed to laugh. It woofed and ran forward.
Knowing that she was no match in speed, strength, or claws, for a heartbeat Fire wondered, What’s the point? I’ll die soon, anyways, if I don’t get my leg healed...

But she remembered those mountains, those beautiful mountains, and the memory lent enough energy to Fire’s sore legs for her to stumble away from the dog. She dashed through the forest, dodging trees, clearing fallen logs, ducking bushes. She soon found herself at the edge of the field. She looked up to see those majestic mountains again, and the sight took her breath away, despite the pounding rain soaking her fiery pelt.
An all-too-familiar growl brought her back to reality. Suddenly realizing how wet she was, Fire shivered violently. She spun around to face the dog.
The dog sprang forward and snapped, its teeth closing around Fire’s injured leg. It yanked back and tried to drag the beaten Fire back into the forest.
Fire cried out in intense pain and spun around. She slashed at the dog’s face, leaving deep, muddy gashes across its nose. The dog howled and jumped back.
"Ha!" Fire laughed. "Not so tough now, are ya?" She turned and painfully limped across the field. Her only hope would be to find a cave or something in the side of the mountain, assuming she could make it across the field before becoming dog food.
Fire heard the dog’s gigantic paws clawing the mud close behind her tail and increased her speed as much as she could. She was aware that she was leaving a trail of scarlet through the field from her injured leg. It was probably close to broken by now, thanks to the dog’s sharp teeth and powerful jaws.
The dog rushed forward and nipped at Fire’s tail. Fire jumped and pushed her tired legs to go even faster. She was well past the point of feeling pain or exhaustion in her legs; all she knew was that she had to keep her mud-stained paws flying across the ground ever faster.
It was while she was trying to speed up in a near-futile attempt to widen the gap between her and her pursuer that she slipped. Her forepaws hit a patch of slick mud and flew out from under her, bringing her belly crashing to the ground. Her back kept sliding a second more than her upper body, allowing her to face the dog. Her entire body was covered in mud now, but the rain was doing its best to turn her pelt that fiery-ginger again.
The dog came closer, growling fiercely, and Fire struggled to get up. Every time she dragged herself to her paws, her legs collapsed beneath her again, and she splashed into the mud. She looked up pleadingly at the dog, who laughed again harshly.
Fire blinked and spent her remaining strength to look away. "Do what you want with me," she murmured weakly. "I don’t care anymore." A tear escaped her green eyes as she realized that this was the end, but it was soon lost among the rain. She closed her eyes and waited for the terrible pain that would surely come, would surely end it all...

The rest of this story coming soon!

Impressum

Texte: Cover art from deviantART: Background by Aideon Foreground by Diamondsplash
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 10.07.2010

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