Destined Ch.1

“PatchLight?”

The aging leader of SmolderClan lifted her head from her paws at the sound of her medicine cat’s voice.

“PebbleStream, come in my friend.” She replied.

A beautiful gray and brown mackerel tabby she-cat walked into PatchLight’s den, a grave look clouding her face.

“The time has come again.” PebbleStream told her cryptically.

“What do you mean?” PatchLight asked her ears pinned back in the fear of what she thought PebbleStream was talking about.

Many, many moons before a great danger had come that had threatened the existence of all five clans, but one cat had come from outside the clans, destined to save them; IceStorm, and she had. Near the time of her death a prophecy was given that such a cat would come for more times, once for each clan.

“The time for a destined cat from the outside to save us all has come once again.” PebbleStream replied, confirming PatchLight’s fears.

“What have our ancestors told you exactly?” PatchLight inquired.

“Fire has claimed and marked the one who shall save us all.” PebbleStream answered.

PatchLight nodded, SkyClan’s prophecies were always cryptic and vague, but true none the less. Their time had come to train and prepare the new hero of the clans.

---

Blaze ran as fast as he could, relishing in the feel of the soft earth underneath his paws. He had never felt so free before; with the wind whipping in his face without the obstruction of fences and buildings getting in its way. Then, suddenly, he was knocked off his paws and pinned under a great weight.

“Wake up sleepy head!” A familiar voice called.

Blaze’s eyes flew open to behold the face of his brother Rock, a dark gray tabby, barely a paw’s length away from his own.

“Let me up you big hairball!” Blazed muttered crossly, using his hind legs to dislodge Rock, sending the other kit tumbling away.

“Hey! That’s my tail!” Their sister Wisp, a pretty cream tabby, yowled suddenly.

“Oops, sorry.” Rock apologized hastily.

“Just get off of it!” Wisp yowled back, cuffing him on the ear and bounding away to curl up by their other sister once her tail was free. Brook, a gorgeous blue tabby, just curled into a tighter ball, studiously ignoring her rowdy littermates.

“Kits!” Blaze flinched a little at the sound of their mother’s stern mew behind him.

’Busted!’ He thought as he turned to her with innocent ice blue eyes trying to soften her up.

“Yes mommy?”

Cloud shook her head in loving exasperation at her ginger tabby kit.

“You all know better than to rough house when I’m gone. What if something were to happen to one of you, hmm?” She asked padding over to Blaze and licking him gently on the forehead, “Now let me see that paw of yours again sweetie.”

Blaze rolled his eyes at his mother’s fussing, but obediently presented his hurt paw, which happened to be the one with a white sock, to her.

Half a moon before their old den, a small abandoned shed, had been destroyed by a fire. They had all been inside sleeping at the time. Cloud had managed to get herself and three of her kits out right away. In the first few moments after their escape she had failed to notice Wisp was missing; absorbed with checking little Brook, the smallest of her litter, for injuries. Blaze; however, unaware of the danger as he was, did not. He immediately darted back into the burning shed to retrieve his sister despite his mother trying to stop him. It had not taken him long to find Wisp, paralyzed by fear not far from the entrance. He had grabbed her by the scruff and dragged her out, but on their way out he had accidentally stepped on a burning scrap of wood. The wound had looked worse than it really was, at least as far as Blaze was concerned, but Cloud, even now, insisted on fussing over it.

She licked the now scarred pad gently.
“Does it hurt at all when I do that?” She asked.

“Nope.” Blaze answered, telling the truth.

“I still can’t believe you did that! That was so brave!” Rock exclaimed brightly, bounding over to them.

“And I can’t believe how dusty you’ve managed to get yourself while I was gone.” Cloud chided and proceeded to groom him thoroughly.

“Mom!” Rock yowled indignantly, “You’re messing up my fur!”

“Oh, stop that yowling.” Cloud scolded lightly, “I wouldn’t have to clean you if you wouldn’t get yourself so dirty all the time.”

Blaze turned away to hide his amusement from Rock, looking out at the forest which he could see at the end of the alley. He couldn’t help but wonder what it was like out there. Did it really feel like it had in his dream to run on the soft, unpaved earth that lay out there? For as long as he could remember he had always wanted to go out there, but his mother would never let him. She wouldn’t say exactly why, just that it was too dangerous, but Blaze wasn’t afraid. He wanted to know what it was like out there and he resolved that, that night, when his mother and littermates had fallen asleep that he would find out.