Flamepaw's Quest

Chapter 16

            Flamepaw's eyes were shut, and she slept soundly next to the others. To her surprise, her tired thoughts began to drift away, turning into dreams.
            She opened her eyes, finding herself standing in the middle of a swamp. High marshes grew all around her, the tall grasses concealing her from whatever else lurked here. Unlike StarClan, this swamp was dark and murky, but it did not feel like she was in the Dark Forest.
            "Hello?" Flamepaw called, taking a step forward. She gagged as her foot sank into wet mud. A raven cawed up above, and Flamepaw shivered, not liking this place.
            She took a deep breath and continued through the swamp, gazing around frightened. No creatures moved, but the swamp felt alive somehow, and it took all her might to keep on walking. Perhaps this was only but a dream.
            She was wrong.
            A sudden movement caught her eye, and she turned, watching marshy plants wobble with movement. Flamepaw immediately lurched after the movement, disappearing into the marsh.
            "Who's there?!" she called, rushing after whatever had moved near her.
            Up ahead, she could see the shape of a tiny brown kitten. Relieved, she took a deep breath. It was Gingerkit, coming to save her!
            Gingerkit spun around, though something was different about her. Her eyes were a deep amber, and she stepped forward precariously, as if she did not know Flamepaw that well.
            "Gingerkit," Flamepaw spoke. "Why am I here? Why did you bring me here? We've found Goldstar, Gingerkit. She's not in danger anymore."
            But Gingerkit did not speak. She only looked at Flamepaw, then began to shift before Flamepaw's eyes. Flamepaw watched in amazement as Gingerkit grew, towering over Flamekit. Her pelt turned a bright red, similar to Flamepaw's.
            "G-Gingerkit?" Flamepaw stammered.
            Gingerkit's tail grew bushy, tipped with white. Her ears became pointed, her muzzle longer, until a full grown fox stood in front of Flamepaw, growling.
            "Gingerkit!" Flamepaw shouted.
            And then, Flamepaw realized the fox was holding something in its mouth. She glanced up nervously, immediately recognizing Goldstar. But this Goldstar was limp and lifeless in the fox's mouth, and Flamepaw gasped in surprise.
            "GOLDSTAR, NO!" she shouted, rushing towards the fox.
            A scream echoed through the air, and Flamepaw awoke, immediately recognizing it as Goldstar's. The others were still asleep, but Flamepaw knew Goldstar was in danger, even if they had found her.
            "I'm coming!" she called, rushing towards where she had heard the scream. She began running, unsure if the scream had even been real or not. Perhaps it had only been a part of her dream after all.
            A rustle of bushes changed Flamepaw's mind, and she leapt through them.
            "Goldstar!" she called.
            She was disappointed to find Snowheart standing there, her white pelt glowing in the dim moonlight.
            "Snowheart?" Flamepaw asked.
            She heard sudden movement, and another cat rushed through the bushes. It was Daisyflower. She ran towards the two, stopping abruptly.
            "What's going on?" Daisyflower panted.      
            "I had a dream that Goldstar was killed by a fox, and then I heard her scream," Flamepaw explained. "I was running after her when I ran into Snowheart."
            "Snowheart, you were keeping guard, weren't you?" Daisyflower asked.
            "Snowheart, where's Goldstar?" Flamepaw asked nervously.
            Flamepaw opened her mouth to speak, then came to a sudden gasp as a fox slipped through the bushes. Immediately, Snowheart turned on the fox, hissing wildly.
            "YOU! YOU TOOK GOLDSTAR!" she spat, launching herself at the fox. The fox threw her off easily, and Flamepaw unsheathed her claws, prepared to fight.
            "Fool!" he hissed at Snowheart. "You are a fool, cat! I saw what happened, but I am no cat thief!"
            "So Goldstar is gone," Flamepaw breathed.
            Snowheart turned, her eyes red and puffy, as if she'd been crying. "Yes. I heard her scream too. I saw a fox take her. I raced after her, but it was too late. The fox disappeared into some bushes, and I couldn't track them down. But now you're back," she snarled at the fox, launching at him again.
            The fox growled and held Snowheart down. She hissed and spat at him, and Flamepaw and Daisyflower moved closer to attack.
            "Stop," the fox growled at Flamepaw and Daisyflower. "Your friend needs to calm down."
            "I WON'T!" Snowheart spat. "YOU TOOK OUR LEADER!"
            "I won't speak until you shut up!' the fox spat.
            "Please, Snowheart, calm down," Flamepaw pleaded.
            Snowheart growled then became silent. The fox released her, and Snowheart stood up, still growling at the tom.
            "The fox who took your friend is a traitor. His name is Fang," the fox explained. "He is not one of us."
            "Well, where is Fang?" Daisyflower asked.
            "Please tell us!" Flamepaw begged. "We need to find her!"
            Suddenly, Rosepettle and Neko burst through the bushes.
            "What is going on?!" Rosepettle exclaimed.
            "Oh my goodness it's a fox!" Neko gasped. "I'm going now," he spoke, turning around.
            "Oh, no you aren't!" Rosepettle snapped, stopping him.

            "Do you want me to lead you to  Fang or not?" the fox asked.
            "Who's Fang?" Rosepettle asked.
            Flamepaw quickly explained the situation to the others while the fox waited patiently to continue.
            "I can lead you to Fang," the fox explained.
            "GIVE US OUR LEADER BACK THEN!" Snowheart spat.
            The fox looked as if he'd had enough of Snowheart's talk, but Daisyflower shushed her.
            "Please, take us to her. We'll even shut Snowheart up for you," Daisyflower promised.
            "Fine, but keep that cat quiet," the fox snapped. "He is in a cave nearby."
            "We'll come with you," Flamepaw agreed.
            It was so odd to follow a fox through the woods. Flamepaw supposed this would be an interesting story to tell to her parents when she returned to RiverClan. Well, that was if everything went well...This fox could turn on them at any moment.
            "Furry mouse-brain!" Snowheart managed to shout.
            The fox turned around and growled, and Daisyflower smiled weakly as she placed her tail over Snowheart's mouth.
            "Wow, follow a fox through the woods. We're going to die," Neko spoke quietly.
            Flamepaw wished she could tell him it would be okay, but she had no promises. She padded along with the group of cats, feeling Rosepettle brush against her.
            "I don't know about this," Rosepettle whispered.
            "He knows where the fox took Goldstar. He's our only chance," she replied.
            The sun was just beginning to rise, allowing some light to shine across the forest. They walked a bit farther until Flamepaw could see what the fox had meant. A large cave sat on a hill, tall trees surrounding it.
            Flamepaw nervously followed with the others as the fox approached, coming closer to the cave. She felt like something was wrong, and not just with the fox. It felt as if they'd forgotten to do something important back at the campsite.
            "Fang should be inside the cave. Follow me," the fox called, leading the group of cats closer to the cave. He stopped outside it, then turned around.
            "Thank you for your help," Flamepaw spoke.
            The fox dipped his head. My, this was an odd day. A fox bowing to them?
            "My name is Burdock, and I am leader of the Tribe of Scorching Fire," he explained.
            "I'm Flamepaw," she responded, pointing to the others as they introduced themselves to Burdock.
            Burdock smiled. "Please wait outside here. It'd be odd to bring cats into the cave without warning."
            The cats nodded, patiently waiting. Suddenly, Snowheart let out a gasp.
            "Where's Mothwing?!"
            Flamepaw froze. Mothwing! They had forgotten all about her!
            "I thought she was with us!" Rosepettle confessed.
            Daisyflower let out a scream. "She was picking herbs because she couldn't sleep! We just let her back there!"
            Neko tilted his head. "And Mothwing is?"
            "The other calico," Daisyflower spoke quickly.
            Burdock stepped out of the den, a grave expression on his face.
            "Burdock, I don't know if this will work out!" Flamepaw confessed. "We accidentally left our friend in the woods!"
            "Well, I don't have much better news. It seems Fang is not in the cave. He's somewhere in the forest," Burdock explained.
            Flamepaw let out a groan. Everything seemed to be going wrong!
            "Well, what do we do?!" Rosepettle exclaimed. It seemed as if each cat was on their toes in this stressful situation. Did they look for Goldstar? Did they find Mothwing?
            "We shouldn't split up with Fang in the forest. Maybe we should find Mothwing first," Flamepaw suggested.
            "Split up! That's it!" Rosepettle exclaimed.
            "That's not what I meant," Flamepaw began, but the stubborn Rosepettle once again ignored her.
            "I'll go search for Mothwing. Wait here," Snowheart commanded.
            Flamepaw didn't know if sending Snowheart out on her own was the best idea, but the others agreed, leaving them to sit awkwardly outside the cave while they impatiently waited for Snowheart's return.