Wanderer

Chapter 1

I opened my eyes, looking around. I could barely see anything, but there was a dim red glow. Trees? Huh? Where was I? Where was Sarah and Tom? And why did I have a... Wait... What's that attached to my haunches...? I ran, feeling surprisingly small against to the forest. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. I had to get out of here! Please! No! What's that...?! A hole! Fear clutched me as I sped into empty air. Darkness swallowed me. No...

"Lily! Are you okay?"

I woke up with a jolt. Sarah was looking at me, a worried look on her face.

"You almost destroyed your sleeping bag!" She told me. "You looked like you were running for your life in your sleep!"

I raised my head, zipping open the sleeping bag. Sunlight washed through the opening in the tent, and I blinked, ajusting to the light. I climbed out of the sleeping bag, stifling a yawn. I looked at Sarah, whose eyes were still wide. What? Has she never seen anyone have a nightmare before?

"It was just a nightmare." I replied sleepily.

"Bad dream, eh?" Sarah chuckled. "Good thing I woke you up."

No, it wasn't, Sarah. Sigh. I didn't want to say it out loud. I just crept forward and looked out of the tent. Mom was making breakfast. Sausauges and chips. Mmm... I put on my shoes and clothes and went outside. Dad was shifting his feet impatiently, holding a fishing rod. I rolled my eyes. Dad was always waiting to ask me if I wanted to go fishing with him. If only I actually liked fish for breakfast! I wasn't going to miss sausages or chips!

"Good morning, sweetie." Mom greeted me as I walked toward the table.

"Morning." I yawned, sitting down. "And mom, stop calling me sweetie. I'm 14 now."

Mom giggled softly as she put down the sausauges on my plate. I picked up the bottle of Fanta and poured some of the precious liquid into my cup. Mom put the chips on my plate and went over to the tent to wake Tom, my little brother. I ate, loving the taste of mom's food. I remembered the cake she made for my 14th birthday: a chocolate caramel cake that looked like a sleeping fox. She had used the best-coloured fondent she had, and getting edible marker to draw the eyes and mouth... I quickly took a bite of sausauge to shake my head of my delicious 14th birthday cake.

When I finished, I picked up my favorite book: Evening Red. It was about a fox called Fire Star (yes, you read that right), who was named after the shooting star that flared through the sky when he was born. I clutched my book tightly. It would be awful if I lost it.

"Little Fire Star," I whispered, hugging my fox plushie. "As long as I live, I'll have you."

I took Fire Star, my plushie, practically everywhere. To the shop, to Sarah's house, to school, even on summer holdidays when we went camping. I got out of my chair and walked along the path; I liked being so close to nature. Some people say that you can never get close to a fox, but I believe it's right beside me, watching me as I padded by. The truth is, I always feel like the fox is watching me, Fire Star, the real one, a spirit, watching over me...

I stopped daydreaming just in time to stop myself from walking into a hedge when the trail took a turn. Then I stopped. I stared into the hedge, looking for something. There was a flash of red-orange; I was sure of that. No. Probably my imagination. My dad probably went fishing on his own while I had eaten breakfast, because he didn't ask me to come yet. Well, I didn't like fishing anyways! It always seemed boring and unreasonable. Maybe it was because my stepfather bothered me. I didn't really like my new dad much. I didn't know why.

I breathed in the scent of kittens. It always brought joy to me when I went to see them. Near the campsite, there was Kelly's Kitties. It was a place where you could get either a new kitten, or a cat to breed with your own. I wanted a kitten, because they were always so cute. I liked one in particular, one I secretly named myself: Fox. His name was because of his fox-like red fur, black paws, bushy white-tipped tail and his mischievious nature. He also reminded me of Fire Star, my favorite character.

"Hi, Kelly!" I called as I entered through the door.

"Hi, Lily!" Kelly chirped back, happy as always. "Coming to visit your little fox?"

"Yup!" I replied. "You know what I've been calling him, don't you?"

"It's okay to call him that," Kelly told me, a gleam in her eyes. "It's really cute! Come, I'll bring you to him. It's nearly the end of your stay here, is it?"

I nodded. "I'll miss Fox."

"He'll be happy at a new home!" Kelly reassured me. "In fact, his new owners are coming to get him today. Mr and Mrs Gally. They have a child called Siersha. Your friend, yeah?"

"My next-door neighbour!" I squeaked happily. "I'll be able to see Fox and Siersha now! Am I lucky!"

I stopped and gazed down at Fox, who was raising his head and meowing playfully. I chuckled, reached down into the pen and picking him up. He was almost 3 months old; he was still so cute and fluffy. Little did I know, that my life would soon be set on a different path...

So that's Chapter 1! And Firestar is a Warrior Cat, I know, but I wanted the fox Fire Star born at the time Spottedleaf discovered the prophecy of, "Fire alone can save our Clan". Also Fire Star and Fox will be featured later in the book too! But for now Ima go read Warrior Cats: A Winding Path.
~ Heatherstar