Firestar’s Quest

Firestar emerged into a patch of bare ground where a few stunted trees struggled to survive in the thin soil. He couldn’t see any other cats, but there was powerful cat scent all around him. His fear of finding another BloodClan grew stronger and stronger until it rose in his throat and almost choked him.

“That way.” The brown tom gave him another push, almost carrying Firestar off his paws.

He stumbled forward, slid down a dip in the ground, and came to a halt as his forepaws splashed into the edge of a puddle.

“Keep your paws out of it,” the tomcat growled. “I don’t want to drink it if you’ve been paddling about in it.”

Firestar backed away hastily.

“Go on, then, drink,” the she-cat snapped. “It’s perfectly safe, you know. We’re not trying to poison you!”

Firestar gave her a doubtful glance. These cats had brought him to the water he needed so desperately. Did that mean they wouldn’t kill him after all?

He crouched by the edge of the pool and lapped at the water. He knew it was stale, tainted by Twoleg scents, but right then it tasted more delicious than the clearest stream in the forest.

When he sat up, twitching drops of water off his whiskers, he saw the black she-cat standing beside him with a sparrow in her jaws.

“Here,” she mewed, dropping the fresh-kill at his paws.

Firestar stared at it. These cats were feeding him?

“Honestly,” the she-cat muttered, rolling her eyes as she pushed the sparrow closer to him. “Eat. Haven’t you ever seen prey before?”

“Er… thanks.” Firestar fell on the sparrow, gulping it down in huge bites.

“I can see you haven’t eaten for a long time,” the brown tom remarked. “Have you come far?”

Firestar swallowed a mouthful of sparrow before he replied. “Far enough,” he meowed. He dipped his head and added, “My name is Firestar.”

“I’m Stick, and she’s Cora,” the brown tom told him.

Firestar felt a shiver of hope stir his pelt. Maybe he wasn’t the only wanderer they had rescued. “I’m looking for another ginger cat. Have you seen her?” he asked.

The two rogues exchanged a glance. Firestar felt sick with disappointment as Cora shook her head, shrugging.

“One of the others might have,” Stick added.

“Others? What others?” Firestar demolished the last scrap of prey and heaved himself to his paws. Energy was beginning to trickle back into him now that he had eaten and drunk.

“Are you part of a Clan?”

Cora looked puzzled. “What do you mean, a Clan?”

“Other cats come here,” Stick explained. “Cats like us.”

“Where are they now?” Firestar demanded.

“Dunno,” meowed Stick. He gestured with his tail.

“Around.”

“Can you take me to them?”

“No need,” replied Cora. “They’ll turn up here sooner or later. They always do.”

Firestar glanced around. There were still no other cats in sight, but the strong scent he had picked up at first told him that this must be a meeting place for many cats. The memory of BloodClan made him nervous. Stick and Cora had treated him well up to now, but what about the others? Firestar’s instincts were telling him to run, but he was so desperate to find Sandstorm that he knew he had to stay and ask more questions.

“Could you introduce me to the other cats?” he asked.

Cora twitched her tail. “You’ll be fine without us.”

“We don’t usually hang around with them,” Stick added.

“Please!” Firestar dug his claws hard into the ground. “I need to be sure that the other cats will talk to me. I’ve got to find my friend!”

The cats hesitated, glancing at each other again.

“Who is this cat you’re looking for?” Cora asked. “Why is it so important to find her?”

“Because it’s my fault she’s lost!” Firestar burst out. “We were traveling along the river, and she got washed away in the storm. I’ve looked everywhere for her, but I can’t find her. I can’t go on without her, and I can’t go back home and leave her here.” His claws scraped the dusty ground. “I can’t give up looking for her!”

“Keep your fur on,” Cora meowed. Her voice was still sharp but her eyes were sympathetic. “We’ll stay.”

“Thank you.” Firestar held her gaze, hoping she would understand how much this meant to him.

Stick and Cora padded over to a shady spot under one of the scrubby trees, shared tongues briefly, then curled up for a nap. Firestar stretched, wishing that he could sleep too, but he didn’t want to miss the arrival of the other cats. He couldn’t trust Stick and Cora to wake him because he wasn’t sure that they realized how important it was for him to find

Sandstorm.

He found a sun-warmed patch of earth and settled down for a really thorough grooming. The hairs of his flame-colored pelt were clumped together, with bits of debris from the river matted among them. Even worse, he was covered with smears of disgusting Twoleg stuff from the rubbish heap. If his Clanmates could see him now they would hardly recognize him! Rasping his tongue over his shoulder, he pulled a face at the vile taste, but he kept on until his fur was smooth and glossy again.