#longpounce

She swallowed the last of the water, licked her lips, then continued on. The Swift Crossing wasn’t too far and with just a few bounds she had made it to the stones. Her claws scored their surfaces as she leapt from one stone to the other then crashed into the reeds on the other side.

She rolled to her paws and parted her jaws. A MireClan patrol had passed by recently, heading upstream toward the Wavestones. The scents were muddied by the damp earth, but it’s not like that mattered. It’d been nearly four moons since MireClan had been seen at the gathering, and maybe just as long since she’d even seen a patrol. Only one scent was recognizable: Snailpaw. She took in a deep breath, and ran after the fading scents.

The earth of MireClan territory was much more damp than that of FlameClan’s. Goldenblaze was slowed by the thick mud trying to swallow her paws. How do they navigate this place? She thought with a hiss. It’s impossible to run here!

One positive is that the cool mud—when it wasn’t trying to eat her—helped to cool her pelt. The air was clean and instead of cracking wood and the screeches of burning animals, there was the low hum of insects and frog songs. Though it was just a short swim away from FlameClan, it was like a completely different world.

Goldenblaze had grown so enamored by the territory that she didn’t realize she was about to run into the patrol. A startled hiss from one of the cats caught her attention and got her to slow down, but not in time to come to a complete stop. Her paws caught on one another and she took a nasty tumble to the ground, the sharp reeds doing nothing to cushion her fall.

“Goldenpaw…?”

Goldenblaze looked up and saw a familiar pale gray pelt and warm yellow eyes. “Snailpaw,” she whispered.

[ID: A digital drawing of the MireClan patrol. Front and center is Snailshell (pale blue-gray tabby with antennae above her eye, wearing poppies) looking down with concern. Behind her, to the left: Peachwing (pale ginger with stripes on his face and halfway down his tail, pointed ears) standing tall with furrowed brows, and Fishstrike (very dark gray with a darker mask and paws, gill-like markings) looking shocked. To the right: Sloesplinter (tall, solid dark gray cat with two scars on their left cheek) with a subtly tilted head and raised brow, and behind them Nightbriar (dark purple-gray marbled tabby with a pale underbelly and paws, wearing juniper berries) crouched down and puffed up in fright. Behind the patrol is a wall of reeds and grass. End ID.]

“It’s, uh, Snailshell now.”

“It’s...Goldenblaze now.”

They both went quiet. A dark blue-gray marbled tabby spoke up. “What are you doing in our territory?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” A pale ginger tom flicked his tail toward FlameClan territory. He tilted his head at Goldenblaze. “Where’s the rest of your Clan?”

“I don’t…” Goldenblaze searched the riverbank. “I don’t know. I ran ahead to get help and I got trapped and-and-and—”

A black cat stepped forward and took Goldenblaze’s paw, examining it. “You need to get looked at. We can take you back to—”

“No!” Goldenblaze pulled away, bristling. “My family’s still in there! I can’t go until I know they made it to the river.”

The MireClan patrol exchanged glances. The pale ginger tom then said, “Snailshell, Fishstrike, Sloesplinter, you stay here with Goldenblaze. Nightbriar, you’ll come with me back to camp.”

He flicked his tail and darted off, the marbled tabby right on his heels.

“I see cats across the river!” Sloesplinter gasped. “They’re heading for the Swift Crossing.”

“Are there any herbs around that can help?” Fishstrike asked.

Sloesplinter searched the area silently, pawing at plants and staring intensely at others. It felt like ants were biting at Goldenblaze’s paws as she watched. We don’t have time for this! She wanted to shout, but held her tongue. FlameClan’s healers would have no herbs to work with, so they needed all the herbs they could get.

Finally, Sloesplinter returned and reported, “I don’t see any I recognize and don’t want to risk poisoning anyone. The best we can do is provide water.”

Snailshell brushed against Goldenblaze’s side. “I’ll show you a good spot for moss.”

“We can take turns fetching water and helping cats across,” Fishstrike said.

Sloesplinter nodded. “Let’s go.”

The group split, Sloesplinter and Fishstrike running toward the Swift Crossing, while Snailshell led Goldenblaze deeper into the territory. Snailshell’s paws spread out in an odd way, allowing her to glide across the mud.

She stopped at a pond and beckoned Goldenblaze over. Together, they tore off strips of moss, rolled them into balls, then dipped them into the cool water. Snailshell’s gaze lingered on Goldenblaze’s trembling paws. They made sure not to squeeze the moss as they ran back to the river.

Only a few FlameClan cats had made it across the river when they got back: Paletooth, Tempestfall, and Flowerpool. Paletooth’s head snapped to the pair as they approached, her eyes wide and brimming with tears. The vines that were holding her jaw right earlier that night were completely gone. A soft pop sounded as she adjusted her jaw.

Tempestfall’s back was dotted with burns, the largest on his left shoulder. His eyes were wide and he was panting heavily. Snailshell set down the moss and he immediately started lapping up the water. His claws sunk into the moss as he gulped down what he could.

“Dogleap’s dead,” Paletooth spoke suddenly, speech slurred by the tilt of her jaw. “Kitestar, Goateyes, and Scorchfern are...missing.”

“What?” Goldenblaze’s voice was barely above a whisper.

Paletooth inhaled. “He was...he was helping his mom and then he-he-he just—” She lurched forward and started to sob. "Minnowhop tried to...she tried to...she couldn't—"

Flowerpool pressed against her, purring softly to soothe her.

Goldenblaze looked across the river at the rest of her clan. She spotted her mother near the water with Aphidflight while Volestep huddled near Longpounce and Badger closer to the treeline.

Fishstrike and Sloesplinter came back across with Deerbreeze on their backs, Clearpool close behind. Goldenblaze could smell blood on Clearpool’s pads. Thankfully, it seemed to be the only injuries of the pair. Deerbreeze was carefully set down. The moment his front paws touched the earth he took off into the reeds like a startled lizard.

“Mousebrain,” Clearpool sighed and trotted after him.

“You two.” Goldenblaze and Snailshell turned to Sloesplinter. “Your turn to help cats cross. There’s a few with bad burns, so be careful.”

“We’ll be back soon,” Fishstrike murmured.

The two warriors disappeared into the reeds.

“I’ll go with you,” Flowerpool stepped away from Paletooth. “I can direct the uninjured cats.”

Snailshell dipped her head. “Thank you.”

The three cats leaped across the stones as fast as they could. Goldenblaze’s paws slipped, but Snailshell was there to make sure she didn’t fall in. The water wasn’t terribly deep, but it would slow them down. No time could be wasted.

“Goldenblaze!” Fireshiver’s call made Goldenblaze stop.

Her mother nearly knocked her over as she ran over. She licked her daughter’s head and pulled her close, gripping her fur tightly. Goldenblaze nuzzled her mother and for just a moment forgot the suffering around her.

“Anyone who can cross the stones on their own please get moving!” Flowerpool yowled.

“Do you need help, mom?” Goldenblaze asked.

Her mother’s eyes were half-lidded. “I’m…” She glanced back at Aphidflight, who looked equally as tired. “I’ll be fine. I got this far, didn’t I?”

“Mom—”

“Go see your brother, he’s worried sick about you.” Fireshiver butted heads with Goldenblaze. “I’ll rest soon, don’t worry about me.”

Goldenblaze sighed and nodded, “Alright.”

Fireshiver gave her a soft smile then padded away.

Snailshell tilted her head. “I thought you had two brothers?”

“If I still had two, she would’ve said brothers,” Goldenblaze snapped.

“Oh.” Snailshell pinned her ears. “Sorry.”

Goldenblaze’s breath caught in her throat. Panic flared in her chest. “I-I’m sorry I just—” She took in a shaky breath. “There’s no way you could’ve known and-and-and—”

Snailshell’s gaze was warm. “I get it, Gold, you don’t need to apologize.” She walked past Goldenblaze, brushing against her pelt as she went.

Gold…? Goldenblaze padded after Snailshell in stunned silence.

Volestep and the little group he was with were too fixated on their conversation to notice Snailshell and Goldenblaze approach. Goldenblaze had to clear her throat to get her brother to look at her. His face lit up in and instant and like her mother he nearly ran her over.

He purred so loudly he started shaking. “Thank the stars you’re alright!” He was on the verge of tears. “When I got to the river and you weren’t there I was so worried and-and-and then Sporepelt said he hadn’t seen you and—”

Volestep paused and looked to Snailshell. “Who’s this?”

“I’m Snailshell,” she dipped her head. “I’m from MireClan. You’re Vole…”

Volestep took a moment to catch on. “Volestep, my name’s Volestep.”

“Is more help coming?” Badger butted in.

“Two cats went back to camp a while ago,” Snailshell answered. “They should be back with our healers by the time everybody crosses.”

Badger let out a sigh of relief. He stood with a grunt, a slight wheeze in his breath. It wasn’t just him, Volestep and Longpounce were also wheezing. I hope that’s just from exhaustion. She knew from Shinespots’ stories that smoke could kill a cat within a day, sometimes less.

A loud crash sounded from the edge of the forest. Goldenblaze whipped around and to her surprise saw Goateyes hurtling down the rocky slope to the riverbank, Kitestar’s body on her back. The lanky warrior made it halfway down before collapsing, rolling a good distance before coming to a stop. Thankfully, after the tumble, she rose. Goldenblaze swore she saw smoke escape from her mouth.

“How is she alive?” Longpounce gasped.

Kestrelswoop and Mudcliff were the first to arrive at their sides. Kestrelswoop helped his sister up while Mudcliff took his mother’s body. From where Goldenblaze stood, she could smell the stench of burnt skin and fur radiating from Kitestar’s stiff body. She quickly turned away.

Volestep eyed the burning forest warily. “We need to get moving. If a tree comes tumbling down the slope, we’ll get crushed.”

The group quickly made their way to the Swift Crossing, passing by the cats tending to Goateyes and Kitestar. Volestep pressed closer to his sister, face wrinkling with nausea. Goldenblaze held her eyes shut until she could feel the river’s cool water lap at her paws.

“The river’s not high, but the stones are still slick, so be careful,” Snailshell said as she sprung onto the first stone. “Last thing we need is cats inhaling water.”

“I think we’re well aware of that,” Longpounce snorted.

Goldenblaze went after Snailshell, then Volestep, then Longpounce, and finally Badger.

The song of frogs and crickets was a welcoming sound, and the tension that had built in Goldenblaze’s shoulder was eased. Snailshell led the FlameClan cats into a clearing of reeds. At the center was a shallow mud pit where a pond once sat. Deerbreeze was rolling around in the mud while Clearpool watched. On the opposite side of the mud pit, the injured cats were being examined by Sloesplinter and Aphidflight.

“There you are!” Fishstrike trotted over. “What took you so long?”

“I’m sorry, I know it’s easy to lead startled cats across water,” Snailshell said coolly.

Fishstrike bristled. “Whatever, that’s not important. We haven’t seen any sign of our healers yet, so I assume they’re still preparing.” She lowered her voice, “We should also worry about the fire jumping over the river.”

“We should move the Clan then.”

“Half the Clan isn’t even across the river and we don’t know what Lichenstar’s decision on the matter is.” Fishstrike grit her teeth. “For now, you should be flattening down the reeds so more cats can rest here.”

“Why aren’t you helping cats cross if you’re so worried?”

Fishstrike’s eyes narrowed. “We were waiting for you to return.”

Goldenblaze wasn’t interested in hearing the end of their argument and quickly shuffled away. Volestep and Longpounce followed her while Badger split off to chat with Paletooth and Tempestfall. Once they were a good distance away, Goldenblaze turned to speak with them.

“We need to gather water. Snailshell showed me a good spot for moss,” she said.

“Are we allowed to head into MireClan territory like that?” Volestep murmured.

Longpounce pressed against him. “MireClan’s leader will understand. She has to.”

I’ve got to be the same size as Lichenstar now, if she has a problem I can handle her. Goldenblaze thought. She raised her tail and led the toms along the path she had taken with Snailshell earlier. She hoped she and Fishstrike worked things out so they could have more working paws.

Longpounce bounded up to Goldenblaze’s side and asked, “So, are you and Snailshell close?”

“We’re friends,” Goldenblaze answered. “I talked with her at every gathering until the war started—between MireClan and VineClan.”

“Are wars common between the Clans?”

“Uh...I don’t think so.” She turned to Volestep, hoping he’d add on, but saw he was staring intensely at her shoulder and back.

Volestep met her gaze and said, “You’re injured.”

She turned her gaze to her paws. “It’s nothing, I just got caught in a thicket.”

He walked in front of her, forcing her to stop. “How far are we from the spot?”

“It’s just up there—”

“Longpounce and I will gather the moss and get the water. You need to see Aphidflight.” She had never heard him so confident. He stood tall like their mother, waiting for her to protest.

She didn’t object though, and turned around. The toms lingered in place for a moment longer before continuing along the trail. Goldenblaze’s wounds started to sting as she walked back, the shock of the fire slowly wearing off. Her paws felt heavy and she found herself sinking into the mud.

When she made it back, most of FlameClan had entered the reed clearing and were settled around the mud pit. The temperature had changed drastically, becoming unbearably stuffy as the Clan carried with them the scent of the burning forest. Goldenblaze scanned the clearing and landed on a cluster of cats near the clearing’s entrance.

They were surrounding two bodies: Kitestar on the left, and on the right, Dogleap. The senior warrior’s body was so badly charred it no longer carried his scent. Marten sat at his side, her front dotted with burns, all red and puffy. Beside her, Minnowhop wept into Elkstomp’s shoulder. The fur on her front legs was almost completely gone and her swollen paws were bloodied. Scrubchase, Elmhoney, and Shardstripe sat opposite to his mate and daughter, both still and silent. Elmhoney was pressed against Scrubchase, barely able to stand.

A wail came from the riverbank. Cloudytalon was pacing along the river’s edge, crying out to the burning forest. Goldenblaze could imagine herself padding up to his side and comforting him, but she didn’t move. It’s my fault Sheepflower isn’t here.

“Goldenblaze!” Snailshell’s voice startled her. “Where’s your brother and friend?”

Goldenblaze sniffled and muttered, “Went to get water.”

Snailshell sat down next to her. Slowly, she inched closer until their pelts brushed. Goldenblaze leaned into her and began to cry. Snailshell put a paw on her shoulder and purred.

“I...wish we got to see each other again under better circumstances,” Snailshell said. “I’m sorry.”

“I missed you so much,” Goldenblaze sobbed. “I-I-I thought you...I thought VineClan—”

“I’m still alive.”

Goldenblaze could hear the other molly’s heart pounding in her chest. The sound was comforting, like falling rain. She shut her eyes and was back in the apprentice’s den, her brothers curled tightly around her as a storm raged outside. She and Blazepaw were woken up by Volepaw’s mumbling. She kept her eyes closed, hoping to go back to sleep.

“Are you awake?” Blazepaw whispered.

Goldenpaw pawed at his face. “I’m trying to get back to sleep,” she grumbled.

Blazepaw let out a little mrrp and rose to his paws. He padded over to the den’s entrance and looked back at his sister.

“You want to go splash in the mud then draw on Elmhoney’s pelt?”

Goldenpaw grinned and opened her eyes. He was gone again.

In his place, staring at her with wide, inflamed eyes, was Sheepflower. His pelt was covered in ash so dense he almost looked darker than his father. Goldenblaze pulled away from Snailshell and tripped over her large paws as she backed away. Snailshell followed her gaze and shot the tom a glare. Sheepflower quickly turned away and disappeared into the crowd of injured cats with his father.

“Do all healers have staring problems?” Snailshell huffed. “I thought that weird one from VineClan was an exception, but StarClan…” Her voice trailed off. “Goldenblaze?”

Goldenblaze shook her pelt. “What? Sorry, I…” Her mouth hung open as she couldn’t find the words.

Snailshell looked over Goldenblaze’s shoulder. “They’re back with water.”

Goldenblaze turned around and was met with a wet moss ball to the face.

“Why would you do that?!” Volestep hissed.

Longpounce replied, “It’s faster.”

Goldenblaze shook the water from her face then crouched down to lap at the remaining water seeping from the moss. The water was warm and generally unpleasant, not at all like the refreshing water of the river. If only the little pond hadn’t been reduced to mud. She sighed and batted the mossball away.

Snailshell caught it with a paw. “Do you want me to get you more?”

She didn’t get to answer as the reeds behind her rustled. The strong scent of MireClan hit her nose before Lichenstar stepped into the clearing, trailed by a small group of her warriors, including the two that had split from Snailshell’s patrol.