Fire (TR)

The fire, also known as the great fire, was a fire that took place in Thunder Rising and Riverstar's Home that destroyed Clear Sky's territory.
==Summary==
===Premise===
:Tensions are high between Tall Shadow's and Clear Sky's groups. Clear Sky has been implementing borders, preventing the cats from visiting freely, and defending his territory. The moor cats have begun being more defensive of their land and challenging trespassers. Clear Sky has also cast aside those he deemed are too weak to contribute to the group, including his own brother Jagged Peak, and son Thunder. Gray Wing raised Thunder as his own son, though at times Thunder's own strength and demeanor reminds him of Clear Sky.
:In addition, the moor cats begin to question Tall Shadow as their leader over Gray Wing, who fought off dogs to defend Jagged Peak and Thunder and befriended the rogues Wind and Gorse who arrived to help Gray Wing out of their friendship. Some cats, such as Shattered Ice, question how Tall Shadow remained in the hollow while Gray Wing risked his life to save his denmates, and how Tall Shadow refused to let Wind and Gorse join their group when their loyalty is invaluable. Gray Wing is hesitant to lead, especially when the argument leads to a fight.
===Overview===
:A campfire from a nearby Twoleg campsite spreads quickly into the forest in the middle of the night. While Clear Sky leads his cats out of their camp, Gray Wing leads a group to rescue them. Moon Shadow leaps through the flames to try to escape, but ends up severely burned. The group becomes trapped in the flames, and Thunder follows River Ripple's advice to jump over the fire. He and Jackdaw's Cry drench their pelts in the nearby stream and drag Moon Shadow through the blaze. River Ripple leads them to the river to escape the rapidly expanding fire. Clear Sky and his group emerges from the blaze on the other side and they swim across to safety. Gray Wing invites Clear Sky to seek refuge in their group momentarily. Firefighters put out the blaze the following morning. Tall Shadow asks Gray Wing to lead due to her inaction during the fire, and Clear Sky is impressed with his son's courage and he invites him to join his group. Tensions continue to remain high between the two groups, despite Gray Wing's want for peace. Moon Shadow eventually dies from his wounds, and Gray Wing develops a tightness in his chest from the smoke.
==Description==
===Gray Wing's plight===
:Twolegs camping near the forest fail to properly put out their campfire and it spreads to the forest, working from the river inwards. In the forest, Clear Sky's cats witness the fire encroaching on their camp. With the wind blowing towards them, the forest cats decide to flee but they are cut off by the fast moving flames. On the moor, Gray Wing wakes up in the middle of the night to the smell of smoke and organizes a group to attempt to rescue Clear Sky and his cats from the blaze. Gray Wing is determined to rescue his bother and attempts to find a gap through the flames, though his campmates warn him from catching his fur on fire. A flaming tree topples near Gray Wing and Thunder, and Moon Shadow, one of Clear Sky's cats and Tall Shadow's brother, attempts to jump over the flames but his paws catch on fire. The fire spreads through his pelt and the others attempt to pat it out. Moon Shadow is terribly burned and Dappled Pelt and Cloud Spots find random grasses to soothe his burns. Gray Wing attempts to jump over the flames but Thunder stops him.
===Leaping through the flames===
:The fire surrounds them and River Ripple calls from beyond the flames for them to jump over the fallen tree. Thunder is the first to leap over the flames into a stream beyond. As the flames on the tree slowly dwindle, the others make the jump, though Gray Wing hind paws and tail-tip are burnt. Moon Shadow isn't strong enough to make the leap, so Jackdaw's Cry and Thunder soak themselves in the stream so the flames won't harm them. They leap through the flames and manage to shove Moon Shadow through the blaze, soaking themselves in the stream afterwards.
===Rescuing Clear Sky===
:With the flames encroaching, River Ripple insists the group must ensure their own safety before verifying Clear Sky needs any help in the first place. He leads them to a spot at the river where stones lie just beneath the surface, providing an easy way across. Safe on the opposite bank, Gray Wing, River Ripple, and Thunder call for Clear Sky's name. Clear Sky eventually responds, and he leads his group out of the flames and swims across the stream. Gray Wing offers for them to stay in their hollow and introduces him to his son Thunder, commending the young tom's bravery. The mountain cats thank River Ripple for his help before leaving for the hollow.
===Characters involved in the rescue===
===Deaths===
*Moon Shadow
==Aftermath==
:The day after the fire, firefighters successfully quench the blaze. Thunder grows close with his father Clear Sky and they bond over their drive to survive and protect those around them. Thunder admires his father, though this closeness drives a wedge with Gray Wing, who recalls how Clear Sky originally disowned his son. Tall Shadow asks Gray Wing to lead due to her inaction during the fire worrying for her brother's injuries. Clear Sky invites his son to join his group, insisting he left him with Gray Wing to test if he could survive without him. The day after the fire, Tall Shadow announces that Gray Wing will be the new leader. Clear Sky thanks the moor cats for their generosity and prepares to lead his group home. Despite Clear Sky's camp mostly untouched by the flames, it takes many moons for the rest of the forest in Clear Sky's territory to recover.
:Moon Shadow eventually dies when his wounds refuse to heal properly. Clear Sky exiles Frost when his wound from the fire refuses to heal properly and he can't keep up with his patrols. Thunder leaves the group with him, having enough of his father's behavior. Gray Wing also develops a persistent tightness in his chest from breathing in too much smoke that festers for the rest of his life.
==Characters==
===Gray Wing===
:When Gray Wing learns of the fire, he is determined to rescue his brother. Despite the tensions between their groups, Gray Wing still cares for his brother's safety. His drive to find his brother nearly gets him burned twice. When the flames surround them, Gray Wing loses hope until Thunder takes initiative and leads them to safety through the flames. Gray Wing burns his hind legs, tail-tip, and struggles to breathe, but he is impressed by Thunder's leadership skills. Even though they are momentarily saved by the flames, Gray Wing still insists that he needs to help his brother. River Ripple suggests that Clear Sky is strong enough to take care of himself and his cats, and Gray Wing realizes in horror that he may have led his denmates into danger. River Ripple encourages Gray Wing that he needs to lead the group with Tall Shadow fretting over her brother, and he guides them to safety across the river. Gray Wing calls out to his brother from across the bank, and Clear Sky and his cats emerge from the fire. Gray Wing is relieved, and he invites them to their hollow, though hesitates since he oversteps Tall Shadow's leadership. Tall Shadow asks for Gray Wing to lead the group following the fire. Gray Wing is also displeased when Clear Sky manipulates Thunder into joining his group.
===Thunder===
:Thunder is Clear Sky's son and Gray Wing's adopted son. Gray Wing raised him as his own, though Thunder begins to rebel against Gray Wing. Thunder joins Gray Wing in rescuing Clear Sky and his group from the fire and is determined to help, pushing back Gray Wing's protectiveness. When the group is trapped by the flames and Gray Wing begins to give up, Thunder takes the initiative of following River Ripple's voice to jump over the flames to safety. He agrees with Jackdaw's Cry's plans to drench themselves in the stream to leap through the flames to rescue Moon Shadow, something that impresses both River Ripple and Gray Wing. Thunder is hurt by Gray Wing's sharp tone towards him afterwards, though Gray Wing notices Thunder's maturity during the fire. The young tom is delighted to finally meet his father again and is pleased when his father is impressed by his actions during the fire. Eventually, Thunder joins his father's group to learn from him.
===River Ripple===
:River Ripple is a rogue living near the river. During the fire, he saves Gray Wing's cats by guiding them to leap over the flames to safety in the nearby stream. River Ripple leads the cats to the river and, despite the group's hesitation about swimming, shows the a way across the river through submerged stepping stones. River Ripple insists to Gray Wing that Clear Sky is capable of leading his cats to safety and Gray Wing needs to focus on leading his own cats with Tall Shadow worried about her brother. When they are reunited with Clear Sky and his group, they thank River Ripple for their help.
===Clear Sky===
:After the deaths of those closest to him, Clear Sky neglected his son to protect him, leaving him to grow up with Gray Wing on the moor. During the fire, Clear Sky leads his cats out of camp when the wind blows the fire towards them. However, they are trapped when the fire blocks their path. Eventually, Clear Sky manages to lead his cats towards the river where they swim across to safety. He accepts Gray Wing's offer for his group to seek temporary shelter in their hollow. As they head back the hollow, Clear Sky and Thunder hunt together and Clear Sky teaches his son how to fight against some rats. The two share a bond over their drive to survive difficult challenges. Clear Sky commends his son for his bravery in the fire and asks him to join his group, insisting that he abandoned him as a kit to test his survival skills. Before he leads his cats back home, Clear Sky congratulates Gray Wing for his promotion as the group's leader, though subtly insults the group's organization.
==Quotes==
==See also==
*Thunder Rising
*Thunder Rising Cliffnotes
==Notes and references==
fi:Tulipalo (MA)pl:Pożar (Up)
Category:Events
Category:Natural disasters
Category:Thunder Rising
Category:Riverstar's Home