Fire

---to circling

Fire

I was watching.

I saw what happened with Blazestar and Windpaw. I know, now, the secret with which no other Clan cat should be burdened: that Windpaw was not Darkwhisker’s kit at all, but the kit of Blazestar and the disloyal Larkfeather.

Oh, I’m sorry – I mean *Flintspark*. The cat whose name shall not be spoken.

What a stupid rule.

Sometimes, I hate the Clans. I really do. I know it’s not nice of me; I was born and raised here, after all, and so there’s really no reason for me to be jealous of the outsiders. But I mean, like, the rogue cats aren’t bound nearly as much as we Clan cats are; and even the rejected Clan cats have been granted freedom and power.

It’s probably horrible of me to say this, but… I want to leave this place, and I want to take Windpaw with me.

I’ve been watching him from afar for a long time now, and I really do think that I like him. I’ve wanted nothing more than to take him away from this place and to be free, living with just us, and no regulations or rules to bind us to anyone else.

And now I have the chance.

As soon as Windpaw and Blazestar stop talking, and Blazestar leaves Windpaw alone, I burst out of the bushes and corner Windpaw against a tree.

“You’re leaving, right?” I demand. “After all, Blazestar just exiled you. So you’re leaving, right?”

Windpaw looked alarmed, but he answered, “Um, yes. I’m going to cross the border, and then I’m going to… to try to find my mother.”

I bristle and tremble with excitement. “Take me with you!” I exclaim. “I’ll go with you, Windpaw!”

“What?” He takes a step back. “But, Goldenpaw, you still have a life here. I don’t.”

I shake my head. “No, you’re right, but I don’t want to stay here. I *can’t* stay here. Can’t you see that I’m unhappy here? Everything is too confining. I want to leave. So take me with you.”

Windpaw’s ears flatten against his head. “But I can’t,” he wailed. “I’ll get in trouble!”

I twitch my whiskers, slightly amused. “Who’d be there to give you trouble?” I meow. “You’d be free, Windpaw! We would both be free of all these restrictions of Clan life. You’re going anyway, so what’s the matter?”

He’s trembling now, and finally I realize that maybe something’s actually wrong. “It’s Larkfeather,” he wails. “When I find her, she’ll be her again, and not Flintpaw. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do! I can’t tell her that now Flintpaw is actually dead, since she’s still alive!”

I falter. “Wait.” I look him in the eye. “So… when Lar- when Flintspark crossed the border, he… she?... changed back into Larkfeather?”

“Yes,” Windpaw cries. “And so Flintpaw is dead, he’s really, truly dead! And he won’t have a place in StarClan because of her, but if I tell her that, and that I’m not her beloved Darkwhisker’s kit, and that I let another cat know what happened to her, she’ll hurt me!” He covers his head with his paws. “Please, Goldenpaw, stay here – you can’t come with me!”

I know I must look incredulous, but I say comfortingly, “Hush. I’ll protect you from Flintspark.”

He moves one paw slightly and looks up at me. “Really?” he whispers.

“Yes, you stupid mongoose!” I prod him with one paw. “Now get up, and let’s go, before someone starts to suspect anything!”

We make good time to the border, not saying much along the way, but acknowledging each other’s quiet presence. When we reach the border, Windpaw stops and takes a shaky breath. “You’re sure,” he says, but it’s not really a question. “You know you can’t change your mind. You can’t come back.”

Breezily, I toss my head. “Of course I’m sure,” I say confidently. “Windpaw, you go first. Pick your new name and your power.”

He doesn’t say anything for a moment, but then he draws himself up, trying to look confident after all the revelations he’s had within the past few days. “My name is Windfur,” he says. “I deny my Clan life and will live with them no more. I will hold power over the air, and I will honor my oath even as long as I live.” He turns to me expectantly.

“My name….” I pause. I haven’t really thought about my new name. “My name will be Goldenfire, in honor of Firestar,” I finally decide. “I, too, will honor my oath, even though I have denied my right to live within the Clan. I will have the power of the earth at my paws, even so long as I shall live.” And with that I take the first confident pawstep towards the border and my new life with Windpaw – no, Wind*fur*.

“Stop!” someone calls, and I whirl around, claws unsheathed. “Stop! I won’t allow this! I *won’t*!”

It’s Blazestar. He comes charging out of the undergrowth and runs straight toward us. His eyes display a kind of maniacal fury, but it’s not even directed at me – it’s directed at Windfur.

“How dare you?” he shouts, staring down his son as he slows to a halt in front of the white tom. “How dare you? Even after I grant you the mercy of being released, you try to take my apprentice from me, too?”

I hiss, trying to draw Blazestar’s attention away from Windfur. “I came willingly,” I spit at him. “So stop blaming Windfur!”

Blazestar’s anger seems to fade, and he stares at me, confused. “Windfur?” he whispers. “Then you’ve chosen to be…?”

“Goldenfire.”

Blazestar looks scared now, really and truly scared. He suddenly doesn’t look so big and intimidating; rather, he looks weak and vulnerable as he crouches and trembles with fear. “The four powers of the earth,” he whispers. “The four powers, united at last…” He turns wide eyes to Windfur. “You’re going to find Flintspark, aren’t you? And then Frostfall, for revenge?”

Windfur’s eyes widen now. “That’s right,” he says uncertainly.

“No!” Blazestar’s expression turns to one of anguish. “No! You will be the ruin of the Clans, if you keep this up!” His voice starts to ring with the weight of a prophecy. “Firestar… Firestar told me that she received a prophecy about the four powers. If you join together, you will become invincible, and someday you will destroy the Clan – forever!”

I relish the idea of being able to destroy this Clan, the thing that I hate so much. “So?” I ask the diminished leader with deadly calm. “If it was a prophecy, then it must come true. Or would you deny StarClan’s power?”

Blazestar looks terrified. “No, I would not deny StarClan’s power,” he says. “But nor would I see my Clan destroyed at the paws of its outcasts…!”

I turn to Windfur, beckoning for him to follow me. As I pad closer to the border, I have to wonder: What power, what *strength* did I ever see in the Clan? If even its leaders are afraid of the cats whom they have banished, then they are cowards. Exiling cats to try to protect the Clan was a stupid idea. And now I have the chance to make it backfire on them.

As Windfur and I cross the border, accompanied by the anguished cry of Blazestar, I can feel the power coursing through my veins. I can *feel* all the years of hatred for the Clan being released into this power, strengthening it. And as Windfur walks beside me, I can feel my desire for him grow stronger, too.

I can make a life for myself. I can make my own choices now. This may be the end of everything I’ve ever known in my life. But it’s also the beginning of everything I’ve always wanted.

I *will* destroy the Clan.

end series prologue---