Burning Baren

~Burning Baren~

~A story about Baren, the warrior that's been through it all~

(Also this is from *his*point of view, I don't think of any of you

like this. I love you all :D just wanted to get that clear)

"You either die a hero, or live long enough to become the villain"

~Aaron EEckhart~

PROLOGUE

The earliest memory I have was way back when I was a small kitten, no more than two moons old. The air was cold, I shivered under my dads pelt as he carried my sister. Father said nothing as they trudged through the snowstorm, I felt my dad lift me up. If anybody said anything from that point, it was lost in time. I know I had a name before I just don’t remember what it was, that was lost in time as well. We trudged on for a long distance, I could tell my dad was tired, he wanted to stop, he wanted to sleep. But he didn’t, instead he trudged on determination seemed to be flowing out of his pelt.

I couldn’t remember when we stopped but I do remember when we woke up. I opened my eyes to see my Father laying beside me, I tried to wake him up the words blurry and inaudible as I try to remember this stupid memory. I remember Autumnheart coming and the realization that my father was dead now. I remember going home to the clan with them, I remember laughing and having fun in the nursery with all the kits.

I remember one day we were all sitting in the den bored out of our minds, “let’s go on an adventure outside of camp!” Rosekit suddenly said. I peaked my ears that sounded fun back then, I nodded but Lunakit said it was a bad idea. After a bit of arguing we ended up going outside the camp anyway. We left the camp and came into a beautiful world, it wasn’t much different than what I imagined. We all laughed and played, we rolled around in the emerald grass having the time of our lives. Akira my sister squealed in laughter as Rosekit tackled her, I leaped onto Rosekit for revenge. But to be honest it was all fun and games back then. After a while we all sat down to take a break.

That was when it all went bad that day, Rosekit came up to me she looked really sheepish. We talked for a bit and out of the blue she said; “I like you, do you like me back?” I looked at her for a moment. Who would ask someone something like that out of the blue? I certainly wouldn’t, “well I’m only three to four moons old so give me time” she nodded and we let it be like that. Until she kept asking me, until she got jealous that I was talking to Lunakit.

Until her little heart broke, she leaped onto the thunderpath tears in her eyes. I leaped in and grabbed her by the scruff pulling her off. The horrid smell still in my nose to this day. “Mouse-brain don’t do fox-dung stuff like that” I said to her. She didn’t seem to hear because she just went out and leaped back onto the thunderpath. I went to go save her again.

H O R R I B L E M I S T A K E

I leaped in to save her, a monster rolling my way. I threw her off just in time, but it was to late for me. The monster hit me and my world went black. That’s where my true story begins.

CHAPTER 1

Pain, I remember pain. Mostly on the left side of my face, but it spread throughout my whole body. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t see, it was like running through an abyss of straight-out-darkness. I screamed but no noise came out, I remember the feeling of depression sinking in. I remember the same two words bursting through my mind over and over and over and over.

I’m dead, I’m dead, I’m dead, I’m dead, I’m dead, I’m dead
After what seemed like forever I finally opened my eyes to see a bright green light, probably the sun shining through the thin leaves I guessed. I lifted my head, pain throbbed throughout my body still, but there was nothing I could do about it. My face burned like fire, I wanted to die at this point, because the pain didn’t stop.

The odd thing was that I couldn’t see out of my left eye, that didn’t seem to be there. It felt lighter as if the only thing left was an eye socket without an eye. I looked around having to turn my head because of my no-sight-on-my-left problem. Nobody else was there, I felt thick webbing on his face. Cobwebs? Am I really damaged that much? I thought with a small sigh. I remember I wanted a puddle, I wanted to see my face, I wanted to know how horrid I looked. No matter how horrid.

Horrible Mistake #2.
I turned to see a small puddle, I start to walk over to it then hesitate. Do I really want to see what horrible thing happened to me? I thought watching the puddle for a minute. After about a minute of arguing with myself I decided I’d go and see myself. I walk over to it the rest of the way, I closed my eyes imagining my old face hoping that’s what I looked like. I opened them only to reveal, half my face was gone.
Gone.
Gone.
Half of my face was literally gone. I turned away from the puddle and ran to the nearest tree. I tried to keep myself from vomiting, but it was no good. I couldn’t swallow the bile anymore, my face was hideous. Will Akira think I’m a monster? Probably… he thought sadly. He turned and exited the den, scared to know what Akira will think.

More light shined down on his eye making him squint, Akira ran into him knocking him over. “BAAAREN! Thank Starclan your okay! I was soooo worried” she said worry clouding her eyes. He looked at her, she flinched as she saw her face, but no fear or disgust on her face. Only love and pity.
*Pity? Why do I need pity?*
I already knew why I was just trying to avoid the feeling, he saw Lunakit and Rosekit out of the corner of his eye, they looked beat up. He didn’t speak to either of them though, he looked over at his adopted mother, who just watched saying nothing her face unreadable. She probably wants to disown me now…
I thought looking away from her, I heard my sister trying to comfort me but I couldn’t hear anything, I drowned in my own sorrow. No emotion flooded through me, nothing but pain and misery.

CHAPTER 2

I layed down in his bed curled up next to my sister. Being around her made me feel better, safer. All those kind of things, I enjoyed being next to her. It felt like I belonged with her, it gave me a sense of protection. *Nothing bad will ever happen to you my sister*, I promised myself.
They rested there for a bit in the quiet calm, until a big black panther came crashing through the entrance. Akira and I looked up at the big panther that was now sitting in the entrance. If I could remember correctly his name was Ebonyheart, he was the Father to Lunakit and Rosekit. I truly thought I’d be more afraid of him, but when I looked in his eyes all I could see was sadness.
“Okay, first off… I’m sorry about what I did to Lunakit and Rosekit”
It hit me, I knew what happened to them. Ebonyheart got mad at them then attacked them right in front of Akira. I was unconscious, so I didn’t see. Even though it would’ve been nice to see Rosekit be attacked… after what she did to me… he thought narrowing his only eye. “It’s fine Ebonyheart” Akira said to the big cat.
*She's forgiving him so easily*…?
I shook the thought, I didn’t need to accept the apology I wasn’t there. So let him get forgiveness from my sister, I’m no part of it. I kept myself from eye-rolling, even though this big cat was sad, he was still five times bigger than them. Ebonyheart nodded in thanks then vanished behind the fern, I strained my ears to see if I could hear him… all I could hear back then was sobbing.

This big strong cat was sobbing. I shook it away then looked at my sister, she curled up back to sleep and I followed her example. So, we fell asleep right next to each other again. *I woke up in a field that was filled with stars, a cat was sitting down in the clearing watching me with deep blue eyes. “Welcome, Baren” the strange cat greeted me. He was a short-hair, tan fur color with deep blue eyes that never seemed to end… they just got deeper and deeper. “Thanks…?” I didn’t really know what to say to this other than than. “Your welcome” he said with a chuckle. “I’m Tanpool, and I have a message for you” he said taking a step toward him. “A message…? Like a prophecy? I already know this is Starclan, so…” I said looked around the starry realm.*

*“Baren, you must listen. It is important, it doesn’t matter if it’s a prophecy or not” I nodded not really wanting to mess with this Tanpool. “Okay, I’ll listen to your mysterious message, so please let’s get this over with. Because I have a feeling I’m not getting any rest from this” I said not trying to joke, but Tanpool must’ve thought that way. Because he didn’t look amused, but not mad either. “Okay, listen closely, you’ll only be able to hear it once. Probably” he said taking a deep breath. In my life I’ve forgot these words that he spoke to me and right now I think, would my life have been different if I remembered these words? As I replay my whole life, would I be in a burning situation? Would I have done all the things I’ve done? I have no answer, I have no guess because I **did** forget.*

*“No matter what you go through, no matter how much you lose. Keep a cool head and you will climb to the top of the rankings, to the top of the clan world! But if you lose it, if your mind fails and your goals get twisted, your will fall Baren, you will fall through the ground. You will vanish off the map, you will run from your clan as fire burns in your soul. I see two roads you can go down, one of beauty and power. And one of disgust and pain” And like that he was gone.*