"Raccoonpaw, your mentor will be Foxrose. Foxrose, you mentored Firepelt brilliantly and I expect you to mentor Raccoonpaw the same. Rabbitpaw, your mentor is Primrose. Primrose, you have not yet had an apprentice, but I trust you to train Rabbitpaw well. Mistpaw, your mentor shall be Spidertail. Spidertail, you also have not had an apprentice yet, but Firepelt mentored you well and I expect you to teach all that you learned from him to Mistpaw." Adderstar flicked his tial. "And Flamepaw."
Flamepaw puffed his chest out, meeting Adderstar's gaze. Who would his mentor be?
"I will mentor you myself. I see potential in you, and I do the Clan no good by sitting around all day." Adderstar nodded and Flamepaw froze with shock. Adderstar was mentoring him? The Clan Leader? Flamepaw wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, but it hadn't been this! He stepped up to Adderstar and they touched noses. "I..I'm not sure how to feel about this." Flamepaw admitted.
"That's alright." Adderstar purred. "You should go select your nest, and tomorrow I'll show you the territory."
Flamepaw nodded and dashed off towards the apprentice's den. He purred as he found a den near the entrance of the den. The sun was just starting to set, and Flamepaw definitely wanted to rest up. Tomorrow, he'd get to go out of camp for the first time! Excitement fueled him and he curled up, closing his eyes.
++++
When Flamepaw woke up, he felt wet sand underneath his paws. He blinked, confused. He saw water stretching out in front of him, as far as he could see. Curious, he stepped into the water until he was up to his shoulders. He'd swam in the small pool in camp before, this couldn't be that hard? Then, he felt the water get warmer. He looked down again and saw, to his shock and horror, that the water had turned red and smelled acrid. Blood! Flamepaw struggled to move, but he was dragged under. The acrid tang filled his lungs and he heard a deep rumble. He saw brightness cloud his vision and suddenly, the blood was gone. All was just thick plumes of gray clouds blotting out the sun. Bright, flickering things surrounded him. Fire! It smelled hot and terrible. It smelled so, so real...
++++
Flamepaw's eyes opened and he gasped with a start. It had been a dream?
That was when he smelled it.
Flamepaw let out a screech. "Fire! Fire!" He dashed out of the den and glanced around, but it was in the apprentice's den. His siblings rushed out and the Clan slowly got to their paws. The fire was quickly spreading to the rest of the camp and the territory.
"Go, go!" Adderstar yowled. "Run!"
Flamepaw followed Firepelt, Adderstar, and Beetail, who were at the front. He felt smoek fill his lungs and paused for a moment to cough, only to be shoved forwards by Foxrose. "Go!" She shouted. "The fire isn't going to wait for you!"
Flamepaw coughed again. "I can't breathe!"
A loud crack filled the air and Foxrose screeched, leaping at him. There was a loud groaning noise and a tree crashed down where Flamepaw had just been. Flamepaw stared at Foxrose in shock.
"What did I just say?!" Foxrose grabbed Flamepaw by the scruff and kept running. Flamepaw finally got a good chance to see what happened to the camp. His heart sank. The entire camp was in ruins, and the territory was still ablaze. Storm clouds gathered over the sky, but Flamepaw had a feeling that even when the rain did come, the territory couldn't be saved.