- Once, the clan formerly known as Roseclan thrived and prospered in the forest they called home. They were a large clan, full of strong cats from the oldest elder town to the tiniest kit. The cats had lived in their home beside the lake for many generations, working side by side to ensure all cats lived a long and fruitful life. They were happy; and really, why shouldn't they have been? In their little slice of paradise, far away from civilization, they only had to face the occasional rogue, badger or fox and their clan was so strong, they easily eradicated these threats. Everything was perfect... until the twolegs arrived. At first, the cats were more curious than alarmed. They had never seen twolegs before and the stories containing them had long since died out and been forgotten. To them, they were loud and furless but mostly non-dangerous creatures. Some of them chased the cats but they were slow and clumsy and it became almost like a game to the cats, seeing who could outsmart the twolegs in the most creative ways. But Heatherstar, Roseclan's leader at the time, worried. She didn't like having the twolegs in their territory and tried to warn her clanmates away from the area they had taken up residence in, but no cat listened to her. Abandoning that part of the forest, even temporarily, wasn't an option, they insisted. They had too many cats to feed to abandon part of their territory and the twolegs were too slow and stupid to catch them anyways.
Heatherstar reluctantly agreed under orders that the clan be extremely careful when faced with the twolegs. Several moons passed and Greenleaf began to give way to Leaf-Fall. The leaves began to change and fall, but the rains had yet to come and so the valley was extremely dry and brittle. The twolegs had come and gone, new ones taking their place all summer. But their numbers had finally dwindled and it looked like they wouldn't be coming back again much to Heatherstar's relief. But before she could fully relax, the fire started. A twolegs forgot to fully put out their fire and one little spark was all it took to create a raging wildfire. The fire raced through the valley, hot and fast, and before any cat could really react it was upon them. Heatherstar tried to send her clanmates away from the camp, but they refused to leave her in her time of need because, you see, she was in the midst of kitting. It was agreed that a small patrol consisting of mostly apprentices and a few warriors, would flee the camp and wait down by the lake for the others. But the vast majority of the others never made it. While Heatherstar was kitting, the fire quickly surrounded the camp, leaving only one exit relatively safe. It was decided that the medicine cat apprentice, a young queen who had recently lost her own kits, and Heatherstar's only surviving kit would escape the encroaching flames. When they made it out, the flames swallowed up the camp and the three cats began to make their way to the lake, hoping against hope that their comrades had made it there alive. And this is where our story begins.
