Fire (TR)

"Thunder stayed by Jackdaw's Cry's side as he pelted forward and plunged into the flames, squeezing his eyes tight shut. Heat flashed around him for a heartbeat; then he was through, almost stumbling over Moon Shadow, who was crouching on the last untouched piece of ground, whimpering as sparks showered down onto his fur."

— Thunder and Jackdaw's Cry leaping through the flames to save Moon Shadow in Thunder Rising, pages 137-138

The great fire
General information
Book	Thunder Rising, Riverstar's Home
Timeframe	Newleaf
Place	The forest territories
Outcome	The forest is devastated by a fire Clear Sky's group stays with Tall Shadow's group Gray Wing succeeds Tall Shadow as leader Gray Wing develops asthma Thunder joins his father's group
Participants
Key characters	Clear Sky, Thunder, Gray Wing
Affiliations involved	Clear Sky's camp Tall Shadow's camp
Chronology
Preceded by:	Journey to the forest territories
Followed by:	The Great Battle

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

"Things aren't quite as happy as they appear. True, the cats are well fed and care for, but things have changed. It's many moons since we've laid eyes on Clear Sky, but when we've met his cats, they've made it quite clear that the forest is theirs now. They talk about cats trespassing and if any of us sets paw under the trees, they chase us off."

―Tall Shadow to Turtle Tail ^{Thunder Rising, page 28}

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

«This is all wrong. The fire should have brought us together, but it seems as if nothing has changed. We risked our lives to help them, and this is how they repay us.»

—Gray Wing about the two groups in the hollow ^{Thunder Rising, page 158}

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

«If my brother is behind that wall of fire, I will save him.»

—Gray Wing ^{Thunder Rising, page 129}

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

"Get yourself wet like this. Then we're going through the fire to fetch Moon Shadow."

―Jackdaw's Cry to Thunder ^{Thunder Rising, page 136}

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

River Ripple: "You think that Clear Sky can't look after himself and his cats?"

Gray Wing: "Well...he can. Clear Sky's excellent at surviving."

^{Thunder Rising, page 142}

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

• Tall Shadow's group
  • Gray Wing
  • Thunder
  • Tall Shadow
  • Rainswept Flower
  • Cloud Spots
  • Dappled Pelt
• River Ripple

Deaths

• Moon Shadow

Aftermath

"Can't you see why I have to do this? The other cats don't want me as leader any longer. Even Wind thought it was okay to take over when Bumble wanted to join us. Where was I when it came to true leadership during the fire? Cowering behind the flames. If it wasn't for Thunder and Jackdaw's Cry, I would be dead."

―Tall Shadow to Gray Wing about taking up leadership ^{Thunder Rising, page 158}

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

«My brother is in there somewhere...I'll do everything I can to find him. [...] I didn't come with him out of the mountains to see him die in a forest fire!»

—Gray Wing ^{Thunder Rising, page 127}

Gray Wing is determined to save his brother from the blaze

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

"Not every cat would find it in him to jump over fire. Most of them would panic until it was too late."

―River Ripple about Thunder ^{Thunder Rising, pages 140-141}

Thunder demonstrated his leadership skills during the fire

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

"Your leader is struggling. Your spirit is strong, and now you need to be strong for every cat. First we need to get you all to safety. Then we can think about helping Clear Sky and his group—if they need helping."

―River Ripple to Gray Wing ^{Thunder Rising, pages 142-143}

River Ripple is a loner living near the river who helps the cats escape the fire through the river

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

"Don't you see, young one? I wanted to see if you could survive without me. You did. So now is the time for us to grow together. I did all that for you."

―Clear Sky asking his son to join him ^{Thunder Rising, page 166}

Clear Sky manages to lead his group out of the fire to safety

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

«These cats wanted me to be their leader—and I couldn't get them out of the fire. Instead I was the cat who led them into danger! Thunder saved my life.»

—Gray Wing about Thunder ^{Thunder Rising, page 140}

«Have I been really stupid? Have I been utterly reckless, leading my denmates toward the fire in the first place? Have we risked out lives for nothing?»

—Gray Wing ^{Thunder Rising, page 142}

Gray Wing: "This cat saved my life. If it wasn't for your son, neither of us would be alive now. Would you like to thank him?"

Clear Sky: "You're a brave young cat. But try to keep away from fires in [the] future!"

^{Thunder Rising, page 147}

"I heard about how you took the lead in the forest fire. The way you showed the other cats how to leap over the flames. You should be proud."

―Clear Sky praising his son ^{Thunder Rising, page 160}

See also

• Thunder Rising
• Thunder Rising Cliffnotes