Too Small for These Boots [WC Fic]

[Loinfire]

Too Small for These Boots
A Warrior Cats Fanfiction

I - My Dying Fairytail

It was the middle of LeafBare and the air outside was bitterly cold, the wind howled through the trees and the droplets of rain that GreenLeaf had so sorely missed pounded ferociously against the window.

However on the other side of the glass a lithe she-cat found herself curled up comfortably on the hearth, her tail curled delicately around her body, her head resting gently on her paws, as the heat of the fire caressed her skin. Every so often a reverberating snore would penetrate the evening’s stillness and the she-cat would gaze fondly in the direction of her two-leg.

It was the faint pangs of hunger that caused the young tabby to finally pull herself away from the warmth of the fire. Still half-asleep she stumbled inelegantly down the steps in a manner that would have caused her younger brother Raven to tease her with unrestrained glee.

By the time her paws brought her towards her bowl of food her warm sleepiness had faded and she shivered in the cold of the feeding area. No longer half-asleep she ate her food with her usual daintiness, thinking, as she did so, of Raven and his endless stories about eating real prey and how amazing the taste of shrew was against ones tongue. In her honest opinion Boots found nothing wrong with the food her two-leg gave her, Raven would put this down to her having never eaten real prey before but Boots didn’t see the point. After all, she couldn’t really be sure what horrors lay behind the fence of her territory where Raven claimed prey ran freely. Why risk her life for greener grass when her grass was green enough?

Despite the sibling rivalry and teasing her brother was somebody she truly admired, Raven was the founder of the Kittypet Council and although Raven could now be considered more of a loner then a Kittypet there wasn’t a single Kittypet within Two-leg Place who didn’t follow his advice or obey his guidance.

There was an instance a few moons back when two toms began a dispute over territory and boundaries but Raven quickly put an end to it, diplomatically sharing the territory equally between them after listening to both ends of the story.

And the kits! Some kits were found abandoned and Raven had gone from two-leg dwelling to two-leg dwelling looking for a she-cat who would raise them as her own.

She admired his bravery, courage and dedication but she secretly loved the way he would take time out from his duties to talk to her, listen to her worries and insignificant struggles. Even though she was just a stuffy young housecat who’s only worry was whether or not her two-leg would remember to give her the tuna-flavoured food, it was, after all, her favourite.

Lost in happy thoughts of their kithood together Boots didn’t notice anything was wrong until she entered the tunnel that led to the stairs. Only then could she see them.

The flames she’d observed so happily earlier had escaped from their prison inside the fireplace, now they were lapping at the ground, greedily swallowing the walls and stretching along the ceiling. Thick, black smoke smothered the air, strangling her lungs. The pungent smell of smoke and burning wood filled the night air causing the young she-cat to stumble forwards nauseously. Her eyes burned from the noxious fumes and she desperately strained them in search for a patch which would allow her access to her two-leg.

But there was none.

With a surge of anguish, she dashed towards the cat flap as quickly as her legs would allow, several times she tripped over her own paws and had to right herself. Twisting her head she gazed in horror at her two-leg dwelling which was being viciously devoured by flames.

“Boots! BOOTS!” She heard a familiar voice mew desperately. As if a Monster was chasing him Raven dashed through the fence and came to a stop before her, panting from the exertion. “Ronald saw the flames and I-” He paused, as if the words had caught in his throat, choking him with the possibilities his mind had conjured.

The rain hammered from the clouds with newfound ferocity, drumming into her skull, soaking her fur and causing her to shiver even more under the force of the howling wind.

“I’m fine.” The she-cat reassured him, trying desperately to keep her voice from shaking, she knew she couldn’t go back for her two-leg, there was no way she could have made it up those stairs and it felt like the flames were consuming her heart as well as her home.

Raven seemed to sense her pain because he moved alongside her, gently head-butting her head with his own. “There’s nothing you can do.” He explained quietly, nudging her away from the area. The water clung to his long fur even more than it did to hers and he stopped every now and then to shake his fur in a dog-like fashion.

Boots did no such thing, she allowed the water to seep through her fur, piercing at her skin. She followed him blindly in a daze, her mind still fixated on the fading memory of burning wood. It was only as she realised where they were going that she stopped and shook herself from her stupor.

“I’m not going with you.” She explained simply, tightening her haunches and staring into the darkness wearily.

The tom turned to face her, his ears were held tightly to his head and he was staring across at her in disapproval. “The Council Camp is the only place you can go right now!” He hissed, fury edging his voice.

At that very second a bolt of lightning streaked through the sky, highlighting every inch of her pained face. She paused for a few second. Her body wrought with fear, fear of death behind her and fear of the unknown before her; she just had to choose which she’d rather face. There was no time to be a coward.

“You told me that I needed to live a little. You said that I should go freely beyond that fence.” She levelled her gaze with him, pulling herself to her full height, for a she-cat she was quite large, thicker set then her skinny half-wild brother. “You said I should stop being such a coward.” Here she paused, stepping closer to him and giving him a fond lick. “This is my chance. Goodbye, Raven.”

She turned on her paws, refusing to look back, knowing that this rare moment of courage would soon fade. She didn’t want to think about the future, the dreaded possibilities that she imagined in her nightmares. For once she would be strong; for once she wouldn’t rely purely on others.

Her paws ached, it seemed like she’d been running forever, she had no idea where she was, and at some point she’d entered what seemed like a forest. Trees stretched into the sky as if desperately trying to reach the stars and the bitter wind wailed angrily, tugging and pulling at her tangled fur.

The realisation that she was lost struck her harder than any claws could, she knew that she couldn’t turn back; it would only cause her to get even more confused. She had no choice but to go forward, there was no time for cowardice. Tonight, she would be brave.

LeafBare had caused the trees to shed their leaves and so the absence of their usual canopy did very little to shelter her from the never ending rain.

Still dripping and shivering she eventually found shelter beneath a juniper bush, curling her tail around herself and resting her head once more upon her paws, she wished that she could be back on the hearth but she knew that could never be. Some creature howled in the distance and Boot closed her eyes, wondering why her fairytale had ended.

The tabby had not long fell asleep when the morning sun began to rise and her soft breathing filled the clearing she was in.

Boots’ eyes snapped open suddenly as a firm weight landed solidly on her shoulder causing pain to explode in the tender muscles, which she’d exhausted from running in the night. Unsheathing her claws, pinning her ears back, arching her back and tottering around with as much experience in fighting as a rabbit only caused her new ‘companion’ to laugh at her heartily.

The vicious creature that had chosen to interrupt her precious sleep was a tom with a bushy fox-like tail; his still slightly blue eyes gave away his youthfulness as did the playful manner he showed when batting her with his paw despite her obvious hissing.

“I’m Foxpaw! What’s your name?” He asked eagerly, flicking his tail from side to side and tilting his head as if the new angle would somehow help him identify her.

The she-cat stared at him in confused shock. “Boots.” She muttered eventually, eyeing the young cat carefully. Foxpaw seemed to be distracted by a nearby puddle and Boots couldn’t even be sure he’d heard her.

“You’re trespassing on our territory.” Foxpaw informed her sedately. “But I’m only a new apprentice so I’m not allowed to fight any battles yet.” The russet-coloured tom sighed in disappointment.