The humans were packing up for the camping trip, pillows, snacks, and spare clothing being thrown into the trunk of the human-ride. Fire waited impatiently to take off. He couldn't wait to go back to the pine forest and prove to every cat that he couldn't be beaten by a few clumsy humans. Surly Storm will name me leader then, or at least give me a young-one to train... A young-one was a cat that was newly out of kittenhood, but not yet a full-fledged cat. A young-one would be trained by a full fledged cat in hunting, fighting, and manners.

"Fire!" That was Petal. He rushed over to her.

"What?" Fire asked, "What is it?" Petal was beaming from ear to ear.

"It's time!"

Fire knew what that meant. He jumped into the back of the human-ride. I've waited long enough to come home. Fire thought. Aloud he said, "I just can't wait!" Petal smiled. It wasn't just one of those excited, 'I'm going to be free smiles' or a fake 'I don't really think so' smile. It was a smile filled with admiration and love.

As the human-ride took off, Fire didn't think about all the complicated things, like how he was going to explain Petal to his pine forest tribe. Or how they were going to get away from the humans in the first place. All that was in Fire's mind was how good Petal's body felt against his.

********************

"Help! Healers!" Cloud tried his best to sound like he had just stumbled upon Storm's limp body. He felt cold dread wash over him as he heard the healer cats approach. Heart, the full fledged healer, came in first, followed closely by Wind, her young-one.

"Is this a test?" Wind asked Heart, twitching nervously. "I don't know if I have the right skills yet..."

"No!" Cloud exclaimed. "It's Storm! Help him!"

The healer cats rushed over to Storm's corpse. They frantically rushed around him, searching for any signs of life. What am I going to do if they find out I did it? Cloud wondered. But he wasn't afraid. Even if they did find out, Cloud could fight off a couple of healer cats.

"Cloud," Heart asked in a worried tone, "when did you find him like this?" Her grey eyes were filled with fear.

"I was coming to tell him about the incoming snowstorm, but his shelter was all bloody," Cloud gestured to the trail of blood that led to Storm's corpse. "so I followed the trail of blood and found my brother at the end of it." He willed his eyes to moisten. "I don't know what happened to him!" Please let her believe me! He prayed silently.

Heart's tail drooped. "I guess that's what I'll have to tell the tribe, then." She sighed. "Wind, my boy, we must prepare our leader for burial." As they padded away, Wind turned back.

"I hope you get over having lost your brother." He said solemnly. "As all lives are short, especially that of ours, his went into the highest ranks of bravery in his frame of time." Cloud sighed.

"For a young-one, you speak very wisely." He said, surprised. Wind smiled.

"It's what I do." He murmured. "Oh, and by the way," he added, "be ready for the casting of the line." and he hurried after Heart.

"I'm ready, all right." Cloud muttered. His smile stretched to the ends of the Earth.

********************

The human-ride arrived at it's camping spot a little before sunhigh. Fire leaped out of it's opening, relief evident in his eyes.

"It smells worse in there than in the human-shelter!" Fire muttered irritatedly. Petal purred with laughter.

"Alright," She said gleefully, "When do we escape?" She had a hungry gleam in her yellow eyes. "I'll travel anywhere with you, Fire, because I know you'll keep me safe.

Is it that, or something else? Fire wondered. She says 'because I know you'll keep me safe'. But... maybe she admires me? Fire had never thought about it that way before. As a friend. Fire reasoned, She admires me as a friend. Or a traveling companion. There was nothing more she could be. A friend.

"Oh, we will have to leave a little before sundown if we wish to get there by dawn." Fire said, uncaringly.

"But don't you wish to be back in your tribe?" Petal asked innocently.

"Oh, of course," Fire reasoned, "but sundown is when the humans begin to lay down for sleep, right?" Petal nodded. "You must realize, Petal, with the humans asleep, they can't chase us and catch us. They might search for us a while in part of the oak forest, but they'd never think of us going to the pines."

"Then we'd better get our sleep right now," Petal realized, "Or else we'll be too tired to make the long run to the pine forest. When will we know when to wake up, and when to go?"

"Well," Fire reasoned, "The humans will wake us up for dinner by the fire. After dinner it will begin to get dark, and after the humans get in the tent, we'll make a run for it."

Petal nodded to show that she understood, then curled into a ball and went to sleep. Fire pressed against her, Sharing the warmth of his thick fur in the bitter cold. I can't wait to sleep with Dove like this again. He thought, before slipping into unconsciousness.