Hey friends, how you doing? I'm doing good, yeah I was just on vacation to my family's lake house. We did a lot of tubing and I think I might get my boating license next year, but now I'm back and guess what?

Caught in Flames is finally here!

My God, I have been waiting for this for so long. Shaded Fate is still my main priority, but once that is finished, I'll be working on this story likes its nobody's business!

Nightstorm: Thanks for joining us. Hope you enjoy the sequel to Trapped in Ice

Prologue

He knew that the seasons never changed where he was; he knew that the grass was always green, the forest was always dense, and the air was always refreshingly warm. But there was always something about the greenleaf, that made even these ranks seem prettier than normal. No one else seemed to see it, but he did, and he was glad that he got to see something better in something that was always beautiful.

So he walked, admiring this landscape that has been his home for many seasons. Some said that where he lived, it was perfect. It was never cold, there newer no more rivalries, and it always sparkled with a bright silver light, light that represented hope. But they were wrong, it wasn't perfect. It all looked the same, and nothing really ever seemed to change.

Even so, he walked. He'd seen this forests thousands of times before, and he would continue to gaze at it's beauty. His paw steps were growing lighter by the sunrise, his amber eyes, dimmer with each moment. He didn't have much time left where he was, and eventually, he would be gone, lost in the air, not even big enough to be a memory.

He'd served his though. He called the many names of Clan leaders, though he never gave a life. He watched as every new warrior was made, though he was never one himself. He feared the fall of the Clans and rejoiced as they rose again from the ashes. He watched the ones that had cared for him.

He was happy, nothing could touch him, and nothing could harm him.

So he walked, admiring this landscape that his been his home for many seasons.

The sound of his paw steps echoed only in his own ears. He was paying attention to the steady rhythm of his walking and the way the dewy leaves of the towering, vibrant trees glimmered. He would know if something was off, if there was a fault in the forest that signaled a new era, or possibly a new danger. After all, the ranks never seemed different.

Except for today.

He stopped, the beat of his steps abruptly halting. No one usually came out this far into the forest, but the dark figure sitting at the corner of his eye told him otherwise. He looked towards the cat, a gray and white tom, back facing him, tail-tip twitching against the grass. He sighed, because he knew what it was all about.

"Hailblaze," he said, not even earning himself an ear-flick. "Don't tell me..."

He trailed off, knowing that it was probably useless. This cat had only spoken a few times in several moons, and when he did, he always was the one to end the conversation.

To his surprise, the gray and white cat spoke. "I had failed, Shadewhisker."

He straightened his legs, stiffening slightly. "And it has haunted you for all of this time? We're fading, Hailblaze. It's been seasons since it all happened."

"Every cat has a destiny," Hailblaze said, hostility grasping his voice tightly. "And I failed to fulfill mine."

"Hailblaze-"

"You don't know how it feels," he snarled, whipping around. "All you lived for was to be a messenger. It was me who had to do everything else!" Shadewhisker tried to speak, but Hailblaze wouldn't allow it. "Your life was about telling me a stupid prophecy that I had to stop from coming true. Your destiny was easy. I failed!"

Shadewhisker blinked, not breaking the stare that Hailblaze threw at him. "There," he began calmly, "Is nothing we can do. It doesn't even matter now anyway. All of this has faded from memory of every cat still alive."

"I spent most of my life and all of my after-life feeling responsible for all of the cats that had died," Hailblaze growled, not backing down. "Her life was not worth all of theirs." He paused, pain flooding his green eyes, "But it feels like it to me."

"You stopped her in the end. Many more lives could have been lost."

"Are you kidding?" Hailblaze raged. "No cat should have died in the first place! And because I didn't work hard enough to help her, to stop her pain, she did the one thing I feared she would. Not only did she take lives, but she damaged her own."

Shadewhisker closed his eyes and shook his head. "Those lives have no effect on what we should be seeing now. The Clans have been at peace for a couple generations already. Bluestar and Yellowfang are certain that the tranquility won't last for long. Meanwhile, you're stuck on the past, acting as if your actions have destroyed the world!"

Hailblaze snapped the air in front of Shadewhisker's nose. "Are you hinting that I am being selfish over here?"

"You're spending precious time feeling sorry for yourself that could be used to look for danger. Yes! You are being selfish!"

"She was a daughter to me," hissed Hailblaze quietly. "You would never understand."

Shadewhisker watched with a straight face as Hailblaze turned away and sat abruptly, claws unsheathing into the grass. The gray and white tom seemed to have gotten even harder on himself as time went on, and he was disappointed to begin with.

"Hailblaze," murmured Shadewhisker, voice gentle. "I was your mentor, and it was I who made you wary of the prophecy before StarClan ever did. It was not me who had any idea what pain it would bring to you, though." When Hailblaze flicked his ear, he continued. "You, being my apprentice, were as much as a son to me as she was a daughter to you. Do not doubt that I watched you from StarClan, and tried my hardest to guide you through those difficult times."

"That's fox dung," Hailblaze spat. "I never felt you, or anyone else there with me. No matter much you tried to reach me, if you tried at all, I was alone."

"Has this prophecy caused you to lose faith Hailblaze?" Shadewhisker asked, almost feeling hurt at the gray and white tom's words.

Hailblaze gazed at Shadewhisker with wide, green eyes. The look in his expression softened, and his voice grew quiet and flat. "You live for your destiny, whether you choose it or not. After I lost my family, and after I lost you, that destiny was all I had left." He sighed, eyes falling to his unsheathed claws. "How do you think it feels to fail StarClan just as much as you fail yourself?"

Shadewhisker blinked, speechless. Hailblaze sat back, watching with a blank expression as he processed his words. "What," he asked gently, "Do you want to do about this? What can you do about this?"

"Shadewhisker," Hailblaze began gingerly, "I have been thinking over this solution many times. I promised that I would make this happen. I keep my promises." He sighed. "I want to give them a second chance."

Them, Shadewhisker thought. Aloud, he said, "Frozenleaf and Lionfire?"

Hailblaze nodded his head slowly. "I have to. It is a second chance for them, and a second chance for me. Think about it; all of that pain and sorrow, gone. Everything will be better off this way."

Shadewhisker stared at his former apprentice, his eyes wide with surprise and disbelief at what he had said. "This is...huge. Can it be done?"

"It has been done before. Reincarnations have lived among the Clans in previous generations, why not now?" When Shadewhisker didn't shake his skeptical look, Hailblze pushed further. "Cinderpelt was given a second chance to be a warrior. The Three were reborn from their previous ancient forms...Come on, Shadewhisker. This way all of the pain that hung in the past can finally be spared. You have to help me."

Shadewhisker sighed. He felt his duty still rested in the fate of the Clans, though his time was passing quickly. Also, it as inevitable that the Clans would find themselves in danger again, and would need the strength of StarClan to fight their way through it, strength that he and Hailblaze would be using to do something that felt wrong, that felt forbidden. He was going to be interfering with the balance of the present to fix something that had been done in the past.

But he could only imagine what it would mean to them.

"Hailblaze," he said. The gray and white StarClan warrior gazed up hopefully, "I will help you, but for your sake, I hope it is all worth it."

Allegiances

ThunderClan

Leader: Fernstar- brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Deputy: Whitebelly- black tom with a white chest and underbelly

Medicine Cat: Ambereyes- dark gray she-cat (Apprentice- Toadleap)

Warriors:

Dewfire- gray tom with amber eyes

Snowfoot- white tom

Leopardpelt- golden tabby she-cat

Lightningheart- pale gray tom with blue eyes ( Apprentice: Stripepaw)

Wildclaw- long-legged brown tom with white markings ( Apprentice: Leafpaw)

Shimmergaze- light tabby she-cat with green eyes

Rosewater- tortoiseshell she-cat

Fuzzytail- gray tabby tom with a white tail and paws ( Apprentice: Emberpaw)

Daisyblossom- white and golden she-cat with amber eyes

Shrewclaw- golden-brown tabby tom

Redtooth- dark ginger tom with green eyes

Grassfall- dark brown tabby tom

Lightfeather- pale gray tabby she-cat with white splotches (Apprentice: Streakpaw)

Eagleheart- brown and white tom

Tangleclaw- mottled white tom

Bloomspirit- beautiful dark gray she-cat with lively amber eyes

Ashwind- huge gray tom with blue eyes

Apprentices:

Toadleap- pale brown tabby tom

Stripepaw- large white tom with black stripes

Emberpaw- black and white tom with amber eyes

Leafpaw: green-eyed gray she-cat

Streakpaw- silver she-cat with faint, darker gray stripes

Queens:

Morninglight- reddish tabby she-cat with yellow eyes (mother to Tigerkit and Firekit)

Willowcloud- white she-cat with blue eyes (mother to Rowankit, Mintkit and Talonkit)

Blossompetal- ginger she-cat

Kits:

Tigerkit- flame-colored tabby tom with yellow eyes

Firekit- flame-colored she-cat with green eyes

Rowankit- golden-brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Mintkit- pale gray and white she-cat

Talonkit- dark brown tom with white paws and muzzle

Elders:

Lilydapple- brown tabby she-cat

Moleclaw- tabby tom

ShadowClan

Leader: Lichenstar- dark brown tom with blue eyes

Deputy: Grayflame- silvery tabby tom

Medicine Cat: Rainshine- pale gray she-cat

Warriors:

Mosstail- tortoiseshell she-cat with a tawny colored tail

Pineheart- dark brown tabby tom

Jaggedclaw- gray and black tom with blue eyes

Tallstem- silvery-gray she-cat

WindClan

Leader: Rootstar- large light brown tabby tom

Deputy: Heatherheart- gray she-cat with amber eyes

Medicine Cat: Branchwhisker- dark brown tabby tom with green eyes

Warriors:

Smallcloud- white she-cat with black spots

Darkfoot- brown tabby tom with black paws

Flamewhisker- bright ginger tom

Adderfern- pale ginger tabby tom with amber eyes

RiverClan

Leader: Rushstar- elderly light brown tabby tom

Deputy: Hollyberry- dark gray she-cat

Medicine Cat: Foxtail- ginger tom with a white tail tip

Warriors:

Grayfish- sleek silver tom

Lightstep- small pale gray she-cat with blue eyes

Whitejaw- dark gray tabby tom with a white muzzle

Clearwater- white she-cat with one blind eye

I know the prologue was oddly similar to the prologue in Trapped in Ice...but OMSC AREN'T YOU GUYS EXCITED! Leave me a review! I know you guys loved Trapped in Ice, but I don't want to get greedy. Maybe 5 to 7 reviews?

Nightstorm: Just keep in mind that Shaded Fate is still our main priority, but be on the look out for new chapters for this story too!

~Destiny (and Nightstorm)