Okay, this is my first fanfic, so don't be so hard on me. Enjoy! (and please review!)

Cinderpelt's Real Story

I stared at Fireheart as he walked over to the fresh-kill pile with Sandstorm. His bright Green-leaf colored eyes, his fiery pelt, and his warm, encouraging voice….wait, what am I thinking again? A medicine cat can't fall in love. All the same exact thoughts that have been in all love-struck medicine cats' minds have been reeling through my mind for the past few moons. I tell myself to stop and focus on helping Speckletail, but Fireheart and that near-squabble with Sandstorm kept drifting back into my tired mind for the rest of the day.

I slowly opened my eyes as the morning sun rose above the trees. Another sleepless night was brought upon me by my constant worries. I thought so much about Speckletail and my feelings for Fireheart that I hadn't given Bluestar any thought. I'll go bring her some poppy seeds, she must be tired from the gathering. I picked up the last poppy head and shook it, but no little black seeds tumbled out this time. I had given all the poppy seeds to Speckletail. I scanned the rest of my stores and realized I was short on horsetail too. I guess a short trek through the territory could clear my mind and replenish the herb store.

No other cat approached me as I padded out into the clearing. The ThunderClan camp is so quiet today. Thornpaw mewed a muffled greeting to me while passing through the thorn tunnel, his jaws full of fresh moss for bedding. The elders will be comfortable tonight.

The forest was just as quiet as camp, but the sky was cloudless and a slight breeze tickled the fur on my back. New-leaf baby ferns were sprouting up around the ancient budding trees. Early-blooming daisies swished through the air and everything was shining in the sun's rays.

Sometimes I forget how beautiful the forest is, it seems like I am always cooped up in my den worrying about sick cats. Moving along the lush forest floor towards the Shadowclan border to look for the poppies and the horsetail, my mind wandered back to Fireheart.

Does he feel the same way about me? I doubt it. I barely let my feelings show because I shouldn't have any. I'm sure Fireheart doesn't let his feelings show because he doesn't have any. He always approaches me like I'm an old, wise cat or like I'm his little sister. Sometimes I feel like I'm going to fall apart in his presence because he thinks I know the answer to everything, and I care about him so much.

As I finally got to the border, I stared at the dark, sticky thunderpath, and shivered in fear. Would I feel the same way about Fireheart if he had mentored me through my whole apprenticeship? What if the accident had never happened?

I shivered again, thinking of how close I had come to death that day. But Yellowfang saved me using her healing skills. Why did she have to die? I glanced at the trees surrounding me expecting to see them covered in thick layers of ash like they were once before, though the forest had finally recovered from the disaster that had claimed my mentor's life.

The fire that swept through our territory seemed to have broken all the ThunderClan cats' hearts, and made Bluestar even more fragile than she had been before.

Ever since Tigerclaw's invasion of camp with Brokentail and the rouges, she has never been the same. She grows weaker each passing day in fear of being betrayed by one of her warriors again. She is a shell of her former self, making wrong accusations, never leaving her den, and worst of all, declaring war on StarClan.

At first I thought she would recover and become the old Bluestar again, but now only StarClan knows what will happen next.

I bent down and bit off a few poppy heads and some horsetail leaves. After I picked up the herbs, my trot back to camp began, and my mind drifted away once more.

Don't think about Fireheart, I told myself. StarClan has your destiny laid out and he is part of it only as a friend.

I arrived back at camp to see Fireheart over by the fresh-kill pile. I told myself the same thing I had thought earlier. Follow your destiny.

And then the familiar tingling sensation that wove through my fur whenever he was near never came.

Follow your destiny…