This is not a completed story.

I just wanted to get that out there as soon as possible. I wrote this story perhaps a year and a half ago, and eventually dropped it in favor of Step One: Survival, which I was a bit more partial to and though would be more popular. Currently, I have a bit more than 21,000 words written, along with 5ish chapters and a prologue. Really, I just consider it more of a character study now. I do not plan on finishing it, but if someone else wants to, just PM me.

I plan to upload a chapter every week or so. I really liked this story, and when a challenge popped up on LightningClan that fit this story pretty well, I thought, "What the heck. I'll post it."

So here you go. I hope you like Heart of Fire.

Prologue Allegiances(Thunderclan only):

Leader: Bramblestar—dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Deputy: Squirrelflight—dark ginger she-cat with green eyes

Medicine Cat(s): Jayfeather—gray tabby tom with blind blue eyes

Leafpool—light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Warriors:

Graystripe—long-haired gray tom

Brackenfur—golden brown tabby tom

Brightheart—white she-cat with ginger patches

Spiderleg—long-limbed black tom with a brown underbelly and amber eyes. Apprentice, Ashenpaw

Birchfall—light brown tabby tom

Berrynose—cream-colored tom

Ivypool—silver-and-white tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes. Apprentice, Owlpaw

Lionblaze—golden tabby tom with amber eyes

Dovewing—pale gray she-cat with blue eyes

Rosepetal—dark cream she-cat

Blossomfall—tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat

Amberlight—pale ginger she-cat

Lilyheart—tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat. Apprentice, Tallpaw

Apprentices:

Ashenpaw— Pale gray she-cat with a white tail-tip

Owlpaw—calico tom

Tallpaw—light gray, almost white she-cat with an abnormally long tail

Prologue:

Cold was the first thing Bramblestar felt when he woke up. It penetrated his skin, ruffling his fur until the Thunderclan leader forced himself to crack his eyes open.

The leaf-bare wind was cold and dry, forcing Bramblestar to fluff up his fur in a vain attempt to keep himself warm. Shaking himself, the leader of Thunderclan exited his nest and entered the gorge, preparing for yet another long day.

The sight that greeted him once the tabby tom entered the gorge was not a good one. The fresh-kill pile was almost non-existent, and the clearing was painfully empty. Only a couple cats were lounging in the camp, and even they were ragged and thin.

Dovewing, sitting next to Rosepetal as they conversed quietly over a pitifully thin mouse, rose her head in respect as he passed by them. Both had ribs showing, and each had a pained look in their eyes. Honestly, Bramblestar couldn't blame them; Rosepetal's brother, Mousewhisker, and Dovewing's mate, Bumblestripe, had both just recently died in the greencough outbreak that was ravaging the clan. Next to the two she-cats was one of Dovewing's three surviving kits, Ashenpaw, who was much too thin for a growing apprentice. Her mother had given the apprentice an entire vole—a rarity in these times—and the young apprentice was savagely digging into it. Bramblestar didn't blame her. Ashenpaw probably hadn't eaten so much in almost a moon.

Four seasons had passed since the clans had defeated the Dark Forest, and ever since, instead of getting better, the clans' situation had only gotten worse and worse. Immediately following the initial battle, a great famine had struck the land, leaving the already weak from battle clans crippled. A fire, started by twoleg kits (according to Riverclan) had started only a moon later, ripping across Riverclan and razing more than half of Shadowclan's territory before it had finally been stopped by rain and Twoleg monsters.

Afterwards, the clans had been given a brief respite from their trials, and had slowly begun to rebuild, but it was not to last. A family of foxes soon moved into Riverclan territory, and it had taken a combined effort from all four of the weakened clans to drive them out, but not before Mistystar, who had lost several lives prior to the attack, died killing the lead fox.

Now, in the onset of leafbare, a devastating bought of Greencough was travelling through the clans. No one really knew where it had started, but soon, it was ravaging all four of the clans. Already, Jayfeather and Leafpool's den was filled with sick cats, and everyone else was stretched to their limits trying to provide for them and their clanmates. Overall, though, Thunderclan was most likely the least hurt by the plague. They had no queens, and Purdy, who had starved to death during the famine, had left the elder's den empty, so at least there were no young or old to worry about.

But that relief also brought the onset of worry. There were only warriors and apprentices in the clan now, and Bramblestar worried for its future. None of his warriors seemed to be about to bear kits anytime soon, so there would no new apprentices for quite some time. The Thunderclan leader was well aware that kits were the future of his clan, but with no kits coming anytime soon, would that mean that Thunderclan would just die out?

Bramblestar shook the worries out his head. Dying clan or not, he was Thunderclan's leader and it was his job to run the camp. He nodded his head to Dovewing and Rosepetal, and padded over to the medicine den. Already, he could smell the scents of sickness coming from the den. Coming closer, he nearly bumped into Leafpool, who was exiting the small cave.

"Oh, Bramblestar!" the older of the two medicine cats hurriedly bowed her head in respect. "Excuse me, I didn't see you just now."

"It's fine," the Thunderclan leader responded, dipping his head as well, before looking into the medicine den. "How are your patients?"

"Not good," Leafpool sighed, scratching the ground with a paw. "Brackenfur is not as young as he used to be, and sickness has driven him close to death. Spiderleg is no better, and Briarlight passed in the night. I was just coming out to announce her death."

"She walks with Starclan now," Bramblestar replied, raising his muzzle to the sky, as if it could give them all the answers to their problems. "Have you received any signs from them?"

Leafpool's ear twitched. "Nothing clear," she answered. "But Jayfeather had a dream recently. If you need anything, ask him."

Bramblestar nodded, and the skinny she-cat continued onto where the two remaining senior warriors, Graystripe and Brightheart, were sitting. As there were no elders, the tradition of burying the dead fell to them. Personally, though, Bramblestar worried for his two eldest warriors. Graystripe should've retired to the elder's den moons ago, with Brightheart not far behind him. Still, though, the two oldest Thunderclan cats refused to give up their warrior status, and were extremely stubborn in their position. Bramblestar shook his head. Graystripe had never been the same after Sandstorm, Millie, and Bumblestripe had died, and the same could be said for Brightheart with Cloudtail and Whitewing. Both seemed determined to work themselves to death before they joined the elder's den.

As he watched, Leafpool stepped towards them, murmuring into their ears. Brightheart stiffened, and Graystripe let out a mournful yowl. Brambleclaw sighed. The gray tom only had his sole surviving kit, Blossomfall, now.

"I see Leafpool has informed Graystripe about Briarlight."

Bramblestar turned around to see Jayfeather, his pale blue eyes staring back at him. The blind medicine cat looked small and much more vulnerable than he had ever been before the battle against the Dark Forest. His whiskers drooped and his tail dragged almost lifelessly against the floor. The deaths of all his clanmates, Bramblestar knew, was taking its toll on the younger medicine cat.

"Yes," The tabby tom replied. "It's a tragedy, for sure. Graystripe has almost no one left. How is it affecting you?"

Jayfeather shook himself, revealing multiple ribs, before responding. "I should've expected it. Briarlight had been off and on for at least two seasons now. The greencough was only the last nail in the coffin. But," he sighed. "It still hurts."

"I know," Bramblestar murmured. Silence descended between him and his foster son.

After several heartbeats, Squirrelflight exited the warriors' den. She glanced around the camp before her eyes landed on her leader and mate, and bounded over to them, green eyes alight.

"Squirrelflight," Bramblestar acknowledged. "You are ready to send out today's patrols, I assume?"

"I already sent out a hunting patrol with Lionblaze," she reported. "They're off by the Windclan border to see if they can catch a stray rabbit or two."

Bramblestar nodded. "Was there a reason you came over here?" he asked, not unkindly.

"Yes," the Thunderclan deputy answered. "Have you seen Leafpool? I need to talk to her."

"She's coming over right now," the tabby tom remarked, looking over to the medicine cat in question. Squirrelflight nodded to the two and rushed over to her sister, hurriedly begging to converse with her.

"Well, something has Squirrelflight energetic today," Jayfeather commented, and Bramblestar nodded, making a mental note to ask her about it later.

"Anyways," he began, changing the subject. "Leafpool told me you had a dream last night. Care to tell me about it?"

Jayfeather's tail twitched. "I don't know," he replied, licking his chest. "It was odd, to say the least. I was in a clan camp, but it wasn't the Thunderclan camp or any of the other clans'; at least not the ones here. There were two cats conversing on top of a large rock. One of them was Bluestar, but she seemed a lot older than she is now, in Starclan. The other. . . was Spottedleaf."

"What?!" Bramblestar exclaimed, fur fluffing out. Everyone knew that the famous Thunderclan medicine cat had died during the battle against the Dark Forest. She had left Starclan, never to be seen again. "What did they tell you?" he pressed.

"Nothing," Jayfeather responded. "They didn't speak to me. Didn't even acknowledge my presence. I don't think that they could see me."

"What happened?" Bramblestar questioned.

"They were talking about normal clan politics, but it was worrying, like our situation right now," Jayfeather continued. "Something about being beaten in their own territory; things weren't very clear. But what they said next was. I think it was a prophecy."

Bramblestar's ears pricked up, and he motioned for the medicine cat to continue.

"Spottedleaf silenced for a moment, then uttered these words: Peace shall be but a memory, and Water and Fire shall rule the forest."

"Water and Fire…" Brambleclaw murmured. "The two extremes? Perhaps she was prophesying another calamity about to befall us?"

"Maybe," Jayfeather responded halfheartedly, before they heard a loud coughing start inside his den. "I certainly hope not. The prophecies were supposed to have ended after we defeated the Dark Forest. Excuse me, but one of my patients seems to have woken up."

"Thank you for telling me this," the leader of Thunderclan replied. "We can talk more about this dream later."

Jayfeather nodded, before ducking behind the lichen that covered his den to care for his patients.

Bramblestar shook his head and padded off to his den, about to go and see if he could organize a border patrol, when he heard something.

It was a crash. Not a crash of something falling, but a sound that was a lot harder to place. He looked around, but none of his clanmates had reacted. The Thunderclan leader blinked. Was he hearing things?

The crash came again, but this time, it was louder. Bramblestar's eyes widened, a memory tickling the back of his mind. He had heard those sounds once before—when he had made his trip to the sun-drown-place to find Midnight. The tabby tom opened his mouth, about to say something, but nothing came out. Instead, the flooding sensation of salt and water filled his mouth. Bramblestar coughed, desperate to breathe, but all he tasted was the salt water going down his throat, causing him to gag. His feet became have heavy as the leader desperately heaved for breath, but no air could be found, only liquid.

The camp around him began to darken around the edges as Bramblestar collapsed to the ground. Distantly, he heard the his clanmates rush towards him, and Squirrelflight and Leafpool shouting something, but it was soon overcome by an agonizing pressure in his lungs and the roar of water.

Finally, everything began to dull from lack of oxygen, and Bramblestar's last thought before blacking out was:

Well, this is certainly the weirdest way to die.

The salty sea air blew into Firestar's face, blowing his star-speckled fur behind him and chilling him to bone. He looked healthy, orange fur waving in the wind, but his face was quite the opposite, furrowed in uneasy thought.

The scene laid out before him was breathtaking. The sky was a pale, perfect blue, cotton ball clouds floating over the deep blue water. Firestar was crouched on top of a large cliff, a tail-length or two from the edge. Below him, saltwater waves crashed up into ridge, sending a salty spray into the former kittypet's fur.

Suddenly, the grass twitched, and the orange tom jumped up, surprised, to stare at the tall grass. After a moment, a lithe figure entered the scene. She looked strong and beautiful, with blue-gray fur and ice blue eyes.

"Mistystar!" Firestar exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same for you," the former Riverclan leader replied. "You've been gone all day now. Sandstorm's been sick with worry."

Firestar sighed, bowing his head and turning back to stare back at the ocean. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I needed time to think."

"About the clans again?"

"Yes. They worry me, Mistystar! Thunderclan grows weaker every passing day, and Riverclan is on the verge of collapse!"

The Riverclan Leader flinched, and Firestar immediately felt a wave of regret. He opened his mouth to apologize, but Mistystar held up her tail to stop him.

"You're right," she sighed, walking up to Firestar to sit next to him. "I worry, too." She looked out over the ocean, and her lips quirked to form the barest hint of a smile. "The view is beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yes," Firestar, sounding thankful for the change in subject. "It helps me sort out my thoughts. The older cats call this place the End of the World."

"End of the World…" Mistystar trailed off. "I think I like that. Seems appropriate."

Firestar nodded, agreeing. "It always gives me time to think," he replied. "I worry for the clans. The prophecy of three was supposed to be the end of our troubles, and though inter-clan fighting has finally stopped, things have only seemed to have gotten worse since it has been fulfilled."

The former Riverclan leader flicked an ear. "Well, there's not much you can do about it," she counseled. "You've already done so much for us." A tinge of amusement crept into her voice. "Try to let someone else take care of it for a change."

"Easy for you to say," Firestar muttered, not-so-subtly rolling his eyes. Mistystar cuffed him gently over the head.

"Come on," she turned to go back the way she came. "Sandstorm said that if you aren't back by sundown, she'll skin you alive."

The former Thunderclan leader laughed. "That sounds like Sandstorm, alright!" He remarked, ruffling his fur.

Suddenly, a particularly large wave from the ocean smashed into the cliff face. Firestar let a yowl of surprise, jumping up to his paws. Abruptly, the ground beneath his paws began to crumble into the sea below, and the former kittypet found himself scrambling for safe ground. However, nothing but air could be found and Firestar plummeted into the seawater below.

The last thing he glimpsed was Mistystar's shocked and fearful face before he crashed into the ocean. Saltwater flowed into his mouth and nose and the former Thunderclan leader instantly regretted never learning how to properly swim. The water drug down on his fur, increasing his weight and making harder for him to stay afloat as he sunk further and further from the surface. He desperately paddled with his paws, but nothing came of it.

He began to run out of air, and Firestar desperately tried to swim faster, but the water itself seemed to be pulling himself into its depths, whispering in his ear to just give up and to let the water take him away. He had a horrid flashback of Bluestar's death, so long ago. Was he destined to share her fate, only for eternity?

All of a sudden, the scruff of Firestar's neck was pulled upwards. He looked up to see a blurry shape moving against the current, but steadily losing.

The edges of his vision began to turn black, and an eerie sense of calm replaced the overwhelming urge for oxygen. Before he knew it, the world dissolved into nothing.

So there you go. Please review and let me know what you think!