Chapter 1:

Fire groans in annoyance as a stripe of light shine directly onto his face. He lazily rolls over in his bed to get away from the light but ends up falling face first on the floor with a small thud. After a few seconds on the floor, he slowly pushes himself off the ground and to his feet. He looks around his room and decides to get started with his day. He makes the tedious journey from his room to the bathroom to get ready. On his way, he passes the door to his friend's room.

"Gray. Wake up," Fire calls out quietly, knocking on the door. "You need to get ready to go on your patrol."

He waits for any sign that his friend is awake and is rewarded with an indescribable groan. Indifferent to Gray's responses, Fire enters the room and fully opens the curtains, then proceeds to exit the room ignoring the angry mumbles coming from the live burrito bundle. When Fire finishes preparing in the bathroom, he goes to the kitchen and begins making breakfast. Eggs and fish with a side of hash browns.

Just as he places the dishes on the table, he hears Gray stumbling into the kitchen his eyes half open and his movements extremely sluggish. From his seat, Fire watches with a small smile his friend enter their shared kitchen. Gray slowly makes it to his chair then unceremoniously flops down in his seat, demanding for his morning coffee. Fire chuckles at the appearance of his best friend, whilst pouring coffee. Gray is not a morning cat, but after a quick cup or two of coffee, the gray tom can formulate coherent words again.

After their breakfast, the two friends wash their dishes and make their way to their Guild. During their walk, Gray visibly looks better. He walks properly and he pays attention to his surroundings. However, now that he is fully awake the Gray tom just won't stop talking.

"Hey Fire," Gray asks cheerfully. "What are you going to do today?"

"I am going to listen to everyone's reports," replies Fire. "Then I am going to the city with Cloud."

"OH! A field trip with that little nephew of yours. Cool!" exclaimed Gray. "Can I come with you too!"

"Don't you have a patrol to go on this morning?"

"Missing one small patrol isn't going to hurt anyone. Come on don't sweat the small stuff bro."

"…Gray. You do know that I can't keep covering for you while you constantly skip your post."

Fire looks at Gray pointedly, his eyebrow raised and waiting for a reply. Gray, on the other hand, looks back with sweat drops and a nervous laugh. It is true that Gray will sometimes ditch his assigned post to instead tag along with Fire wherever he may be going. And it doesn't hurt to be best friends with the deputy of the Guild either. However…

"Please Fire let me come with you, patrols are so boring nowadays," pleads Gray to his best friend, clasping his hands together. "His banishment was so long ago, and we don't come across any problems nowadays. Sure there are some low-level thugs, but they are few and far between. Plus, he didn't make a move since his exile. What are the chances he mysteriously pops up out of the blue, seeking revenge today specifically while I am not on my patrol."

Fire signs and shakes his head. There is no way to fight against his friend's stubborn working logic when he has his mind set on anything.

"…Fine," Fire reluctantly agrees, causing the Gray tom to jump and howl in triumph. "But you will deal with Blue Star once she hears of your absence."

The Gray clad immediately stops in his tracks.

"What."

"You heard me loud and clear Gray. I have no problem with you coming with me, but you will deal with your own consequences this time."

Gray paled at the thought of an angry Blue Star directed towards him, but he quickly shook off the feeling. Future Gray will have to deal with that.

"OK!" says Gray with a confident thumbs-up. Fire facepalms at his friend's carelessness, but chooses it isn't worth the trouble to try to knock some scene into his friend's thick skull. It's too early in the morning for that anyways.

After a while more of friendly conversations, the two cats enter the Guildhalls. To a stranger, the Guild could have been seen as a loud, chaotic, and unorganized mass of cats both young and old. But those how know the Thunder Clan Guild know that under all the chaos, there isn't a group as family oriented and organized as the cats of Thunder Clan. They treat each other like a big family with everything added to the mix. In the midst of the seemingly chaotic Guildhall, a low shout can be heard.

"FIRE HEART!" says a voice in the hall. The owner of the voice is none other than the not-so-little Cloud Tail.

"Fire! Over here!" the white cat was waving them over.

Fire and Gray expertly make their way to the apprentice's table, while sharing 'hellos' and 'good mornings' with everyone they passed.

"Good morning Cloud," says Fire. "How are you doing?"

"I am great as always! What are we doing today? Are we going to go out?"

"Yes. We are going out to town to sightsee famous locations within our territory. And Gray is coming with us today."

"What!? Why?! He always comes with us," Cloud whines looking at the two older cats. "Doesn't he have a patrol to go on or something?"

Cloud grumble more words under his breath in annoyance, Fire is openly laughing at his nephew's reaction, and Gray is engaged in a heated argument with the teen about showing respect towards senior warriors. To Fire, this morning is starting off like any other normal day.

However, out in town, malicious amber eyes trail the movements of his target, and the small Thunder Clan patrol doesn't realize they are being closely shadowed by a large tabby tom with a scar on his nose surrounded by a group of dangerous thugs.