Fireheart sat with his tail curled over his front paws and listened in silence as Bluestar recounted the details of the past few days. He was surprised to learn that he'd been unconscious for so long but was relieved when Bluestar informed him that Whitestorm had taken over his duties for him. It was reassuring to know that Clan life had continued mostly as usual while he was recovering, although Fireheart had to admit that he was a little disappointed about not seeing Sandstorm, Cloudpaw, or Cinderpelt when he woke up. Then again, he told himself, they were probably busy with patrols or other Clan tasks. There was plenty of time for them to visit him later, mainly since he was currently in Cinderpelt's den.

Throughout her story, Bluestar remained seated close to her deputy, her eyes warm with relief as she looked at him. She looked more like the wise, noble leader Fireheart had respected so much when he first joined ThunderClan, and he could only pray that she didn't relapse again. It seemed strange that his injury was what caused her sudden improvement, but Fireheart wasn't about to complain. As long as he had his mentor back, he didn't care what had happened to cause it.

"So, how's Cloudpaw been doing?" Fireheart asked. "Who's been taking over his training?"

"Mostly Whitestorm, but a few of the other warriors have as well. I think Sandstorm took him out a few times," the blue-gray queen replied. "He'll be glad to see you're awake, Fireheart–and just in time for the ceremony too."

"Ceremony?" Fireheart echoed, staring at his leader in confusion. "What ceremony? Is it time for Bramblekit and Tawnykit's apprentice ceremony already?"

Bluestar shook her head. "No, although now that I think about it, the time for that should be approaching soon," she mused thoughtfully. "But I was talking about Cloudpaw's warrior ceremony–as well as for the other three older apprentices."

"R-really?" the flame-pelted warrior meowed, stunned. He had tried to convince Bluestar to give the four oldest apprentices their warrior names, but she had vehemently refused, not wanting to give that honor to cats she believed were mentored by traitors. "Not that I'm not thrilled, but what made you change your mind? I thought you weren't going to make warriors of Swiftpaw, Brightpaw, and Thornpaw."

"It was at Cloudpaw's request," Bluestar meowed. At Fireheart's puzzled expression, she continued, "He saved your life when Darkstripe snuck in here and tried to force deathberries down your throat. If it hadn't been for him, you'd be dead right now. When I offered to hold Cloudpaw's warrior ceremony, he insisted that his denmates have theirs as well. He pointed out that Swiftpaw became an apprentice before Brackenfur but still isn't a warrior, which I suppose is a good point. Either way, the ceremony will commence shortly, so I need to come up with names for them."

Fireheart stared at his leader for a few moments before purring happily. He still wasn't sure how witnessing Cloudpaw save his life had brought about this change in Bluestar, but he was more than willing to accept it. Even better, he had woken up in time to witness a warrior ceremony for one of his apprentices for the first time. He could have had that joy with Cinderpelt, but Tigerclaw's trap had destroyed any dreams she'd had of becoming a warrior. And while it was true that he had taken over the majority of Brackenfur's training while Graystripe was off seeing Silverstream, the younger warrior wasn't his apprentice, so it wasn't quite the same.

"What names did you have in mind?" he asked the blue-gray molly, who frowned thoughtfully.

"I'm not quite sure," she admitted. "It's been a while since there's been a warrior ceremony. I guess my naming skills have gotten a little weak."

"Maybe I could help," Fireheart suggested. "I know it's not exactly traditional for the deputy to help name new warriors, but if the ceremony is supposed to happen before the end of the day, we're going to need to think quickly."

"It's fine, Fireheart," Bluestar meowed gently. "That would be greatly appreciated."

"Alright," Fireheart meowed, licking his paw and drawing it over his face. "Whose name do you want to decide first?"

They spent the next several moments debating over what to name the new warriors, quickly settling on Cloudtail for Cloudpaw and Thornclaw for Thornpaw. It took a little longer to decide on what to name Swiftpaw, but eventually, they agreed on the name Swiftshade. However, when it came to Brightpaw's warrior name, neither Fireheart nor Bluestar could come up with a suitable idea.

"Brightpelt? Brightfur?" Fireheart suggested, even though he knew how ridiculous they sounded.

"Fur and pelt are fairly common suffixes," Bluestar murmured, fortunately being kind enough not to point out the ridiculousness of his naming suggestions. "But a cat's fur isn't usually described as bright. A description such as that is usually reserved for eyes if we're talking about physical features."

"Yeah, but if we name her Bright-eyes, we're just asking for the other Clans to laugh at her at the next Gathering," her deputy pointed out.

"True," the blue-furred Clan leader agreed. "Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of suitable name options with a name like Brightpaw."

The two warriors were still discussing Brightpaw's warrior name when Cinderpelt returned to her den, a bundle of herbs clamped in her jaw. Upon seeing Fireheart, however, the gray-furred medicine cat promptly dropped the herbs on the floor and rushed over to greet him as fast as her injured leg would allow.

"Fireheart!" she exclaimed, giving his cheek a lick. "It's so good to see you awake! Are you feeling okay? Does anything hurt? I just finished gathering herbs, so I can give you a poultice if you need anything–"

However, Fireheart simply let out a purr of amusement. "Thank you, Cinderpelt, but I feel fine," he meowed honestly.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't here," Cinderpelt mewed apologetically. "If I'd known, I'd have come back much sooner. Bluestar, it's good to see you too. But why are there deathberries all over the floor? And what happened to Darkstripe?"

So for the next several moments, Bluestar repeated the story she'd told to Fireheart about Cloudpaw saving his mentor's life when Darkstripe tried to poison him with yew berries. Cinderpelt's eyes grew blank with horror when she heard what the tabby warrior had attempted to do to Fireheart, but relaxed noticeably when the flame-pelted tom reassured her that he was perfectly fine and there was no need to worry about him. She was further cheered by the news that Cloudpaw, Brightpaw, Swiftpaw, and Thornpaw would finally get their warrior ceremonies, and even more amused when she heard about the trouble they were having on Brightpaw's warrior name.

"We just can't think of a name that fits her," Bluestar meowed in frustration. "She's a pretty cat, no doubt about it, but I wouldn't say there's anything bright about her appearance."

"Maybe you should try thinking about something other than what Brightpaw looks like," Cinderpelt suggested.

That was a fair point, Fireheart conceded, remembering that Bluestar had named him for his spirit rather than anything unique about his appearance. Then again, he wasn't about to rule out the possibility that his leader could see through him, and that perhaps his heart was made of fire.

On second thought, his time in his coma had probably affected his brain a little more than he'd initially believed.

"You know, that's not a bad idea," the older she-cat meowed thoughtfully. "What do you two think of the name Brightspirit? Or Brightshadow? No, wait...how about Brightheart?"

"Brightheart," Fireheart repeated, half to himself. It had a nice ring to it. "Brightheart. I like it."

"So do I," Cinderpelt agreed.

"Excellent," Bluestar mewed, nodding. "Then follow me. I'll go call the Clan together, and we'll have the ceremony."

Fireheart rose unsteadily to his paws, nearly collapsing again as he tried to take a tentative step forward. Fortunately, Bluestar was there to catch him and prevent him from falling. Blinking gratefully at her, he paused for a few heartbeats to regain his sense of balance before following his leader into the clearing in the middle of the camp. Upon his arrival, the entire Clan seemed to freeze in shock. Fireheart spotted Sandstorm sharing a thrush with Whitestorm, the pale ginger molly's eyes glowing with happiness when she saw him. Cloudpaw was sitting a few paces away with Brightpaw, Swiftpaw, and Thornpaw. All four of them looked excited, although Fireheart had a feeling it had less to do with his reappearance than the fact that they were about to become warriors. Not that he could blame them, of course, especially as his apprentice's eyes seemed to light up even more when they locked with Fireheart's emerald ones. Even Longtail and Dustpelt looked relieved to see him alive and well.

Bluestar leaped onto the Highrock and gave the familiar call: "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting."

The Clan exchanged confused glances as they made their way over beneath the Highrock, and Fireheart guessed that not many of them knew what was coming. He went to take his spot at the base of the Highrock, feeling a glow of pride as he thought of the honor the four oldest apprentices were about to experience. Even though Cloudpaw was his only apprentice, Fireheart had felt for each of them when Bluestar refused to give them their warrior names only a couple of moons ago.

"First things first, I need to address something that happened earlier today," Bluestar meowed. "Earlier today, I discovered Darkstripe attempting to poison Fireheart with deathberries. Had it not been for Cloudpaw's timely arrival, he most likely would have killed him."

Yowls of shock and horror rose amongst the Clan. Sandstorm snapped her head around to stare at Fireheart, dismay evident in her pale green eyes. Fireheart tried to give her a reassuring look but couldn't help fidgeting uncomfortably. The Clan knew that he hadn't died, didn't they?

Bluestar's voice rose above the cacophony. "I have dealt with the rogue myself, and Whitestorm, Goldenflower, after the meeting is over, I want you to dispose of Darkstripe's body. You'll find it in Cinderpelt's den, where I left it. There is no need to give him a burial ceremony of any sort."

"Certainly," Whitestorm meowed solemnly.

"Now, I can turn to a happier duty," the ThunderClan leader meowed. "Cloudpaw, Brightpaw, Swiftpaw, and Thornpaw, please step forward."

Led by Cloudpaw, the four apprentices rose from where they were seated and padded towards their Clan leader until they were standing at the foot of the Highrock. Bluestar leaped down from her position so that she was in front of them, pride evident in her eyes. For a moment, Fireheart thought he could detect a trace of regret as well, but it was gone before he could be sure of what he saw.

"Cloudpaw saved Fireheart's life today, and his warrior ceremony, as well as the ceremonies of his denmates, are long overdue," Bluestar continued. "Therefore, Swiftpaw, Brightpaw, Cloudpaw, and Thornpaw, I ask that you step forward."

The four apprentices moved forward to meet the blue-gray queen, looking as eager as kits exploring the camp for the first time. All four of them were trembling, and Fireheart thought they might faint from all the excitement.

"I, Bluestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as a warrior in their turn," she meowed, her voice soft but powerful–exactly as Fireheart had once known it to sound. "Cloudpaw, Brightpaw, Swiftpaw, and Thornpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," Cloudpaw meowed firmly, his vow echoed by the other three apprentices.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names. Cloudpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Cloudtail," Bluestar meowed. "StarClan honors your bravery and your independence, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

She rested her muzzle on Cloudtail's head, and the white warrior licked her shoulder respectfully. He moved aside to wait for the rest of his denmates to finish their ceremonies as Bluestar turned her attention to Swiftpaw next.

"Swiftpaw," she meowed. "From this moment on, you will be known as Swiftshade. StarClan honors your energy and your patience, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

Once again, Bluestar rested her muzzle on Swiftshade's head, and he licked her shoulder in return. Swiftshade then went over to sit beside Cloudtail, his eyes glowing with pride. Fireheart couldn't help finding it strange that Bluestar had chosen to praise him for his patience since he had never thought the young tom to be a particularly tranquil cat. Perhaps, he thought, this was just her way of apologizing for making him wait so long.

"Thornpaw," the blue-gray she-cat meowed, snapping Fireheart out of his thoughts. "From this moment on, you will be known as Thornclaw. StarClan honors your intelligence and your courage, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

The same process was repeated, and the rest of the Clan began to grow anxious as Bluestar turned her attention to Brightpaw. She was the last of the apprentices to receive her warrior name, and they were eager to celebrate the promotion of four strong, capable ThunderClan cats.

"Brightpaw," Bluestar meowed. "From this moment on, you will be known as Brightheart. StarClan honors your spirit and your skill, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

Once again, Bluestar rested her muzzle atop Brightheart's head, and the young she-cat licked her shoulder respectfully. She padded over to join the other new warriors, and a chant rose up among the rest of the Clan in celebration.

"Cloudtail! Brightheart! Swiftshade! Thornclaw!"

Fireheart padded over to his former apprentice, who was looking around himself with a glow of pride in his blue eyes. "Well done, Cloudtail," he meowed. "Your mother is going to be so proud of you when she hears."

Cloudtail purred happily. "Thanks, Fireheart. I'm glad you got to be here," he replied.

"Tonight, you all get to sit vigil," Sandstorm meowed, her eyes light as she came over to join them. "Enjoy the night while the rest of us get some sleep!"

"Speaking of sleep," Fireheart interjected with a yawn, suddenly feeling worn out. "I'll join you in the warriors' den later. Unless–"

"Oh, no you won't, Fireheart." It was Bluestar who spoke, padding up to him with Cinderpelt limping just behind her. "You're staying in the medicine den until we decide you've recovered enough to rejoin your denmates."

"Why?" Fireheart asked, staring at his former mentor in confusion. "I feel fine. I'm awake now, so why can't I sleep in my own nest?"

"You might be awake, but that doesn't mean you're completely healed," Cinderpelt meowed sternly. "If something happens and you aggravate your injury again, I need to be close by so I can help."

"But–"

"No buts," Bluestar interrupted. "Now, you look dead on your paws, so we'll take you back to Cinderpelt's den."

"I–don't–want–"

Try as he might, Fireheart lacked his usual strength and was unable to escape his Clan leader and medicine cat. Sighing in defeat, he allowed himself to be half-supported, half-dragged toward Cinderpelt's den, ignoring the chuckles of sympathy and amusement coming from behind him. He would make sure to get them back later, he promised himself, but for now, he was perfectly content to sleep the rest of the evening away.