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Ch.13: Kindling

The cries were painfully sharp in Firepaw's ears. The putrid wails of terrified cats as they ran. He could see them up ahead. ThunderClan warriors fleeing from camp as lingering shadows pursued them. Great dark cats with cruelly glinting eyes. They were thundering towards him. One cry echoed above the others, one of pain and anguish. With ice gripping his heart, he recognized the voice.

Graypaw!

The ginger apprentice snapped awake, horrified. The dream had left but, the shrill yowls and cries lingered in his ears a bit longer. That was until he noticed amber eyes peering into the den. Firepaw shot to his feet, poised and alert. A slight scowl graced his face. He could see the tabby doing much the same.

"Something wrong, Firepaw?" Tigerclaw meowed monotonously.

"Nothing at all," Firepaw meowed as he stepped to the lip of the den.

Apprentice and mentor passed each other a scornful glance. They were equally disappointed in one another. It was doubtful that their relationship would ever be the same. They'd received a peek at what they could be to one another when backed into a corner.

"Wake the others," Tigerclaw growled. "We leave shortly." He stalked away and his apprentice tried burning a whole into the back of his head with his eyes as he retreated.

The three apprentices gulped down the herbs that Spottedleaf had given them. Bluestar and Tigerclaw watched them, ready to leave. The rest of the camp was still asleep.

"Ugh!" Graypaw complained. "I knew they'd be bitter! Why couldn't we have had a fat juicy mouse instead?"

"The herbs will stave off your hunger longer," Bluestar explained. "And make you stronger. The journey ahead of us is long."

"Have you already taken yours?" Firepaw asked.

"I must not eat anything if I am to share dreams with StarClan tonight."

At the mention of the Holy Clan, Firepaw's eyelid twitched a bit. Why did that name bother him so? He looked to his paws for a split second, not wanting to know if any cat noticed his odd tick. He simply followed when he heard them padding towards the gorse tunnel.

Tigerclaw, Firepaw, Bluestar, Graypaw, and Ravenpaw were prepared to set out to Mothermouth. Just then, Lionheart returned with a patrol.

"Safe journey," he wished them with a nod.

Bluestar nodded back. "I know I can trust you to keep the camp safe," she answered.

Lionheart dipped his head towards Graypaw. "Remember," he meowed, "you're almost a warrior now. Never forget what I taught you."

Graypaw looked to his mentor with affection. "I will always remember, Lionheart." He nudged his head against the golden tabby's flank. The deputy passed a quick look to Firepaw after glancing at Tigerclaw.

The ginger apprentice saw the message that passed through the warrior's eyes. Don't give up.

Firepaw flicked an ear ambiguously in response. He didn't know if that was a promise he could keep. They'd truly hurt one another. Maybe worse. The scorn of unfair disparagement and the near attempt on his life had left him numb to whatever plight his master had. Traumatic or otherwise. That disgusting snarl that bore the urge to kill was still in his mind. It was as if he'd seen Tigerclaw for who he really was in that moment: miserable bully willing to project his dark, ill-conceived philosophies onto others. It was as if he had been forcefully awoken to something that should have been obvious all along.

He was strong, so I believed he was right and just. Just like everyone else.

Through enemy territory, past dogs, and past a monster-filled Thunderpath, they had made it.

The group sat outside the cave of Mothermouth awaiting nightfall. They had managed to gather enough prey for them to feast on as the horizon steadily blackened Bluestar remained some lengths away, choosing to pass the time perfectly still.

Graypaw and Ravenpaw were clearly discomforted while they ate. Though neither Firepaw nor Tigerclaw looked at each other, the malice that passed between them could be felt without even the slightest eye contact. Wordlessly, the two apprentices broke off once they finished eating, putting distance between them and the other pair.

"I don't know how much longer I can take this!" Graypaw whispered to the black apprentice, just in case the tabby could somehow hear them from great distances. "I feel like they're gonna rip each other's pelt off every time they blink…"

Ravenpaw just shrugged, even more wary of ease dropping than his companion.

"I just don't get Tigerclaw," Graypaw continued, genuinely frustrated for one of the few times in his young life. "One minute, he was basically acting like Firepaw was his own son. Next, he's treating him like dirt." He shook his head. Sure, the ginger had exchanged barbed comments with Sandpaw and Dustpaw, but the gray apprentice never thought he'd see the day that his closest friend legitimately raged at one of his Clanmates. He certainly didn't think it would be Tigerclaw. "I just wish I could do something, you know?"

"Yes," Ravenpaw muttered as he reflected. Firepaw's something unique, that's for sure. The apprentice had stood up to his former mentor, untouched by fear. It was invigorating to know, though he didn't show it. At long last, there was a cat in the clan willing to speak against the tabby without hesitation. Of course, only after Tigerclaw had tarnished the bond that he and Firepaw had started to make. Never the less, he recognizes Tigerclaw for what he is now. If I tell him, he might believe me. We might even be able to prove what he did to Redtail!

A flash of the former deputy's pained, betrayed face ran through Ravenpaw's mind. His fur prickled slightly in mourning. Then, he squared his shoulders. He was apprenticed to Bluestar herself. Exposing the scarred warrior was a long shot, but the chances were better now. Much better.

Bluestar's call reached them and the pair headed back to the lip of the cave. As they headed back, for the first time in a while, Ravenpaw felt a shred of hope that justice would be served.

"Ravenpaw and Graypaw will remain outside on guard," Bluestar meowed. "Firepaw, you will accompany me and Tigerclaw to the Moonstone."

At their leader's words, Tigerclaw saw his apprentice's ears twitch nervously. At odds as they were, the tabby honestly had a hard time blaming him. Something about the black hole of Mothermouth deeply unsettled him. Still, he followed his pupil and leader into the blackness of the cave.

Even as he felt the cool stone beneath his feet, Tigerclaw felt the eerie sensation of falling, of being pulled by forces that were out of his control. He couldn't even see the shape of Firepaw in front of him, but he could see light from the Moonstone up ahead.

His pace slowed when he suddenly smelled the singed aroma of ash. The same acrid scent he'd detected on Firepaw's pelt the first day of training with Lionheart. But why would there have been a fire inside the cave? How was that possible?

Wait, were his eyes playing tricks on him? The light coming from the Moonstone was supposed to be a heavenly silver. He squinted as the light ahead of him appeared to be a violent orange. Instinctively, he tried to take a step back, but his muscles had become rigid. He tried and tried but his legs wouldn't budge!

Tigerclaw fur stood on end as his surrounding exploded with flame, the entire cavern lighting up a hateful shade of yellowish-orange. He began to take labored, shallow breaths as the heat threatened to cook him alive. This could only be another vision! He told himself. But the heat was unbearable and the roar of the inferno threatened to deafen him. Held prisoner to the spectacle, he could see molten paws sticking out the fire in great numbers. His eyes went impossibly wide as he struggled just to keep breathing. Pain and anguish moans paired with the roar of the blaze to create a macabre symphony.

The tabby's breath was beginning to run horrifically short as he felt all the moisture leave his lungs. It wasn't just extreme discomfort racking him now, it was pain. The temperature of his body spiked and he began to feel slow, torturous burning coming from within. He harshly breathed outward, trying to expel the suffering in his chest as his eyes watered. Eventually, something within gave.

Tigerclaw breathed out clouds of dark black smoke decorated with smoldering embers. The putrid haze jetted out from his mouth through his nostrils, agonizing him even further. When would it stop!? The fumes began to gather into a great ball before him. As the last of the of the wretched smoke left him, he was forced to be witness to what he had created.

The large plume of ash and embers ignited into the heart of the inferno itself. But it didn't end there, no. The new flames began to shift and merge into the shape of a giant feline's face. And out of the hellish abyss came two mighty orbs of green, they looked like eyes.

Hunched and cowering, Tigerclaw breathlessly beheld the unholy creature that dominated the room. Inimafoc! Against his will, the warrior's heart swelled with panic and fear, the memories of the three ancients being engulfed vividly returning to his mind. The evil enigma peered at him curiously, then amusedly. Flames shifted as he opened his makeshift maw.

And he swiftly bit Tigerclaw in half.

Firepaw heard the fleeing pawsteps of his mentor echo through the cavern. The apprentice felt a pang of nervousness brush his fur. Tigerclaw had been breathing heavily for a few moments before that. What had suddenly come over the warrior? The panic attack had come on so quickly, the ginger tom couldn't even enjoy it. It was simply frightening…

"Firepaw?" Bluestar's voice was quiet and calm.

"I'm still here," he answered.

"It's all right young warrior, don't be afraid," Bluestar murmured. "I think Tigerclaw was surprised by the Moonstone's power. In the world above, Tigerclaw is a fearless and mighty warrior, but down here, where the spirits of StarClan speak, a cat needs a different kind of strength. What do you feel Firepaw?"

Firepaw looked up at the shimmering stone and bile threatened to rise in his throat. For some undecipherable reason, the sight of it sickened him. "Just my own curiosity," he lied through his teeth.

"This is good," Bluestar replied.

Afterward, the blue leader curled herself up in front of the StarClan relic. He supposed he was to simply wait here until she awoke. Not wanting to behold the sacred object any longer, Firepaw turned around and closed his eyes, allowing loose thoughts to swim in his mind. It was unclear how much time passed.

The apprentice's eyes flickered open as he heard sobbing. Not much changed visually. He was still submerged in darkness as if he hadn't opened his eyes at all.

"Ooooohhh…." A pitiful wail came from the blackness.

Firepaw turned in the direction his hearing guided him. "Bluestar…?" He called. The voice didn't sound like hers but-

"Mrooowwww!"

Orange fur prickled at the moans. Not knowing what else to do or where he was, the tom began to pad towards the mournful voice. What's going on? I'm back to not being able to see anything!

"Mroooooo…."

Firepaw's heart was seized by a deep sinking feeling as the cries continued. Then, it was petrified in ice as the same voice turned into broken twisted laughter.

"Ahhhahahahahahahahahahhaaaaaaaaa!" "Ah…Ahhaaa…hahahahahahahhahahaahaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!"

"Who's there!?" Firepaw shouted, unsure of what else he could do. "Show yourself!"

As if heeding his command, the light of the Moonstone shone brightly once again. Except it wasn't cascading on Bluestar any longer. The young tom's hackles raised in pure terror as he beheld an impossible sight. A cheetah!

Only an inkling in the back of his mind allowed him to identify the creature. It was doubtful, he would have recognized it otherwise. The creature's fur was soaked in blood! It was if he was swimming in it earlier!

The cheetah paced madly around the Moonstone, glaring at it with extreme prejudice. "You promised!" The voice was that of a young male, and it was dripping with hate. "You promised us, that if we followed your teachings, we would be unbreakable! That there would never be a hardship that was too great to overcome!" His eyes burned with loathing. "Liars!" He spat.

Firepaw figured that he must be talking to StarClan.

He continued his mad tirade, pelt fluffed outward despite the dampness that clung to it. "You toyed with us! Our pain, our suffering, our deaths is all for your amusement!" He shivered with immense agony. "Then, when we cease to be amusing…you have us slaughter one another…" Fury quickly overtook all traces of pain. "Well, I hope it was worth it!" He roared. "Because it ends today! This is the final night that the Clans will serve StarClan!" The blood on his pelt suddenly began to pulse and squirm, as if having a life of its own.

Firepaw watched with fascination as the Moonstone began to shine with dark purple and crimson red. The relic suddenly became its own star. The light shimmered and radiated as the cheetah's mad laughter rang throughout the cavern. The shining rays of moonlight were overpowered as the stone became possessed by a dark force. Soon, the cavern and the cheetah were no longer visible, and Firepaw was left in a world of dark colors and echoing laughter. He gasped.

It was the most beautiful thing he had ever witnessed.

A/N: Sorry to skip the trek there, but I couldn't really see it serving a purpose. At long last, we're starting to go somewhere interesting!

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