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Ch.19: Rallying Cry

Firepaw burned do his core as he stared at the lifeless body of one of the only real friends he had. ThunderClan's precious medicine cat, the peacekeeper among feuding warriors. Sweet, kind Spottedleaf was dead.

It was nice to be away from camp, away from the hustle and bustle of cats preparing for a possible ShadowClan attack. He hadn't ever noticed it when he was hunting before, but the birds made a lovely song to go with the lush green of the forest. He was glad he decided to go gather herbs with Spottedleaf.

Gently tearing up leaves from the soft earth, he brought the plants before the medicine cat, dropping them before her paws.

"Are these the ones you were looking for?" He asked shyly, not making eye contact with her less those golden eyes of hers make him flush.

"Yes!" Spottedleaf nodded with a cheerful meow. "You pick up on things fast. No, wander Tigerclaw wanted you to himself." She gave him a teasing nudge in the shoulder.

Her words made the ginger tom sputter for reasons unknown even to him.

"Are you all right?"

"F-fine!" Firepaw shook himself.

The tortoise shell licked her paw and washed her face. "You know," she meowed, "I think you're a really good influence on him."

The apprentice tilted his head at the sudden comment. "How?" He asked simply.

A tiny smile graced the she-cat's lips as she shrugged. "I don't know how the other cats would say it, but he seems happier these days, lighter even." She lowered her voice to an amused whisper. "I think you've given him something special, something he's been missing for a long time."

Firepaw's ears flattened to his head as the warm flush he tried to avoid came to his face. "T-there's nothing I could give Tigerclaw he doesn't already have. Besides, he's already given me more than I could ask for in terms of strength." His voice became lower, softer. "He's an excellent mentor."

"Of that, I'm sure," the healer nodded. "But don't sell yourself short. I have the feeling you're no ordinary apprentice."

Suddenly his argument with Sandpaw and Dustpaw that morning came back to him. His paws kneaded the ground in frustration. "Because I'm a kittypet?" He griped bitterly.

"No," Spottedleaf chuckled as she looked the apprentice in the eyes. "Because you're Firepaw. I believe you can do anything you set your mind to." With that, she turned and ushered him to where they could find more herbs.

As Firepaw followed, he whispered a single sentiment with joy in his heart. "Thank you, Spottedleaf."

"Thank you so much."

I failed you Spottedleaf, I'm so sorry. Goodbye.

The pain in the young tom's heart redoubled as he heard a single shrill yowl pierce the crowd.

"Yellowfang is gone!" It was Frostfur's voice. "Yellowfang has killed Spottedleaf and taken my kits!"

Firepaw's claws gouged the soil as he shook almost violently. How dare they? His own Clan's disdain was so great that they would target not only the former kittypet but a close friend of his who had proven her own loyalty to them!? She'd probably left, knowing they were do this. That would explain why he'd seen her outside the camp border not too long ago.

"Yellowfang!" Darkstripe hissed. "I always knew she was a traitor! Now we know how she managed to fight off the ShadowClan deputy. It was a setup to let her trick her way into the Clan!"

A lightning crack punctuated his words. Firepaw couldn't hear it, not over the strong rush of blood in his ears nor the wrathful yowling of the Clan. His muscles bunched, burning for him to lung at Darkstripe. However, he felt a flank press on either side of him, to hold him in place. Tigerclaw and Bluestar had moved weren't looking at him but their message was clear. Violence won't help Yellowfang.

Reluctantly, the young tom flattened his fur and sheathed his claws, knowing, and hating, that his seniors were right. He breathed deeply while he stared as his paws.

Tigerclaw wasn't wearing the slightest hint of aggression on his face. Instead, he looked thoughtfully to Bluestar and asked, "What say you, Bluestar?"

Bluestar blinked slowly, grief visible on her face. But when her eyes opened again, they gleamed with a fierce hunger for revenge. "If Yellowfang has killed Spottedleaf and stolen Frostfur's kits, she will be hunted down without mercy." Even as the crowd of cats meowed approvingly, the leader felt fur bristling into her flank. "But we must wait," she went on. "There's a storm coming and I am not prepared to risk more lives. If ShadowClan has our kits, they will come to no immediate harm. Brokenstar likely want to recruit them for his own Clan. Or as hostages, to force him to let us hunt in our territory. As soon as the storm has passed, we will send a patrol to follow Yellowfang."

"We mustn't waste time or the scent will be lost!" Darkstripe protested.

Tigerclaw flicked his tail impatiently at his old pupil. "If we send out a hunting party now, our efforts will be wasted anyway. In this weather, the scent will already be lost by the time we are ready. If we wait until after the storm, we stand a better chance of success."

The Clan seemed to begrudgingly agree and settled into grieving for their lost medicine cat. Bluestar signaled that she wanted to speak to Tigerclaw and Firepaw in her den. The others seemed too distracted to notice their leaving.

Once they were all sheltered, Bluestar wasted no time getting to the point. "Firepaw," she meowed urgently, "where is Yellowfang? Do you know?" Firepaw didn't seem to hear her, his eyes shrouded and distant. "Firepaw!" She snapped. "You must save your grieving for later."

"I…I saw Yellowfang go through the camp boundary after the kits went missing," he said it as though he was admitting it to himself as well. "Please tell me that don't actually believe that Yellowfang killed Spottedleaf and took the kits." His tone was so desperate that hurt something in Bluestar and Tigerclaw's hearts.

Still Bluestar knew it would serve any purpose for her to lie to him. "I don't know," she admitted with a steady gaze. "I want you to find the truth and bring her back alive. I need to know the truth."

"That's your specialty," Tigerclaw meowed. "Right, Firepaw?" His amber eyes didn't hold any mocking malice in them, his apprentice realized. Though, the deputy was certainly remembering the younger tom's tirade against him.

Firepaw looked uncertain for a moment. "She's not sending you?" He asked the tabby who shook his head.

"My absence would be too auspicious," the warrior reasoned.

"And if I did send Tigerclaw to hunt Yellowfang down now," Bluestar added, "alone, the Clan would be expecting him to bring back a body, to kill her without question. If I find that Yellowfang is a traitor, I will kill her myself. But if she isn't, I won't let an innocent cat die."

"But what if Yellowfang won't come back?" The ginger tom asked.

"She will if you ask her to."

Firepaw was stunned by his seniors' faith in him after days of mistrustful gazes. Also, he was relieved that they hadn't blindly sought to brand Yellowfang guilty. He was ashamed that he hadn't had more faith in them. However, that only made him more determined. Yellowfang, Tigerclaw, Bluestar: he wouldn't let any of them down!

"Go at once!" Bluestar ordered. "But be careful; there maybe enemy patrol's about."

"Perhaps Ravenpaw and Graypaw should go with him," Tigerclaw suggested. "We could say we've sent them to fetch herbs and sent them in a group for safety. I think one of Brindleface's kits has a cough anyway."

"Good thinking," Bluestar agreed.

Firepaw nodded and went to get his companions, hoping beyond hope that they could clear the name of Yellowfang.

"Yellowfang must have had help," Speckletail growled.

"You mean someone inside, ThunderClan helped her?" Frostfur voiced anxiously.

"You've heard what Darkstripe has been saying about Firepaw. Perhaps he had something to do with it. I've never been comfortable with him myself."

Graypaw's ears burned as they flicked and Ravenpaw's did much the same. "How could they believe that?" He asked the black apprentice. There was no way Firepaw would ever betray ThunderClan! He'd seen the pain Lionheart's death had cause him. They grieved together. And anyone could have seen the pure pain and rage of Firepaw as he witnessed Spottedleaf's dead body. How? How, could the Clan buy such boldfaced nonsense about the ginger tom!?

Ravenpaw shrugged irritably, "We live dangerous lives. We need to be ready to recognize threats at a moment's notice. Even threats that aren't there, apparently

"Graypaw! Ravenpaw!" Firepaw's voice carried across the clearing and the pair turned to see him approaching, they decided to meet him half way.

"Care for a little outing?" The flame apprentice asked his comrades, though his eyes were anything but casual.

"In this weather? Why do I get the feeling you're not telling us everything?" Graypaw pondered with a tilt of his head.

Firepaw blinked slowly "I was hoping we could discuss it away from camp," he said in a hushed tone. "But Bluestar and Tigerclaw have sent me after Yellowfang."

"Why you?" Ravenpaw asked with slight shock.

"Because I know Yellowfang best," Firepaw meowed with confidence, his shoulder squared. "If anyone could find her and prove she didn't do this, it's me."

"Would a party of warriors stand a better chance?" Graypaw pointed out. "Tigerclaw's the best tracker in the Clan. If anyone could bring her back, he could."

The orange tom shook his head patiently. "If Bluestar sent Tigerclaw, it would only further the belief that she's guilty. Afterall, Tigerclaw's known for being…decisive."

"You mean bloodthirsty?" Ravenpaw corrected.

Firepaw nodded sheepishly. "Unbelievably, even he's giving Yellowfang the benefit of the doubt. But the Clan will only expect one result if he goes out in search of her. At least for the moment." His tail flicked angrily.

"It would be as good as admitted that Yellowfang is guilty," the black apprentice acknowledged grimly. "It will be even harder to clear her name, especially if she decides not to come back and we come back with empty paws."

Graypaw nodded slowly before looking to Firepaw, "Do you believe she's innocent?"

"Of course!" His friend snapped without any hesitation.

The gray apprentice chuckled, "Good enough for me!" He stretched, excitement building in his muscles. "Let's go! We'll clear Yellowfang's name and yours in a single go!"

Firepaw suddenly looked taken aback and then kneaded the ground uncomfortably. "Right…" he murmured. "I…I probably should have talked to you guys about that before…"

Graypaw merely flicked his ears, having none of it. "No need," he meowed. "We always knew not to believe what we heard. Plus, Ravenpaw told me how upset you were. That would be proof enough, if I needed any."

"R-right!" Firepaw stammered. "Thank you. Both of you." He gave a fragile smile, once again displeased at himself for underestimating how determined his companions would be to help and doubting that they could.

Ravenpaw stood as he mirrored Graypaw's stretch. "Don't mention it. Let's be off."

Suddenly, a new spark of light burned in Firepaw's heart. With his friends now by his side, his will to avenge the fallen had returned with a vengeance. The broad face of the cat responsible for his Clan's grief and misgivings ran through his mind.

Brokenstar, you've taken from me for the last time! I don't care how many lives you have, I will tear all of them from you as I make. You. Pay!

"And just where are you three going?"

A/N: Okay, one or two chapers for Volume 1 remain. Oh man, I can't wait to get into Volume 2!

Until then, Read, Fav, Follow, Review! Thanks so much for all that you guys do!