The Apprentice's Quest goes a bit differently

So Firestar and Blackstar are still alive at this point in time, so Vision of Shadows is going to go slightly different... or a lot different. You actually think Blackstar would let in more rogues into his clan after what happened with Sol? He's learned since then. Also Darktail can't drown Onestar this time around for obvious reasons.

Please review!

Firestar hung his jaw open, incredulous at Sandstorm's declaration. It was the day after Firestar had told Alderpaw that his visions meant that he needed to undertake a quest, much like he had done when he was newly made leader. There weren't any decisions made regarding who would be joining Alderpaw. He had brought in Sandstorm so they could tell Alderpaw all they knew about Skyclan, but Sandstorm decided it was in her best interests to go with Alderpaw on the journey.

"I don't care what you say!" Sandstorm hissed. "I'm going on this quest, and that's final!"

"It's out of the question!" Firestar snapped back at her. "I asked you to come here so we could tell Alderpaw all we know about SkyClan. I never intended for you to go with him."

She was getting older. Retiring had improved her health, and he dread what would happen if she suddenly was active again. The journey itself was dangerous- he remembered their separation, the fear, the uncertainty. But she was older now, and there was a real possibility of her outright dying.

He wouldn't be able to take it if she died, away from the clan, away from him.

"Sandstorm, you're an elder. You've made your contribution to our Clan, and it's been a magnificent contribution. Now you deserve to have the rest of us take care of you. I want you safe in camp, not traipsing about in unknown territory," he meowed tensely.

"We're the only living cats who has any idea how to find SkyClan's camp. We've met the cats of SkyClan before. They're more likely to accept one of us than cats they've never laid eyes on. We both know that you need to stay and lead the clan, which only leaves me to guide Alderpaw."

"That's not the point," he hissed out. Alderpaw shuffled his paws on the sandy floor nervously as he watched the exchange play out. Firestar gave a glance at his grandson, "Alderpaw, please leave us." He must have sensed the urgency in his voice, and Alderpaw immediately got up and exited the leader's den.

"Please, please, think about this." He got and started pacing around the den in a frenzied manner. "I've been around the humans long enough to know where this is going. This isn't some simple quest to check if Skyclan is okay; something bad has probably happened to them! I don't want you running off into danger, you're just- you're just-"

"Too old?" she rolled her eyes.

He stared at her, wondering why she wasn't getting it. "Yes," he whispered hoarsely.

"Firestar, I can handle myself just fine. Alderpaw needs help and I'm the only one that can guide him."

He swallowed, he knew something bad was going to happen during the quest, he could feel it. He could hear the voice whispering to him, feeding into his fears. She was going to die, she was going to die, she was going to die-

"Firestar."

"Firestar."

"Firestar! Calm down, your breathing is getting too heavy!"

He startled, and he looked up to see Sandstorm in front of him, giving his face gentle licks with a worried look on her face.

"You're leaving me..." he whispered brokenly. She stiffened, "Firestar, I would never leave you."

"But you are. This quest is going to go wrong, I can feel it. If you die... it might be the last time I ever see you," his voice was cracking at the end. She was silent, not sure how to respond. She knew that there was a real possibility of her dying, and if she did and Firestar didn't go to Starclan, they would never see each other again. She could see the genuine panic and fear in his eyes, and she wasn't sure how to placate him.

"You know I have to do this. If I don't Alderpaw won't know where to go," she murmured into his ear, her tail lightly stroking his spine. His mews of fear from his nightmares came back to haunt her head. He had been begging for her and Brambleclaw to stay with him, and his eyes currently asked for the same.

"I promise I'll never leave you," she said firmly.

"Why would you promise that? If you die..." he said weakly, closing his eyes.

"Even if I die, I'll still find a way back to you." She gave his ears a lick. He gave a deep breath, "It's not like I can stop you anyway." She gave him a purr as he nodded. They headed outside, Firestar ready to give the announcement of the quest.

.

.

.

.

.

.

He had never felt so lonely. He had Brambleclaw, but Brambleclaw could never replace Sandstorm. He was back upstream, lazily floating in the water, letting the stream flow through his scales. The water was always kind to him, no matter what body of water he was in.

"Are you going to be okay?" Brambleclaw asked him from the bank. He gave no answer. He would lying if he said he was fine, but Brambleclaw didn't need to know how damaged he really was.

"Am I selfish or obsessive for wanting her to stay?" he asked bluntly.

"Isn't it natural for you to want to keep your mate safe? You're neither of those things Firestar," Brambleclaw meowed. Firestar gave a short laugh. Of course no one thought him selfish. Everyone thought he was perfect- nosy, but cats believed that he could never have such negative emotions.

He remembered that one show people raved about on the internet so much that he decided to give it a go- that one kid with the gem in his stomach- he felt like him at the moment.

"You know, the humans have a saying. The first step of taking care of your problem is admitting you have one."

"You think you have problems?"

"Why wouldn't I have problems? I'm a kittypet mercat leader who has his nose in everyone's business, whose also the savior of the clans but might be rejected from Starclan. The cat who is clinging to two others like a lifeline because he's suddenly fearful of his own clan."

Brambleclaw could only help groom him when Firestar did decide to finally come out of the water, unsure of what else to do.

"You know Sandstorm and I would never leave you right?" Brambleclaw rubbed his cheek against his Firestar's, trying to reassure him that he was there.

"...I wish I could believe that." Everyone dies eventually.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Sandstorm watched as the fox leaped through the air aiming at her. It was like her life was suddenly flashing before her eyes. It's eyes were crazed, fangs sharp and ready to tear into her. It wanted her as its next meal.

She could probably survive the fox attacking her. But their were limited herbs out here in the unknown, and Alderpaw had limited knowledge despite being a medicine cat apprentice. What if she got bitten, what if the bite got infected? Her body wouldn't be able to handle it.

There were a lot of "what ifs" for this particular situation. Many of them ended up with her dead.

If she died, there was the possibility of never seeing her dear mate again, the mercat who had stolen her heart and soul without his wondrous voice needing to lure her in. She couldn't imagine being accepted into Starclan, having to watch her mate fall into despair because of her untimely demise. She couldn't imagine Starclan rejecting him and being separate from him until she faded.

He didn't deserve being sent elsewhere. It wasn't fair that Firestar and the other leaders might be torn from their kin and families because some cats couldn't accept that they were half-fish now.

No. She wasn't dying here. She darted forward just before the fox landed on her and clawed its underbelly as she ran past. It let out a shrill howl of pain, stumbling around with blood pouring out of its stomach. She watched Alderpaw try to swipe at its eyes and dart away as it snapped its fangs at him. The fox clumsily launched itself at Alderpaw, trapping him against a tree. She leaped onto the fox's back while it was distracted and hurriedly clawed its throat out.

Sandstorm glanced behind her to see Cherryfall and Molewhisker driving off the second fox. She gave a sigh of relief as she sniffed Alderpaw and Sparkpaw for injuries. Everyone was okay.

She made a promise to Firestar, and she intended to keep it. She was never going to leave him.

Yes, the leaders all know about human media. They would know about Twilight Sparkle and they would certainly know Steven Universe.

I thought about killing off Sandstorm like in canon, then she would have advocated for Firestar from Starclan. But I thought that would break poor Fires and scrapped the idea. This is the Neutral Ending not a bad ending jeez.

Tell me how I did.