That night, Thunderflower called him into the den. "I asked you here for a reason, Fireheart." She prefaced.
She took a deep breath. "There will be five, kin of your kin, who will hold the power of the stars in their paws."
"Five cats? Kin of my kin? Oh, StarClan, I don't even know if they'll be good cats yet!"
"I am sorry to say that I can't assuage your fears. But the message was passed on to me by a StarClan warrior. Just the message and her well-wishes."
"StarClan are watching over us!" Fireheart exclaimed. He'd known Yellowfang was here but wasn't sure about any other cats.
"They are. At least, Spottedleaf is. Did you happen to know her?"
"Yeah. She was like an older sister to me when she was alive. Some said she was the best hunter in ThunderClan. That was, until she went paw-to-paw with Clawface." He sighed. "Thank you for telling me this, Thunderflower. It helps to know that whatever happens at least some legacy of this Clan will live on."
"I never took you for a defeatist, Fireheart."
"I'm not. I believe that we'll be able to defeat these rats and curb these dogs, but the worst case, and plans for that, still need to be considered."
"Very astute." She purred. "Have faith. With the blessing of our ancestors, ThunderClan will thrive where it died." Her words held the same certainty as the prophecy delivered earlier, and Fireheart couldn't help but smile.
Until he exited the den at precisely the same moment that Ravenflight's injured form was brought to camp by Lionheart and Thornpaw.
"What happened?" He rasped.
"The rats... they came. You couldn't see the floor for them!" Lionheart told them, looking unsteady on his paws.
"They told us that this time, they'd let him live." Thornpaw choked out. "But they said next time they'd kill."
Silverstream returned with Cinderpaw. In the distance, the kits were being watched over by Speckletail.
"Lionheart, please help me move him to the den. Thornpaw, rest. Medicine cat's orders." Shakily, they obeyed, both heading to different dens. Silverstream moved to Graystripe, beckoning their kits over. Fireheart understood; he himself had unconsciously shifted closer to Sandstorm.
"I promise, we will make them pay." His eyes glinted.
"We'll need a plan. We'll need to deal with both the dogs and the rats." Sandstorm replied.
"We'll discuss later. For now, we should get everyone thinking."
Sandstorm slipped away, moving through the Clan to deliver the message. The gorge erupted into a frenzied whispering.
"Intruder!" Brackenpaw yowled after a time. The muttering stopped, every cat sliding their claws out.
"Hey, I don't mean any harm!" A voice sounded from beside the camp entrance. Fireheart bounded up; a black-and-white cat was nearby, fur fluffed up.
"Sorry." Fireheart said. "One of our warriors was attacked recently and we're on edge."
"I was coming to ask about that. I don't usually talk with others, but a cat being injured is a cat being injured."
"I assure you, Ravenflight is in good paws. With the help of Cinderpaw, he'll be able to return to full health. I have faith in him."
"That's good to hear." The cat mewed. Fireheart could still see a small flicker of worry in his eyes. "I'm Barley."
"Fireheart."
"Well, nice to meet you. I'd better get going – there's bound to be some weakened rats and I'd rather get to them before the crows do."
Fireheart stopped. "You eat the rats? But they cause disease!"
"The old barn's the place that'd take me. I eat what I can get."
"Dubious. I can't see a rat allowing a cat to stay."
"What they don't know won't hurt them."
"Come with us." He urged. "We can get you a decent meal. It's greenleaf anyway and everyone's full-fed."
"You'd do that for a stranger?"
"You showed concern for one of our own. Now let us show concern for you."
Brackenpaw sat on watch again while Fireheart led Barley back to camp.
"Go ahead." He told Barley. "Hunting was good today."
"Thank you." Barley inclined his head before taking a vole and settling to eat it.
Cinderpaw pelted out of her den suddenly.
"Burdock root. I need to find burdock root."
She raced away to the slope.
"I'll make sure she doesn't get hurt." Frostfur slipped away from the crowd and followed her daughter.
"Heh. If only I had that backup when I was in all those scrapes."
"Warriors always patrol together officially. Solo hunts are permitted, but only by warriors." Sandstorm told him. "So, this is our intruder?"
"Yeah. He was concerned about Ravenflight."
"I've seen what those rats can do." Barley's fur stood slightly more on edge as he spoke.
"We're facing them to reclaim this territory. Want to stay awhile and help us with strategy?" Fireheart asked
"So, you're offering to let me stay here and help clear the barn for nothing but my advice?"
"A good warrior is well-informed, Barley. We certainly are." Sandstorm told him.
"I'd have to have the brain of a tick to say no to that."
"Alright then. See that cave there? That's the Shining Cave, where you can find moss for your bedding. Just be careful around the water. Ask someone where the warriors' den is, and they'll show you where to bunk down. Although if you did get into some scraps, I reckon Cinderpaw will want to inspect you first."
"Thank you." There was a shocked note in his voice.
"He's lived with them for a while now." Sandstorm repeated. "Fireheart, we have ourselves an expert."
He purred, giving her a small nuzzle. Cinderpaw raced back with a mouthful of roots, Frostfur in tow.
"When you're done with Ravenflight, there's someone called Barley who'll stay with us to help with the rats. He's gotten into a few scrapes himself."
"Thanks, Sandstorm. Send him over for me, will you?"
Sandstorm dipped her head, waiting by the Shining Cave for Barley.
The next morning dawned bright and clear. Fireheart could see Barley resting on the edge of the den, his ear bandaged and poulticed along with a part of his flank. He emerged to a tired but relieved Cinderpaw, who had just finished with Ravenflight.
"He'll be right as rain soon. The burdock helped with a fever that was starting to develop."
"Great!" Fireheart purred.
Bluestorm was up, carrying a blue jay. "I went on a small pre-dawn hunt. I figure Thunderflower'll appreciate this." She remarked. She moved past to the elders' den. A few heartbeats later there was a wailing from the cave and Bluestorm reemerged.
"Thunderflower's dead!"