Ten
Three days later, Firepaw woke to prodding by sharp claws and when he opened his eyes, it was Dustpaw standing over him.
"Bluestar and Lionheart want to train us as a group." The brown apprentice murmured. "Ravenpaw's coming too if you want to be the one to wake him up."
Firepaw nodded and got to his paws.
He'd found out from Robinwing that Ravenpaw and Dustpaw were littermates adopted into the Clan as week-old kittens. Robinwing had been the one to keep them warm and nurse them after her own litter of four were all completely stillborn. Firepaw regretted that he had to ask what she meant, despite knowing that it was a sore subject.
"It means that they weren't alive after they were born." Robinwing had offered quietly. "It happens sometimes. I see them in StarClan and get to watch them grow alongside Dustpaw and Ravenpaw. Perhaps you'll meet them when we figure out how to get back to StarClan."
Perhaps, Firepaw had agreed reluctantly, the idea leaving him with a weird feeling. At least these kittens had died in their sleep.
But as it stood, Dustpaw was not comfortable with his littermate and didn't know what to make of the black tom's abrupt flight to the medicine den. It likely had to do with Ravenpaw's reluctance to fight being seen as cowardice. The black tom was never afraid when it counted, but not everyone was cut out to fight all the time. Firepaw had learned that from Peregrine's brother when the ginger tom had been led to her fallen body. Her throat was torn open and her fur caked with blood.
"She was never much good at fighting, the poor girl. Was always quick to care. The Skies know she loved with all her heart, and some cats just couldn't handle that."
Peregrine was one of the ghosts he'd left behind when he came to help the Clans. She drifted around his old house every now and then along with Radar and the other ghosts. Ever since he got to the Clans he only made seven of the group's daily gatherings. His mother had struck an agreement with Bluestar that since Firepaw had other ghosts to help out he would return to the town for a week and do what he could for its residents. It surprised both the ThunderClan ghosts and their living Clanmates to find that the leader's apprentice could waltz into the nearby Twolegplace with no objection from her.
"Good morning, Firepaw." came Spottedleaf's sleep-rasped voice. "Need something for your throat?"
Firepaw tapped twice and pointed to Ravenpaw's nest and then her own. Then he got into a hunting crouch and crept forward.
"Oh, right, training." The dappled medicine cat yawned loudly and shook herself out. For a moment, she looked twice her size and Firepaw giggled. She was a giant ball of fluff, like some of the things the humans used to clean their wounds. Firepaw left her to smooth her fur with a few hasty licks and went to Ravenpaw's nest. The black tom slept peacefully enough, taking slow deep breaths. Firepaw barely had time to place his paw over the black tom's flank before Ravenpaw opened an eye and stared at Firepaw.
"Good morning, Firepaw." He mumbled, sounding like he'd been up far longer than he appeared. "Do you need something?"
Firepaw tapped once and got into the hunting crouch he'd shown Spottedleaf.
"You want to go hunting? You don't need me for that."
"It's training." Spottedleaf corrected gently. "And we need to know how to protect our herb stock."
"Alright." Ravenpaw yawned and stretched before joining Spottedleaf and Firepaw by the entrance to the medicine den. Dustpaw was waiting for them with Sandpaw, Greypaw, and their mentors when the medicine cat trio reached the camp's entrance.
"That scrap of fur is going to train when he could barely hold his own against my first apprentice?" Darkstripe sneered.
"Speaking of, did you happen to pass that apprentice of yours on the way out of your den?" Spottedleaf asked sweetly. "For someone who is supposed to be catering to Firepaw's needs, he has been surprisingly absent."
Lionheart winced and his already stern face turned into a grimace.
"He got his warrior name and he's not a mentor. He doesn't need to train with apprentices." Darkstripe growled.
"Thank the Stars he doesn't, you miserable waste of flesh!" Adderfang snarled.
Please don't mess with him! Firepaw begged quickly. That will only make it worse.
"Foxdung to that, kit. The only way to get a cat to back off is to make them."
That's how we got here! Firepaw howled. It doesn't solve the problem, it just gets you hurt!
"Firepaw?"
"You're right, kit. I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking this through."
"Firepaw."
"No, you weren't." Redtail deadpanned. "But that's of little consequence."
"Firepaw!"
"Firepaw, I know my father. He wasn't going to do anything to Darkstripe except yell at him. No one around here who takes one look at you will dare to do what Rabbitfoot did. And even he's vowed to keep it to himself."
"Firepaw!" Lionheart's voice cut through the ghostly conversation and the ghosts turned to look at the sun-furred warrior.
"Were you seeing someone?"
One tap.
Lionheart hesitated before he spoke again.
"Can you tell me who?"
"Of course he-." Bluestar was cut off by Firepaw waving his paw across the ground.
"Was that… Were you talking just now?" Bluestar asked. "That looks like a battle signal we'd use for dodging."
Firepaw angled his paw in the "not quite" gesture.
"Okay, so it was a sign."
One tap.
"We don't have time for this!" Darkstripe snapped. "Are we training or not?!"
"Consider this part of your apprentice's training, if you must." Bluestar said icily, not taking her eyes off Firepaw. "Cats must learn to adapt for that which they don't understand."
"Can you do the move again?" Sandpaw asked quietly.
Firepaw tapped once and waved his paw across the ground in wide arcs.
"Is it… a river?" Dustpaw asked.
Two taps.
"That means no." Ravenpaw said for him. "It kind of looks like a dodging signal."
Firepaw sighed and switched his gaze to Spottedleaf. He pointed at the nearest red patch on the medicine cat and then her tail.
"Redtail was there." Spottedleaf offered. "And… as well as a river, that sign might be for a snake. The only cat who could be called Snake- is my father. He might have been seeing Redtail and Adderfang."
Firepaw tapped once and hopped to his paws, pushing his nose into her shoulder.
"You're welcome, Firepaw."
An awkward silence stalked the trip to the sandy hollow like an intruder no one was aware of. It was occasionally broken by Longtail asking Firepaw if he needed anything or one of the apprentices speaking quietly with their mentors. Whitestorm and Darkstripe focused their apprentices on attacking moves while Lionheart ran Greypaw and Firepaw through the basics. Bluestar slithered around with Spottedleaf and Ravenpaw as they practiced evasive techniques and using surprise as an escape on some of the unsuspecting mentors. When Firepaw was done with the basics, he and Greypaw were told to join the group of their choice. Greypaw went with Bluestar and Spottedleaf while Firepaw sidled up to Sandpaw and Dustpaw.
"Okay, so try the last twisting move we went over on Firepaw. He's about the size of an average apprentice so he should serve as a suitable stand-in." Whitestorm informed Dustpaw.
"He's my apprentice!" Darkstripe growled. "I'll tell him what to do."
"Certainly." Whitestorm dipped his head. "But this is a training exercise and we're all mentors here. There should be no problem with more than one cat giving instructions to the apprentices."
Darkstripe scowled at that and lashed his tail but didn't speak again.
"Dustpaw, the locking move." Whitestorm said patiently.
Firepaw had tensed himself for an attack and braced his paws. Instead of lunging for Firepaw as the ginger tom expected, Dustpaw reared on his hindlegs and leapt forward, paws flexed.
"Wait no not that one!" Thrushpelt yelped, appearing before Firepaw and Dustpaw.
But it was too late. Dustpaw's front paws went on either side of Firepaw's head and Dustpaw swung the rest of his body to land squarely on Firepaw's back, forcing him to the ground.
Pain lanced through Firepaw and he started coughing, writhing to get free. Dustpaw jumped off him immediately and tried to help him up but Firepaw went limp, whimpering and twitching his paws feebly.
"Firepaw, can you hear me?" Lionheart asked from seemingly far away.
"Okay, kit. It's okay. Just breathe for now, can you do that? Can you match the way I'm breathing?"
Thrushpelt crouched over Firepaw, stroking his head and murmuring about the regularities of Clan life as the ginger apprentice thrashed beside him.
"Oh for StarClan's sake!" Came Spottedleaf's voice, sharp with anger.
Black fur filled his vision and soon Ravenpaw's breath reached his ears.
"His ears work. His nose is moving just fine and he's still got use of his mouth. What's happening, Spottedleaf?!" Ravenpaw asked.
"He's panicking too much to know where he is." The tortoiseshell medicine cat informed the group. "Whatever happened before he reacted must have made something happen in his brain. A bad memory took hold, maybe. But it could be one of the ghosts trying to use him again."
She muttered the last part to herself more than anyone else.
A few heartbeats later, Firepaw stopped twitching and went completely still, save for his breathing.
Ravenpaw backed up a few mouse-lengths and called out loudly.
"Firepaw?" He asked.
"Firepaw, can you hear me?" Lionheart boomed, matching Ravenpaw's volume.
Ravenpaw and Lionheart repeated their words once more before Firepaw moved again. He got to his paws slowly with the aid of Sandpaw and Spottedleaf, the two closest to him.
"Are you feeling any better?" Spottedleaf asked. Firepaw waved his paw for the "not quite" gesture.
"Okay, well you can hear me. Do you know what just happened?"
Two taps.
"You and Dustpaw were sparring and you reacted badly to a move that he tried. It's been a few heartbeats and you didn't respond to anything we said."
Firepaw reached a paw to flick his ear and tapped the ground twice.
"No… no what?"
Firepaw flicked his ear again.
"You couldn't hear us, could you?" Sandpaw asked suddenly.
One tap.
"Or see us." She clarified.
One tap.
"Do you know what you were thinking of after the sparring move?"
"Clever question, Sandpaw." Bluestar praised.
Firepaw pointed at Longtail and lifted his head for everyone to see his throat.
"If he was remembering how his injury occurred, he was probably repeating whatever he did there." Spottedleaf mused.
One tap.
"Okay. Well, I'm sorry you had to go through that. We should have checked to make sure the moves being done wouldn't be near your throat. It's still very tender and I'm almost positive anything touching it would hurt."
One tap.
"Dustpaw might say this himself later, but he wasn't trying to hurt you. It was a battle move he learned. He wasn't attacking you like Longtail did." Bluestar said these words and when Firepaw turned to look at her, her gaze kept his. "It is one we were trying to use less, due to the potential for injury. This is just more of a reason to retire it."
Firepaw tapped once and tilted his head as he digested the information.
"It came around before I was an apprentice and no one with common sense used it once I became a warrior. Some cat broke another's neck." Thrushpelt scowled. "Why Tigerclaw thought that was an okay move is beyond me. And I thought Whitestorm had more sense than to let the cat with the mangled neck be the recipient of a move that involves his neck."
The sandy-grey tom was furious and his green-grey glare could have made holes in Whitestorm's pelt.
"It's still a valid part of our training regimen. How was he supposed to know that Firepaw would react badly?" Redtail reasoned.
"Then Bluestar should have phased it out earlier!" Thrushpelt spat.
"We never knew it was that dangerous and it's likely she didn't learn either. Firepaw's okay, Thrushpelt. There's no use in working yourself up when the problem is being resolved."
"I better see proof that it is." Thrushpelt growled.
By the time the apprentices and their mentors got back to camp, the Clan had grown active. It had been like this every day since Bluestar had announced WindClan's disappearance. The queens were weaving twigs and leaves into a dense green wall around the sides of the nursery, making sure that the narrow entrance was the only way in and out of the bramble patch. Other cats were working at the edges of the camp, filling in any spaces in the thick undergrowth.
Even the elders were busy, scraping out a hole in the ground. Warriors filed steadily past, piling pieces of fresh-kill beside them, ready to be stored inside the newly dug hole. There was an air of quiet concentration, a determination to make the Clan as secure and well supplied as possible. If ShadowClan made a move on their territory, ThunderClan would shelter inside the camp. They would not let themselves be driven from their hunting grounds as easily as WindClan had been.
"Any news from the border?" A brown cat called.
"We were at the hollow. We can be a border patrol if that needs to happen." Lionheart offered.
"No need!" Tigerclaw called. "That wasn't the patrol I sent out, Breezefoot. You're to leave when they come back."
"Yes, Tigerclaw." The brown cat, Breezefoot, called out. Annoyance filled his tone and Firepaw couldn't help but wonder why.
"To the medicine den with you, I think." Bluestar shook him from his thoughts but Spottedleaf shook her head.
"He should be fine. His neck isn't showing any swelling and no liquid is present. He can come if he needs something for the pain though." She said as the apprentices streamed around her to go about their day. Firepaw shook his head and trotted off to the medicine den. Maybe Yellowfang knew why he'd frozen like a mouse caught in a cat's claws when Dustpaw was just sparring. Longtail followed quickly, not speaking and fur prickling nervously.
The grey medicine cat was easy to find and easier to talk to, at least for Firepaw. She kept glaring at an unusually cowed Longtail with her ears flat against her skull and her eyes boring holes into the cream tom's fur.
"Speak." She ordered. Firepaw started moving, slipping into a crouch and slithering forward before attempting to mimic the move that Dustpaw had performed. He ended by flopping over and when he got back to his paws he gave an inquisitive chirp.
"He… we were sparring at the Sandy Hollow. At first Firepaw and Greypaw were going through the basics, then Firepaw joined Dustpaw, Sandpaw, and their mentors in a sparring match. Dustpaw did a specific move that involved going for the throat and twisting to land on your opponent's back. Firepaw reacted… badly to it. He collapsed despite Dustpaw getting off him and he was doing all this twitching. It took Lionheart and Ravenpaw calling him five times for him to wake up. I think he wants to know… why that happened?" Longtail aimed the last part at Firepaw who nodded and tapped once.
"That means yes." Longtail explained.
"I see…" Yellowfang murmured. She was quiet for the next few heartbeats and her twitching tail, blazing orange eyes, and bristling fur were the only sign she was awake.
"It is… something warriors experience sometimes. When an event they go through is severe enough to leave an impact. They might experience that event if a similar circumstance comes up. Even if it's not the same event at all, something reminds the cat of what happened to them. How a cat reacts to the circumstances depends on what type of cat they are. Some run and find the best place they know to hide so they feel safe. Some lash out and fight what they perceive as a threat. Some don't do anything. They stand extremely still or collapse like Firepaw did, too lost in the memories to react in any other way."
"So… it's because how Dustpaw looked and how I looked were the same. He thought Dustpaw was trying to hurt him instead of practicing a move."
"He might have relived the memory of what happened to him while Dustpaw was performing the move. It explains why he couldn't react to you all calling for him afterward."
"Oh." Longtail mumbled, shuffling his paws awkwardly. "That's… that's terrible."
"Isn't it just?" Yellowfang drawled, narrowing her eyes at Longtail. "If anything I bet you'll learn not to flash your fangs at any old thing that comes your way. Is that all Firepaw wanted to know?"
Both Longtail and Yellowfang looked to Firepaw, who tapped once and nodded.
"Yes." Longtail confirmed. Firepaw's eyes widened suddenly and he pointed at Yellowfang, then mimicked batting at something.
"I think… it looks like he's asking if you want to… roll something? That could be playing?"
Firepaw shook his head and tapped twice.
"No, not playing. What gets rolled? Rocks? Moss?" Longtail wondered. Firepaw nodded and tapped once.
"Moss." Longtail clarified.
Firepaw nodded and tapped once, then pointed at Yellowfang.
"Would you like us to change your bedding?"
Firepaw nodded and then mimicked a hunting move.
"Or hunt? Oh! Sorry, Yellowfang, I'm still getting the hang of this. Would you like us to change your bedding, get your food, or can we do something else for you?"
Firepaw hopped to his paws, grinning, and tapped once.
"That's what he meant to say." Longtail confirmed.
"Curious young tom you are… and eager. I wouldn't mind some prey and if you think my bedding needs changing then by all means, help yourself. I have at least three good legs, y'know. I can get around camp for food or water just about as well as you can. Thanks for asking, Firepaw."
The ginger tom nodded and flicked his tail to Longtail before mimicking hunting again.
"We'll get that prey for you." Longtail correctly guessed before hurrying out of the medicine cat den and into the camp proper.
From there, Firepaw and Longtail split up with Firepaw heading to the fresh-kill pile and Longtail going to find whatever was used to get rid of bugs stuck in bedding and latched onto fur. Firepaw briefly recalled caring for the elders when he first arrived and had to stay in camp while this throat healed as much as it could, but mouse bile had worked on ticks. Yellowfang had more than just ticks in her bedding and Firepaw wondered if mouse bile would work or if they'd have to drown the bedding to make sure none of the weird bugs followed them home.
Firepaw met Longtail at the entrance to the medicine den and the cream tom spoke after ushering him in.
"Yellowfang's been outside in a different way than most elders, so while we're using mouse bile, we might have to get rid of the bedding altogether and roll in something strong to get these bugs to drop."
Firepaw nodded and watched as Longtail pressed the sharp-smelling moss to Yellowfang's pelt. She hissed in pain and growled when the moss touched her fur.
"What are you-? Are you alright?!" Longtail yelped. Firepaw's fur bristled as the older molly whirled around and seemingly chasing her tail as she gnawed at her shoulder.
"I might have opened a wound." Yellowfang hissed, annoyed. "Keep going, I'll approach Spottedleaf about it later."
Longtail used both forepaws to press the ball of moss in various places and encouraged Firepaw to do the same. Firepaw bent to move the moss to another spot but Longtail tapped his shoulder with his cream tail.
"You were going to regret picking that thing up. Mouse bile tastes almost as bad as fox-dung smells."
"The good thing about mouse bile fouling your paws is that it makes it easier to clear bedding. Since you have to wash off anyway." Yellowfang mumbled from where she sat on another empty nest with Firepaw tending her ticks.
Longtail rolled the used bedding into a large ball, obviously not using his teeth as he would with any other ball of moss. Once Firepaw was done with Yellowfang's ticks, they added the mouse bile moss to the dirty bedding and Longtail helped him carry piles of soiled moss out of the medicine den and across the camp, tucked between both their chins. It would go to the dirtplace where it would sit and rot with the rest of the dirt there. When they were done and having made sure Yellowfang didn't need anything further, Longtail started for the gorse tunnel with Firepaw in tow.
"Hey, you two!" An older cat called from the edge of the camp.
When Firepaw turned, he could see Sparrowpelt lounging in the sun with Whitepelt and Dappletail.
"We just got done with Yellowfang's ticks." Longtail called above Firepaw's head, voice rumbling against the top of Firepaw's head.
Sparrowpelt snorted, amused, and his whiskers twitched viciously.
"Off to the stream with you, then! And maybe don't come back without a mouse or three! I've had a craving something fierce!"
"Okay, Sparrowpelt." Longtail chuckled, flicking his tail so that Firepaw knew to get going.
They trekked out of camp and up the ravine and down to the stream where he and Yellowfang first met.
Longtail splashed into the stream without hesitation while Firepaw waded in, dipping each paw in before splashing downward and letting the water run over his back.
"You look like you have ants in your fur!"
"With Yellowfang's ticks, we might as well!" Longtail called back. Firepaw glanced up to see Sandpaw and Whitestorm lounging in a nearby tree while Dustpaw practiced climbing and Darkstipe crouched on the ground.
"C'mon. Dustpaw, you can do it!" crowed Sandpaw from a small branch not much further up than him.
"Don't tease the boy, Sandpaw, he's doing just fine! Why don't you see if you can find a squirrel up here before you go talking about another cat's training."
"Is that a challenge?!" Sandpaw snapped. Firepaw's eyes widened and he yowled a protest. That got all eyes on him, two sets were wide and the other three narrowed. Firepaw hopped out of the stream and mimicked scoring his claws along Longtail's side.
"He thinks you're going to… attack her? For what?"
Firepaw rolled his eyes and sprawled on the riverbank, mimicking how Sandpaw swung from the tree branch and chattered at Whitestorm.
"Oh. No, Firepaw, not for that. He knows she was just playing. And Sandpaw wasn't actually trying to challenge Whitestorm. She thought she was being funny." Dustpaw snorted.
"If it helps at all, I thought she was being funny as well." The white tom drawled.
Firepaw stared at the cats in the tree, doubt flaring in his eyes.
"I think that's enough climbing for today, you two. We could focus on hunting and shoring up the Clan's defenses."
"I didn't say Dustpaw could stop." Darkstripe growled.
"Well, Sandpaw and I need to get back down and he's climbing the same tree we're on. As good a climber as I am, I don't want my apprentice leaping through the trees just yet."
"That is what ThunderClan is known for."
"What would you know, stone-foot?" Whitestorm drawled, scaling the tree with ease and plucking up a tightly-wound Dustpaw from where the brown tabby clung to the trunk. Once Whitestorm saw the younger tom's paws firmly on the ground, he whirled around and reached up to snag his own apprentice. Sandpaw giggled as she soared through the air, loosely tethered to Whitestorm by his grip on the scruff of her neck. They were on the ground in no time and Sandpaw trotted over to Firepaw.
"Are you alright?" She asked. Firepaw nodded, wide-eyed.
"I just asked because you were staring at me weird. Whitestorm doesn't do that often, and it's only because he knows how to climb well that he was able to do that. I trusted him because I've seen him do it to help another of our warriors get down from a tree."
"Yeah, I remember that. It was Mousefur and I on patrol with him and Breezefoot and Tigerclaw. Breezefoot chased a squirrel up the tree but couldn't get back down as easily so Whitestorm helped him out." Longtail spoke so casually that it took a few heartbeats for Firepaw to recognize the nervousness in the cream tom's voice.
"Let's stick with hunting on the ground for now." Dustpaw offered.
Firepaw nodded vehemently and the group split from there. Longtail and Firepaw took Dustpaw with them one way while Darkstripe stalked off on his own and Whitestorm had Sandpaw hunt in the surrounding area.
The Clan welcomed them back with high tails and friendly looks when they saw how much prey the apprentices and their mentors managed to catch. It took them each four journeys to carry a mound of prey, some of it under their chins or on their backs as well as in their mouths. Breezefoot said it looked like they hunted the forest dry. Lionheart was with Greypaw, Tigerclaw, and a few other cats coming back from a patrol whose eyes widened at the sheer amount on the prey pile.
The Clan gathered in the clearing as the sun went down. Prey was passed around with a fair amount to last the Clan for at least another day or two. Firepaw found himself by the elders' den where Dappletail sat with Whitepelt, watching Sparrowpelt chat with Tigerclaw and Whitestorm while Lionheart bundled himself on top of Bluestar. The grey leader yelped, shocked to be burdened by the extra weight, and called out to Frostfur.
"Dear one, best girl, you were always my favorite apprentice! Now come get your fool of a tomcat off of me and have him carry around a kit or two!"
Firepaw was shocked she could get out that much and sure enough, Frostfur poked Lionheart with a partly unsheathed paw and rolled him off of the significantly smaller leader.
"Try that with Tigerclaw, I dare you!" Bluestar panted.
"Sure!" Lionhart drawled, leaning back to let Frostfur wash his ears as they swapped tales about their day.
"Do not try that with Tigerclaw!" Frostfur snickered. "He'd shred you if you did and you have enough scars, dearest."
"I suppose Greypaw and Firepaw will have to do." Lionheart sighed in a mock-longing tone.
The yellow tabby snorted and got to his paws, shaking himself out and fluffing his fur up so that he looked almost as massive as his namesake. Then he crept forward, pawstep by pawstep until he reached where Whitestorm was chatting up a reminiscent Sparrowpelt and a bored Tigerclaw.
"Hey, Leo, tell the pale-fur that he's only good at climbing bec-" Tigerclaw disappeared under a mound of yellow fur as Lionheart settled himself on top of the dark brown tabby. Faint yowls of frustration could be heard from where the large yellow tabby sat but they were drowned out by the sudden laughter of several Clanmates, Whitestorm included. The snow-furred tom bent to where Tigerclaw was squished under Lionheart.
"What was that about my fur?" He purred silkily as he watched the deputy struggle.
More muffled yelps and Whitestorm laughed at those before getting to his paws.
"Very sneaky, my friend. Very sneaky indeed… we could make a ShadowClan cat out of you yet." The white tom told Lionheart.
"Ha! As if they could handle my bulk. Those scrawny pine trees wouldn't take a tenth of my weight."
"Even though it's all fluff!" Frostfur called out playfully.
"Betrayed!" Lionheart howled, stumbling sideways. "I've been betrayed by my own mate! Oh, how will I ever recover from such a tragedy!"
"The real tragedy is the look on Frostfur's face when you called her your mate." Tigerclaw rasped, voice hoarse from the previous ordeal. "Or did you not talk about your relationship status before you got here?"
"Oh, we did, you good-for-nothing foxheart." Lionheart snorted coldly. "It's just not something I like to advertise. She'd shout it to the farthest star away if she were so inclined."
At Tigerclaw's inquiring look, Frostfur nodded and tilted her head.
"What's up with you and Goldenflower, anyway?" She trilled sweetly.
Lionheart rolled his eyes and smoothed down bristling fur.
"Let them be, Frostfur. Swiftkit could use a role-model that isn't me. StarClan knows I probably annoy him to the moon and back."
"Well, my kits think you're alright."
"Your kits haven't seen him talk about the warrior code for as long as it takes to devour a mouse." Greypaw groaned.
"That's just because you don't appreciate the history of it all." Sparrowpelt scoffed.
"It might be because he insists on each cat in the story having a different voice!" Dustpaw laughed. "But c'mon, Greypaw, what's not to like about those tales? There was so much chaos and ruthlessness back then, any cat would want to act it all out."
"Sure, whatever." Greypaw grumbled. "I prefer seeing him fight!"
"Who, you? Why would he need to fight when he can just sit until a cat gives up? It works on Tigerclaw, of all cats, so it definitely would on a ShadowClan cat in battle."
"If the battle was short enough, yeah." Lionheart snorted. "Or they might just stop and watch as I smother a cat into surrendering the fight."
"Especially if you don't bathe before you do it." Tigerclaw coughed.
The warriors joked and picked on each other for most of the night after that and Firepaw basked in the good cheer of the camp. Even the ghosts were enjoying themselves, and Firepaw slept better knowing that the cats around him were able to have a good time despite the chaos and uncertainty of the world around them. Even now, tales of their ancestors kept them content.