When Fireheart opened his eyes next, he was in a field. The sun shone bright overhead and there was heather blowing around him, its pleasant scent hit his nose. The warrior pushed himself up on his forepaws, gazing around this mysterious field in puzzlement. The pain that had clung to his body a few moments ago was gone.

How had he gotten here? Was everything he had just seen nothing more than a dream? A terrible nightmare brought to him on the fear he had already carried about Tigerclaw's ambitions?

No. It couldn't be that, how would he have gotten here if it was all a nightmare? Fireheart did not know this place and he certainly would not have slept here. A sound caught his attention, the warrior tilted his ear towards it before turning to see what had made the sound. There was a cat approaching him.

"Bluestar!" Fireheart sprang to his paws at the sight of his leader, he bounded quickly towards her. Once there, Fireheart touched his muzzle to the former ThunderClan leader's own. A feeling of grief overcame him quickly followed soon after by guilt. He took a few steps back from the blue-gray she-cat, lowering his head to her.

"I am so sorry; I did not get to the cave in time to save you." Fireheart's throat was growing tight. If only he had been a bit faster, if only he had been able to help her. He knew what Tigerclaw was capable of, Fireheart should have prevented this all. "I have failed you; I have failed ThunderClan." What will we do without her?

"No, Fireheart you have not failed me." The young warrior raised his head, ears pricking at her response. "I should have seen what Tigerclaw was capable of, I should have heeded your warnings. That is on me, I should have been able to prevent what had happened but I was unable. Do not place any blame on yourself." There was a seriousness in the way Bluestar looked at him.

"I am not here for your apology; I am here to warn you." Warn him? Warn him of what? "There are much more pressing matters, Tigerclaw should never have gotten into power. You must protect not only ThunderClan but all the Clans. You must do what is required for them to remain."

Fireheart felt as though his heart had stopped beating for a moment at her words. His ears went back and his tail lashed. Why wouldn't the Clan remain? Tigerclaw had gotten what he wanted, he had killed Bluestar and gained control of ThunderClan. What else could he possibly what? How could Fireheart do anything against the other warrior?

"How am I supposed to stop him?" Fireheart took a step back, "I am nothing more than a prisoner right now. Tigerclaw could have me killed in an instant – the Clan believes what he says!" A hopeless emptiness created a hole in his chest. He meowed, "I have no allies as it is to help me!" The only credible one right now would have been Yellowfang, but she had already made it clear to Fireheart that she could not help him. Graystripe was gone and all other potential allies believed Tigerclaw. Fireheart was alone.

An idea came to the tom, he moved a paw towards Bluestar as his tail rose excitedly. "Can you tell them the truth?" That had to work, if Bluestar could talk to him now then StarClan had to get involved somehow. They knew he was innocent! This was the solution. "They don't believe me, but they'll believe you! They'll believe StarClan!"

All of Fireheart's hope came crashing down as the StarClan warrior shook her head. "I am unable to get involved; this is your destiny. You must be the one to save the Clans." Why did she believe that? What possibly could lead her to believe he could save the Clans from whatever it was Tigerclaw had planned? Bluestar's eyes soften, almost as though she was a mother looking at her newborn kit. A sudden change from the serious way she was looking at him a moment ago. She brushed her tail comfortingly along his side.

"Not long before you came to the forest, I received a prophecy from StarClan. They told me that fire alone would save our Clan. I was unsure as to what they meant at first, but now I see the answer clearly." Bluestar's gaze was steadily on him, "I see now that you are that fire, Fireheart. It is your destiny to save ThunderClan – as well as the other Clans – from the evil Tigerclaw brings with him. You are a fine warrior with a courageous heart, you will be able to stop him and save the Clans."

The fur along Fireheart's spine rose, unnerved by the she-cat's words. How could he alone save the Clans from Tigerclaw's wrath? He was a single cat, a cat that did not even have the trust of his Clanmates presently. What could Fireheart possibly do? Bluestar seemed to know that Tigerclaw had something planned, something that would affect not only ThunderClan but every Clan in the forest. What did the dark tabby have planned? How could he stop it?

"Do not worry, you will not be alone in this task. You have allies. Some you already know and others have yet to come. The sapling beneath the twisted tree is strong, remember that." Bluestar meowed, "Trust the sapling beneath the twisted tree and you shall save all the Clans." She took a step towards him, looking into his eyes. There was a softness in her voice he had not heard before. "This is your destiny; you will save the Clans and all will be right in the forest again."

Fireheart felt a twinge of annoyance at his former mentors' words. His pelt twitched uneasily, why did these prophecies have to be so vague? The first prophecy Bluestar had told him ran through his head, how was she so certain it was him? He had joined the Clans because he wanted a new life. One different from the other cats around him, one where he felt he would be getting more out of life. And he was, he loved ThunderClan and would be loyal to the Clan and his Clanmates until the end. His decision had nothing to do with a prophecy.

More so, how could a tree possibly help him? Why could StarClan not just tell him what to do?

Before Fireheart could ask any further questions, Bluestar turned away from him, beginning to dissipate in front of him. In turn, the field which had just surrounded them was slowly disappearing as well. Being wisped away into the unknown darkness which flooded around Fireheart.

"Yellowfang wants me to check on him, just as we do with every one of our patients – I just checked on you before you came over here, Dustpelt!" Fireheart awoke to Cinderpaw's voice just outside the den. Everything in him seemed to ache as the pain returned. Fireheart shifted slightly, letting out a small groan as the scratch on his belly moved. He could feel his eye pulsing still, just as painful as it had been before.

"I don't care, you're not going in there!" He recognized Dustpelt's voice, Longtail must have left and the young brown tabby must have taken over. Dustpelt's tone was almost harsh and it made Fireheart's heart ache. He and Dustpelt had never been particularly close but he had been Sandstorm's friend and they had all been apprentices together. He was in with Tigerclaw's crowd but he was a loyal warrior to his Clan.

Fireheart did not think he was truly a bad cat, he was simply loyal to a fault, and right now that loyalty seemed to be influencing this prevention of letting Cinderpaw help him. He did not blame the other warrior, were he in a similar situation he probably would have the same concerns.

"Dustpelt, I need to check on him." Cinderpaw's tone was unmoving, "Let me by. You can come in and watch if you so please, I doubt he'll do anything – how is this any different than Brokentail? I checked on him with no issue!"

"Brokentail did not murder our leader in cold blood and he was blind. This is completely different." The tabby grunted, "I'll take him out, you can work on him here."

"Yellowfang does not want him moved!" Cinderpaw was beginning to sound annoyed. Fireheart's thoughts remained on the old medicine cat as the two cats kept going back and forth outside. She would be on her way to Mothermouth with Tigerclaw right now. Soon enough, Tigerclaw would become Tigerstar. A feeling of dread filled his chest, how could this have happened?

"Fine!" Cinderpaw let out a disgruntled huff, "If anything happens to him, you'll have to answer to Yellowfang!"

A moment later the branches by the den entrance moved, Fireheart lifted his head as the other warrior entered. He saw nothing but anger and hatred in the look Dustpelt was giving him, it made his stomach churn. Dustpelt ordered, "Get up."

"But Yellowfang said –"

"I don't care what Yellowfang said." Fireheart's heartbeat quickened as unsheathed claws prodded at his side. Dustpelt wouldn't, would he? This certainly would not have been allowed with Brokentail. The tom growled, "Come with me."

Fireheart forced himself to his paws. He could feel the other cats amber gaze boring into him. He let out a slight groan at the pain it took to rise, panting as he steadied himself on shaky legs. He could not see Dustpelt, the tabby was out of view. On the side that his eye had been injured. Fireheart felt anxiety forcing its way in his belly, it was unnerving being unable to see the other cat where he once was able to.

A shoulder hit Fireheart on the rib and he let out a yelp of alarm, jerking away from the sudden contact. His legs buckled beneath him and Fireheart could feel the scabbed over wound on his belly reopen. He heard an annoyed hiss before teeth sank into his scruff, dragging Fireheart to his paws.

Fireheart's lip curled back. His body was filled with pain as Dustpelt half dragged him into the clearing. He was dropped in a heap in front of Cinderpaw, the apprentice's eyes were wide.

"Dustpelt! You weren't supposed to hurt him!" Fireheart let Cinderpaw push him onto his side with one paw as she began to inspect the reopened wound. Dustpelt snorted.

"Why should it matter? He murdered our leader."

"No, I didn't. He's lying!" Fireheart leaned forward on his forelegs as he forced himself partially up.

"Stay still, I need to stop the bleeding." Cinderpaw snapped. Fireheart stopped at her order, his gaze on his former apprentice. What did she think of everything? Did she believe Tigerclaw or not? There was an air of sadness around the young cat, just as there had been with Yellowfang, but why? Was it over her leader's death? Over believing Tigerstar and thinking Fireheart was the one who committed the deed? Or did she see through the farse? He couldn't quite place it and certainly, no one was going to go against the new leader of ThunderClan.

The gray apprentice pushed a few herbs that Fireheart did not know towards him along with a mouse. "Eat those herbs while I deal with your wounds. After we are done you must eat," Cinderpaw ordered. "You need your strength to heal," she glanced at Dustpelt, "and so we can make sure you can actually get back to your nest."

"Like we need a traitor to get stronger," Dustpelt snorted. His eyes narrowed, "If I were Tigerclaw, I wouldn't have let you become a waste of ThunderClan resources." The tabby shook his head, growling, "I sure hope whatever he has planned for you is worth this." The glare the brown warrior gave Fireheart was piercing. The prisoner's ears went back, anger pricking at him. He opened his mouth, beginning to respond to the taunt before he was interrupted.

"He is a living cat, Dustpelt." Cinderpaw shot Fireheart a look before it shifted over to his guard. "While he is alive, he will be treated. Now, I don't think Tigerclaw would be too happy to find out that you were trying to pick a fight with the prisoner while he was gone, fleabrain!"

Dustpelt's ears went back, he grunted before he slowly sat on his haunches. The warrior opted to look across the clearing, away from Cinderpaw and Fireheart. The apprentice began removing the drenched cobwebs from Fireheart's face, turning his head to the side as she did. The tom looked around the clearing, waiting for Cinderpaw to finish what she had to do.

It was roughly midmorning, Bluestar's body was long gone from the clearing. It would have been brought out at sunrise by the elders to be buried. It could have been any other day; warriors were either in the clearing or out patrolling. It would not be hard to believe Bluestar would emerge from her den at any moment now or was already out in the forest somewhere.

Instead, there was a tension in the air and the obvious realization that he was out of his prison seemed to spread through camp. Fireheart caught a few dirty looks directed at him. He felt Dappletail's gaze land on him, her lip curled back as she let out a hiss before turning away and heading to her den. Not far from the tortoiseshell, he spotted Mousefur.

The small brown she-cat had a chaffinch in her jaws. When she settled down to eat it, she turned her back pointedly to Fireheart. A twinge formed in Fireheart's chest. They truly think I am capable of murder. How?

He had shared dens with these cats. He had shared prey with them time and time again. They were his Clanmates, they knew him so well and yet they thought he was capable of murdering Bluestar? Was he truly that untrustworthy or was it how much control Tigerclaw had that influenced them?

Cinderpaw shifted her position, limping a few steps to the side before sitting down again. She shifted back onto her haunches as she dealt with the scratch on his shoulder. In the space that had been blocked by Cinderpaw, Fireheart could see the apprentice den. He searched around it quickly for any sign of Cloudpaw. Instead, he saw Brightpaw and Swiftpaw together, the ginger and white apprentice whispering something to the other. Their eyes were locked onto Fireheart.

They would not have given me so much as a second thought last sunrise, Fireheart thought. I would have been nothing more than another Clanmate. His mind remained on Cloudpaw. How was he doing? He had not seen the apprentice since everything had happened. Did he believe Tigerclaw? How would he fair now that he was kin of a supposed murderer?

Tigerclaw would ostracize the young tom for his kittypet background, that much was certain, but the other apprentices got along with him fine. Cloudpaw was a liked cat. He had Brindleface and the elders were fond of him. Hopefully, he would be accepted by the rest of the Clan and shielded from this. It was not Cloudpaw's fault he and Fireheart were kin nor was it his fault that all of this had happened. His Clanmates had to see that much.

A squeal caught Fireheart attention, worries of Cloudpaw disappeared as he turned his head to find the source of that sound. It was in the direction of the nursery. Amber eyes were looking straight at Fireheart. The warrior stifled a gasp, startled by the sight before him.

That kit was an exact copy of Tigerclaw! The small tabby seemed to quickly lose interest in Fireheart, turning his head away as a tortoiseshell kit launched herself at him. The tom-kit let out a startled squeak before kicking the other kit off of him. He crouched, small tail lashing excitedly before bouncing on top of the other kit. Both kits went tumbling across the clearing, chirping with delight as they played.

"Bramblekit! Get off your sister and both of you come back to the nursery!" Fireheart recognized Goldenflower's voice as she called. That made sense! Goldenflower had given birth to Tigerclaw's kits not long before the battle. During their time here she had also taken in Graystripe's kits – Stormkit and Featherkit. Fireheart had seen both of these kits before but he had not realized just how much the little tom looked like his father. When he had seen them prior, they had just barely opened their eyes. This had to be their first time out in the clearing.

The little tabby jumped back, away from his sister. His amber eyes were glowing with excitement as he trilled, "Bet I can beat you to the nursery, Tawnykit!"

The little tortoiseshell had her head held high as she swiped at her brother. "No, you can't!"

"Can too!"

The tabby turned, stumbling towards the nursery and their mother. The tortoiseshell followed quickly after. Once they got to Goldenflower, the tabby queen wrapped her tail around the two kits. Her gaze was on Fireheart. She knows I was watching them, he realized. The glare she gave him dug deep. Fireheart's ears went back and a twinge of fear hit his chest at the threatening look Goldenflower was giving him.

After a moment, the queen turned away, ushering her kits into the nursery. As she disappeared, Fireheart's thoughts remained on that tiny kit that looked so much like his father.

Oh StarClan, Fireheart thought, let him be better than his father.