Bramblepaw stared at his paws, his ears flattened as Fireheart glared at him. The warrior shifted his gaze to Mistyfoot who stood next to the apprentice. The other warrior was looking at him expectantly. He let out a sigh, processing what she had just told him. He looked back at his apprentice, "I'm exhausted. I don't want to deal with this, but now we have to." The apprentice lowered his head further at his mentor's words.

"I was gone for one day, Bramblepaw." Fireheart narrowed his eyes, "We are guests here. We are only here because Tallstar allowed us to be, understand? We are supposed to be helping, not breaking the warrior code."

"I know, I'm sorry." The young tabby shifted on his paws, "I got hungry is all." Fireheart silenced Bramblepaw with a hiss.

"I'm not the one you need to apologize to; we will be talking to Tallstar after this. Then we will go out hunting and having a review of the warrior code, since you clearly need it." Fireheart sighed; this was not what he wanted to do when he returned. He had been looking forward to resting after everything but now he would have to spend the rest of the day disciplining his apprentice.

Fireheart and Graystripe had followed the river until it came to familiar territory near the farm. From there they made their way to the Thunderpath and across to the new WindClan territory. There had already been markers set around it and when they had arrived at camp, it was on its way to being made into a real Clan camp.

It was being cleaned up, the brambles along the edge were reinforced as well as holes were being closed. The only entrance was the one that Gorsepaw and Bramblepaw had found through the brambles the sunrise prior. It was looking good, Fireheart thought. The camp was less of a temporary look and appeared more permanent one. There had seemed to be no discussion of this among the WindClan cats, not that Fireheart had heard but it seemed to be a silent agreement that this might be more than temporary. The idea chilled him.

Dens had been made out of the various brush around the clearing, the outsiders were the ones using most of them at the moment. This certainly was a different set up to what the WindClan cats would be used to, considering they normally did not have most dens be permanent, but it would work. It would have to.

The journey had left Fireheart feeling exhausted, his paws felt raw after walking on Thunderpath all day and his shoulder ached. Barkface had had a look at it, telling the warrior that he had strained it. The medicine cat had told him to rest and had offered him some poppy seeds. Overall, Fireheart was exhausted and all he wanted to do was curl up in a nest and sleep. With the poppy seeds, it would be restful even. There would be no nightmares or thrashing to worry about. However, that was not possible now.

After they had left Barkface, Mistyfoot had come up to Fireheart with the issue that he had to deal with now. While the apprentice had been out hunting, Bramblepaw had decided that he would have some fresh-kill instead of bringing it back to camp to share. With the lesser amounts of prey, there was here compared to Clan territories and it being leaf-bare, this was an especially bad rule to break.

Graystripe's scent hit Fireheart's nose. "He hasn't lived in a Clan since he was a kit – it's an honest mistake." Graystripe's meow came, "It's not like you didn't do the same when you were an apprentice."

Fireheart's ears went back, Bramblepaw did not need to know he had broken this rule. When he had eaten prey, it had only been Yellowfang's leftovers, not an entire portion for himself. While Graystripe had a point, this was the first time Bramblepaw had lived in a Clan in a long time, he still had grown up around Clan cats. Fireheart had not and he had been punished for his misdemeanor. Bramblepaw should have known better.

"Let's go talk to Tallstar," Fireheart signalled the apprentice to his paws. "Then we are spending the rest of the day hunting." Bramblepaw nodded as the warrior turned away, heading in the direction of Tallstar's den. The striped tom stuck by Fireheart's side as they left Mistyfoot and Graystripe behind. Fireheart felt a pressure come to his chest as he approached the tree stump which made it. He forced himself to breathe as he raised his tail, signaling for Bramblepaw to stop just outside the den.

Fireheart limped forward, the pressure in his chest growing. I'm fine, I'm safe. This isn't there. The warrior forced himself to breathe deeply as he poked his head into the entrance, "Is it alright if we come in?"

"Yes, come in." Tallstar had looked away from Barkface as he spoke. The WindClan leader had been out earlier, he was healing and Barkface had allowed for him to walk unassisted for short periods now. He seemed to be getting stronger each day.

Fireheart called Bramblepaw forward as he entered the den. Tallstar slowly sat up as they entered, his eyes were brighter and if he was still in pain, the leader made no indication of it. Bramblepaw lowered his head to the black and white tom. The WindClan leader's gaze landing on the apprentice, a knowing glint in his yellow eyes. "What can I help you with?"

"Bramblepaw has something to tell you." Fireheart looked expectantly at the tabby. Bramblepaw looked to his paws for a moment, seemingly uncomfortable with being the center of attention.

He looked back up after a few moments, his eyes on Tallstar. Bramblepaw murmured, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to break the warrior code. I –" He lowered his head, "I'm sorry."

Fireheart lashed his tail, Bramblepaw should be speaking louder and more directly. He began to correct this when he noticed an amused glimmer in Tallstar's eyes as he regarded the brown tom. He responded, "We all make mistakes, young Bramblepaw. This life is new to you, I am sure your mentor can sympathize with that for he has been in the same position." His eyes narrowed, "Although I also expect that you will not be making the same mistake again."

Bramblepaw nodded quickly, murmuring his thanks. Fireheart meowed, "We will be hunting for the rest of the day to make up for this." Barkface narrowed his eyes at the warrior, looking ready to respond. He added quickly, "He'll be hunting, I want to keep an eye on him is all." This land was new, there was a chance of foxes or rogues happening upon the apprentice if he went out alone, he needed to protect him from that. "I sincerely apologize for Bramblepaw's actions. I promise they will not happen again." Fireheart eyed the apprentice at the last sentence.

Tallstar nodded, dismissing them with a twitch of his ear. As the two outsiders left the den, the pressure from Fireheart's chest eased. He continued to the entrance of camp, Bramblepaw following after.

When they had left camp, Bramblepaw mewed, "Fireheart?" He sounded hesitant. The warrior looked at the younger tom. There was a thoughtful glow in his amber eyes as he asked, "Why do we live in Clans?"

This was not at all what Fireheart had expected the young tom to ask. He stared at the apprentice, surprised as he opened his mouth, trying to figure out how to respond. Why would Bramblepaw ask this? The warrior responded slowly, "The Clans have been around for generations. Our ancestors lived this way and many cats after us will as well. It's the way it is."

"You were a kittypet though." Bramblepaw responded, "They aren't really your ancestors. You joined and Ravenpaw left. Why do we live like this? He has a good life as a loner, I think." He cocked his head to the side as he mewed. There was no malice in Bramblepaw's tone or demeanor. The apprentice appeared to be genuinely curious. "He doesn't have to worry about others, besides for Barley. He's got plenty of prey and shelter. Why don't we all live as loners?"

Fireheart stopped in his tracks, staring in shock at the apprentice. Was he so far removed from Clan life that he thought this? Fireheart had tried to influence him in the ways of the Clans as best he could, but it seemed to have not stuck. Would he rather go back to the barn and be a loner? Bramblepaw looked at his mentor, a serious look in his amber eyes.

Fireheart pushed away a heavy feeling in his chest and thoughts of Bramblepaw's father as he looked into the apprentices' eyes. "Well," He began, "Loners and rogues don't always have it as good as Ravenpaw and Barley. It's a lonely life. They only have to worry for themselves, sure, but they do not have the defense that a Clan has. What would happen if you got sick or hurt? Here, Barkface would take care of you. They have no one else. We also have kin and friends in the Clans, it's our duty as warriors to protect our Clanmates and in turn they will protect you."

"I don't have kin here," Bramblepaw responded. Fireheart felt a sudden flash of anger overcome him at the apprentices' words, his mind was beginning to fog. Did he want to go back to his kin? Back to Tigerstar? The warrior felt the fur on his back rise. The apprentice continued, "and you didn't have kin until you brought Cloudtail." A flash of alarm lit up his golden eyes as Bramblepaw looked at Fireheart. He squeaked, "I don't mean anything by it! I-I-I can stop asking, I'm sorry!"

Fireheart forced his fur flat, forcing himself to breathe deeply. The fog slowly disappeared from his mind, guilt replacing it. He licked the other cat behind the ear quickly as he responded, "It's fine. You're curious." He was curious like he been before, this was fine. Bramblepaw does not mean anything by this outside of curiosity, Fireheart reminded himself. "You have friends, though. Stormpaw and Featherpaw, you'd fight and hunt for them, right? How about Mistyfoot or Brightheart?"

Bramblepaw nodded, "I would."

"They're your Clanmates." He had never thought of their group as a Clan before, there was no true structure outside of warriors and apprentices but they were Clan cats so they must count as something. "It's the same for any warrior in any Clan." Fireheart felt a twinge in his chest, he would defend any of his former Clanmates back in ThunderClan but he knew they would not do the same. Besides for Sandstorm, none of them considered him higher than any other rogue. In fact, they hated him more than other rogues.

Bramblepaw was silent for a few moments, pondering Fireheart's words. There was a thoughtful look in his eyes as he meowed, "Thank you. I think we should get to hunting now."

The apprentice continued forward; Fireheart stared at Bramblepaw for a few heartbeats before following him. What had brought these questions about?

The sun was beginning to set by the time Fireheart and Bramblepaw returned from the hunt. Both cats had mouthfuls of prey in their jaws. While it had not been the most successful hunt, the apprentice had caught prey. Were they back in Clan territory, there would have been more. Even so, prey was prey and it would do.

The pair made their way into camp, setting the prey down on the rock that had been declared as the fresh-kill pile. There were a few other pieces but not much. Fireheart sniffed at a dace, his stomach groaning at the fish's scent. None of the WindClan cats were used to fish like the others, it was better to eat these themselves and leave the land prey to WindClan.

Fireheart picked the fish up in his jaws, eying Bramblepaw as he stared at the fresh-kill pile. The warrior meowed, "You've had your share."

The apprentice nodded before moving slowly away from the pile. His tail was drooping behind him as he made his way to where the apprentices were outside their den. Fireheart watched the tabby settle next to Gorsepaw, joining in on the conversation that was going on a moment later. From what Fireheart could see in the time he had been there, the WindClan apprentice got along well with the three younger apprentices.

He turned away from the pile, spotting where Graystripe, Onewhisker, Morningflower, and Brightheart were talking near the edge of the hollow. He padded towards them, each step reminding him of just how he had spent the last two sunrises when something caught his eye.

Tallstar was watching him from across the clearing, he was settled outside of his den. The black and white tom nodded to Fireheart, a silent order. The warrior stopped in his tracks, hesitating a moment before shifting his route over to the leader. Fireheart dipped his head respectfully to Tallstar as he laid down across from him, setting the dace between his front paws.

Tallstar eyed the fish, "I never would have thought I would see one of those on my fresh-kill pile nor did I think I'd see a ThunderClan warrior eat fish."

"Do you want me to get you something?" Fireheart asked. There was a decent looking mouse he had seen on the pile; he should have put the fish back and gotten it when the leader had called him over. Tallstar shook his head.

"No, thank you. Could I try it?" This request surprised Fireheart. He nodded, pushing the fish to Tallstar. The leader explained, "Considering how many your warriors are bringing back to camp, I imagine that fish will have to be part of the fresh-kill pile while we are here." His warriors? Fireheart did not understand why Tallstar kept wording it that way. None of these cats were under his control, even if what Tallstar had said was true and they saw him as a leader of sorts, he was no Clan leader. He had no idea why they would see him as a leader in any regard.

Tallstar murmured his thanks, sniffing it before taking a bite. He chewed slowly, his ears moving back as he did. He swallowed after a few heartbeats. The WindClan leader meowed, "That is… unusual." He pushed the dace back over to the warrior.

"It tastes a lot like it smells." Fireheart meowed, taking a bite of the kill.

"Never mind that, I did not call you over to talk about fish. I wanted to ask you a favor." Fireheart raised his head, ears pricked. What did Tallstar have to ask? "Starting next sunrise, could you organize patrols?"

Organize patrols? That was a deputy's job. At the moment, WindClan did not have one. Why Tallstar had yet to assign one was a mystery to Fireheart and, he imagined, to the others as well. Why Tallstar had asked Fireheart to do this job and not one of his own cats was a mystery as well. The warrior nodded. "Of course."

"Thank you, Fireheart."

As the sun continued to set around them, cats began to head to their dens for the night. Fireheart noticed that even the WindClan warriors seemed to be heading to the warrior's den. Clouds had formed overhead and it must have been the threat of snow or rain that sent them in. The wind had begun to blow harshly, its icy touch stung Fireheart's nose as he rose to his paws.

Bidding a good night to Tallstar, Fireheart went quickly to the medicine cat den. After getting the poppy seeds, the warrior made his way towards the warrior's den. He stopped in his tracks, a pressuring forming on his chest as he stared at the bush.

There was no way he was going in there. Fireheart shifted his attention to a patch of heather next to the gorse bush. He could put up with rain or snow. It would have to do. The warrior moved over to it, flattening a place to lay before circling in it a few times and laying down. He fluffed up his pelt against the wind. The pain in his shoulder was already beginning to quell and he felt tired. Finally, some sleep.

"You can't sleep out here." Fireheart opened his eye, gazing at Graystripe in the dim light. The other tom's eyes were narrowed as he looked at Fireheart. "WindClan is sleeping in dens tonight, you're going to freeze."

"I'll be fine," Fireheart muttered, turning his head away from the other warrior.

"Fireheart." It was Mistyfoot's voice that sounded. This came as a surprise, he hadn't realized she was there. "If you can't sleep in the warrior's den, why not ask Barkface if you can join him in there? Or even Tallstar?" The idea of that made Fireheart stiffen. He shook his head, sleeping in one of their dens would only lead to the WindClan warriors being suspicious of him and the two cats thinking he's weak.

Graystripe sighed, "Then why don't I sleep out here with you. Two cats can keep each other warm." Fireheart felt pricks of guilt at the other toms' suggestion, he wouldn't put Graystripe through the cold, too.

"No."

"Fireheart, please." He heard the other cat take a few steps towards him; Fireheart raised his head.

"I said no," he growled. Fireheart did not want this. They already knew he was weak; he did not want to further that. "Graystripe, go sleep in the den. I'll be fine." Graystripe continued to protest, Fireheart's ears flattened, "I will be fine, go."

Mistyfoot cut them both off. "Graystripe, he'll get cold and head to Barkface's den at some point." Mistyfoot assured the gray tom, keeping her gaze on Fireheart. "Won't you?"

"Fine."

There was a silence before Graystripe grunted. "You'd better." He turned away from Fireheart, heading towards the warrior's den. Mistyfoot remained where she was.

"Fireheart, if it gets too cold, please head to Barkface's den. You'll be safe, he won't hurt you." Fireheart felt his fur bristle at her words before he muttered an agreement. He turned his head away from the RiverClan warrior as she moved away from him, towards the warrior's den.

He was almost on the verge of sleep when he heard a mew, "Fireheart?"

"What now?" Fireheart growled opening his eyes slowly and lifting his head against the heavy feeling of sleep. It took him a moment to recognize the cat in front of him. Bramblepaw. "Hey, kit." The apprentice's tail was twitching behind him as he looked back at his mentor. Fireheart forced himself to move a paw towards the other cat, "Something the matter?"

"Can I sleep with you tonight?"

"Sure." Fireheart shifted in the nest, creating space for the young tom. Alarm broke through the heaviness of sleep. Why did Bramblepaw want to sleep here? The apprentice settled next to him. He asked, "Did something happen?"

Bramblepaw shook his head, resting it down before closing his eyes. Fireheart stared at the apprentice. This was strange but he would not deny him whatever reason he had come to Fireheart for. It certainly didn't look like he was getting an answer now. Fireheart rested his head back down.