AN: Am just gonna put this out there. I am gay and I really don't appreciate homophobia in the comments and I actively discourage people from reading if you're gonna be like that. I am going to write these characters the way I want. As well, spoiler warning I suppose, if you're bothered by a couple side characters being gay, you're really not going to like what's to come. So, again, if that bothers you I discourage reading.

"Fireheart!" A loud hiss jerked the warrior out of the doze he had fallen into. He jerked his head quickly off of Sandstorm's haunch. He blinked a few times, looking back to the pale queen as he realized what he had done.

Once Fireheart was certain he had not disturbed either Sandstorm or the kits, he looked up towards where the voice had come from. Yellow eyes were looking back at him through the darkness as Graystripe's scent hit his nose.

"Graystripe?" His voice was heavy with sleep, "What is it?" His mind went to Bramblepaw as he pushed himself up, anxiety made his chest tighten. "Did something happen? Is Bramblepaw alright?"

"Yeah," The other warrior responded. "He woke up!"

"What?" Fireheart rose quickly to his paws. "Let's go before we wake anyone else up."

"It's already too late for that," Fireheart turned at the sound of Sandstorm's voice. His ears went back as he saw that one of her eyes had opened and she was looking at the two toms. She raised her head, shifting as to face them better. Both kits began to mewl at her sudden movement. Sandstorm turned back, shushing them before looking back at the others, "He woke up?" Graystripe nodded. "That's good."

"Yeah, we can head down in a second." Graystripe glanced at Fireheart, "I want to meet your kits first." Fireheart nodded quickly as the large gray warrior moved around Sandstorm in the darkness. Sandstorm turned with him, licking each kit a few times as to settle them down.

"Oh, they're lovely! I'm so happy for you two!" Graystripe crouched down as he mewed; a softness came to his eyes. "Have they got names yet?"

"Yes," Fireheart replied. "The ginger one's Squirrelkit and the tabby is Leafkit." A flash of surprise came to Graystripe's eyes, he looked up at Sandstorm.

"Leafkit?" He looked at Sandstorm questioningly. The queen flicked her ear as she nodded. Confusion filled Fireheart's mind at this interaction, however, before he could ask anything Sandstorm turned back her mate.

"Why don't you two head down." Fireheart nodded quickly as Graystripe rose to his paws, heading over to his friend. Sandstorm rested her head back down, eyes trained on Fireheart. "If you come back, be quieter. You're lucky no one else woke up."

Fireheart nodded again, turning towards the entrance and heading out with Graystripe following behind him. The full moon hung high in the sky, his ears twitched as he saw. He had not meant to fall asleep and he had been unsure of when he had.

After talking with the kits, Barkface had stopped by to check on Fireheart's wounds from the fight and to check on Sandstorm and the kits. The medicine cat had told him to stay there, so he had. It had been around sunset then, he had to have fallen asleep not too long after.

Fireheart headed quickly down the path, the ground beneath his paws was cooler without the blaze of the sun scorching it as it would do during the day. Through the dim moonlight, Fireheart could see that a number of cats were asleep closer to the river, Nothing more than lumps of darkness through the night.

Near the center of camp, there were a few cats crouched. Fireheart's throat tightened as he recognized a body in the middle. He took a deep breath, turning away from where cats sat vigil for Tawnyfur. Here was one more cat he had been unable to save.

He followed Graystripe along the gorge wall to the medicine cat den which Barkface was seated outside of. The brown tom rose to his paws as he saw the approaching warriors. Greetings were exchanged between the three cats quickly. Fireheart let his tail twitch anxiously, "How is he?"

"He's awake," Barkface replied. "He's in pain and confused but he's awake. He does not remember the fight at all." Fireheart's ears pricked, Bramblepaw couldn't remember?

"Has he forgotten anything else?" he asked.

"He doesn't seem to remember anything of the day prior but besides for that, his memory is intact. He might regain it as time goes on. There is not much to worry about. His shoulder needs rest for now and his face is bruised up, that'll get better on its own." Fireheart let his shoulders sag in relief. Barkface paused a moment before continuing, "There is one thing that is concerning."

Fireheart's throat felt tight at the medicine cat's words, what was it? What reason did Barkface have to be concerned? His mind went to the apprentice's shoulder. Was it regarding that? His shoulder could heal but so had Cinderpelt's leg. He knew it was different, but it was still a severe injury. Could a dislocation cause more trouble? "He can't hear in the ear that got hit."

"He can't hear?" Fireheart repeated. The medicine cat nodded.

"The ear itself seems fine; he had some bleeding from it but there was no actual damage to it on the outside. It must be deeper, something within him I cannot see outside of that blood." His tail swished behind him as if frustrated by this predicament. "It's going to do damage; I just don't know how much yet. He might regain some hearing."

Fireheart nodded. That was fine, the apprentice could adapt. Brightheart had lost hearing in one ear after her injuries and she had adapted to that. They'd have to speak louder for him and he would need to learn to work around this impairment but there was no reason Bramblepaw couldn't be a warrior. Bramblepaw would be a warrior.

"Can I see him now?" Barkface nodded and Fireheart moved by him, entering the cave. Once inside the den, Fireheart caught sight of Bramblepaw.

Through the dark, he recognized that the apprentice had shifted off of his side. His head was down on his paws and the glow of his amber eyes told Fireheart they were half-closed. Another cat lay beside him, through scent Fireheart recognized it as Stormpaw. The gray tom was washing his friends back. He noticed the warrior first, stopping in his grooming as Fireheart approached.

Bramblepaw's whiskers twitched at the sudden stop, he blinked a few times before opening his eyes completely. One of his eyes was slightly squinted as he looked up at Fireheart. The warrior moved forward quickly, nuzzling the tabby as he purred fretfully. He asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," Bramblepaw's reply was rough and dull. He blinked as Fireheart settled down in front of him. "My head and shoulder hurt." He twitched his tail, looking at where his shoulder had been wrapped. His ears went back as he stared at it, "Barkface said it's gonna be at least half a moon before that heals."

"It'll heal," Fireheart replied, licking the top of the apprentice's head. Bramblepaw rested his head back down, heaving a sigh.

"It's going to get in the way of training," the apprentice mumbled. "I'm going to fall behind Stormpaw and Featherpaw." He slid his claws out, digging them into the bracken beneath him. He tore at it. "I didn't even get to go to the fight at the barn."

Fireheart blinked, surprised by Bramblepaw's words. He glanced up at Stormpaw, who seemed unsurprised by what was said. Stormpaw looked back at the warrior as he shrugged.

"You were at the fight," Fireheart reminded him. "That's where this happened." Bramblepaw looked confused by the warrior's words, cocking his head slightly to the side as he mulled them over.

"You keep forgetting." Stormpaw rested his head on Bramblepaw's back, "Anyway, I'm not going to leave you behind. We'll be made warriors together, I'm sure Featherpaw will do the same." Bramblepaw put his paw over his muzzle, letting out a groan.

"Why can't I remember what happened? I didn't even hear you come in," his meow was quiet, amber gaze on the ground. "How am I supposed to be a warrior if I can't even hear a cat coming?"

"You'll learn," Fireheart assured him. "We don't even know how much you'll lose. I'm sure Brightheart will have some suggestions to help you." Fireheart blinked sympathetically at the apprentice, recalling when he had first been blinded.

He had been in a similar situation; he had no idea what the outcome would be and it terrified him. It had scared him to think that he might have lost his ability to hunt and to fight but he had, admittedly with some difficultly, overcome it and he knew that if Bramblepaw ended up in a similar situation, he would overcome it too.

Fireheart looked up at Stormpaw, "You don't need to delay your warriorship just because he might need a bit longer. He'll get it."

"I don't want to get my name until he can," Stormpaw's eyes narrowed as he wrapped his tail around the tabby. He was suddenly more serious than Fireheart had seen him before. After a moment, Fireheart slowly nodded admiring the loyalty the young tom had for his friend.

"Were you sleeping?" Fireheart looked back at Bramblepaw, surprised by the sudden question. The tabby looked towards the den entrance, "It's night time. Were you sleeping?" He looked back at the deputy, "I-I didn't…" He paused, as if thinking over what he wanted to say, his words came out slow as though they took effort to produce. "You didn't have to come if you were sleeping. Sorry, he woke you." Fireheart shook his head.

"I wasn't asleep, I was in the nursery actually." Bramblepaw was silent for a long moment.

"Sandstorm," he said the name slowly. "Is she alright? Is she still hurting?" Fireheart shook his head.

"No, she isn't. The kits came while we were gone." The apprentice's head shot up suddenly.

"Can I meet them?" He began to push himself to his paws. Even though he held his injured leg up, he was still shaky. He swayed as he stood up, stumbling a few steps forward. His injured leg touched the ground as he tried to gain his balance. His ears went back and lip curled into a snarl at the pain. Fireheart stood up quickly, steadying the brown tom with Stormpaw's help. The warrior recognized sleepiness in his eyes.

"Not yet," Fireheart responded as they steadily made Bramblepaw lay back down.

"Why?"

"It's the middle of the night, you need your rest. They need their rest." Fireheart explained, "You're not supposed to leave this nest either, you can meet them later." The apprentice grunted, resting his muzzle on Fireheart's shoulder.

"' M'tired."

"Then sleep." Fireheart felt the younger cat nod slightly at his words. It did not take long for the young tabby to relax; Fireheart heard his breathing slow and watched his muscles sag as he drifted back to sleep.

Fireheart pulled away, laying the younger tom's head on the stone ground lightly. He glanced up at Stormpaw, who was licking the fur between Bramblepaw's shoulders. "I'll leave you two to it," Fireheart's meow was barely above a whisper. Stormpaw nodded, resting his head on Bramblepaw's back before closing his eyes. "See you in the morning."

"See you." Fireheart pushed himself to his paws, turning away from the two apprentices before heading back out of the medicine cat den.

Outside, Barkface and Graystripe were waiting. The warrior rose to his paws as he saw his friend emerge, a curious look in his eyes. "He's gone back to sleep," Barkface nodded at Fireheart's meow. Fireheart touched his shoulder to Graystripe's own, "I think it's best we head off to our nests." He looked at Barkface, "Do you need us or anything else?"

Barkface shook his head, "All else can be dealt with come morning. Have a good night." Both warriors said their goodbyes, heading towards the path which led to the warrior's den.

"How are you doing?" Fireheart glanced at his friend as Graystripe spoke. Why did it matter how he was doing?

"I'm doing fine," Fireheart replied. Sandstorm and the kits were well and Bramblepaw would heal. The Clan had had a loss, but it had reclaimed its new home. They could finally settle without any issues from outside forces. That was all that mattered. Graystripe's gaze remained on Fireheart, he stopped in his pace.

"You seem better," Graystripe said. "Better than back in the forest." He sat down for a moment, flattening the fur on one shoulder. Fireheart was silent, was that why he was asking? He certainly did feel better, a lot better. There had been an overhanging reminder back in the forest, of what he had failed to do as well as the constant pressure to do something about it when he could not. There were still parts of that here, but it was less so. He had said he was not going to help out the Clans and while he felt guilt in that, it was a huge part of the burden taken off of him. He suddenly did not feel pressured into having to do something that he was unable to do.

The gray warrior blinked, "It's good to see you, all things considering, happier again." He rose to his paws again, arching his back as he looked up at the sky. "Maybe getting out of there helped you."

"Perhaps," Fireheart murmured, turning as the other warrior headed towards the path. He stopped in his tracks again as he saw movement not far from them. He watched as Sky made his way along the cave wall, the old tom turned and disappeared between two rocks a moment later.

"What's he doing?" Fireheart asked his gaze where the SkyClan decedent had disappeared. Sky did not venture into camp all that often, mostly the former loner stayed around his den further down the gorge.

"Who knows? He's headed to the Skyrock." Graystripe shrugged, "he goes up there sometimes. It's the full moon. Are you heading back to the nursery or to the warrior's den?"

"The warrior's den, I'll be up in a bit." Fireheart padded over to where Sky had disappeared as Graystripe turned away. The Skyrock was where SkyClan had once held their equivalent to Gatherings and where medicine cats would meet with StarClan. Now, Barkface used it to speak with their ancestors at the half-moon and WindClan used it as a meeting spot.

Fireheart padded along the steep path, heading towards the top of the gorge. He caught sight of Sky again further up the path. The deputy stopped in his tracks as he watched the old warrior came up to a break in the path. He held his breath as Sky prepared himself to jump across.

The gray tom leaped over the opening, seemingly unbothered by the large jump. He proceeded to skillfully make his way up the Skyrock in a few jumps. Fireheart trotted up the path, stopping at the same opening that Sky had stopped at.

It was more difficult for him to make the jump, but he managed. He let out a hiss as a wound on one leg stung. After a moment of testing the leg and figuring it was fine, Fireheart turned back. He bunched up his muscles before making the jump onto the Skyrock.

As Fireheart pulled himself onto the rock, he heard Sky meow, "It would be easier for you if you had SkyClan blood. We're known for our jumping abilities."

Fireheart looked up at the older cat, giving himself a moment to recover before padding over to the gray warrior. "The WindClan cats don't have much issue with it." Fireheart sat next to the older warrior as he spoke.

"They have long legs," Sky rasped. "Good for running and good for jumping. Warrior blood is a good thing to have." Fireheart murmured his agreement. The older tom's blue gaze was on him. "Why have you followed me up here?"

"I had a question," Fireheart replied. Sky was silent for a moment before he nodded. Fireheart continued, "Were the rats what drove out SkyClan?"

The rat leader had said they had killed the cats prior, had it been in reference to SkyClan? There were rogues and loners around what was now WindClan territory – what had once been SkyClan's. The rats would not have killed off rogues, would they?

"They were," Sky began, "The beginning of the end." The old tom turned towards Fireheart, "They're what truly made them begin to scatter. Some of SkyClan went on to become rogues whereas others went to Twolegplace." His lip curled back into a snarl, "Some became kittypets." Fireheart remained silent as Sky spat.

The loss of SkyClan was a terrible wrongdoing, however, this news gave Fireheart a spark of hope. WindClan had succeeded where SkyClan had not. They had managed to defeat the rats, where SkyClan had failed.

"Do Clover or Sol have any Clan blood in them?" They were originally from around here; it was possible that one of them was SkyClan decedents. Sky snorted.

"No," He replied. "They look nothing like SkyClan warriors. I do not believe they carry Clan blood." Sky looked at Fireheart for a long moment, as if studying him. "You don't carry Clan blood, do you?"

Fireheart tensed, surprised. He knew he was small for a ThunderClan warrior and looked different than a WindClan warrior but how had Sky noticed? Was it really that obvious? Sky slowly turned to face the warrior, "You don't. Are you a kittypet?"

Shame washed over Fireheart as he slowly nodded. He took a deep breath, pushing away a taunting voice. "Your pelt gave that away. Never seen a wild cat that looked like you that wasn't part kittypet." Sky eyes narrowed as he growled. "You're different from other kittypet's I've met. None of them would be able to hold themselves the way you do, especially after what happened to your face. You hold yourself like a wild cat."

The old tom suddenly turned away, looking up at the moon. Fireheart rose to his paws, recognizing this as dismissal from the other warrior. He stepped away, unsure of how to respond.