Sandstorm's jaw dropped wide open in disbelief. "I—Bluestar, me?"

Bluestar dipped her head. "You are the cat I wish to be deputy," she meowed. "Unless you refuse?"

Sandstorm blinked rapidly, still trying to make sense of what had just happened. Bluestar had to be out of her mind to choose her—but Sandstorm would have to be just as mouse-brained to refuse. She took a breath, composing herself. "I… I accept, Bluestar. Thank you."

"Wait a moment!" Darkstripe hissed. "Are we all forgetting how she betrayed Tigerstar?" The tabby tom slunk forward, his back arched furiously. "How she admitted to having fish-face kits?"

Sandstorm whirled upon him in a heartbeat. Darkstripe! She bristled with rage.

Willowpelt swiftly moved to stand beside her. "And what about it, Darkstripe?" she spat. "Tigerstar was going to destroy the Clans. She was right to stand against him!"

"He was our leader!" Darkstripe screeched, his eyes dark with grief. "You all betrayed him!"

"Be quiet, Darkstripe," Bluestar hissed. Her tail lashed once. "Tigerstar is dead, killed by his own so-called allies. Even you must see what a great fool he is."

"You are the fool!" Darkstripe shrieked. His pelt bristled to its fullest. "You should have all stood by his side!" He swung his head towards Sandstorm. "You broke the warrior code when you spawned those disgusting kits and when you betrayed your leader!"

Sandstorm's claws slid out. "Speak of my kits again and I'll claw your whiskers out!"

"As will I," Willowpelt snarled.

"Darkstripe!" Bluestar growled.

"I won't serve a traitor," Darkstripe spat. "I won't serve you, either, for appointing one!" The tabby's tail whipped about furiously. Sandstorm could see his eyes storming with rage and anguish—in his own, strange way, she knew he was grieving Tigerstar.

Bluestar narrowed her eyes. "Very well, Darkstripe," she responded, dryly. "Get out of my sight, then."

Darkstripe let out a wordless hiss as he crept away. When he reached the bottom of the gorse tunnel, he broke into a run, racing up the ravine. Sandstorm watched him go. Good riddance.

Bluestar lashed her tail once, then smoothed her pelt. She took a breath before speaking again. "That will be all," she meowed. "Cinderpelt and Brackenfur will take their vigils tonight."

Sandstorm's ears pricked. That must have been what I missed, she realized. Good for them.

As the meeting broke, cats suddenly flooded towards Sandstorm, purring their congratulations to her. Redtail thrust his way through the crowd, Birchfoot at his side. Sandstorm beamed at the sight of her fathers.

"Congratulations," Redtail purred. "My own daughter, deputy of ThunderClan… I'm so proud of you."

"We both are," Birchfoot meowed, his eyes warm with affection.

Sandstorm pressed against them both, her heart warmed. As other warriors approached, reality began to settle in on her. I'm deputy, Sandstorm realized. I'm not just a warrior anymore. A thrill rushed through her. Someday I might even lead ThunderClan. It was the dream of a kit—but few warriors ever achieved this position. Her chest fluffed out with pride.

Still, Sandstorm noticed some cats hanging back. A few elders curled their lips at her in disapproval. Mousefur sat on the side of camp, her brow furrowed. Sandstorm frowned. Not everyone is going to be happy, she thought. Especially not after I told them the truth about the kits. A heartbeat later, she lashed her tail. Well… they'll have to deal with it! It's not my fault if they have thorns in their fur. She turned her gaze away from the skeptics. I'll show them!

…

The sun was setting on the horizon. The river reflected the warm hues of the sky, making it look as though it had been lit on fire. Dragonflies danced across the surface.

Fireheart sat by the riverbank, staring into the water. His thoughts were a jumbled mess. Sandstorm had asked to meet him by the willow that evening to talk. He still felt hurt—a little betrayed, truthfully—and he wasn't sure he even wanted to go see her.

What can she even say? He wondered. She never told me about the kits. Would she have ever, if she didn't need to talk about them to argue with Scourge? Fireheart's shoulders felt tight, his belly swirling with unease.

The reed barrier behind him rustled. Fireheart glanced over his shoulder to see Silverthorn step through the reeds.

"There you are," Silverthorn meowed. "I was wondering where you went." He padded closer and sat beside Fireheart. His gaze darkened. "Are you going to see her?"

Fireheart sighed softly. "I don't know," he murmured. "I want to understand, but…"

Silverthorn offered a sympathetic frown. "I'm sorry," he meowed. He seemed to hesitate, looking awkward. He had never seemed sure of how to broach the subject of Sandstorm. "I… think you should."

Fireheart blinked in surprise. He glanced at Silverthorn, one brow raised. "You do?"

Silverthorn nodded, still frowning. "I don't like Sandstorm," he admitted. "She's an enemy warrior, and I don't think she should have kept that a secret." His whiskers twitched, and he looked down into the river. "But if I found out I had kits… I would want to know them." His claws curled into the riverbank. "I would want them to know I cared, even if I wasn't mates with their mother."

Fireheart was quiet for a few moments. He's thinking of his own parents. I wouldn't wish what happened to him on any other cat, either. He flattened his ears. I don't think Sandstorm would fill their heads with lies about me… but I get what he means. He stared down at his reflection. I didn't think I was going to be a father anytime soon. But… I think I want to know about them, if I can. He was sure that Clan borders would make it difficult to truly know them—but deep down, he didn't want to be a secret to them.

"Okay," Fireheart murmured. "I'll go. Thank you, Silverthorn."

Silverthorn nodded silently. He leaned over to touch his nose to Fireheart's shoulder. "Good luck."

Fireheart gave him a grateful blink before he stood. He padded into the river, sighing softly as he felt the cool water in his pelt. He struck out for the other side.

When he reached the willow, Sandstorm was already there. She was sitting on one of the exposed roots of the tree, her eyes half-lidded as though she was dozing.

Memories flooded through Fireheart as he slowly approached. I would've snuck up on her to pounce on her before, he thought, twitching his whiskers. But now he felt no playful burst of energy. Instead, he padded towards her, his tail lifted in greeting.

It took Sandstorm a few moments to register his approach. She blinked, straightening up. "Fireheart," she meowed. "Thanks for coming."

Fireheart came closer and sat down. "Hi," he meowed, his voice quiet. "You wanted to talk."

Sandstorm's gaze was dark, her expression hard to read. She looked almost sad. "I'm sorry about everything," she blurted. "I treated you like crow-food when I left. I want to explain everything."

Fireheart's chest clenched. Deep down, he wasn't angry with her—hurt, yes, but not angry. "I was so confused," he murmured. "I didn't understand what I did."

Sandstorm lowered her head. "You didn't do anything," she softly replied. "I… Ravenfeather noticed I was expecting, and I panicked. I loved you, Fireheart, I did. But you don't understand how things were in ThunderClan. Thistlestar had just died, and I wasn't sure what to make of Tigerstar. I found him one night after we had been meeting." She curled her tail around herself, like she was trying to give herself some form of comfort. "I overheard him meeting with Bone, from BloodClan, and some of his allies in ThunderClan. He was making his plans for TigerClan, and for ruling the forest." She shut her eyes. "I needed to focus on my Clan. There was so much changing, so quickly, and I was afraid of what was going to happen."

Despite his own pain, Fireheart felt a pang of sympathy for her. So many nights he had seen Sandstorm weary with stress from ThunderClan. He knew she loved her Clan deeply, but it had had its fair share of terrible leaders in her time. "You said Tigerstar threatened you," he meowed, feeling a flare of anger towards the former leader.

Sandstorm nodded. "He wasn't explicit," she meowed. "But I could tell he meant to hurt me if I didn't follow him. I don't know how, Fireheart, but he knew about us. He said he didn't care, but that I'd be better-off if I supported him and his plans."

Fireheart sank his claws into the earth. So that's why she supported TigerClan, he realized. The fox-heart! If Tigerstar were still alive, Fireheart would have torn out his whiskers at the next chance.

"I thought I was doing what was best for us all by keeping the kits a secret," Sandstorm sighed. "But when it came down to it, I needed to tell the truth to stop the battle. It was the only other thing I could think of that might make them hesitate."

Fireheart felt a storm of emotions brewing in his heart. He was still hurt, still confused—but at the same time, he was struggling to truly blame Sandstorm. The past few moons had been terrible for so many cats… and he was sure she wasn't the only cat pushed to make poor choices because of TigerClan and Tigerstar.

He stood and padded towards her. He pressed his muzzle against her shoulder. "I forgive you," he meowed, and as he said it, he felt some of the tension in his chest release.

Sandstorm's shoulders slumped. Her tail trembled. "You do? How can you?" she whispered. "You deserved the truth."

I did, Fireheart quietly agreed. But I don't want to hurt you over a mistake. He pulled away, meeting her eyes. "I know you were in a terrible position," Fireheart murmured. "I don't know what I would have done in your paws."

Sandstorm smiled wearily. "Thank you, Fireheart," she meowed. She paused for a few moments. "There's two kits," she said. "Leafkit and Squirrelkit."

Leafkit and Squirrelkit, Fireheart thought. He felt a little dizzy at the confirmation. He smiled softly. "Do they look like me?"

Sandstorm let out a purr. "Squirrelkit does," she replied. She straightened up, looking as though a weight had been lifted off of her. "I was made ThunderClan's deputy."

Fireheart blinked. "Deputy?" he meowed. "That's fantastic!"

"Thanks," Sandstorm purred. "I'm still not sure I understand why, but I'll do my best."

"You'll do great," Fireheart assured her. They pressed their foreheads together for a few moments.

Fireheart breathed in her scent; the scent of the woods. He found that it didn't cause such a stir in his heart as it used to. Sandstorm pulled back, her eyes brimming with emotions. "I'll always care about you, Fireheart," she whispered. "But I don't think we should be together, not like before."

Fireheart held her gaze for a few moments. It didn't tear at his heart to hear her say it. I think I'm starting to move on, too, he knew. I think a part of me will always love her… but not like before. He touched his nose to hers. "I care about you, too."

Sandstorm stood up, lifting her chin. "If you want to know your kits, I want to make that happen," she meowed. "It might not be easy to work out, and my Clanmates might not like it… but the secret is out. I'll tell them you're the father. It won't make a difference at this point."

Fireheart felt himself hesitate. His Clan didn't know he had sired Sandstorm's kits… but did he care if they did? Leopardstar doesn't have the energy to hiss, let alone try and kick me out again. He nodded. "I'd like to know them."

Sandstorm smiled. "Okay." She leaned forward once more to touch her muzzle to his cheek. "I should go home to them. Goodbye, Fireheart."

"Wait." Fireheart flicked his tail. "What is ThunderClan going to do?"

"About BloodClan?" Sandstorm's smile fell.

"Yes."

Sandstorm looked away, her gaze dark again. "I don't know," she admitted. "Bluestar hasn't decided anything."

Fireheart felt a burst of determination. "WindClan is going to fight," he meowed. "Will ThunderClan?"

Sandstorm blinked. "I…" She furrowed her brow. "I don't want to lose our territory," she meowed. "Not after we just got home. I can try and convince Bluestar to fight, but she might only do it if she knows the odds are good."

Fireheart's chest flared with hope. "I'll do what I can to convince Leopardstar," he meowed. "If it comes down to it, having ThunderClan there would make our chances far better."

Sandstorm nodded firmly. "I'll try, Fireheart," she promised. "I don't think Bluestar would want to run, either." She turned away towards the forest. "I'll see you at Fourtrees," she meowed. "I hope."

Me too, Fireheart silently replied. He watched as she padded into the undergrowth, leaving only the rustle of ferns behind her. His heart briefly clenched, but after a few moments, the feeling passed. I'm ready to move on, he told himself. Right now, I need to focus on my Clan, too.