On Longtail's orders, Swiftpaw ran ahead of the group on the walk back home to inform Cinderpelt of what had happened to Fireheart. The rest of the patrol followed more slowly but still made sure to keep a brisk pace. Even with the help of Barkface's cobwebs, Fireheart's breathing was growing shallower with each passing second, and they knew they needed to get back to camp quickly so his injuries could receive proper treatment.

When they arrived back at camp, Cinderpelt was already waiting for them outside the medicine den. As they padded across the clearing towards her, the rest of the Clan paused in their activities to stare at them in mingled fascination and horror. Ashpaw and Fernpaw whimpered at the sight of the Clan deputy, and Goldenflower wore an expression of sorrow and pity. The only cat who didn't seem remotely interested in Fireheart was Darkstripe, although no one was particularly surprised by that.

Bluestar helped set Fireheart down on the floor in Cinderpelt's den, stepping back to allow the medicine cat to get to work. Her mind was spinning, and she barely heard the younger cat as she ordered everyone to leave and let her treat Fireheart in peace. Silently, she followed Whitestorm out of the den and started towards her own, hoping that none of her warriors would stop her and ask questions. But for once, it wasn't that she didn't trust them; it had nothing to do with her Clan at all. She was just too exhausted to address her warriors, and with the added guilt of Fireheart's current state, the ThunderClan leader wanted nothing more than to curl up in her den and hide from it all.

"I hope you're pleased with yourself!" Sandstorm spat suddenly, turning on her leader. "Now thanks to you, Fireheart might die. And all because of a battle that should never have happened."

"Sandstorm," Whitestorm meowed warningly. "Don't forget you're talking to your leader here. Show some respect."

"Respect? Respect for what?" the ginger she-cat sneered. "She's hardly acted like a leader for moons! All she does these days is curl up in her den and let Fireheart do all the work. And on the rare occasion that she leaves and goes outside, she's always going on about how StarClan is at war with ThunderClan or how everyone in the Clan is a traitor. There was no trace of evidence that WindClan had anything to do with the prey theft; you know that as well as anyone else, Whitestorm. But because Bluestar's word is law, we had to get dragged into an unnecessary battle and look what happened because of it. So I should show her respect? Why? What has she done to deserve respect from me–or anyone else in the Clan, for that matter?"

"Sandstorm!" Whitestorm snapped. "That's enough. I understand you're upset, but attacking Bluestar isn't going to make things any better. Now, go to your nest and get some sleep. I think you could use a little rest right now."

"Don't talk to me as if I'm a kit!" Sandstorm flared up at the great white warrior before storming off towards the camp entrance. Glancing over her shoulder, she added, "And you're not my mentor anymore, so don't tell me what to do."

With that, she stormed out of camp, her tail held high in the air. Bluestar watched her go, feeling more discouraged than ever. She knew she probably should have punished the ginger warrior for speaking so disrespectfully, but Bluestar also knew that she was right. Fireheart had said the patrols had scented dog and not WindClan, but in her mistrust of the rival Clan, Bluestar had managed to convince herself that they were the ones responsible for the stolen prey after all. Now, thanks to her poor judgment, the Clan was at risk of losing its deputy, and she stood to lose one of only two warriors she still felt she could trust.

The issue wasn't finding another deputy, of course. Whitestorm was more than qualified to take Fireheart's place if necessary, and Bluestar still had just as much faith in her nephew as she did in the former kittypet she had brought into the Clan. But there was something about the flame-colored tom that struck something within Bluestar that didn't happen whenever she looked at any of her other warriors.

Not in the way Oakheart had, for Fireheart was much too young, and she was much too old for that. It was reminiscent of the feeling she'd had while raising Mistykit, Stonekit, and Mosskit before she'd been forced to give them up to save ThunderClan from Thistleclaw. Of course, no cat could ever replace her biological children, but something about Fireheart lessened the pain of watching them grow up in another Clan.

Maybe it was the fact that she could still remember him as she'd first met him, the wide-eyed kittypet who'd stared at her in awe as she described the virtues of Clan life. Maybe it was the memory of watching him walk into camp for the first time, escorted by Lionheart and Whitestorm, a look of fear and fascination in his emerald eyes. Maybe it was the pride she felt for him, having watched him grow from a pampered kittypet into a cat she could trust as her second in command. Whatever the reason, Bluestar had to admit that she cared for Fireheart in a way that went beyond the regular bonds between a Clan leader and her cats, or even a mentor and her former apprentice.

Perhaps she should have felt guilty; after all, Clan leaders weren't meant to have favorites. But then again, she reasoned, all Clan leaders had to have at least one cat they secretly preferred above all else. Besides, except for Tigerstar and Brokenstar, almost any of the past and current leaders would feel the same way if Fireheart had joined under their reign.

He wasn't the strongest warrior in the forest or even in ThunderClan, but he was utterly committed to serving his Clan, more so than even most forest-born cats were at times. But, perhaps even more importantly than that, he truly cared about the well-being of all the Clans in the forest. It was to a fault at times to be sure, but all four Clans had Fireheart to thank for helping them at one point or another. Without him, WindClan would never have returned from exile, ShadowClan would still be under Brokenstar's tyrannical rule, and RiverClan would have starved due to the lack of edible food from their poisoned river.

And now, because of one bad decision, they might lose him.

Bluestar dragged herself into her den and curled up in her nest, turning her back to the entrance in the hopes that anyone who happened to pass by would think she was asleep and leave her alone. As she closed her eyes, a single tear rolled down her face.

I'm sorry, Fireheart. I'm sorry.