So sorry, I have been distracted by the new Au's that I found for Gravity falls! I love 'Drifting Stars' and 'Timestuck' Gravity falls aus! They are really good, you should read them! Anyway, I hope that these last two chapters will be somewhat worth it! And then it's onto the next book! Well, Review, favorite and follow! And once again, sorry for the wait!
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They sky stayed gray and cloudy over the next few days, but the showers didn't hamper the rebuilding of the camp. In fact Fireheart welcomed the cleansing rain that would wash the ash into the soil and help the forest to recover.
But this morning the sun shone high overhead, the clouds billowing away over the horizon. The sky will be clear for tonight's Gathering, Fireheart thought ruefully, wishing for once that the moon could be hidden so that the Gathering could not be held. Bluestar was still a long way from being her former self, emerging from her den only when Whitestorm persuaded her to come and see how the repairs were coming along. The ThunderClan leader had nodded blankly at the cats as they worked before limping back to the security of her nest. Fireheart wondered if she even remembered that the Gathering was tonight. Perhaps she should go and find out.
She padded around the edge of the clearing, feeling a ripple of pride at the work the Clan had done so far. The camp was already regaining some of its former shape. The trunk of the elders oak was blackened but still in one piece, although its maze of branches had burned away to nothing. The bramble nursery, which had been stripped of its protective leaves down to a tangle of stems, had been carefully patched with leafy twigs fetched from less damaged parts of the forest. And the camp wall had been shored up with the strongest branches the cats could find, although there was little they could do to replace the thick barrier of ferns that used to surround the camp. For that they would have to wait for the forest to grow again.
Fireheart heard a scratching behind the nursery. Through the patchy walls, she saw a familiar pelt of white fur. "Cloudpaw!" she called. The apprentice emerged from behind the bramble bush, his jaws crammed with twigs that he's been weaving through the nursery walls. Fireheart blinked in welcome. She couldn't help but vision the ever growing white apprentice when he was just a kit, back then he had helped clean out the nursery and taken care of the elders with an easy and egger going vibe, now she could see the determination within his eyes as he blinked up at his aunt. The young cat stood in front of her now without speaking, his fur flattened and blotchy with soot and mud, his eyes strained and exhausted.
"Go and rest," Fireheart ordered gently. "You've earned it."
Cloudpaw dropped his bundle of twigs. "Let me finish these first."
"You can finish them later." Fireheart meowed, her eyes blinking at her young kin with kindness and admiration.
"But I've only got a few left to do on my side," Cloudpaw argued.
"You look dead on your paws," Fireheart insisted, her eyes darting back to the nursery where she saw a pale gray coat moving inside the nursery. "Go on."
Cloudpaw looked like he wanted to argue, but with a drowsy nod he meowed instead. "Yes, Fireheart." He turned to leave and glanced forlornly at the fallen oak where Smallear sat with Dappletail and One-Eye. "The elders den seems so empty," he mewed.
"Patchpelt and Halftail are with StarClan now," Fireheart reminded her nephew. "They'll be watching you tonight from Silverpelt." A wave of regret tugged at her belly as she remembered that Bluestar had refused to conduct the proper ceremony for her dead Clanmates.
"I will not place them in the paws of StarClan," she had told her bitterly. "Our warrior ancestors do not deserve the company of ThunderClan cats." And so Whitestorm had soothed the anxious Clan by speaking the words that would send Yellowfang, Patchpelt and Halftail safely to their old friends in Silverpelt.
Cloudpaw nodded, his eyes tearing away from the elders den and back to the nursery. "Go and rest," Fireheart repeated, licking Cloudpaw on the top of the head.
The young cat dragged his paws toward the charred stump where the apprentices gathered to eat and share tongues. Brightpaw hurried across the clearing to greet her friend, and Cloudpaw met her with a friendly nuzzle. But the white apprentice's eyelids were already drooping, and his greeting was interrupted by a huge yawn. He lay down where he was, resting his head on the ground and closing his sore eyes. Brightpaw crouched at his side and gently began to wash Cloudpaw's grubby pelt. Watching them, Fireheart felt a pang of loneliness as she remembered the same companionship she had once shared with Graystripe.
She padded over to where Cloudpaw was working previously, and found with satisfaction that he had done a wonderful job at fixing the nursery wall. The fur along her spine spiked up as a shadow fell across the small patches, but she calmed down when she found the face of her own apprentice looking back at her. Her apprentices young green eyes were dulled with tiredness but she kept poking more sticks through the holes to fill them. It was like she didn't even realize that Fireheart was there.
"You earned a break to, Fernpaw," Fireheart meowed, making the pale gray she-cat jump in surprise.
"Oh, Fireheart, you scared the fur right off me!" Fernpaw meowed, her voice sounding tired and her eyes straining from keeping the open.
"Nothing can scare your fur off," Fireheart meowed, her whiskers twitching as Fernpaw gave out a warm purr of amusement.
"Plenty of things scare me," Fernpaw replied, her voice coming out more serious then it seemed she meant it to be. "But these holes are coming along very nice, and I'm almost finished."
"You should rest, and then get back to it later." Fireheart advised, watching as Fernpaw dipped her head.
"Alright, but the first thing I'm doing is help finishing the nursery." Fernpaw meowed, disappearing from the hole in the nursery wall. Fireheart turned away to pad toward Bluestar's den, knowing Fernpaw could find the way to her nest and get some well earned sleep. Longtail was sitting outside, and he nodded as Fireheart passed. Fireheart paused at the entrance. The lichen had been burned away and the stone was black with soot. She mewed a quiet greeting and stepped inside. Without the lichen, the wind as well as daylight flooded in, and Bluestar had dragged her bedding into the shadows at the back of the drafty cave.
Spottedleaf sat beside the huddled shape of the leader, pushing a pile of herbs toward her. "They'll make you feel better," she urged gently.
"I feel fine," snapped Bluestar, keeping her eyes fixed on the sandy floor.
"Alright, but i'll leave them here, just in case you change your mind." Spottedleaf mewed, and stood up and walked toward the entrance, not looking back at her leader.
"How Is she?" Fireheart whispered as the medicine cat passed her.
"Stubborn," replied Spottedleaf, her voice sounding cracked with tiredness as she slipped out of the den.
Fireheart cautiously approached her leader. Bluestar was even more of a stranger to her now, locked in a world of fear and suspicion directed not just against Tigerclaw, but at all their warrior ancestors in StarClan. "Bluestar," she began tentatively, dipping her head. "The Gathering is tonight. Have you decided who will go?"
"The Gathering?" Bluestar spat in disgust. "You decide who to take. I won't be going. There is no longer any reason for me to honor StarClan." As she spoke, a cloud of ash blew through the open doorway, cutting off her words with a bout of coughing.
Fireheart stared in dismay as spasms racked her frail body. Bluestar was the leader of the Clan! It was she who'd taught her about StarClan and the way the warrior spirits watched over the forest. Fireheart couldn't help but feel pity at how she would reject the beliefs she had based her whole life upon.
"Y-you don't have to honor StarClan," she stammered at last. "Just be there to represent your own Clan. They need your strength now."
Bluestar looked at her for a long moment. "My kits needed me once, but I gave them to another Clan to raise," she whispered. "And why? Because StarClan told me I had a different destiny. Is this it? To be attacked by traitors? To watch my Clan die around me? StarClan was wrong. It was not worth it."
Fireheart felt her blood turn to ice. She turned and padded blindly out of the den. Sandstorm had replaced Longtail outside. Fireheart casted her a desperate look at the pale orange warrior, but she found no solution in the gaze of her sympathetic friend. "How is she?" Sandstorm asked, her forest green eyes blinking in question.
"The same," Fireheart sighed, flicking her tail in frustration as she saw Whitestorm trotting back into camp with the sunhigh patrol. "I'll speak with you later okay?" Fireheart meowed to her friend as she passed her.
She signaled to the white warrior with her tail, and Whitestorm headed toward her while the rest of the patrol split up in search of food and a place to rest. "Bluestar isn't well enough to attend the Gathering," Fireheart meowed when Whitestorm reached her.
The elderly warrior shook his head as if the news came as no surprise. "There was a time when nothing would have kept Bluestar from a Gathering," he observed quietly.
"We should take a party anyway," Fireheart told him. "This shouldn't allow ThunderClan to not attend."
Whitestorm nodded. "We could tell them Bluestar is ill, I suppose," he suggested. "But we might be inviting trouble if we let it be known that our leader is weak."
"It would be worse not to go at all," Fireheart pointed out. "The other Clans will know about the fire. We must appear to be as strong as we can."
"WindClan is clearly still hostile," Whitestorm agreed.
"The fact that Swifttail, Sandstorm and I trespassed onto the territory uninvited to retrieve Spottedkit really ruffled their fur," Fireheart admitted. "And there's RiverClan to consider."
Whitestorm curiously looked at her. "But they gave us shelter after the fire."
"I know," Fireheart replied. "But I can't help wondering if Leopardfur might demand something in return."
"We have nothing to give."
"We have Sunningrocks," Fireheart answered. "RiverClan made no secret of their interest in that part of the forest, and right now we need every bit of our territory for hunting."
"At least ShadowClan is weakened by sickness," meowed Whitestorm. "That's one Clan that won't be attacking us for a while."
"Yes," Fireheart agreed, uneasy when he mentioned ShadowClan. A few days ago, on the same day as Brindleface's death due to an adder bit, she had saw Tigerclaw when she chased a squirrel across the Thunderpath and into ShadowClan territory. Fireheart didn't know what he was doing on ShadowClan territory, but she had a tingling feeling in her paws that something was to come of it. "So do you agree?"
Whitestorm nodded slowly, his eyes filled with aged wisdom. "We must go to the Gathering, even if Bluestar is unable to come with us." Whitestorm declared, his blue gaze met Fireheart's, and she knew that they were thinking the same thing. Bluestar was able to go if she wanted-but she chose not to.
"Did she at least tell you who is going?" Whitestorm asked, although the cringe that Fireheart gave him spoke more volumes than words could. "I guess it's up to you then." Whitestorm sighed, his eyes gazing over Fireheart's head toward Bluestar's den.
"I'm going to go check on her," Whitestorm meowed, flickering his tail in departure. Fireheart watched him go, and padded over to the side of the clearing, where quiet squeals of excitement could be heard.
"I am the leader of ThunderClan, I am Hawkstar! And I will now appoint my deputy," Hawkkit's voice drifted up Fireheart, her eyes sparkling in amusement as she realized they were playing a game. "Bramblepelt, shall be the new deputy of ThunderClan!"
"What! I thought I was going to be deputy?" Squirrelkit outraged meow came from the assembled kits.
"No, Squirreltail, Bramblepelt is the new deputy, the leader's word is law!" Hawkkit, or should Fireheart say Hawkstar, declared.
"Well, I declare myself the new leader!" Squirrelkit meowed definitely. "And Tawnyheart is going to be my deputy!"
"But I'm already leader!" Hawkkit squeal in retaliation, his ice blue eyes glaring at his sister who glared back.
"Not anymore!" Squirrelkit meowed. "And I have Tawnyheart, Leafnose and Spottedclaw to back me up!"
"Ya, well I have Mothflower and Bramblepelt!" Hawkkit roared back, tail standing up straight as he arched his back from where he sat on a rock, overlooking the other kits heads.
"I have more followers than you! And one of yours is a medicine cat!" Squirrelkit remarked, standing up herself as she came to face Hawkkit.
"I can still defeat you, Squirrelbrain!" Hawkkit yowled as he jumped on Squirrelkit that gasped in outrage.
"I might be a medicine cat, but I still know how to deafened by leader!" Mothkit squealed, coming to bowl over Leafkit. While Bramblekit came to tussle with Tawnykit. Leaving Spottedkit to stand awkwardly to the side.
"Don't you want to join in?" Fireheart asked her daughter as she padded up to the small ginger she-kit.
Spottedkit whipped her head up to look at her mother in surprise, only lower it as she shuffled on her paws. "I-i just feel out of place." Spottedkit's quite confession startled Fireheart, making her confused as to what her daughter ment.
"What do you mean?" Fireheart prompted, but as Spottedkit opened her mouth to explain, Leafkit's squeal of need caught her attention. "Spottedclaw, I need help!" Mothkit had her pinned to the ground, and before Fireheart knew it, Spottedkit was racing towards the two, yowling out a challenge.
Fireheart watched her go, still confused as to what had prompted her daughter to think like that. Had the experience with the Twolegs make her feel that way? Was that why she said that? Fireheart filed this away for later, content to watch them play wrestle together for the time being. As the sun set, Goldenflower came to usher the tired kits to the nursery, leaving Fireheart to follow the other cats to take fresh-kill from the meager pile they had collected. Fireheart helped herself to a tiny shrew, which she carried to the nettle clump and gulped down in a few hungry mouthfuls. The Clan's bellies hadn't been full for days. The prey was returning, but slowly, and Fireheart knew they had to be careful about how much they caught. The forest must have a chance to replenish itself before they could eat their fill once more.
Once the cats had finished their paltry meal. Fireheart got to her paws and padded across the clearing. She felt the eyes of the Clan follow her as she leaped onto the Highrock. There was no need to call them-they gathered below with questioning eyes in the fading evening light.
"Bluestar will not be coming to this Gathering," she announced.
Mews of alarm ripped through the cats, and Fireheart saw Whitestorm weaving among them, calming and reassuring them. How much had the Clan guessed about their leader's state of mind? In the RiverClan camp they had united to protect Bluestar from prying eyes. But here in their own camp, her weakness left them vulnerable and afraid.
Fireheart's kits had poked their heads out of the nursery to see what the fuss was about. Their eyes were round as they stared up at Fireheart who sat on the Highrock, curiosity and wonder in the eyes. For a moment Fireheart took pleasure at having the admiration of her kits on her.
"Does this mean ThunderClan won't attend?" She was broken from her train of thoughts about her kits by Darkstripe's voice as the striped warrior shouldered his way to the front. "After all, what is a Clan without a leader?"
Was Fireheart imagining the ominous glint in Darkstripe's eyes? "ThunderClan will go to Fourtrees tonight," she meowed, addressing the whole Clan. "We must show the other Clans that we are strong, despite the fire." She saw nods of agreement. The apprentices shuffled their paws and looked eagerly at one another, to young to understand the seriousness of attending a Gathering without a leader, and distracted by the hope that they might be chosen to go themselves.
"We mustn't betray any weakness, for Bluestar's sake and for the sake of the whole Clan," Fireheart went on. "Remember, we are ThunderClan!" She yowled the final words, surprised by the fiery conviction that welled up from her heart, and the Clan responded by straightening their backs, licking at their ash covered fur, and smoothing their singed whiskers. "I shall take Darkstripe, Mousefur, Sandstorm, Whitestorm, Swifttail, and Cloudpaw."
"Will the others be enough to protect the Clan?" Darkstripe demanded.
"Tigerclaw will know there is a Gathering," added Longtail. "What if he uses the opportunity to attack?"
"We can't afford to leave more cats behind than usual. If we appear weak at the Gathering, we risk inviting attack from all the Clans," Fireheart insisted.
"She's right," agreed Mousefur. "We can't let the others see our weakness!"
"RiverClan already knows the fire destroyed our camp," added Willowpelt. "We must show them we are as strong as ever."
"Then we are agreed?" asked Fireheart. "Longtail, Dustpelt, Cinderpelt, Frostfur, and Brackenfur will guard the camp. Elders, queens, you will be safe with them, and we shall return as soon as we can."
She listened to the murmurs and searched the eyes looking up at her. With a wave of relief, she saw heads beginning to nod. "Good," she meowed, and leaped down from the rock.
The warriors and apprentices she had chosen to come with her were already circling at the camp entrance, impatiently flicking their tails. A familiar black-and-white pelt was among them. This would be Swifttail's first Gathering as a warrior. Fireheart felt a pang of regret as she looked around at the smoke stained and hungry cats that Swifttail would have to follow and have to show up as. And yet Fireheart could feel their excitement and pent-up energy as strong as ever. Sandstorm was kneading the ground with her forepaws as she stood beside her apprentice, who was giving himself a quick once over, and Mousefur's eyes shone brightly in the growing darkness as Fireheart hurried across to them.
"Longtail," she meowed, pausing briefly beside the brown warrior. "You will be senior warrior here. Guard the Clan well."
Longtail dipped his head to Fireheart. "They'll be safe, I promise." Fireheart's glow of satisfaction at Longtail's gesture was soured by the mocking glance Darkstripe threw her from the camp entrance. It was as if the warrior could see through her outer confidence to the uncertainty that lay beneath. Fireheart caught Sandstorm's eye as she passed her. She was staring at her intently. Bluestar made you her deputy. She'd expect you to know what to do! Her challenging words, which had stung like an adder's bite before, suddenly strengthened her, and she flashed Darkstripe a look of defiance as she led the way out of the camp.
The cats charged silently through the forest, the burned trees reaching into the darkening sky like twisted claws. Fireheart felt her paws sink into the ash, damp and sticky, but there was a hopeful scent in the air of fresh green shoots sprouting from the cinders. She glanced backward. Cloudpaw, who was in the back of the group and was especially tired today, was keeping up well, and Sandstorm was pushing ahead, drawing closer until she ran at Fireheart's side, matching her pace.
"You spoke well on the Highrock," she meowed, panting.
"Thanks," answered Fireheart. She pulled away as they scrambled up a steep mound, but Sandstorm caught up as they reached the top.
"I...I never said I was sorry for what I said about Bluestar," she meowed quietly. "I was just worried. The camp is looking great, considering…"
"Considering I'm deputy?" Fireheart suggested sourly.
"Considering it was so badly damaged," Sandstorm finished. Fireheart's ears twitched. "Bluestar must be proud of you," she went on, and Fireheart winced-she doubted if Bluestar had even noticed, but she was grateful for Sandstorm's words.
"Thanks," she meowed gratefully again. She turned her head as they ran down the other side of the mound and looked into the warrior's reassuring emerald eyes. "I'm sorry too, Sandstorm-" she began.
She was interrupted by the sound of powerful paws drumming behind them, and the voice of Darkstripe growled, "So what are you going to tell the other Clans, then?" Before Fireheart could answer, a fallen tree loomed ahead. She sprang into the air, but a branch caught her paw and she landed clumsily, stumbling. The other cats raced past her, but they slowed instinctively as Fireheart fell behind. "Are you okay?" Darkstripe asked as Fireheart caught up to him. The striped warrior's eyes glinted in the moonlight.
"Yes, fine," Fireheart answered curtly, trying not to betray the pain in her paw. It was throbbing when the cats reached the top of the slope that led down to Fourtrees. Fireheart halted to catch her breath and gather her thoughts before they joined the other Clans. The valley below had been untouched by the fire, and the four oaks towered unscathed into the starry sky.
Fireheart glanced at the cats that waited beside her, tails twitching and ears pricked expectantly. They obviously trusted her to take Bluestar's place at the Gathering and convince the other Clans that ThunderClan had not been weakened by their recent tragedy. She had to prove herself worthy of that trust. She flicked her tail, signaling to them as she had seen Bluestar signal so many times before, and plunged down toward the Great Rock.
When they came to the bottom the ThunderClan cats scattered around, mingling with the other Clan cats. Fireheart watched them go, her own eyes glancing around the clearing. The air was heavy with the scent of WindClan and RiverClan already. But she felt a tremor of anxiety go through her as she realized, in a few moments she was going to have to stand on the Great Rock and address these cats. There was no sign of ShadowClan. Had the sickness taken such a firm hold that they couldn't make it to the Gathering? That pang of nervousness was back as she thought about the sick ridden Clan, was Tigerclaw still there? Did he manage to catch the sickness from hanging around the territory for too long? Had he left already? She wished briefly that a ShadowClan cat was here so she could ask if they had scented any rogues or had seen one in particular.
"Fireheart!" Onewhisker bounded up to Fireheart's side. She felt a flicker of surprise at Onewhisker's friendly purr. The last time she had seen a WindClan cat it had been Mudclaw spitting angrily at Swifttail, while Deadfoot showed them out of their territory. But Onewhisker clearly hadn't forgotten how Fireheart had brought his Clan back from exile. The two warriors had grown close on that journey, and both cats still valued the bond they had forged.
"Hi, Onewhisker," Fireheart greeted the brown tabby. "You'd better not let Mudclaw see you talking to me, truce or no truce. We didn't part on very good terms last time we met."
"Mudclaw takes pride in defending his territory," replied Onewhisker, shifting uncomfortably from paw to paw. He'd obviously heard about the two confrontations between both Clan cats in WindClan territory.
"Maybe," Fireheart admitted. "But that's no excuse for turning Bluestar away from Highstones." She found herself wishing bluestar had been able to share with StarClan at the Moonstone that day. Things might be very different now if she had received some assurance that her warrior ancestors had not turned against her.
"Tallstar wasn't happy when he heard about that. Even if you were sheltering Brokentail, it was no excuse-"
"Brokentail was dead by then," Fireheart interrupted him, regretting her tone when she saw Onewhisker's ears flicking uncomfortably. "I'm sorry, Onewhisker," she meowed more gently. "It's good to see you again. How are you?"
"Fine," answered Onewhisker, looking relieved. "I'm sorry to hear about the fire. I know how bad it is for a Clan to be driven from its home." His eyes met Fireheart's sympathetically.
"We've returned to our camp and we've rebuilt it the best we can. It won't be long before the forest recovers." Fireheart tried to sound confident.
"I'm glad to hear it," Onewhisker meowed. "You know, it's as if we've never been away from our camp now. There have been plenty of kits this greenleaf, and Morningflower's kit is here as an apprentice-it's his first Gathering." Fireheart remembered the tiny wet bundle of fur she had helped to carry through the rain, out of Twoleg territory and back to WindClan's home. She followed Onewhisker's gaze across the clearing to a young brown tom. Although small like the rest of his Clan, the apprentice's muscles were already lean and well developed beneath his short, thick fur.
Fireheart noticed Onewhisker suddenly dip his head. She turned to see Tallstar approaching them. The WindClan leader looked at Fireheart with narrowed eyes. "We've been seeing a lot of you lately, Fireheart," he remarked. "Just because you once led us home doesn't give you the freedom to wander around our territory."
"So I've been warned," replied Fireheart. She forced herself to stay calm, keeping her resentment at Bluestar's treatment out of her voice-after all, the Gathering was held under a truce, and this was a warrior she had learned to respect on their journey together through Twoleg territory. But Fireheart held the black-and-white leader's gaze and meowed firmly, "However, I must put the needs of my Clan first."
Tallstar's eyes glittered back at her; then he gave a tiny nod. "Spoken like a true warrior. Having traveled with you, I wasn't surprised when Bluestar made you her deputy." The WindClan leader glanced around the clearing and added, "There are those who thought such a young cat would never carry off such a great responsibility. I was not among them." Fireheart was taken aback. She hadn't expected such a compliment from the leader of WindClan. She stifled a delighted purr, and nodded her thanks.
"Where is Bluestar?" asked Tallstar. "I can't see her among you cats." His voice was casual but his eyes betrayed a keen interest.
"She's not feeling well enough to travel yet," Fireheart answered lightly.
"Was she injured in the fire?"
"Nothing she won't recover from," Fireheart meowed hoping with all her heart that she was telling the truth.
Beside her, Onewhisker looked up sharply. Fireheart followed his gaze to the slope on the other side of the valley. Three ShadowClan cats were charging into the clearing, Runningnose at the head. Fireheart gelt a glimmer of relief as she recognized one of the two warriors behind the gray-and-white medicine cat. It was Littlecloud, clearly recovered from the sickness-thanks to Spottedleaf.
The other Clan cats backed away from the ShadowClan warriors as they skidded to a halt in front of the Great Rock. News of their disease had obviously spread through the forest.
"It's all right," Runningnose meowed, panting as if he could read their minds. "ShadowClan is free of the sickness. I have been sent ahead to tell you to wait before you begin the meeting. ShadowClan's leader is on his way."
"What makes Nightstar so late?" called Tallstar from Fireheart's side.
"Nightstar is dead," answered Runningnose bluntly.
A stunned ripple spread through the other cats like a breeze through trees, and Fireheart blinked. How could the ShadowClan leader be dead? He had only recently received his nine lives. What a terrible sickness! No wonder Littlecloud and Whitethroat had been so afraid to return to their camp.
"Is Cinderfur coming instead?" Whitestorm called, referring to the ShadowClan deputy.
Runningnose looked at his paws. "Cinderfur was one of the first to die of the sickness."
"Then who is your new leader?" demanded Crookedstar, emerging from the shadows on the other side of the Great Rock.
Runningnose glanced at the RiverClan leader. "You'll see for yourselves soon enough," he promised. "He'll be here shortly."
"Excuse me," Fireheart murmured to Tallstar and Onewhisker. "There is something I must share with Runningnose." Fireheart padded to where the ShadowClan medicine cat stood, surrounded by warriors and apprentices, all anxious to discover who ShadowClan's new leader was. She wondered how the old cat would react to hearing about Yellowfang's death. Runningnose had seen so much death lately that perhaps it wouldn't mean much to him anymore, but Fireheart felt she should break it to him privately, before she made an announcement from the Great Rock. After all, Yellowfang had trained Runningnose when she had been ShadowClan's medicine cat. The bond between the two cats must once have been very close, if only for the short time before Brokentail drove Yellowfang out of her Clan.
Fireheart signaled with her tail to the ShadowClan medicine cat. Runningnose looked relieved to be leaving the circle of inquiring faces as he followed Fireheart to a quieter spot beneath one of the oaks. "What is it?" he asked, his eyes brimming with anxious curiosity.
"Yellowfang's dead," Fireheart meowed gently, feeling a fresh thorn of sorrow drive itself into her heart. Runningnose's eyes clouded with grief. The gray-and-white tom bowed his head as Fireheart went on: "She died trying to save a Clanmate from the fire. StarClan will honor her bravery."
Runningnose didn't reply, just swung his head slowly from side to side. Fireheart felt her own throat tighten with sadness, but she coulnd't afford to let grief overwhelm her here. She touched the tom's head with her nose and padded quickly away.
The rest of the cats were beginning to weave anxiously around one another, their mews growing louder. "We can't wait any longer!" Fireheart heard a RiverClan warrior mutter to his neighbor. "The moon will be setting soon."
"If this new leader is going to be late, that's his problem," Mousefur agreed. Fireheart knew the real reason for her keenness to get on with the meeting and return to camp. With the camp damaged and the forest bare, their Clan their warriors back as soon as possible.
She saw a flash of white fur at the center of the clearing as Tallstar leaped onto the Great Rock. He had obviously decided to start the meeting without ShadowClan's leader. Crookedstar started toward the rock. Fireheart braced herself, ready for her first Gathering at the head of her Clan, or at least in this time.
"Good luck," Fireheart heard Sandstorm meow from her side. Fireheart turned to give her friend a friendly lick, knowing that their friendship was intact and strong. Then she threaded her way through the other cats toward the Great Rock.
She was stopped in her tracks by a yowl called from the slope behind her. "He's here!"
Fireheart turned and saw Darkstripe craning his neck beside her, but their view was blocked by the other cats peering and rearing up on their hind legs to get a look at ShadowClan's new leader as he passed through the crowd. Darkstripe's ears suddenly pricked with surprise. The striped warrior was staring up at the Great Rock, his eyes glittering with barely suppressed excitement. Fireheart twisted her head to see what had prompted such a strong reaction from her Clanmate.
Framed by the cold light of the moon, Fireheart saw the powerful shoulders and broad head of the cat who had leaped onto the rock beside Tallstar. The other leader seemed puny and frail beside this massive figure. And with a cold shiver of realization, Fireheart saw that the new leader of ShadowClan was Tigerclaw.
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So one more chapter, that will be in Tigerclaw's pov and his Leadership ceremony (Because I have something to add in there!) and then it's onto a Dangerous path! So ya, Review! Favorite follow that good stuff!
