Brother? Graystripe wondered. How is this miniature trash gremlin related to my best friend? He shrugged the question away.

"Did you know?" Willowpelt whispered to him.

"Know what?" he asked.

"Did you know Fireheart has a brother?"

Graystripe shook his head. A sudden jab of worry and loneliness coursed through his heart. Is Fireheart going to leave ThunderClan and I to live with his kin. He shook the thought away. No, he told himself. Fireheart would never do that. He's too loyal.

Right…?

Graystripe realized Fireheart and Scourge had exchanged words. He opened his mouth to speak, then remember that Fireheart had said to not say a word unless he was asked his name

"Well, that's a shame," Scourge mewed. "I had been hoping you would come back here."

The small tom hesitated, looking thoughtful. Then added, "And I'm sure Fury would have certainly welcomed you back. BloodClan needs cats like you, Fireheart."

"Then find other cats like me," Fireheart retorted. "I don't need BloodClan."

Gasps from the BloodClan cats erupted like wildfire. Graystripe guessed his best friend wasn't really supposed to talk like that to Scourge. Brackenpaw leaned in closer to Graystripe. "Fireheart seems uncomfortable," his apprentice muttered.

He turned his head, noticing the flame-colored warrior was shifting from paw to paw. "You're right," Graystripe whispered back.

If he had a choice between staying here or going back to camp, Graystripe would choose the camp any day. If he were back in camp, he'd be able to sneak out and see Silverstream. A pang of guilt struck him. Am I replacing Fireheart with Silverstream? Or is she just rubbing him the wrong way?

Graystripe knew what he was thinking about wasn't relevant to the situation, but he couldn't help it. He couldn't help remembering the conversation he had with Silverstream a few days before.

"Silverstream." Graystripe stared at the beautiful silver tabby she-cat. He knew he could confide in her.

"Hmm?" She looked at him with her big blue eyes. She frowned. "Is something wrong?"

"N-no," Graystripe stammered. "I mean, yes. Well, it's Fireheart."

"What about him?" Silverstream wondered.

He took a deep breath. "Fireheart doesn't seem to want to be around me anymore," he explained. "I don't know if he feels like I'm replacing him, or if I screwed up. I want to know what's going on with him, but . . . I'm afraid of talking to him. I'm afraid of confronting him. It doesn't seem right to feel that way. I mean, Fireheart's my best friend. I know I shouldn't be scared to talk to him, but I am. I don't know what to do."

Silverstream remained silent for a moment. It was almost as if Graystripe could see her mind churning as she thought about what he told her.

"Well," she began, "you should push your bad thoughts about the situation away. If you screwed up, forget it. The only way you're going to find out what's going on with Fireheart is if you talk to him. Sitting back, being afraid to confront him won't solve anything."

That's one reason why Graystripe loved Silverstream. She always said it how it was. She never sugar-coated anything unless she believed it to be absolutely necessary. "Do you think I'm replacing Fireheart? Or that I just screwed up?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "Maybe you screwed up. But if you did, it's done now. As for replacing him, I know you're not. He might feel like you are, so just talk to him and figure it out."

"I will." Graystripe looked over his shoulder. He could scent his Clanmates coming closer. It was Tigerclaw, Darkstripe, Sandstorm, and Runningwind by the smell of it. They weren't cats who would be exactly friendly towards RiverClan warriors on ThunderClan territory.

"You'd better go," he meowed. "I scent my Clanmates coming this way."

"Goodbye, my love," Silverstream mewed.

Graystripe waved his tail. "Goodbye, Silverstream," he responded. "And thank you!"

Graystripe realized Fireheart didn't disapprove of Silverstream because it was against the code. He disapproved of her because he felt like Graystripe was replacing him with Silverstream! Why hadn't he noticed that before?

"You may pass." Scourge's icy voice jolted him back to the present.

Fireheart replied, "Thank you, Scourge."

They passed through the rest of BloodClan's territory, coming out into the sunlight. Graystripe watched as Fireheart tore the collar off from around his neck. Then he suddenly wondered why Fireheart couldn't have done that the day he joined ThunderClan, instead of having to fight Longtail.

Tigerclaw sat down, licking one forepaw then drawing it over his ear. Willowpelt, Whitestorm, and Longtail seemed alert. Bluestar was silently observing the area, while Cinderpaw and Brackenpaw looked like the encounter with the BloodClan cats had put them on edge. Fireheart was unnaturally wary and somewhat fearful of their surroundings. Even Graystripe was more collected than Fireheart appeared to be at the moment.

They were going to see a kittypet called Nutmeg. When Bluestar revealed the kittypet they were going to talk to, Graystripe instantly sensed Fireheart's fear-scent. He clearly knew who this Nutmeg was. What's so wrong with her? Why does Fireheart seem to hate her? Is he scared of her?

What is Fireheart hiding?