A/N: Okay, the thing about updating every two weeks or so was a lie. I'm just far too busy, so instead, I think I'm going to upload when I think the chapter is ready. On another note, do you think the title chapter should just be the chapter number, the name, or both? I would greatly appreciate some feedback. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 2 - Encounter

The star-riddled night sky was smothered with massive, dark cumulonimbus clouds. Lightning passed between the foreboding plumes and revealed their outlines with each flash. The clouds ferociously attacked each other with incredible electric might, and when they accumulated their strength, they sent their murderous bolts to the ground, striking without purpose or mercy. Countless reverberations of thunder echoed through the land as the hot plasma ripped through the cold air. Once the air settled, the cycle would repeat once again. The lightning was accompanied by heavy rain that fell like a waterfall, drenching the rolling hills below. Together, they constructed the perfect harmony of wrath and misery.

A single, large tree stood on top of one of the hillsides, and Fireheart took shelter next to one of its twisted roots. The rain poured on the leaves of the tree, trickles of water slipping through and occasionally landing on his head. His muscles ached after racing to find shelter from the disastrous storm. He was incredibly hungry and wet, preventing him from achieving a good night's rest. He observed the turbulent weather above him instead, wondering if Starclan was perhaps angry at someone or something in particular.

It had already been a few days since he left Thunderclan territory, and Fireheart was feeling more downtrodden than ever. He had been wandering without a purpose or a goal. He had no warrior duties to fulfill, no tasks as deputy to accomplish, or even a clan to serve. He was a rogue now, only spending his days hunting and sleeping. His sense of longing to meet Graystripe, Sandstorm, or Cinderpelt grew with each passing day. Even passing a grumpy Longtail would cheer him up, but now he sat alone, drenched and shivering. His only companion was the mouse he caught earlier, also drenched.

Is this what my life is now? Fireheart thought. Was what I did really that heinous? Enough for Starclan to muster a storm this powerful? Spottedleaf, is this truly the punishment I deserve?

Fireheart looked down at the soggy mouse, then back up at the brooding sky. He aggressively shook his head to rid himself of the negative thoughts.

I shouldn't jump to conclusions. I don't regret what I did, and I would've done it again. I'm certain that it was the correct decision… Right?

Fireheart's thoughts were interrupted by a deep rumbling from his stomach. He was so distracted by the rain and his rush to find shelter that he missed a meal. He bent down to take a bite of the mouse, hoping for even the slightest bit of solace in the juicy mouse. Instead, he received his meal in disgust as he chewed on the squelchy, watery prey. The cold, soggy taste sent shivers down Fireheart's spine, but he reluctantly continued to eat. Once he swallowed the last bite, he stood up and shook the water from his fur. His stomach growled again.

It wasn't enough. That mouse was a third of the size of the forest mice.

His irritation accumulated, and a blind rage suddenly overtook him. He unsheathed his claws and slashed at the large tree root next to him repeatedly.

"This is fox-dung! Mouse-dung! Sparrow-dung! I proved myself to the clan time and time again, and I get exiled for doing the right thing! I followed all of Starclan's warnings, fought Tigerstar, and helped my clan in need, but now Starclan rewards me by kicking me out and dumping a river on top of me. Horse-dung, badger-dung, rat-dung, pigeons, frogs, fleas-"

A branch above him partially snapped and swung down, releasing the water it was holding. The water fell like a gushing stream, landing on Fireheart and soaking his fur once again. He sat silently, staring at the claw marks he made in the roots as the water dripped from his fur. Coming back to his senses, he sheathed his claws and stared up at the sky, groaning in annoyance.

"What am I doing? I'm starting to act just like Bluestar… like mom…"

Fireheart shook his heavy fur again. He padded to the edge of the leaf coverage, watching the rain descend on the landscape. As the night passed on, the rain steadily eased up. The harsh thunder and rain were replaced by a gentle murmuring sprinkle, and the vestiges of the calamitous sky had vanished. However, the grassy hillsides had become soggy and muddy.

Fireheart decided to turn in for the night. His pelt had dried off as much as it could without sunlight, and his body was already tired as is. However, as he turned his head, a familiar sweet scent crossed his nose.

"…Spottedleaf?"

He looked around, searching for the pretty tortoiseshell coat. He caught sight of the she-cat's very faint outline and star-studded pelt off in the distance, gazing at him with her amber eyes. Thoughts and questions raced through his mind, but when the two made eye contact, his worries momentarily ceased. Even just the scent or sight of Spottedleaf soothed the socially isolated Fireheart. The moment was short-lived, as Spottedleaf turned around and bounded away from the tree. Fireheart desperately willed himself to his aching feet and chased after her.

"Spottedleaf, wait!"

He ran after her, his paws splashing in the ponds and coating his fur with mud. He clambered through the sodden terrain, while Spottedleaf leaped gracefully on top of the earth, her pelt remaining pristine. Her paws never seemed to break the surface of the water, while Fireheart's paws sank deeply until they were fully consumed by the viscous brown sludge.

Spottedleaf bounded over one of the hills and disappeared behind it. As Fireheart made his way to the top, he noticed a massive gushing river in front of him. The water carried floating branches and debris, and Fireheart was awed by its destructive force. If even a Riverclan cat fell into it, they would surely be dragged into its depths and vanish forever. As Fireheart approached the raging rapids to follow Spottedleaf, she stopped by a dark mound. She looked at Fireheart with pleading eyes and spoke in a soft tone.

"Please help him… he needs you."

With her guidance over, Spottedleaf's figure began to disappear.

"Wait, don't go! Don't you have a message for me? Anything? Something I can do to help Thunderclan? I can fix my wrongs! I- I don't want to be alone anymore!"

Spottedleaf bounded towards Fireheart, her pelt nearly transparent. She gently touched noses with the ginger tom before speaking.

"You have done no wrong, Fireheart. The path that lay ahead of you is rough and unknown. It may seem unfair to you, but things outside our control often change our lives. All we can do is make the best of what we have now. And…"

Spottedleaf's pelt brushed against Fireheart's pelt as the last bits of her outline faded.

"Just know that you are never alone. I will always walk with you wherever you go."

Fireheart breathed in her scent one last time, letting his mind take in all that she had said. He may not have had his clan, family, or friends nearby to help him, but he was still a warrior at heart. He had the training and knowledge to hunt and fight, and he could spend more time improving his skills. Furthermore, even though he was alone now, maybe he could find some other clans he never even heard of. He never had the chance to learn about what lay outside of the clans after all.

"I understand, Spottedleaf. I will do my best."

With renewed confidence, he padded toward the lump of dark silver nearby. He hastened his pace as the lump of silver's details grew more intricate, and a small cat lay in front of him unconscious. Fireheart estimated that he would've been a freshly-made apprentice based on his size, perhaps only six or seven moons old. The young silver tom was caked in mud and freezing to the touch, but every so often he would shiver.

I wonder where this kit came from. If he drifted from upstream, he should be from the clans, but I've never seen him at the gatherings.

Fireheart pondered about the mystery cat, but ignored them for now and quickly got to work. He removed most of the significant chunks of dirt that dried onto his pelt and started licking the tom's fur in reverse, vaguely remembering what Cinderpelt had done with Silverstream's kits to warm them up. Fireheart nearly regurgitated his previous meal at the taste of dirt, and the smell of rotting vegetation from the river didn't help either. Regardless, he continued to warm him up, rigorously licking him until his tongue had gone numb. It was a miracle that the tom was only cold and wasn't afflicted with anything else, or he wouldn't have known how to treat it.

Fireheart retreated to give his tongue a break and plopped down with most of his strength gone. To his surprise, the more he cleaned the tom's pelt, the brighter the silver became. He was also glad that the tom's breathing had become more relaxed and gentle, though he couldn't tell the exact condition the tom was in. He was no medicine cat after all. He could only pray that he was helping him correctly, since he had no knowledge of herbs or treatment methods either, except maybe cobwebs for open wounds and poppy seeds to help with sleep.

Fireheart continued to cycle between warming up the kit and resting. He kept watching his condition, but sometime between one of the cycles, he had fallen asleep from fatigue. The following day, he was awoken by a gentle breeze ruffling his fur. He had slept until midday when the sun beamed down warmly on top of them. He looked over to see the silver tom still sleeping peacefully. Fireheart breathed a sigh of relief.

Choosing to let him be, Fireheart stretched his limbs and bounded off to find some prey. Most of the prey would, unfortunately, be burrowed in their dens from last night, but with any luck, he might just find an unlucky mouse or two.

As Fireheart scoured the plains, he briefly saw a curious rabbit lightly poking its head out of a hole. He dropped into a crouch and inched forward, eager to finally have a good meal. He made sure to be downwind of the rabbit as well in case it detected him. If the rabbit saw him and either backed into the den or dashed out, Fireheart's chances of catching it would be gone. He didn't have the speed of a Windclan cat, so he was going to have to be stealthy.

Fireheart waited patiently. The sun bore into his back as he stayed crouched just outside the hole. He felt an itch underneath his paw steadily creep up his leg, but he ignored it. He remained still like a tree, ignoring any sensations of tingles or aches. At last, the rabbit bounded out of the hole, and Fireheart rushed forward. The rabbit noticed the predator behind it at the last moment, but it was too late. The ginger warrior rushed to bite its neck, killing it instantly.

Fireheart examined his kill and couldn't help but feel a small sense of pride. If he were still in the clans, he might have bragged about his catch to Onewhisker during a gathering. He buried the rabbit for now and hunted for more prey. He was lucky to conclude his hunt with one rabbit and two shrews before gathering them all and returning to the silver tom. As he placed the prey down, the tom groaned and twitched. Fireheart padded over to watch as he woke up.

The silver kit groggily opened his eyes, barely being able to see in the sunshine. For a brief moment, a pair of deep orange eyes met bright emerald eyes curiously. However, the kit's eyes shot open wide as his mind processed the big ginger figure looming over him. He quickly scrambled to his paws and backed away, unsheathing his claws.

"Stay back! I.. I'm dangerous! You don't want to mess with me!"

The kit began hopping side to side and swiping at the air, while Fireheart stood in front of him both intrigued and amused.

How is this kit still moving with so much energy? Wasn't he washed away by the stream?

Fireheart admired the youth's energy, even if he was technically still youthful himself. He made sure to keep his claws sheathed and eased his body as much as possible.

"Relax, I'm not going to hurt you," reassured Fireheart.

"Likely story. I bet you're from one of the three clans. You're from the Fara clan, aren't you?" probed the kit.

"The what clan?"

"Or maybe you're from the Ilia clan. You're from there right? Are you a priest? A Templar?"

"Calm down, what are you tal-"

"So you're from the Berkus clan, huh? I can take a couple of Berkus warriors no problem! I could fight off even the chancell-"

"Stop! I'm not from the Fara clan, the Ilia clan, the Unga or Chunga or Cowabunga clan- I'm not from any of these clans!" exclaimed Fireheart.

"Really?"

"Yes! I just saw you passed out near the river. You were caked in mud and severely cold. I just warmed and cleaned you up is all. I'm not a threat."

The young tom looked at his pelt, and he noticed it had indeed been cleaned up. He shuffled his paws awkwardly and dipped his head in embarrassment.

"Sorry about that mister... I didn't know."

"It's alright. I probably shouldn't have stood over you like that," meowed Fireheart.

"But if you're not from one of the three clans, where are you from?" inquired the silver kit.

"Well... I'm just a rogue right now. Where are you from?"

"Umm… my mom told me not to tell anyone. Sorry. Oh, but we could share names though! What's yours?"

"My name's Fireheart."

The silver kit's eyes lit up at Fireheart's name.

"Wow, that's a cool name! I wish I had a cool name like you. I just have a dumb name that sounds weird," sighed the silver tom while pawing at the ground.

"Nonsense. What's your name?"

"…it's Marsh."

Fireheart bumped shoulders with Marsh.

"I think it's a great name."

"You really think so? At least your name matches your pelt color. I don't even know what my name means, besides some gross water."

"Of course. It's not a bad name at all."

Fireheart looked over at the river.

"How did you get washed up here? I've been traveling for a while along the river but I didn't see anyone. Did you get lost?"

Marsh shuffled nervously.

"Well… not exactly? I may have… could have… um… was…"

"was what?"

"… chased away from home."

"You got chased away? Why?"

"It's a bit complicated, but I'm trying to find my way back."

"I see. Well, maybe you could tell me later after we've had a bite to eat."

A deep growl rumbled from Marsh's stomach, echoing his inner thoughts. Fireheart gestured the young tom to the fresh-kill pile, who stared at all the prey while practically drooling.

"You caught all this?"

"Of course. Well, I've had some training I guess."

Marsh half-listened while dragging a shrew off the pile and began wolfing it down. Fireheart did the same with the rabbit, and the two ate peacefully as the gentle breezes carried over the plains. Although Marsh was equivalent to a brand new apprentice, his company was more than enough for Fireheart. Every so often, Marsh would glance over at him as if wanting to ask something, until Fireheart talked first.

"You look like you have something on your mind."

"Oh, uh… Well, you said you trained on how to hunt right?"

"Yes…"

Is he going to ask where I'm from? Do I lie about being from Thunderclan? Even if I said the truth, would these cats even know about Thunderclan?

While Fireheart attempted to quickly draw up a mock explanation of his background, Marsh stood up and stomped forward until they were face-to-face.

"Please teach me how to hunt!"

"...how to hunt?"

"Yes!"

"Hmm. I'm not exactly the best hunter out there, you know?"

Sandstorm far outclasses me in that regard, Fireheart reminisced.

"It doesn't matter. I want to learn how to hunt, just as good as you," pleaded Marsh.

"Why do you want to know how to hunt so badly?"

Marsh's head slumped.

"Well, the place I live doesn't exactly have a lot of cats, so we're not big enough to be called a clan. We also don't have that many experienced hunters, so my parents who run the group are always super busy hunting. I've always wanted to help, but…"

They're too busy to properly mentor him, Fireheart finished in thought. It was the same with Graystripe and Brackenpaw.

"Can I please learn how to hunt? I swear I'll do my best!" Marsh promised.

"I suppose I wouldn't mind, but maybe we should ask your parents first-"

"No, I want to learn how to hunt now!" Marsh complained.

"But…"

Marsh begged Fireheart with big, round eyes, unyielding in his efforts.

This kit is starting to resemble Cinderpelt when she was still my apprentice. Now that I look at it, he even looks a little like her.

"Alright, I can teach you some techniques. You're trying to get back to your camp, right? We can practice along the way."

"Yay!" Marsh exclaimed, practically bouncing around now.

Fireheart watched the kit with a mix of excitement and worry.

It's good that he's enthusiastic, but hopefully he's a bit calmer than Cinderpelt was… hopefully.

Spottedleaf padded the familiar Starclan hunting grounds, eternally rich with prey. The trees were a constant lush green, and the skies were everlasting clear. Any normal cat would die to live in such a paradise, although ironic since death was the only way to enter said paradise permanently.

As the tortoiseshell she-cat padded through the forest, voices echoed ahead of her. They grew louder as she approached, and Spottedleaf could only sigh at their clamorous nature.

They've been bickering for days, she thought. She was already beginning to miss her time with Fireheart.

The she-cat padded into an open clearing, where she saw several other cats huddled in a big circle, arguing aggressively with each other.

"The clans are doomed at this rate if the prophecy isn't fulfilled!" exclaimed a small, black tom.

"The prophecy has been around since ancient times. The fact that 'Fire will save the clans' will not change," responded a golden tabby tom.

"Fireheart was our best bet at stopping Tigerstar. Now, a crazed lunatic that runs Thunderclan has kicked him out, and Fireheart continues to wander further away from the clans! How is he supposed to fulfill the prophecy now?"

"Do not speak ill of our leader, Nightstar. Even if we're both a part of Starclan now, I will not have another cat soil the name of Thunderclan's leaders," retorted a dark tortoiseshell tom.

"Fireheart knew the truth about your death, Redtail. He was the evidence and rival to Tigerstar, but now Tigerstar will be unmatched in his takeover of the clans. Bluestar should be given divine punishment for her neglect of leadership duties and for exiling Fireheart on unjust grounds!"

"You wish to make my sister's life even worse? Has she not suffered enough? She had to give up her kits and mate, lost me to greencough, and was betrayed by her trusted deputy. We can't punish her! Not after everything she's been through," exclaimed a white she-cat.

Spottedleaf watched solemnly as the cats yelled at each other back and forth. Starclan was the guiding light for the clans. They were the ancestors and loved ones that looked out for the future of the clans, and they would foretell prophecies in hopes that the clans would heed their insight. Although they were not omniscient, they knew a far greater deal than any living cat. However, even for Starclan, Fireheart's exile had been rather unexpected and had caught them off guard. Therefore, many Starclan cats had gathered to debate how to ensure the prophecy would come true, and how to deal with Bluestar's punishment. One after the other, different Starclan cats would throw out ideas, but the other half of the cats would just as quickly shoot them down.

"However, Snowfur, it is true that in order for Fireheart to even consider coming back, Bluestar would need to withdraw her exile charge against him. Otherwise, we have no chance from the start," meowed a senior cat with a crooked jaw.

"And for that to happen, Bluestar would actually need to listen to us, which she won't because she hates us!"

"Then we'll try another strategy. Maybe we could convince Bluestar a different way."

"Why do we need to convince her at all? Just have her newest deputy become the leader. Someone who is actually loyal to Starclan?"

"We are the four clan's guiding light and faith. Are you seriously suggesting we execute one of its leaders just because she doesn't like us?"

"Hey, I never said execute… maybe she might have a bit of an accident is all."

"That's preposterous! I knew you were cunning, Nightstar, but not cruel."

"I consider all the alternatives in case the plans we come up with now don't work! I have to be diligent in my planning as a Shadowclan leader. We didn't exactly plan for the event that Fireheart gets exiled, and now look where we are. If I have to consider some of the darker alternatives to ensure the clan's survival, then so be it."

"I have an idea," squeaked a voice from the edge of the clearing.

The eyes of the cats focused on a small gray kit with bright blue eyes.

"We could send her dreams!"

"You mean prophecies? Did you not hear us, Mosskit? Bluestar. Doesn't. Like. Us."

"I know what you said, Nightstar. I meant instead of sending her prophecies, we send her dreams. Dreams of her past. Dreams of what she used to be like," suggested the young kit that seemingly held knowledge far beyond her age.

"So you wish to remind her of the 'good ol' days'? How do you know this won't backfire?" inquired Nightstar.

"I don't, but it would give Bluestar a chance to rebuild her memories of her past and remind her that her warriors are still loyal to her."

"I concur. I think this may be our best strategy for Bluestar to open back up to us," Spottedleaf meowed, finally entering the conversation.

Many of the cats nodded in agreement. A couple were still unsure of the outcome, while Nightstar turned his head away.

"I still think we should consider some alternatives if this doesn't work, but I shall agree to this plan for now," the black tom agreed hesitantly.

"Then we will set the plan into motion," announced Redtail.

The Starclan cats murmured in agreement, and the congregation soon dispersed. Spottedleaf sighed, tension releasing from her ethereal body. Now, only time would tell whether their plan would work, but for now, she would pray with all her will that Bluestar would come around.

I still believe Fire will save the clan, but until then… Please, Bluestar. Come back to us!