Gathering Time!

So this chapter is 2500+ words, which meant I got carried away again. I was having too much fun with this chapter.

I got a comment that I read this morning that actually gave me criticism, and the comment got me thinking- I really don't have a direction with this fic, and I'm scared that I'll just leave it unfinished cause I won't know where to go with it. I'm hoping that people will give me ideas on where to take Ignite. So if anyone's got ideas, please share them and I'll take them into consideration!

I just really want to have fun while writing this, but I also want it to be good.

Also to the Guest reviewer, Firestar isn't a full dragon, he's still a cat with dragon attributes. He's only slightly bigger, as big as Brambleclaw and Tigerstar, but he's not a full on dragon. Not yet anyway...

Please review!

Firestar dug his claws into the soft ground, leaving deep gouges where they dug themselves in. It was the night of the Gathering, and his clanmates were preparing themselves for the inevitable mess this Gathering in particular would bring. He had no idea how the other clans would react to his new form.

He couldn't help but admit that his heart was pounding in his chest, fearful that the other clans would retaliate against him specifically by attacking his clan, who had nothing to do with anything. He could only hope that they would keep an open mind. Though with the rising hostilities in the clans these days, it would be hard to tell.

"You don't have to come you know, I could go in your place instead," Brambleclaw murmured next to him.

"And what, tell them I'm sick? Some sickness this is," he grumbled. "I can't avoid the other clans forever Brambleclaw. Someone's going to find out and then everyone will know. Might as well knock it out now." Considering that Starclan had no idea about literally anything about his situation, this may as well be permanent for all he knew. He could probably get away with skipping out on one gathering, but not multiple gatherings.

He gave a signal to his clanmates and they all streamed out of camp, racing towards the lake and pacing besides the shoreline towards the Gathering Island. He could hear his heart pound in his ears, and he gave deep breaths, trying to calm himself. He was nervous, and it clearly showed, and Brambleclaw and Sandstorm padded alongside him, their pelts brushing up against his in a show of comfort and protection. He stopped before the log, and his ears pricked as he caught the whispers and mutterings of the other clans. They were wondering where Thunderclan was.

He felt another wave of nervousness go through him before a warm pulse drove it all away. He looked down at the stone and it glowed lightly, and he shook his head, wondering what he was so afraid of. He was a leader, not a coward. He had to hold his head up high!

If the clans didn't like it, then it was their problem not his. If they hurt his treasures to get to him, then they would burn. He blinked, wondering where these thoughts were coming from. He noticed the stone's light die down. All of his nervousness was gone, and he felt like the other clan's opinions of him didn't matter anymore. He wasn't afraid of what they could do to him, only of what they might do to his clan.

"Firestar?" His head snapped up to look at Brambleclaw, and he saw his clanmates look at his with impatience.

"Right. Sorry. Just...more of the stone doing it's thing again," he muttered. His clanmates gave understanding looks, and Brambleclaw's gaze softened. "Look, are you sure you want to do this? I can take your place if you want," he reassured.

Firestar shook his head. "No. I may not want to do this but it has to be done." He waved his tail, making sure that it didn't hit anyone, and climbed across the log, his clanmates following. He boldly stepped into the clearing, and all the whispers turned into shocked silence as heads turned to look at him in shock, surprise, and fear.

"Is that Firestar?"

"What happened to him?"

"Are those wings?!"

"What's with all the black; are those supposed to be scales?"

"Whats wrong with him?"

"This is some kind of trick, it has to be!"

"Why am I not surprised; it's always something with Thunderclan..."

He heard every whisper, every comment, and every insult aimed at him and his clan. His ears twitched, trying to filter out the voices. His clanmates huddled together in an area away from the other clans, no one feeling up to mingle with the other clans, and no one from outside his clan daring to go up to them. He held his high up high, seemingly uncaring about the cats around him as he bounded to the Great Oak, Brambleclaw by his side.

Brambleclaw joined the other deputies at the roots and he easily bounded up the trunk, landing on a branch that held the other leaders. He situated himself slightly away from them, their shocked, wide eyed gazes burning into his head.

Blackstar shook himself out of his staring and yowled to get the clan's attentions. It wasn't necessary, all eyes already on the Great Oak, waiting for Thunderclan's news. He turned to Firestar, "Well, seems like you may have...interesting news to share with us tonight," he said, a tinge of fear in his voice.

"Firestar, what has happened to you? Is this Starclan's doing? Have they gifted you some kind of... whatever this is?" Mistystar questioned.

He gave a sigh, "I don't really know myself. As for Starclan, I went to talk to them about this," he gestured to himself, "and they didn't know anything either." He looked out at the clans. "This is just as weird for me as it is for you all. But just know that my clan and I are trying to find a way to reverse this. You all have nothing to fear from Thunderclan." If it even could be reversed. He knew exactly how it all happened but what else was he supposed to tell these cats? It's not like he understood how everything worked himself.

The looks he was receiving told him that he was being feared, which was the opposite of what he wanted. Did they all really think that he would try to take over the clans or something inane? Onestar bristled. "We're just supposed to believe that you don't know how you've gained wings and claws that even Tigerstar would be jealous of? You're not going to use this against the clans?"

Firestar lashed his tail, the sharp tip making a deep gouge in the trunk, the other leaders jumping slightly at the action. "Well I could either say I don't know, or I could say that some rock fell from the sky and this stone that came off it implanted itself into me and turned me into a black-scaled, multi-winged freak. Which one sounds more believable to you Onestar?" he said plainly.

Onestar gave a furious hiss. "Unbelievable, it's always you Thunderclan cats!" He turned to the other two leaders. "We're supposed to be okay with the fact that Thunderclan just got a major boost in power? There's no telling what he can do with this kind of power!"

Blackstar and Mistystar looked unsure. Mistystar gave Firestar a wide eyed look, and he was disheartened to see fear in her eyes. "You're right, there is no telling what Firestar can do, so I think it would be in Riverclan's best interests to leave Thunderclan alone."

Onestar's jaw clenched in frustration and he turned to look at Blackstar. Blackstar gazed at Firestar, a hint of fear in his eyes. "I think Shadowclan should also stay away. If we don't bother him, then he and Thunderclan won't bother us." His voice was raised, announcing his intentions while also telling Shadowclan what not to do. That being the general message of not trespassing over the Thunderclan border.

He wasn't foolish enough to anger Firestar, who looked like he could rip them all apart if they so looked at him funny. Was it him or was Firestar just as big if not bigger than Tigerstar? He wasn't about to make an enemy out of that.

Onestar gave an angry hiss and whirled around to face Firestar. "The others might be afraid, but Windclan are not cowards! Your new features mean nothing Firestar!" He bounded down the Great Oak, gathering up the Windclan cats and hurriedly leaving the island, the Windclan cats hissing at the Thunderclan cats as they left. Firestar stared off after him sadly, wondering where his friendship with Onestar had gone.

Firestar bounded down the oak, signaling Thunderclan to follow. He figured the other two clans weren't going to want to stick around him anyway. Riverclan and Shadowclan cats got out of their way, fear-scent thick in the air. The stone sent a warm pulse through him, sending a heady feeling into his mind. He had stood his ground, just like he should have.

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Sandstorm led her border patrol towards the Windclan border. None of the clans had tried anything since the Gathering a few days before, and it was making Thunderclan antsy. After a big shock like Firestar's appearance, they were on the lookout for any suspicious activity from the other clans. Shadowclan had kept to their side of the border, and so did Windclan despite their hostility at the Gathering.

Spiderleg opened his mouth in shock. "They've moved the border!" he hissed out in surprise. The rest of the patrol gave him startled looks. Sandstorm's nostrils flared and she realized Spiderleg was right, Windclan had moved the border into Thunderclan territory.

"Guess peace was too much to ask for huh?" Cinderheart muttered. Sandstorm waved her tail to the patrol. "We need to go back to camp and alert the clan. The scent still smells fresh-" She didn't get to finished to before the scent of Windclan hit them and a battle patrol of Windclan cats burst out of their hiding spots.

Sandstorm gave a yowl and the Thunderclan cats rushed forward to meet them. Rosepetal pulled Molepaw from the battle, his battle skills not yet ready to face another clan in a full-out battle. "Molepaw, I need you to get back to the clan and get reinforcements," she urged her apprentice. She dodged a swipe from Sunstrike and leapt onto the she-cat's back, clawing at her furiously. "Go!" she cried to her apprentice. Molepaw nodded fearfully before sprinting back to camp.

Sandstorm gave a furious hiss as she grappled with Onestar. "Why are you doing this? Thunderclan hasn't done anything to you!"

He looked her dead in the eye, "You all exist is the problem!" He clawed at her and she gave a pain-filled screech as he left a nasty cut on her face.

Firestar's ears pricked as he heard a pain-filled screech, recognizing Sandstorm's voice. Molepaw burst into camp, "Windclan moved the border and they're attacking our patrol! We need help!"

Brambleclaw nodded, before calling cats to form a battle patrol. He stiffened as waves of anger rolled over the camp, as did the rest of the clan. He turned to look at Firestar, whose eyes had turned red and was growling furiously. The stone was pulsing a bright, angry glow.

He could hear his mate's cries of pain. Someone was hurting his mate! He spread his wings and let instinct guide him, and took off into the air gracefully, before shooting off in the direction of the Windclan border. Brambleclaw muttered a curse and turned to his patrol. "Hurry, we have to get there before Firestar does something he'll regret!"

The battle at the Windclan-Thunderclan border was still raging on, and Onestar threw Sandstorm away from him, and she skidded onto the ground. She hissed as blood dripped down her face. She tried to stand but didn't react in time as Onestar leapt at her and she hit her head onto the ground. She gave a cry in pain and looked up at the Windclan leader, dazed.

"This will show Thunderclan that they're not invincible!" Onestar crowed triumphantly. Sandstorm only gave a pained moan in response. She closed her eyes, awaiting a killing blow, only for Onestar's weight to suddenly rip away from her.

Firestar beat his wings and landed, watching the foolish cat that dare hurt his mate struggle to get to his paws in a daze with angry eyes. He turned around and checked Sandstorm over, trying to pinpoint any injuries. There was a noticeable cut on her face. His eyes widened and he gave a furious growl; how dare this cat mar his treasure's beauty! He gave the cut a few gentle licks and nuzzled her, trying to reassure her that her mate was here to protect her.

He whirled around to face the other cat, feeling his fire rise up into his throat and travel into his mouth, and he opened it slightly to let the flames pour out, the wind blowing embers behind him. He caught a whiff of fear-scent coming from the cat in front of him, but instead of fleeing, the cat foolishly stared him down.

He opened his mouth fully and let a stream of fire shoot out of his maw, the cat dodging at the last minute. The blaze set the nearby foliage around them on fire, both Thunderclan and Windclan cats alike yowling out their fear.

The cat was shaking now, looking at him fearfully. Firestar gave a growl and advanced forward, intent on ripping this cat apart for daring to hurt his mate.

Kill him kill him kill himkillhimkillhimkillhim-

Sandstorm leapt out in front of him, a paw on his chest. "You can stop now, it's over! You've won!" she pleaded. But Firestar only had eyes on Onestar, who was frozen in fear. He wasn't listening to her, too blinded by rage. She gave his face a few licks, and his gaze finally trailed over to her. "It's alright, I'm fine, see? You don't need to kill him."

He contemplated her words, before curling his body around hers and giving her face gentle licks, trying to clean the wound on her face. She gave a sigh of relief as his eyes flickered back to green and almost didn't notice the Windclan cats retreating.

'Good work,' something whispered into his head. The stone gave a warm pulse, but he ignored it, wanting to focus on his mate instead.

Brambleclaw and his patrol raced towards them, slowing down as it was apparent that they weren't needed. Brambleclaw noted that a lot of the plants and bushes in the area looked scorched, some of them still giving off streams of smoke. He gazed towards his ginger leader and his mate, noticing that Firestar was trying to clean a wound on Sandstorm's face.

"What happened here?" he questioned the border patrol.

"Firestar happened," Cinderheart meowed, still in shock.

"He went into a rage when he saw Sandstorm was wounded," Rosepetal said. He nodded, figuring it made sense. Firestar was oddly protective of her, as well as his daughters and strangely himself. If Brambleclaw got injured, or Leafpool or Squirrelflight got injured, would Firestar have done the same thing as he did for Sandstorm?

He turned to the patrol he brought with him. "You all can replace the scent markers while we get injured back to camp," he ordered. The cats nodded and ran forward, beginning to override the Windclan scent at the correct places.

Firestar didn't leave Sandstorm's side as they made their way back to camp. He growled at anyone who got too close, except for Brambleclaw, who was given a few sniffs from Firestar, trying to assess if his hatchling was also hurt.

Brambleclaw noted in alarm that Firestar's eyes were green again, but he was still acting protective of Sandstorm. Why wasn't he acting like himself now that he was clearly back in his normal mindset?

After Sandstorm was treated by Jayfeather, Firestar herded her into the leaders' den and curled around her as they settled into his nest. The stone glowed lightly, pushing foreign thoughts into his head. What if someone else tried to hurt what was rightfully his? He narrowed his eyes; nobody would hurt his treasures, nobody.

The stone is instilling instincts and thoughts into Firestar's head. He can't tell now, but later he'll realize how much his mind doesn't feel like it belongs to him. He'll be acting and thinking more and more like a dragon. He's still himself, just more obsessive, protective, and maybe more violent and aggressive.

Of course Windclan are the ones who instigate everything. Shadowclan might have joined in once upon a time, but Firestar didn't need to do much at the Gathering to show the clans that his strength has increased tenfold. Also Firestar is as big as Tigerstar is now, and the ones who were alive back then know how much they didn't want to fight Tigerstar.

The incident may have put fear into the hearts in some of the Thunderclan cats as well though. Now they're even more terrified of their leader.

Tell me how I did.