Hi everyone! I just finished reading the latest chapter in TheSkyclanCat's AU Dump and was greatly inspired. Thus saying, I found myself writing the following piece. I hope you enjoy and please check out her other works!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Warrior Cats. Characters belong to Erin Hunter and the original plotline is by TheSkyclanCat.

Of Stars and Ferns

Fireheart knew he wasn't ready.

He couldn't do this. This…this step. This feat. Even at her worst, Bluestar had been better than him. Who was he anyway but a cat simply pretending to be one of the fae. A pretender, an actor.

A farce.

As leader of Thunderclan, he would be expected to the most powerful protector of the forest. For that is what Thunderclan was, the protectors of everything that made up the forest, from the smallest sprig of a new tree to the mightiest oak. His mind cast back to what Bluestar had told him so long ago, when he was only Firepaw…

When the forest was still new and vibrant, a young cat wandered into its depths. Abandoned by his sire, he wandered, subconsciously sought protection from the vulnerability. The loneliness. As the trees were young, their spirits were present and aware and sympathetic. Who wouldn't want protection? They were also impressed, as well as sympathetic, to his other desire, to be a protector as well as protected. They had also become aware of their own vulnerability- to age, to illness and to greed- specifically Twoleg greed.

And so, one night, as the young cat slept, the spirits approached him in his dreams. Here, they presented themselves as cats- or as close to cats as they could manage. For while they could sense the young cat, they were still more familiar with creatures that made their lives by flitting from leaf to leaf.

As surprised as the young cat was to be approached by tiny cats with antennae and dragonfly wings, he couldn't help but be curious enough to listen rather than run. And he was glad he did, for the spirits of the forest offered him an irresistible pact.

The spirits would provide him and his descendants a home for as long as they chose to live there. They would also guide them to a final resting place once they departed this life. In return, he and his descendants would protect their home from any and all threats. Seeing the troubled look on the young cat's face, the spirits rushed to reassure him that they would grant his cats abilities that would allow them to maintain their end of the bargain.

Elated, the cat agreed that he, Thunder, and all his future offspring, would protect the forest in exchange for the promise of a better life and afterlife. He woke, to find himself changed and protected. Ecstatic, he tutored himself on how to control his powers, from shifting to the size of a dragonfly, to spreading his new magic from tree to tree. He found and named the Star Spring, a source to replenish his power when he had exhausted his stores.

Eagerly, he rushed back to his siblings and relayed what had happened. They did not believe him until he shrunk down, zipping around their heads as they gaped. Then they followed him.

However, they could not love the forest as Thunder had come to love it. His siblings River, Wind and Shadow had been drawn to water, moor and marsh, respectively, and the spirits of those lands, learning from the forest spirits, offered them similar terms and powers leading to the formation of the present-day clans.

Shaking his head to clear away the fond memories, he found himself at the edge of the Star Spring. His spirits sank as more memories surfaced, those of his mentor dancing to create starlight in this magical grove. How could he hope to do the same?

He felt a nudge and saw Cinderpelt, full-sized, staring expectantly at him. Despite being a medicine fae, he couldn't help but remember that excited, impatient apprentice staring up at him with excitement as well as that familiar expectancy. He touched his nose to the Spring and closed his eyes, expecting to be blown away. But nothing happened. And nothing continued to happen, with the exception of an all-consuming coldness.

He opened his eyes, hesitantly, expecting to see the Star Spring had rejected and ignored him, but instead found himself surrounded by a field of starlight and achingly familiar figures, all waiting for him.

As he was filled with more and more lives, more memories, he couldn't help but notice that everything and everyone had begun to seem bigger with each life force forced into his body. There was also an odd feeling on his head and back but he supposed this was simply due to the ceremony. By the time Bluestar approached him, the other cats towered above and he did not know how much more he could take.

"Fireheart- my apprentice, my deputy." Her voice rumbled through him.

Why?" He blurted, even his voice seeming smaller than usual. She paused, startled. "Why me? I am only a pretender, after all. A kittypet, a nobody."

Her purr shook him. "You have never been nobody. In many ways, you are more of a fairy than all the other clan cats. That is why I chose you. And why I grant you your final life- one for nobility and certainty and faith. Use it well to defend both Thunderclan and the forest. And now your old life and your old body have been stripped away for the same reason. So that you can blaze through the forest to protect it anew."

She reached down to touch her nose to his head before his could ask what she meant, the final life blazing through him and catapulting him back to the living world.

Cinderpelt waited patiently by the Star Spring for her old mentor to wake up. Suddenly, the normally silver spring blazed a brilliant orange, setting the grove and surrounding trees ablaze. When her vision cleared, the spring had returned to normal and Fireheart was gone. Before she could fully panic, she heard a groan by her feet and look down as her jaw dropped. Fireheart- no, Firestar now, stood shakily and took a few stumbling steps before collapsing again. Lowering her head, she could tell he was alright, just unconscious. And now very different.

Firestar awoke to the feeling of straw beneath him. He stretched and opened his eyes- only to find two blue ones, each one larger than he was, staring down at him. He leapt up, yowling…and didn't come back down. He found himself- fluttering?- in midair. Cinderpelt was less than a whisker length away from him, an amused look on her face.

"How do you feel- Firestar?" She asked, concerned but still somehow amused.

"Wuh?" He asked intelligently. "I mean, what happened?"

"Take a look for yourself." She purred. Following her gaze, he first noticed that they were in the Twoleg barn where Ravenpaw now lived with Barley, though they were nowhere to be found. The next thing he saw was a clouded reflective surface. He briefly remembered cleaner versions in his old Twoleg's home. But he froze when he saw himself in it.

He was, for starters, much much smaller than usual- about the size of a dragonfly. Also, he had two antennae the color of greenwood twitching atop his brow. And the crowning glory were two translucent, webbed wings, the same color as his eyes and antennae, which sparkled with starlight.

"…I didn't expect that." Firestar couldn't stop gaping at his new reflection. Rolling her eyes, Cinderpelt prodded him with her paw. "It's time to get back to the clan, mush for brains." She purred. "Unless you want to keep staring all day?"

"R-right." He paused. "Um, how do I make myself big again?"

"You probably won't have enough power right now to make it happen. Don't worry, I'll get us back to camp."

"Alright…" She stifled a laugh as her new leader landed on her head hesitantly, something she had done all the time when she was tuckered out from apprentice training, before that horrible accident. But she never expected the roles to be reversed.

"I heard that!"

Sandstorm stared. And stared. Then stared some more along with the rest of her clan. For Firestar had returned- as one of the fae! She supposed it made sense…but it certainly was a surprise. A very welcome one in her view.

Firestar, who had been fluttering in front of everyone, for once the same small size as them, stared back awkwardly. Slowly, the crowd began to chant his name until she was sure the Twolegs could hear them.

"Thank you, Thunderclan! I will do my utmost, as your new leader, to keep both our clan and our forest safe from our enemies."

As the clan dispersed, Firestar fluttered over to her. "Firestar" she purred "you look wonderful! How do you feel?"

"Honestly? Fantastic! But uhh…how do I make myself bigger again?" he trailed off sheepishly. She couldn't help but laugh at his adorable awkwardness. "It's not funny!" He huffed. "I don't know how fight like this yet." He pouted.

She rubbed herself along his side comfortingly. "Don't worry, we'll show you. And you can show us what you know, just as you always do. But for now, let's focus on size-shifting. All you have to do is focus on what it's like being big."

His confused expression didn't budge prompting her to clarify "I mean, focus on sensations you are familiar with- like the gorse tunnel brushing against your fur, stepping on twigs, that sort of thing."

Closing his eyes, he tried. But he kept getting distracted. For even with his eyes closed, he could still see the life of the forest. Everything around him thrummed with life which looked like veins of light coursing through each tree, flower and creature surrounding him. He noticed that the lights in the plants was green while all the small creatures he would normally eat had brown light coursing through them. The cats were even more fascinating- they all had their own colors, from Cloudtail's sky blue to Sandstorm's tan lights. He noticed his own lights seemed to be fiery orange, even with licks of flame traveling along them.

Then he felt a paw swat his new antennae. "Focus, Firestar!" Sandstorm snapped.

"Sorry!" This time he concentrated, memories coursing through him. Suddenly, the world around him shifted, seeming to almost scrunch up until he was standing and seeing everything the way he had back when he was Fireheart. Meanwhile, Sandstorm watched as her mate was surrounded by his new orange fairy dust as he changed size.

Even his dust looks like fire She mused.

"Good! Now shift back." Sandstorm smirked.

"What? Now?"

"Yes, now. You need the practice and besides, you need to fit into the leader's den."

"Fine. How do I do that?"

"Same thing but in reverse. Focus on feeling small, usually the easiest way to do this at first is to focus on your newest memories of flying."

Complying, Firestar watched as the world around him stretched. Suddenly, he was exhausted. He fluttered in a wobbly manner towards the leader's den- a small crack in the Highrock- with Sandstorm following him closely, ready to steady him if needed.

Landing, Firestar found himself in a surprisingly large space (at least for his new size). The walls of the small cavern were covered in vines, each with different flowers that represented past leaders. He stumbled into the moss nest one of the apprentices had set up during his absence. He flicked his tail towards Sandstorm, eyes pleading.

Wordlessly, she joined him. Firestar quickly fell asleep, missing Sandstorm's quiet gasp. Next to the vine holding the Forget-Me-Nots and chamomile representing Bluestar, a new vine grew. However, this vine was not green like the others, it looked like-

"A red fern. The red fern for magic." She breathed. Looking at her sleeping mate, she supposed it made sense. She just knew his magic would blaze through the forest. Just as he had.

I hope you all enjoy this. Please feel free to leave reviews and please check out the work by TheSkyclanCat.