What If

by Jeffrey Dahmer

What if Cinderpaw was never injured by the monster, and Bluestar took her place instead?

2. What if Cinderpaw was Never Injured?

What if Cinderpaw was Never Injured by the Monster?

Cinderpaw was never one to listen to rules.

When she was a kit, she was constantly getting into trouble from Frostfur, and it made Brackenpaw look like a shining star in comparison. Now, as an apprentice, she was just as stubborn and rebelous, except she felt slightly worse about disregarding Fireheart's orders than her mothers. When Fireheart told her to not tell Bluestar that Tigerclaw wanted to meet her by the Thunderpath, she almost listened.

Almost.

In fact, she almost went to the Thunderpath herself to deliver the message, but she quickly realized that was a bad idea. Not only was it dangerous, but she doubted Tigerclaw would tell her something secretive to pass onto the leader. Instead, Cinderpaw settled for telling Bluestar that Tigerclaw was waiting for her by the Thunderpath. The ThunderClan leader was currently battling a bad case of greencough, so Cinderpaw was sure she would send someone to meet Tigerclaw. That 'someone' would hopefully be Fireheart; it would make him look responsible in front of Tigerclaw and Bluestar and he'd undoubtedly be thankful for Cinderpaw.

It was a win-win situation.

"Bluestar?" Cinderpaw called. She was currently sitting outside her leader's den. Even from where she was sitting, she could smell the sickness wafting out of the den. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Before Cinderpaw had a chance to question herself, she heard a voice from inside the den.

"Come in," Bluestar croaked.

Cinderpaw stepped in, her eyes quickly adjusting to the dim light. Bluestar was curled in a ball at the back of the den, with her back pressed against the cold rock. Balls of damp moss lay scattered at her feet, probably from Yellowfang wringing water into her mouth so she could have a drink.

"What is it?" Bluestar asked. She sat up straighter, as to not look weak in front of the young apprentice.

"Tigerclaw requested to meet you by the Thunderpath. He has a message for you," Cinderpaw explained. "If you're too sick, I could ask Fireheart to go."

"No," Bluestar said firmly. "I'll go meet Tigerclaw. I can walk just fine."

Cinderpaw's ears fell as she realised her plan was disintegrating in front of her. "Are you sure? Fireheart would be more than happy to-"

"Fireheart is collecting catmint," Bluestar said, waving the idea away. "I'll go."

Cinderpaw was convinced that the leader was trying to look strong, despite her illness. The apprentice cursed herself for bringing up that Bluestar was sick; maybe if she just let Bluestar come to the conclusion herself then she wouldn't be wandering across the forest. Not only had she ruined her plan, but her sick leader was now putting herself at risk.

"Do you want me to come?" Cinderpaw offered as a last ditch effort to protect Bluestar.

"It's fine, Cinderpaw." Bluestar's firm voice ended that conversation.

The apprentice dipped her head and followed the leader out of the den. She watched as the large blue-gray she-cat padded out of camp. Bluestar stumbled slightly, her tail dragging limply across the ground. However, nothing could dampen the strength shining in her eyes.

Cinderpaw glanced around the camp; no one seemed to notice the ThunderClan leader leave camp. She knew Bluestar would be annoyed if Cinderpaw immediately sent a warrior to make sure she made it to the Thunderpath okay, but Cinderpaw wouldn't be able to live with herself if Bluestar was too sick to make it to the Thunderpath and ended up hurt. It was an easy decision for Cinderpaw to pad out of the den and follow the she-cat.

If Bluestar were healthy, she would've noticed Cinderpaw the moment she left the den. But with her sickness, her nose was plugged up, her ears were ringing, and she was too busy trying to walk without falling that she didn't have time to sense her surroundings. Cinderpaw was able to follow relatively closely without being spotted. It was a slow walk, with Bluestar occasionally having to sit down for breaks. At one point, a mouse ran right into Bluestar's feet, but she didn't have the energy to catch it.

Once at the Thunderpath, Cinderpaw crawled into a nearby rosebush. She debated climbing a tree but figured she wouldn't be able to climb down in time if something were to happen.

Bluestar stood a healthy distance from the Thunderpath, eyeing it wearily. Even from Cinderpaw's distance, the apprentice could see a shiver run down the leader's spine. She had seen far too many cats die here.

Bluestar's head turned to something blocked from Cinderpaw's view. It must've been a cat, but Cinderpaw couldn't make out the words they were saying. All she could tell was that it was a tom cat. Bluestar spoke calmly at first, her tail wrapped around over her feet and her head raised tall. Suddently, the ThunderClan leader's ears flattened and she shot to her feet, her fur puffing out. Cinderpaw shot up, snapping twigs as she did. Thankfully, she was too far for either cats to hear.

Bluestar backed away from the other cat, backing towards the Thunderpath. When her foot hit the tacky surface, she stopped.

The other cat was still blocked by a tree, but Cinderpaw could see a dark brown tail lash. In one swift movement, the tom darted out from behind the tree and toward Bluestar. He slammed into her, sending her rolling towards the Thunderpath. Just as her body hit the surface, a large monster roared, seemingly coming out of nowhere. In a spray of red, it crushed Bluestar.

"No!" Cinderpaw screamed.

The tom cat's ears perked, and he turned, searching for the origin of the noise. Cinderpaw shrunk down, pressing her belly tightly against the ground. When Cinderpaw saw the tom's face, she wanted to scream again.

Tigerclaw.

Tigerclaw had pushed Bluestar into jaws of the monster and killed her.

Tigerclaw was a murderer.

Cinderpaw could do nothing but stare as Tigerclaw grabbed Bluestar's scruff and dragged her off the Thunderpath. His eyes were void of emotion; he didn't care that he'd just brutally murdered the leader he'd once fought so fiercely for.

Cinderpaw held her breath as Tigerclaw dragged Bluestar's body passed her. She didn't dare move a muscle in case Tigerclaw spotted her and slaughtered her just like he'd done to Bluestar. He was almost past her, just a few more steps.

Tigerclaw stopped.

He dropped Bluestar's body and took a step toward the rose bush, his mouth opening. He took in a deep breath, letting the scents of the forest flow freely into his mouth. Cinderpaw's claws silently unsheathed. She knew she couldn't win against him but she would try if she had to. However, StarClan was on her side, and Tigerclaw couldn't pick up her scent over the strong smell of roses.

Tigerclaw picked up Bluestar's limp body once more and dragged her in the direction of the ThunderClan camp. Only once he was far, far out of sight did Cinderpaw release her breath. She would've passed out from lack of oxygen had Tigerclaw decided to stick around any longer.

For a long moment after, Cinderpaw laid in the bush, just staring at her paws, the images of Tigerclaw pushing their leader onto the Thunderpath playing over and over in her mind. What was she supposed to do now? She certainly couldn't go back to camp and pretend like nothing was wrong. She couldn't confront Tigerclaw about it either or he'd surely kill her and stage it as an accident. And if she couldn't trust her own deputy, who could she trust?

"Aren't you even a bit frightened by Tigerclaw?" The question Fireheart once asked her rang in her head.

Fireheart.

Cinderpaw shot up. She had always noticed her mentor's side glances at the deputy and the hushed whispers he shared with Graystripe when they thought no one was looking. At the time, Cinderpaw had never understood Fireheart's apprehension for Tigerclaw, but the reason was obvious now. Clearly this wasn't the first time Tigerclaw had done something like this out of ambition and Fireheart knew it.

Cinderpaw stepped out of the bush, feeling slightly more hopeful now. If anyone could help her, it'd be Fireheart. The young she-cat raced off towards ThunderClan. She made sure to follow a different path than Tigerclaw as to not run into him on the way back. If he saw she was back at camp before him, he wouldn't be suspicious that she'd seen anything.

Cinderpaw burst into camp, heaving. A few cats glanced over, looking worried. Frostfur started walking toward her daughter, but Cinderpaw didn't have time to talk. She had to find her mentor.

"Fireheart?" Cinderpaw didn't care if she looked crazy in front of her Clanmates. They'd understand soon. "Fireheart!"

A ginger face popped out from Yellowfang's den. Fireheart's green eyes widened when they met Cinderpaw's blue ones. The she-cat ran for her mentor, burying her face in his fur when they met. "Cinderpaw... what happened?"

"Tigerclaw, he..." she choked up. Trying to say it seemed impossible.

Someone shrieked behind them. Cinderpaw turned, feeling her heart drop. Tigerclaw was dragging Bluestar's body into the camp; he had gotten there before Cinderpaw could tell Fireheart.

"Bluestar?" Fireheart darted off towards the leader, forgetting about Cinderpaw. She watched as he leaned over, gently nudging Bluestar's limp body with his nose. He took a step back, staring down at the leader, his jaw slack. "What happened to her?"

"I found her on the Thunderpath," Tigerclaw explained in a low voice. Cinderpaw had to restrain herself from unsheathing her claws as the fake grief in his voice. "I was supposed to meet her by the Great Sycamore but she never showed so I went looking for her."

"The Great Sycamore?" Fireheart repeated. He frowned. "Dustpaw said you had evidence of ShadowClan invading at the Thunderpath."

"You think I would send our leader alone to the Thunderpath where ShadowClan warriors could be waiting to ambush?" Tigerclaw hissed. All eyes were on him, some looking suspicious. There was a murmur in the camp; they didn't know whether to believe Tigerclaw or Fireheart.

Cinderpaw turned to face her older denmate, Dustpaw. "You're the one who told us about the message. Tell them the truth, Dustpaw!"

Dustpaw shrunk back as all eyes turned to him. Maybe it wasn't that all eyes were on him, it was the two large yellow ones staring him down. Tigerclaw slowly unsheathed his claws, making sure Dustpaw noticed. "The message was to be delivered at... the Great Sycamore."

Cinderpaw sat down, unable to comprehend what just happened. The young apprentice had lied, even when it meant Tigerclaw getting away with the death of their leader. "Dustpaw, why?"

Dustpaw stayed silent and refused to look her in the eyes.

Cinderpaw turned to look at her Clanmates. "They're lying! I followed Bluestar to the Thunderpath because I was worried about her health and whether she'd be able to make it or not. I saw Tigerclaw push Bluestar into the paws of the monster. Tigerclaw killed her!"

Gasps arose from the ThunderClan warriors. Fireheart and Graystripe shared a worried look. The ginger tom stepped forward. "She's telling the truth."

Tigerclaw turned, his teeth bared and his ears flattened against his head. "You don't know what you're talking about. How dare you accuse me of being a traitor!"

Fireheart continued, unwaivered by Tigerclaw's aggression. "I've held suspicions for some time of Tigerclaw's loyalty to Bluestar. When I was an apprentice, Ravenpaw witnessed Tigerclaw murder Redtail after a battle skirmish against RiverClan. I believe this is another attempt for him to gain power."

Tigerclaw snorted. "You're basing my loyalty off of the stories of apprentices. I have done nothing but serve this Clan; of course I was ambitious for power but not to the point where I would murder both my deputy and leader." His voice was so calm and assured that even Cinderpaw would've believed him if she hadn't seen the events unfold on the Thunderpath.

Cinderpaw's fur rose at his lies. He thought he could get away with this!

"You're a murderer!" she screeched. Her claws unsheathed. Tigerclaw's eyes darted to her paws, and a small smirk formed on his face. He thought this was funny.

"And who told Bluestar to meet on the Thunderpath?"

Cinderpaw had never had much of a temper, but his words were enough to make her lunge at the tom, a caterwaul erupting from her throat. She would show him! She'd pin him down and force him to tell everyone what he'd done!

Only that didn't happen.

With one swift movement, Tigerclaw wrapped both paws around Cinderpaw's neck and pulled her down, making her land on her shoulder. He then placed both paws on her shoulder and neck, pinning her down. The smirk on his face has widened; he'd wanted this. Tigerclaw had antagonized her to the point of attack so she'd look unloyal in front of her Clanmates.

"As the leader of ThunderClan, I have no tolerance for unloyal cats," Tigerclaw hissed. "Fireheart has always hated me and I see he's taught that to his apprentice!"

Tigerclaw looked up, meeting Fireheart's concerned gaze. His smirk had now formed into a sick grin; everything he wanted was coming into place. He was leader and he finally had a reason to get rid of anyone who doubted his loyalty. In that moment, Cinderpaw knew that ThunderClan was doomed.

"From this moment on, Fireheart and Cinderpaw will no longer be members of ThunderClan."

---

Cinderpaw stared miserably at the dead fish in front of her. After a few moons of living in RiverClan, she still hadn't adjusted to the fatty taste of fish; she craved to sink her teeth into a mouse or sparrow, but RiverClan warriors seldom caught them.

After being banished from ThunderClan, Fireheart and Cinderpaw followed Graystripe to the RiverClan border, where Silverstream was waiting. They explained their situation and she agreed to take them back to RiverClan, where she convinced Crookedstar to let them stay. It took lots of convincing, and only after Fireheart explained Tigerstar's treachery did he agree to let them stay. Fireheart explained that the old RiverCln deputy, Oakheart, was likely killed by Tigerstar. From there, Crookedstar vowed to prevent Tigerstar from killing any more RiverClan warriors.

Shortly after joining RiverClan, Silverstream gave birth to Graystripe's kits, Featherkit and Stormkit. Unfortunately, Silverstream didn't survive kitting, leaving Graystripe to care for the motherless kits. Tigerstar banished Graystripe immediately for tainting ThunderClan's pure bloodlines. Graystripe brought the kits to RiverClan, where they were nursed by Mosspelt.

"They sure are cute," Cinderpaw purred, looking at the two kits chasing after Graystripe's tail. Stormkit bit down on the fluffy tail and Graystripe dramatically fell to the ground, rolled over, and pretended to die.

"They are," Fireheart hummed. His eyes seemed distant, and he didn't even look at the kits when Cinderpaw spoke.

Cinderpaw sighed. "Are you still thinking about Tigerstar?"

Fireheart broke out of his glazed stare and looked sheepishly at his apprentice. He ducked his head. "It's all I can think about. I just... I can't believe he got away with it."

"It's not over yet," Cinderpaw assured, affectionately licking his cheek. "StarClan won't let him go unpunished."

Now it was Fireheart's turn to sigh. "I just don't know what we can do. Being leader just won't be enough for him and I fear he's going to do something drastic."

"You don't know that," she pointed out. She hated seeing Fireheart like this; it broke her heart the way he beat himself up over something so inevitable. It's not like he could stop Tigerstar from killing Bluestar. The only cat who could've prevented it was Cinderpaw.

Cinderpaw's feet were soaked in Bluestar's blood, and she was the only one who could see it.

If Cinderpaw hadn't disobeyed Fireheart and told Bluestar to meet Tigerstar at the Thunderpath, she would still be alive. For StarClan's sake, Cinderpaw should have just gone to the Thunderpath herself! Even if Tigerstar had killed her, it would've been better than the alternative.

Whenever Cinderpaw tried to express her guilt to Fireheart, he just assured her that no one could have stopped him, and even if his Thunderpath plan didn't work, he would've found another way to become leader.

"Cinderpaw, Fireheart." They looked up to see Crookedstar confidently striding towards them. "I want you to go to the Gathering tonight."

Cinderpaw's ears perked; since coming to RiverClan, they've mostly been stuck in camp and when they did go out, it was never near the ThunderClan border. She had a suspicion that Crookedstar was trying to keep peace with ThunderClan, especially with a battle-hungry cat in power. "Really?"

Crookedstar nodded. "I don't want there to be any problems at the Gathering, but I'm not going to keep you locked in camp forever."

"Thank you, Crookedstar." Fireheart and Cinderpaw dipped their heads. Crookedstar's ears twitched in acknowledgement, and he walked away. Instantly, Fireheart turned on Cinderpaw. "Do you know what this means?"

Cinderpaw's head fell to the side. "I'm not sure I do."

"We can see what it's like in ThunderClan! If enough cats agree that Tigerstar isn't the tom he says he is, we can... we can do something." Fireheart's enthusiasm broke Cinderpaw's heart. He was so driven to take down Tigerstar that he didn't really think of what that entailed. Tigerstar wouldn't just allow himself to be banished and even if they wanted to take more drastic measures... they'd have to kill him nine times. Cinderpaw knew she wasn't capable of that, and she didn't think Fireheart was either.

"We can try." Cinderpaw was trying to be encouraging but her hopeful-eager-enthusiastic self had died when they were banished from ThunderClan.

For the hours leading up to the Gathering, Fireheart would sporadically bring up which cats he wanted to talk to about Tigerstar, and which cats to avoid. He drilled it into Cinderpaw's head to stay away from Darkstripe, Longtail, and Dustpaw. By the fifth time, when they were on their way to the Gathering, she finally snapped. "Fireheart. I don't have bees for brains. I'm obviously not going to talk to Tigerstar's best friends, let alone the tom that lied and led to us being banished."

Fireheart's ears drooped slightly. "I know... I just don't want to mess this up. ThunderClan needs us."

Cinderpaw pressed her cheek against his, purring softly. "It'll be fine. Everything will go the way StarClan intends."

Fireheart let out a long sigh. "You're probably right. I just never thought StarClan's plan would end us up here."

"There's a reason we were banished, Fireheart," Cinderpaw soothed. She gently touched her tail to his. "We were banished together, and we will take down Tigerstar together. Maybe leaving ThunderClan was what we needed to be able to do that."

"Maybe," Fireheart hummed. He pulled his eyes from Cinderpaw's and looked ahead. They were coming up on Fourtrees.

If Cinderpaw wasn't nervous before, she sure was now. It wasn't likely that Tigerstar would appreciate seeing them there, and his loyal followers would have something to say about it, if he didn't chase them out of the Gathering himself. Cinderpaw stole a quick glance at Fireheart and knew he was thinking the same thing. He was hopeful, sure, but after two moons of banishment, she knew it was getting harder and harder for him to see a positive end from this mess.

RiverClan reached the Gathering, and cats turned to watch them. At first, it was just glances to acknowledge their presence, or look for their RiverClan friends, but when cats started noticing Fireheart and Cinderpaw, the chatter intensifies. There had been rumour of Fireheart and Cinderpaw's banishment from ThunderClan, but this confirmed it. Cinderpaw ducked her head; she hated this kind of attention.

The worst was the looks coming from ThunderClan. Most cats looked awkward, as if they wished Fireheart and Cinderpaw hadn't shown up, some looked hateful as they still saw them as traitors, and only a few looked excited to see the former ThunderClan cats. Cinderpaw's eyes landed on a familiar golden tom with wide eyes and a gaping jaw. She had to hold herself back from rushing towards Brackenpaw; out of all the cats she saw, he was the only one her heart ached to reunite with.

"Why would you bring them here?" Tigerstar hissed as Crookedstar climbed up the tall rocks. His tail lashed behind him, but Cinderpaw could tell he was holding back his true rage.

"They're RiverClan warriors now," Crookedstar mewed evenly. He had never viewed Cinderpaw, Fireheart, or Graystripe as true RiverClan warriors, but he wouldn't allow himself to be bullied by Tigerstar.

"They're traitors." Tigerstar's eyes darkened as they landed on Fireheart. The ginger tom stared back at the leader, as if challenging him to attack, to show his true colours. Cinderpaw pressed her pelt into his. This was not the time to avenge Bluestar. Tigerstar inhaled slowly, pulling his gaze from Fireheart. "You underestimate the kittypet. You'll grow to trust him, as Bluestar did, and only as you take your final breath will you see what he really is."

Loudbelly stepped away from Fireheart, looking uncertain. A ball of fire sparked in Cinderpaw's belly. She knew how manipulative Tigerstar was and she shouldn't be surprised that he was trying to cast doubt in RiverClan.

The tension seemed to settle when the leaders began their announcements. Even though Cinderpaw had heard it all before, she listened intently to every word, lapping it up like their words were honey. Cinderpaw missed the normalcy of Gatherings. She missed the leaders bragging about new warriors and how plentiful their prey was. She missed everything. She just wished she could be standing next to her brother, rather than all cats standing a foxtail away from her and Fireheart in fear that they'd kill them in a heartbeat.

The apprentice turned to the ginger tom next to her. Despite everything, he was standing so proudly, ignoring all the side stares from the other cats. If there was anyone she was to be banished with it, she was thankful it was him. Cinderpaw's tail swept to his, gently touching it. Fireheart glanced down, an encouraging smile crossing his face. Without words, she knew he was telling her that everything would be alright.

Cinderpaw turned back to Crookedstar, who was announcing the birth of Silverstream's kit. A sad murmer spread through the crowd when they heard of Silverstream's death. Crookedstar paused, taking a moment to collect himself before going on. He had always been so close with Silverstream; her death took a piece of him with her. Cinderpaw thanked StarClan that Graystripe wasn't there to hear this. He wouldn't have been able to stand it.

Cinderpaw was so wrapped up in the leader's words that she didn't notice two amber eyes staring at her from ThunderClan. Only once the Gathering was wrapping up did she sense someone staring at her. She turned, her eyes landing on the culprit.

Dustpaw.

Cinderpaw's eyes narrowed, her nostrils flaring. She wanted to stomp over there and scream at him for everything he put her through. Liar, traitor, coward. How dare he even look at her after all he did!

Fireheart touched Cinderpaw's shoulder with his tail. He leaned down to her ear. "He's not worth it," he mewed calmly.

Cinderpaw nodded, ripping her eyes from Dustpaw. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of thinking he won.

"I'm going to speak to Brackenpaw," Cinderpaw decided. Fireheart looked doubtful; he didn't want to stir up any more trouble than they already had. "If Graystripe was still in ThunderClan, you would have been stuck to his side the entire Gathering," she pointed out.

"Fine, just don't talk to-"

Cinderpaw cut him off. "Tigerstar's friends. Honestly, Fireheart, it's like you have no faith in me." Her tone was light and joking, and Fireheart quickly relaxed.

"Give Brackenpaw my greetings," Fireheart purred.

Cinderpaw purred, turning away from her mentor and padding towards her brother. Brackenpaw was talking with Whitestorm when he saw his sister coming. His face lit up, glancing quickly at Whitestorm. The older warrior dipped his head, watching with a warm smile as Brackenpaw ran up to his sister.

Cinderpaw tapped her nose against her brother's before nuzzling him affectionately. "Great StarClan, I missed you."

"ThunderClan isn't the same without you," Brackenpaw purred. "I wish you could come back."

Cinderpaw's eyes filled with sadness as she pulled away. She wished she could walk home with her brother, chatting about the Gathering like nothing had changed. "We both know I can't."

"I know," Brackenpaw sighed. "I don't think you'd want to."

Cinderpaw's ears twitched. "What, why?"

"It's been different since you left." Brackenpaw was choosing his words carefully. "Tigerstar's changed things since Bluestar's death. He and Darkstripe have a vision, and it's not always been easy."

"Like what?" Cinderpaw urged. Judging from Brackenpaw's uneasy glance back at Whitestorm, even talking with her was putting himself at risk. A group of ThunderClan cats moved towards them, surrounding them, but no one spoke or looked at Cinderpaw. It was like they were blocking her in. Were they about to ambush her?

"Cinderpaw."

Cinderpaw's eyes landed on the new voice. Dustpaw.

"I have nothing to say to you," she hissed, her voice growing louder with each word.

"Shh," Dustpaw hushed, stealing a glance at Tigerstar to see if he heard. "I need to speak with you, but you can't draw attention to yourself."

There was a desperation in Dustpaw's eyes that made Cinderpaw doubt her hatred for him. When he looked at Tigerstar, he looked scared. Whatever he needed to say, it clearly wasn't something he wanted Tigerstar to hear. She looked to Brackenpaw, who dipped his head, signalling that he could trust Dustpaw.

"Make it quick," Cinderpaw ordered.

"Not here," Dustpaw whispered. "Over there." He nodded his head to the bushes where they could be hidden from prying eyes. Cinderpaw felt alarms sounding in her head; this was all just a ploy to get her alone where they could ambush her. What else could they do to her that they haven't already done? If having her banished wasn't enough, now they wanted to kill her.

"You can trust him," Brackenpaw whispered, as if reading her thoughts. Cinderpaw nodded hesitantly, following Dustpaw to the bushes.

The group of ThunderClan warriors moved with them as a group, their movements natural as to not draw any attention to Cinderpaw and Dustpaw. It was suddenly clear why the warriors had blocked her and Dustpaw in; they were hiding her from Tigerstar. They had already planned this conversation before she even knew she'd be going to the Gathering. For whatever reason, they had desperately needed to talk to her and Tigerstar couldn't know.

"What's going on?" Cinderpaw demanded once they were safely behind the bushes. In dark cover, she was met with four pairs of eyes: Dustpaw, Whitestorm, Longtail, and Brackenpaw.

The four toms shared a look. "We know now that you were telling the truth about Tigerstar. Ever since he became leader, he's run a tyranny," Longtail explained. Cinderpaw was hesitant to believe him; he was always one of Tigerstar's closest allies and she wouldn't put it past him to trick her.

"How so?" Cinderpaw asked. She would take their story lightly. Cinderpaw was not going to allow herself to be tricked after Fireheart's warnings.

Whitestorm explained what had happened in the two moons since she'd been gone. At first, Tigerstar's changes were small. He increased border patrols, and doubled battle training for the apprentices. It was only once cats became comfortable with his leadership that the changes grew more extreme. First Graystripe was banished for tainting ThunderClan's pure bloodlines. Then Cloudkit was 'convinced' to go back to his housefolk. It was only when Tigerstar had a ruthless showdown with Yellowfang that everyone saw him for the tyrant that he was. He and Yellowfang had fought in the centre of camp, badly wounding her in an attempt to drive her out. He almost killed her before Longtail stepped in and convinced him that they needed a medicine cat in ThunderClan.

Tigerstar was paranoid, only discussing his plans with Darkstripe, Dustpaw, and his new deputy, Longtail. He viewed the Clans as impure; that they needed saving. His plan to do that was to converge the Clans into one solid group: TigerClan. They would drive out everyone who wasn't pure blood, and if anyone resisted, they would be killed.

Once the story was over, Cinderpaw blinked, unable to comprehend what she'd just heard. She knew Tigerstar was evil, but she didn't know his leadership would be this extreme. But there was still a sliver of doubt in her mind that Longtail and Dustpaw could be trusted.

She glanced between the two toms. "Isn't this what you two wanted all along?" she hissed. Longtail's ears flattened against his head and he bared his teeth.

"How can you think I'd want this?" Longtail snarled. "At most I thought we should stop taking in kittypets, not this."

"And you?" Cinderpaw's gaze directed to the tom who had her banished. "You were so loyal to Tigerstar that you had us banished, Dustpaw. How can I even trust you after that?"

"It's Dustclaw now," the brown tom corrected. "And I thought I made a mistake. I didn't want to be blamed for Bluestar's death. I didn't realize I was covering up a murder."

He thought his excuse made up for his lie? If anything it made him a liar and a coward.

Before Cinderpaw could begin her scolding, Brackenpaw stepped in. "Look, I know you're upset, but we can trust them. They have a plan."

"No," Cinderpaw hissed. "No, I can't trust them after what they did. If you want my help, you're going to have to be a lot more convincing than that."

"He killed Redtail," Dustclaw whispered, looking up. It was the first time that Cinderpaw had ever seen the snarky tom look vulnerable. "He was my mentor. I didn't want to believe it at first. But after I saw what Tigerstar was capable of, I couldn't keep lying to myself. When Bluestar died, you forced me to choose between the tom I hated, and Tigerstar, who I thought I could trust with my life. I chose wrong."

There was a long silence as Cinderpaw let his words sink in. Dustclaw had lost more than most cats at his age; Ravenpaw, Redtail, and both his parents. Tigerstar had seen that loss early on and took advantage of it, trying to mold the young tom into his perfect warrior. It must have taken a lot of strength to realize what Tigerstar was doing, and to go against him.

"Fine," Cinderpaw mewed, sitting back. "So what's the plan?"

"That's where you and Fireheart come in," Whitestorm explained. "Tigerstar is planning on attacking WindClan in a quarter moon to drive them out. He has an alliance with ShadowClan, and against two Clans, they don't stand a chance. We need you to tell Crookedstar of Tigerstar's plan so we can ambush him during the attack. Then, ThunderClan will turn on Tigerstar and we can drive him out."

"You think exiling him will stop him?" Cinderpaw asked. "He has nine lives now. He's going to use each of those lives to destroy the Clans."

Longtail shared a long look with Dustclaw. "StarClan refused to give Tigerstar his lives when he became leader because he murdered Bluestar. He acts like he has nine lives, but in truth, he's just as vulnerable as the rest of us. I think that if we use this information to our advantage during the battle, he won't risk his only life on revenge."

Cinderpaw nodded slowly. She briefly considered killing Tigerstar to end the tyranny, but quickly brushed the idea away. If she did that, she'd be no better than him.

"So all of ThunderClan knows about the plan?" Cinderpaw asked, and everyone nodded.

"Except for Darkstripe. We've tried to test his loyalty before, but each time he proves that his one loyalty is to Tigerstar," Longtail mewed. "He's thriving under Tigerstar's rule. No one can challenge him without being punished. Tigerstar has a close circle and no one dares threaten us."

"Why isn't Darkstripe deputy if he's so loyal then?" Longtail's eyes dropped at the question.

"He made us fight for it. Darkstripe didn't stand a chance." His explanation made Cinderpaw tense. If Tigerstar made his own friends fight, then he was truly committed to building a Clan where only the strongest would survive.

"I'll tell Fireheart tonight," Cinderpaw finally agreed. "But we need to meet to discuss the details. I have a feeling he won't trust either of you at first, but I'll do my best."

"Thank you," Brackenpaw breathed. He gently tapped his tail to Cinderpaw's shoulder.

"We can meet tomorrow night at Sunningrocks," Whitestorm mewed. "Tigerstar sends out a patrol at midnight, so we can meet then."

"I'll bring cats on the patrol who Fireheart can trust," Longtail added. Cinderpaw nodded, her doubt all but vanished. If Longtail of all cats was going out of his way to make Fireheart feel comfortable, he must have a good side to him.

Brackenpaw peaked out at the Gathering. ThunderClan was still mingling amongst each other, but ShadowClan and WindClan had already left. "We should go. Tigerstar will know something is up if we don't leave soon."

"Agreed," Whitestorm mewed. "ThunderClan will cover us."

The cats slid out from the bushes, into the crowd of ThunderClan. They swiftly split up to not make it obvious that they were together. Only Brackenpaw and Cinderpaw remained together. Cinderpaw turned to her brother, feeling an ache that she'd have to leave soon. A sudden thought crossed her mind. "So I suppose you're a warrior now, too?"

Brackenpaw nodded awakrdly, knowing that Cinderpaw would have been warrior too had she not been exiled. "It's Brackenfang now."

"Brackenfang," Cinderpaw repeated. "It suits you. I'm happy for you, truly."

"I just wish you could have been next to me," Brackenfang sighed. He glanced at RiverClan, who were preparing to leave. "I guess this is it."

"I'll miss you," Cinderpaw mewed, hanging her head.

"It won't be for long this time. We'll get you back to ThunderClan, I promise." Even thought Cinderpaw doubted his words, his expression assured her. The plan would work.

"Goodbye." Cinderpaw tapped her nose against Brackenfang's one last time before pulling away to go back to RiverClan. Not a heartbeat after she pulled away was she roughly shoved back, away from Brackenfang. Cinderpaw stumbled, catching herself before she fell. She turned to her assailent.

Dustclaw.

But... why? He had just gone on a long spiel of how much he regretted his choices and now he was attacking her at a Gathering?

"You've talked to your brother long enough," Dustclaw hissed, his voice rising with every word. The ThunderClan cats stepped back, giving the pair room. Dustclaw's yelling had even caught the attention of RiverClan and the leaders. "You're traitors to this Clan! You're lucky I don't drive you out of the forest right now!"

Dustclaw was shouting now, making Cinderpaw take a step back. The fur along her back rose. Who did he think he was? Her claws unsheathed and she stepped forward, her lips curling up to bare her teeth.

"Dustclaw, I-"

Cinderpaw met his eyes. While his voice was thick with venom, his eyes held fear. They darted to the side quickly before meeting hers again. Cinderpaw looked over to what he had glanced at, to see Crookedstar and Tigerstar staring down at them. Crookedstar looked angered that Cinderpaw would stir up trouble during the Gathering, while Tigerstar looked pleased. Pleased that his protégé was blatantly attacking Cinderpaw.

And then it all clicked.

Dustclaw wasn't attacking Cinderpaw, he was helping her. He had given her just enough time to say goodbye to her brother before shoving her away so Tigerstar wouldn't expect anything. He was shouting just loud enough to make Tigerstar think he was in control.

Cinderpaw stepped back, her fur flattening. "I have nothing to say to you, Dustclaw. I have nothing to say to any of you." Cinderpaw's words were just loud enough to reach Tigerstar's ears. "As far as I'm concerned, ThunderClan is dead to me."

Cinderpaw sniffed and turned, padding calmly away from the group. Her heart ached to turn around and look at Brackenfang one last time, to make sure he knew she was lying. But she held her gaze forward; she couldn't let herself ruin the plan. Tigerstar had to believe she was never coming back to ThunderClan.

Cinderpaw walked next to Fireheart before finally turning and glaring back at ThunderClan. She must have sold the performance, because even some of her old Clanmates looked hurt by her words. "Let's go," Cinderpaw mewed. The RiverClan cats all turned and started away, with Crookedstar at the back.

Crookedstar picked up his pace to walk in line with Cinderpaw and Fireheart. He looked furious to say the least. "RiverClan, go on without us, we'll catch up."

Leopardfur nodded, leading the Clan back to their camp, leaving the three to discuss. Loudbelly made a 'oooh' sound as he glanced between Cinderpaw and Crookedstar. At least her little outburst brought amusement to someone.

"I bring you to one Gathering, and all I expected was for you to behave. But your little outburst there could have put RiverClan in jeopardy; I am not looking to create tension with Tigerstar," Crookedstar mewed, his nostrils flaring. If one were to describe Crookedstar as angry, it'd be an understatement.

"I can't explain here," Cinderpaw whispered, glancing around to ensure no ThunderClan warriors were nearby. "But it was all an act. We have a plan."

"A plan," Crookedstar repeated. "A plan for what exactly?"

"Not here," Cinderpaw urged. "Back at camp."

Crookedstar looked annoyed that he was taking orders from a ThunderClan apprentice, but there was a hint of interest in his eyes that made him agree. He suspected that on the walk home, she would come up with some ridiculous lie about how she needed to start a fight with Dustclaw to try to get out of punishment. Of course, Crookedstar fully planned to ban her from Gatherings for at least a few moons.

What Crookedstar did not expect was to hear the horrors of what was happening in ThunderClan, and soon to be the entire forest. He couldn't have prepared himself for the cold fear rushing down his spine, and taking hold of his body. For the first time since Silverstream's death, he was thankful. Thankful that she didn't live to experience the gruesome battle that he knew was to come.

When he agreed to Cinderpaw's plan, he knew of the bloodshed that was to be spilled from all sides. A battle was coming, and he needed to be ready.

---

The walk to Sunningrocks was tense. Leopardfur and Crookedstar were having a hushed conversation as Cinderpaw and Fireheart walked in silence behind them. She could tell the ginger warrior was upset with her for talking to Dustclaw, despite his multiple warnings not to, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he left a thick, sticky tension between them that made Cinderpaw's skin crawl.

She hated this feeling.

"Are you nervous?" Cinderpaw asked, trying to diffuse the situation. Maybe if she got him to open up a little, he'd forget about how Cinderpaw went against his orders again.

"Not really," Fireheart mewed. He left no room for any more conversation. The tension grew more hot and humid, suffocating Cinderpaw. She stole a quick glance at Fireheart, to see he was walking with his head up, seemingly unbothered. How could he not feel how uncomfortable Cinderpaw was?

They walked a few more fox-lengths before Cinderpaw finally couldn't take it anymore. She had to say something. Even if it would make it worse, she couldn't just let Fireheart stay upset with her.

She stopped abruptly. "Fireheart, can't you at least look at me?"

Fireheart stopped too, finally looking back at her. He quickly dropped his gaze with a sigh. "I just don't understand why you don't listen to me. I told you not to talk to Dustclaw, and the first thing you do is talk to him. I'm trying to protect you."

Cinderpaw's stomach flipped with guilt. "I know. I just... I had to. I know it was dangerous but if putting myself in danger would help us get back to normal, then I'd do it a hundred times over. I miss home, Fireheart. And I know you do too."

"I do," Fireheart sighed. He met her gaze again; the disappointment had left and was replaced with a fierce passion. "But I would rather be banished from ThunderClan for the rest of my life than have something happen to you."

Butterflies exploded in Cinderpaw's stomach, and a small smile crossed her lips but she did her best to stifle it. This was no time to be act like a kit in love. "Nothing is going to happen to me, Fireheart."

"I don't know what I'd do if it did," he breathed, a smile settling on his face. "We both know you're hardly an apprentice anymore, despite your name, but I still feel the need to protect you."

Oh.

The butterflies disappeard. Of course Fireheart was saying these things because he was her mentor, and not for any other reason. Cinderpaw should have known. As soon as they got back to ThunderClan and Cinderpaw became a warrior, he'd probably forget all about her.

Thankfully, before Cinderpaw had to respond, Leopardfur turned around and with a stern voice said, "Hurry up. We don't have all night to wait for you two."

"Coming!" Cinderpaw called and started moving again. Her and Fireheart trotted together until they reached the RiverClan leader and his deputy. They were almost at Sunningrocks and she could tell that they were all cautious of what was to come. Fireheart, Leopardfur, and Crookedstar were all strong fighters, but if Tigerstar and an army were waiting to ambush them at the rocks, they didn't stand a chance.

The group paused at the river, scanning the other side to see if any of Tigerstar's loyal warriors were waiting. Instead, they saw Whitestorm, Dustclaw, Longtail, and Sandpaw. Cinderpaw's heart fell when she saw that Brackenfang was missing, but she reminded herself that she would see her brother soon enough.

"Cinderpaw, wait here," Leopardfur ordered. When she saw the confused look on the apprentice's face, she went on. "When we're sure it's safe, we'll call you over. If there's an ambush, we need you to be ready to run back to RiverClan for help."

Cinderpaw nodded her head slowly. If Tigerstar's reign was truly as terrible as Dustclaw said, then she wouldn't put it past the ThunderClan leader to ambush them - maybe even kill them. They needed to be ready for anything at the other side of that river.

Cinderpaw watched as the three warriors crossed the river, hopping delicately from one stone to the next. Cinderpaw's heart lurched when she saw Fireheart's paw slip from one of the stones, splashing into the river. She stood, ready to dive into the water after him. Thankfully, he regained his balance, shook the water off his paw, and hopped safely onto dry land.

The group disappeared from Cinderpaw's view, and she craned her neck to get a better look. After a moment, Fireheart stepped out from behind the rocks and nodded at her. It was safe for her to come.

Cinderpaw made her way across the river and joined the ThunderClan and RiverClan warriors. They were waiting between a cluster of large rocks that hid them from anyone who might see. It was only then that it hit Cinderpaw how dangerous even meeting here was. If the wrong cat saw them, it was over. Tigerstar would no doubt launch an attack on RiverClan and end their little rebellion before it even had a foothold.

Crookedstar glanced at her to acknowledge that she had rejoined them before turning back to Longtail. "Cinderpaw explained your plan to overthrow Tigerstar and regain control of ThunderClan. I've thought it over and I still come back to the same question. How can we trust you? How can we be sure that when we go into battle, you won't just turn around and attack us?"

There was a pause before the ThunderClan deputy finally responded. "You're right. ThunderClan will attack RiverClan, unless we stop Tigerstar first. If you choose not to help us, you're not avoiding a battle; you're bringing one straight to your camp. Tigerstar plans to create one Clan, and he has no plan in sharing his leadership with you. You may not trust us, but you can trust the facts. ThunderClan will attack WindClan, and once they're gone, RiverClan will be next."

"But why drive out WindClan?" Fireheart asked. "Wouldn't it make more sense to keep them to be a part of TigerClan?"

Whitestorm sighed. "WindClan was driven out once before, and ever since then, Tigerstar has viewed them as weak. He wants only the strongest cats to be in TigerClan... and that doesn't include WindClan."

Fireheart nodded, seeming to accept the explanation. From his history with Tigerstar, it seemed accurate.

"So the plan then. What is it?" Crookedstar asked.

Longtail was the one to explain. "We've met with Tallstar already to warn him of the attack. There are rolling hills near the camp that will hide RiverClan from the attack. When ThunderClan and ShadowClan move in, I'll make the call and RiverClan will ambush. The ThunderClan warriors will turn on Tigerstar and drive him, and ShadowClan, out. Hopefully, they'll quickly realize that they're outnumbered and there won't be much of a battle."

"So that's it then? He just... leaves?" Leopardfur asked, doubt dripping from her voice.

Longtail sighed. "That's what we hope. Tigerstar has been erratic lately, and there's no way of knowing how he'll react to us turning on him. If he ever tries to come back to the Clans, then we'll have to end it once and for all."

Cinderpaw flinched, surprised that Longtail had been bold enough to suggest it. They had all been thinking it of course, but no one wanted to admit that the only true way to end Tigerstar's tyranny was to end his life. In that moment, she was thankful to be surrounded by Fireheart, Longtail, and Dustclaw - all cats who would be more willing than her to draw Tigerstar's blood.

A silence filled the group as they all procesed Longtail's words. It was against the warrior code to kill a cat in battle, but was Tigerstar the exception? The code stated that it was okay if it was necessary, or if the cat was outside the warrior code, and both seemed to apply to Tigerstar. But still... the thought of killing another cat made Cinderpaw's pelt crawl, like fleas were gnawing at her skin. Tigerstar had probably justified Bluestar's murder as 'necessary' as well.

"You really hate him, don't you?" Crookedstar asked, looking deep into Longtail's eyes. The deputy flinched at the question.

"As much as he's done, I cannot hate him," Longtail admitted. "At one point, I considered him my best friend. Someone who I admired. But ever since he became leader, it's like he has become a completely different cat. I do not want to kill him. I just want to save ThunderClan."

Cinderpaw felt sorrow for the tom. He had always been difficult to get along with, and had few friends. She could not imagine how hard it must be for him to not only turn against his leader, but also his friend. ThunderClan must be truly suffering if Longtail was able to admit that.

"He hasn't changed since becoming leader," Fireheart mewed confidently. "He's always been like this, but was never able to show who he really was. He was hungry for power, and he won't stop until he controls the forest."

"That may be true, but you only ever saw that one side of him," Longtail replied. His eyes clouded over, and he looked deep in thought, as if remembering what his friendship with Tigerstar was like before Bluestar's death. It must have been painful to remember, because he shook his head and looked back up at Fireheart. "Like I said, despite our old frienship, my only concern now is stopping him."

"Then it's settled. RiverClan will assist ThunderClan in the battle." Cinderpaw let out a sigh of relief at Crookedstar's words. "However, if you even have the slightest thought of turning on us in battle, it needs to be said that RiverClan are not to be underestimated. We will hold this against ThunderClan forever. We will show no mercy. Remember that."

Longtail dipped his head, acknowledging the RiverClan warriors words. Before he could respond, the leader had turned and started walking away. He was leaving the meeting with the daunting words in the air. Despite Crookedstar's threat, Cinderpaw couldn't help but doubt that RiverClan would survive the battle if Tigerstar's army was truly as great as Longtail said. If they were willing to drive out all of WindClan, would they even hesitate against slaughtering RiverClan.

Cinderpaw's head spun as she stared at her paws. She could imagine them caked in the blood of Bluestar, drying into dark clumps in the moons since her death. But if ThunderClan was lying to them, they fresh blood would soak her paws: the blood of RiverClan warriors who died trying to drive out Tigerstar. And once again, it would all be her fault for convincing Crookedstar to agree to their plan.

The meeting disbanded and Cinderpaw turned to follow the RiverClan leader to the otherside of the river. Before she could, Sandpaw stepped in her path, blocking her and Fireheart from leaving. Cinderpaw tensed, immediately questioning whether the pretty she-cat had been a spy for Tigerstar. Before she could say anything, Sandpaw mewed, "I just felt like I should tell you how sorry I am that you two were banished. If I'd have known the truth, I would have fought harder for you to stay."

Fireheart dipped his head, "Thank you, Sandpaw."

A small smile played on her lips. "It's Sandstrike now."

Cinderpaw felt a twinge of jealousy in her gut. She shouldn't be surprised that Sandstrike got her warrior name, but it felt like everyone was becoming warriors except for her. She knew it should be the least of her worries, but the constant reminder was starting to wear her down. Sandstrike seemed to sense Cinderpaw's change in mood, because she nudged the apprentice gently. "Once we're back in ThunderClan and Tigerstar is gone, I'm sure the first think Longtail will do is give you your warrior name."

Cinderpaw smiled up at the she-cat, letting the jealousy wither away. She didn't let herself linger on the possible 'what if' scenarios of whether she'd even make it back to ThunderClan, or if Tigerstar's tryanny would ever end. For the first time in moons, she allowed herself to be hopeful. Hopeful that one day soon, she would finally be able to come home.

Cinderpaw glanced over to Fireheart, pride and love causing her heart to swell in her chest. With Fireheart on her side, she knew that her hopes would be fulfilled.

Tigerstar's reign would come to an end.

---

The day of the battle, Cinderpaw was sitting, pelt pressed against Fireheart's, as they hid behind the rolling hills near WindClan camp. The rest of the RiverClan warriors sat crouched beside them, squeezing into the small vantage point that kept them hidden from Tigerstar's army, while still allowing them to see and hear everything in the WindClan camp. She was surprised by how well the voices of warriors carried up to the hills; so much so that she could hear entire conversations between cats if they spoke loud enough.

They had been waiting in the hills for some time now. Cinderpaw was starting to feel a slight sense of dread in her stomach. What if Longtail and Dustclaw had lied to them and their real plan was to attack RiverClan? She would not put it past Tigerstar, but his warriors seemed so genuine when explaining their plan to overthrow him. She couldn't just accept that they lied.

Cinderpaw was about to express her fear to Fireheart, when a movement at the edge of the forest caught her eye. A dark cat emerged from the forest, staring for a long time at the WindClan territory behind him. He turned back to the trees and nodded. Cats started stepping out from the shadows, one by one. All at once, they began racing towards the grasslands. Great StarClan, there's so many cats!

Cinderpaw watched from the hills as the cats rolled into WindClan territory like a great wave. At the front of the wave was the unmistaking dark pelt of Tigerstar. Even from the distance, she could see how powerful he was with each step. The nervous fluttering in her belly turned to thorns. This was it. There were only two options that would come after the battle: either Fireheart, Cinderpaw, and the rest of the Clans would win, or they would lose.

But losing wasn't an option.

Losing wasn't just running away to RiverClan for safety. Tigerstar would slaughter everyone who turned against him. He'd probably start with the cat who he hated most; Fireheart. Just the thought of losing him made Cinderpaw want to vomit. She couldn't let that happen. They would not lose this battle.

"It's almost time," Fireheart whispered from beside her, his pelt pressed up against hers, despite all the free space around them. Cinderpaw didn't move though; if this was truly her last moment with the handsome ginger tom, she wanted to be as close to him as possible. She wished it was more than just as an apprentice, and she cursed herself for not telling him how she felt. She didn't want to die alone, never telling Fireheart how she felt.

Maybe now was the only time.

"Fireheart," Cinderpaw started, her mouth dry. "If this plan fails, I have to tell you something..."

Fireheart turned to her, his green eyes wide. He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a RiverClan cat behind them.

"Shh," the tom hissed. "Tigerstar just reached WindClan. We need to be ready."

Fireheart's ears twitched and he nodded. "Whatever it is, you can tell me after."

Cinderpaw nodded, trying not to think about what would happen if Tigerstar won. She turned back to the WindClan camp, where Tigerstar was standing in front of Tallstar and a bristling group of WindClan warriors.

"Tigerstar," Tallstar mewed evenly. "What brings you to WindClan?"

Cinderpaw was shocked that Tallstar didn't immediately attack the army of ThunderClan and ShadowClan warriors. He knew exactly what Tigerstar was doing, so why waste time with small talk? A subtle shift in Tigerstar's army answered her own question; ThunderClan warriors were slowly moving to the outskirts of the army. They were trying to surround the ShadowClan warriors so when Longtail made the call, it would be a swift and ruthless attack. They'd push the ShadowClan warriors out of WindClan before they could even unsheathe their claws.

"I've come to show you what true strength looks like," Tigerstar called, his head held high. "A Clan so easily forced out of the forest is not strong enough to endure the future of the Clans. The forest should be protected by the strongest of warriors; WindClan has no business being here."

A chorus of hisses sounded from the WindClan warriors, and a few stalked forward to start the battle. Before they could reach the army, a twitch of Tallstar's tail stopped them.

"If you've come for a battle, you will not be disappointed," Tallstar replied calmly. "However, if you think you'll drive WindClan out of the forest, you have been gravely mistaken. Unlike you, my warriors fight with StarClan on their side. You will see what true strength and loyalty is."

"Loyalty?" Tigerstar's deep laugh carried across the grasslands. It sent a shiver down Cinderpaw's spine. "You don't even know what that word means. My warriors fight with honour and loyalty in every swipe. They bleed it. And when they die, they'll do it knowing who their leader is. When your warriors perish in this battle, their last thought will be questioning their allegiance to you."

Tigerstar turned to his army; the one that he was so sure would lead him to victory. The one that would fight to the death for him. "You want to see loyalty? Longtail, show these cowards what loyalty is."

Longtail stepped forward, standing tall. Cinderpaw held her breath.

"Tigerstar's right," Longtail declared. "ThunderClan is nothing, if not loyal. We fight for our Clan, our forest, and most of all our leader. Tonight, ThunderClan will show the world what true allegiance is. We will show you what it means to fight for our leader, even after death."

Tigerstar's lips curled into a cruel grin. He thought the words were meant for him. Oh, how wrong he was.

"ThunderClan!" Longtail called. "Let's show Tigerstar how we fight with loyalty and honour. We will fight for our future; our kits, our elders, and most of all, our rightful leader. ThunderClan, tonight we fight for Bluestar!"

ThunderClan erupted, turning and lunging on ShadowClan. The ShadowClan warriors let out calls of alarm as they tried to fend off their attackers. It was only then that they realized that they were cornered, and being herded out of WindClan. The WindClan warriors rushed forward, their claws unsheathed and their mouths curled into hisses.

"You traitor!" Tigerstar snarled, turning on Longtail. "I trusted you with my Clan, and this is how you repay me?"

"It was never your Clan," Longtail responded coolly, unfazed by Tigerstar looming over him.

"You think you can win with these cowards? Even with those WindClan cowards fighting alongside you, you'll never be able to take me down. And when I win, I'll kill you myself. You'll die alone."

Longtail stood firm. "No. We're not alone, Tigerstar. You are."

Longtail's gaze shifted to the hills where RiverClan was hiding. Cinderpaw turned to Fireheart expectantly. He had stood, revealing his place on the hill. Tigerstar turned, seeing the lone silhouette of Fireheart. There was a long moment as the two rivals stared at each other, waiting for the other to make a move. Finally, Fireheart called out, "For Bluestar!"

With a roar, RiverClan erupted from the hills like a tidal wave crashing on the rocks. They streamed down the grassy plains, exploding into the WindClan camp with the strength of all of StarClan on their side. Cinderpaw joined the army, rushing towards the ShadowClan warriors. Before meeting the battle, she glanced over to see Fireheart running alongside her. He shared a knowing look with her. No matter what would come of this battle, they would fight it together.

Tigerstar turned back to his deputy, a new rage burning in his eyes.

"You asked for loyalty," Longtail hissed. "I am loyal to ThunderClan; not to you."

"All of ThunderClan couldn't protect you from me." Tigerstar's voice held a deep hatred, that Cinderpaw hadn't heard since she watched him murder Bluestar. She ran faster, this time towards Longtail and Tigerstar instead of ShadowClan. She knew what Tigerstar was about to do, and she had to stop him this time. She couldn't let him murder another innocent cat.

Tigerstar lunged, knocking Longtail over. The deputy tried batting at the large tom with his hind legs, but he stood no chance against Tigerstar. The ThunderClan leader raised his paw, long claws unsheathed. Cinderpaw was so close now, she could see the moonlight shining through his claws. She could stop him, she had to!

With one swift motion, Cinderpaw stopped dead in her tracks as a horrible scream sounded across the grasslands.

"My eyes!" Longtail screamed. "My eyes!"

His paws covered his eyes, feebly trying to stop the bleeding. Cinderpaw didn't have to be a medicine cat to know what pain Tigerstar had just inflicted upon his once most loyal friend. Longtail was blind.

Cinderpaw watched as Fireheart barreled into Tigerstar, knocking him away from Longtail. The dark tom turned, digging his claws deep into Fireheart's pelt. Fireheart hardly even flinched, instead reacting with multiple blows to Tigerstar's face. Watching Fireheart fight with Tigerstar broke the spell over Cinderpaw's body and she was able to move again. She rushed forward, ready to do anything to save Fireheart.

Tigerstar flipped Fireheart over and pinned him to the ground, like he had with Longtail. He raised his paw again, but this time Cinderpaw was close enough to stop it. She barrelled into the tom, making him stumble. She didn't have the strength of Fireheart to knock him completely off the tom, but it was enough to allow Fireheart to get his footing. Fireheart sprang up, taking a battle stance next to his apprentice.

"Look around, Tigerstar. You lost. Just give up now." Fireheart hissed. Tigerstar, heaving and snarling, glanced to the battlefield to see ShadowClan retreating.

"I may have been turned on by my own warriors, but this isn't the end. This is over when I say it's over." His eyes settled on Cinderpaw, and a sick grin crossed over his face. "And it ends with you."

Cinderpaw's heart stopped. She had been the one to watch Tigerstar kill Bluestar, and now he was going to do the same to her.

Tigerstar lunged, and Cinderpaw stepped back, barely dodging a fatal blow to the throat. "Cinderpaw run!" Fireheart ordered. "I'll fight him off!

"But what about you?" Cinderpaw wailed as Fireheart squared up against the massive tom.

"How sweet," Tigerstar snarled. "The traitors who were banished together will now die together."

"Just go!" Fireheart yelled, ignoring Tigerstar's cruel words. Not knowing what else to do, Cinderpaw took off. She felt guilt rack her body with every step, but she had no other choice. For once, she would listen to Fireheart's orders. She glanced back once to see Tigerstar thundering after her, with Fireheart close behind. She ran faster.

StarClan save us! she pleaded, hoping that they would hear.

Cinderpaw didn't even know where she was going, she just had to get away from Tigerstar. But with each step, Tigerstar grew closer and closer, and soon enough, she'd be fighting for her life.

"Your quarrel is with me, Tigerstar. Leave her be!" Fireheart yelled. Tigerstar didn't answer; his eyes were filled with bloodlust and the only thing that could fuflill it was feeling Cinderpaw's blood spill out from under his paws.

The sound of her heart pounding in her ears drowned out any sound of the battle, and she was so set on getting anywhere away from Tigerstar that she didn't even recognize what was in front of her until it was too late. When the grass under her paws turned into sticky rock, and a monster roared only a whiskers length in front of her face, she had to finally stop. Cinderpaw turned, to see Tigerstar looming over her, a cold smile on his face.

"How fitting, that you will die on the same Thunderpath that I killed Bluestar on," he mewed in a low voice. When he heard Fireheart's footsteps from behind, he turned, wrapping his front paws around Cinderpaw's body, with his claws pressed against her throat. "Stop now, before I kill her!"

Fireheart halted but it wasn't that it mattered. No matter what he did, Cinderpaw would still end up dead on the edge of the Thunderpath, whether it be from Tigerstar's claws or the snarling monsters behind them.

"Just think this through, Tigerstar," Fireheart pleaded, trying to keep his voice even. His words landed on deaf ears; Fireheart and Cinderpaw had taken everything away from him and he would never stop until they were both dead. "There has to be another way."

"No, there isn't," Tigerstar said.

Cinderpaw cowered, trying to get away from Tigerstar's sharp claws. The more she recoiled, the more he pressed them into her throat. This can't be it! There has to be something Fireheart can do! she screamed at herself.

No. There wasn't anything Fireheart could do. But there was something Cinderpaw could do. She couldn't rely on Fireheart to save her every time she was in danger. It was time for her to take control of the situation and fight back.

'Just think this through.' Fireheart's words echoed in her head. Pushing her fear down, she allowed her thoughts to take control.

Tigerclaw had a strong hold around Cinderpaw's throat, and if she tried to get away, he would surely rip his claws into her throat. But with all his strength going into keeping his grip on Cinderpaw, he had left his hind legs open and unstable. She could kick them out from under him, but that would only buy her a few more heartbeats before he attacked and killed her.

Another monster roared behind her, so close that she could feel her fur move from it speeding past. It was so close that it could kill them both. The monsters sped past every few seconds, but Tigerstar was so caught up in savoring the sound of Fireheart's pleas, that he didn't even seem to notice.

Cinderpaw knew what she had to do.

The ground rumbled with an oncoming monster. A heartbeat before it reached them, Cinderpaw kicked out at Tigerstar's legs, knocking him over. The tom fell back, his grip slipping from Cinderpaw. Before he could even realize what was happening, the monster stuck. The was a loud crunching sound as all of Tigerstar's bones broke, followed by a second thump as the monster ran over the cat's limp body.

Cinderpaw turned, feeling horror grow in her stomach as she saw Tigerstar's body. His body was nearly flattened, and his neck was splayed out at an odd angle. Despite this, his lifeless eyes were still trained on Cinderpaw.

Cinderpaw took a step back just as Fireheart rushed forward. He wrapped his pelt around her, burying his face into her fur.

"Thank StarClan, I thought I lost you," he breathed.

"I killed him." Cinderpaw's voice was weak; it hardly sounded like the energetic, emphatic apprentice she once was.

"You had no other choice. You did the right thing," Fireheart mewed, pulling his face out of her fur to meet her gaze. "There was nothing else you could have done."

Cinderpaw was silent, unable to tear her gaze from Fireheart's. She knew that if she did, she would have to look back at the cat she had just killed. Finally, she mewed, "I know. I just wish it didn't have to end like this."

"I know," Fireheart mewed, taking a long look at Tigerstar's body. "But this is finally over. He'll never be able to hurt us or the Clans again."

There was a long pause as the two cats stood, wrapped up together in each other's comforting hold. Cinderpaw never wanted to let go, but she knew that eventually she had to. So finally, she said, "Fireheart?"

"Hm?" he hummed, running a gentle tongue over the she-cat's ear.

"Let's go home."

---

Returning to ThunderClan was nothing like Cinderpaw expected.

She expected to run into the camp, filled with joy and be greeted by her family and praised for her courage to stand up to Tigerstar. Instead, she walked alongside her exhausted and wounded Clanmates as they trekked into camp. There was a thick silence in the air that no one was willing to break. It was difficult for everyone to wrap their minds around what they had just done.

They had turned against their own leader and finally broke out from the tyranny he ruled over them.

When Fireheart had announced that Tigerstar was dead, no one was surprised. At first, they had assumed that Fireheart had been the one to kill him, considering his long history with the former leader. But days after the attack, the whispers started when they realized that Cinderpaw had been the one to push Tigerstar into an oncoming monster. She had flattened him.

No one blamed Cinderpaw, but there was a new sense of wariness towards her now that they knew what she was capable of.

Tigerstar was not the only cat who never made it back to ThunderClan. Darkstripe had perished under the claws of Graystripe when he tried to attack a wounded RiverClan apprentice. Cinderpaw was not surprised when she heard this; Darkstripe had always been cowardly and he finally paid the ultimate price for it. Other than Darkstripe and Tigerstar, however, no one else had died.

Most of ThunderClan had left the battle relatively unscathed. A few cats had minor scratches that needed tending to, but most just needed a good nights rest to recover from their exhaustion. ShadowClan had quickly realized that they were outnumbered and retreated. The only cat who was seriously wounded was Longtail. He had been basically dragged back to camp, with blood seeping from his eyes. The day after the battle, Yellowfang announced that the deputy was blind and would be stepping down from his position.

With Tigerstar dead and Longtail retired to the elder's den, it left one massive question looming over ThunderClan's future. Who would be leader of ThunderClan?

The cat's gathered in the camp, all yelling out their suggestions of who should be their leader.

Whitestorm, because he was the furthest thing from Tigerstar.

Dustclaw, because he was brave enough to turn against Tigerstar when he was so close to the tom.

Runningwind, because he was was one of the few senior warriors left in the Clan who had enough experience to be leader.

One cat even suggested Cinderpaw's name because she had been the one to actually kill Tigerstar, but that quickly got shut down, along with the other suggestions. Whitestorm claimed that he was too old and would be retiring to the elder's den soon. Dutpelt was too young and needed to experience a good leader as a warrior before he could become one. Runningwind had never even had an apprentice, and was not eligible to become a deputy, let alone a leader.

"What about Fireheart?" Cinderpaw asked. Her suggestion was met with silence. "Fireheart is an experienced warrior. He has an apprentice and is therefore eligible. And he was brave enough to fight one-on-one with Tigerstar to bring him down. In fact, Fireheart was the only cat who saw Tigerstar's true colours before it was too late."

There was another long pause as cats shared glances between Fireheart and Cinderpaw. Finally, Sandstrike was the one to break the silence. "I agree with Cinderpaw."

"He's been in RiverClan the past few moons and the day he comes back he becomes leader?" Mousefur asked incredulously.

"He never stopped trying to end Tigerstar's reign when he was gone," Graystripe - who had joined ThunderClan again after the battle - retorted.

"But shouldn't our leader be Clan born?" Swiftfall asked.

"If Tigerstar's reign has taught us anything, it's that where a cat born does not determine what kind of leader they will be," Halftail pointed out. "Tigerstar was our past leader's son, and he was the worst thing that happened to the Clans. Don't count Fireheart out because of where he was born."

"But how do we know whoever we choose isn't going to be as bloodthirsty as Tigerstar?" Willowpelt asked.

The Clan exploded into an arguement, of whether Fireheart was fit to be leader or not. The fact that Fireheart was the only cat they could even consider should have told them all that he was the best fit for leadership. Fireheart was standing in the centre of it, unsure of what to say or do. Finally, the bickering was halted by one voice.

"Enough!"

All cats turned to look at the source of the voice, standing at the entrance of Yellowfang's den. Longtail stood tall, with bloodied cobwebs covering his eyes. It was the first time anyone had seen him since he was rushed to Yellowfang after the battle. Cinderpaw was speechless - how could he be standing there so soon after the battle? He must have been in unbearable pain!

"Tigerstar has torn apart our Clan from the inside out, and we cannot let him keep doing it even after he's dead," Longtail said passionately. "We cannot let him taint what we once were. We are ThunderClan; loyal, strong, and brave. Tigerstar was a horrible leader, but he does not represent all of us. No matter who becomes leader after today, they will never be as bloodthirsty as he was."

"So what are you saying?" Dustclaw called out.

"I'm saying that we all know who our new leader is: Fireheart."

Cinderpaw expected the crowd to blow up in another argument, but they stayed silent. Instead, they slowly turned to face Fireheart, who was staring at Longtail with his eyes wide and jaw slightly parted. He could not believe that this was happening. The cat who had once fought so hard to get rid of Fireheart was the same one announcing that he should be the next Clan leader.

"Fireheart?" Cinderpaw mewed quietly after the silence had gone on for too long.

Fireheart was pulled out of his shock by the young she-cats voice. "Thank you Longtail. I will never forget what you have done for this Clan. I hope to lead ThunderClan with the same unmatched bravery and loyalty as you."

Longtail dipped his head, saying nothing, before retreating back into the den.

After Longtail's announcement that Fireheart would be the next Clan leader, ThunderClan started buzzing with a new excitement that had all but disappeared during Tigerstar's reign. Even the cats who were doubtful of Fireheart knew that he would be a better leader than his predecessor. They had a new sense of hope.

That night, Fireheart, Graystripe, and Cinderpaw made the long journey to Moonstone for Fireheart to receieve his nine lives. Cinderpaw was mostly silent on the walk, still reeling from the death of Tigerstar and how much everything had changed in such a short amount of time. Graystripe, however, was excitedly chatting about what Fireheart should first do as a leader. While Fireheart had yet to announce who would become his deputy, it was widely accepted that Graystripe would be the one to fill the position.

"Graystripe, I already know what I'll first do as leader," Fireheart replied calmly after Graystripe suggested finding a small fire and burning Tigerstar's old nest. "ThunderClan needs a deputy."

Graystripe's eyes widened when he saw the coy look Fireheart shot him. "O-oh. Well hopefully you choose wisely. Someone who's been loyal to you since you joined ThunderClan. Someone who helped you when you were banished. And if appearance were a factor, I am partial to handsome gray toms."

Cinderpaw piped up. "Put him out of his misery and tell him he's deputy already."

"Oh no, I'm having too much fun with this," Fireheart purred, nudging her slightly. "I also know what my next action as leader will be."

"Burn Tigerstar's nest?" Graystripe guessed and the ginger tom chuckled.

"I think it's time to finally make Cinderpaw a warrior," he replied. Cinderpaw halted, her eyes widening. She had been in RiverClan for so long that she was starting to doubt that she would ever become warrior. "Oh don't look so shocked; you were due to become a warrior moons ago."

"I just can't believe it's finally happening," Cinderpaw admitted as she started walking again.

They continued on, with Graystripe dropping jokes about what Cinderpaw's new name should be. At one point, he suggested 'Cinderslayer' for being the one to finally kill Tigerstar, but when Cinderpaw withdrew, he apologized and stopped with the jokes. Fireheart shot his deputy a look but did not need to say anything. He knew that he didn't have to fight all of Cinderpaw's battles for her.

They finally reached Moonstone just as the moon had risen and was floating high in the sky. Fireheart ordered the two cats to stay outside while he recieved his nine lives, but Cinderpaw desperately wanted to come in with him. She had heard the rumours that receiving nine lives could be painful, and she wanted to be by Fireheart's side in case he needed her.

"He'll be fine," Graystripe mewed, as if sensing Cinderpaw's thoughts.

"I just wish I could be in there with him," Cinderpaw admitted, looking up at the gray warrior. He nodded, a deep understanding in his eyes.

"You have the rest of your life to be with him," Graystripe responded. Cinderpaw's ears burned at his words; he knew how she felt about Fireheart? "Don't look so surprised, everyone can see how you look at him."

"Except Fireheart apparently," Cinderpaw grumbled under the embarrassment of knowing that everyone was well aware of her little crush. It must have been fairly obvious if they picked up on it after only a few days of living in ThunderClan again.

"Just because he hasn't said anything does not mean he hasn't realized," Graystripe mewed knowingly. "Fireheart has had his sights set on stopping Tigerstar since he first came to ThunderClan. He wouldn't have wanted to drag you into the middle of it when you're still so young."

Young. The word made Cinderpaw shrink down. Was that still how Fireheart viewed her? Despite still being a 'paw', she had long stopped considering herself an apprentice. If it wasn't for Tigerstar, she would have been made a warrior long ago. But maybe Fireheart would always view her as the energetic young kit from the day they first met.

"Like I said, you have the rest of your life to be with him," Graystripe repeated after Cinderpaw did not respond. After those words, the two sat in silence together until Fireheart finally returned from the den.

It took longer than Cinderpaw expected for Fireheart to finish his ceremony. For some reason, she expected it to be as quick as her apprentice ceremony was. When he finally emerged from the den, she rushed forward to greet him. He looked exhausted, but yet a new strength rippled under his pelt. His pelt lit up like flames in the moonlight.

"I guess we should be calling you Firestar now then," Graystripe purred, tapping his nose to Firestar's. "Shall we head back?"

"Soon," Firestar mewed, sitting down. "I need a moment to get my strength back."

"I'll go see if I can catch us anything," Graystripe decided. Cinderpaw thought it was odd; they had eaten right before the trip, and could easily make it back to camp before hunting. When Graystripe shot her a knowing look, she understood that the warrior was just trying to give them some time alone. Her ears burned at the thought of Graystripe trying to be a match maker but she did her best to hide her embarrassment.

When Graystripe left, Firestar turned to Cinderpaw. "You're excited to finally be made warrior?"

Cinderpaw snorted. "Firestar, you just received nine lives and became leader of ThunderClan. Becoming a warrior seems like nothing in comparison."

"You should be proud of yourself," Firestar mewed, nudging her gently. "You've been through a lot as an apprentice; more than most cats go through in their lifetimes. The fact that you made it out and are still the same cat as you once were shows your strength."

Cinderpaw felt her pelt itch; he may have meant the words but she knew they weren't true. When she had first become an apprentice, she had been so hopeful and full of life. But now? Even though they won and were able to join ThunderClan again, she still felt so defeated. Maybe Firestar couldn't see the change in her because he wanted to see her as the cat she once was.

"Cinderpaw, before the battle, you were about to say something. What was it?" Firestar asked. Cinderpaw tensed up.

This was the perfect place to confess her feelings: they were lying close together, under the moonlight, with no impending doom in sight. Instead, she said, "It's nothing."

There was a pause before Firestar went on. "I think I know what you were about to say," he hummed quietly. "With the banishment and the battle, I could never let my guard down. It's been a long time since I viewed you as just my apprentice, but I felt like I could never settle until Tigerstar was gone. But now, I can finally see a future that isn't ruled by Tigerstar; one where we can be together."

Cinderpaw's breath hitched as she stared at Firestar in shock. All this time, he felt the same way?

There was a long moment of silence before Firestar broke it with a chuckle. "Well are you going to say anything?"

"I just... I never thought you felt the same way about me," Cinderpaw admitted. "I just need a moment to wrap my head around it."

"Take all the time in the world. We have the rest of our lives to wrap your head around it," Firestar mewed.

There it was again. That phrase. First Graystripe, and now Firestar saying that they had the rest of their lives. Of course, they had meant that she had the rest of her life to spend with Firestar...

But. There was always a but.

It was true, that if Cinderpaw wanted (and she really, really wanted) she could spend the rest of her life as Firestar's mate. But she had only just returned to ThunderClan from banishment. She had gone through things that most cats wouldn't endure in a lifetime. As long as she yearned after Firestar, it all seemed to be happening so fast. She didn't even have time to accept what had happened to her, and what she had done.

"You said before that I am still the same cat that I once was, but the truth is... I'm not. I can't seem to move past what I did to Tigerstar. I killed him, Firestar. I took a life. I don't think I'm going to be the same for a long time," Cinderpaw admitted. "I don't want you to become mates with a different cat than you have feelings for. Because that just isn't me anymore."

"What're you saying?" It was the first time since they started talking that Firestar looked unsure of himself.

"I'm not saying no," Cinderpaw reassured. "I'm saying not yet. I need time to heal before I rush into a relationship. I don't want to have to need you to heal. I want to be with you when I am whole again, and not just a cat that never gave herself time to recover after Tigerstar."

Firestar took a moment, thinking over her words. She could tell that he understood what she meant. He hadn't rushed into a relationship because of Tigerstar, and now Cinderpaw was doing the same thing. "Not yet," Firestar repeated, playing with the words on his tongue. "But soon?"

"Soon," Cinderpaw agreed, rubbing her face against his. "Once I'm ready."

"Then I will wait for you," Firestar purred, gently touching his tail to hers. "As long as it takes."

Cinderpaw purred in content; it was one of the first times she had felt true joy since Tigerstar's death. The last few moons had been difficult on her, but for the first time, she was starting to see a brighter horizon. Not only for the fact that she finally knew that Firestar reciprocated her feelings, but that she would no longer wake up every day terrified that Tigerstar would come to kill them. She wasn't scared for her family's life under Tigerstar's reign. She was no longer scared to just live. It was like in that moment, as they watched the sun creep up from behind the trees, that her life was starting over again.

Cinderpaw's life had finally begun.

A/N: If you were wondering why this took so long, I think the length of this one-shot will clear that up for you! It's funny though, I actually started writing this and took it on a completely different path before realizing it would be best posted as a multi chap fic rather than a one-shot... so be prepared for a new fic coming out with the same concept as "what if Cinderpelt wasn't hit by the monster" but veryyy different plot than this. Little side note: I know Cinderpaw is an apprentice throughout this but I want to make it clear that by the time Firestar made a move, she would have been old enough to be a fairly experienced warrior since her banishment lasted quite a few moons. So he did not go after a teenager essentially.

Also in reference to the last chapter: I did have a few reviews that said Pinestar wouldn't have been warned of Tigerstar's future/that killing him wouldn't have saved that Clans so I just wanted to explain what inspired the one-shot. When looking through Warriors Wiki I found this line: 'StarClan beings visiting Pinestar in dreams, telling him that his son, Tigerkit, will destroy the forest, and urging him to kill the kit.' Obviously, in canon Pinestar did not kill Tigerkit and instead left to live with kittypets (which in turn made things worse). So the last one-shot was exploring what if Pinestar had followed StarClan's urging. Regardless, I love the discussion in the comments and your take on the one-shot. I just figured I'd explain the inspiration behind the one-shot because I don't think most people have read Pinestar's novella.

Again, I am still taking requests for this fic so let me know any future concepts you want me to explore! This one was actually super fun to write and it's really fun to come up with different creative ideas of alternate scenarios. I'll list some suggestions I've already gotten below and you're welcome to vote on one or two you like!

Some other suggestions I've gotten are:

What if Snowfur lived?
What if Silverstream lived?
What if Stonefur lived but Mistyfoot died?
What if SkyClan was never driven out of the forest?
What if Yellowfang lived?
What if Hopekit and Wishkit lived?
What if Frostfur fell for Fireheart after he saved her kits?
What if BloodClan won?

^Interesting how there haven't been any suggestions after the first arc (I love the first arc so I'm not complaining)