Chapter One
The sun started to slide out from beneath the treetops when the flame-pelted leader of ThunderClan woke up. He stretched his ginger paws out in front of him. The sky was a beautiful orange, with hints of violet and pink. Fluffy clouds painted the sky with an elegant, yet calming feeling. With a huff, Firestar lifted his body off the ground. He glanced around his den, the place he called home. Realising he could wait a bit until the dawn patrol was sent out, Firestar carefully sat down upon the nest he had created the day before. It was filled with moss, and had bits of bracken sticking out the edges.
Firestar's ears pricked forward as he heard the upcoming of pawsteps. He envisioned a kit, scrambling up the highrock, or a set of warriors and their apprentices, getting ready for the dawn patrol. The sound gradually got closer, and he saw that it was in fact the ThunderClan deputy who came to visit him.
"Greetings, Whitestorm." His older friend stepped inside the den, and stood in front of Firestar.
"Hello, Firestar," He meowed. "How's the morning been so far? No mice come to bother you in your sleep?" Firestar let out a mrrow of laughter, and signalled with his tail for Whitestorm to come sit next to him.
Firestar's memories of the snow coloured tom came to mind. He remembered the great battle against Tigerstar and the ruthless BloodClan. Whitestorm had become badly injured, but the help of Cinderpelt and her herbs had healed him quite well. The horrific sights of his friend bleeding out onto the grass had scared him into retreating ThunderClan from the battle. A shocked but devilish expression spread on his enemy's face, something Firestar would never forget. He ran alongside his friend Graystripe, all the way back to the safe grounds of the camp.
Firestar reflected on his actions those few moons ago. His doubts that he was a good leader started to swell up in his paws.
"Do you think it was right for me to retreat ThunderClan while fighting Scourge?" He noticed Whitestorm shuffle his paws on the ground. What have I done? Firestar worriedly swished his tail.
"I can't say it was best for the Clans-" Firestar thought about the countless cats that had gone to join StarClan that night. He knew that if ThunderClan had stayed, many of the Clan cats would not have died. "But it was best for ThunderClan. You put your Clan before yourself, and you thought about what would be best for us." The slight reassurance Whitestorm gave to him calmed Firestar down. His thoughts still buried him in a pit of questioning.
"What would you have done?" Firestar inquired. It did not take long for the ginger tom to receive an answer.
"Firestar, what's happened has happened. What I would have done is irrelevant. You need to have faith in your decisions." He could sense the white warrior's encouragement. He seemed to know what to do all the time.
"I wish I could just go back in time and change what I did," Firestar thought carefully about what he said. Of course, it was impossible to go back in time.
"You can't go back in time. If you had stayed, how many ThunderClan lives would have been lost? How many lives would you have lost?" The question seemed to slam Firestar in the throat. He still had all of his nine lives intact; however, he would not mind risking a life for his Clanmates.
"None, because I retreated the Clan."
"You're missing the point."
"It was selfish of me."
Whitestorm sighed. Firestar awkwardly shuffled his paws against the dirt floor of the den.
"I think it's time to take the dawn patrol out," The deputy announced. "Would you like to come?" Firestar nodded his head, hoping a patrol around the territory could help clear his mind. Whitestorm stood up, and trotted out of the den. Firestar followed his friend, and for the first time that day, he witnessed the beautiful sounds and sights of the camp. He saw Brambleclaw, Graystripe and Brackenfur at the entrance of the warriors den. They quietly chatted, most likely sharing news of the biggest catch yesterday.
"Come on guys, we're heading out on a patrol." Firestar overheard the snowy white cat announce. He was glad that he chose the faithful tom as the deputy all those moons ago. He always knew what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. Whitestorm kept the kits entertained when they got into mischief, and although he was one of the older cats of the Clan, his young side shone through.
Meows of agreement could be heard from across the camp. Whitestorm lead them up to the gorse tunnel, which spilled out into the forest, which was part of ThunderClan's territory. The group of cats treaded along the grassy floor, silently observing their surroundings.
"Brambleclaw, the fur on your back is sticking up!" Graystripe stifled a laugh in reply to Brackenfur's comment. Brambleclaw stopped to check the brown striped fur on his back. Sure enough, it was sticking up in all sorts of directions. He gave it an embarrassed lick, and playfully cuffed Brackenfur over the ear.
"Thanks for telling me, mouse-brain. I wouldn't want to look like a fool while walking around the forest!" Brackenfur let out a mrrow of laughter.
"You're lucky you didn't scare the prey off with that horrendous fur!"
"You'll be scaring all the prey off if you keep speaking so loudly!" Firestar was glad to see his Clanmates having fun. Times were not the best for ThunderClan, so he was glad they were happy.
"Can you scent anything?" Whitestorm reminded the patrol of their task. Brambleclaw was the first to part open his mouth, and he nodded his head when the scent of mouse hit his scent glands.
"There's a mouse nearby," He said. Sure enough, a small bush near a tall tree rustled. Brambleclaw dropped into a crouch, and set his amber eyes upon the bush. The mouse was a brownish grey colour. It stuck its head out of the leaves, and froze as its eyes made contact with the large tabby. Brambleclaw stalked forward, under the pressure of his Clanmates watching. The blades of grass underfoot crushed down as he prepared to leap.
A few seconds later, Brambleclaw sat up, with the prey in his mouth. Firestar could see the proud expression gleaming on his face. His features still had the unforgettable look of Tigerstar, his father who was killed in the battle, but now it was present with something much more memorable, Brambleclaw.
The five cats returned from the patrol with multiple pieces of prey to add to the fresh-kill pile. Brackenfur had caught a finch, Graystripe had found two shrews, Brambleclaw had caught a mouse and a squirrel, and Whitestorm had returned with a plump squirrel too. The camp was the same as always. Firestar spotted Mousefur along with Spiderpaw, the black and brown apprentice. The pair of cats were practicing training moves. Each swipe and pounce Spiderpaw reflected were stunningly fast; enough to swiftly fly past an enemy and daze them.
Firestar followed Graystripe to the fresh-kill pile. Fortunately, it was already full with prey. The patrol added their catches to the pile, and then went off to share tongues. Firestar was uncertain whether he should follow the cats of the patrol or go off to his den. With a quick lick of his chest fur, the noble leader decided to head towards his den. His stomach rumbled, sending a notice to choose a piece of prey to eat.
Nightfall had begun, and the sky, which held Silverpelt, gleamed stronger than ever. Firestar gazed up at the sky. The full moon stood out more than any single star. The full moon! Firestar scrambled to his paws. With the busy day of patrolling and sleeping, he had completely forgot about the gathering. He made a swift leap out of the den, and turned his paws towards the warrior's den.
"Whitestorm, Graystripe, Brackenfur, Mousefur, Sandstorm, Sootfur and Thornclaw, you're coming to the gathering." Firestar did not have time to answer the half-asleep and confused looks he received from his Clanmates. He rushed off towards the apprentices den, and called out the names of Shrewpaw, Spiderpaw, Squirrelpaw, Whitepaw and Sorrelpaw. The apprentices happily jumped out of the den, excited to attend the gathering.
Leafpaw alerted Cinderpelt of the commotion in the clearing, and she guided her mentor out towards the group.
"Everyone here?" A cluster of nods and 'yes' from the group answered his inquiry. Firestar flicked his tail tip, signalling for his Clanmates to follow. They made their way out of the gorse tunnel, into the vast territory ahead.
By the time the ThunderClan representatives arrived at Fourtrees, the cats of the other Clans seemed ready to start. Firestar leaped through the bushes and trees surrounding the sacred meeting place. He paced towards the great rock, and made a swift jump to the top. Leopardstar, Tallstar and Blackstar sat impatiently.
"Good, you're here. Now let's start." Blackstar stood up and adressed the four Clans with a single yowl.
"Cats of all Clans! Welcome to the gathering. I'll start with the news I have about ShadowClan." Russetfur sat upright at the foot of the boulder, and stared up at her leader.
"A while ago…" Firestar zoned out, not listening to the news presented. Instead, his thoughts persisted at a one point. He was still anxious about the battle. The scene was quite clear; bodies lay spread out along the grass, blood and tears mixed into the soil. He imagined Scourge, standing defiantly as he watched the destruction of the Clans. A cat with a fire coloured pelt stood at the edge of the clearing, horrified at what had become of the cats he knew. He snapped the words he would regret for a long time.
"ThunderClan, retreat!" he felt a violent shove to his side. He envisioned the tom pursuing the enemy who had shoved him. Teeth bared; claws out.
"Firestar!" The familiar snap of Leopardstar drew the leader back to reality. "Are you going to share news about ThunderClan?" Her voice was demanding, almost if there was an underlying threat. He embarrassingly gave a lick to his chest fur, to avoid the glares thrown at him.
Maintaining formality, Firestar sat up straight and delivered news about his Clan. "ThunderClan is thriving. We have found plenty of prey, which will keep us strong for Greenleaf. A fox was located near the edge of ThunderClan territory this past moon, but our warriors chased it off." Firestar ended the speech with a dip of his head.
"Then that concludes the gathering, may StarClan light your paths." Firestar leaped off the great rock, and started to gather his Clan. They said their goodbyes to other friends, and made their way back to the camp.
Quiet chatter revolved around the group as they entered the camp. The moon was placed high in the sky; it was well past midnight. The warriors and apprentices separated and made their ways to the respective den. Firestar proudly gazed upon his Clan. It was Clan members's dreams to one-day take leadership of their beloved Clan. A dream that took plenty of skill and talent to grasp. And the ginger tabby has fortunately acquired that position. Dainty pawsteps touched the ground behind Firestar.
"You should get some sleep," A voice sounded. Sandstorm waltzed up to her mate, and wrapped her tail around his.
"You're right," Firestar replied. "I just-"
Sandstorm blinked. "You just what?"
Firestar contemplated telling Sandstorm about the hurtful visions he kept seeing. Each one, reminding him of the great battle that took place, and how he risked the lives of other Clan's warriors for his Clan's safety. He anticipated how she would react, scared, worried, and angry, all of those were things he didn't want to see. A cool breeze swished through their pelts.
"It doesn't matter," he said, very matter-of-factly.