A/N: Here's Steeltalon's 2nd chappie!

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FIRESTAR'S POV

Firestar groaned and lifted his head. Where am I? He wondered. He remembered Brambleclaw fighting with Blackstar...and then nothing. The flame-colored leader pushed himself into a sitting position. He looked around and realized he was in his den. Had Brambleclaw dragged him here?

"What happened?" Firestar murmured. He jumped when a shadow detached itself from the wall of his den, but he relaxed when he saw it was just Leafpool.

"You fell unconscious," the young medicine cat explained softly. "Brambleclaw brought you here and then came directly to me, saying you were injured."

Firestar managed a weak smile. "He always was a smart cat..." he rasped. Leafpool looked as if she had something more to say.

"And...well, you'll just have to see for yourself," Leafpool meowed, turning to the entrance of the den.

"Firestar?" called a voice Firestar had expected never to hear again. Firestar gasped as a cat padded into the entrance of the den, amber eyes shining with happiness.

"Took me long enough to find you guys," the tom purred. Firestar sprang up and ran out of the den, down into the hollow with the cat following. Firestar turned and bowled the tom over.

"Graystripe!" he yowled, loud enough to make heads turn.

BRAMBLECLAW'S POV

"Graystripe?" Brambleclaw called in disbelief. The gray tom who was an exact copy of Stormfur lifted his head and stared at Brambleclaw warmly.

"Hey, Brambleclaw!" the former deputy meowed, as if he had been no farther than the ShadowClan border. Brambleclaw bounded over and greeted Graystripe with a friendly nudge.

"Where have you been?!" Brambleclaw asked breathlessly.

"Oh, just trapped by Twolegs," Graystripe purred. Firestar gave his old friend a nudge.

"It's just like you to joke about things like that!" the flame-colored leader purred happily.

Squirrelflight turned and bounded over quickly. "Is that Graystripe?!" she gasped, staring up at the gray tom with wide eyes. Graystripe nodded.

"Good to see you again, Squirrelpaw!" he meowed.

"Squirrelflight now, actually," Squirrelflight corrected him. "I'm so glad you found us!"

Ashfur came up and meowed, "So who's the deputy now?"

Graystripe blinked. "So you didn't wait for me?" he meowed.

"We waited almost two moons for you to return," Firestar assured him. "But...we couldn't wait any longer. If you would like to reclaim your old position..."

"No, Firestar," Graystripe murmured, shaking his head. "Whoever is deputy now should stay deputy because they know the territory far better than me."

There was a short silence, during which Ashfur stared at Firestar, who blinked in confusion.

"Actually, Graystripe...Brambleclaw's deputy," Squirrelflight meowed softly.

Graystripe didn't flinch; instead he arched his back in a calm stretch. "Well, I'm exhausted," the gray warrior meowed. "Is there any place for a tired cat to sleep?"

"Yeah," Firestar meowed. "Follow me." Brambleclaw watched the two toms who had been friends since Firestar first joined the Clan walk away side by side, wondering why Firestar had seemed so sad to hear Graystripe refusing to reclaim his old position.