Firepaw felt a twinge of hope in his chest as they reached the edge of the twoleg farm.
The gorge was visible over the crest of a hill just past the forest. It was long and ran out of sight, but it was there.
Tigerclaw gave the medicine cat apprentice an approving nod. "We know the general direction now, thanks to you. Dustpaw, while we know how to find them, I still want you to track their movements. See what you can learn about their journey."
Dustpaw nodded, his tail twitching. "Alright."
The trio continued on, bounding past the forest towards the edge of the gorge.
For the remainder of the day, they traveled in relative silence. Dustpaw occasionally reported his findings and Tigerclaw acknowledged them. Once they'd reached a dense patch of trees near the gorge as the sun began to dip, they stopped to set up camp.
Tigerclaw nodded to each apprentice. "Firepaw, you'll set up the nests as Dustpaw and I hunt. We'll be back before long."
Nodding, the ginger began to gather up moss from the nearby trees, his tail flicking as he did.
Setting up the three nests was easy and quick, but he had to then wait for his clanmates to return.
It didn't take long, but by the time the two toms came back carrying prey the sun had already left the sky, replaced by the moon.
The warrior dropped a pair of squirrels beside Dustpaw's mouse. "We'll wake early. Hopefully, we can reach WindClan tomorrow."
Firepaw nodded, taking the mouse and tucking into it happily.
They ate quietly, saying their goodnights before retiring to their respective nests.
...
Firepaw blinked, adjusting as he realized he was on StarClan's hunting grounds. The edge of it, anyways.
Looking around, he eventually spotted a familiar face approaching.
The she-cat from before trotted over to him, smiling. "Hey 'paw'. How's the journey going?"
Smiling, the apprentice blinked up at the she-cat. "Hopefully, we'll be finding WindClan tomorrow. You said you'd tell me your name this time so.. what is it?"
She snorted, apparently amused. "I did say that, didn't I? Listen, we're really not supposed to talk to living cats without permission, but I like you and I wanna help you out, so keep this between us, alright?"
Firepaw hesitated, a little off put by the request. "Oh, alright sure."
Grinning, she looked down at him. "Alright then! You can call me Mapleshade, 'paw'. A pleasure to meet you."
The apprentice dipped his head, eyes bright. "Likewise!" He smiled, tail flicking happily. "Do you know.. are we still on track to find WindClan?"
Mapleshade flicked her tail dismissively. "I told you last time, I don't really keep up with all that's going on down there. I'm only just barely able to visit you tonight as it is. After tonight, until you return to the clans, I won't be able to speak with you. Once you get back, I have some things to teach you. Until then, be safe."
He blinked, yawning as darkness crept into his vision. "Oh. Alright, bye Mapleshade."
...
Dustpaw perked up, fur bristling as he announced what spooked him so. "It's fresh!"
Tigerclaw blinked, eyes narrowing. "Elaborate, Dustpaw."
The apprentice turned to the warrior, eyes bright. "WindClan's scent! There are overlapping scents from just yesterday! They must be nearby!"
Firepaw cheered, running over to where the apprentice was to smell it for himself. Leaning over, his sensitive nose picked up the traces of three cats passing by.
The warrior approached slowly, nodding to the two younger toms. "We can follow the fresh scent back to where they're staying. Come, we must move quickly if we hope to bring them back before the next gathering."
The three cats quickly began to trot along the scent trail, following as it twisted and turned through the nearby trees until they could distantly smell the source.
Pausing, the tabby looked towards where the clan would be. "Stay behind me. They don't know you two, especially not Firepaw, but the senior warriors will recognize me."
Moving slowly, the warrior led the apprentices towards the, now audible, sounds of mingling cats.
They stopped a few fox-lengths from the visible clearing.
Tigerclaw called out, lifting his head higher. "WindClan! I, Tigerclaw, and two other members of ThunderClan have come to return you home."
WindClan went silent.
After a moment, a lanky black and white tom followed by a dark brown tom and a black tom with a twisted paw.
The leading cat fixed Tigerclaw with a suspicious glare before looking between the two apprentices. He lingered a moment on Firepaw, his eyes betraying a hint of surprise, before he returned his gaze to the warrior. "Tigerclaw. You say you're here to return us home, do you not? This is bold of you to say. I brought my clan here to be safe from Brokenstar's treachery. How can you even say we're meant to go back there?"
The black tom spoke up, eyes narrowed. "We've begun making our home here. Why should we give that safety up?"
Stepping forward, the brown cat lifted his chin. "Have StarClan summoned us home?"
Firepaw took that as his chance, bounding forward to stand beside Tigerclaw. "Yes. They have."
Blinking, the tom looked down at the ginger. "And who are you to claim this?"
Puffing out his chest, the apprentice looked the tom in the eye. "My name is Firepaw. I am Spottedleaf's apprentice. Medicine cat in training."
The brown tom relaxing, smiling. "I see. Firepaw, I am Barkface. Medicine cat of WindClan."
The black and white cat perked up, eyes glittering with hope. "StarClan have summoned us home? What of ShadowClan?"
Tigerclaw took the lead speaking again, his tail twitching. "Bluestar has offered her aid if ShadowClan attempt to drive you away again. It's best if we leave soon. The faster you're returned, the sooner you can rebuild." The warrior glanced at the apprentice, suddenly deeming introductions important. "Firepaw, this is Tallstar. He is WindClan's leader. The other one is Deadfoot, the deputy."
Tallstar dipped his head to the apprentice, smiling. "It's always good to have another medicine cat in the Clans."
Deadfoot looked at the tabby, his ear flicking. "We should leave tomorrow. The clan need to prepare. We have kits that cannot travel easily and elders that need help."
Dipping his head, Tigerclaw relented. "Very well. Allow us to stay the night in your camp, then? Firepaw can help Barkface with any medicine cat duties and Dustpaw and I can aid in hunting."
The leader nodded, leading them back in.
...
Firepaw felt pride blossom in his chest as the farm came into view.
Tallstar paused, brows furrowed. "Nearly there." He looked over his shoulder at Deadfoot and Tigerclaw, his tail twitching. "Shall we break before the final stretch? How is everyone?"
The deputy tilted his head, listening to the clan talk behind him. "That'd be best. The elders and kits are wearing out."
They settled under a cluster of bushes, a few warriors mingling about to watch for any dangers.
Firepaw looked over at Barkface, eyes wide with curiosity. "Hey, Barkface? Could I ask you something?"
The medicine cat looked over, smiling. "Sure. What's up, Firepaw?"
Grinning, the apprentice explained. "I was going to ask Spottedleaf this, and I may just to get a second opinion, but why don't the Clans work together more often?"
Barkface frowned, staring at his paws before answering. "Each clan is proud. They don't like to rely on others. WindClan will owe ThunderClan for this, and that's not something that we enjoy. The medicine cats work together to make sure unnecessary deaths can be prevented, but even then they can still happen because of the pride each cat holds for their Clan."
Firepaw blinked, his mood dampened a bit. "But. Why would medicine cats not help other Clans if they need it?"
The tom sighed, looking out towards the farm. "Doing something like that, expecting nothing in return, is not something leaders like to allow. An exchange is always best, and just owing the other Clan sometimes isn't enough."
The apprentice nodded, silent as he thought on the tom's words.
Not long after, Tallstar called them to begin walking again.
...
Firepaw nodded goodbye to Barkface, happy he'd gotten to meet the medicine cat, and followed Tigerclaw back towards ThunderClan territory.
To avoid conflict with RiverClan, they went the long way and passed through Fourtrees.
Upon returning to camp, Firepaw found himself being looked over by a frantic and worried Spottedleaf.
Purring, he gently pushed the she-cat away. "I'm fine, Spottedleaf, I promise."
She sighed, sitting beside him as Dustpaw's warrior ceremony began.
They watched the ceremony, Spottedleaf drawing her apprentice closer as Dustnose received his warrior name.