Life has an interesting way of coming together.

Firestar had accomplished a lot of things in his life. From fulfilling the prophecy that first brought him to the forest, to landing the blow that ended the battle against the Dark Forest, no one could doubt that he had earned his seasons of rest in StarClan.

And he tried. StarClan knew he tried. He would take long walks with Sandstorm, hunt with Bluestar and Whitestorm, and spend as much time with Graystripe as possible now that his friend had joined him. While everyone was happy for the two, they were grateful the initial excitement had worn off, as the toms had quickly devolved into apprentice-like antics. They had finally settled down after a prank accidentally ended with Leopardstar falling into a river, and the she-cat threatened to drag them to the Dark Forest border and banish them herself. Indeed, his time in StarClan had been everything the leader had ever dreamed of.

Yet…

There were still so many questions that buzzed in the back of his mind. There was so much history in the Clans! He had met so many fascinating cats, cats who had shaped the Clans and the warrior code into where they were today. It was still amazing to him that he'd met the original leaders and had the opportunity to speak to them about the origins of his home. He had actually become good friends with Redscar, a ShadowClan medicine cat who had faked a sign from StarClan to appoint a leader and later went on to give Tigerstar one of his nine lives. At first it was hard to keep conversation between them civil, but the two went on to have long, fascinating discussions about the warrior code, the value of leadership, and so on.

It was interactions like these that stopped the ginger tom from slipping quietly into retirement. The history of the Clans was so long, with twisting dark side paths everywhere he looked. As he grew accustomed to the quiet life of StarClan and the novelty of seeing his lost ones wore off, he found himself so curious for answers. Answers that no one else seemed to care about anymore, or were happy to leave in the past.

Answers to questions he didn't even know he had until he saw the right cat.

Which was exactly what happened one fine morning. While the warriors of current day ThunderClan fought bitterly through a long and harsh leafbare, warm sunlight was slipping through the leaves of a birch tree, lighting them gold. It was under this tree that Firestar laid on a rock. His belly fur brushed against the hot stone, and the sunshine soaked up his fur until he looked like a second sun come to life. A gentle breeze tickled his ear fur and he twitched it irritably. A stronger gust hit his ear again and he turned away sharply, groaning.

This was boring.

Firestar opened his eyes and glanced across the valley. It was beautiful, sure, but where wasn't it beautiful in StarClan? A quiet stream danced over rocks at the bottom of the valley. Sunlight sparkled on the water and lit the foliage a bright green. Cats darted to and fro, hunting or running to meet friends. It was the scene of serenity and it made Firestar's fur itch. He needed something to do.

As though he were still a living warrior with StarClan watching over him, a dark shape caught his eye. His emerald gaze sharpened and he lifted his head.

Was that-

Firestar leapt to his paws, tail lashing in excitement. It had never occurred to him to seek out this cat before, but now it seemed foolish that he hadn't. It was seasons ago that he and Sandstorm had followed that old river to the gorge to start SkyClan from scratch. The two spoke frequently with Cloudstar about the days of ancient SkyClan. They'd met Birdflight and Buzzardstar, and had even been able to spend some time with Petalfall, the deputy before Cloudstar, although she and Sandstorm were so similar they could butt heads at times. But despite all the time they'd spent talking with the SkyClan cats, one topic remained off limits.

The banishment of SkyClan.

Despite how incredibly irritating Firestar found the other Clans at times, he could never imagine a situation where he'd think driving them out would be the right thing to do. And ThunderClan, he'd been told, was always a shining example of nobility and justice. So how was it that they were the loudest supporters of SkyClan leaving the lake? What bad blood existed between the two Clans? How had the situation gotten so severe that four Clans would banish scores of cats to possible death?

As Firestar watched the dark ginger cat slip under a holly bush, his claws unsheathed with excitement as he realized the answers to these questions may be in his grasp.

Step by step, Firestar weaved through the bush, the thick glossy leaves rubbing along his pelt. His jaws parted slightly, trying to drink in all of the scents around him. He wasn't afraid; this was StarClan after all. But this was a cat that he had never met, and some of the cats who had been in StarClan for a long time preferred their privacy. They liked to keep to themselves, and they might not appreciate a random cat seeking them out.

He was so focused on the tom's scent that he didn't even notice a second scent coming up behind him.

"What are you doing?"

Firestar whipped around- or at least tried to. The thick foliage of the holly bush snagged his fur, and his broad shoulders couldn't quite fit. He ended up in an awkward crouch, half turned around.

In front of him was a powerful she-cat, tall and poised with short brown fur. Subtle tabby markings framed her back and face, accentuating bright yellow eyes that were currently narrowed. She wasn't hostile yet, but she certainly looked wary.

This looked bad, Firestar realized. If the she-cat made her nest in this bush it could look as though he were snooping around looking for her. Although, given that he was currently stuck, he probably didn't seem very threatening. "I'm sorry, I was looking for a dark ginger tom. I thought I saw him come this way."

The stranger blinked and cocked her head, "What do you want with Redstar?" she demanded.

"I had some questions for him." Firestar wished he could back out of the bush, but the she-cat was in his way, and seemed in no hurry to move.

Instead, her eyes bore into his, and the she-cat looked as though she was searching for something.

Right when he was starting to feel uncomfortable, she spoke up, "I know what you're curious about, Firestar. But hasn't Redstar earned his peace?"

The former ThunderClan leader was startled. Who was this cat, and how did she know him? His first instinct was to apologize and make his way back to his den, accepting that some mysteries would never be solved.

Then, indignation surged through him. "After everything I've done for SkyClan?" He finally managed to wriggle around and stand face to face with the stranger. "I rebuilt SkyClan! I gave one of my lives battling alongside them. My mate died on a quest to find them and bring them back to the lake. Redstar's had moons of peace; haven't I earned some answers?"

The she-cat looked just as surprised as Firestar felt by his outburst. A few moments went by before she finally nodded. "You're right. You do deserve to know what happened. But you don't need to bother Redstar." Firestar opened his mouth to argue, but she cut him off. "I can tell you what happened."

"You?" Firestar blinked. "What do you know about the situation? Who are you?"

She smiled wryly, as though amused by his questions. "My name is Twistedheart. I'm Redstar's mate. I was there with Redstar through it all." Twitching her tail, she gestured for Firestar to follow her.

Twistedheart made her way away from the bush, down into a dried riverbed. Firestar trailed after her, processing what she'd said. "I never knew Redstar had a mate," he muttered.

"You don't know most of the situation," she retorted, before leaping up onto a boulder and onto a grassy slope behind it. A few seconds later they were standing beneath an old oak tree. Settling down among the roots, Twistedheart for him to join her. When he had settled down comfortably, she continued. "I know you probably judge Redstar for what he did. Most cats do, although at this point the history was so long ago many cats don't even know the details of what happened." Her yellow eyes met his. They weren't pleading for understanding, or sad from the circumstances surrounding her mate or SkyClan. Just firm. For a moment, she reminded him of Sandstorm. "Every story has two sides."

Every story has two sides…

This was true, Firestar mused. If anything, Redscar had taught him that. He never thought that he would find himself good friends with a cat who gave Tigerstar, his greatest enemy, one of his nine lives. Yet, here he was. "Alright, so let's say Redstar wasn't in the wrong-"

"Redstar was absolutely in the wrong," she interrupted. "I'm not trying to dispute that. I'm just saying that you haven't heard his side of the story. If you had, you might be able to understand where he was coming from."

"And what exactly is Redstar's side of the story?" Firestar asked. From the look she gave him, he had a feeling as if he were standing on the edge of a cliff. Once he fell over, there was no going back.

"I hope you have a long time, Firestar," Twistedheart meowed, "Because we're going to have to go back to the beginning…"