"Firestar," Spottedleaf's voice was the first thing he recognized when he lapped at the water from the Moonpool. When the darkness faded, he was in a lush, green forest. The air was thick with signs of prey and it was forever Greenleaf. This was definitely StarClan.
"Follow me," She murmured, flicking her tail to the cover of the trees.
After a few minutes, they stopped by a pool of water occupied by three cats he easily recognized.
"Bluestar? Yellowfang? And Frostfur?! It's good to see you again."
"You as well, Firestar." The white queen welcomed him with a warm purr. "I think I know what you're here for."
"Were Cinderpaw and Jaypaw telling the truth?"
"You probably wouldn't believe us if we told you we made such a terrible mistake," Yellowfang rasped softly. "but it's all true."
"What exactly happened?"
"Look into the pool, Firestar." His mentor instructed.
He did, and what he saw shocked him to his core.
Hawkfrost barked a laugh as the scared cats all scrambled to pull themselves together.
"You're not getting this kit!" Cinderpelt snapped.
"I have a job to do!" He hissed. "The cats of the Dark Forest can't see me in StarClan and I was lucky to get here at all! I am getting back to the land of the living no matter what it takes!" He snarled, lashing out at the newly restored medicine cat. Cinderpelt narrowed her eyes and unsheathed her claws. She would fight to the death if she had to. That kit would not be scarred by the likes of that miserable excuse for a cat!
She lunged for his throat, allowing the moves to come on instinct and tapping into the brief warrior training she'd gotten from Firestar. They rolled around the clearing, Hawkfrost's essence poisoning the grass and making cats flee in terror. Her burden was lifted from her by none other than Storm, who flung the Dark Forest cat into the trees.
"Get to the kit!" He ordered. She raced over to the kit and touched her nose it its forehead. Meanwhile, Hawkfrost had managed to get around Storm and dove into the body.
"No!" Storm yowled as Cinderpelt too, disappeared. He knew then that they had made a terrible mistake, and somehow, that kit would pay the price.
"I don't get it. What was the mistake?"
"There were many, not just the ones you saw that could have prevented this. But the past is past and we need to look to now. We weren't expecting Hawkfrost to be so willing to work with us and we quickly found out through Cinderpelt that the kin of Tigerstar saw no real need to follow him."
"Hawkfrost was forced?"
"Entirely. Our improper judgment was one of our first mistakes."
"Why Cinderpaw?"
"Cinderpelt was always going to have her chance at being a warrior, and Storm was always going to follow her. We didn't know when it would happen, or what would come of it, but there are some things that StarClan cannot change."
"But you're StarClan!"
"We are also cats, Firestar. We see what goes on within the four Clans but true destiny is not to be trifled with," Frostfur warned. "My daughter was always going to be this way, I can see that now, but I can only guide her so she makes the right choices. The day StarClan takes away free will is the day we cease to be StarClan."
"So Cinderpaw and Jaypaw are really Cinderpelt and Storm in a past life?"
"Yes."
"And we all know how that ended."
"That is precisely the problem."
"I guess I can see why Cinderpaw begged him to become a warrior."
"The rule that bans medicine cats from taking mates was not laid down by StarClan."
"Wait, what?"
"We said that medicine cats must treat all Clans equal and should not put the safety of one cat over another. The original leaders took that and eliminated any possible distractions that could limit the interaction between medicine cats and StarClan. They were afraid."
"So they lied?"
"Of course not. They interpreted what we said to fit the events of the time. It is not lying if those dilemmas no longer apply. We said Clan loyalty above all, and the leaders knew the bond of mates. If your mate was in another Clan then those loyalties would be forgotten in favor of protecting your family." Bluestar explained.
"I don't get it."
"Yellowfang had Raggedstar's kits. Two were stillborn, but that was not by StarClan's doing. The decision to give him to Lizardstrike, who was already cruel, added to the fact that it was supposedly wrong to have kits as a medicine cat, are the obstacles that led to Brokenstar's reign. If there was no such law then there would have been no cruelty toward him."
