Just as before, the glowing eyes of Yellowfang tracked Firepaw's movements from across the Thunderpath. He knew the bitter old girl's scent like the back of his paw and he missed the cranky medicine cat despite her prickly nature. Their eyes made brief contact before his hunting companion, Graypaw, hissed at him to get off of the Thunderpath.

"You mouse-brained idiot! Get off of the path before you're squashed into crowfood!" The voice accompanied ball of gray fur shoved into his side, barreling both of them into the forest grass and away from the roar of monsters. Firepaw pursed his lips tightly and spit the dirt out of his mouth. Gross.

Looking back into the forest he sighed disappointedly, noting that Yellowfang had retreated out of sight once more. He wasn't too concerned however, Firepaw knew she'd show up sooner or later. As he smoothed out his fur and helped Graypaw remove the various twigs and leaves stuck in said fur while being reprimanded by his friend, the ginger purred a short farewell as Graypaw was intent on joining the next patrol. Instead of following him, Firepaw decided to hunt for ThunderClan for a while longer. There was never too much fresh kill in the pile, anyways.

That, and Yellowfang had attacked him while he was hunting. Or wait- did he actually follow Graypaw to the patrol? He wished that there was an easier way to possibly keep track record of his memories.

Firepaw held a burning in his gut, antsy to see the silver-tongued medicine cat soon. There was a building anticipation to speak with the cat and though he knew this would eventually become yet another friendship he'd have to build from scratch, the apprentice was eager to do so.

They were close, and Firepaw would constantly pester her for advice or information about her life. He was a prodding and pushy kitten, but Yellowfang had managed Cinderpelt easily enough.

There was a lot more advice he'd need to ask of her in this timeline anyways.

Sniffing the various woodland scents and picking out the occasional trail of mouse, Firepaw set himself on stalking his prey, creeping closer and closer.

Before swiping his paw towards the little creature, the loud hiss of another cat bowling over the small patch of grass nearly shocked him out of his pelt. Pelt tangled and mangy, and scars littering the flesh like leaves on the forest's floor. A she-cat permeating the air thick with the scent of sickness and exhaustion heaved in front of Firepaw, body of a stolen mouse dangling between her jaws.

Ah, Yellowfang. Always the clever one.

Firepaw sat back while Yellowfang practically ignored him in favor of her food, though sparing him a few suspicious glances. Loud and sloppy eating noises accompanied her as she practically inhaled the mouse. He cringed. At least this way, Firepaw shouldn't be punished for betraying his clan by feeding an outsider. He could excuse the mouse scent for the cat hunting before he'd found her. Soon enough, the mouse was completely devoured and the rogue's eyes held mirthful curiosity while inspecting Firepaw.

"This little ThunderClan apprentice sits back while letting me eat his territorty's prey? Bluestar has either recruited traitors or kittypets." Yellowfang sneered, curling her lip while licking the whiskers around her mouth. Firepaw growled, annoyed at his former (or future) medicine cat.

"I've picked the maggot in the meat haven't I? You're a little kittypet!" She wheezed a tired and rattling laugh, mocking in nature, "Your clan has grown soft and desperate."

A small indignant mewl replied in protest, "We are not desperate!"

"Tell that to the state of your pelt. Defensive kit, if the fur on your back rose any more all of your hair would fall out." Yellowfang snorted, licking a clawed toe carefully. Her very air and tone of voice echoed nonchalance and disinterest, yet her stiff and pained posture said otherwise. She was on edge.

The smell of a patrol unexpectedly began to grow in the air, caught in the wind as Yellowfang sprung to her feet, barely concealing the hiss of frustration and pain that had accompanied the sudden action, "A patrol! Thanks for the meal, kittypet, but I'm not waiting around here to be attacked by actual competent warriors."

Firepaw caught her by the hind legs and tripped the dark cat before she could manage to scrabble into the distance, spitting words between foul smelling hairs, "Oh no you don't, Yellowfang. You're staying right here until the patrol catches up to us!" Hearing this, Yellowfang began to struggle, frustrated.

"Hey- hey I'm serious, kit! I could uh, claw your eyes out!" She scowled and kicked Firepaw's stomach with her hindpaws, regaining her stance and swiping towards his face with unsheathed paws. Their struggle continued for a brief moment, exchanging scratches yet both noting that the other was holding back. Yellowfang never aimed to hurt anyone who could avoid it, and frankly Firepaw held too much empathy to hurt his old friend from the last timeline. Her sides heaved painfully and after a particularly winding blow, she fell on the ground, plopping with a grunt.

Staring at Yellowfang on the forest floor, Firepaw cheekily tilted his head, "Then why haven't you?"

Yellowfang hesitated. After a few moments she let out a resigned huff and turned her head away, occasionally shooting Firepaw brief looks of annoyance.

Soon enough the patrol found the two cats, jumping in while the rogue and apprentice were squabbling. Bluestar and Willowpelt exchanged bemused expressions before Bluestar cleared her throat, causing Firepaw to nearly jump out of his pelt. She held back from rolling her eyes, even as a kittypet he should have scented the patrol by now, "What is the meaning of this, Firepaw? An enemy warrior - and a recently fed one at that, according to the scent?"

The cat in question laughed awkwardly, thank god Firepaw had a legitimate excuse this time, "I was starting to hunt when I found this cat eating a mouse on our territory. We uh, fought, but she was too weak to run or fight back." Hopefully his excuse hadn't sounded too wobbly or weak. Bluestar sniffed closely before sitting back, seemingly satisfied that Firepaw hadn't carried the scent of recently eaten prey.

Darkstripe sent Tigerclaw a side eye'd glance, muttering, "Once a soft kittypet, always a kittypet." He seemed eager for a response and visibly deflated when unprovided with one. Odd, but Firepaw's seen how Darkstripe acts and is entirely unsurprised by the near hero worship. Instead Tigerclaw sent Firepaw a short hiss, "You do understand the clan comes first, right, kittypet? What reason do you have for keeping this enemy here while-?"

He was cut off by the lift of Bluestar's tail and a stopping glance. ThunderClan's leader inspected Yellowfang, padding around her until she seemed to find what she was looking for, "Well well, Firepaw. You seem to have captured us a ShadowClan cat- and one I know all too well! How is life treating you Yellowfang, medicine cat of ShadowClan? You're awful far from your own camp." She held a look that bordered on sassy.

From the ground behind him, Firepaw heard an irritated nag, "You have eyes, Bluestar. Cut the mousecrap. I left on my own accord, ShadowClan is no home to me." There was a moment of surprise that rifled through the patrol of ThunderClan cats before Darkstripe hissed. Graypaw poked his head in through the brush of plants to view the situation, finally catching up to the patrol, and assessed the situation before deciding that he wanted to stay and watch the commotion.

"This mangy old she-cat is no use to us, we should just take her out now and save her the misery." Dear StarClan, Firepaw was relieved that he avoided any mentions of punishment so far. Bluestar calmly shot down Darkstripe and continued to extend Yellowfang escort to the camp.

"Can you walk?"

"I've still got three good legs, might as well put them to good use." A flicker of respect from Bluestar and the patrol returned home. Graypaw fell into step with Firepaw near the back, trailing behind the older cats, "So like… what'd I miss?"

Small crowds of cats met the group when they returned, curious faces aimed at the unfamiliar addition to the patrol. Yellowfang held herself with dignity and disregarded any hostility or insults, even while carrying a nasty limp. Firepaw admired her tenacity as Bluestar quietly consulted her senior warriors on what to do with the former medicine cat.

Speaking of which, Spottedleaf approached Yellowfang, bearing herbs, "I've noticed your injuries, is-?"

"I know more than you."

Spottedleaf blinked at the bluntness and dropped the herbs by Yellowfang's side, "Okay, then."

Satisfied, Yellowfang began to tend to her own wounds, chewing herbs and making poultices while making quick work of applying them to herself. Making eye contact with Firepaw, she scanned him critically leaving him with a feeling of quiet judgement. Apparently she was perfectly content and beckoned him over with the subtle fick of a tail.

Position-wise, she was stretching awkwardly in an attempt to apply herbs to the back of her shoulders. A struggling voice mewled, "Hey, kit. Do me a solid and chew those herbs right there into a poultice. I've got a scratch I can't reach and it's infuriating."

He nodded quietly and did so, mildly wincing at the bitter taste of the leaves and licking them into her pelt, wincing even more because of the dirty state of her fur. Yellowfang let out a satisfied grunt and let herself rest. After a moment she raised an eyelid, "What're you still doing here? Scram."

At the same time, Bluestar returned to the Highrock and announced a short meeting, capturing the attention of several cats grooming each other for sunhigh. Eyeing the crowd, Firepaw scampered across the clearing to bowl into an unsuspecting Graypaw and Ravenpaw, instantly knocking the two over. Graypaw briefly complained about how he'd just gotten his pelt to look just right while Ravenpaw looked like he wanted to giggle.

He looks like he's doing okay today. He let out a sigh he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"I'm sure you all have heard about the prisoner we brought back with us today." Bluestar began, "But there is something else you should know. Can you hear me from down there?" The comment was aimed at Yellowfang, who was seated a small distance away from the Highrock.

"I may be old, but I'm not deaf yet!" She spat in response. Ignoring this, Bluestar continued to speak.

"I'm afraid I have some very grave news. Today I traveled with a patrol into WindClan territory. The air was filled with the scent of ShadowClan. Almost every tree had been sprayed by ShadowClan warriors, and we met no WindClan cats though we journeyed deep into their heartland."

After a moment, Smallear decided to break the silence, "So, does this mean that ShadowClan has chased Windclan out?" Multiple cries of confusion and question erupted following the comment until eventually Bluestar called for quiet. Firepaw grimaced at the memory of his previous journey to WindClan, seeing the remnants of battle and the abandoned WindClan camp sending him eerie chills. Hopefully he'd be able to resolve that issue faster this time around, no clan should or had ever been driven out of their territory.

"We can't be sure. We have seen signs of a struggle, blood and fur, yet no bodies. As it is, all we know is that recently ShadowClan appointed a new leader following the death of their previous leader, Raggedstar. Brokenstar," Firepaw observed Yellowfang tensing up at the name, "Has been named the new leader and he showed no indication of threat at the last Gathering."

Darkstripe narrowed his eyes at Yellowfang, "Maybe she can tell us ShadowClan's secrets and finally give us some answers?" At this comment, the old she-cat jumped up, snarling at the tabby in a display of aggression.

"I'm no traitor you mousebrained sack of-!"

"Stop!" Bluestar yowled while a few warriors wedged themselves between the two cats, fur bristling in fury. Yellowfang was obviously still spitting insults and belligerent exchanges with Darkstripe, though both grumbling the jabs underneath their breaths as to not aggravate the ThunderClan leader any further.

"That's quite enough!" She let out a weary sigh and sent the two a tired glare, "We don't need infighting. The situation is too grave, so ThunderClan must prepare itself. Today onwards I want heavier patrols, and no apprentice leaves the camp without one other warrior. Kits must remain in the nursery, and apprentices?"

The scattered five apprentices raised their heads, eager to hear Bluestar's preposition, "We're speeding up your training, this clan needs warriors and you must be ready to fight for our clan." Graypaw, Sandpaw, and Dustpaw seemed elated at the news while Ravenpaw simply twitched in place, anxious and fearful of Tigerclaw's intense gaze. Firepaw shifted to sit next to Ravenpaw, blocking him from the large tabby's line of sight. It was a subtle action, but one met with a grateful nudge. Ravenpaw didn't need to explain anything to him right now.

"In speeding up the training of these apprentices, Firepaw," He flicked an ear in acknowledgement, "An apprentice who has been sharing the mentorship of two warriors will be taken directly under my wing. I will personally train this apprentice."

Firepaw purred, the warm feeling growing in his chest never getting old while Graypaw mewled in astonishment, "What an honor, Bluestar hasn't apprenticed a cat in moons, usually they're only the kits of deputies, too!"

"Yellowfang will be allowed to stay here while she heals from her injuries, and is to be treated as a guest with courtesy and respect. We are warriors, not savages." Bluestar placed careful emphasis on the word, "warriors."

Darkstripe protested, "Okay, fine, but ThunderClan has too many mouths to feed! How are we expected to support Yellowfang?" Bluestar shrugged while Yellowfang screamed in the distance, something about splitting open anyone that tries to take care of her.

"She's a friendly one, huh?" Graypaw chuckled nervously near Ravenpaw and Firepaw.

"Let's kill two birds with one stone then. Firepaw?" Oh StarClan even in this timeline he can't catch a break, "Your first duty as my apprentice shall be to care for Yellowfang. She is your responsibility. Change her bedding, feed her, check for any ticks, and such."

Tigerclaw's snort was loud enough for Firepaw to shoot him an irritated glare. Graypaw sent him a pitiful look that just screamed, that's rough buddy, sorry about that. Even Ravenpaw let out a sympathetic 'oof'. In the distance, Dustpaw and Sandpaw were nearly tripping over themselves in laughter. Firepaw sighed, and bowed his head, "Yes, Bluestar."

Bluestar interrupted the spectacle. "I hope Firepaw will find no shame in caring for Yellowfang. She is a healer, and she is his elder. For those reasons alone he should respect her!" She shot a sharp glance at Sandpaw and Dustpaw. "And there is no humiliation in caring for another cat when it is unable to take care of itself. The meeting is over. I would like to speak to my senior warriors alone now." With that, she jumped down from the Highrock and marched toward her den.

Longtail brushed up against Firepaw, the young warrior sending him a mocking look, "I hope you think twice about bringing in strays! They only bring trouble."

His friends wished him luck after the clan meeting, Firepaw groaning and making his way over to the place where the clan usually obtained their moss and bedding. In a way, despite the timeline seemingly screwing him over for fun, this was beneficial to Firepaw. He dropped a fair amount of obvious hints to Yellowfang earlier that indicated he wasn't exactly what she would expect. Gathering up a decent amount of bedding and assuring that the collection was dry, he first cleaned out the old and soiled bedding for the elders and greeted them accordingly. Halftail snorted, "Still not sure why you would waste your time hanging around with a bunch of elders, but we appreciate it."

After briefly replacing the bedding, he occupied his time until near sunset when he heaved a breath. Looks like it was time to feed Yellowfang and figure out where she would be sleeping. The grumpy cat huffed from underneath the Highrock, "Stop right there, kitty. You're a little kittypet, right? Your mother a kittypet, Father a kittypet?" He held back the urge to sneer through the moss in his jaws.

"Yes, that's what being a kittypet normally entails. I was raised by humans." He replied in a flat tone. Firepaw was never looking forward to tackling this brief hurdle that blocked him and Yellowfang from actual decent conversation. He was fond of the cat, but there was only so much teasing about his heritage that he was willing to handle, especially considering the grievances and hardship it had cost him last time.

Something cold wrenched itself into his chest, suddenly. It whispered and reminded him of the perception he builds for himself in the eyes of his clanmates. To them, he was still nothing but an outsider kittypet, benefiting on the charity of their leader. His claws gently worked into the loosening soil, no that wasn't true. Or at least, it wouldn't be. He'd grow up and see his clanmates around him slowly find themselves used to his presence. It wasn't a crime to miss them, it'll just take some time to get back into the rhythm of fitting in.

For now though, he hadn't had the opportunity to prove himself to his clan yet. Nothing but a few caught pieces of prey and a forgotten collar. Oh well, at least Graypaw, Ravenpaw, and the elders seemed to not mind him.

"ThunderClan to kittypet, are you listening?" Yellowfang waved her tail in front of Firepaw's face incredulously. Her voice startled him, causing him to jolt slightly in place. She scrutinized him carefully, "You had a weird look on your face, don't tell me you can't take some teasing! It's humiliating enough that a kittypet is fussing at me, let alone one who's so soft!"

Just like before, he felt his patience drain out of him, however this time instead of snapping, he simply dropped the moss onto the ground in front of Yellowfang tiredly.

"You'd be humiliated even if I were a full warrior or a rogue, or some human that happened to pick you up. Actually, the only thing you're humiliated by is the fact that you have to rely on literally anyone for help. But you know what? You're just another cat like me, so for once take what you're offered and quit putting up that difficult front. Get used to having someone care about you, you bitter bone bag." Yellowfang gaped at him, seemingly not expecting the exasperated rant from the little apprentice.

After a moment she laughed, slightly uncomfortable and shifting in her spot in the clearing.

"So the apprentice has spirit! At least I'm not being watched over by a boring cat." There was a tense silence. Firepaw turned and made quick work of arranging her bedding and assuring that everything looked alright when Yellowfang cleared her throat suddenly. He raised his head curiously. What more did she want to say?

"Look. I'll admit that what you said does hold some truth in it, but what about you, huh?"

"What about me?"

She meowed a short laugh, "Just tell me this and I'll leave you alone for the day. Why in the name of the entire forest would you choose to abandon such an easy and carefree life? You have humans to care for you, you don't have to hunt for your food, sickness is a myth of the past, and there is not a day in your life that you need to face the violence and difficulties of clan life.

"Accept help when you are given, is basically what you said. You had all the help in the world! Why leave that?" Well he would admit, Firepaw hadn't given it much thought the very first time he decided to join the clans, and even less so the second time around. There was a life of ease and protection that loomed behind him, and it was what earned him the derogatory title of 'kittypet'.

"Honestly? I wasn't sure myself at first," He began, thinking carefully, "It began with some weird dreams of hunting mice and such, then it turned into the food looking less like food and more like rat droppings, and then more dreams and then an impulsive decision and now I'm here.

"I guess what I really have to say is that I'm still learning why myself. It started with a dumb wish to live a different life, but the more I experience the more sure I am that this is how I want to spend the rest of my life. What I'm saying is- I sorta-" He thought a little more, while Yellowfang watched, her head tilted to the side almost in disbelief.

He hummed in thought, absentmindedly licking the fur on his chest, "I guess what I really mean is, if you live without facing any problems or difficulties, always given what you desire the moment you ask and without facing the challenges of life itself, what's the point of living it? We live to find our purposes in life, I don't want mine to be serving as a human toy. Accepting help when necessary is good, but it's not when you're allowing help to grow into control." Images of the battle for the clans flashed into his mind, as well as the prophecy and the ancient cats hiding in the stars. Firepaw unconsciously winced at the memories.

Yellowfang stared, wide eyed once more, "Big words for a little apprentice."

Feeling the tension finally lift from his shoulders and the atmosphere around them, Firepaw laughed, "I've seen a lot."

"You talk like an elder, sometimes, I swear. Everything okay in the noggin?" She teased more, but this time less aimed towards riling Firepaw up or hurting him and instead focused on cooling down his sudden bursts of seriousness. He snorted and waved his tail, walking over to the fresh kill pile to pick up a shrew for Yellowfang (it was her favorite) and a mouse for himself. Dropping the prey and eating his share quickly, she spoke between mouth fulls.

"I'd kill for some poppy seeds right about now. Hey kit, go and find that pretty little medicine cat of yours and ask her for some herbs and poppy seeds. I think you'll find a goldenrod poultice would help." Firepaw stood up and stretched, nodding before padding into the medicine cat den.

Spottedleaf was kind enough to search her herb stocks for him as he listed off the names of plants Yellowfang had casually prattled about. The smell of herbs and the cool den was always a small comfort to Firepaw. Instantly he wondered how different life would be if he ever chose to become a medicine cat, but soon disregarded the idea. He enjoyed sparring and the thrill of battle and being a warrior. A bell-like sounding voice chimed from deep inside the medicine den, "Here we go! That bundle should have everything she mentioned. Oh, and tell Yellowfang to take it easy on the poppy seeds? A little pain can be good sometimes, it helps to judge her healing."

She set said bundle of herbs onto the ground and shot him a quick friendly smile. Firepaw thanked her and picked the bundle up before trotting over to Yellowfang.

Along the way he felt the amber gaze of Tigerclaw burning into his back, looking back to see the warrior staring at him from the entrance of the warrior's den. Firepaw honestly didn't want to deal with that ant hill at the moment, so Tigerclaw could, frankly, suck it.

He dropped the herbs in front of Yellowfang, she purred in thanks, "Good! Now leave me in peace, scram." He didn't expect anything different from her and turned to walk away, maybe into the apprentice's den to sleep since the moon was beginning to crawl its way up the sky to hang in Silverpelt for the rest of the evening.

As he was turning, he was interrupted by a little, "ah, wait."

For possibly the third or fourth time that day, Yellowfang fixed him with an odd look, "Hey, kit? Cool the thoughts down a little okay, there's gonna be a time for that later, for now apprentices should just enjoy themselves. You're gonna kill me with that weird look your face gets every time you space out to do some internal monologue."

He just continued to stare, feigning ignorance.

"Okay, now scram."

A few mornings had crawled by, filled with a balance of intense training from Bluestar and tending to Yellowfang. And no sleep. Definitely not enough sleep. Firepaw nearly screamed when he woke early before sunrise, but pushed himself up from the comfortable nest and continued to wake his nearly equally exhausted friends, "Graypaw get up you snoring monster, it's morning."

He prodded his friend's side, kneading his stomach with sheathed paws until Graypaw groaned and rolled out of his own nest, "Ugh, okay yeah I'm up."

Firepaw trudged over to where Ravenpaw was sleeping, "Hey, buddy? It's morning." He chose not to prod and knead him like he did to Graypaw, not wanting Ravenpaw to freak out upon waking up. His friend was still jumpy and unconfident, and it made him break a little to have to see this all over again. Despite his attempts to help, Ravenpaw was still anxious and nervous as ever. He'd just have to keep trying and be there for him. A tiny "Firepaw, five more minutes," indicated that he was up.

Lastly Sandpaw and Dustpaw. It wasn't often that Firepaw woke up before them, so he made the most of it.

Wiggling his tail and crouching, Graypaw quickly caught on and joined in next to him before both jumped in an awkward kitten pile atop of the two older apprentices, "HEY GOOD MORNING THE SUN IS RISING GET UP SLEEPY HEADS."

There was a small growl the two felt beneath them, "I'm going to kill you."

Sporting a new ache in his shoulder (courtesy of Dustpaw), Firepaw and the rest of the apprentices sleepily padded out of their den. He immediately trembled in the cold air, jealous of Graypaw's thicker pelt. Greenleaf was soon ending and that brought with it a morning chill and cold dew on the forest floor. He checked to see if Yellowfang was awake and noted that the slow rise and fall of her pelt indicated sleep. Graypaw nudged him sympathetically, "We'll see you later, okay? Balancing Bluestar's training and that mangy old fleabag can be a challenge but you seem to be doing fine so far."

"Yeah, he's just doing so well looking after elders and essentially becoming a medicine cat." Dustpaw mocked, but the jabs lacked a certain spark than usual. Firepaw flicked his tail and ignored the sad attempt at an insult, favoring a response in the form of a compliment instead.

"You seem to be doing pretty well in your apprenticeship. How's training with Darkstripe going?" Dustpaw narrowed his eyes, expecting a response instead of a kind comment.

He sniffed, "He's no Redtail but training is doing just fine i'll tell you. We're sparring with Sandpaw and Whitestorm today."

Firepaw nodded before trotting to the fresh kill pile to pick something up for Yellowfang. Dustpaw's gaze prickled on his back the entire trip.

He dropped the mouse in front of the old cat as she sneezed, "Greenleaf sure is a thing of the past now. About time you got here with some food." Looks like she woke up.

Firepaw knew he wouldn't get many opportunities to ask this once Bluestar woke up and began training for the day, so he decided to pick the maggot in the meat and gather a fair amount of courage, "Yellowfang? I have to, uh, ask about something." She instantly froze.

"Dear god I'm not giving you the talk, am I?"

"What the- no- what, ew. That's not- No!" Firepaw stuck his tongue out, immediately appalled, "A different question!"

"Oh thank StarClan." She plopped back onto her side and waited before growing slightly impatient, "Get on with it, kit!"

"Alright, alright! I just… this is going to sound weird and you don't have to believe me but just don't call me crazy, okay?" Firepaw took a deep breath. Out of all the cats he considered telling, he immediately chose to consult Yellowfang. Graypaw and him… they were unbelievably close, he couldn't deny that, but he wouldn't be able to hold any support from him once Silverstream entered the picture. Ravenpaw had enough on his plate already, he wanted to prevent Bluestar from having another massive mental breakdown, and surprisingly he had considered telling Whitestorm as well.

And then he realized Whitestorm wasn't his trusted deputy yet and they barely knew each other aside from a few scattered conversations and friendly exchanges so Yellowfang it was.

"I got sent here from the future and I grew up to become the leader of ThunderClan but there's a cat out there that can rip all nine lives from a cat at once and disband the clans also StarClan might just fall apart and I kind of got sent here to prevent that but honestly it's a lot of pressure and I'm frankly overwhelmed."

"You're crazy."

"Yeah I expected as much, I didn't mean to word vomit as much as I just did but it's all the truth."

Yellowfang rolled her eyes, grunting as she stood and leaning to look at Firepaw to check for signs of injury or instability, "And in the off chance that you're telling the truth?"

"The first time I met you I knew your name and said it to you before you even mentioned who you were."

"Anyone could have told you that beforehand."

"The kits will be running out of the nursery right about now and they're going to be play fighting acting as ThunderClan warriors against Brokenstar and you're going to flip mousedung at them" Yellowfang sent him a look of disbelief and looked over his shoulder, seeing the kits play fighting, sure enough. She was about to open her mouth and snarl at them but realized the counterintuitiveness of it before her voice left her mouth and she immediately shut her jaws with an audible click of teeth. Obviously she wouldn't be convinced of a little coincidence like this, Firepaw mused, but she'd come around sooner or later.

Or maybe sooner than expected apparently choosing the former over the latter option, "So say I believe you, what would you want out of this?"

Firepaw hesitated and swiped his tail back and forth behind him with anxious little swishing noises. He didn't want to seem childish, he was a (mentally) grown cat for StarClan's sake! There was no reason he couldn't handle this alone. Ancient giant wild cats approached him for some reason so he hoped that reason was because they thought he'd be a good choice for saving these clans.

Then again, he was literally feeling his mind slowly flattening by the pressure and isolation, "Just… someone to talk to?"

Silence. Extremely awkward and long silence.

Yellowfang finally broke it with a groan and sat back to eat her mouse, "Well, I don't have anything better to do all day, kit. Spill."

Elated was a good word to describe Firepaw as his ears shot up from their drooped state and he immediately eased into the story before descending into an utter pile of word vomit yet again.

Yellowfang rolled her eyes and chewed on her mouse while listening to the impossible apprentice's tales of the future and such. He was a total pawfull and couldn't possibly be telling the truth, but he told good stories.

Firepaw seemed a little too knowledgeable for his age anyways.