Koraki: To be honest, it doesn't take much to trump the average quality of Warriors fics. There's a reason I left the fandom. But I'm glad you like it. (But mostly I am glad that you are a nerdfighter. :D)

Leapordfire97: I've actually never heard of the "What if the NP cats hadn't gotten back" one... Hmm. I'm intrigued. But thank you. :)

Mistysky: Yeah, Tigerstar's going to be kicking himself over this. . . but it's not like he could just kill Graystripe and Fireheart, because the Clan would have objected, and this early on in his leadership, he can't afford unpopular decisions.

Coqui's Song: Moron? You called me a moron because I misspelled Highrock and Fourtrees? HOW DARE YOU, SIR! IT'S NOT MY FAULT I HAVEN'T READ WARRIORS IN YEARS AND CAN'T BE BOTHERED TO READ THE SOURCE MATERIAL AGAIN, OKAY?

... Just kidding. You got me, so you are justified in calling me a moron, and I commend you for it. XD The problems are fixed. Your review(s) made me smile, by the way. And I agree, the original series was by far the best, and I miss awesome Fireheart.

YAJJ: Flamers don't bother me too much. I used to be one, years ago, and I am ashamed to admit it. Although my flames went much more in-depth than "I don't really like this." (Read: Break-down of grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, violation of Guidelines, etc.) Actually, I'm kind of pleased. I've been writing fanfiction for almost four years and that was the first real flame I've ever received, even if it was a pathetic one. XD However, as a writer, I reallyreallyreally need to improve, which is why I'm writing fanfiction in the first place, and the lack of advice in that guy's review bugged me more than him not liking it. Thank you for having my back though. –high-fives–

My promise of this being a stellar chapter may or may not have been met. I know this is really short, especially considering I haven't updated in over a month. I feel really guilty on both those counts, especially considering how sparkly the stats are for this now. I'M SORRY. :(

However, this chapter is great because in this short chapter, there are some great, deep lines! And also some badassery! And a rant at the end! All my favourite things in life and literature! :D Not that this is literature, obviously.

Without further ado, here's chapter four!

CHAPTER 4

"You what?"

"We... we lost their scent, Tigerstar. At Fourtrees. We think they went into WindClan territory," Darkstripe answered nervously.

"Why didn't you follow them?"

Darkstripe didn't reply.

Tigerstar turned away from Darkstripe, sheathing and unsheathing his claws in anger. How could they have lost Fireheart and Graystripe? They would have no reason to suspect that warriors had been sent to kill them so quickly. Had someone tipped them off? Or had they simply been lucky?

Tigerstar paced back and forth across his den, berating himself for not killing Fireheart and Graystripe when he had a chance. But, no, he couldn't have. He couldn't start out his leadership by making such an unpopular decision.

What Tigerstar worried about the most was Fireheart or Graystripe speaking to one of the other Clan leaders, telling them what happened, and then turning them against him. ShadowClan and RiverClan were already hostile to ThunderClan, and while a change in leadership might help, certain details about how that chance happened could cause war. WindClan was made of weaklings and they were as useless as flies to him. But, as Tigerstar very well knew, Fireheart and Graystripe were well-acquainted with the weaklings of WindClan. . . If they were to go anywhere, then it surely would be to WindClan.

Tigerstar stopped pacing and turned to look at Darkstripe. "Organize two patrols," he said. "Send one of the patrols to RiverClan, and the other to ShadowClan, warning them that Fireheart and Graystripe are killers and traitors, and that they should not be trusted, but killed upon sight."

"What about WindClan?" asked Darkstripe.

Tigerstar's lip curled. "You and I will go there together," he said. "For we have a little extra business to take care of. Now. Get to work."

Darkstripe nodded and quickly left the den, leaving Tigerstar to his own musings in the dark cave.

-X-X-X-

Tigerstar and Darkstripe set off for WindClan camp together, neither one of them particularly concerned about getting caught by a hostile moonhigh patrol. As they walked, Tigerstar tried to pick up Fireheart and Graystripe's scent, but he couldn't find any traces of it, which frustrated him to no end. He was convinced that Fireheart and Graystripe had come this way, but the lack of scent seemed to indicate otherwise.

At last, without being stopped or challenged (or even seen by) any WindClan patrols, they made it to WindClan camp. It was practically deserted; all the cats seemed to be sleeping in their dens. As he entered, Tigerstar looked round and caught sight of Tallstar and Deadfoot speaking quietly together. Deadfoot, the first to notice their presence, stopped talking at once and stared at the ThunderClan leader and deputy. Tallstar looked round, confused at his deputy's abrupt silence, and saw Tigerstar. Confusion flickered in his eyes, quickly replaced with a sort of wariness as he got up and padded over to Tigerstar.

"Good evening, Tigerclaw," said Tallstar, inclining his head. "To what do I owe the pleasure of a visit from ThunderClan's deputy?"

"It's Tigerstar now, actually," Tigerstar corrected him. "Bluestar was killed in a most unfortunate raid on ThunderClan camp."

Tallstar's eyes widened. "Really?" he asked, in a tone of voice that did not indicate that he was surprised. On the contrary, he seemed to have been expecting this reply, and Tigerstar immediately went on his guard. "Who raided? RiverClan? ShadowClan?"

"Rogues," replied Tigerstar.

"Rogues led by Fireheart and Graystripe," added Darkstripe.

Tigerstar shot his deputy a warning look, and Darkstripe bowed his head. Deadfoot, who limped over just in time to catch this last remark, asked, "What's this about Fireheart and Graystripe?"

"They led rogues into ThunderClan camp and killed Bluestar," Tallstar said.

"Hmm," Deadfoot said. "That doesn't sound like them. Wasn't she Fireheart's mentor?"

"Yes," Tigerstar answered. "His plan was to frame me with the murder, have me killed or exiled for treason, and then assume the leadership position himself, appointing Graystripe as his deputy. His plan. . . didn't work."

"Obviously not," Tallstar said drily. "Our condolences on the loss of Bluestar. She was an excellent leader." He gazed up at Silverpelt for a moment, like in the mass of cold, distant stars, he might be able to pick her out. Then he glanced back at Tigerstar and said, in a too-casual tone that proved that he knew the truth, "I assume that you have punished the traitors accordingly."

Tigerstar unsheathed his claws and sank them deep into the soil, unable to control his anger at this dig. "Not with death, if that's what you mean," he hissed through gritted teeth.

"Oh," said Tallstar, his eyes slightly widening at this. "Exile, then?"

Tigerstar nodded. "We have sent patrols to the other Clan camps, to warn them about Fireheart and Graystripe, and to request that, if they are seen, the be treated as you would treat any other trespasser," he said. "I felt like I should come to WindClan myself, as I know that they had deep connections to this Clan. I worried perhaps that they would offer you a skewed story in order to join WindClan, and that you were unknowingly harbouring traitors."

"They have not joined WindClan, nor are they in our camp," Tallstar said, gesturing at the entire camp with his tail. "You can look if you wish."

Tallstar's openness to their searching the camp made Tigerstar suddenly doubt that either of the exiles were there. But there was still the possibility they had travelled this way. "Well, have you seen them on your territory?" Tigerstar asked.

There was a heartbeat of silence, just a little too long to invite doubt, a little too short to be sure of that doubt. "No," said Deadfoot.

"If you see them on your territory, will you treat them as you would treat any other rogues or loners on your territory?" asked Tigerstar.

"WindClan," Tallstar said pointedly, "doesn't ally themselves with traitors."

Tigerstar gazed at Tallstar, trying to break the leader down. Tallstar gazed back, his eyes slightly narrowed, his tail flicking back and forth from side to side. Tigerstar was unable to read the WindClan leader's expression, nor could he fully understand what Tallstar meant. By traitors, did he mean Fireheart or Graystripe – or did he mean Tigerstar? Was this a hint that, come what may, Tallstar would not ally himself with ThunderClan?

"What do you mean by that, exactly?" Tigerstar asked.

"Nothing," Tallstar replied.

For a weak-willed excuse of a leader, Tigerstar had to admit that Tallstar was a surprisingly excellent liar. He hesitated for a moment, kneading the ground with his paws; then, turning away, he said, "Excellent. StarClan guide you, Tallstar."

"StarClan guide you," Tallstar repeated. As Tigerstar and Darkstripe left the quiet camp, he thought he heard the leader add softly, "Off my territory and as far away from my Clan as you can go."

-X-X-X-

Fireheart was in a small, dark, enclosed space, so tight that he could not turn around. He could feel rock pressing in on him from all sides, and he could barely breathe from panic. He was trapped, trapped, and there was no way out except to go forward, further into the unknown that was the darkness.

He was going to die. He was going to die, and there was nothing he could do about it, and that was not okay with him.

"It's okay," a familiar voice whispered in his ear.

Fireheart gave a start. "Bluestar?" he tried to ask, but he seemed to have lost his voice. "Bluestar, are you there? Is that you?"

The voice spoke again, a little farther away, coming from further on in the tunnel. "Just keep going," the voice whispered, beginning to fade. "Keep going. . ."

But Fireheart remained stubbornly in place. "I can't," he wanted to say, but the words were lodged in his throat, unable to break free. "I can't, Bluestar."

And this time, somehow, she seemed to have heard him.

"Why can't you?" she asked, her voice fading away even further.

That was a very good question, and Fireheart contemplated it. "Because I don't know what's ahead," he admitted.

And in his mind's eye, he could just picture her shaking her head in a disapproving fashion. "Do we ever know what lies ahead?" she asked him, somewhat sadly. "It's not what you can't see that should scare you. It's what's illuminated by the fire that should."

-X-X-X-

When Fireheart woke up, he found two dead mice and Ravenpaw lying beside him. He blinked sleepily, not quite registering this fact, for he was in the disoriented state that came between sleeping and awake, between dream and reality; but when Ravenpaw asked him if he was awake or not, Fireheart's eyes shot open and he looked around at his surroundings, confused and groggy.

"Sorry," Ravenpaw said apologetically. "I thought you were awake. I didn't mean to scare you."

Fireheart, remembering the events of the previous day, sat up and yawned. "It's okay," he said, stretching.

"These are for you and Graystripe," Ravenpaw said, nudging one of the mice with his paw. "But he wasn't here when I came to check on you."

Fireheart turned to look where Graystripe had been sleeping, but sure enough, there was no sign of his friend. He touched the hay where Graystripe had been lying, and discovered it was cold.

"He must have left a long time ago," Fireheart said. "Maybe he went hunting."

Ravenpaw shrugged. "I didn't see him," he said. "But the barn is awfully large. Anyway, you should eat. You've had a rough trip."

Fireheart ate one of the mice, more out of obedience than because he was hungry, leaving the other for Graystripe in case he came back. Silently, he dwelled over the events of the past few days, trying to grapple with the fact that he was gone, really gone, from ThunderClan forever. But he couldn't. He couldn't have left the Clans forever. That was all he had ever wanted, and now it was gone.

"So," Ravenpaw said, snapping Fireheart from his thoughts, "not to sound rude, but why are you here?"

Fireheart looked around for Barley, thinking that the tomcat might want to hear the story as well, but Ravenpaw shook his head. "Barley's off hunting, or sleeping, or something. It doesn't matter to him if you're here or not. He doesn't really care why; especially if it has to do with the Clans."

"Oh," said Fireheart. "Well, that's a good thing, then, because it does have to do with the Clans."

Ravenpaw looked suddenly worried. "What happened?" he asked.

So Fireheart explained everything, from the false-attack on camp to Bluestar's murder, from his and Graystripe's exile to the patrol that had been sent after them, from running into a WindClan patrol to their arrival at the barn. Ravenpaw listened in silence, his eyes huge and round as moons, concern apparent on his pudgy face. When Fireheart finished, Ravenpaw gazed down at the ground, silently mulling this story over. Then he looked up again.

"This is bad, Fireheart," he said. "But I'm glad that you and Graystripe got out okay."

Fireheart just nodded silently.

"So are you going to stay here?" asked Ravenpaw. "Barley wouldn't care, I'm sure. He keeps to himself, mostly, but he's a nice old tomcat, once you get to know him."

"I guess we'll be here," Fireheart said. "There isn't anywhere else to go, really."

Ravenpaw nodded in agreement. "It's a safe place here, at any rate," he said. "Tigerstar hasn't found me yet, after all. He still thinks I'm dead, and now that he's leader, I'm glad he does. It's warm here, too, even in the winter. And there's lots of fresh-kill."

"Yeah," Fireheart agreed. "But it's not the Clans."

"That's why I like it," Ravenpaw pointed out.

And that's why I'll hate it, thought Fireheart.

Despite their friendship, Fireheart never had been able to understand Ravenpaw. Whereas Fireheart had always had the desire to live in the woods, to flee the world of Twolegs and join the world of the Clans, Ravenpaw was the exact opposite. Ravenpaw had been born into the world of the Clans, but he had never really belonged, and in fact, he'd yearned to escape it. How would things be different if their roles had been switched? What if Ravenpaw had been the kittypet, and Fireheart had been born into ThunderClan? What if Ravenpaw had been spending idle days at the beck and call of Twolegs, while Fireheart became Tigerstar's apprentice? What if Ravenpaw saw nothing more violent than Smudge attacking a bowl of kittypet food, and Fireheart had witnessed the murder of Redtail at Tigerstar's paws?

But that was the thing about what ifs; you never knew what would have been. All you had was what was.

Here is my promised rant:

I'm using this fic to improve my writing. Not grammar or spelling-wise. That's what English class is for. I mean, I want to improve my characterization, my pacing, my plotting, and so many other things. For example, you'll see in later chapters that I'll start breaking the Clan stereotypes, partly because I hate them so much, and partly because it's going to add a lot more depth and conflict. You'll also have noticed in this chapter that I made Tallstar pretty badass – he has moments of badassery throughout the original series anyway, so not completely OOC – and he's just going to get increasingly badass as the story progresses. But I'm worried about wandering into OOC territory, not only with him, but with Spottedleaf when she shows up. (Even though OOCness with Spottedleaf will probably be an improvement, I need to work on characterization, which means working with what the Erins give me.)

And this is where you, the reader (and hopefully reviewer), comes in.

I am a terrible judge of my own work. Rarely can I extricate myself enough from my work to figure out what works and what doesn't. I had no idea if my plot is moving along too quickly or too slowly, if the characters are out of whack, if my plot is too easy to see through or too vague, etc. If you see any of these problems in this fic, or any other problems you can think of, SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS. (Or through reviews or PM, since if you shout it from the rooftops, I'm unlikely to hear you due to the headphones that are covering my ears.)

I won't get mad, upset, or go drown my sorrows in endless cans of Pepsi. On the contrary, I will hug you and give you virtual cupcakes. Trust me, you will not hurt my feelings. I play basketball. The things I've been told by coaches are way harsher than anything you can think of – and I laugh at those guys. But I improve. :)

Of course, you don't have to rip this apart if you don't want to. It's just appreciated. Also cupcakes. :D

And because I'm so committed to improvement, I'm going to try to update on a more regular basis. I mean it this time, I really will. Even with school starting next week. (I'm actually better at updating during school because I write rather than do my homework.) My goal?

Finish this by the end of the year.

Is it crazy?

Yes. So am I.

. . . I think this author's note was longer than the chapter was. -_- Sorry. DFTBA, everyone!