Chapter 1

Fireheart felt like his fur was about to fall out from stress. For all his life spent in the clans, this might be the time that he would get exiled from the clan, for sure.

Ever since he was young, it seemed like he was always the center of attention. As an apprentice, he had fed a Shadowclan cat before his own clan, had Bluestar as his mentor, helped defeat Brokenstar, and became a warrior before Dustpelt and Sandstorm. Even as a warrior, the attention didn't end. He brought home Windclan with Graystripe, fed Riverclan when their camp was flooded, and even fought off Tigerclaw when he tried to kill Bluestar. Breaking the warrior code was Fireheart's specialty, albeit always for the greater good.

The aftermath of these events was always in Fireheart's favor, but he feared that things might not go his way this time. Dogs had been hunting near Snakerocks for the past couple of moons, and despite telling Bluestar about the dogs, she was utterly convinced that Windclan was responsible. To prevent such an unnecessary battle from happening, Fireheart traveled to Windclan territory and told Tallstar about the situation. Such an act was essentially treason against Thunderclan, and many leaders past and present would likely argue for Fireheart's exile. However, Fireheart risked it regardless. He didn't want his clanmates to be in danger of dying in a pointless battle, especially when Tigerstar was still in the forest.

Consequently, if his plan failed and Bluestar led Thunderclan to battle, Windclan would know all about it, and Fireheart would have put the lives of his clan mates in extreme danger.

Fireheart gripped the dirt beneath his paws. He watched in anticipation as Bluestar and Tallstar negotiated. The four great oaks towered above him as stars sparkled in the sky.

Starclan, please be with me! Fireheart thought.

Bluestar's tail lashed ferociously as she talked with Tallstar.

"By all that you hold sacred, I swear that Windclan has not stolen prey from Thunderclan," meowed Tallstar.

"And how are we supposed to believe that?" questioned Bluestar.

"Because we too have suffered from a lack of prey. Someone or something is taking our prey as well, and we suspect dogs. I can assure you that it is not Windclan."

"And are we supposed to believe the words coming out of your mouth? You can't deny that you haven't stolen from Thunderclan. Besides, you've attempted to intervene in Thunderclan affairs before when you stopped me from going to the moonstone, so how am I supposed to trust you now?" spat Bluestar.

"Mudclaw was only acting in the best interests of the clan," responded Tallstar.

"I had a right to go! I had assumed that Windclan would be more honorable when Thunderclan brought you home, but it surprises me how petty your clan can be, Tallstar."

"You still hold that over us? We have no obligation to be under the paw of Thunderclan for a favor long in the past."

"Then the least you could do is stop stealing prey from our territory."

A multitude of hisses and howls in defiance erupted from the Windclan cats, but Tallstar raised his tail for silence. His expression remained neutral.

"Perhaps some proof would reassure you then. Onewhisker, bring the prey," demanded Tallstar.

The Windclan cats made way for a cat with a mangled rabbit in his jaws. He padded up to Bluestar and gently laid out the evidence in front of her.

"See? It's horribly mangled. Do you think a clan warrior would disrespect prey given to us by Starclan like this? It must've been a dog," commented Tallstar.

"Don't speak of Starclan to me! Starclan does not care about our lives. For all they're worth, they may as well have done this themselves," countered Bluestar.

Shocked mewls rippled throughout the cats present, and even Tallstar was taken aback. Fireheart quickly padded up to Bluestar to divert the conversation back on topic.

"Bluestar, please reconsider. We didn't detect Windclan's scent on those prey. It couldn't have bee-"

"Silence!" boomed Bluestar.

"But Windclan isn't responsible!" cried out Fireheart.

"You should show more respect to your leader, Fireheart," reprimanded Tallstar. He turned to address Bluestar. "Young cats always think they know everything, but maybe we should try listening to the younger ones," suggested Tallstar.

Bluestar stayed silent for a moment. The tension was palpable until she spoke up again.

"…Alright. You win. We'll withdraw for now. However, if we see any Windclan cats trespassing on our territory, it'll be your blood that spills," threatened Bluestar.

Tallstar bowed his head. "Duly noted."

"Thunderclan, we're returning!"

At once, the Thunderclan patrol followed Bluestar back towards the camp. Fireheart followed in silence, but deep inside he couldn't help but feel thankful to Starclan. It was the result he had been hoping for.

The camp entrance rustled as the returning patrol poured in. Several cats still awake gathered around to inquire about what happened at the meeting. Cinderpelt limped over to check for any injuries.

"It's alright, Cinderpelt," meowed Fireheart. "We didn't fight."

"That's always good news. Mousefur sent Brackenfur and some others on a patrol."

"I see. I'll lead a hunting patrol to get more prey."

"No, you won't," Bluestar announced from behind. She stalked up to Fireheart until she was a tail length away.

"Bluestar, I-"

"You set this up, didn't you?"

"I- I don't quite understand-"

"Don't play dumb with me! I bet you took Ravenpaw to speak with Windclan about this whole ordeal, didn't you?"

Several cats from the patrol looked up at the new commotion.

"Well… I… yes, I did. But I did it for the clan!"

"You think I'm a fool, don't you? That I've somehow become senile? You think I'm no longer in my right mind!" Bluestar exclaimed in front of everyone.

"Of course not. Bluestar, can't we discuss this privately-"

"You think just because I don't trust our precious Starclan ancestors that I've become daft! Like an elder that needs her bedding changed?" Bluestar turned to the rest of the patrol. "I bet you all knew of this too, didn't you? I knew nothing could come from you traitors!"

Several cats shifted their paws uncomfortably. It was true that Whitestorm and many of the warriors knew about Fireheart's plan, although they very much didn't like it. Regardless, they felt guilty for going against the warrior code and behind Bluestar's back. Dustpelt, feeling guilty himself, still decided to speak up.

"But Bluestar, it was true that dogs were all over those rabbits. We didn't catch any Windclan scent at all," informed Dustpelt.

"So that's a reason to go behind my back and lie to your leader?" inquired Bluestar.

"Of course not! It's just that, well, I thought… that this battle would've maybe… perhaps… been unnecessary?" stammered Dustpelt, losing conviction as he spoke.

Fireheart stepped forward again.

"Bluestar, please-"

"I trusted you, Fireheart. I thought that I could find relief knowing that my deputy wasn't a fool, but it seems you're no different from the rest of these traitors!"

"Your clanmates are not traitors, Bluestar! Only Tigerclaw was the traitor. No one else has plotted against you!" rebuked Fireheart.

"Of course you would think that, Fireheart. You're one of them." Bluestar paced around. Her mumbling was steadily making Fireheart more anxious. "Oh, how ingenious of Starclan to think of such a way to torture me: make my whole clan a group of traitors. They really think that by turning my second-in-command into a traitor, I would break and beg for forgiveness from them, do they? Well, not today."

Bluestar snapped out of her delusions and stepped closer to Fireheart. Bluestar's pressure was extraordinarily oppressive, and if it had not been for the previous context, Fireheart might have assumed that Bluestar was back to her usual self. However, her capricious attitude delivered a different message to him.

"Tell me, Fireheart. What punishment should I give to a traitor like you?"

The words stabbed him in the heart.

"Bluestar, please reconsider. I would never harm you or the clan in any purposeful wa-"

"Tell me, Fireheart."

Deep down, Fireheart knew the answer. Just like what he hoped would happen to the treacherous Tigerclaw, traitors only deserved one thing.

"Exile."

Bluestar raised her head toward the clan.

"Then by the glorious powers gifted upon me by the ones this clan loves so much, I sentence the traitor Fireheart to exile. Should he be found on our territory after today, he is to be killed."

Fireheart felt the world shift beneath him, nearly stumbling back in shock. He had prepared for this punishment when he went behind Bluestar's back to talk to Tallstar about the peace negotiations at Fourtrees, but somehow the weight of the consequence hadn't really set in. Now, it had crushed his soul nearly to dust. Sandstorm rushed to Bluestar's side.

"Wait, Bluestar. Fireheart may have been wrong in his actions, but this is too harsh of a punishment! Tigerclaw was a menace driven for power, but Fireheart would never mean harm to the clan."

"Oh please, it's about time that kittypet got what he deserved," interjected Darkstripe in disgust.

"'What he deserved'? Please. He's done more than you to prove he's a true warrior. What's that got to do with anything?" Cinderpelt meowed defensively.

"Once a kittypet, always a kittypet. He was trouble the moment we invited him into the clan," Darkstripe sneered.

"Still, perhaps we should reconsider this choice. He is a valuable member and our deputy…" murmured Brindleface shyly.

Fireheart felt warm by some of his clanmate's defenses, ignoring the usual Darkstripe completely. It seemed like all his hard work as both a warrior and a deputy hadn't gone unnoticed. Unfortunately, Bluestar ignored their pleas entirely.

"My orders stand. Unless you want to be exiled with him?" questioned Bluestar to the cats who spoke out. "A clan with one less traitor is always a good thing, after all."

The cats shuffled their paws awkwardly. Sandstorm flashed a couple of reluctant glances at Fireheart, and the young orange tom felt his heart tear. In his heart, he would have begged and loved for his clanmates to join him, but it would've been incredibly selfish to do so. These cats have been with the clan their whole lives. It was akin to one big family. To throw that away from a single cat like him would be a foolish decision.

Fireheart shook his head dejectedly.

"No, that's enough. I will go."

"But-"

"Please, Sandstorm. That's enough," meowed Fireheart, trying to convince his close friend to stop. He turned to Bluestar.

"It's true that I broke the warrior code many times, and I even went behind my leader's back to accomplish it this time. However, I will still love this clan, regardless of what you think of me, Bluestar. But, before I go."

Fireheart dipped his head deeply to Bluestar, startling her.

"Thank you, for everything."

With his final words, Fireheart turned and headed for the ravine. He could feel the eyes bore into the back of his head, watching him as he padded out of the camp. He observed all he could just as he left: the dens, the burnt walls of the camp still being rebuilt, and the small fresh-kill pile.

I wish I could've at least helped restock that before I was exiled.

He silently mused over the fact that, despite no longer being deputy, he was still thinking of ways to guide his beloved clan. As these fleeting thoughts entered his mind, the burnt trees and landscape swallowed him whole, and he was gone.

Bluestar watched as her exiled deputy left her. She mulled over her decision, watching the flame-colored pelt vanish over the ravine and thinking back to all the times she had watched and trained him. She had brought him into the clan. She had trained him as his mentor. She had even let him become deputy after the traitorous Tigerclaw attempted to take her life.

And yet, he ended up becoming a traitor, just like the rest of these fools.

The thought weighed heavily on her, her emotions in turmoil as her mind determined that all the cats around her were enemies. Not even the ones she thought were her closest allies could be trusted anymore.

What could I have done differently? Should I have just kept my kits? Where did everything go so… horribly wrong?

Just as her thoughts snowballed in her mind, a cat nudged her in the shoulder.

"Bluestar, this may be sudden, but without a deputy, we'll be in trouble. What should we do?" asked Whitestorm next to her.

Somehow, the thought didn't even come to her. She felt like the world had gotten even duller than before as if nothing mattered anymore. These traitors were going to do things behind her back anyway.

"Whitestorm, you can be deputy. I'm heading back to my den," decided Bluestar at last.

Sandstorm whipped her head from the ravine.

"That's it? No rethinking of getting Fireheart back? No ceremony for Whitestorm? Nothing? Like you just got a piece of fresh-kill stuck to your teeth?" she exclaimed.

"Sandstorm! That's no way to talk to your leader-"

"Bite me. This is ridiculous! Fireheart had to take the fall for a mistake our leader made! After the fire in the forest, Tigerclaw becoming Tigerstar, and dogs in the forest, we need warriors now more than ever. Warriors that actually know what they're doing. Now, we're not just short of a deputy, but a good one too!"

"Well, Whitestorm is your deputy now, so you're no longer short a deputy," meowed Bluestar nonchalantly.

The rest of the patrol watched their leader, head hunched over and tail dragging on the ground, as she steadily climbed up the highrock and slipped through the lichen draped over her den.

Whitestorm sighed, placing his tail over Sandstorm's shoulder.

"For now, let's continue Fireheart's plan to restock the fresh-kill pile and rebuild our camp. Things are urgent, so I advise everyone to get to work and for those to eat if they haven't eaten yet," ordered Whitestorm, already displaying the demeanor and wisdom of a senior warrior.

The other cats gathered their attention and set out for patrols. Sandstorm tagged along to hunt for more fresh-kill, but in the back of her mind, she couldn't stop her thoughts from running amok.

Is this clan going to be okay?

At first, Fireheart was unsure where to go. He considered staying on the territory secretly to help his clanmates at first, but his clanmates were ordered to kill him if he was caught on Thunderclan territory after tomorrow. He definitely didn't want to fight them either. He considered some of them to be family, and having to claw each other out would do no good for anyone. Furthermore, even if he hoped that some of them wouldn't attack him, they would technically be breaking the warrior code by not attacking him, something he didn't want to put his clanmates through.

As his thoughts ran through his head, he found himself at the walls of twolegplace in the usual spot where he would meet with his sister, Princess.

I wonder if she's still up.

He hunched his shoulders and launched himself on top of the wall. Steading himself, he padded forward until he came up to Princess' house. Fireheart checked her backyard for any signs of his sister. Coincidentally, a light-brown tabby she-cat padded through a flap in the twoleg's door, and she put her paws forward to stretch her upper body as much as possible.

"Hey, Princess," greeted Fireheart abruptly.

Princess let out a squeak and jumped before glaring at Fireheart.

"You can't do that! You scared me!" shouted an upset Princess.

Fireheart couldn't help but smirk. He jumped from the wall and landed in Princess' yard.

"Sorry, I probably should've made some noise first."

"You really should have," meowed Princess with a sour expression. The two looked at each other for a moment before laughing out loud.

"It's good to see you again, Fireheart. How's clan life? How's Cloudpaw?"

Fireheart's expression changed to a more serious one at the mention of clan life.

"Ah… right. Well, it's a long story."

Fireheart explained the whole story about Bluestar's aggression towards Windclan, his going to Tallstar to set up negotiations, his talk with Bluestar, and then finally his exile. Princess' look grew from one of shock, to sadness, then anger.

"Unbelievable! Completely unbelievable! Ugh, such a she-cat makes my blood boil!"

"I appreciate the sentiment, Princess, but I'll be okay," reassured Fireheart. "I think," he added to himself secretly.

Princess looked at Fireheart with anger, until she sighed and released her frustration.

"It's annoying that it happened that way, but if you say it's fine, then I guess I can't say anything about it. What about Cloudpaw? Is he going to be alright?"

Fireheart's head drooped. "I think Cloudpaw will be okay, at least for the time being. I know he's a strong apprentice, and I think he's already begun to make good friends with some of the other apprentices. I just hope he doesn't get too lonely without me…"

Princess licked Fireheart's ear in comfort. "I'm sure if he needs comfort, he'll come to me. I'll be here to let him know what's up with you. Speaking of which, what do you plan on doing now? Do you want twolegs to take care of you again? Though, from the way you left them in the first place, I'm assuming you want more freedom than that."

Fireheart shook his head at the thought of having twolegs care for him again. It didn't feel all that revolting of an idea when he was younger, but now that he got to experience clan life to the fullest, he didn't think it was possible to fit in with twolegs again.

"I'll have to keep looking around. I might stick close to the clans, but we'll just have to see, I suppose."

"Then let me know if you ever need help, and I'll do my best," meowed Princess with a smile. Then, her expression suddenly changed.

"Oh! I just remembered something. I was planning on telling you this next time you were going to visit me, but I'll just tell you now. There's been rumors going around of some strange rogues making a name for themselves in twolegplace. They wear studded collars full of the teeth of other animals, even cats. They're ruthless! It's horrible."

Fireheart was shocked to hear such news, or that such cats would think of wearing such nasty collars.

"Has everything been okay?" asked Fireheart.

"I'm okay, but there have been rumors of these cats doing horrible things to others. They've also been supposedly expanding their territory, looking for new places to hunt. They're willing to challenge other cats for their territory, and they kill the owners when they win and take over their territory."

Fireheart was mortified. He already didn't like the sound of that.

"So, if you happen to go into twolegplace, please be careful, okay?" finished Princess.

Fireheart gently rubbed his muzzle against his sister's.

"Of course. I'll make sure to watch out."

"Thank you. I don't want to lose my two proud warriors, okay?"

"You won't," reassured Fireheart.

Suddenly, twoleg voices could be heard from inside their den, calling for someone.

"Shoot. I have to go, but don't forget to come and talk to me sometimes, okay?" pleaded Princess.

"I will. Stay safe!"

"You too!"

Princess quickly ducked back into her twoleg den through the small cat flap, and she was gone. Fireheart jumped onto the wall of twolegplace, observing both the forest on one side and the rows of houses on the other. It was time to make a decision: to stay around the forest somewhere or go to twolegplace. Without a doubt, his choice should've been the forest. He grew up here, he learned his skills here, and he made unbreakable bonds with his clan. However, something Princess said had been nagging at him.

Expanding territory to hunt, wearing studded collars… They don't exactly sound like the friendly types. What if they start considering the clan territories as a prime target?

Fireheart's curiosity grew. He wanted to know at least a little bit about these cats. How strong were they? How many? Thunderclan already had so many things to take care of: a depressed leader, Tigerstar, lack of allies, and a destroyed forest. No offense to his clan or his friends, but they were weaker now than ever before. As its former deputy, he would know. What if these cats happen to hear how weak they are, or if Tigerstar intends to use them for another scheme of his?

He hasn't been above the idea of using rogues before… Maybe these cats belonged to the same group?

Fireheart's curiosity intensified. Fireheart also realized that since he was technically a rogue himself now, he didn't need to attend to the stressful duties of a deputy. He could roam freely. He could investigate, which meant he could spend more time resolving the bigger issues of the clans instead of managing patrols all the time. He didn't hate it per se, but he had always thought there were bigger problems looming beyond the trees of the Thunderclan camp.

Finally, he leaped from the wall and headed into twolegplace. Fireheart's soul, initially crushed by his exile, was lit aflame once more to help his clan.