Fireheart

Bluestar swiftly led the way back to camp. The noise of the group re-entering camp alerted the cats who had remained behind. By the time all of them were inside camp, the rest of the Clan had mostly emerged from their dens.

"What's the news?" called an elder. Fireheart settled down in front of the Highledge. He had a feeling Bluestar would want to call a Clan meeting.

"Was ShadowClan there?" Willowpelt asked. Bluestar leapt up onto the Highledge. Fireheart let out a barely audible purr. I was right.

"Yes, ShadowClan were there," Bluestar replied. Tigerclaw leapt up onto the Highledge next to Bluestar.

"There was much tension between the Clans tonight," Bluestar began. "And I became aware of a possible now alliance between Crookedstar and Nightpelt."

Graystripe squeezed in next to Fireheart, nearly suffocating the ginger tom.

"What's she talking about?" Graystripe asked. "I thought Nightpelt agreed with Bluestar!"

And here's one cat that will never learn to look past the surface, Fireheart thought disdainfully, trying to scoot away from Graystripe.

"Nightpelt?" One-eye croaked from the back of the crowd.

"He has been named as ShadowClan's new leader," Bluestar explained.

"But his name―hasn't he been accepted by StarClan yet?" One-eye mewed.

"He plans to travel to the Moonstone tomorrow night," Tigerclaw told her.

"No leader can speak for their Clan at a Gathering without receiving StarClan's approval first," One-eye grumbled, loud enough for every cat to hear.

"He has the support of ShadowClan, One-eye," Bluestar replied. "We cannot ignore what he said tonight." One-eye sniffed disgruntledly. Fireheart rolled his eyes.

"At the Gathering, I suggested we find WindClan and bring them home," Bluestar announced. "But Crookedstar and Nightpelt don't seem to want the same thing."

"They're hardly likely to join forces, though, aren't they?" Graystripe called. "They almost had a scrap over hunting rights in the river!"

"Didn't you see the looks they were swapping by the end of the meeting?" Fireheart asked, barely managing to keep the disdain out of his voice. "They're both desperate to get their paws on WindClan's territory."

"But why?" Sandpaw asked. She was sitting next to Whitestorm, her mentor. Because they're bored and want to play tag there, Fireheart though sarcastically. They want them to HUNT IN IT, genius!

"I suspect ShadowClan is not as weak as we thought they would be," Whitestorm said to his apprentice. "And Nightpelt seems to have more ambition that any cat expected."

"But why does RiverClan want to hunt WindClan's grounds? They've always grown fat on the fish from their precious streams and rivers!" yowled Willowpelt. Fireheart noticed Runningwind nodding in agreement as Willowpelt continued. "The uplands are a long way to go for a few windblown rabbits!"

Dappletail, an elder, spoke up in a cracked, rusty voice. "At the Gathering, some of the RiverClan elders spoke of Twolegs taking over part of their territory."

"That's right," Frostfur agreed. "They say Twolegs have been living in shelters on their territory, disturbing the fish. The RiverClan cats have had to hide in the bushes and watch them with empty stomachs!"

Bluestar looked thoughtful. "For now, we must do nothing that may bring ShadowClan and RiverClan closer together. Go and rest now. Runningwind and Dustpaw, you will take the dawn patrol."

A cold breeze whistled through the trees and bushes of the forest above the camp. As the cats began dispersing, Fireheart gave a disdainful sniff.

Huh! he though, slowly padding after Graystripe. If I were leader, I would have taken the chance to attack RiverClan while they were weak. Still a bit disgruntled, Fireheart entered the warriors' den and settled down to sleep.

As he slept, the young warrior dreamed. He was standing in the dark. The endless roar and stench of the Thunderpath was near to him, very near to him. The young warrior was pushed and buffeted by the wind the monsters brought. Suddenly, through the noise, a high-pitched cat's wail cut through the air. Panic attacked Fireheart as he recognized the voice. Spottedleaf. No! Fireheart tore forward. Where is she? What happened? Then he broke through the darkness and raced out onto the Thunderpath. In the light of monsters' ghostly eyes, he caught sight of a petite tortoiseshell lying limp on the hard black ground. Spottedleaf! He raced forward, but it was too late. Spottedleaf was dead, her body lying limp and broken―

Then Fireheart woke up.

He was breathing hard and his eyes were wide. Fireheart glanced around. The other warriors were all sleeping peacefully. Fireheart still felt too unsettled to go back to sleep, so he made his way out of the den and into the camp.

The sky was dark and dotted with bright stars. With Spottedleaf's wail still haunting his mind, Fireheart padded over to the nursery, ears pricked. Tigerclaw's mate Goldenflower was still sleeping there; in a few days she would return to the warriors' den. Fireheart swivled his ears again, but all he could hear was the pawsteps of Darkstripe and Longtail as the guarded the narrow entrance to the ThunderClan camp.

Somewhat soothed by the calm, quiet night, Fireheart returned to the warriors' den. I'm sure Spottedleaf is fine… wherever she is, Fireheart told himself. Maybe StarClan isn't real, but if it is, Spottedleaf is surely there.

Stepping quietly, Fireheart found his old place and lay down. Breathing deeply, the bright ginger warrior soon fell into a peaceful sleep.