Fireheart

When Fireheart opened his eyes again, gray light was glowing at the end of the tunnel. Dawn must be near. Fireheart got to his feet and stretched, groaning softly. His muscles were sore and tired, even with the short sleep he'd gotten. Oh well. It should wear off when we get moving. Fireheart nudged Graystripe with his paw. The gray tom quickly woke and looked up, blinking blearily.

"Ugh. Morning already?"

"Almost," Fireheart answered. Graystripe stretched and slowly got to his paws.

"We should head that way," Fireheart mewed, craning his neck to point away from the light. "This tunnel leads right under the Thunderpath, I think. It might take us closer to that... place we saw last night."

Graystripe nodded in agreement, and together the two cats began padding into the quiet darkness.

Before long, Fireheart spotted a light up ahead of them. The two quickened their pace until they were racing up a short, steep slope that led into the dawn-filled world above.

The two cats had come up on the edge of a patch of ragged, dirty grass. Thunderpaths enclosed it on two sides, and another Thunder-bridge arched overhead. In the center of the grass, a small fire was burning. Near it lay a few Twolegs. One was sleeping, while another two tended the fire. None of them seemed bothered by the noise or stench of the Thunderpath.

Fireheart warily watched the Twolegs, wondering how to get past them. He was still considering this problem when movement caught his eye. Dark silhouettes were flitting back and forth on the other side of the fire. They were shaped almost like―cats. Is that them? Is that WindClan? Fireheart cautiously considered whether or not to move forward. If it was WindClan, then their mission required that they go forward and talk to them. But if the cats weren't WindClan, they were back to square one.

"Fireheart? Fireheart!" Graystripe voice jolted Fireheart out of his thoughts. Yup, I wanted every rogue in the area to know where I am. Thanks a bunch, Graystripe. The ginger warrior took in a few breaths to calm himself, then spoke to Graystripe.

"We need to talk to them," he meowed, flicking his tail at the cats on the other side of the fire.

"Then you think it is WindClan?"

"You smelled their marker―who else could it be?"

"Then we found them!" Graystripe's eyes were shining with triumph, and they had the same hyper gleam they'd had the night before when Fireheart promised rest.

Fireheart nodded. Manipulating this cat is getting easier by the minute. He brushed Graystripe's shoulder with his tail to keep the grey tom from springing forward towards the fire.

"Hang on," he murmured. "We don't want to startle them."

Just then, one of the Twolegs sat up with a jolt and began to shout at the ragged cats surrounding the fire. The noise roused to other Twolegs, who joined in with loud, raucous voices.

The WindClan cats scattered. All caution forgotten, Fireheart and Graystripe raced after them. Fireheart almost reconsidered when he realized that the only way through wen straight past the Twolegs, but by then it was too late.

A Twoleg staggered to its feet, looming up in front of him. Fireheart skidded, sending up a spray of dust and pebbles, and then dodged frantically. He didn't dare to glance back and see where Graystripe was. All of his energy was focused on running forward, through the Twoleg's legs, past the fire, and after the WindClan cats.

He charged into the safety of the shadow beneath the Thunderpath and crouched there, breathing heavily. Only then did he realize that Graystripe was beside him, also wheezing for breath. Some ways ahead, the WindClan cats had stopped near one of the Thunder-bridge's night stone legs. Then, one by one, they disappeared into the ground.

"Where did they go?" Graystripe asked in wide-eyed amazement.

"There must be another tunnel there," Fireheart answered, easily solving the puzzle. "Come on, let's have a look."

The two cats approached the stone leg. Fireheart quietly dropped back as they walked, letting Graystripe go first. If there was something dangerous there, he'd prefer if it was Graystripe that found out rather than himself.

Just in front of the stone leg there lay a hole in the ground, similar to the one Fireheart and Graystripe had sheltered in during the night, only a bit smaller. The entrance was round and lined with stone, and it sloped steeply downward into darkness.

Fireheart let Graystripe lead the way downward. As they went, both cats were on the alert for any trace of the WindClan cats. The floor of the tunnel was wet and slimy, and Fireheart could hear the sound of trickling water somewhere near them. As the tunnel leveled out, Fireheart opened his mouth to take in the air and almost gagged. The tunnel smelled rank and bitter―worse than the tunnel they had slept in and almost worse than the Thunderpath. Here and there the fear-scent of the WindClan cats lay, mingling with the foul air.

It was too dark to see anything, but after a while Fireheart sensed a turn in the tunnel with his whiskers. He flicked his tail, touching Graystripe lightly. For once Graystripe understood the signal and stopped. Together, both cats peered around the corner.

Ahead of then, the tunnel was lit by a small hole in the ceiling that led to the wasteland above. Fireheart could see many cats huddled together in the dim light―warriors and elders, queens and kits, all pitifully thin. For an instant, a pang of sympathy ran through him, but he quickly quenched it. These cats deserved to be here. They couldn't defend their own territory, so they had been chased out. It was simple as that. The only reason he was here seeing them at all was because Bluestar had sent him.

Suddenly the tunnel shook as a monster roared overhead. Graystripe and Fireheart jumped, already tense. The WindClan cats, however, didn't move. They simply huddled with half-closed eyes, oblivious to their surroundings.

The noise died away. Fireheart took a deep breath and nudged Graystripe.

"Go," he murmured. Cautiously, Graystripe stepped around the corner and into the light, with Fireheart just behind him.

A mottled dark brown tom leapt to his feet, fur standing on end, and yowled an alarm to the rest of Clan. Far quicker than Fireheart would have expected, the WindClan warriors got to their feet and formed into a line across the tunnel, protecting the queens and elders. With their backs arched and mouths open to display thorn-sharp fangs, the WindClan cats almost looked intimidating.

Next to Fireheart, Graystripe backed up quickly, a look of dread on his face. Fireheart held his ground, determined not to be afraid of these half-starved cats.

The WindClan cats remained in their line, unmoving. They're waiting for a signal from their leader, Fireheart realized. The idiots. If a cat attacks you, you attack back! You don't wait.

From behind the line of warriors, a black-and-white tom wove his way to the front. Fireheart recognized him as Tallstar, the leader of WindClan.

The fire-colored warrior tensed, ready to defend himself if Tallstar attacked, but the black-and-white tom made no move to do so, so Fireheart remained still. No sense starting a battle if there's no need.

Tallstar sniffed the air, but Fireheart and Graystripe were downwind, giving Tallstar no way to scent them from his current position. So the thin tom walked toward them. Fireheart remained completely still, as did Graystripe. Tallstar circled them, sniffing their fur closely, and Fireheart had to try hard to keep from gagging at the scent of crowfood that hung on the older tom's pelt.

Finally, Tallstar stepped away from them and murmured to his warriors, "ThunderClan." The warriors flattened their fur, but stayed in their defensive line, shielding the weaker cats.

Tallstar turned to face Fireheart and Graystripe and sat down, curling his long tail carefully over his paws. "I was expecting ShadowClan," he mewed tightly. Hostility was burning in his eyes. "Why are you here?"

"We came to find you," Fireheart answered, careful to keep his voice even and polite. "Bluestar and the other Clan leaders want you to return to your home." He remembered the looks Nightpelt and Crookedstar had exchanged and knew that his statement wasn't completely true, but Tallstar wouldn't know that.

Tallstar's voice was still wary and guarded. "That territory is not safe for my Clan anymore."

"ShadowClan has driven out Brokenstar." Again, not completely true, but close enough. "He is no longer a threat."

The warrior behind Tallstar turned and looked at each other. Surprised murmurs began to make their way through the gathered cats.

"You must return as soon as possible," Fireheart continued. "ShadowClan and RiverClan are starting to hunt in the uplands. We saw a RiverClan hunting patrol near your camp while we were on our way here."

Tallstar bristled angrily at this. Good, Fireheart thought. We've got his attention.

"But they're poor rabbit hunters," Graystripe declared enthusiastically. "I think they went home with empty bellies."

Tallstar and his warriors purred with satisfaction, which gave Fireheart the chance to think for a moment. WindClan was weak. It would be hard―if not impossible―for them to make the journey back to their territory. If he and Graystripe left now, they might never know what had happened to WindClan. Somehow, Fireheart doubted that Bluestar would consider their mission fulfilled if that happened.

"May we travel with you?" Fireheart asked tactfully. Tallstar's amber eyes flashed. He knew the question was really a veiled offer of help. For a moment he just looked at Fireheart. Then he nodded.

"Yes," he mewed. "Thank you."

Fireheart abruptly realized that he hadn't introduced himself or his companion. He hastily mewed,

"This is Graystripe." He dipped his head, somewhat hesitantly. "And I am Fireheart. We are warriors of ThunderClan."

"Fireheart," repeated Tallstar thoughtfully. Light was flooding through the hole in the ceiling now, highlighting Fireheart's handsome orange pelt. "The name suits you."

Another monster rushed overhead, momentarily blocking out the light. Fireheart and Graystripe flinched. Tallstar watched with amusement before flicking his tail. The line of warriors behind him broke up.

"We shall leave at once," the black-and-white leader announced, getting to his feet. "Are we all fit for the journey?"

"All except Morningflower's kit," replied a mottled brown tom, the same tom that had first seen Fireheart and Graystripe.

"Then we must take turns carrying him," replied Tallstar.

The WindClan cats shuffled forward, and Fireheart again noticed how thin and exhausted they looked. He shrugged it off as a tortoiseshell queen stepped up alongside him, holding a tiny kit gently by the scruff of its nick. The little creature's eyes were hardly open.

"Ready?" called Tallstar from the front of the group. A black tom with a bent, twisted paw glanced around and answered for the Clan.

"Ready."