Fireheart

The orange sun rose over the Thunderpath, silhouetting the distant hills against the morning sky. Fireheart and Graystripe turned and made their way back to the tunnel entrance. There they waited while the WindClan cats emerged, blinking, into the daylight. Some of the elders screwed their faces up against the light, and Fireheart guessed that they hadn't been outside of the tunnel for a while. Either that, or they were naturally hideous and grumpy. The second option was more probable. Tallstar padded out of the tunnel last and then headed up to the front of the Clan once again.

"Should we take you back the way we came?" Fireheart asked. "I believe it's a shortcut."

"Is it safe?" Tallstar responded warily.

"We met no trouble coming here," Fireheart answered. Another half-truth.

Tallstar flicked his tail, and Fireheart could tell that he was trying to decide whether or not it was wise to trust a cat he had never met. This leader seemed smarter than the rest.

"Good," he finally declared. "You come with me, Graystripe. Show me the way. Fireheart, travel beside the Clan. Tell my deputy if you see trouble."

"Which one is he?" Fireheart asked. Tallstar nodded toward the black tom with the twisted foot.

"Deadfoot." Fireheart stifled a purr. Nice name.

Fireheart left Graystripe with Tallstar and padded over to walk beside the WindClan cats. He briefly wondered whether Graystripe would be able to find the way back, but he brushed these doubts away. Tallstar seemed able enough to find the way, even if Graystripe was no help at all.

As the Clan made their way under the Thunder-bridge, Fireheart remember Bluestar's other set of intructions: Find Mudclaw and ask for a report on his Clan.

Stealthily, Fireheart dropped back until he was walking next to the mottled brown tom, the one who had first spotted him and Graystripe.

"Hello," he mewed politely. "Could you perhaps point me a tom named Mudclaw?"

The mottled tom gave him a disdainful glare. "You're lookin' at him."

Oh. Fireheart felt his pelt heating up with embarrassment. "Well, uh, I need to talk to you."

"What do you want?" Mudclaw asked impatiently. His tone conveyed an obvious lack of respect for Fireheart.

"A report on your Clan," Fireheart snapped, losing his cool for once. The sudden answer didn't seem to bother Mudclaw.

"Oh yeah? And who's makin' me give it to you, fox-heart?"

"Bluestar," Fireheart snapped back. That got Mudclaw's attention. His hackles dropped flat and his ears pricked up in interest.

"Oh? Bluestar, you say?"

"Yes. She wants a report on your Clan."

"Well." Mudclaw thought for a moment, then spoke again. "Well, listen up, 'cause I'll only say this once. Tallstar and Deadfoot are doing okay. We've got two queens in the nursery at the moment―or they would be in nursery if we had one. Barkface is fine and hasn't taken an apprentice. We've got three warriors, each with an apprentice."

Fireheart nodded, filing away the information to tell Bluestar later.

"Tell 'er this that this information wasn't free. Now leave me alone," Mudclaw ordered. Fireheart nodded and moved up, not bothering to thank the older tom. Well, that's done.

By this time the Clan had reached the tunnel where Fireheart and Graystripe had sheltered the night before. Tallstar entered the tunnel with Graystripe, and the rest of the Clan followed until only Fireheart and Deadfoot remained.

"Are you sure it leads to daylight?" the dark tom mewed warily.

"It just leads under the Thunderpath," Fireheart answered in annoyance. Tallstar and Mudclaw had given him hope that WindClan was actually bright, but Deadfoot appeared to be just as idiotic as Graystripe. "Has your Clan never used it?"

"When our warriors cross the Thunderpath, they prefer to see where they're going," Deadfoot growled. "You go first."

Fireheart padded down into the hole, silently cursing the idiocy of Clan cats. He walked without stopping soon and emerged to find the WindClan cats staring across the field that led to the final Thunderpath. As if they've never seen a field connected to a Thunderpath. Ahead, Tallstar was consulting with Graystripe. After a few minutes the cats started off again into the long, frosted grass. Fireheart followed on one side of the Clan, while Deadfoot took up the other, limping steadily. How did a disabled cat like him ever become deputy? Fireheart wondered sourly.

Before they were halfway across the field, Fireheart began to see cats lagging behind, and some stopping altogether. Weaklings, Fireheart thought. He wouldn't have slowed down if Deadfoot hadn't called ahead to Tallstar.

"Tallstar! We need to travel slower!" With this Deadfoot dropped back to help some of the cats who were lagging behind. With a small sigh, Fireheart padded back to help as well. Can't have them thinking I'm a complete fox-heart, after all. Even if I am.

He padded over to the tortoiseshell queen―Morningflower, was it? She was panting heavily, and Fireheart again noted the size of her little kit. It couldn't have been long since she had kitted.

"Let me carry your kit," Fireheart offered, trying to appear gracious. "Just until you've caught your breath."

Morningflower glanced warily at him, and for a moment Fireheart thought she had seen through his act. But her eyes softened when they met his, and she put her kit down gently. Fireheart picked it up, trying to keep the little creature from bumping up against his legs.

Fireheart was forced to go slower to keep the kit from swinging back and forth in his jaws. The little kit began to mewl as he walked. The noise was high-pitched and annoying. Stupid kits. Stupid WindClan! Fireheart thought in frustration. Why in StarClan did I agree to do this?

Tallstar had slowed his pace a little but not too much, and a short while later, Fireheart and Morningflower reached the hedge. By the time they got there, the rest of the WindClan cats were gathered around Tallstar.

"We cross the Thunderpath here," Tallstar announced above the noise of a monster racing past. The WindClan leader then squeezed under the hedge, closely followed by Graystripe and Deadfoot.

Morningflower leaned over toward Fireheart and took hold of her kit. Fireheart willingly let go of the little kitten's scruff, glad to be finished carrying it. As she turned away she brushed her cheeks against Fireheart's. Again, the flame-colored warrior felt his pelt heating up with embarrassment. Is she trying to flirt with me? Shaking his head in disgust, Fireheart slid forward, under the hedge, and came up on the other side.

Tallstar and Deadfoot sat staring wordlessly at the wide black Thunderpath. Graystripe stood beside them, shifting impatiently from one paw to the other. On Deadfoot's right stood a young brown tabby tom. As Fireheart approached, Tallstar flicked his tail at the younger warrior. "This is Onewhisker," he mewed to Fireheart.

A monster sped past, almost drowning out the black-and-white tom's words and whipping up a fast-moving cloud of stinging dust.

Fireheart blinked back the water that rushed to his eyes and nodded to Onewhisker. He then turned his attention back to Tallstar.

"We should try to get the Clan across in small groups," he mewed, surveying the Thunderpath critically. "Graystripe and I can stay with any that need help." He quickly looked back at the Clan leader. "That is, if you agree, Tallstar."

Tallstar nodded in agreement. "The strongest will go first. Onewhisker, take Ashfoot, Tornear, and Runningpaw."

Fireheart and Graystripe moved back to the join the other WindClan cats, who were pressed against the hedge as far from the Thunderpath as possible. Onewhisker moved forward, joined by a gray she-cat, a tabby tom, and a small light grey tabby apprentice. The four swiftly crossed the Thunderpath. Fireheart could see that Onewhisker was fearful, but the tom bravely plunged across anyway, catching Fireheart's attention.

A warrior and a queen crossed next, along with two skinny elders. These four hesitated for a long while before leaping across, half-startled, when Fireheart yowled, "Now!"

Two other groups crossed, leaving just one more consisting of Morningflower and a pair of elderly cats.

"We'll cross with you," Graystripe offered when he saw the weakened group. Fireheart agreed to help as well. He leaned forward to take Morningflower's kit, but she pulled back quickly. Fireheart shrugged and turned away. I don't have to carry that pitiful little kit.

"Let's go!" Graystripe yowled. He started out, flanked by one of the elders. Fireheart followed, with Morningflower on his left and the other elder on his right. A mouse probably could have outpaced the cats as they moved slowly along the Thunderpath. Fireheart tensed with every new breeze that blew. If a monster comes now, we're all fresh-kill. Come on, hurry up! The other side was still more than a few fox-lengths away.

"Come on!" pressed Graystripe, for once grasping the urgency of the situation. The elders tried to hurry, but one stumbled. Graystripe had to stop and nose his back onto his feet before they could continue.

Fireheart heard the distant roar of a monster drawing closer. He nudged Morningflower none-too-gently. "Go on ahead!" he hissed, then added as an afterthought, "We'll bring the elders."

Morningflower scrambled forward, stumbling frequently. Her kit squealed loudly as it bumped back and forth. Fireheart and Graystripe dropped back somewhat, pressing up against the elders to help them along. The monster's roar grew louder in the distance and Fireheart prepared to spring forward, should they run out of time.

As the noise grew louder and louder, Fireheart turned, grabbed the closest elder's scruff, and began roughly dragging him towards the far end of the Thunderpath. The monster was in sight now, racing closer and closer every second.

As the monster loomed up, ready to crush them all, Fireheart made one final leap toward the end, dragging the frightened elder along with him. There was an ear-splitting screech, a wave of acrid-smelling dust, and Fireheart found himself on the outer edge of the Thunderpath next to a limp, shocked elder. The monster was racing away. It had missed them all.

Tallstar and Deadfoot bounded across the Thunderpath and quickly gathered their Clan together. Fireheart padded over to sit with Graystripe and Onewhisker, both of whom stared at him with wide, shocked eyes.

Tallstar's voice sounded near them. "We must keep going. We have a long journey ahead of us."

As the cats prepared to move off, Fireheart spotted Morningflower licking her kit busily. He was about to turn away, but the queen looked up and caught his eye before he could. She motioned with her tail for him to join her. With a sigh, Fireheart trotted over to the tortoiseshell queen.

"Is he alright?" Fireheart asked as he approached.

"Oh, yes," Morningflower answered, still showering her kit with apparently unneeded attention.

"What about you?" Fireheart continued. Morningflower didn't answer.

As Fireheart turned away, a gray queen padded up to him.

"Don't worry," she meowed. "I'll take the kit next."

Fireheart barely acknowledged her.

The Clan followed the hedge along the Thunderpath for a while before turning away to follow the path that ran through a field and towards the edge of the lake territories. The more familiar scents here seemed to soothe the WindClan cats, but the journey had obviously taken its toll; they were traveling slower than ever, and every step seemed to tax the cats around Fireheart. By the time they reached the fence at the far side of the field, it was all Fireheart could do to lift the weakest of the cats over.

Clouds were billowing up on the horizon as sunset approached. The sky grew unusually dark as they covered the sinking sun, and a chilly wind ruffled Fireheart's fur. A few drops of icy rain began to soak through Fireheart's pelt. Well, this is gonna be fun.