Chapter 37: Penance

Fireheart had been observing Darkstripe when he had time. The cat avoided everyone except Bluestar, Cloudpaw, and strangely Cinderpaw. Cinderpaw was an odd one since the two didn't really talk. Instead, she'd sometimes give him herb bundles and he'd take off into the woods for a while. He'd come back with a bit of Shadow Clan scent on him. It didn't smell like he was on their territory, but more that he'd been talking to one. If Fireheart smelled hard enough, he could faintly smell that sickness of Shadow Clan, but each day that passed, the fainter that scent was when Cinderpaw or Darkstripe returned from their covert healing. Soon, Darkstripe wouldn't need to interact with Cinderpaw since those Shadow Clan cats would be healed. Fireheart knew Darkstripe was happier now that he was interacting with someone. He couldn't let Darkstripe be alone again.

Fireheart decided the best option was to start building up Darkstripe's support base again. He couldn't do it himself since he betrayed Darkstripe so drastically, but Longtail and Dustpelt would be a good answer. He called those two out for a private conversation. They met at the training grounds.

"Longtail. Dustpelt."

Longtail's eyes were cold with barely suppressed rage. He looked at Fireheart the same way he would a piece of fresh kill writhing with maggots.

"Fireheart. What reason did you call us?"

Fireheart had to keep himself from squirming under that hostile gaze.

"I want to right what I did wrong. Darkstripe trusted me with the secrets of his past, and I betrayed him. Longtail, you promised if I ever broke his trust, my corpse would be displayed for all future kittypets to see. I'll accept whatever punishment you want."

Dustpelt watched quietly as Longtail sized up their deputy. He personally was upset at Fireheart, but he'd never go as far as to kill him. Maybe shred him a bit. There was tense silence as the two stared each other down. One with killing intent and the other with remorse. Suddenly Longtail lashed out hard. He struck a hard blow against Fireheart's neck that sent the cat rolling. There was no blood as Dustpelt looked closer. Fireheart was coughing and wheezing with the blow, but it wouldn't be fatal or even leave a lasting mark.

"You are lucky you are the deputy. Next time there will be claws. Now about Darkstripe."

It took a while for Fireheart to recover from the blow. Breathing was restricted and painful due to the blow. He wheezed and puffed as he waited for the pain and tightness to fade. Eventually he could speak, but it was raspy. He could only string about two words together before he'd need another breath.

"I want… Darkstripe… to be… himself again."

The tightness was fading, but his throat felt raw like he'd spent a day just wailing.

"Darkstripe needs cats he can trust. I can't be that now. I did too much wrong. He needs you two. I want you two to earn his trust again. Even if he hates me, I want him to be himself again. I want him happy. He deserves it after all he's gone through."

Dustpelt stared at the cat who wronged his mentor trying to discern if there was deceit in his voice. He'd never liked Fireheart that much. Part of it was how Sandstorm acted around him. The other half was skepticism. He couldn't believe a cat would act needlessly kind without an ulterior motive. He was so smart and dumb at the same time. How could a cat be smart enough to be deputy and dumb enough to not know the value of a friend's secret. Slowly he realized that the intelligence and ignorance weren't feigned. The cat was overly expressive and the guilt showing on his face made it clear that he truly didn't mean what he did.

Dustpelt scoffed. "I'll do it. Not for you but for Darkstripe. My mentor is one of the smartest and cleverest cats in the clan. If you think I'd leave him like he is, then you truly are a dumb kittypet. You are by far the most mousebrained thinker I've ever met. Don't let your mousebrainedness do this again."

Longtail nodded his approval. Fireheart let out a relieved sigh without realizing how that would agitate his throat. He was seized by another coughing fit. Despite the pain and the difficulty breathing, Fireheart was happier than he'd been in days. When Fireheart returned to camp, Yellowfang immediately grabbed him and tried to demand to know what happened. Fireheart would not give her an answer besides righting a wrong. She tried to give him honey to sooth his throat for now, but he refused. He didn't want to alleviate the pain. He wanted to in the slightest pay penance for what he'd done. It wasn't debilitating and it would probably be gone by the next day.

Longtail had a lot to contemplate. He wasn't a thinker like Fireheart and Darkstripe, but he had experience leading due to his time as Darkstripe's partner. He needed a way to bridge the gap Darkstripe had made from the clan and himself. What could he do with Darkstripe to begin fostering trust. He tried to think back on the things Darkstripe did to build trust when he'd abandoned him as an apprentice. He was mulling over his past when Swiftpaw gave him a nudge.

"What are we doing today?" He said in an almost kittish fashion.

Like a flash, Longtail remembered how much Darkstripe liked teaching and their old game of trust.

"We're going hunting, but can you grab Darkstripe? He knows some tricks that I don't."

"What? That lonely cat? But he's so weird."

"Don't disrespect him. He's just been having a hard time recently. I know you look up to me as one of the coolest cats in the clan, but do you know who taught me?"

"No."

"It was Darkstripe. He may seem a bit rough and a tad bit crazy now, but he's one of the cleverest and well-meaning cats in the clan. He's the kind of cat that would fight a pack of dogs for a kit even if it had barely a chance of success. I'm not supposed to tell anyone this, but if you've even heard a hint about what the dealers are, he's the one who founded them."

Swiftpaw had heard the stories of the dealers. They were rumors about them that constantly flew about the gathering. Some had theorized that the founders were the reincarnates of the original Thunder, River, Wind, and Shadow. Others saw them as cats acting beyond the code for better or for worse. They were mysterious, but they had saved each clan many times. Blights had been avoided since one of the dealers would show up with the herbs they needed. No cat knew their real names besides the most trusted. Even elders began to tell tales of the dealers. They were almost like a force of Starclan with how quickly they could and would respond to threats to the clans. Darkstripe was suddenly a lot more interesting. Especially if he was the dealer Thunder. The cat who would brave any force to complete a deal he made. That dealer was the most revered of the original dealers.