I hope you all liked the last fic, very angsty even though we haven't really gotten to the real angst yet! Thank my Beta to such wonderful work I wouldn't have gotten this far on both Heart of Change and Heart of Fire: Into the Wild without them!
Also another shout-out to all my longtime standing reviewers that actually like to read my story; WlydClaw, I'm talking about you! I love each and every review that you send and the fact that you seem to read practically all of my fics just warms my heart! So thank you! (You all all my other good reviewers!)
Also changed my account name from Sierra. Stanley. 52 to EmpireSunIncInerator so I hope you all aren't too confused! Been wanting to change it for a long time! And just recently figured out how to do it!
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Fireheart awoke one morning by Squirrelkit jabbing her in the ear with her single white forepaw as it waved limply in the air as her tiny little daughter slept turned over on her back, squashed in-between Tawnykit and Leafkit.
The flame-pelted queen yawned, widely stretching out her jaws as she tasted the milky scent of the nursery and took in the quiet of the early morning when so many were still asleep, tucked away in their nests.
Fireheart took in the sight of all her kits blissfully sleeping away. It was such a rare sight to see them all still asleep like this, squashed all together. Squirrelkit was laid up on her back, Tawnykit attempting to rollover in her sleep as well if not for her tail being pinned down by Bramblekit's hindlegs, her two tom-kits were laying huddled together, the only way to differentiate between the two would be Hawkkit's snow-white underbelly but if they were awake then it would be clear in their different eye color. Leafkit's nose was buried in the soft moss, little weezy snores coming from her only pale brown tabby daughter, a near lookalike of her aunt. Lastly her jade green eyes turned to Mothkit, her gorgeous dappled, golden tabby daughter was curled up, not seeming to be disturbed by her littlest and last born daughter, Spottedkit, practically burrowing in her fur.
Fireheart melted at the sight of them, they were her pride and joy and the best thing to have ever happened to her. Much more than her previous, much more than what she had achieved since her second chance, much more than the happiness she received from being mates with Tigerclaw. Her kits were her everything now. The flame-pelted she-cat couldn't restrain from lightly gliding her plumy tail with it's crooked tip across each of them, just to feel them and know that they are physically real and not just a dream sent by StarClan.
After a while of gazing, Fireheart moved from the nest without waking any of the up, or disturbing any of the other sleeping queens, and made her way outside in the clearing.
Since it was so early and wasn't time for a dawn patrol most cat's were still asleep like Fireheart expected, but the flame-pelted she-cat also knew that a few warriors always awoke early, just to prepare for the day.
Her slightly crooked tail curled in delight when she spotted Tigerclaw speaking, or more like advising, Runningwind who looked as though he were swaying on his paws still half asleep.
When Tigerclaw caught Fireheart emerging from the nursery he sent Runningwind away, the ThunderClan deputy seemed relieved and stumbled away, plopping down in the shade of the protective surrounding thorn bushes and lightly dozing off. The former ThunderClan deputy streaked across the sand clearly just in order to touch noses with his mate.
Fireheart was more than happy to return the gesture and both took the quiet rare opportunity just to bask in each other's presence without any interruptions by their Clanmate's watching eyes or teasing or even having to go outside the camp to get some privacy.
"What got you up so early?" Fireheart purred as if she already didn't know.
Tigerclaw pulled away and rolled his pale amber eyes. "Runningwind was slacking on his duties and I took it upon myself to get him ready and into shape. The Clan isn't going to organize itself."
Fireheart made a sound at the back of her throat. "So really you woke him up early in the morning, just to give him orders on what to order the warriors to do." The transparent mockery in her tone of voice earned her a well deserved cuff over the ears, but it was gentle and more playful than a real reprimand.
"Then why are you up so early?" Tigerclaw countered, his eyes slightly narrowing. "Squirrelkit didn't put a--"
"No, no stink bugs, I checked last night!" Fireheart quickly reassured, shuddering in disgust as she tried to block out that incident. The one that nobody will ever talk of ever again.
Tigerclaw appeared as though he didn't believe her but accepted it anyway, his tail then flicked as he gestured to her to continue after his sudden interruptions.
"No, Squirrelkit instead managed to stick her paw in my ear somehow in her sleep, that's what woke me up." Fireheart explained, and it was her turn to stand up straight on her hindlegs in order to cuff him over the ears.
"I bet you're missing our nest in the warrior's den." Tigerclaw teased, accepting his punishment but acting as though his ears were being ruffled by a breeze.
"I feel as though I have a right to stick you in the nursery for a night just to get some peace." Fireheart complained. "They're your kits, too. Take some responsibility."
"Tigerclaw? In the nursery? I'll take on moons of apprentice duties just to see that!" Both Tigerclaw and Fireheart turned to see Whitestorm pushing his way out of the warriors den, obviously having overheard their conversation. Their alone time is definitely over now.
"I bet you would." Tigerclaw grumbled as he rolled his pale amber eyes.
Fireheart let out a murmur of amusement. Feeling at peace and rejuvenated, it was certainly a good morning.
"You're on dawn patrol," Tigerclaw meowed to Whitestorm, and the snowy-white tom nodded.
"I thought I might be." Whitestorm replied, his yellow eyes still narrowed in amusement. "Although I'd still like to hear about how 'Tigerclaw in the nursery' conversation came up."
"His daughter–"
"Oh, so she's my daughter when she's upset you?"
"His daughter–" Fireheart emphasized again, "stuck her little paw into my ear this morning, waking me up."
Whitestorm glanced between the pair, pure delight radiating off his pelt, Fireheart wondered if Whitestorm and some of the other warriors took her and Tigerclaw's relationship as a form of entertainment. She wouldn't put it past them.
"Will either of you be going out this morning?" Whitestorm inquired, eyeing the pair.
Both Fireheart and Tigerclaw glanced at one another. Silently asking with their eyes if that was something that the other wanted. It was an overwhelming yes from the both of them.
"We can go hunting this morning, if you'd like." Tigerclaw offered,
Fireheart nodded as she accepted. "I'd like that very much but someone would have to stay and watch the kits."
"I could do that for you." Fireheart turned once again to watch, Goldenflower this time, emerge from the den just behind Whitestorm. The pale ginger tabby looked more awake then the rest of them, perhaps because all that time spent raising a hyperactive Swifttail, but she was also still an experienced queen and there wouldn't be anyone else Fireheart could trust more to look after her kits.
"That would be appreciated, Goldenflower." Fireheart meowed, waving her tail over towards the nursery. "They should still be sleeping."
"Then I should go make sure I'm there when they wake up." Goldenflower replied, her yellow eyes lighting up as she gazed towards the nursery, almost longingly, as if she missed it.
"Thank you again, Goldenflower!" Fireheart called out as she watched the end of the former queen's tail disappear inside the nursery. Certain that her kits were in good paws.
"Shall we go then?" Tigerclaw asked, finishing his own conversation with Whitestorm who walked away when Tigerclaw turned once again to speak with his mate.
"That we shall." Fireheart purred back.
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"Can't catch me, can't catch me, can't catch–" Tigerclaw took satisfaction as he tackled his mate to the forest floor, not even minding when pine needles got twisted and stuck in his thick-fur, these were the moments he lived for nowadays.
What was supposed to be a simple and quiet hunting trip turned into a full on chase through Tallpines as their competitive nature took over and caused an argument on how much prey each mate caught. Fireheart took a swipe at his ears, he took at swipe and she dodged, then the fight was on.
"Say that my rabbit counts as two prey and I'll let you up!" Tigerclaw playfully growled, carefully pinning the beautiful flame-pelted down.
"Never!" Fireheart yowled, trying to wiggle herself out from under his massive paws. "A bigger piece of prey doesn't make it two!"
Her valiant effort to escape and not admit defeat charmed Tigerclaw in ways that no she-cat has ever done before. Fireheart never gave up and that's one of the things Tigerclaw admired about the mother of his kits. Moments like these kept reminding the dark brown tabby warrior just why and how he fell in love with Fireheart and he wouldn't pass these private escapades of theirs up for anything. Almost anything.
"Tigerclaw? Is that you?" Tigerclaw's ears pricked and he quickly pulled off of his mate and turned to find Mowgli slinking out behind one of the pine trees.
"I thought I told you all to stay at the fallen tree near the edge of ShadowClan territory and Twolegplace. It's not safe for any of you if you get caught by a ThunderClan patrol." Tigerclaw scowled, stomping over to tower above the brown tom.
"We know that," Mowgli nervously begins, taking a step back from how intimidated he clearly felt in Tigerclaw's presence. "It's just that there's something important I have to tell you."
"Out with it." Tigerclaw grunted, slightly annoyed that his private time with his mate was being interrupted.
Mowgli timidly glanced towards Fireheart, appearing unsure if he should speak in front of her, but the encouraging look from her seemed to settle Brokentail's former follower. "Blackfoot found out that there is a sickness going around in ShadowClan, and that almost everyone is sick. He met Dawncloud and Rowanberry on a hunting patrol and they seemed friendly."
Tigerclaw humed as he absorbed the new information. A sickness that completely infected an entire Clan made Tigerclaw's fur stand on ends. Just a thought of an epidemic sweeping through ThunderClan left his stomach-turning, especially with his kits being so high risked, but there was also an opportunity.
"How do their patrols look?" Tigerclaw inquired, settling down for business. "How is this sickness impacting them?"
"They hardly ever patrol their borders now." Mowgli reported, "and from what I've seen they don't catch as much prey as they should. Also the warriors we do see are reoccurring, as though there aren't enough able-bodied warriors to fill out all the tasks."
Tigerclaw nodded, listening closely to everything that was being said to him. It did sound as though ShadowClan was in trouble, with a serious sickness like this incapacitating an entire Clan and leaving it with a lack of warriors to protect the camp and carry on duties, it sounded devastating. But out of devastation comes opportunity. An opportunity that can give the rogues an in to ShadowClan and change how their Clanmate's look at them.
"Is it deadly?" Tigerclaw questioned, walking on the side of caution.
The dark brown tabby warrior didn't like the way that the rogue nodded, "yes. Apparently it killed a few of the elders already."
Tigerclaw tried to refrain from saying something crass. An elder would have died at a stiff breeze passing over them, they won't be missed. "Anyone else?"
Thankfully Mowgli shook his head. "Not that I know of. Although many are said to be severely sick and unable to even get out of their nests to make dirt."
Tigerclaw wrinkled his nose at the thought of a den filled with cat's that were unable to relieve themselves outside their nests. It was sad and pathetic but he never heard of such a sickness that could bedridden an entire Clan before so he couldn't fully judge them.
"So they can't fulfill their warrior duties…" Tigerclaw mused aloud to himself, a plan sparking in his mind. "Tell Blackfoot and the others to guard ShadowClan's borders, make sure to tell them that any ShadowClan warrior patrolling understands why you are there, also I want you and a couple of others to go hunting, catch as many fresh-kill as you can."
"Of course, Tigerclaw," Mowgli rapidly nodded, but hesitated. "But why do we need so much fresh-kill?"
Tigerclaw wanted to whack the mouse-brain fool over his head so badly, but he once again refrained, it's not Mowgli's fault that he couldn't see the bigger picture. "Because you'll be taking it to ShadowClan's camp."
Tigerclaw felt the shocked gazes of both Mowgli and Fireheart this time as he thought things through, "ShadowClan needs warriors during this warrior shortage. Help them when they are at their weakest and they'll follow you at their strongest. Show that you care about the Clan by being selfless and expect nothing in exchange. Show you care."
Mowgli finally seemed to be catching on with the way his green eyes lit up with comprehension. "At once, Tigerclaw!"
Tigerclaw shook his head as the scrawny brown tom shot off, more then likely to relay Tigerclaw's orders to the others, and then turned back to his mate who stared pensively at him. The look unnerved him a bit, never seeing it before on her face, "W-what is it?" Tigerclaw coughed, shifting uncomfortably amongst the pine needles.
Fireheart shook her head, coming to sit beside him and lean herself against his side. "You always have a plan for everything, don't you?"
Tigerclaw shrugged, feeling Fireheart move with him. "Not all that hard when you really think about it. ShadowClan is weak right now and would be easily wiped out. They know this, we know this, they'll be looking for support. The rogues will give them that support and they'll take it. Won't be long after that till Nightstar accepts them back into the Clan."
Fireheart humed but did not respond, it was then silent between them, both stuck in their own thoughts. Nightstar will accept the rogues, he'd be a fool otherwise, from the sounds of it his Clan was once again on the brink of destruction. The rogues will be seen as a blessing from StarClan by the time Tigerclaw's plans went into action. Tigerclaw was brought out of his inner musing as Fireheart stirred beside him, moving to stand up and stretch out her short limbs.
"We should probably get back to camp, Cloudkit would be disappointed if we were to miss his big day." Fireheart meowed, just as Tigerclaw was getting to his own paws.
"No. Can't miss his apprentice ceremony." Tigerclaw agreed, surprisingly finding himself excited to see the rebellious, snowy-white tom-kit graduate into an apprentice. "Who's his mentor by the way?"
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"--Sandstorm," Bluestar meowed, "You are ready for your first apprentice, you have shown great promise. You will be his mentor."
Fireheart beamed in pride at both her friend and nephew finally both getting what they wanted. Cloudpaw finally becoming an apprentice and Sandstorm becoming a mentor, a perfect match as Cloudpaw's dedication and perseverance will go nicely with Sandstorm's firm stances and excellent guidance.
Sandstorm stood up, but before she could walk over to the Highrock, the newly named Cloudpaw scampered to meet her and lifted his head to touch noses.
"Not yet!" Fireheart muttered to herself through clenched teeth. But Sandstorm took this in stride. Looking at the young kit calmly and a hint of amusement.
"Sandstorm, you have been taught well, I rely on you to pass on all you have learned to Cloudpaw, and help him become a warrior the Clan will be proud of."
"Yes, Bluestar." Sandstorm meowed, her green eyes sparkling as she touched noses with the enthusiastic apprentice.
"Cloudpaw!" the new apprentice mewed triumphantly. "I'm Cloudpaw."
"Cloudpaw!" Fireheart called out, Fireheart felt a surge of pride in her sister's kit as the members of the Clan pressed around to congratulate the new apprentice. The elders, Fireheart noticed, were making a special fuss over him.
Tugging on her slightly crooked tail drew her attention down towards her own kits, whom she barely managed to keep together and saw Tawnykit pulling it. "Yes, Tawnykit?" Fireheart patiently asked her daughter, flicking her plumy tail out of the pale tortoiseshell she-kits mouth.
"When are we going to become apprentices?" Tawnykit demanded, her clear green eyes flashing with impatience.
Fireheart gently stroked her head as she then glanced at her other kits, seeing as they too wanted to know and were huddling closer to hear what their mother had to say. "When you're six moons old."
"But that's moons away!" Squirrelkit wailed in disbelief, eyeing Cloudpaw enviously.
"Enough of that," Fireheart rebuked them, before they were shooed over towards Cloudpaw. "Go congratulate your cousin, it's his big moment after all. You all will be an apprentice before long."
Fireheart watched fondly as her kits happily scampered over to surround their cousin and congratulate him. It was a heartwarming sight as Cloudpaw soaked up their praise and thanked them.
"They're so energetic at that age." Brindleface meowed as she took a seat next to Fireheart, waiting for her own turn to congratulate her adopted son. "It's hard to imagine how time has flown by when you first brought him to me to take care of that bitter leaf-bare."
"I know." Fireheart agreed, watching as Tigerclaw stepped forward to congratulate Cloudpaw as well. Her snowy-white nephew instantly straightened and nodded seriously at whatever it was her mate was telling him. Tigerclaw did have the most motivational advice any warrior could give to an apprentice after all.
"Soon Fernkit and Ashkit will be joining him and I'll have to leave you all alone in the nursery." Brindleface sighed, although there was pride glowing in her green eyes.
"I'll surely miss you." Fireheart said sincerely. "I hope you'll come and visit from time to time."
"I'll be sure to stop by." Brindleface purred, meaning it.
"Can we go back to the nursery, I'm tired." Spottedkit timidly interrupted the two queens' conversation. Her poor dark ginger daughter looked ready to fall over with the sleepy way she was walking. Her siblings were slowly trailing behind, equally exhausted.
"I think it's time for you all to take a nap," Fireheart meowed, ushering her kits into the nursery, meowing a quick farewell to Brindleface.
Fireheart found it surprising to find Graystripe already in the den, soaking wet with a worried expression in his eyes.
When Fireheart and her kits entered his eyes instantly snapped up, his eyes landing on Fireheart. She was shocked to find, that in his eyes, that there was a glow of pride along with a wild panic.
"Where were you?" Graystripe demanded, his tone sharp towards her, making Leafkit, Tawnykit and Bramblekit who were in front of her to flinch back. Not drawing any closer to their nest, as Graystripe practically blocked their way. "My kits needed you and you weren't here. I thought you of all cats would care about them!"
Fireheart was shocked, now looking closer at her own nest, there were two squirming little bodies that were nearly as soaked as Graystripe. Stepping closer to her nest, the flame-pelted she-cat nosed the two softly squealing kits and took a deep breath of their scent, and what she smelt caused Fireheart's fur to prickle like thistles with dread.
They smelled like RiverClan.
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Fun Facts:
Fire x Tiger fluff! Hope you liked it! Now get ready for Fire x Tiger angst!!!
A lot of mixing going on here. Some I took from my Heart of Fire: Forest of Secrets, Tigerclaw's Fury, etc…in the canon timeline it's around the time in the books where Cloudkit becomes an apprentice.
Tigerclaw really puts in the effort with getting the rogues into ShadowClan. Can't let a good crisis go to waste.
Cloudpaw and Sandstorm becoming apprentices and mentors just makes me happy. I've always thought they would go well together in that dynamic.
Oh, Graystripe, what have you done!
