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Disclaimer: Warriors is owned by Erin Hunter/HarperCollins Publishers LLC

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Tigerclaw's Judgement

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The faintest rustling of leaves could be heard as the clearing sat in stunned silence. Fireheart tensed his aching muscles, peering down at the clan from the edge of the Highrock as gasps of shock erupted from his clanmates. Just moments ago, Tigerclaw had proclaimed Bluestar had been murdered by Fireheart. Though the ginger tom knew it was a complete lie, there was nothing he could do as the yowls from his clanmates disrupted his thoughts.

"No way Fireheart would ever do that!" Cinderpaw's shouts were heard first. Fireheart perked his ears at the sound of his former apprentice. Slowly, he lifted his head to see the stubborn she-cat looking towards him worriedly.

Tigerclaw grimaced, heeding the she-cat's yowl over the rest.

"Don't you have wounds to be looking at, medicine cat apprentice?"

Cinderpaw's frowned at him, looking offended before another voice had stopped her from snapping back at him.

"She's right, Tigerclaw! Bluestar was his mentor, how could he do such a thing?"

Fireheart was startled as he recognized the voice.

Sandstorm?!

Of all cats, he never expected Sandstorm would speak up for him; Although their relationship had been improving over the past few moons, so just now he must have been shown how far along they've come. His short spurt of joy quickly came to an end, however, as he watched Longtail snap his head towards her, hissing in outrage.

"You think a kittypet like him even cares? He must have loathed Bluestar more than anything to have gone this far!"

Sandstorm seemed to ignore his remark, growling lowly. "Nrgh- Fireheart's not a murderer! I won't believe it!" she shouted, stomping in frustration.

Fireheart frowned, noting the conflict in her eyes. He was glad to have been defended by some cats, but the feeling wasn't quite strong after witnessing the doubt cast across their faces. Also, him being at the center of it was what put him off the most. He never liked being at the center of the clan's attention, yet here they were, fighting each other over him. Of course, all while Tigerclaw just watched, free of concern.

Is this what he wanted? Fireheart pondered. To cause chaos between everyone?

Fireheart turned his head slightly towards the tabby in question, only to scowl after catching him grinning with amusement. Though soon enough, even Tigerclaw didn't want to hear the clan's bickering anymore, and his smirk had gradually morphed into a frown. Not a moment later, his hackles were raised in frustration and an annoyed growl escaped from him.

"Silence, all of you!"

Without objection, the clan heeded his command. Fireheart watched him warily as he took a moment to breathe. After a moment, he opened his mouth to speak.

"You all must still be in shock," he began slowly. "But the truth is... Fireheart did murder our leader. I burst into her den and saw him panting next to her corpse. It was… unsightly to say the least."

Fireheart's eyes burned with fury, and he fought to keep his claws sheathed as he reared his head towards Tigerclaw. He growled, before attempting to lift himself onto his paws, only to be shoved back down by Tigerclaw, with the tabby staring at him menacingly.

"Hmph, and it seems his wicked intent to kill is still going strong. It's almost impressive… after taking a beating he still thrashes around like wounded prey."

Fireheart hissed and spat, glaring at the cat holding him down, who in turn glared back. The two of them could've stayed like this forever if only the cats below them weren't there.

"There's no way a mousebrained weakling like him could kill our leader!" someone yowled. Fireheart recognized that voice quickly. It was Mousefur's, a she-cat who never really interacted with him much. Speckletail, another unfamiliar feline who happened to be sitting near her, released a grunt.

"Bluestar was getting old, Mousefur. There's not much energy left in a cat at that point," she stated, her face downcast. Other cats had looked towards her with a similar expression.

Another cat near them, Brackenfur, only looked startled.

"B-but… won't Bluestar just come back? Like she always does?"

Nobody gave him an answer.

Fireheart could tell the newly made warrior was confused - everyone must have been. He struggled to lift his head towards the clan as Brackenfur continued.

"She isn't on her last life I think… she can tell us what happened, right?"

"NO!" Tigerclaw suddenly yelled. Brackenfur along with the rest of the clan flinched at the intensity of his voice.

"Bluestar has deceived you all! She has been on her last life for moons now!"

The entire clearing fell silent in the wake of this shocking reveal. Nobody could respond as the news settled into their heads. Fireheart watched with dismay as the secret he had known for so long was thrown out in an instant, and the clan seemed to take it just as well as he thought they would judging by the plethora of dumbfounded expressions he was able to count.

It was an elder, Halftail, who eventually spoke first.

"Bluestar… she would never lie to us! How could she do this?"

Most cats were probably thinking the same thing. Tigerclaw, meanwhile, held a look of confidence, as if he'd been prepared to answer any questions they had - something that vexed Fireheart more than he was willing to admit.

"Isn't it obvious? She didn't want you to worry. Most of all, Whitestorm in particular. We all know he was closer to her than any other cat." Tigerclaw peered towards the white tom.

Whitestorm held his mouth agape, clearly unexpecting Tigerclaw to address him. The senior warrior held a look of grief unlike Fireheart had ever seen before on a cat. It was the look of someone who'd just lost one of their own kin - Fireheart knew because Graystripe looked the same when it was Silverstream's time.

Whitestorm didn't even acknowledge Tigerclaw with words, instead slowly turning his head towards Fireheart. His eyes were clouded, and the look he gave Fireheart was enough to make the warrior shudder.

He probably hates me now… Fireheart thought to himself as he exchanged looks with the white warrior. Whitestorm lashed his tail before looking away towards the ground. Fireheart looked away as well, struck with guilt, before hearing Tigerclaw's voice once more.

"I'm sure Yellowfang knew about this as well," he began. "She never thought to tell anybody as much as Bluestar. Leave it to a ShadowClan cat to go along with a lie!"

Tigerclaw looked directly at Cinderpaw as he spoke, no doubt expecting a reaction. The dark-gray she-cat looked flustered at the reproach of her mentor. Before she could respond, Darkstripe quickly took action, stomping over to her.

"Is that true?" he asked with a glare.

Out of nowhere Longtail suddenly joined. "Yeah, did you know about this too?"

Cinderpaw flattened her ears against her head, before turning to them.

"How should I know? I'm not experienced enough to know how many lives a leader has!" she exclaimed. "And Yellowfang - if she did know, then there must have been a good reason not to tell any of you!"

"Sure, little molly," Tigerclaw said. "Where is that smelly old furball anyway?"

"That's our medicine cat you're talking about," Cinderpaw glowered, narrowing her eyes. "If you must know, she's in her den with Brokentail."

Tigerclaw gave a sharp glare at her. "So she'd rather be with her fellow ShadowClan filth instead of us?"

"Uh, n-no! Nothing like that!" Cinderpaw's eyes suddenly widened with worry. "She's… tending to his wounds! Dustpelt and Fireheart kicked his tail after all."

Tigerclaw seemed to be caught off guard by that. Fireheart felt a weak grin on his face begin to form.

"Hmph. That's true…" Dustpelt muttered from his spot next to Sandstorm. The she-cat gave him a surprised look, prompting Dustpelt to roll his eyes.

"Yeah!" Thornpaw squealed all of the sudden. "And I helped him beat up another rogue too!"

The young apprentice bounced around beside Frostfur, who was currently struggling to groom her son's matted fur. The queen looked tired as she raised her head from her grooming.

"But I thought Fireheart was a traitor? Why would he help?" she asked concernedly.

"I believe I know why," Tigerclaw meowed, capturing everyone's attention. "It sounds to me like Fireheart only attacked a few rogues to make it seem like he was on our side."

Fireheart frowned deeply as he heard the lies slip from the tabby's mouth, but before he could do anything, a high-pitched voice suddenly interrupted them.

"No! That's a lie!"

Fireheart perked his ears towards the voice of his apprentice, Cloudpaw. He looked towards him, only to see Cloudpaw glaring furiously at Tigerclaw across the clearing. The young tom looked around, making sure he'd seized everyone's attention before Tigerclaw could silence him.

"Oh? A lie you say?" he jeered. "Expect the only other kittypet in the clan to speak such mousedung. He can't accept the fact that his own kin has betrayed the clan!"

Cloudpaw showed his teeth as Tigerclaw looked around the clearing at his clanmates.

"Tell me, did any of you see Cloudpaw in the battle?"

A few cats shook their heads, while some just glanced towards Cloudpaw with resentment.

Whitestorm had a different reaction, however, as he could be seen shaking his head. "Cloudpaw was the one who told my patrol that the clan was under attack," he stated. "The poor thing looked exhausted…"

"Yeah, and my patrol as well!" Sandstorm chimed in.

Both Cloudpaw and Fireheart gave them looks of gratitude, especially seeing how their actions had put a scowl on Tigerclaw's face.

"Interesting," Tigerclaw said, eyes gleaming suspiciously. "I had sent him with Fireheart on a hunting mission today, far away from any patrols and the camp. Isn't it convenient how he knew there was going to be rogues in our territory?"

Cloudpaw bristled. "You're a liar! Fireheart and I saw you running towards camp with the rogues while we were out! He's the one who told me where to find the patrols and sent me to get them!"

Fireheart grinned as his apprentice spilled some of the truth he'd been waiting to hear. Before the clan could react, however, Tigerclaw quickly interjected.

"How thoughtful! And tell me, just how much did those patrols help in the battle? If not for RiverClan, those of you in camp surely would have gotten killed before they even arrived," he said, nodding towards the RiverClan patrol. Fireheart looked towards them as well, realizing the patrol had been in the camp listening to everything the entire time.

"And speaking of RiverClan, what are they doing here in the first place? I doubt they've come all this way just to beg for Sunningrocks again," Tigerclaw growled, pinning his eyes on Leopardfur. The she-cat curled her lip in response before glaring back.

"I would watch your tone if I were you. Remember how we're the ones who saved your sorry pelts," she stated, lashing her tail. The rest of their patrol stood behind her, looking warily at all the cats who had suddenly placed their gazes on them. "As for our purpose, we were sent by Crookedstar to speak with Bluestar about Silverstream's kits. Although, we see that's going to be impossible now. We'll report this to Crookedstar, and come back for the kits once ThunderClan has pulled themselves together."

"That won't be necessary," Tigerclaw quickly said. "You speak the truth, as those kits do belong to RiverClan. Bluestar only kept them so that ThunderClan would gain a pair of warriors at RiverClan's expense, and she used their sire as an excuse to make everyone believe they belong in ThunderClan."

The patrol seemed perplexed by that statement but nobody opened their mouth to question him.

Graystripe meanwhile appeared greatly offended from his spot next to the nursery.

"What are you saying?" he challenged with a threatening edge to his voice. Tigerclaw, however, just looked annoyed at him.

"You know exactly what I'm saying, Graystripe," he sneered. "You may have been born and raised in this clan, but you've proven time and time again how you'd rather be affiliated with RiverClan more than us."

This statement had caused no uproar from the clan. Everyone knew exactly what he was talking about, save for the RiverClan patrol. Graystripe reared back in shock at his words, but Tigerclaw wasn't finished just yet.

"We all know the story of how you've broken the code several times over for the sake of RiverClan. You must be closer to some of their warriors than any of us as well - you and your kittypet friend were willing to hunt for them!"

Graystripe held his mouth agape as if he wanted to argue, but the words just wouldn't come out, and Tigerclaw was still not done.

"Worst of all - you go and court the RiverClan leader's daughter instead of tending to your apprentice! And if that wasn't enough, you now have half-clan kits who so far have only caused problems for everyone!"

Tigerclaw was seething by the time he finished. Fireheart looked anxiously towards Graystripe, remembering how he'd constantly warned him about his actions and how they'd get him into trouble one day.

Well, that day has finally come, much to his horror.

The clan had been vigorously murmuring by the time Tigerclaw finished. Brindleface and Brackenfur, who were sitting near Graystripe before, had moved away and were now glaring at him from across the clearing. Brackenfur seemed especially perturbed for reasons Fireheart could easily guess.

Before long, a smirk could be seen across Tigerclaw's face.

"You see now, everyone? Kin or not, we can no longer stand to have Graystripe with us. He is more of a fish-face than anything, and not to mention the best friend of the cat who just murdered our leader." Tigerclaw pressed his claws into Fireheart a little, earning a small growl of pain from him.

"Hear me! My first order as ThunderClan's acting leader is something that shouldn't come as a surprise!" Tigerclaw yowled.

All of ThunderClan fell silent, with both them and the RiverClan patrol looking on curiously. An order from a deputy using the authority of a clan leader was not something Fireheart assumed happened often.

"Graystripe, as of this moment, I hereby banish you from ThunderClan!"

Fireheart's eyes suddenly shot open.

W-wait?! B-Banishment?!

Worriedly, he glanced across the clearing towards his friend, ignoring a few loud gasps coming from some of the cats in the clearing. Graystripe looked more terrified than Fireheart had ever seen him.

"What?!" he squeaked. Tigerclaw snickered in amusement at his reaction before lowering his head towards him.

"You heard me, traitor. By sunrise tomorrow, you will be considered an enemy to this clan!"

Graystripe flinched away before stomping his paws.

"You can't do that Tigerclaw! I've been nothing but loyal to ThunderClan my entire life! S-so what if I've done a few things with RiverClan?"

Tigerclaw didn't even try to keep himself from scoffing as he looked around. "Are you all listening to him? He doesn't even care that he's broken the warrior code several times over. He's a disgrace!"

"That's not true! Everyone-," Graystripe turned around as he looked to his clanmates desperately. "-I've done nothing to deserve this!"

"Graystripe, you know he's right," Brindleface murmured.

Fireheart looked towards her with a scowl on his face, before hearing another cat say something. "It's true, you haven't been a very good clanmate lately."

Graystripe pinned his ears back in dismay before hearing another much younger voice.

"Yeah! You never even bothered with Brackenfur's training!" Thornpaw said, hugging Frostfur's pelt.

Fireheart couldn't stop himself from feeling a small pang of sympathy for the young apprentice. After all, he watched as Graystripe neglected his brother for the sake of another clan.

Graystripe swung his head to look at him. "That… "

"Enough, Graystripe. Leave and don't come back," Tigerclaw said. Graystripe turned to stare at him with widened eyes before looking beneath him at Fireheart. He watched as Graystripe took a small step towards him.

"Fireheart, tell them they're wrong! Say something! Anything!" he begged. Fireheart looked at him solemnly. He didn't even know what to say, much less if what he had to say would change anything.

"You don't get to speak with him! Both of you are traitors! Leopardfur-," Tigerclaw turned towards the RiverClan deputy, who meanwhile was looking a bit too interested in the affair.

"I have much to discuss with my clan right now, so I should send you away before then. You may take Silverstream's kits and go home," he said, before slowly dipping his head. "And thank you for aiding us in battle as well - I should hope we are even now."

Fireheart suddenly could feel a wave of new anger rising inside of him. Tigerclaw would never act this modest unless he was trying to look good in front of the clan.

"Wait, WHAT?!"

A piercing yowl sounded throughout the clearing, and Fireheart shifted his head to see Goldenflower was looking up at them, eyes full of distress.

"Tigerclaw, you can't just let them go!" she pleaded. Tigerclaw looked down at her with guilt, although Fireheart could tell he was probably just trying to stop himself from curling his lip.

"I'm sorry, Goldenflower, but they will be well cared for in RiverClan," Tigerclaw said, but Goldenflower persisted.

"They're well cared for here!" she stated. Tigerclaw glared at her, displaying his frustration now.

"Those kits are half-clan, Goldenflower! They are not worth fighting for! Plus, kits belong to their mother's clan, remember?"

Goldenflower huffed in frustration, knowing he was right. She still looked like she wanted to keep arguing, so Tigerclaw started again, this time more calmly.

"Come now. Need I remind you how Crookedstar just lost his only daughter because of Graystripe's stupidity?" he said. "These kits are his blood; he will fight for them. Meanwhile, what is our claim? The mother died giving birth to them partly because of our inexperienced medicine cat, and the sire that we have a claim to would rather spend his time over on their territory in the first place!"

Fireheart listened reluctantly, finding himself overwhelmed by how true Tigerclaw's words had been. He decided not to look for Graystripe's reaction, instead, trying to spot Cinderpaw. He was curious as to how she would react after hearing that particular situation be brought up again, however he was only disappointed when he found he couldn't locate her amongst the cats in the clearing.

He soon returned his attention to Goldenflower who, after hearing Tigerclaw's reasoning, had lost the fire she once held in her eyes. The molly looked away with a depressed sigh.

"Yes… I understand," she murmured. "The kits… should go with RiverClan."

Tigerclaw looked at her solemnly, as did Fireheart. The ginger tom felt sympathetic towards her, knowing he wanted those kits to stay as much as she did. Soon enough, Goldenflower was being comforted by Speckletail and the other queens who had settled beside her. Fireheart considered the decision to be final after that, but the RiverClan patrol wasn't without their suspicions.

"So, you're just letting us have them? No further conditions?" Leopardfur asked, drawing back everyone's attention. Tigerclaw looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Actually… I think I have an idea," he said as he peered towards Graystripe. "Take Graystripe back with you."

Fireheart raised a brow in confusion. He- what?

Leopardfur seemed just as surprised, before giving him a laugh, half-amused by how stupid that idea seemed from her perspective.

"And why would we do that?"

Tigerclaw shrugged. "Come, Leopardfur. We both know if you don't take him today, then that mangepelt will just show up at your borders a few days from now begging to join your clan," he reasoned. "I advise you to take him to Crookedstar and let him decide his fate - it will only be saving you trouble."

"But wait, Tigerclaw, is that really wise?" Whitestorm suddenly questioned. "I can understand the kits, but Graystripe could give valuable information to RiverClan that's none of their business to know. If you wanted to get rid of him, then why not chase him out?"

Fireheart felt relieved hearing the senior warrior's reasoning. Whitestorm didn't want Graystripe to be banished either it seems.

Tigerclaw looked at him. "How do you know he hasn't already?"

Whitestorm was silent for a moment before sighing. "I trust my apprentice has at least learned to hold his tongue."

"But there's no telling what exactly this traitor has been up to. He could be better friends with Leopardfur than any of us as far as I'm concerned," Tigerclaw growled. Whitestorm twitched his whiskers, but couldn't respond as a voice sounded behind him.

"Well now, that's a bit of a stretch, don't you think, Tigerclaw?" Leopardfur sneered, but Tigerclaw simply narrowed his eyes at her.

"Stay out of this," he spat before looking away. "Whitestorm, you must understand. Your aunt tolerated Graystripe's tendencies for too long, and so have you. All of us have…" he paused for a moment. "I know you were closer to Bluestar than any other cat, so can I understand if you feel you must defend her decisions in the wake of her departure."

Whitestorm was stiff for a moment, before grumbling. "I would follow your orders the same as if they were Bluestar's, Tigerclaw. I just thought if she were here-"

"But she's not here, Whitestorm! I am your leader now! Bluestar is gone-," Tigerclaw emphasized. "She doesn't lead the clan anymore. I do!"

Fireheart winced at his outburst, as did the clan, and looked back to see Whitestorm's response. The tom showed no sign he'd even heard and simply looked at Tigerclaw with a blank stare.

"So it may seem... " he said, a hint of sadness in his voice. "Nevermind, then."

"I thought as much," Tigerclaw responded, before looking back at the RiverClan patrol, seeming impatient. "Well, Leopardfur? You heard our quarrel, so tell me, will you take that fool or not?"

Fireheart watched the RiverClan deputy glance toward his friend, a look of disgust clearly expressed on her face. Graystripe slowly padded towards them, staying away from his clanmates as they singed his fur with their glares.

"Leopardfur, please. Tigerclaw's right - I would probably show up at your border sooner or later. But please understand, I've nowhere else to turn to - my kits are in RiverClan!" he exclaimed before bowing his head in his plea.

"I'll be the most loyal cat you've ever seen, even if it all just means to prove Tigerclaw wrong!" The tom practically had his chin in the dirt as he looked towards her. "Just let me see Crookedstar… "

Leopardfur observed his groveling, not looking swayed in the slightest, before turning to face her patrol.

Blackclaw and Stonefur kept their icy glares as they turned from Graystripe towards their deputy, while Mistyfoot instead chose to keep her eyes on Graystripe. She looked mildly sympathetic for him, which had not been a reaction Fireheart was expecting from any cat on the patrol. Leopardfur muttered something that Fireheart couldn't hear, earning a quick nod from Blackclaw, Stonefur, and Mistyfoot. She turned back towards Graystripe, staring fiercely at him for a moment before relaxing.

"Fine, if only for the kits sake… and ThunderClan losing out on another warrior," she said, although not sounding too pleased.

Graystripe looked near ecstatic, prompting Leopardfur to groan once again. Still, even though Fireheart felt the situation was unfair, at least Leopardfur consulted with her clanmates before making these decisions. He looked around and saw that Tigerclaw appeared noticeably disappointed by her choice, suddenly giving him newfound pleasure. The warrior would just have to accept the fact that he wasn't able to chase Graystripe out of the forest today.

Leopardfur then suddenly continued. "But know this, until RiverClan decides what to do with you, I'll be watching you like a hawk! Understand just how lucky you are… if it were my decision, I'd leave you out for the foxes!" she exclaimed. The rest of the patrol matched her intensity with bitter expressions.

"Thank you!" Graystripe blurted happily, paying their clear displeasure no mind at all. Leopardfur grumbled audibly.

"Tch, idiot. Come on, then."

Despite the apprehension that came from it, Fireheart felt glad to see his friend being accepted by at least some of the cats here. Soon, however, the realization that Graystripe was moving (possibly forever) to another clan suddenly hit him.

Fireheart's eyes widened. Wait, Graystripe! You didn't even get to hear me expla-!

"RiverClan! We're going home!"

Fireheart became alert suddenly. He grunted as he tried to stand up, but he didn't have the strength. Tigerclaw, who had been sitting in silence waiting for the patrol to leave, perked his ears before peering over at him.

"Graystripe…" Fireheart mumbled. Tigerclaw noticed how desperate he looked, and grinned as he bent down next to him.

"He's leaving, and there's nothing you can do to stop it, kittypet. And even if RiverClan somehow doesn't rip him apart, I will make sure you never see him again."

Fireheart winced away at the venom in his voice, trying to avoid looking at the snarky grin on his face before turning to see the RiverClan patrol had already exited.

His best friend was nowhere to be found in the clearing anymore, and he could see Mistyfoot herding his kits into the gorse tunnel, much to Goldenflower's dismay. He figured she'd already said her goodbyes - something Graystripe hadn't even bothered to do with the clan. The thought made Fireheart's stomach sink.

Did Graystripe even think to say goodbye? After everything, Fireheart had done for him…

In some dark corner of his mind, Fireheart couldn't help but believe that Graystripe actually wanted to join RiverClan. Fireheart couldn't stop thinking about how his friend - his best one, and the cat he trusted the most - just left the second RiverClan accepted him without a second thought. Perhaps it was just to get away from the glares of his clanmates, but Fireheart wouldn't accept that excuse.

He might've kept pondering if the voice of Darkstripe hadn't caught his attention.

"Good riddance... " the tabby muttered under his breath. Fireheart barely could keep himself from sneering at him; He wanted so badly right then to just stand up and claw him, but another beat him to it.

"Hey, don't say that! RiverClan saved us!" Runningwind scolded in a loud whisper, nudging his clanmate's shoulder. Darkstripe just scoffed.

"RiverClan turned my brother against ThunderClan, and Fireheart helped them do it," he glowered.

Brother? Fireheart suddenly froze, totally disregarding the mention of his own name. Darkstripe is his kin?

The dark tabby himself was soon raising his head, shifting his gaze from Runningwind to the ginger warrior currently sprawled on the Highrock.

"So what will we do about the kittypet anyway?" he said. Tigerclaw turned to him.

"I am getting to that, Darkstripe," he said, setting a paw on Fireheart's shoulder. "I'm saving this traitor for last. Before then, I have another announcement to make."

Tigerclaw then stepped off of him, before raising his head high.

"ThunderClan, I believe we can all agree that those half-RiverClan kits were a problem we never should have dealt with. Bluestar should have sent him away moons ago as he did not deserve to live amongst us," the tabby stated, though he didn't get very far before someone cut him off.

"Tigerclaw, you realize he is still my son, right?" A silver-gray she-cat, Willowpelt, bristled as Tigerclaw bolstered his distaste for the warrior yet again.

"Mmm, he may be your son Willowpelt, but he put RiverClan above his kin, so I fail to see your point," he retorted. Willowpelt kept a stern look on her face, before looking away in defeat. Tigerclaw quickly resumed after no further interruptions.

"Anyway, I've already dealt with those kits, which is one problem resolved. I will deal with Brokentail soon as well, since sheltering him was another decision of Bluestar's we all found out to be detrimental to our clan."

Some of the cats murmured their agreement, though some had grown more upset the longer Tigerclaw spoke.

"Is this all you have to say about Bluestar? That her decisions were poor?" Smallear grumbled. He and the rest of the elders had gathered outside the elder's den. All of them looked upset.

Tigerclaw merely shook his head. "That's not at all what I am implying. She led the clan well for long enough, and we all respected her," he told them, though they looked unimpressed. "However, speaking from my experience as her deputy, I learned that she felt conflicted about most of her decisions these past few moons. She was uncertain about Brokentail, about Yellowfang, about RiverClan ever since Redtail perished in the battle against them… "

Fireheart had been listening to him the entire time in stunned silence. He bared his fangs at the cat next to him.

That's ridiculous! He has some nerve bringing up Redtail, especially when he's trying to speak for Bluestar!

"...she was uncertain about a lot of things," Tigerclaw finished. The clan looked to him with surprise, as well as uncertainty.

"Is that true?" Willowpelt muttered, looking more defeated than before. Tigerclaw nodded to her.

"Sadly, yes, but she stayed strong through it all for the clan's sake. For your sake."

Fireheart couldn't stifle a growl this time. He figured Tigerclaw would lie, now even more than before seeing how wary the clan was acting towards him and each other, but even then, Fireheart couldn't believe how far Tigerclaw was going.

There's no way the clan is buying this! He thought before another elder spoke up.

"You can't speak for her, Tigerclaw. How do you know everything she was going through?" Halftail questioned.

Tigerclaw didn't skip a beat as he looked towards the elder.

"She confided in me the most out of any cat. There were some things she was too afraid to tell anyone, except for me - her deputy," he said. Fireheart fought the urge to howl, knowing without a doubt that had been a total lie.

"But it doesn't matter what her intentions were now that she's gone!" Darkstripe suddenly hollered. The cats in the clearing all shot him a look before Tigerclaw cleared his throat.

"Yes, Darkstripe… but moving on," he said quickly. "No matter what we disagreed on, I still respected Bluestar's decisions and tolerated the negatives that came with them, as any good deputy would…"

He then suddenly looked towards Cloudpaw, as the clan peered towards him curiously, willing for him to continue despite how long and unappealing this clan meeting had been so far.

"Although, there's one decision of hers that I couldn't stand the most, and after what happened today, I know some of you will agree with me."

By now, every cat had noticed his gaze had shifted towards Cloudpaw, who had remained near the gorse tunnel this entire time. The apprentice spoke out against Tigerclaw only a few minutes ago, but Fireheart figured he'd stayed since then due to exhaustion. Unfortunately, it seemed Cloudpaw wouldn't be getting rest any time soon as Tigerclaw continued.

"The kittypets in this clan have made it quite clear how incapable they are of adjusting to clan life. As ThunderClan's newest leader, I will not allow any kittypets or half-clan cats to live among us!"

The clan hardly seemed surprised at this, given how vocal Tigerclaw had been regarding his hatred for kittypets ever since Fireheart stumbled into their ranks one day. Some of them even cheered, which Fireheart hated to admit he was expecting.

"Not this again!" Sandstorm could be heard whining alongside the murmurs of agreement from her clanmates. Tigerclaw shot her an annoyed look before facing the clearing again.

"This is exactly what happens when we let outsiders get too comfortable with us - they're a constant thorn in our side, struggling to understand a way of life too extreme for them," he stated. "As they figure this out, they will choose to go to extreme lengths just to prove they're just as strong as us; We all heard what this piece of mousedung did just recently in our leader's den…"

Fireheart glared at him, teeth bared, but he couldn't help but lower his head slightly as the rest of the clan seemed to be scolding him with their looks.

"And as for that one…" Tigerclaw shifted his gaze towards Cloudpaw, who took a step back in response. "I never saw the results of your hunting assessment, Cloudpaw, but I don't think I even need to. You've proven to me multiple times of your incompetence ever since you arrived!"

The clan shifted their attention towards the small white-furred apprentice, but that didn't discourage Cloudpaw from baring his fangs.

"Oh yeah!?" he yelled, meeting Tigerclaw's hardened gaze. "You never saw my results because you were too busy leading the rogues to camp!"

The clan looked at him alarmedly. Tigerclaw's fur bristles in alarm, though no cat except for Fireheart noticed.

The ginger warrior grinned despite their dire situation, knowing Cloudpaw's hot-headedness would be welcome. He trusted the apprentice to speak up for the both of them, though that meant Tigerclaw would probably try to silence him. Fireheart shivered at that thought before noticing some cats had gathered more closely to Cloudpaw.

"You said that before Cloudpaw, just what do you mean?" Whitestorm asked curiously. Tigerclaw ignored the question, instead choosing to speak over him.

"If your eyesight was as sharp as your tongue, then you would have noticed those rogues were chasing me back to camp!" he snapped, dissuading any other cat from speaking up.

"Don't listen to Tigerclaw! Fireheart and I saw him - he was talking with the rogues!" Cloudpaw yelled. Fireheart watched as the clan looked even more torn, but he couldn't help the feeling of joy. This was the truth he had been waiting for!

"And what's that supposed to prove, kittypet?" Darkstripe sneered. Cloudpaw quickly shot a look at him.

"That Tigerclaw is the traitor! Not Fireheart!"

Some cats in the clearing looked amused at the small apprentice's plight, but Fireheart noticed some of the younger warriors and queens looked to take his words more seriously.

Cats began looking at Tigerclaw, curious as to how he would respond. Tigerclaw kept a stern glare as he sat back on his haunches, wrapping his tail around his paws.

"How prudent," he muttered. "Yes, it is true that I spoke with the rogues. What do you expect me to do when I come across a group of mangy, flea-ridden furballs sitting on our territory?"

Tigerclaw never intended for a response as he continued without taking a breath.

"I scented them while I was monitoring your hunting mission and encountered them shortly after. As malignant as they seemed, they were willing to talk, but they did not respond well when I told them to get out of our territory. I didn't get much out of our conversation, but they did tell me that they were working with a clan cat... "

Every cat perked their ears at this. Fireheart quickly assumed what Tigerclaw had been implying, and growled towards him. Some cats had turned to stare at Cloudpaw, now seeming distrustful.

"I'm sure you all can see where this is going," Tigerclaw scowled. "Nevertheless, I wanted to question them further, but they were fed up by then. You all saw how vicious they were… I couldn't take them on all by myself. Leading them to camp gave us our best chance of getting rid of them."

Cats nodded, looking mostly satisfied by his explanation, much to Cloudpaw's dismay. Fireheart knew Tigerclaw would somehow make up a reasonable excuse to deflect suspicion, but he still hoped the clan wouldn't dismiss Cloudpaw's side of things.

Longtail raised his head, looking almost thrilled. "See kittypet? Tigerclaw is anything but a traitor!"

Cloudpaw whipped towards him with pinned ears.

"Yet he sent out all those patrols as well! We needed RiverClan's help just to keep our lives!"

Did he notice that too? Cloudpaw pays more attention than I thought! Fireheart couldn't help but feel proud.

"An attack you must have planned with Fireheart!" Darkstripe spat. "Tigerclaw said he was following you two, and that led him straight into a group of rogues just sitting on the edge of our territory!"

But that's exactly what Tigerclaw did! Fireheart growled to himself, angry that he couldn't speak it out loud with the aforementioned tabby looming over him. Cloudpaw looked like he was going to respond before Brindleface suddenly cut him off.

"D-Darkstripe, how could you say that?!" the queen erupted. "Cloudpaw couldn't have been working with a traitor or else I would've known about it!"

Darkstripe looked at her furiously before glancing towards Tigerclaw, no doubt hoping he would intervene. Surprisingly, Tigerclaw shook his head.

"She's right, Darkstripe. Even though it's extremely likely, we still don't have solid proof that tells us Fireheart or Cloudpaw helped initiate this attack."

Fireheart stared at him in confusion. He assumed Tigerclaw was going to rebuke him with every chance he was given. What does he think he's planning now?

"That's because they were fighting alongside you!" Cloudpaw bristled. The clan looked at him again, and Fireheart could tell by the looks they were giving him that their patience with Cloudpaw was dwindling. Tigerclaw leaned towards the small apprentice, baring his fangs.

"You weren't even in the battle," he seethed. "You aren't as slick as you think kittypet. The more you ramble, the more guilty you appear."

Cloudpaw bared his fangs but took a step back as he saw what Tigerclaw had been referring to. Most of the cats in the clearing were giving Cloudpaw looks of disdain.

Tigerclaw's mouth then curled into a smirk.

"You say I'm at fault for what happened because I sent out too many patrols?" he asked, straightening himself up. "I did that because there was no threat at the time to persuade me not to, and a few others even agreed with me! After all, we took care of that pathetic attempt made by WindClan and ShadowClan to raid our camp for Brokentail, so a few more patrols would've made them think twice about attacking again."

The clan nodded their heads in agreement and Cloudpaw looked around dismayed. Stepping away from the edge of the Highrock, Tigerclaw planted one of his claws firmly into Fireheart's injured flank, eliciting a hiss of pain from him.

"You and Fireheart are the only members of your kin in this clan," he said. "It makes perfect sense you two would stick together, even if Bluestar hadn't gifted Fireheart your apprenticeship."

Tigerclaw hardened his gaze.

"Although I can't help but wonder… Fireheart batting off a few rogues and Cloudpaw avoiding the fight to tell the patrols seems just like the perfect way to avoid suspicion doesn't it?"

The tabby said this while glancing around the clearing. Fireheart looked at him sharply, wondering why Tigerclaw hadn't directly accused Fireheart of working with the rogues, even though it seemed to make sense from their clanmates' perspective. They all trusted him, right? Why was he holding back? The ginger tom looked around himself, and only grew even more unsettled as the clan seemed to be shooting him their accusing glares.

Cloudpaw raised his hackles after Tigerclaw looked at him with an unsettling grin.

"Though we can't prove that now can we? Nevertheless, Fireheart is still the one who murdered Bluestar, and that alone is preposterous whether it involves rogues or not!"

Cats in the clearing began yowling their agreement as Tigerclaw kept raising his voice. Fireheart clenched his teeth at the scene before him. Cloudpaw looked around fearfully, before baring his teeth toward Tigerclaw.

"Oh yeah? And how can you prove that!"

The clan suddenly became quiet, looking at him with confusion. For the first time since he called the clan together, Tigerclaw looked anxious. Fireheart watched with growing excitement as Cloudpaw continued.

"I think if you weren't such a mousebrain then you'd give Fireheart a chance to explain himself too!" he exclaimed. Fireheart noticed a few cats shift their attention onto him.

"I agree with the little kittypet. I thought sending Graystripe away was questionable enough, but an attack like this?" an elder, Dappletail, reasoned. A few other cats - though not very many - appeared interested as well.

"Yes, it sounds hard to believe! I think Fireheart should explain himself!" Sandstorm added. A portion of the clan began murmuring their agreement, and Fireheart couldn't mistake the flash of concern inside Tigerclaw's eyes.

"SILENCE!"

The deafening command shut every cat up immediately, and they looked at Tigerclaw with a hint of fear. The tabby sneered.

"Is my word not enough?! After today, I will not tolerate this!"

He paused for a moment before looking towards Fireheart. He seemed to be analyzing him, his bright amber irises piercing straight through Fireheart's soul, before releasing an annoyed huff.

"However, just this once, I shall allow it. Keep in mind that I'm only letting him talk to prove a point, and nothing else."

Tigerclaw finally lifted off of him. Fireheart gasped from relief, now realizing just how much pressure the tabby was putting onto his side. Fireheart lifted himself, ignoring the pain, before looking warily at Tigerclaw. The deputy just gave him an annoyed scowl.

"Go on then, traitor," he said. Fireheart looked towards the clan, who in turn, was glaring back at him. He breathed hesitantly, thinking this was some sort of trick by Tigerclaw at first, before deciding he would take his chances.

"Tiger-ack!"

Fireheart couldn't even get one word out before a painful cough overtook him. He reeled in agony for a good few seconds, before taking a second to breathe. Fireheart growled at himself, seeing the looks the clan was giving him, not to mention Tigerclaw raising his brow in amusement.

I can't let a cough stop me.

Fireheart struggled to talk in between rasps.

"He… He is…" his voice gurgled, sounding laced with pain.

Fireheart swore he could feel tears forming as the pain kept stopping him from talking. Another cough welled in his throat as he struggled. The clan seemed to cringe at the warrior's pained attempts to speak, which only served to irritate him.

Why can't I just talk? He whined to himself. Why does this have to happen now? I hate every-

"Ah, and so we bear witness to our traitor's defense," Tigerclaw declared, sounding half-amused. "But, wait a minute... it seems that Fireheart here failed to learn how to protect his neck during a fight!"

Fireheart hissed at him, before clenching his teeth as another wave of pain hit him.

"That'll scar, I'm sure. A painful reminder of the consequences should he ever try something like this again," he huffed.

"You did that?" Fireheart heard someone yowl. "He can't even speak!"

"And it serves him right!" Darkstripe sneered back. Tigerclaw eyed him before looking back into the clearing.

"Yes. He can't speak... " he began. "I decided to spare his life at the last second. It was much too soon for him to die - Fireheart doesn't deserve to be let off that easily."

Fireheart was still breathing heavily, trying to recover from the fit of coughing he'd just been jarred with. He refused to look at Tigerclaw and the clan.

"Well then," Tigerclaw looked away. "Our traitor is unable to commune due to the injuries he has received from his defeat. A pity, since he should be the one admitting to the clan how he killed their leader instead of me."

Fireheart shot him a glare, knowing that is exactly the opposite of what he wanted.

"He would probably just lie to us anyway," Longtail rolled his eyes.

"Yes, there's no doubt he'll spout as much nonsense as his accomplice over there," Tigerclaw said, flicking his tail towards Cloudpaw.

The small apprentice looked defeated now. "What- no! You all… Fireheart…" he whimpered.

"Quiet you," Tigerclaw lashed at him. "I've tolerated your presence for long enough. A small part of me thought that maybe - just maybe - you would have shown us that kittypets could possess what it takes to become a warrior. After all, that's why I entrusted you on the hunting mission today."

Fireheart could only grunt in annoyance. Is every other sentence that comes out of him going to be a lie?

"No, you just sent me out because you wanted me to fail! You never cared about me! Ever!" Cloudpaw yelled, looking on the verge of crying.

It was then that Fireheart shifted his attention away from Tigerclaw's lies and onto his nephew. He realized now just how much this was tearing him apart, and a wave of sadness quickly overcame him. He wanted so badly to call out to him and show his support, even if that meant another pitiful coughing fit.

"Enough! I've had it with you!" Tigerclaw suddenly boomed, stomping up to the edge of the Highrock. "After how big of a nuisance you've been, I was worried you'd never learn how to be a warrior, and it seems I was right to be concerned! You can't even accept that your only kin here - kittypet kin - has murdered our leader - an endeavor you may have even played a part in!"

"Tigerclaw! Please understand, he's only a kit!" Brindleface suddenly wailed. Tigerclaw turned to face her.

"He's an apprentice," he spat. "Yet he's acted nothing like one, so perhaps you're right, Brindleface. He is a kit. A kittypet kit who belongs nowhere near our clan!"

He lashed his tail as he looked straight at Cloudpaw. "Cloudpaw, with my right as ThunderClan's leader, I hereby banish you from our territory! Should any of us find you on our territory from now on, you will be seen as an enemy!"

Fireheart's stomach dropped as he looked from Tigerclaw to his apprentice. The young tom suddenly appeared terrified, sitting frozen with fear.

The clan had no time to react as Tigerclaw raised his voice yet again.

"Darkstripe!"

The black tom looked at him eagerly before Tigerclaw sneered in Cloudpaw's direction. "Chase him out of here."

Fireheart winced at the command, as did most of the clan.

"Hah! This one I'll gladly rid our clan of!" Darkstripe turned to face Cloudpaw, who whipped his head around before hissing at him.

"Wuh- Darkstripe, wait!" Brindleface cried, looking almost as frightened as Cloudpaw.

"Grr, back off, Brindleface," Darkstripe snapped. "You raised this kit, and for what? He's clearly shown us where his loyalties lie. He cannot be allowed to stay here!"

"W-wait a minute… you can't do this!" Cloudpaw frantically looked between the two cats. Fireheart forced himself to watch his nephew back away closer to the gorse tunnel.

He clenched his eyes in defeat. Cloudpaw, just run!

"You better get a move on, kittypet! I'll even give you a head start!" Darkstripe jeered. Cloudpaw slowly backed away in fear as Darkstripe crept closer to him. Fireheart flinched in alarm, suddenly widening his eyes in anger.

That foxheart! Is this just some joke to him?

Fireheart snapped his head around the clearing, desperately looking for any cat that would help. To his surprise, nearly the entire clan looked troubled.

Most of the warriors were simply watching in awe, while the apprentices looked more scared than anything. Brindleface looked like she was going to be sick, while the rest of the queens appeared almost equally as disturbed, with Frostfur holding Brindleface in an attempt to keep her from leaping at Darkstripe.

Even the elders, the ones Fireheart knew held the most distaste for allowing kittypets into the clan, looked somewhat off-put by Tigerclaw's decision.

For StarClan's sake, even the elders aren't up for this! I have to do something!

Fireheart pained himself as he tried standing up straight. His wounds, including the large gash in his flank that Tigerclaw loved stomping his claws into, hadn't been treated at all yet. His joints and muscles were screaming at him to sit back down, but Fireheart didn't care. He was almost on his haunches before something powerful shoved him back to the ground. Fireheart loudly grunted in pain before hearing a voice in his ear.

"Don't. Even."

The ginger tom shot Tigerclaw a look before lifting his head back towards where Cloudpaw was.

He couldn't mistake the look of horror on the young tom's face as Cloudpaw turned tail and sped towards the gorse tunnel. Fireheart saw his apprentice exchange a fearful glance with him, before quickly fleeing into the brambles. Darkstripe growled, suddenly springing forward, hot on the young tom's tail.

Would he hurt him? Fireheart wasn't so sure.

One thing he did know, however, was that his nephew was gone. He probably will never return or perhaps even survive.

...I failed him. He thought weakly to himself.

He'd failed his sister as well, dreading what he would tell her now that her son may never become a warrior. The thought of failure reeked in his mind, only encouraging the tears forming in his eyes.

"And there goes the only kin you had," a voice suddenly broke him from his thoughts. Fireheart looked wearily at Tigerclaw, who was smirking.

"That makes… two apprentices that you've utterly failed?"

Fireheart was too heartbroken to even acknowledge him and just stared at the stone beneath his paws. Tigerclaw snickered.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure you never get the chance to improve your record, despite how much it pains me that I won't get to see you struggle."

...What exactly is he planning to do to me? Fireheart pondered nervously. He'd hoped the tabby didn't see how nervous he was now, but luckily, Tigerclaw didn't seem to be paying him much attention.

"Willowpelt, follow them. Make sure your son doesn't have too much fun," Tigerclaw said, snickering to himself. The she-cat looked unamused, before simply nodding.

"I will try," she said numbly, before rising to her paws and eventually vanishing into the tunnel.

Fireheart growled slightly as the molly started after the two of them. She probably wouldn't do anything if Cloudpaw was in danger - she only cared about Graystripe's kits. Snapping out of his thoughts, he then turned to see Brindleface being comforted by Whitestorm and Frostfur, both of them grooming her as a show of sympathy.

"Cloudpaw… my kit. He's gone…"

The queens looked at her with remorse, while Fireheart frowned. Brindleface had helped raise his nephew just as much as he did. This must be so hard for her as well, especially after losing kits even before Cloudpaw.

"I need to lay down for a while," she said in a tired voice, keeping her eyes locked on the ground.

"Not yet you aren't," Whitestorm remarked. He gave her a sad glance before glaring towards Tigerclaw. "Will you ever tell us what you're gonna do with Fireheart?"

Fireheart couldn't tell if Whitestorm was upset regarding his supposed "murder" or the exiles of his clanmates, but seeing how the faces of his clanmates grew in excitement at the warrior's question put him off either way.

Is this really what they looked forward to the most? His punishment?

"Fireheart…" Tigerclaw began tapping the Highrock with a claw. "Ah, yes. Him. You're referring to the traitor here who isn't even worthy of being called his warrior name."

Fireheart would've let out a weak-sounding hiss, but his wounds still haven't been treated, and the blood loss was starting to get to him.

"No, I haven't made up my mind just yet. He gave our leader a swift, quiet death from the looks of it, but I believe he doesn't deserve the same," he started, earning both concerned and confused looks from the clan. "No, death would be too good for him. However, I feel it should be up to the clan to decide his fate."

Fireheart watched as the clan gave sent him a flurry of glares, but he hardly cared, knowing at least now he wouldn't be taking Tigerclaw's secrets to the grave.

"But first," Tigerclaw said, looking away. "Runningwind!"

The brown tom perked his ears and looked up towards him.

"Yes, Tigerclaw?"

"It's been long enough since RiverClan left our camp. I want you to check to see that they haven't lingered on our territory - just to be sure."

Runningwind nodded, before looking at the cat sitting next to him - his sister Mousefur - and bidding her farewell. After he left, the clan still looked expectantly towards Tigerclaw. who stood thinking for a short moment.

"There are many things we must do to recover from this tragedy," he started. "I do not want to deal with any more punishment, for tonight we shall grieve the loss of our former leader, Bluestar."

The clan nodded sadly in agreement. If things had been different, Fireheart would be nodding as well, but he just couldn't ignore the distaste he felt seeing how Tigerclaw was the one speaking.

"Our traitor shall be stowed away in the medicine cat den for now. We shall deal with him later." Tigerclaw held a stone-cold glare as he looked towards Fireheart, who gulped.

As much as the ginger tom didn't want to admit it - life in ThunderClan seemed like it was becoming more akin to his worst nightmare than a dream since kithood...

...