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

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The Withered Bond

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The sand burnt hot under Sandstorm's paws as the midday sun shone down on the training hollow.

The faint smell of blood was up in the air yet again as ThunderClan's mentors all watched as each of their apprentices took turns sparring, claws out as per Tigerstar's decree. The great tabby himself sat across the Hollow from them, nearby the rest of the apprentices who each awaited their turn to spar, all observing the two currently locked in combat.

It was Brightpaw and Swiftpaw - a pairing that, from what Sandstorm recalled, did not share great chemistry. The two were both locked in an intense stalemate, glaring each other down as blood seeped from a few minor scratch wounds. The sand below them was stained in small streaks of red, and even a few bits of fur were strewn around.

Sandstorm couldn't help but feel worried for the youngest generation of warriors.

They had endured so much hardship since Bluestar's passing, and their training certainly wasn't the same after Tigerstar became their leader. He had them up and about constantly, either readying them to face the ever-growing threat of RiverClan or simply to tend to the clan,

She wasn't privy to much of it - she had yet to receive an apprentice, after all - but it certainly was a lot more than she did as an apprentice. And though she couldn't agree with the rather prestigious results, everyone had their limits, and Sandstorm feared the day the apprentices' would be reached if they already hadn't.

Casting an ear to the side, Sandstorm caught a mewl of greeting and turned to see Mousefur strolling up wearing a knowing grin.

"Avoiding Longtail this time?" she asked, jokingly. Sandstorm could only roll her eyes upon hearing that name.

"Who am I to hinder a great warrior from his apprentice-in-training?" she muttered sarcastically. "Yes, I'm avoiding him."

Mousefur snickered as if she was proud her question elicited such snark, and she moved to sit beside her. Her grin slowly transformed into a curious look.

"I meant to ask you something," she began. "No offense, but… what are you doing here? I thought you just had to give them a few tips about hunting and that was it. What are you dragging yourself to the Sandy Hollow again for?"

Sandstorm shot a glance across the clearing towards a certain large tabby. "Well, Tigerstar wants me here. Says it's a 'good experience for when I get an apprentice'."

"Ah." Mousefur looked away, quickly becoming disinterested. "How considerate of him."

Sandstorm shrugged. "I guess…"

The two were quiet for a while, watching as the apprentices exchanged words between Longtail and Tigerstar, both having been the ones overseeing the session. Mousefur huffed, her gaze focused on the former.

"I tell you, Longtail's never been so ecstatic about something in his life. He's so proud of Swiftpaw," she commented, prompting a glance from Sandstorm.

"Even with how violent that kit is?" she inquired. "I think Swiftpaw should be actually willing to learn more if he wants to make someone other than Longtail proud."

Mousefur gave her a look but otherwise did not respond. Sandstorm sighed, relaxing her shoulders as she decided to change the subject.

"So how's Thornpaw? Where is he?" she asked.

Mousefur flicked an ear. "Took the day off from apprentice duties. I think you missed it, but he got into a nasty brawl with Swiftpaw yesterday. Hurt his leg. Probably wanted to get back at him for shoving his sister into a bunch of his namesakes, ya know?" She gazed knowingly at Sandstorm, both aware of how stubborn Mousefur's apprentice could be.

"I'm sure that's exactly what Brightpaw wants," Sandstorm groaned, shaking her head. "Hurting one another only tears us apart." She then eyed a certain ginger tom off to the side, who sat slumped in the open of the hollow so as to have an eye kept on them. "And in that regard… I worry about him the most."

Mousefur looked over curiously and followed her gaze onto Fireheart. She frowned, confused.

"Who? The kittypet?"

Sandstorm said nothing, blinking slowly. Mousefur grunted.

"Why?"

Sandstorm squinted towards Fireheart as if analyzing.

"Simple. We've hurt him more than anyone else."

Mousefur scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Well, duh! Only because he's hurt our clan, remember?!" Sandstorm snapped her head at her, worried she was being a tad too loud, but the dusty brown molly went on unhindered. "What good has he ever done for ThunderClan, again? He's only caused trouble as far as I'm concerned."

Sandstorm growled lowly to herself. So much negativity surrounded Fireheart's name - so much so that he's now only referred to as kittypet - all because of some alleged crimes that were never truly proven. Fireheart had caused them trouble, but there were a number of good things he had done. For Sandstorm, especially, she knew that was the case.

It was oftentimes when she thought back to that cliffside. How she had lost her footing over it, how Fireheart grabbed her by the scruff when she began to slip, and how she watched another cat just moments later fall to its death, slipping the exact same way she did...

Sandstorm huffed, breaking out of her stupor.

"He's done enough for me to care, at least," she said firmly. "But since you asked, he did bring back WindClan. I wouldn't call that trouble."

Mousefur lashed her tail, ready to argue. "He only did that because Bluestar told him to. Graystripe went on that journey, too, and you see how much of a traitor he turned out to be."

Sandstorm bit her lip, restraining herself. She had known Graystripe his whole life - he may have been a mousebrain, but he would never conspire against ThunderClan.

Taking a deep breath, Sandstorm realized this argument was not worth having. Looking around, she noticed a long white figure seated not too far away, seemingly watching their apprentice, Brightpaw, closely.

"Whitestorm?" She addressed her former mentor. One of his ears twitched, and so Sandstorm knew he had been listening. "You've been quiet. What do you think?"

Whitestorm grumbled softly, keeping his eyes on Brightpaw as she rolled across the ground with Swiftpaw.

"Honestly, Sandstorm, I can't say anything for sure," he said to her. "But from what I've seen, Fireheart and Graystripe… always seemed like the kind to follow their hearts."

Sandstorm took in his words, noting a slight tone of uncertainty in his voice. From the side, she could hear Mousefur snorting.

"Hearts of foxes, but hearts nonetheless."

Whitestorm hummed, turning his head towards them.

"StarClan has a path for all of us. I wonder– who's to say whatever it is they've done, wasn't without good reason?"

Mousefur raised her brow, looking at him strangely before shaking her head.

*Tsk* "That's the thing with you, Whitestorm: You're too open-minded." It was Whitestorm's turn to furrow his brow, which prompted Mousefur to explain her candid point further. "They could simply just be bad eggs. One's a kittypet, after all. StarClan has no control over them."

Whitestorm seemed to consider that for a moment before just shrugging himself.

"Perhaps. But you should not underestimate the reach of StarClan's abilities," he said with a glint in his eyes. "Mousefur, I think you should be a bit more… open-minded."

Mousefur just grumbled, looking away from him. "You're impossible."

Sandstorm had hardly been listening to her conversation, swapping her gaze between the sparring apprentices and Fireheart, and her continued interest in the kittypet made her come to a rather bold conclusion.

"I want to talk to him," she stated aloud, immediately capturing the attention of both cats nearby.

"What!?" Mousefur blurted, looking between her and Whitestorm. "What is up with you two? Sandstorm, we both know Tigerstar ain't gonna like that. And guess what? I'm sure the kittypet won't either!"

Sandstorm just hummed in response, signaling she was only half-listening. She stood up, stretching for a moment, flashing a look at her dubious friend.

"Then I shouldn't be long."

Fireheart lay with his head in his paws, mulling over the experience he had the night just before, all the while observing the apprentices.

He watched as they tackled each other, flinging sand everywhere - something that'd been Tigerstar's go-to method of training for a while now. Short, sweet, simple sparring in an open area. And while rather uncreative, the results spoke for themselves just yesterday; the apprentices had grown much more willing to fight and spill blood.

Today, Fireheart had unfortunately been subject to their claws again, however, it was much different than before, so much so that he hardly remembered the lesson. Something about pinning?... Well, whatever it was, it did not involve hurting him as much, and it was over before he knew it.

He watched now as the apprentices sparred, practicing their new moves and whatnot. Although this time around, Fireheart was actually interested, having been blessed with a fight himself just the other night.

He couldn't help but compare himself to the apprentices, wondering just who would win in an actual duel. Though given Fireheart wasn't in the best of shape at the moment, in a fair fight, he surely could defeat anyone he chose, especially Swiftpaw. That kit was in for a reckoning one day.

Perking his ears, Fireheart focused on Brightpaw as she suddenly kicked Swiftpaw away, the two having been locked in intense combat for a while now. In fact, Fireheart dared to say she was the only apprentice who could challenge Swiftpaw for this long.

Her shoulder was bleeding heavily, so much so that it even seemed to surprise Tigerstar sitting across from them.

Fireheart heard the young molly hiss, whipping her head towards Swiftpaw.

"I thought we agreed - no snagging!" she shouted angrily, leaning over to lick her wounds before shouting again. "And trim those things once in a while!"

Swiftpaw pawed at the ground as if trying to get rid of the blood-stained on his claws.

"Heh, sorry! Should've known you'd need a handicap!" he quickly snapped. "And besides, you know you'd get less hurt if you didn't struggle so much."

Brightpaw peered frustratedly at him, groaning. "That's not the point"

"Now, now, Brightpaw. No need to feel upset." A new voice suddenly arose, and everyone looked over to see Tigerstar strolling toward them. "No matter what the results are, there's still a lesson to be learned. Let me show you."

Brightpaw looked at him strangely but nevertheless quickly backed away as he stepped in front of her. Swiftpaw promptly lost his sardonic attitude, standing attentively as Tigerstar looked at him.

"Swiftpaw… Attack me."

Swiftpaw dropped his shoulders a little - the rest of the apprentices nearby could be heard whispering their surprise.

"Wha–?" the young tom blurted, confused.

Tigerstar glared. "I said what I said. Do it. Come at me with the intent to harm."

Swiftpaw stood frozen for a moment but eventually crouched down, seeming ready to attack him like any other opponent.

Fireheart watched as Swiftpaw suddenly leaped forward. However, despite his massive size, Tigerstar seemed to slip around Swiftpaw's attacks with ease. And the apprentice was not sluggish either; the name "Swiftpaw" quite fit him, after all.

Fireheart couldn't remember the last time he'd seen Tigerstar fight, save for that night, but the tabby was much faster than he remembered. It was almost amusing seeing the apprentice grow in frustration as he failed to land a hit. If only it weren't Tigerstar he was against.

Tigerstar never once attacked. Swiftpaw flung his claws, teeth, and even his hind legs at him a few times, but all he could do was graze the tabby. Eventually, he just snarled out of frustration and rushed at Tigerstar, meaning to tackle him head-on.

Tigerstar grinned, digging a claw into the ground. Suddenly, a great mist of sand spewed through the air, catching Swiftpaw right in the face.

Fireheart's eyes widened as the surrounding apprentices gasped. He heard Swiftpaw's curses as he stumbled away.

"Why you–!"

That was all the apprentice could say before a large paw came hurtling toward him, knocking him straight into the ground. Tigerstar then emerged from the cloud of dust, lifting his head as he stood triumphantly above the apprentice.

Swiftpaw groaned, squinting his eyes in pain from the sand as he struggled to lift himself up.

"See, everyone?" Tigerstar looked around. "Anything can happen in a fight. You should never expect a fair one. You must use any means necessary to win."

Swiftpaw growled but didn't retort. Tigerstar stepped away, allowing the apprentice to quickly jump, shaking his fur violently. He looked at him with a sneer and stalked away, but Tigerstar paid him no mind as he continued.

"However, that does not mean every fight must be fought dirty. Your tricks will only work once. To become a true warrior, you must be able to combat any type of opponent you come across - especially the ones who like to fight dirty." His gaze went back to Swiftpaw, who'd been pawing his eyes. "I expected better from you Swiftpaw. Has your pride made you denser? A real fight will be nothing like beating upon a half-dead kittypet. It seems you still have much to learn."

Swiftpaw just scoffed, glaring defiantly at his leader before slinking back into the group of apprentices, snapping at anyone who caught his gaze.

Fireheart sat there in awe of what he'd just witnessed, frowning at Tigerstar.

Show off. He thought. This was just Tigerstar's way of training, wasn't it? No wonder Darkstripe along with every other warrior he's connected to acted so cocky all the time. It was a miracle Ravenpaw or Graystripe didn't turn out the same.

"Heeey, Fireheart?"

Hearing his name, Fireheart quickly lifted his head in surprise, pinning his ears when he saw Sandstorm coming up to him.

"Sandstorm?" he said, flustered for a moment. "D-do you need anything?"

It was the question he had trained himself to ask whenever a cat approached him. Though, she called me by my name. Fireheart realized. Only my friends call me that anymore…

Sandstorm peered at him strangely. "I should be asking you that," she replied, eyeing the scratches lining his shoulders. "Those look like they hurt."

"Hmph, which ones?" Fireheart grunted unamused.

He knew she meant the few scratches from the apprentices, but why would she care about those? He hardly cared about them himself - just a minute's grooming was all they needed, after all.

"If you'd like, I can get you something for them," Sandstorm continued. Fireheart was taken aback, hearing the earnestness in her voice.

"You–... what?"

"You know, to treat yourself? Or so I've heard Yellowfang's been teaching you…" She took a second longer to observe his scratches. "It's bad to keep those wounds open for so long. I could fetch you something."

Fireheart didn't reply, looking at her suspiciously. N-no… What do you really want? He thought. Did Darkstripe put you up to this?... No, Mousefur… She knows Dustpelt would kill me for talking to you.

It was then, Fireheart realized Sandstorm was actually waiting for an answer.

"Hrm, well, Yellowfang is the only cat that's supposed to care for me, so there's no reason for you to do that."

Sandstorm blinked. "You don't need to lie to me. I was just checking to see if you're alright," she said.

Fireheart couldn't help but snort at that. "Heh, alright? Have I once seemed 'alright' this past moon?"

Sandstorm frowned. "You know what I mean," she said exasperatedly. "Look, I get it. Why would I suddenly care about you, right?"

Fireheart raised his brow, face turning serious as she continued.

"Believe it or not, I'm not all that concerned about what you allegedly may have done, or… well, your appearance… It's just–" She paused, looking away with a seemingly a bit of guilt. "I can't stand to see any cat that gets treated so poorly. That just isn't the ThunderClan I know."

"I–" Fireheart stuttered. He didn't know what to say. Sandstorm didn't seem to be joking at all.

'Cats will start to treat you better…' Could this be what the entity meant?

Eventually, Fireheart just nodded. "If you say so… although, ThunderClan's reputation is already quite sour. It makes sense if you're worried that news about your treatment of prisoners got out," he said, goading her.

In truth, he didn't expect other clans to care that much. Rather, Fireheart was curious as to how she'd react, wanting to test her further. Call it facetious, but he felt he had to make sure Sandstorm was serious.

A surprised expression formed across the she-cat's face then.

"This has nothing to do with ThunderClan's reputation!" she exclaimed. "This is me just trying to help you when I know others won't."

Fireheart looked at her for a moment, thinking.

"I don't need your help," he said before promptly regretting it. "Err, no. I mean… thanks but no thanks. I've just been able to care for myself, okay? There's no reason to worry about me."

Seeing her expression remain troubled, Fireheart then believed Sandstorm just might actually be concerned for him. His treatment as ThunderClan's prisoner would have warranted concern eventually, he supposed.

"Hmph. Frankly, I disagree with that," Sandstorm grunted stubbornly. "In fact, you look worse than I've ever seen you. I know you don't get much sleep at night, and how you hardly bathe or eat whenever they allow you the chance. Almost like something's scarred you for life."

"Yeah?" Fireheart growled, suddenly defensive. "And what gave you that idea, huh? My face? Please, you don't know anything!"

Sandstorm lifted her brow, but otherwise looked unphased by his small outburst. Fireheart shrunk back immediately, not wanting to make a scene.

"Nrgh, sorry…" he muttered before shying away from her, criticizing himself mentally. No, it's not fair to say that… not after I vowed not to involve anybody.

He looked around, thanking his lucky stars that nobody really seemed to be paying attention to him. He flashed a look at Sandstorm, who again seemed to be waiting for his next move. Fireheart grimaced, feeling uncomfortable.

"I'm going back to Yellowfang now," he stated. With that, the ginger tom quickly lifted himself up to leave.

"Tigerstar hasn't dismissed you yet," Sandstorm pointed out.

Fireheart paused, groaning as he threw his head back at her.

"What's he gonna do, then? Scratch my eye out?"

Sandstorm squinted at him, looking almost disappointed.

"Don't let your tongue grow too sharp, Fireheart," she said. "It'll only hurt you."

And with that, she turned around and left.

Fireheart blinked. Shaking his fur, he decided he would dwell on their conversation later, as he turned around himself, hurrying away from the Sandy Hollow before Tigerstar or anyone else could notice him.

Later, Fireheart could be seen briskly slinking through the gorse tunnel, arriving at ThunderClan's camp.

He looked around, feeling relieved when nobody seemed to notice as he bolted over to the medicine den.

In his jaws, hung a few leaves of comfrey. Something Yellowfang wanted him to get while out on his "excursion", as she put it.

Fireheart pushed through the vines of lichen, mewling quietly into the clearing of the medicine den.

"Yellowfang?"

A trifle could be heard, and Fireheart turned to see Yellowfang standing nearby the wall of cracks where they stored herbs. She approached him with curiosity.

"You're done early," she commented, twitching her whiskers. "The apprentices out of breath? I can't hear 'em boasting like they usually do."

Fireheart placed the herbs in his mouth on the ground.

"No, it's just me," he replied, making Yellowfang grow slightly concerned.

"Does Tigerstar know?" she asked in a lower voice. Fireheart paused for a beat, before shaking his head. Yellowfang groaned. "And here I wonder why you're always getting hurt. You rebel more than I did in ShadowClan."

Fireheart chuckled. "I'll take that as a compliment," he said, returning his gaze to the ground before pointing to the herbs at his paws. "I brought you the comfrey you wanted on the way back."

Yellowfang looked down, her eyes suddenly brightening. "I knew there had to be some near the camp! Most of it is gone by this time of year." She knelt down to pick it up, gratefully looking at him. "Thank you for that."

Fireheart nodded, watching as she put the herbs inside a crack in the cave wall. She sat there for a moment before turning around, looking concerned again.

"I smelt blood when you arrived."

Fireheart flattened his ears, meekly shooting a glance at the scratches on himself. Yellowfang seemed to follow his gaze, grumbling before coming over to sniff them.

"Once again, Tigerstar allows his apprentices to do this? I told him I wanted you to stay in the medicine den to help me, but he continues to not listen."

"That's just what you should expect," Fireheart said irritably. "Besides, it wasn't that serious today. I could handle it."

Yellowfang didn't argue, continuing to sniff at his wounds. Eventually, she leaned back.

"Mmph, seems you're right. Nothing that good licking can't fix," she said. "But what'd they do this time to give you those?"

"Just some pinning practice or whatever. It went by quickly, especially since I was distracted by… some other things," Fireheart replied, not looking at her.

"I see," Yellowfang hummed. "And are those other things the reason you're back so early?"

Fireheart looked up. "What? No! I'm back early because I was talking to Sandstorm about the training, and… it just made me realize I wasn't needed there anymore. I'm certain Tigerstar was done with me for the day anyway."

"You talked to Sandstorm?" Yellowfang inquired as he finished, blatantly ignoring the other details. Fireheart pinned his ears, regretting how much of a big mouth he was.

"Yeah. She wanted to help, or so she claimed," he told her. "Though I'm sure she just felt bad about yesterday."

Yellowfang looked at him amused, almost ready to laugh. "Ahh, so you finally decided to make some friends again?"

"I- N-no! I have no idea what she was doing!" Fireheart stated, feeling flustered. "Besides, we only talked for, like, a minute!"

Yellowfang raised her brow. "I see. Well, ya know, I'd indulge her if I were you. We need all the help we can get since StarClan wants to keep quiet…" She trailed off.

Fireheart frowned, hearing that name. Yellowfang seemed to reciprocate his feelings.

"Yeah. I'm getting more concerned," she said. "I've told you already, but I can't stop thinking about it. StarClan hasn't said anything to me since the day you got those nasty marks. I'd hoped that somewhere, somehow, a line had been drawn, but-" She paused and shook her head. "Our clan just seems... so unbalanced in favor of confusion and violence. I'm sure StarClan isn't blind to it, so why aren't they discussing it with us?"

A tense moment passed before she lifted her head, seeming invigorated.

"You know, just like how you and Sandstorm talked today, I'm going to have to consult the other medicine cats about this," she said. "I've been holding off from that for a long time now, but I see I have no choice. Perhaps ThunderClan truly does have some sort of curse on it, and StarClan is hesitant to speak to us. Not saying it's you… but that mark certainly doesn't bode well with my conscience."

Fireheart nodded slowly as she finished.

"Ask the other medicine cats about Tigerstar. See if they know anything," Fireheart said. "Like I always say, if something's wrong with the clan, I'm sure it stems from him."

Yellowfang narrowed her eyes in thought.

"I fear I'm slowly agreeing more with that notion every day," she admitted, sounding remorseful. "I've always had the feeling he was never meant to be our leader. From what I've learned from the few conversations with Runningnose that he's been spending a portion of his time in ShadowClan. Says he wants to restore 'good relations'... like that isn't a load of hogwash. Seems like he wants to be their leader as well."

Fireheart wasn't surprised to learn this, simply shaking his head. "I imagine he only helps someone if it means they'll owe him," he said. "And working with the disease-ridden ShadowClan? He must be desperate."

"Disease-ridden?" Yellowfang echoed, looking at him oddly. "Assuming you don't mean ShadowClanners are generally disease-ridden… And I'm assuming you don't… you've heard the good news, haven't you?"

"Uh," Fireheart looked stumped. "What good news?"

Yellowfang's face slowly began to light up, realizing that he truly 'hasn't heard'.

"They did it," she said.

He kept looking at her confused, but it only took a moment for Fireheart to realize who she was referring to. As his eyes began to widen, Yellowfang continued.

"Cinderpaw and Runningnose… they actually found the cure to that blasted plague not too long ago. Just a few days ago, in fact!"

"They… they did?!" Fireheart sounded in disbelief, happiness flooding his face. "By the stars, that's wonderful news!"

Yellowfang nodded. " I believe Cinderpaw discovered it with some combination of herbs, or so Runningnose told me. Most likely between ThunderClan and ShadowClan plants - our clans' medicine cats have never tried that before I believe."

"I'll have to ask her all about it!" Fireheart grinned.

"Aye. And we should expect Cinderpaw to return in the next few days," Yellowfang said.

Hearing that, a huge weight was seemingly lifted off of Fireheart's shoulders. Finally, his former apprentice was coming back home, where she belonged - where he could keep her safe!

"I needed to hear that," Fireheart chuckled. "I'm so proud of her. She seemed so defeated after– well, everything. You know, with Silverstream, and not being able to view Tigerstar's ceremony."

Yellowfang nodded, understanding.

"Her success in ShadowClan will no doubt put her back in good conscience," she said, giving him a knowing look. "And I imagine her return will do the same for you. Never have I seen a mentor stick so close with a former apprentice after a tragedy like that. She certainly appreciates it."

That made Fireheart smile. He was surprised to learn a while ago that the vast majority of warriors did not maintain close relationships with their mentors. He was grateful to have befriended Cinderpaw, even if it had only been through his efforts at the time to just make friends wherever he could.

"However," Yellowfang continued, her smile fading. "Her success is also another debt ShadowClan owes us. One that Tigerstar will undoubtedly hold over their heads." She paused. "Ah, but never mind that for now. You've got no serious wounds, so just get some rest and you'll be fine."

With that, the old she-cat stood up, trodding past him toward the den's entrance. She stopped to look back.

"I'll bring fresh kill for us to eat soon. Silverpelt knows we deserve at least one blessing every so often," she said.

Fireheart watched her leave, growing with excitement at the prospect of fresh kill - savoring it now as opposed to before, when he couldn't handle its scent. He went over to his nest, sitting in it gleefully as he thought over the few things he had to look forward to.

A blessing… Yes, I'd say I deserve a 'blessing' more than anyone right about now. Wouldn't you agree, you shadow?

Fireheart wasn't even sure they could hear him, but he didn't care. This Spark had given him new life in his otherwise hopeless situation. Knowing he could grow stronger despite being imprisoned by his own clan filled him with vigor.

Sandstorm, Cinderpaw, Yellowfang. They all may want to help, but if this Spark could be obtained, Fireheart could keep them out of danger whilst he went about his mission.

And that was something he wanted just as much as defeating Tigerstar.

…

A/N - Different POVs! I'll try to incorporate those more often 'cuz this franchise is honestly made for that and it's just plain inefficient to make a good story using a single character's POV, or so I've come to realize.

Aaand this is the first one with Sandstorm's POV, I think! She keeps trying her luck when it comes to Fireheart, and failing :/

Fireheart definitely has a bit of tunnel vision, doesn't he? The Dark Forest and Tigerstar are all he thinks about, not to mention his trying to act tough in order to salvage his lost pride. There's a whole forest out there he's yet to explore. I wonder what would happen if he was a bit more… open-minded?