Author's Note: Welcome to the start of the Graystar AU. Like Kwamis and Lions this series has been complete for some time now along with two super editions and three series all in its name with various short stories. Oh and all the future author notes you see are old, same with the other author notes in the future stories in the Graystar AU.

~Leafbranch

Graystripe fights his way through the rouges. How had they managed to come so close to camp without the other patrols noticing? Through the range of fur he spots Tigerclaw go into Bluestar's den. No! Tigerclaw can't! And without hesitation he sprints into Bluestar's den seeing Tigerclaw on top of her, grinning triumphantly.

"Finally," he meows, "I will become the rightful leader of Thunderclan."

"Why are you doing this, Tigerclaw? You are my deputy!"

"You are a weak leader, Bluestar. Thunderclan will only become strong once I am in charge. No other clan will dare question us again! And I don't care how long it will take until I kill you permanently. "

Tigerclaw lifts one of massive paws to swipe across Bluestar's throat, but before the Thunderclan deputy can injure her he lunges at Tigerclaw, making both of them fall onto the soft dirt floor. Scrambling, he quickly rakes Tigerclaw's belly, but not too deep as he does not need to kill the deputy to win this battle. Standing over him he breathes heavily. That was too close. Tigerclaw almost got what he wanted, what he and Fireheart were afraid would happen eventually.

Turning to face Bluestar, he meows, "Bluestar pin him down. I need to make sure the other warriors are okay."

Bluestar has a haunted look in her eyes, but she moves to keep the deputy on the dirt floor. Getting his paws off Tigerclaw, he goes back to the battle waging outside. Spotting Sandstorm he quickly runs to her. "Sandstorm, I need you to be will Bluestar in her den, there's someone we need to keep down until this blows over. Just don't go into shock."

Sandstorm looks confused at Graystripe, but goes into Bluestar's den anyway. Looking around in the battle he spots Fireheart backed into a corner of camp by a bunch of rogues. His heart lurches as they all attack his friend at once. He dashes across the clearing, but another rogue dives in front of him and quickly they get into a fight. He rakes his claws on the rouge's shoulder but the rouge responds by quickly clawing his cheek.

Blood drips down his face and he snarls. This rouge won't get in the way of me saving Fireheart. Lunging at the rouge he lands on him and gives the rouge a quick swipe across his muzzle. "Go back to the Twoleg place!" he growls.

"Not when Tigerclaw has promised us a place in his clan!" spat the night pelted rouge.

Then he hears more pawsteps approaching. Swiveling his head around to the entrance he sees the Cloudpaw with the patrols and some Riverclan warriors. A sigh of relief escapes him. But then when he looks back to where Fireheart is, his bright ginger pelt is on the ground, soaked with blood, with the four rogues who backed his friend into a corner standing victorious.

Seething with rage, he rushes up to where the four rogues are and begins to attack them. Some other warriors join his side and eventually they chase the rouges out of camp. But he doesn't feel triumphant. Going back to the side of camp where Fireheart is, he presses his nose into his fur. It's still warm, but he knows his friend is gone. A wail escapes his throat, as he remembers Sliverstream giving birth to his kits, the sunningrocks covered in blood, her body limp, and now his friend is also dead.

Tears escape his eyes, as he remembers the time he and Fireheart had spent as apprentices, and their brief time as warriors before he became captivated by Sliverstream. He wished he could have spent more time with Fireheart, his friend, instead of spending all his free time padding over Silverstream. He didn't know that they both would be dead, leaving him alone in this cruel world.

A tail brushing his back snaps him out of his grief. He sees Yellowfang and she meows, "Come on I need to get your wounds checked. I am sorry for your loss, Fireheart was a good and kind cat. He should have lived many seasons onward."

Graystripe only nods, grief welling up inside of him. He wants to wail at how unfair all this is! First his mate died and now his friend. His best friend! His claws tear the soft earth beneath him. It truly wasn't fair. But he lets Yellowfang check him over.

"Your cheek wound seems to be the most serious, but it can wait a bit to be healed."

He only nods again. It should have him who died and not Fireheart. But then he remembers his precious kits, the one gift Silverstream gave him before she died. Featherkit and Stormkit. If he died they would be left without a father, and what would the clan do to them if he died? He knows Goldenflower loves his kits as much as her own, but would she be enough if he died?

Shaking his head he chastises himself for even thinking such thoughts. Featherkit and Stormkit need him.

He returns his gaze to Fireheart's body. He still wished his friend hadn't died in a battle that Tigerclaw probably put into motion so he could become clan leader. Tigerclaw, he hisses the name in his mind, anger making his blood boil. This all wouldn't have happened if he wasn't a greedy mouseheart. How could the clan have looked up to him all this time?

Returning to Bluestar's den, he notices Sandstorm helping Bluestar keep the dark brown tabby down. Tigerclaw's belly wound seemed to have stopped bleeding, making the blood stick to the deputy.

"Is the battle over?" Sandstorm asks.

Graystripe nods. He flicks his tail, "You and Bluestar can bring Tigerclaw out now. We had some help from Riverclan."

"Are they still asking for your kits?" Sandstorm asked.

"Probably, I'm just grateful they came in time. Without them our casualties would have been disastrous." Though they couldn't stop Fireheart from dying, he thinks to himself.

They lead Tigerclaw out of Bluestar's den, and he notices the Riverclan patrol has gone.

Bounding up to Whitestorm he asks, "Whitestorm? Where are the Riverclan cats?"

"They left, seeing it was not a good time to ask for your kits to be in Riverclan."

Graystripe sighs, his matehood with Sliverstream seemed to only cause problems. But his kits were also Thunderclan too. Surely they belonged here, with him and Goldenflower. But he shoves those thoughts down, the clan is at a crisis right now.

Then Whitestorm asks, "And why is Tigerclaw bleeding from his stomach? Bluestar seems in shock and Sandstorm seems wary of him."

"I'm sure Bluestar will explain everything."

Just as he said it, Bluestar, still looking a little ruffled, jumps onto Highrock.

She meows, "Cats of Thunderclan. Tigerclaw tried to murder me in my own den."

Shocked gasps come from all the cats. He can't blame them, until Fireheart, then Firepaw, and Ravenpaw had told them the truth, his respect for the Thunderclan deputy diminished. Tigerclaw was a good cat, but his ambition made him dangerous.

Bluestar then dips her head, "Fireheart had tried to prove to me that I couldn't trust Tigerclaw and yet I did not listen. Fireheart, why don't….." And then she stops, her blue eyes going wide with shock. She must have seen it. Firehearts…..he shudders he couldn't finish the thought. It would make all the more real and unfair.

Bluestar then recomposed herself, "Graystripe why don't you tell the clan?"

Surprised, he complies and jumps onto highrock with Bluestar.

"Why should we listen to him? He broke the code!" Darkstripe sneers.

"Because he was friends with Fireheart and knows the truth." Though her gaze looks uncertain as if she doesn't fully know that Fireheart told him everything. He nods, making her look relieved.

Addressing the clan he confesses what he learned of Tigerclaw's plot from Fireheart, "Fireheart first noticed something was amiss when Ravenpaw told the battle of Sunningrocks where Redtail died a little differently then what Tigerclaw had told us when he came back from the battle. Fireheart further suspected something was wrong when Tigerclaw was spreading nasty rumors about Ravenpaw. So we decided for his safety that we should take him away from the clans. This was the night we told you he died tracking down the kits. Fireheart dug further deep into the story by getting Ravenpaw's unedited version and confirming it with a riverclan warrior that what Ravenpaw told him was true. That Oakheart died in a rockslide and that other Riverclan cats had already fled, making Tigerclaw the true culprit of Redtail's death. We then assumed that Tigerclaw had planned to kill Bluestar because his scent marker was too close to the Thunderpath, which resulted in Cinderpaws accident because Bluestar had been too sick to go herself."

Silence greets his words until Bluestar meows, "Well Tigerclaw, what do you have to say to defend yourself?"

Tigerclaw snarls, "Nothing. I did kill Redtail because he was weak. You're also a weak Bluestar. I set up that trap by the Thunderpath hoping to kill you! I may have failed in killing you today but at least Fireheart died. He was a constant thorn in my side."

"Well then Tigerclaw, you are hereby banished from Thunderclan."

"Fine."

Tigerclaw then turns his attention to Darkstripe and Longtail. Longtail looking horrified at Tigerclaw has just admitted to.

"Longtail, Darkstripe, will you join me?"

Longtail is the first to speak, "After what you did? Never. I thought you would be a good leader for this clan but I never realized how much your ambition blinded you. You should be ashamed that Fireheart is dead, he was a good warrior despite his kittypet roots."

Tigerclaw turns to Darktripe, unfazed by what Longtail said.

Darkstripe stammers, "I don't know….Follow you into exile…I… No… I can't. You tried to kill Bluestar, our clan leader!"

Graystripe narrows his eyes in anger towards Darkstripe. At least Longtail actually stood up from himself instead of stammering like a mouse.

Tigerclaw, still unfazed, looks at Dustpelt. "Dustpelt will you…."

The young cat bares his teeth, "I wanted to be just like, but now I know you're nothing but a foxheart! You killed my mentor there is no way I am siding with you."

Whitestorm nods, "Well said, young Dustpelt."

"Enough Tigerclaw. Leave and whoever finds you on Thunderclan territory after sunrise has my permission to kill you on sight." Bluestar growls.

Tigerclaw lashes his tail, but leaves through the entrance to camp. Watching him go, it felt like they finally got rid of the evil plaguing Thunderclan. Though he wishes that Fireheart were here to witness this victory. It was him who went through all the trouble to find the truth, while he was madly in love with Sliverstream. He didn't lift a paw and he was supposed to be Fireheart's friend. Leaping off highrock he goes to bury his nose in his friend's fur. He wishes Fireheart could be here right now.

Author's Note: So I had this idea back in the day when I was reading a lot of what if scenarios regarding Fireheart failing to make it to Bluestar in time. And I thought what if he died. We do learn in one of the guides for the Clans, I believe its Battle of the Clans where Tigerclaw promised a high reward to the cat who killed Fireheart when he led the battle. So I thought what if they succeeded, because an orange pelt is hard to miss and I doubt that the rouges wouldn't not want what Tigerclaw promised. So yeah.