FOURTEEN.

Firepaw was correct. This was indeed a very bad idea.

The difficult part wasn't sneaking out of camp - with most of the Clan still mingling about and talking with one another, both apprentices were able to sneak away undetected. But the problem then became how they would actually listen to the meeting without being caught. After all, if Brokenstar caught an extra scent peeping into a private conversation with the ThunderClan leader, the entire Clan could be screwed.

In a perfect world, it didn't matter since Bluestar would reject whatever the ShadowClan tabby tom had to offer and rally everyone for a fight. But with how she had looked after the news was broken…well, the ginger apprentice couldn't be sure.

" This is so cool… " said Graypaw, who was focused on everything but the task at hand, " I've never been out here this late… " Firepaw shushed him with his tail, though having him around as a second voice to his own was something he found incredibly comforting. Yes, Firepaw could have easily done this alone, but the only easy part about finding out this secret was keeping it quiet. It was high time he and Graypaw both got their paws wet; the ginger tom owed it to his friend, after all.

They were approaching WindClan territory, the two toms approaching a clearing and seeing the last line of trees that marked the end of ThunderClan's land. " So how are we going to get close to the meeting?" whispered Graypaw while Firepaw scanned the area for signs of Bluestar and others.

" Working on that… "

Graypaw blinked. " Wait…you don't have a plan? "

" It's fine. We can improvise, " said Firepaw quietly, "Look…there they are. "

Keeping their bodies close to the ground, Firepaw peeked through the trees and saw Bluestar standing at the border with Tigerclaw and Lionheart on either side and Yellowfang behind her. Across from the leader, the ginger tom could see the imposing figure of Brokenstar and his medicine cat. Even from this distance, the tension was thick like humidity. He was beginning to realize just how high the stakes were now.

" Is that ShadowClan's leader? " whispered Graypaw, who had never seen him before since he hadn't gone to the gallery, " StarClan, he's ugly. " Firepaw shouldered him to keep quiet and slowly began to lead his friend closer. The wind was blowing away from the meeting, but even though they weren't close enough to hear what was being said, Firepaw knew the moment the wind changed back towards their direction, both apprentices' scents would follow. They needed to get somewhere they couldn't be found.

He glanced up at the trees nearby, noting a few solid branches that looked to be high enough. " Can you climb? " he whispered to his friend.

" Yeah, but…not quietly. "

" Then just don't be loud, " said the ginger tom, who dug his claws into the bark and hoisted himself up the side of the tree. He was able to climb up to one of the higher branches with ease, but as he looked down he saw Graypaw straining and struggling to get even half as high. The moment his claw started to slip on the bark, Firepaw quickly gestured for the gray tom to get onto the lower branch in a panic.

But then came the hard part. How close could they get? There probably wasn't going to be shouting, so they had to be close enough to listen to a spoken conversation without being too close. Making sure Graypaw was following his lead from down below, he slowly crept over from one tree to the next, trying to keep himself calm. I'm hunting a bird, he told himself, Brokenstar is a bird I'm hunting…a big, ugly bird.

Finally, after a long sequence of delicate steps, he heard voices. Checking to see Graypaw below him, Firepaw moved back to the base of the branch so he wouldn't waver and listened.

" ...think that you'll ever gain the respect of either of our Clans after what you've done. " Bluestar was growling, yet Brokenstar didn't seem phased in the slightest, "This is an affront to our ancestors."

"Oh, get the bees out of your brain," retorted Brokenstar coldly, his voice sounding low and grisled despite him not looking much older than the two senior warriors at Bluestar's side, "It's not like I destroyed WindClan. We simply had a battle and they lost, so now they have to find somewhere else to go."

" You stole their home from them! "

"All's fair in conflict, Bluestar. I could have ordered an attack to force you to kill my former medicine cat, but I didn't. You capture her for drawing blood on your own territory, she's yours to keep. In fact, I thought you would be thanking me for being so gracious as to keep you informed about her sins…" Firepaw couldn't get a good look at Yellowfang's expression, but the way that her tail lashed gave away that she was absolutely furious.

"The decisions I make for my Clan is none of your business," snapped back Bluestar.

"Fair enough," said Brokenstar coolly, "You've always been reasonable, Bluestar. We may not get along much, but I do have to admire the way you run your Clan."

" Well, it's a damn shame the feeling isn't mutual ," snarled the ThunderClan leader. Firepaw was beginning to grow relieved. The fire was back in Bluestar's voice. She was fighting back.

"A shame indeed…however that does mean I am willing to compromise. In exchange for our business, I will not touch a blade of grass on your territory nor your camp. You are free to hunt and live life as you please." The apprentices looked at each other in a nervous glance. This was it. As long as it was ridiculous enough for the ThunderClan leader to reject…

Brokenstar smirked confidently. "I want your assistance in taking down RiverClan. The Clan that killed your deputy."

Firepaw's eyes widened. On the ground, Lionheart and Bluestar tensed as well. Of course he planned on taking down another Clan…why stop at one? And using Redtail's death against them…well, of course he would. The ShadowClan leader was trying to package up the rhetoric Bluestar could use to rally them into battle. But surely everyone would see that a shaky alliance with ShadowClan would only be delaying an inevitable invasion, right?

The silence was way too long, even though it was only a couple of seconds. Just when Firepaw was about to give a panicked look down to his friend, Lionheart broke the silence. "The cat who killed our deputy is dead," said Lionheart, "Justice has already been served."

"And you're sure that everyone in your Clan feels that way?" Brokenstar said airily, "After their deputy deliberately killed yours in a border skirmish that RiverClan started?"

"We lost our deputy, they lost theirs," retorted Lionheart firmly, "There's no point in retaliation."

Brokenstar groaned dramatically. "Oh, you innocent soul…thinking justice is simply an eye for an eye and nothing more. See, this is why there are no stalemates - all these battles make up a larger war, one where there is a victor and a defeated opponent. Was this all not an unfortunate consequence of your continuous struggle for Sunningrocks?"

"You do not have the right to tell my Clanmates what they are to think," snarled Bluestar as the ShadowClan leader continued.

"But what will they think Bluestar? No good Clan cat has ever had a fair death. What do you think that your Clan will say, should you reject an opportunity to finally avenge your deputy's death in blood tenfold? That's the only way you can truly get revenge…you defeat the opponent so decisively that they lose the will to fight back."

A chill ran over the ginger tom's spine. Brokenstar was right - that was why he had felt so helpless seeing everyone in ThunderClan be so pessimistic and existential about the fall of WindClan. The psychological impact of losing the very balance of the four Clans was a tremendous burden to shoulder, one that he believed could make the remaining Clans desperate to protect themselves from him on his own terms.

Though there was a tense pause, Bluestar didn't back down. "Like I said, Brokenstar," she said calmly, "I run my Clan on my own terms. Never yours."

Firepaw relaxed and heard Graypaw give out a sigh of relief, while the ShadowClan leader narrowed his eyes. "Shame…Though I will say this. RiverClan is going to be invaded anyway. I just thought that I would give you the opportunity to attack on your terms, since you will likely disagree with mine."

" What are you saying? " said the other leader coldly. Brokenstar didn't respond, only gesturing for the she-cat to lean in so he could whisper. And even though neither Firepaw nor Graypaw could hear what she was told, Bluestar's eyes changed from that of confidence to that of horror.

What did he tell her? Firepaw looked down and was about to ask if Graypaw understood, but instead saw him standing on the very edge of the branch to try and listen in. "Graypaw! Get back here! " hissed the ginger tom quietly.

" I'm trying to listen! " whispered back Graypaw, leaning further and further still. Panic was pooling up in the tom's paws. If that branch snapped or rustled too much, their covers were blown.

"Well?" said the ShadowClan leader with a cold and calculated smirk, "Does that make my offer…more attractive to you?"

Bluestar looked speechless. Even Lionheart looked concerned, shifting nervously on his paws while they waited for an answer. Firepaw didn't know what he could have possibly said. Could it have been about the prophecy? Some shred of devastating information that he knew would completely disillusion the ThunderClan leader into accepting a deal from the devil?

The ginger tom's heart was slamming against his chest as she took in a deep breath. "Well, I-"

CRACK!

The noise sounded like the loudest in the world. Firepaw jumped and looked down to see Graypaw gasping and slipping slowly off of the branch. It took everything in his body to not cry out audibly. "Waaaagh! " yowled the apprentice as he slipped off, slamming shoulder first onto the ground with a whumph!

Firepaw was horrified. They were dead. They were so dead. Their cover was blown and now everything was going to fall apart because of him.

" Graypaw! " snapped Lionheart, who sounded absolutely furious, " What…what in the name of the Dark Forest are you doing here?! "

" Owwwww… " moaned Graypaw. Firepaw grit his teeth - his friend had taken a nasty fall, " I…I'm sorry, I-…aaaagh… "

" Explain yourself! " snapped his mentor. Nearby, Tigerclaw was approaching his friend with claws and fangs out while Yellowfang glanced around towards the apprentice uncomfortably. Brokenstar watched from the other side of the border, looking dangerously suspicious. Firepaw could barely breathe, bracing himself for the devastation of being caught spying on a secret meeting.

" I was…trying to…get some prey for the kits. " hissed Graypaw, acting only in his words but not the pain, "There was a bird and I- "

" Leaving camp is forbidden, you dung-brain… " snarled Tigerclaw dangerously. Firepaw was scared for a moment that the tabby was actually going to kill him. " Are you trying to make a fool out of yourself? "

" I'm sorry…I didn't want to be near it, I really didn't…" whimpered Graypaw, "I just…ow-! I want to…help the kits… "

" Well, then you better have kills to show, foxface… " snapped the tabby tom, " Because if you don't, I'm sure Bluestar will have no hesitation in exiling you for ruining everything. " And it took every fiber in Firepaw's body to scream out and retaliate by leaping down from the tree and onto the tabby warrior. Everything was falling apart and Graypaw was going to pay the price for his own stupid idea…

" Move. " Yellowfang suddenly shoved Tigerclaw out of the way and was standing over the apprentice. Needles drilled into Firepaw's spine as the molly moved a paw over Graypaw's shoulder, eliciting a yowl of pain. "It's just as I thought. He's chipped a bone in the joint. He won't be able to walk because of the swelling."

"StarClan…" hissed Lionheart in frustration. Brokenstar looked almost amused at that and Firepaw was a modicum of common sense away from launching himself right down onto the ShadowClan leader unprompted. "I'll need to take him back to camp," said Yellowfang, "Spottedleaf will need assistance for the brace, anyways."

" I'll take him back to camp ," snarled Tigerclaw, " Better he comes back with a trusted warrior than a medicine cat that not a single cat in camp trusts. " Brokenstar snickered quietly at that.

" Absolutely not ," retorted the old molly, "I don't give a piece of mousedung about what the other cats think happened, because won't handing over an apprentice with a shattered shoulder to a tom who can't even make dirt without getting mad make me look a lot worse?" Tigerclaw hissed at the jab, forcing Bluestar to step in.

"That's enough," she said sternly, "Take him back to camp, Yellowfang. We still have business to finish here." She turned back to Brokenstar, gesturing for her two warriors to join her as the medicine cat slowly nudged herself under a groaning Graypaw and lifted him onto his back. Firepaw still felt like he was going to be sick. What had he done? This was all his fault.

He followed the medicine cat across trees while hopping through branches. He had no idea how he was going to get back in camp without making others realize he had been gone, but he didn't care. Graypaw had just crippled his shoulder, there was a chance he wouldn't be able to hunt or walk properly again. Firepaw focused on running, trying desperately to not let the wetness in his eyes obscure his vision.

But they didn't go all the way back. Instead, still a while away from arriving, she stopped and set Graypaw back down. Firepaw looked on in panicked confusion until the molly spoke out loud and clear.

" Well? Are you gonna keep making a ruckus up in those trees? "

There was no doubt that Yellowfang was talking to the ginger tom when she looked up directly at where he was watching. The embarrassment of being caught was brief as Firepaw quickly rushed down the branches and raced to his friend's side. "Oh, Graypaw…" he whimpered, "I'm so sorry…I'm so, so sorry-"

"Oh, cut the tears , will ya?" snapped Yellowfang irritably, "He's fine. Just bruised up a bit, not nearly as serious as I said. StarClan, you apprentices are dramatic."

Graypaw blinked in surprise, the pain now looking to be less overwhelming. "Wait…so I can walk?"

"If you can't after that fall, you didn't deserve legs in the first place."

Slowly, and using Firepaw as support, Graypaw was able to get back onto his four paws. He looked far from comfortable and his shoulder looked banged up from the fall, but he was standing upright soon enough. The ginger tom took in the sight of his friend being alright, quelling the majority of his panic before looking back at Yellowfang.

"Why did…why did you…"

"Save your haunches?" Yellowfang finished his sentence for him, "Cause that lovely tabby Clanmate of yours was gonna kick your friend around so much he would have actually chipped your shoulder. Just because no one here likes me doesn't mean I don't have morals. Or common sense."

Graypaw seethed through gritted teeth as he hopped gingerly on his bad leg, so Yellowfang gestured for him to walk to different trees to loosen it up. As he walked, the old black she-cat groaned and rolled her eyes.

"I had a feeling you'd be snooping around tonight…I just didn't expect you to bring the fat one." Yellowfang didn't even flinch at Firepaw's furious glare as she continued, "But this does make my life easier…and Spottedleaf's since she's definitely sick of having to push you around by now."

Firepaw gawked. "She is not -"

"Go to the RiverClan border by Sunningrocks and wait for a patrol to pass by," interrupted the medicine cat, "Tell them to inform their medicine cat Mudfur - not Crookedstar - that Brokenstar is trying to turn RiverClan and ThunderClan against each other. You can even make up a sob story about how you barely escaped with the information and it nearly cost the life of your…unusually close best friend. "

"Wha- Unusually close- nevermind…" sputtered Firepaw. There was no time to argue, the stakes were far too high for Firepaw to try and get snippy with this old cat. "Why their medicine cat? Why can't Crookedstar know?"

"Because leaders are stupid and he'll just say it's ThunderClan trying to spring a trap," muttered Yellowfang, "Mudfur actually knows what he's doing…he'll know how to tell Crookedstar to prevent them from falling into a trap. Now go. RiverClan aren't gonna patrol forever. I'll cover your story back in camp."

Firepaw watched in confusion as Yellowfang got up to leave. "Wait…" he said quickly, "Why…why are you helping me? What happened to wanting me dead?"

The medicine cat rolled her eyes, which was particularly unflattering since they were discussing the ginger tom's death. "I don't think I need to explain myself when I say that you aren't exactly the highest priority right now . "

The apprentice's eyes narrowed. "And when will I be the highest priority?"

Yellowfang almost laughed. "Ohhh, trust me. You'll know . Now shoo!"

The old molly got to her feet and began walking back to camp. Graypaw was quick to join his side, still looking a bit off-balance and stiff from the fall. "What was that all about?"

Firepaw sighed. "A lot of things…But she'll cover for us. For now, we have to go to RiverClan."

The sun had set by now, and Firepaw could see the stars of Silverpelt coming out in the cloudless night sky. He still felt anxious sitting on the slick rocks of Sunningrocks waiting for a patrol to come by. He didn't know if a patrol was going to come out before the morning and he certainly didn't want to wait out here all night.

Graypaw wasn't doing much better, pacing back and forth along the rocks and murmuring to himself nervously. His shoulder definitely looked looser, but Firepaw could see him wince every time the gray tom put pressure on his front leg. Guilt clawed at him - it was entirely his fault that he had gotten hurt.

"I'm sorry, Gray," he said quietly. Graypaw stopped and looked at him curiously.

"For what?"

"I shouldn't have brought you out here…" he said, looking down, "If I'd known that you could get hurt, I-"

"Oh, stop that," said the apprentice indignantly, "You couldn't have known. Besides, I'm…really glad you did. I know that you've been all…quiet about some things and I'm just really excited that I got to come along."

That really only made Firepaw feel worse about having to keep everything from the gray tom. "I really want to tell you, I do… but it's just…"

"I get it. Things are complicated," said Graypaw with a shrug, "Obviously, I'd love to know because I care about you, but it's no big deal if no one gets hurt, right?" Firepaw couldn't nod along because he knew that it did involve people getting hurt. Mainly himself. And if he couldn't handle the consistent fear that he could be slaughtered by even one of his own Clanmates, how well could sharing things with Graypaw possibly go?

"I just…through all of this, I…I've been feeling so alone and I…I've never liked being alone," he said quietly. He trusted Graypaw, but talking like this made him feel so open, so exposed. Like he was a bubble floating on water about to pop.

"I don't think anyone likes being alone. At least, not in the way you're going through," said the other tom gently, "I'm not as stupid as others say I am, Firepaw. I know that there are…things that you can't or don't want to talk about. But with you, what I've decided is that everything that you do give me is…something that I want to cherish. Openly. So even when you're out here feeling like you're drifting out by yourself, you'll know I'll be waiting for the parts of you that you're ready to show."

Graypaw gently pressed his nose to Firepaw's shoulder, and the ginger tom felt warm inside. There was no all-consuming fire that threatened to scorch him when he was in a rage…this was just a gentle light. Something deep inside his chest that brought the comfort of the heat without the scintillating burn of the flame. All the good, none of the pain.

Firepaw closed his eyes and let himself cherish this. This silent moment with the best friend he could have possibly asked for. He cared more than he had known anyone could possibly care.

" Owch! " Graypaw hissed suddenly, pulling away suddenly as Firepaw whipped his head around in concern. "Sorry…just the shoulder…"

The ginger tom glanced at his bad shoulder, noting how raw and welted it looked. "You can still move it, yeah?"

"Yeah, it's just…really stiff…"

Firepaw blinked, glancing around to make sure they were still clear on the RiverClan border. "Here, lay down. I have an idea."

Graypaw's eyes widened. "Um…what?"

"Just lay down on your flank. Bad shoulder facing up."

Slowly and precariously, the gray tom lowered himself until he was on his side, the cold water of the river making him wince. Firepaw moved in to take a closer look at his shoulder - the fur was still tangled with dirt and there was a welt from the impact, but it didn't look like anything was broken. If it was anything like his own shoulder injury, then all he needed was to loosen up a bit. "Okay, Spottedleaf did this for my shoulder after I got hurt…hopefully this works…"

Taking a deep breath, he pressed both front paws on the sight of impact and let his pads dig into the wound. "Ack- " A choked noise was squeezed out of Graypaw and he scrunched up his muzzle in pain as Firepaw slowly began to move his paws back and forth, back and forth. He could feel the tension inside the gray tom, and he gave a little extra push to loosen him up.

" Ooo…ah…ghhh… " Graypaw clearly wasn't in charge of the sounds he made and he still looked to be fighting through the pain, but Firepaw couldn't help but smile at the adorable noises. He rolled forward onto the toes of his paws, pushing down on the wound as if he were trying to squash an anthill before continuing to vigorously rub out Graypaw's shoulder.

As he continued, the ginger tom noticed that his friend was starting to relax and enjoy the feeling. Soon enough, Firepaw could feel a gentle purr beneath his skin encouraging him on. Up and down and back and forth he went, over and over until on one particularly harsh push down on Graypaw's body, Firepaw heard a pop!

" Ah! Ohh…ooooooooooohh…oooooo…woahhh… " Graypaw had jumped at first, making Firepaw scramble back in a panic before he relaxed and smiled in a particularly dopey manner. "How did…how did you do that?"

"I don't know what I did…" said FIrepaw quietly, "Is it bad?"

"That was the opposite of bad…" murmured Graypaw, I feel like…like my back feels like goo. And in a good way…"

Firepaw was oblivious to how something that sounded so akin to a bone breaking could feel that good, but he was relieved that he hadn't injured him further. "You alright, then?"

"Oh yeah…just…gimme a minute…" said Graypaw, who indeed looked like a gray blob when he was splayed out on the rocks. Firepaw smiled at how serene he looked before he looked back over the border. The moon was coming out and Firepaw was starting to lose hope that there would be a patrol before the morning…if they had to stay the night out here, he hoped Yellowfang had a good enough excuse for both of them.

"Looks like we might have to stake out here for the night…" he said quietly.

" Mmmms'fine…I'mnotgettinup… " mumbled Graypaw as he relished in whatever relief Firepaw had just given him. The ginger tom smirked as he walked back, looking his form over once before flopping onto his back and laying his head on his friend's belly.

The gray tom smirked, a noise that Firepaw could feel. "Is there a reason you're laying on my belly?"

"It's warm and comfy…might as well use it…"

"You're gonna freeze your tail off just so I can be your pillow?" said Graypaw with an amused smirk. Firepaw sighed and made a show of closing his eyes before they flung open again as Graypaw grabbed him with his front legs and yanked him forward, his gray furred form pressing up flat against the ginger tom on the rocks.

"There…" murmured the gray tom with a yawn, "mmm…better?"

"Uh…Y-Yeah…" Firepaw stuttered, eyes still wide from Graypaw grabbing him, "This is…good…yeah…" The ginger tom's heart was racing as he felt his friend's breath hot on his fur and the purrs in his chest resonating up and down his spine. He hadn't even adjusted himself to sleep yet, staying in the exact position where the other tom had pulled him.

Firepaw didn't know how long he stayed like that. His eyes were wide open, out looking at the gently flowing river. It was quiet. Though he expected to be plagued with uncertain thoughts of the future ahead, both for himself and for ThunderClan altogether, the warm body holding him had begun to melt them away. For once, his mind felt clear.

That meant that he could think. Think about Graypaw…he liked when he could think about Graypaw. He was so nice…and kind…and even when Firepaw had led him on into the woods and he had banged up his shoulder, the one thing he told him was that he was happy to be with him…how many other cats in the world would say that about him?

He didn't know how much time had passed, but some time did. And though his eyes didn't close and he had yet to sleep, things slowly… slowly… began to come together.

It started as a reflection on all the good memories the two had made together, from just talking and eating prey to more dramatic instances of loyalty where Graypaw had stayed by his side when he was recovering. Firepaw had not been on this earth for long, so over two moons felt nearly like an eternity. Like Graypaw had been a light shining on him and energizing him for almost all his life rather than a small part of it. That's how he felt… he felt enlightened, free and happy.

Spottedleaf and Lionheart's words trickled into his mind…things that Graypaw had said about him.

"That you are…what were the exact words…that you are 'the kindest and strongest cat he's ever known, and that he didn't know where he would be if you hadn't come to ThunderClan."

"For a long time I was worried that I would never be able to build a relationship with him. And I think you being around has enabled him to…be better."

At first he had doubted if he had been telling the truth, because that was some incredibly high praise. But Graypaw didn't lie, at least not like that. But that meant that if he were telling the truth…well, other cats had friends and it wasn't like they were saying that stuff about each other. In fact, those were things that he would expect to hear from Lionheart and Whitestorm.

Wait.

Firepaw blinked. Clarity shot through him like a rush of water.

Surely not…that would be absurd…

"So even when you're out here feeling like you're drifting out by yourself, you'll know I'll be waiting for the parts of you that you're ready to show."

The ginger tom's green eyes widened.

He saw images of his smile. The way his eyes lit up when he was happy. The care and empathy he showed for when he was going through hard nights.

"I'm just really excited that I got to come along. "

He hadn't understood why someone would say such incredible things about him to Spottedleaf and Lionheart. He hadn't understood because those were unusual things for someone to say about a friend.

Because Graypaw didn't see Firepaw as a friend.

And despite the fact that the signs were so obvious for many, many days beforehand - to the point where he had been just seconds away from Graypaw telling him hours before, Firepaw…m iraculously… figured it out. He gasped, a genuine sound of shock as he scrambled to his paws with his head spinning. His jaw was open wide as he stared up into the sky.

Graypaw likes me.

Graypaw likesme.

Firepaw genuinely didn't know what to feel because the thought was so foreign and ridiculous to him that he had no idea what he was supposed to feel. All this time… the signs had all been there. Of course they had. How long has it been like this? Has he always felt like this? What made him realize it or decide that he did?

This wasn't a normal panic. Firepaw knew panic very well now…but this wasn't it. His mind was swirling but the world wasn't closing in on him. And instead of dread serenading him, it was instead the mere thought of Graypaw. The green eyes and gray stripe and every little thing .

What was he supposed to do? Wake him up and ask him to his face? But what if he was wrong? What if this was just him overthinking something? What if he had been right to think of them as really close friends all along? What if this shattered their friendship completely?

And as was the theme for the dance he had done around the very obvious conclusion, the question that Firepaw came to last was the most important one.

Do I like him back?

He didn't know. He genuinely didn't know. Yes, he cared for him. Yes, he cared for him a lot. But there was a difference in his head between caring and liking. Liking was attraction, bringing out the positive. Caring was like a cradle for every part of someone. What did it mean to like someone? That he wanted to spend the rest of his life with them? Was that part not obvious with Graypaw? There was something about it, something that just made it more. Because there was a difference between friends and…whatever this was.

StarClan, what do I do? he said quietly. His mind was on full volume, everything focused on Graypaw, Graypaw, Graypaw…the name was so loud in his head that he felt like shouting it out to the world.

But before he could do that, another scent - one from RiverClan - entered his nose and he shouted that name instead. " SILVERPAW! "

The poor she-cat shrieked, scrambling back into the grass as Firepaw turned around to look for her. Graypaw was instantly awake as well, sluggishly looking around with claws out as he thought they were under attack. The ginger tom caught his breath, remembering why he was here in the first place. "Silverpaw…thank goodness you're here."

" What the…What in the name of StarClan are you doing here!? " she said, looking baffled and pissed that he had scared her so loudly, " Why-...who's that!? Why are you here!? Were you looking for me!? "

"Yes- No! " said Firepaw, still sounding incredibly flustered from the panic that he had just gone through, "I was looking for…for a patrol- I don't have time to explain. Please listen to me-"

" No, I would like you to explain, please, " said Silverpaw, her hostility a stark contrast from when they had met at the Gathering, " And it better be good or it's going to my father. "

"Firepaw, who is this?" said Graypaw, looking baffled at the interaction.

Firepaw gulped. "Okay…look, this is going to sound crazy. But I need you to…keep this a secret and not tell Crookedstar, okay?" Silverpaw indeed looked at him like he was insane and started to turn around and walk away. " No! Wait! Please! It's about ShadowClan! "

Silverpaw paused and looked back at the ginger tom, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Yeah, they chased out WindClan from their own home and are making everyone in camp believe it's the end times. What about them?"

Firepaw hissed under his breath, "This is gonna sound so stupid, but…Brokenstar called a meeting with Bluestar and he tried to convince her to attack RiverClan. SHE SAID NO- " he interjected before Silverpaw looked truly horrified, "She said…they won't…but Yellowf-...our medicine cat said that you need to tell your medicine cat and not your leader…that Brokenstar is planning to turn us against each other as a distraction so he can take out both camps."

Silverpaw looked very confused. Her eyes were still narrowed suspiciously and Firepaw could tell just from looking that she now had a massive headache. "Okay…I have…several questions. First of all, who is that? "

"Oh, I'm Graypaw," said the gray tom awkwardly, "I'm just…here…cause he asked me to be here…and it was an adventure…" StarClan, he was so adorable it hurt. Nope! Nope! Don't think about that right now, thought Firepaw as he shook his head.

"Ooooookay?" said Silverpaw slowly, "Second, how do you know this?"

"I snuck out and spied on the meeting," the ginger tom said with a shrug.

"Isn't the leader your mentor? "

"Yeahhh, but…she doesn't know. So it's fine," offered Firepaw weakly. This went so much better in his head…if only he hadn't forgotten that cats were only friendly with each other on the full moon.

"Third…why do I have to tell my medicine cat and not my father?" she said, voice cold. This would be the hardest part to sell her on - it wasn't like he could just regurgitate what Yellowfang had said and tell her leaders are stupid.

"Okay, basically…from what my medicine cat told me, they have, like…a massive connection with StarClan," he said hastily, "And they talk with them and…they have this relationship with them and that makes them super powerful. So Ye- my medicine cat said that if you tell them, then they will know what you're talking about instead of your father, who will just take it as…like…rat droppings from someone in the other Clan."

Silverpaw blinked. "Do you…do you have any idea how ridiculous you sound right now?" Even Graypaw was lost by the medicine cat explanation, looking just as confused as the RiverClan apprentice.

" Yes! I do! " hissed Firepaw, "Look, I know we only met, like, once. But…ShadowClan really is dangerous. And I don't know what kind of moves Brokenstar will do with you when he meets with RiverClan, but he tried pulling out some deep, dark secrets. Truthfully I don't know how she didn't accept the deal. But she didn't. Because we all know that the last thing we want is to fight you and give ShadowClan the opportunity to take us both out of our homes."

Silverpaw was softening up to the idea a little more, but still looked uncomfortable. "This is…Firepaw, this is a lot. How can I possibly trust you?"

"Because there's no one he cares more about than his Clan," said Graypaw, stepping up to stand by him, "And he also knows that we both want Brokenstar gone. We can't let him turn us against each other before we can fight back." Firepaw felt a surge in his chest as his "friend" stood up for him, giving perhaps that final boost Silverpaw needed to trust him.

Glancing between the two, she slowly nodded. "Okay…I'll trust you this one time. But you two need to get your tails out of here. Go do your…whatever you were doing before we talked somewhere else-"

"Oh that wasn't-" stammered Firepaw.

"That was nothing-" flubbed Graypaw awkwardly.

"Yeah, it was just-"

"It's…we're tired, y'know…"

"And rocks and…stuff…"

Silverpaw glanced between them, not believing a word they said. "Right…well, uh…congratulations in advance, and…I guess I'll see you at the next Gathering if things don't go wrong."

"Thank you, Silverpaw…" said Firepaw with a relieved smile, "I owe you one."

" Oh, you owe me more than that! " she called back. The ginger tom relaxed, closing his eyes and looking down at the river as Graypaw gave him a good-natured nudge.

"We did it. We did good."

"Yeah," said Firepaw with a grin, "We did…"

The two sat in silence a bit, listening to only the rushing water of the stream until Graypaw broke the silence. "What did she mean by 'congratulations in advance?'"

Firepaw thought about it for a moment and then shrugged, probably because he was tired. "I honestly don't know."