TEN.


Firepaw had grown up in a place where he and the world couldn't have been more divided. Right from birth, it had been him and his family against the world. His mother had told him hundreds of times about the way that the gangs brought nothing but violence to their enemies and that was true - every cat that he had ever seen or heard of outside the family had tried to kill. There was no peace beyond familial bonds.

Then he ran to Twolegplace, where there was everything except violence. Suddenly, there was nothing to fight for…no threats to protect, not even a need to hunt for food to survive. There was no motive to get stronger nor was there motive to even want anything more. It was too peaceful…it didn't reflect the violence in Firepaw's own head.

And even now in this place Firepaw had found not the violence he had grown up wanting to master, but the violence of words and deception. All these cats had secrets and some of them were woven with his own name before he even stepped into the forest. He was a fighter, nothing more. And in this self-protective place where everything was political and the obfuscation of the truth was mandated by the Clans' own medicine cats, he had made more friends and known more about cats than he had ever known. The bonds of friendship were never unbreakable when everyone fought with lies first and claws last.

Firepaw will spend the rest of his life questioning these traditions; perhaps his unwillingness to truly buy into things that tried to make the Clans feel less like continually battling groups staving off mutually assured destruction. That was the source of the bias against kittypets, loners and outsiders. They wouldn't get it, not like those who grew up in a Clan and heard the Clan side of what this all meant from birth.

But for a moment…Firepaw's internal debate about the purpose of the Gathering being nothing but shallow and performative showings of strength were swept away. The moonlit clearing underneath the majestic trees where cats of all Clans converged to talk as if they were friends who hadn't seen each other in a long time…it was beautiful. The spectacle of it all enamored him, this symbol of peace. Perhaps he simply didn't believe the idea that others would honor a pacifist truce for that night only. Well, he certainly believed it now.

"Woah…" said Firepaw as he followed the rest of the ThunderClan cats into their spot near Fourtrees. The noises of cats chattering filled his ears and their unique scents bored down on his nose. If the excitement of seeing others just talk hadn't filled him he would have surely worried about passing out. Though he really didn't know what he was to do…he certainly didn't want to talk to ShadowClan first, but RiverClan had also been the ones to last attack them and kill Redtail. But when he glanced up at Whitestorm talking happily with another tom who smelled of fish and reeds, Firepaw's eyes drifted over towards the RiverClan side.

Upon closer inspection, Firepaw could see that the RiverClan cats seemed to be smaller than the other two Clans. But they certainly didn't look weak - every cat there looked as if their fur had been blown back by high winds with how close to their form they looked. The RiverClan cats seemed slim, but not from malnourishment. Graypaw had mentioned something about them being able to swim, but Firepaw had never seen anything like that before. Their voices and accents weren't that different, but he picked up on a couple different words being thrown around that he didn't recognize. There were a lot more fish names being thrown around than he had ever heard before.

He really couldn't help but wonder how he could beat them in battle. Everything about their look and physique and way of talking was so different. Firepaw had never seen RiverClan cats before, let alone in battle. A particularly well-groomed tom who seemed to have massive muscles along his legs and a very strong back and neck caught his eye and he followed. How would it feel like if they were to fight? Could he still overpower him with everything he knew? If he were to get pinned down by him, was there a way to get out?

"You're staring."

Firepaw jumped and scooted away at the voice, looking back to see a she-cat he didn't recognize chuckling. She looked to be his age, if not a little older, but she was quite well-built and had black stripes flowing across her silver pelt like they were pockets of water in a glittering marsh. Her eyes were vibrant blue like the sky, shining bright as she laughed lightly at him. "Great StarClan, you're tense. First Gathering, then?"

"Uhh…yeah," said Firepaw awkwardly.

"I figured as much…you look as if you haven't seen another Clan cat before," said the she-cat with a well-natured smile, "I'm Silverpaw, I'm an apprentice of RiverClan."

"Uh…Firepaw," said the ginger tom with an awkward smile. Yeah, she was an apprentice, but the fact that he was talking to a RiverClan cat, let alone a cat that looked peaceful and not at all from the Clan that had blood on their hands…

"Firepaw…like the pelt. I like that." She leaned in closer to sniff at his pelt and the ginger tom did everything in his power to not shove her away or bolt back into the crowd of his own Clan. "You don't smell like ThunderClan. Matter of fact, I heard that Bluestar didn't say who your mother was when she announced you joining the Clan."

Now that was interesting. Firepaw didn't know that Bluestar had announced his arrival at all, let alone lied about it. He supposed it all played back into politics. Not wanting to look weak involved not announcing that they had taken on a kittypet.

"I, uh…I'm not…from here…" said Firepaw stiffly. StarClan, why was he so nervous? He had never been this nervous when it came to talking with anyone in ThunderClan.

"Ohhhh…you're a loner, then?" said Silverpaw, "You look so young, though…Did you get dropped off on the territory by your mother, then?"

"What? No!" retorted Firepaw.

"Sorry, sorry," said Silverpaw with an apologetic smile, "Not my place to ask." FIrepaw didn't like how intrusive she felt, like she was trying to dig for things. Yet her eyes were still sparkling with that genuine curiosity. Her extroversion was starting to put him on edge, though, and his eyes slowly looked up at the tree.

"You see that she-cat on the root nearby?" said Silverpaw, "That's Leopardfoot, RiverClan's deputy. She's a bit of a prude, but she does her job well. Though I do miss when Uncle Oakheart was deputy…and that tom up there," she gestured to one of the four large trees where a brown, dignified tom was sitting and looking over them, "is Crookedstar. RiverClan's leader and my father."

Her father. It wasn't excitement that swept over Firepaw at first, but concern. Was there a reason that the daughter of the leader of RiverClan had started talking to him out of the blue? Could it have been orders to try and extrapolate information from him assuming that he would say too much about something? No, of course not. She was just a bit…on the intrusive side but nothing made his gut scream that she was a threat.

Firepaw looked closer at the RiverClan leader and saw as he turned that the bottom of his jaw was weirdly malformed. Like it had been shattered and never healed. "Crookedstar?" he said to her quietly, "Seems kinda…rude of a name."

"Yeah, that's all thanks to his mother," said Silverpaw, who was now scowling, "She forced our last leader to change his name and disowned him. Crookedstar said that they've made up and she's in StarClan, but I still think that she should have gone to the Dark Forest for that."

The ginger tom blinked. "The 'Dark Forest?'"

"StarClan, you really are an outsider," said Silverpaw lightly, the smile back as if it had never left. "So StarClan is where the ancestors usually go. But if you're a really bad cat who does bad things, you go to the Dark Forest. I hear it's always dark, there's never any prey and there's no one you can talk to. You're just alone and hungry forever. Sometimes queens scare their kits by telling them about it, but you have to try to be that bad in order to get sent there."

Wow. So that was why Spottedleaf had so much trust in StarClan. There had surely been bad cats before he arrived, so being somewhere else entirely kept them far away from tainting the medicine cats. Still, though, a chill ran through his spine at that. A forest with nothing? And you were just supposed to wander through there for eternity? "I didn't…I didn't know that." said Firepaw quietly.

"Really? ThunderClan should do a better job at telling you these things if you're learning all this from a RiverClan apprentice," said Silverpaw with a laugh.

"They're just fine," retorted Firepaw, "Bluestar is my mentor…she taught me everything."

"Woah…you're apprenticed to the leader!?" said Silverpaw excitedly, "That's so cool…I wish I was. Well, not really because getting apprenticed to my dad would be really weird, but Oakheart…man, I wish I was his apprentice."

"You sure don't seem to like your deputy now that much, do you?" said Firepaw with a raised eyebrow.

"Well…yeah, but it's not fair because Oakheart was my uncle. Even so…" said Silverpaw with a frown, "She's super into RiverClan being independent and hostile to the other Clans. I also heard that she tried to get Crookedstar to make a rule against toms being mates with toms or she-cats being mates with she-cats after your deputy and Whitestorm became mates."

"That's horrible!" said Firepaw with a disgusted look.

"Yeah, but…she just doesn't get it. Truthfully, no one in RiverClan really does," said Silverpaw with a shrug, "We've never had a same-sex couple before, so we just…can't see it? Though her finding it gross is something she can keep to herself."

A chilling thought entered Firepaw's mind. "So does that mean that…Redtail…"

Silverpaw blinked, getting a bit defensive. "What about her?"

Her. Firepaw concluded she probably didn't know, then. Whitestorm had mentioned briefly that the late deputy had difficulty fully explaining him being a tom to the Clan fully, so it would probably make sense why no one else would know. At least, beyond rumors where they wouldn't respect his change anyways.

And it probably wasn't the best idea to talk about the deputy that RiverClan had killed in front of the daughter of the leader. "Uh…nevermind. Another time."

Suddenly, a new scent wafted through the clearing and both cats turned to see a fourth group move through the foliage and take their position around the great tree, completing the group. Murmurs of greetings could be heard from all around and Firepaw peeked around the RiverClan cats curiously to see the newcomers. These were the cats of WindClan, the fastest cats in the forest. The scent of rabbit was the scent he recognized, along with some flowers that were likely native to the territory.

"Ooh! Onepaw is here!" said Silverpaw excitedly before gesturing to the ThunderClan tom, "C'mon Firepaw! You'll love meeting him." Firepaw hesitated briefly as he saw the other ThunderClan cats not necessarily mingling with WindClan, but followed in stride with the RiverClan molly as she sought out her friend.

Then, out of the gaggle of felines they heard someone call "Silverpaw!" before a WindClan tom stepped out of the fray and greeted them. The tom was absolutely gorgeous, his short brown tabby fur almost rippling along the muscles in his legs and belly. His eyes were a striking shade of amber, almost as orange as a sunset over the water as they glowed with youthful excitement. Onepaw wasn't that big, just surpassing Firepaw's size, and looked to be around his age if not a little older. Embarrassingly, the ginger tom had to actively shake his head from staring at the WindClan tom while he greeted Silverpaw.

"Great StarClan, I missed you!" he said, his smile lighting up every feature present on his face, "I have…so much to talk about with you."

"I know, me too!" grinned Silverpaw before she gasped, "Wait! Are the rumors true? Did you…?"

Onepaw paused, fake thinking for a moment. "Hmm…did I perhaps get my warrior name a couple nights ago? Can you perhaps start calling me Onewhisker now?" Silverpaw let out a tiny shriek of happiness and pressed up right against Onepaw - Onewhisker - in congratulations.

"I knew that you couldn't have been too far off! The assessment went well?"

"Well, as…well as it could've, I guess," Onewhisker said with an uncomfortable shrug, "But the important thing is I got my name! Now I can speak with you as much as I please along the border and…oh, who's this?" The tabby tom had just noticed Firepaw standing awkwardly nearby, making the ThunderClan apprentice flinch in surprise.

"Oh yes! Onepa-Onewhisker, this is Firepaw," said Silverpaw, stepping aside so they could greet each other face-to-face, "He's an apprentice for ThunderClan."

"Firepaw…I've heard a lot about you," said Onewhisker, dipping his head in greeting with a polite smile. Firepaw's heart was beating so fast that he genuinely thought that his chest was going to explode. He had absolutely no idea why.

"Uhh…yes, hi…hello…" he said, failing miserably to sound composed. Onewhisker let out a light friendly chuckle. "First Gathering, then? I remember how nervous I was when I came to my first Gathering…"

"That's true," butted in Silverpaw, "I think he said about…two or three words the whole night? So you're at least doing better than Onewhisker did. Oh yeah! You know how we were wondering who his parents were when Bluestar announced him? Well, it turns out that he was a loner."

"Mmm…" said Onewhisker, leaning in close to pick up his scent and examine him just as Silverpaw did. Firepaw felt a very uncomfortable heat swell up in his face as the handsome tom looked him over. "I'm surprised…there were a lot of rumors that you were a kittypet, but you got quite a lot of muscle. Honestly, I could've mistaken you for a Clan cat."

Firepaw thought the compliment - was it even a compliment? - would make him pass away right there. There was no chance he was correcting this WindClan tom on him actually being a kittypet. "Uhhh…th-thanks?" Ratspit! Get a hold of yourself, Firepaw!

Onewhisker smirked, amused certainly and…charmed, perhaps? "Well, it's nice to meet you, Firepaw. I've been hearing a lot about you and your other apprentices so it's nice to finally get a chance to meet you." The ginger tom didn't know what that could mean…was it simply just rumors being passed around? Were other cats passing along the message that they were on the path to be excellent warriors? Or was it something closer to a crude and incorrect retelling of him nearly killing Longtail on the first day he was here? This did seem like a place for a lot of gossip between Clans to spread.

Speaking of gossip… "Okay, I've waited long enough. Where is he?" said Onewhisker firmly, turning away and looking across the RiverClan cats with alert eyes.

"Who?" said Firepaw as Silverpaw giggled.

"Oh, nothing much. Only the love of his life~" teased the RiverClan apprentice who was rewarded with the tabby batting his paw against her face. "Don't call him that!"

"I have news regarding…him," said Silverpaw with a gently raised eyebrow, "But I'll let you find him first." Onewhisker continued to search the crowd of RiverClan cats before he gasped and grinned, almost giggling as Firepaw followed his eyes. There in the midst of the RiverClan cats, admittedly hard to miss, was a sleek RiverClan tom with short gray fur that glimmered blue in the moonlight. He was talking with a she-cat who looked nearly identical, save for her fur being longer - his sister, perhaps. The ThunderClan apprentice blinked a few times - from a distance, he could have probably mistaken the tom for Bluestar with how similar they looked.

"Who…who is that?" said Firepaw, glancing at Silverpaw.

"Stonefur~..." said Onewhisker in a voice that could only be described as lovesick. His pupils were wide and a goofy smile was lighting up his eyes as he stared at the RiverClan tom from a distance.

"Stonefur is one of the strongest warriors in RiverClan," said Silverpaw, "We don't really know where he and his sister, Mistyfoot, came from, but Oakheart found them years ago on RiverClan territory and took them in. And Onewhisker has had eyes for him basically since he found out he existed."

A WindClan cat having a crush on a RiverClan cat…not even regarding the fact that a tom was looking at another tom like that, the fact that he was from a different Clan? Firepaw had heard his share of cautionary tales about romance across borders, but seeing Onewhisker look at Stonefur like that…once he aggressively stomped out the unwelcome pulse of jealousy that rose up inside him, Firepaw just looked a bit confused.

"That's…allowed?"

"Well, no…" said Silverpaw with a shrug, "Onewhisker isn't, like, serious about it. Especially because in RiverClan, your reputation is basically ruined if you're caught having an affair with another Clan member. I mean, every Clan is like that but RiverClan is just the most aggressive about it."

"I want to jump into a river so he can be the one to save me…" said Onewhisker with a romantic, sultry voice that made Silverpaw laugh. "See? He's not serious at all."

"Well, I mean…WindClan looks to have a lot of cats," said Firepaw innocently, "Why not…look for someone there?"

Onewhisker laughed at that. "No no no no…StarClan, I'd rather die. Pretty much every warrior my age that I'm interested in would not be interested back, lemme tell you. Besides, having crushes is fun. Gets my mind off of…other troubling things." The warrior glanced up at the WindClan leader, Tallstar, who was slowly ascending to the fourth branch of the grand tree. Now that he looked around a bit, Firepaw could see a lot of the WindClan cats looking incredibly tense and nervous. Perhaps something had gone on back in their territory that had made them late.

Moments after the WindClan leader took his spot on the tree, Bluestar had hopped over next to him and was whispering something in his ear. Firepaw felt a knot in his stomach - not to be confused with the knot he felt around Onewhisker - yanking inside him as the black-and-white spotted tom's eyes widened in fear. Surely this was something regarding Yellowfang and Brokenstar…and if this was the reaction, then there came a chance of something going wrong.

Silverpaw sighed. "Is this about…you-know-who?"

"Of course it is," hissed Onewhisker, "When it is not?"

"Who's you-know-who?" said Firepaw curiously. The WindClan tom just sighed in frustration. "Well…you'll probably be able to figure it out. Hopefully that'll help make sense why I'd rather think about a tom from a different Clan than how my own Clan is doing right now."

The three cats continued to sit in silence as Onewhisker's eyes followed Stonefur like he was prey to a hawk before a yowl from Bluestar rang across the clearing. "Cats of all Clans, return to your groups! The Gathering is about to begin!" Had it not already? wondered Firepaw as he got up to walk with the rest of the ThunderClan cats, though not before Onewhisker stopped him to say goodbye.

"It was lovely to meet you, Firepaw," he said with a smile more friendly than polite. And the ginger tom had to stop himself from stuttering or doing something else that was extraordinarily embarrassing as he returned the goodbye. Silverpaw gave him a certain look, one that said the falters in his composure had not gone unnoticed and would not go unstudied, but still gave the ginger tom a smile as she grouped with the rest of RiverClan.

Just like that, Firepaw had gone from questioning the Gathering as anything more than just a peacetime tradition of bragging to having two cats from two different Clans he wouldn't mind running into the border with. Perhaps he hadn't been giving the Clans enough credit…maybe there was truly something genuine in traditions like these. For a moment, the borders and the obsessive need to protect them was gone, replaced with space for cats to learn about others outside of the Clan.

Graypaw would have loved it here, sighed Firepaw. He didn't know if he wanted to talk about tonight with him…telling his friend that he missed out on something he would have absolutely loved just made him feel guilty. But now was not the time for second-guessing. The test against ShadowClan was about to begin.

"Well, now that we're all here…" said Bluestar, "I propose that WindClan and RiverClan go first, followed by ThunderClan. Then Brokenstar, you and ShadowClan can close out the night." The tense moment of silence that followed felt like an eternity. Firepaw knew that this was where the game began, with the ShadowClan leader challenging Bluestar's request and saying they had more important information to give to the rest of the forest…

"Fair enough," said Brokenstar with a curt dip of his head, "Carry on."

That was not what everyone expected the plan was. Bluestar remained composed, but Lionheart glanced at Spottedleaf with a look of worry under the tree. Firepaw was worried, too…surely Brokenstar was to bring this up, right?

The ceremony began with Tallstar addressing the Clans. He was clearly up there in age, so his voice was low yet shaky as he spoke with pride about WindClan having plentiful hunts following a harsh leaf-bare season. He announced the new apprentices in attendance, as well as congratulating Onewhisker on completing his warrior training. It was nice enough on the surface, but Firepaw couldn't ignore the side glances Tallstar was making in the direction of Brokenstar - the bracken tom still seemed very put-together, which made the ginger tom all the more nervous. But even then, Firepaw couldn't see what Onewhisker had been talking about when he mentioned a "you-know-who." As far as he could tell, WindClan was doing alright.

Crookedstar was next, following a similar song and dance. His voice was just as low and masculine, but he spoke a lot slower as if every syllable was being precisely checked. The RiverClan leader announces his praise of Whiteclaw, a newly-appointed warrior, as well as saying that hunting was plentiful and more kits were on the way. Firepaw was barely listening by the end of his speech, him now focused on what Bluestar was going to say. The ThunderClan leader looked as calm as could be, the she-cat's fur glowing that brilliant blue shade in the moonlight. The RiverClan leader concluded his speech and she stepped out onto the branch.

"Though it has been a difficult leaf-bare for ThunderClan, I am proud to say that we have had our most plentiful newleaf season in years," Bluestar began, with nods and murmurs of agreement following in tow, "The prey has been as plentiful as we could've asked for, keeping all of the Clan fed and healthy. I'm also proud to announce that we have two litters approaching apprenticeship, both fathered by our deputy Lionheart."

There was a scandalous and malignant tone to the whispers on both sides of ThunderClan, with Firepaw hearing some sentences being thrown around that were less than polite or congratulatory. The deputy either was used to this or simply didn't care, dipping his head and giving a smile in Whitestorm's direction.

"I'm also very proud to announce that all five of our apprentices are excelling in their training towards becoming warriors," Bluestar continued, "Two of those apprentices are in attendance tonight, Whitestorm's apprentice Sandpaw and my very own apprentice, Firepaw." The ginger tom glanced around at the eyes turning to him, trying not to get caught up in the attention. He took a bit of direction from what Sandpaw was doing and hardened his face, looking as stoic as he could. Though that was difficult when the bandage concealing the wound on his hind leg was feeling more and more uncomfortable by the minute.

"Lastly, speaking on news I'm sure some of you have heard through rumors…" said Bluestar, taking a breath, "A few days ago, we captured the former medicine cat of ShadowClan, Yellowfang, on our territory. And despite her former heritage and her…aggression on our first encounter, we consulted with StarClan and therefore decided to take her in with consent as a member of ThunderClan-"

"She's a kit-killer! Yellowfang killed my kits!"

The voice came not from Brokenstar, nor from anyone in power of ShadowClan. Rather, it was the voice of a she-cat in the midst of the Clan cats ringing out. Her voice was tight with vicious outrage and the ShadowClan cats were immediately rallying right by her, hurling the accusations out for the whole forest to hear.

And Firepaw with a horrified chill realized the one thing they had failed to account for.

The mother of the dead kits was in attendance tonight.

Though shocked murmurs ran through WindClan and RiverClan, the most radical reaction came from ThunderClan themselves. Terrified murmurs, looks between Clan members, a general air of panic. Even Sandpaw, always stoic and uninterested in anything beyond her own strength, looked stricken with fear.

"We must go back now! She might be coming after the other kits next!" murmured someone nearby. Firepaw wanted to turn and tell them that Graypaw and the other apprentices were capable enough to defend the nursery from one cat, and had he known nothing about the strategy in play he would have been running back to join them. Instead he was rooted in place among the rest of the horrified Clan, looking at Spottedleaf in desperation.

The medicine cat was pissed, though he couldn't tell who she was pissed at. Her eyes were dark and she was murmuring foul words under her breath that the apprentice thought she would never say. "Quiet!" shouted Bluestar, trying hard to restore order - though it wasn't difficult to tell that she had been blindsided by this as well.

"Though these allegations are severe," said the leader, "We believe that it is StarClan's will that we take in Yellowfang as our own, through the communications our medicine cat has had with our ancestors-"

"I'm just surprised, Bluestar," said Brokenstar smoothly. He was relishing in this moment, knowing that ThunderClan had unsuccessfully tried to foil an unbeatable trap. "Because, forgive me if my memory is a bit foggy, but did I not make the due diligence to inform you personally that you had taken in a cat with the blood of kits on their claws? And were your deputy and some senior warriors of yours not there as well?"

Oh StarClan. This was a disaster.

The ShadowClan cats were taunting and spitting at them now, both stunned that ThunderClan not only took her in but knew about the crimes that she committed. The murmur around Firepaw's clanmates was quieter, which was just worse. Lionheart did his best to seem stoic, but the subtle flashes on his face hinted at the devastation he felt for being found out. Now he could see other scathing glances from younger warriors to old, in complete disbelief that this was a secret that they had kept from them. Spottedleaf's eyes were down at her paws, brow furrowed tight as she was deep in thought.

Firepaw felt hopeless. Now ThunderClan not only knew, but also knew that Yellowfang had been kept a secret. How do they even get out of this?

Bluestar took a breath to compose herself - she was definitely thinking about jumping the ShadowClan leader, "Yesterday, I called my warriors together with the intention of putting Yellowfang on trial for her crimes, both the crimes you have accused her of and the crime of attacking one of our own on our territory. Now…before the trial could begin and all of her crimes could be brought to light, Spottedleaf received a sign from StarClan themselves."

Tallstar and Crookedstar just looked incredibly uncomfortable as Brokenstar laughed cockily. "A sign from StarClan defending a kit-killer. Ohhhh, this should be good."

Bluestar took the retort on her cheek and continued. "You see, Firepaw was bitten by an adder at Sunningrocks yesterday. Now, such a bite would have killed him, but Spottedleaf saw through the difference in wounds that one of the adder's fangs was rotten. Meaning that Firepaw was saved because of a rotten, yellow fang."

RiverClan and WindClan murmured in consideration. ShadowClan thought it was a load of foxdung, rolling their eyes and calling it a lie. "Of course. How…convenient of a sign," languished Brokenstar. His eyes then turned directly to the young ginger tom and Firepaw was suddenly rooted to the ground, eyes wide in fear as the cold, ruthless ShadowClan leader examined him very closely with scrutinizing eyes. The apprentice was sure that Brokenstar could reach through his eyes and into his brain, pulling out the knowledge that Spottedleaf had lied about the sign out for all to see without even lifting a claw.

Bluestar was moving back towards the base of the branch, as if to approach Brokenstar himself. "You dare question the work of StarClan, Brokenstar?" she snarled, "On their own grounds consecrated in peace, you have the audacity to call them liars!?"

"Oh, I'm supposed to believe that our beloved ancestors are now endorsing protection over a kit-killer?" snapped Brokenstar, "Surely you would understand that…someone who kills kits, no matter how divine the intervention, should not be allowed to walk among us in this forest."

"Well, who do you think I'll believe? The ancestors who have watched over us for generations? Or a spineless, savage leader who is leeching off of WindClan for prey?"

Another collective gasp. It was almost dizzying how much was being brought onto the table. ThunderClan and RiverClan both collectively turned to look at Tallstar, who looked deeply, deeply ashamed as WindClan shouted back at ShadowClan's taunts with spitting of their own. Firepaw's head was throbbing…ShadowClan was stealing prey from WindClan? Was this what Onewhisker was talking about when he complained about "you-know-who?" StarClan, there was so much going on in his head that his brain felt louder than the chaos around him.

Brokenstar didn't seem too fazed, as if he had been expecting it or wasn't worried about it being brought up. "WindClan is none of your concern, Bluestar. Do not worry yourself with their inability to defend themselves on their own territory - after all, are you really worthy of owning this great territory that your ancestors shed blood and tears for if you can't even defend it?"

"Is this what StarClan would have wanted? How am I supposed to take your word over theirs when you openly defy their will!?"

"Perhaps I don't need you to take my word," snarled Brokenstar with venom as potent as an adder's, "Perhaps to rectify this oversight in judgment and bring justice to the mother of the kits your medicine cat killed, I take your territory next."

This Gathering was getting out of control. Brokenstar was still going, getting right into Bluestar's defiant face. "Tell them, Bluestar. In front of your ancestors, tell them you will defend a traitorous murderer!" Firepaw was sure that a fight was going to break out. This illusion of peace was just as fragile as he feared it was…

Then the clearing went dark. Everyone looked up and saw that the full moon lighting the clearing was gone, covered by clouds. "StarClan are angry with our actions tonight!" called out Spottedleaf, "The Gathering is over!" A worried murmur overtook the Clans as they processed the announcement before slowly each Clan began to unceremoniously depart from the clearing and return to their camps. Brokenstar and Bluestar were still inches away in a deadly face-off before Brokenstar mouthed something close to "This isn't over" and turned away, waving his tail to gather ShadowClan from hissing and taunting and leading them back for the Thunderpath.

ThunderClan was the last to leave. Bluestar had tried to catch Tallstar, but the spotted tom didn't even give her a look back. Instead she was left to lead off a Clan that knew that she had deliberately kept one of the most devastating secrets one can keep. There was never any chance of changing the narrative enough that the accusations didn't come up - Brokenstar knew that he won in every scenario and Bluestar hadn't seen that.

"Listen up," said Bluestar, turning to face her Clan, "I understand if you are angry with me…and I want to say that the decision to keep this a secret was mine and mine alone. I gave an order to all those in the ShadowClan patrol to keep this silent. However, we all saw the same sign from StarClan. And I believe that Yellowfang being among this Clan is the will of StarClan and that should not be challenged. You are not to cause her any harm nor treat her like an intruder."

There was a deeply unsatisfied dissent among many of the Clan members, and Bluestar once again waved her tail for silence. "Anyone caught attempting to put Yellowfang's life in danger will be prosecuted the same way as crimes against other Clanmates go. This is an order."

"So we're just gonna let a kit-killer walk around like she's one of us?" called out the voice of Longtail in protest, "What other secrets are you hiding from us while you're at it?"

Unfortunately, the tabby had a point. And Firepaw would have sided with him if Spottedleaf had not told him that she had lied about the sign. She and him were the only two cats in the entire forest that knew the adder bite meant nothing, including Bluestar. Meaning that Bluestar genuinely believed that StarClan had demanded the ShadowClan she-cat's protection.

"I am only performing the will of our ancestors, Longtail," growled Bluestar, clearly exhausted, "If you have an issue with them, take it up with them." There was no logical response to that to be found tonight, so the rest of ThunderClan unhappily gave in and followed Bluestar in silence back to camp. Firepaw looked down at the ground, feeling dizzy and ill. What had started as an exciting chance to meet two friendly cats from other Clans had quickly devolved into exactly what the ginger tom feared it would become.

"...extra patrols along the ShadowClan border. We must put final assessments on hold as well until we know that the territory is safe." Firepaw heard Bluestar murmur to Lionheart as they approached camp. He was starting to feel just as bad keeping this kind of secret from his mentor just as he was with Graypaw. Perhaps it was true that ThunderClan and ShadowClan were going to have an escalation of border conflict, but it was because Bluestar was defending someone who she thought StarClan wanted her to protect. She was going headfirst into a farce of a battle that would surely have very real consequences.

Everyone walked through the gorse entrance and the clamor picked right up again as the Clan members that stayed behind were told of the news. Firepaw wanted no part in it, not even giving a glance into the medicine den where Yellowfang was and heading right to his nest. He just wanted to hold his ears down with his paws and shut himself out of the world…

"Firepaw?" Graypaw had stirred awake at his return, and as much as the ginger apprentice wanted to tell him everything - even things he promised never to tell - he was just too overwhelmed to do anything. So he just gave a look to his friend that told him that the Gathering had been an absolute nightmare.

"What…what happened? Was there a fight?"

"ShadowClan accused Yellowfang of killing kits…that's why she was exiled," said Firepaw with a dull, exhausted tone, "And now Brokenstar has threatened to attack our territory…and now training is on hold because we're focusing in on patrolling the ShadowClan border…"

Words became more difficult to come by. He was crying. He was so tired and overwhelmed it was making him weep - he couldn't bear the cross of holding the truth from Graypaw, not like this. There was no one in the world that he could talk to that he could fully trust and he felt more and more alone…

Graypaw picked up on it. "Will a…Will a hug help?"

StarClan, yes. Firepaw wanted nothing more than a hug. Nodding and scooting over, he burrowed his muzzle into Graypaw's chest and began to quietly sob into his fluffy gray fur. The gunk and chaos in his mind slowly began to fade into static, his mind wrapped in the comfort of his friend's scent. There was so much good to come out of the Gathering too, all things he wanted to tell his friend about, but this was all just too much.

Was this how he was to become the strongest warrior? Not through combat, but through enduring so many secrets and lies and secrets and lies that his mind was about to break? He felt weak and shriveled as he cried softly into Graypaw's fur, hating how fragile he was. He needed to be strong, stronger than he had ever been before to get through this. He wasn't supposed to ask his friend for hugs and cry into his fur.

The beating of Graypaw's heart began to slow and the tom shifted onto his flank so he was comfortable. "We'll talk tomorrow…get some sleep…"

Firepaw closed his eyes and tried his best to just relax, melt into Graypaw's fur and let it take him into a warm place. As his mind was still calming down, he thought he caught a new scent entering the den - that of Ravenpaw.

"Where have you been?" he heard Graypaw ask, "We've been looking for you all day?"

"...fresh air…Spottedleaf said…could go…" Firepaw could hear Ravenpaw speaking but not all of his words were clear. His disappearance certainly was worrisome, especially since Tigerclaw was now more of a threat to him than ever.

But that was for later. Now, it was just him being held gently by his best friend in the whole wide world, the only cat he could trust to hold him as gently as he needed to be. And for that night he could forget about the struggles, tuck them away for a day when he was better.

Firepaw dreamed well. And instead of nightmarish cats, it was Graypaw who walked beside him in his sleep.


a/n: chapter eleven will be released on august 13th.

any and all feedback is greatly appreciated.

with love,
cj