Sorry for the wait, I was on a roll and hadn't realized until I was finished that this chapter is more than twice as long as the last two. So, hope you enjoy!
Firestar and Mousefur could smell the scent of ThunderClan as they drew nearer to the border. The sun had already begun it's descent, so there would be no more patrols until morning. As soon as they crossed the border, Mousefur took a deep breath and sighed.
"It's good to be home," she meowed. "And it'll feel even better to sleep in my own nest again."
"I couldn't agree with you more," Firestar agreed lightheartedly.
They padded through the forest, the sounds of crickets and owls in the distance accompanied them as the camp's bramble wall came into view. Firestar let Mousefur go ahead of him, following her through the tunnel and into the quiet and still clearing.
"We should get some rest, I'll call a meeting in the morning to let the clan know we've returned." Firestar told her. The warrior nodded and padded into the warriors' den. Firestar looked up to the leader's den, his paws aching from the journey, but he knew he had to see someone first.
He slipped through the tunnel as quietly as he could and bounded through the forest towards fourtrees. He pushed through his fatigue and forced himself to keep moving forward. Once he reached the moorland, he slowed his pace as he headed straight for the WindClan camp. He circled around the edge of the camp, careful to tread lightly so that he wouldn't alert anyone. A familiar scent reached his nose. He followed it until he found the warriors' den.
He could make out the shapes of four or five cats in their nests. He spotted a light gray tabby pelt near the edge of the den. He padded over, the scent of heather told him this was who he was looking for. He prodded the tabby's shoulder until she lifted her head. She yawned and looked around for whatever woke her. Her gaze landed on the ThunderClan leader and she nearly let out a gasp.
She immediately got out of her nest and led him away from the camp, down the slope towards fourtrees. When they reached the bottom of the slope, she turned and pounced on him. Firestar blinked in surprise as he crashed to the ground. Runningbrook lay next to him, pressing her head against his own and purring so loud he thought she'd wake the whole of WindClan.
"You came back," her voice was barely audible as she buried her face in his fur.
"Of course I did," Firestar mewed, giving her forehead a few licks. "I promised I would."
"I've missed you," Runningbrook licked his cheek affectionately. "I was worried something happened and you'd never come back."
"There's no need to worry anymore, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon if I can help it," he chuckled. Runningbrook rested her head on his chest and twined her tail with his.
"Good," she said firmly. Firestar looked up at the clear sky, the stars shining bright overhead and an almost full moon climbing over the horizon. The next gathering would be in a couple days.
Fatigue dragged down his body as he fell into the rhythm of Runningbrook's breathing. Before long, he felt himself slipping into unconsciousness.
~~~ Two moons later ~~~
Firestar woke in his nest, his dreams had taken him to the one cat he'd been waiting to see for nearly half a moon. He swam in the memories for a minute before hauling himself up and stretching. Tomorrow night would be a full moon, he'd finally get to see her again.
He stepped out into the crisp morning air. Graystripe came striding out of the warriors' den followed by Cloudtail, Thornclaw, Dustpelt, Ashfur, and Brambleclaw. The group huddled in the middle of the clearing to plan the patrols for the day. Firestar leaped off the Great Rock and padded over to join the conversation.
"Ashfur and Brambleclaw, you and Brackenfur will do the sunrise patrol," Graystripe said, the two warriors nodded. "Dustpelt, Thornclaw and Cloudtail will take the apprentices out training when the sun gets a bit higher, but before sunhigh. The freshkill pile will need to be restocked so you should let the apprentices hunt for a bit while you're out." The three warriors nodded.
"We can take them close to Snakerocks since it's gotten a bit colder. The snakes shouldn't be a problem." Dustpelt commented.
Graystripe nodded. "Good. Mousefur and I will take care of the border patrols."
"I'll go with you and Mousefur," Firestar spoke up.
Graystripe nodded happily. "Okay then, everyone's got their duties. Meeting dismissed." The warriors dispersed. Ashfur retrieved Brackenfur and met up with Brambleclaw at the bramble tunnel. Dustpelt, Cloudtail and Thornclaw woke their apprentices to get something to eat before they left for training.
Firestar woke Mousefur and led the patrol into the forest. They headed to the RiverClan border, renewing their scent line as they walked.
"The apprentices will need to take their assessments soon." Graystripe said to Firestar. "They've been training for about six moons now."
"I know that," Firestar said, sniffing the air for any sign of a RiverClan patrol.
Graystripe tipped his head to the side. "You seem distracted." He stated suspiciously. "Are you looking for something? Or someone?"
Firestar snapped back to the conversation. "What? No. I was just thinking."
"Yeah, you've been doing a lot of that lately." Graystripe observed.
Firestar flicked his tail, his whiskers twitching in annoyance. "I have a lot to think about. The apprentices' assessments, their naming ceremony, the gathering. There's a lot to think about."
"We could hold their assessments today," Graystripe suggested. "It would look good to have three new warriors at the gathering tonight."
"We don't name new warriors to look good," Firestar said impatiently. "A warrior's name is earned. You know that."
"I do know that, Firestar," Graystripe trotted to keep up with the leader. "I'm only suggesting giving them the opportunity to earn it. If they don't pass today, then they can retake it when their mentors think they're ready."
Firestar thought for a minute, his tail swishing, hitting a few dried leaves on the ground. "Fine. We'll finish renewing our scents along the RiverClan border and then we can go see if the apprentices are up for an assessment."
Graystripe rested his tail on his friend's shoulder. "I'm only trying to help, Firestar."
The tom sighed. "I know that, I'm sorry."
They made it to Snakerocks before sunhigh, but the clearing was empty as far as they could tell.
"Maybe they went to hunt somewhere else," Mousefur said. "Maybe by the great sycamore."
"Okay, we'll check there." Firestar agreed. He led the way towards the great sycamore. There they found the three apprentices leaping from branch to branch. Rainpaw and Sootpaw's gray and black pelts made it difficult for Firestar to keep track of them when they were still, their fur blending in with the shadows of the branches.
Cloudtail and Thornclaw stood a couple of tail-lengths from the base of the great sycamore. Firestar looked in the tangle of branches for a minute before he finally spotted Dustpelt among the shadows, keeping a watchful eye on the apprentices.
"Take your time," Thornclaw called up to the apprentices. "When you move, you move with purpose."
Cloudtail turned around and noticed the patrol standing behind them. "Firestar? Is something wrong?"
The leader shook his head. "No, nothing wrong. I just wanted to see how the training was coming along and it looks like they've learned a lot." Dustpelt called to the apprentices to descend the tree. They carefully made their way down the trunk one by one followed by Dustpelt.
"I'd like to hold their warrior assessments today," Firestar announced when they had all gathered around. "If all goes well, we could have three new warriors attending the gathering tomorrow."
Excitement pulsed through the apprentices at the mention of their warrior assessments. Their eyes lighting up with renewed energy.
Dustpelt looked to Cloudtail then to Thornclaw before nodding to Firestar. "We believe they're ready when you are."
"Great, we can begin now." Firestar stated. "Since you've proven your dexterity in tree-climbing and your skills in battle techniques, you'll all be tasked with hunting. You have until sundown to bring back as much prey as you can. Your mentors and I will be following you to keep track of how you're doing and to make sure no one gets too badly injured." Firestar turned to Graystripe and Mousefur.
"You two can head back to camp, we'll be back a little after sundown if everything goes smoothly." The two cats nodded and trotted away towards camp. "You'll be tested individually, so helping each other won't be allowed. When you're ready, go ahead and head in different directions."
The apprentices nodded and bounded away. Each mentor waited for a second before following to give them a head start. Firestar followed Thornclaw and Sootpaw towards Snakerocks. Thornclaw kept watch from a distance with Firestar as Sootpaw inspected the area for any signs of prey. A dark green snake slid out from a crack in the rocks. Thornclaw's muscles tensed as Firestar flicked his tail for him to stay still.
Sootpaw bounded onto the rocks, spun around and pounced on the snake, pinning it with his paws and biting down on it's head until it stopped moving. He picked up his catch and padded over to a nearby tree to bury it for later before stalking into the undergrowth in search of more prey.
Firestar looked at Thornclaw and nodded. Thornclaw stalked after Sootpaw while Firestar went in the opposite direction searching for any sign of the other two apprentices.
As he padded through the forest, he caught wind of Cloudtail. He followed the scent until he caught sight of the bright white fur under a nearby bush. Firestar felt a little bad that the tom's fur only blended in with the cold snow. Although he was a strong asset during leaf-bare, he stuck out like a sore paw among the dark browns and greens of the forest.
Firestar looked around until he spotted Rainpaw stalking towards a sparrow pecking at seeds that had fallen to the ground. The apprentice glided forward slowly with every step as he slowly grew closer and closer to the unsuspecting prey. When he was within a few tail-lengths of the bird, he tensed his muscles and leaped forward, snatching the bird in his jaws a bit down hard with an audible snap. Rainpaw buried the sparrow under a nearby bush and stalked away following another scent.
Cloudtail turned to face Firestar, who nodded. This apprentice was ready. The leader padded away towards the direction Sorrelpaw and Dustpelt went in, careful not to scare off any prey that may be nearby.
He picked up their scents as he passed the sandy hollow and followed it towards the stream that ran through ThunderClan territory. He spotted Sorrelpaw's tortoiseshell pelt near the stream, watching and waiting. With a flash, she leapt forward and snatched something off the ground. When she turned around, Firestar could see that she'd caught a vole. She went to the nearest tree and buried her catch before padding along the stream bed.
Her ears perked when she caught the scent of something. She crouched low to the ground and scanned her surroundings. She caught sight of something in the tree a few tail-lengths away from her. She tensed her muscles and bounded forward, using her momentum to launch herself up the trunk and into the branches. They shook heavily for a few heartbeats and then stopped. The she-cat lowered herself carefully down the trunk, a hefty squirrel dangling in her jaws.
Firestar picked up Dustpelt's scent growing stronger and looked over to see the warrior stalking through the undergrowth. Firestar nodded. Sorrelpaw was ready.
By the time the sun had fallen below the treeline, all three apprentices sat in the clearing of ThunderClan's camp. Their pelts were freshly groomed and their mentors sat nearby beaming with pride.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather below the Highrock for a Clan meeting." Firestar called from Highrock. Once everyone had gathered in the clearing, he looked down at the apprentices. "I, Firestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these three apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn."
"Sorrelpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" Firestar called.
The tortoiseshell she-cat stood and raised her head. "I do."
"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Sorrelpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Sorreltail. StarClan honors your kindness and determination, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." Sorreltail sat back down next to her littermates.
"Rainpaw," Firestar called the next apprentice up. "Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"
"I do." Rainpaw said firmly.
"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Rainpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Rainwhisker. StarClan honors your strength and wisdom, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." Rainwhisker sat back.
"And Sootpaw," The apprentice stood when his name was called. "Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"
"I do." Sootpaw replied.
"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Sootpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Sootfur. StarClan honors your courage and wit, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."
The Clan bursted in cheers. "Sorreltail! Rainwhisker! Sootfur!"
Firestar leaped off the Highrock and padded over to the new warriors. "Congratulations, you've earned this. Whitestorm and Willowpelt would be very proud of you three." Sorreltail began purring at the mention of their parents. "May StarClan light your way and be with you tonight during your vigil." The three cats dipped their heads and padded to the entrance to stand guard.
The next night, Firestar stood upon Highrock once more.
"Graystripe, Cinderpelt, Mousefur, Brackenfur, Ashfur, Sorreltail, Rainwhisker and Sootfur," Firestar called. The cats who were called stepped forward. "We'll leave for the gathering soon. Brambleclaw, Thornclaw, Cloudtail and Dustpelt, please remain vigilant in our absence."
The four warriors nodded. The cats going to the gathering stood near the entrance, Brambleclaw and Thornclaw stood guard, and Cloudtail and Dustpelt ducked into the nursery.
Firestar led the group into the forest, bounding ahead towards Fourtrees, his mind racing as fast as his paws were moving. Runningbrook hadn't been at the last gathering and Firestar was praying to StarClan that he'd be able to see her and talk to her tonight. Had she missed him as much as he missed her? Did her heart ache the same as his when he thought of her during the long and lonely nights?
He bounded over the hedges and into the clearing. The four grand trees stood like sentries, guarding the gathering Clans and providing a stellar view of Silverpelt above. Firestar imagined the warrior ancestors watching from above. Was Bluestar watching them now? What would she think of what he was doing? Would she scold him for following in her footsteps and blurring the boundaries between Clans? Or would she tell him to follow his heart as he'd always done?
"Firestar," Leopardstar's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "Would you like to join us?" She tilted her head to where the other two leaders were waiting by the Great Rock.
Firestar nodded and followed her to join them. Graystripe had already found his kits, Featherpaw and Stonepaw, asking them all about how their training was going. Cinderpelt sat with the other medicine cats, exchanging which herbs were starting to dwindle and how to prepare for the coming leaf-bare.
"Blackstar. Tallstar. Nice to see you both," Firestar greeted. "Are we ready to begin?"
"I believe we are," Tallstar looked to the others, who nodded. He led them up the Great Rock.
"Cats of all Clans," Tallstar's voice echoed through the clearing. The many voices slowly quieted until all was silent. "To start off, I'd like to say that WindClan is doing well. The prey is still running well, for now. Also, Runningbrook has asked that I announce she is with kits. Hopefully, we will have more members of WindClan soon."
Firestar did his best to hide his shock. Kits? Was she really carrying his kits? Was she here? He searched the crowd below, looking for- there. Her pelt shone like pure silver in the light of the full moon. Her bright green eyes were looking right back at him, but he couldn't read them from where he sat.
"Prey is running well in RiverClan,"Leopardstar now stood at the top of the Great Rock. "Two of our apprentices, Stormpaw and Featherpaw, have earned their warrior names and are now Feathertail and Stormfur."
"Stormfur! Feathertail!" The crowd below cheered.
Blackstar stepped forward. "Prey is running well in ShadowClan. Three of our apprentices, Tawnypaw, Cedarpaw, and Rowanpaw have earned their warrior names, Tawnypelt, Cedarheart and Rowanclaw."
"Tawnypelt! Cedarheart! Rowanclaw!" The crowd cheered.
Blackstar walked back to give the spot to Firestar. He stepped forward slowly. His eyes darted to Runningbrook. He forced himself to look elsewhere. He cleared his throat.
"Prey is running well in ThunderClan," Firestar announced, trying to keep his voice steady. "Three of our apprentices, Sorrelpaw, Sootpaw and Rainpaw, have earned their warrior names, Sorreltail, Sootfur and Rainwhisker."
"Sorreltail! Sootfur! Rainwhisker!" The crowd shouted.
Firestar dipped his head, turned and climbed down the Great Rock as the chatter began to grow once more. He padded through the crowd of cats, making his way to where he saw Runningbrook sitting. He saw the shining silver tabby pelt and padded up to her. The WindClan cats around glanced at him suspiciously, some more nervous than others.
"Can we talk?" Firestar whispered to her. She led him to the edge of the clearing and sat down.
"You're… with kits?" He asked gently. She nodded silently, her expression still unreadable even now that they were less than a tail-length from each other. "Are they…?" He trailed off as if his voice had suddenly stopped working.
"Are they your's? Yes!" She hissed, almost to herself. "Of course they are. What am I to do?" She looked over at him, her eyes flooding with emotions, fear, anxiety, stress. "These kits will be half-Clan. What do we do? Am I to raise my kits in WindClan without a father? Do we wait until the kits are born and then separate them?"
Firestar leaned forward, pressing his cheek against her's. "Everything will be alright." He felt her sigh heavily against him. "We will figure it out. I will confess to Tallstar myself if I must."
She pulled away. "You can't. If Tallstar finds out we've broken the warrior code he'll-"
"What? Exile you from WindClan. Then your choice will be made easy and you can stay in ThunderClan." Firestar offered.
"What if he comes after you? What if he spills our secret and the other leaders force you to step down as leader or leave the Clans altogether?" The words spilled out of her mouth like a faucet.
"I won't let that happen," Firestar twined his tail around her's. "I know Tallstar. Let me talk to him. We will figure something out."
There was a long silence where they looked into each other's eyes. "Do you trust me?" He asked softly.
"Yes," she whispered back. He leaned forward and rested his muzzle on her forehead.
"Stay here," he whispered. He padded away, looking for Tallstar among the gathered cats. He spotted the WindClan leader talking to the medicine cats. As he walked over, he heard them talking about what herbs would need to be shared between clans in the coming moons.
"Tallstar," Firestar called. The black-and-white tom turned. "Can I speak with you?"
Tallstar bid farewell to the medicine cats and followed Firestar around the Great Rock where they would be out of earshot from any nearby cats.
"What is it, Firestar? Is something wrong?" Tallstar's voice seemed edged with worry.
Firestar paced back and forth, thinking of what to say, how to say it. "Tallstar, I'm not sure how to say this, but…" He paused to look at Tallstar, who sat down, ready to listen. "Runningbrook, she's carrying my kits."
He waited for Tallstar's reaction. Tallstar sighed, closing his eyes. "I had hoped I was wrong." Tallstar said quietly. "But, what has happened cannot be changed. If the Clans are to survive, we must find ways to move forward. Do you know the way forward, Firestar?"
"I ask that you allow her to join ThunderClan. I cannot leave my Clan without a leader and her kits deserve to know their father. No one else needs to know of their parentage." Firestar explained. "But, they will know of their WindClan blood, when they're old enough. Then, they should be allowed to choose what Clan they belong to."
"That's an interesting path," Tallstar remarked. "And what of Runningbrook. What does she think should happen to the kits?"
"She's unsure of the best course of action," Firestar responded honestly. "She's full of worry and uncertainty right now."
"Bring me to her," Tallstar stood, waiting for Firestar to take the lead.
They wove through the crowd to the spot where Runningbrook sat waiting. Firestar could sense her anxiety when she saw him returning with her leader. The three cats sat close together to keep out unwanted listeners.
"Tallstar," Runningbrook said shakily, dipping her head.
"Runningbrook," Tallstar's voice was quiet and gentle. "Firestar has made me aware of your… complicated situation. I must tell you that I'm not angry with you, nor do I want your secret to become public. Firestar has offered you a place in ThunderClan among their ranks. Do you wish to join ThunderClan and raise your kits there?"
She looked at Firestar, his gaze warm and comforting. "Yes, more than anything."
Tallstar nodded. "Then you may leave with them when the gathering concludes. If there's anyone you'd wish to say goodbye to, now would be the time." With that, he walked away towards the group of WindClan cats.
"Is there anyone you'd like to speak to before we go?" Firestar asked her. She looked out to her old Clanmates.
"Ashfoot, she's been through a lot these past few moons." Runningbrook told him. "She deserves a goodbye at the least."
Firestar nodded and watched her as she padded over to the gray she-cat. They spoke for a few moments before touching their foreheads in farewell. As Tallstar called for WindClan to leave, Runningbrook stood and watched them glance over at her before bounding away after their leader.
When they had all gone, Firestar padded over to Runningbrook and touched his nose to her ear. She looked back at him, grief welling in her eyes.
"You'll be able to see them at gatherings and on patrols." Firestar whispered in an effort to comfort her. "Come, it's getting late."
He led her over to where the ThunderClan cats had been waiting for him. They looked at Runningbrook, some with curiosity and others with suspicion.
"Runningbrook will be joining ThunderClan. If anyone has an issue with that you can bring it up with me." Firestar declared. "Now, we should get back to camp before the morning patrol leaves."
With that, Firestar led them back through the forest, keeping a close eye on Runningbrook who kept a good pace with the group despite being in unfamiliar territory. They made it back to camp where Brambleclaw and Thornclaw still stood guard.
As the warriors went to their nests for some well-needed rest, Firestar led Runningbrook to the nursery. He looked back at Thornclaw and beckoned him with the flick of his tail. The warrior came bounding over.
"Could you fetch some moss for a new nest? Runningbrook will be needing one in the nursery," Firestar explained quietly.
Thornclaw nodded and bounded away before slipping through the entrance and into the forest.
Before long, Thornclaw had returned with enough moss for a new nest. Firestar picked up the moss and slid into the nursery as quietly as he could, careful not to wake the sleeping queens. He found an open spot near the back where it was nice and cozy and laid the moss down, pressing it into a nest.
Runningbrook slid beside him, purring gently as she pressed her soft fur against his. She kneaded the nest a bit before curling up and laying down.
"Thank you," she whispered. "For everything."
Firestar licked between her ears affectionately. "Anything you need, just let me know. Ferncloud and Brightheart will be able to help as well if I'm unable to."
She glanced at the sleeping queens nervously. "They're nice once you get to know them. I promise." Firestar whispered.
He pressed his muzzle against her's one more time before slipping out of the nursery and climbing up the Highrock and settled into his nest. He reminded himself to make an announcement of her arrival when the rest of the Clan had awoken the next day. With the adrenaline of the night fading, he drifted off into a sound sleep.
Next chapter coming soon! It will be the final chapter to the whole SandXScourge and FirestarXRunningbrook series.