Chapter six: A warrior and a warning

Dawn came at last. Sandstrike opened her jaws in a massive yawn and obediently headed towards Yellowfang's den. The tired looking medicine cat looked up from where she sat beside her patients.

"Sandstrike," Yellowfang dipped her head in a weary greeting. "Come to have your wounds checked?"

"Bluestar's orders," the new warrior replied.

"Lay down," Yellowfang flicked her ragged gray tail towards one of the few empty nests. She disappeared into the crack in a rock where she made her den. Sandstrike lay down with a huff in a nest beside Fireheart. Yellowfang returned with herbs. She applied a fresh poultice to the deep wounds in Sandstrike's belly, and carefully dressed the wound going across her face.

"How's Fireheart?" Sandstrike asked while she worked, noting a deep shoulder wound on the fiery tom's pelt, as well as a thick wrap of comfrey on his leg.

"The break is a little jagged, but he should heal fine," Yellowfang replied. "Why do you care?"

"I killed to come to his aid," Sandstrike pointed out. Yellowfang's amber eyes narrowed, darkened with some shadow only she knew of.

"I know you wanted to avenge your father and friend, Sandstrike, but didn't you take it a little far?" the old medicine cat asked cautiously.

"Your clanmates were killed by those foxhearts, don't you care?" Sandstrike retorted.

"I care about the way you're handling your grief," Yellowfang replied tensely. "You focused your efforts on becoming a warrior and getting revenge on Riverclan cats. With both of those done, what will you do now? Will you be satisfied with serving your clan as an ordinary warrior? Or do you want more?"

Sandstrike gaped at her in shock. "Are you implying that I'd want to become deputy, or leader? Are you hinting at the fact that I might kill to do it? You think I'm capable of such treachery?"

"Cats have killed to gain power before," Yellowfang muttered darkly.
"Lionheart gave me a lovely description of what Whitefang looked like, leaving the battlefield. According to Fireheart, Blackclaw didn't look so great when he fled," Yellowfang raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps I am hinting that you'd do such things to our clan, after you mauled two cats in battle. You killed twice, you broke the code."

"If I wanted to save a clanmate, I had no choice. The warrior code says we can kill if there is no other choice," Sandstrike countered.

"So you were just saving a clanmate… nothing more? A friend, perhaps?" Yellowfang questioned.

"Fireheart can go to the Place of No Stars, for all I care!" Sandstrike hissed. "But I couldn't watch Riverclan steal the lives of our warriors again. I had to try and balance the scales."

"I've seen you, hanging out with Tigerclaw," Yellowfang snarled. "I've received a sign from Starclan, did you know that? I was given a prophecy last night. In the little sleep I got I was visited by Ravenleap. What he said was this:

'In the shadows lurks danger, like a Tiger waiting to strike.

The darkness aims to steal the blue from the sky,

The threat longs to gain the power of the stars,

If the cat manages to get his Claws on Fire,

The storm will fall.'"

"That's just nonsense from Starclan," Sandstrike huffed. "Have you shared it with Bluestar?"

"I haven't had the time," Yellowfang grumbled. "Funny, isn't it, that Ravenleap mentioned a tiger, striking, darkness, blue, stars, claws, fire, and a storm?"

"What do you mean?" Sandstrike asked.

"Think about the names-" Yellowfang was cut off by Fireheart's vibrant green eyes opening.

"Sandstrike?" He mumbled. "What are you doing here?"

"Getting my own wounds treated," the she-cat replied stiffly. "It wasn't easy, saving you, you know."

"Hey, I saved you first!" The ginger tom argued.

"Anyways, Sandstrike, I'm done," Yellowfang said sharply, glaring at the young she-cat. She dropped her voice to a whisper and said, "Just remember what I said. Be careful who you hang out with."

"See you around, Sandstrike," Fireheart said. "Thank you, by the way."

"Don't count on it the next time you bite off more than you can chew," Sandstrike called over her shoulder as she limped away.

"Sandstrike, I made you a nest," Longtail yawned as he left the warriors' den for morning patrols.

"Thank you," Sandstrike muttered, ducking inside. Her mind was spinning as she thought about what Yellowfang had told her, but her aching body and fatigued mind dragged her into sleep.

"Congratulations," Mapleshade smirked when Sandstrike awoke in the Dark Forest. "Bluestar's finally noticed you."

"That's a problem, Mapleshade," Thistleclaw grunted. "With Starclan's stupid prophecy, Bluestar will be more alert than ever. You think she'll ignore a young warrior who's killed twice?"

"I can play nice," Sandstrike hissed.

"No," Thistleclaw snarled. "I need some cat I can rely on to make sure my apprentice is made leader. Darkstripe is thicker than a rock, and Longtail has rejected our training, he's still bound by the warrior code. Tigerclaw can't do this on his own."

"So what do you want me to do next?" Sandstrike sat down.

"You need to take out Fireheart," Snowtuft explained. "And Whitestorm, only then can you be sure Tigerclaw will be made deputy when Lionheart meets an unfortunate… accident."

"Any ideas on how to do that?" Sandstrike asked curiously.

"Make him trust you," Mapleshade's eyes gleamed. "When you're alone, not only will you break his body, you'll break his heart with your betrayal. Toms are stupid when they're in love, he'll never see it coming."

"Of course," Sandstrike rolled her eyes. "Flirt with a cat I've been enemies with to make it a more interesting story for you all to watch, is that it? Must you complicate things? I could shove a few deathberries into a mouse and give it to Fireheart when I wake up, yet you want to draw it out?"

"Oh, don't want to kill him?" Mapleshade taunted. "Perhaps his crush isn't a one way relationship."

"I'll kill him for you!" Sandstrike yowled angrily. "I just don't see why we have to make it more difficult!"

"You mean you hate him, but don't want him to suffer," Thistleclaw mocked.

"I just want this to be done with," Sandstrike sighed.

"This is the way to do it," Silverhawk insisted. "Poison won't enable us to frame Whitestorm for Fireheart's death. When Whitestorm goes out alone, invite Fireheart to go hunting with you. Tigerclaw can give you a fake alibi, but in reality you'll be pushing Fireheart off a tree or something."

"Go and figure out the small details with Tigerclaw, we've already pitched the idea to him," Mapleshade licked her claws, vengeance gleaming in her amber eyes.