The Forgotten Fire

Chapter 8:

  "Here," a muffled meow came.
Firepaw looked over her shoulder as the large, dark tom dropped a squirrel beside her. She was sitting atop one of the large smooth stones of Sunningrocks, gazing across the river in thought of the cats who lived there who had no right to exist.
"Prey is becoming scarce, save this for someone who needs it more than I," Firepaw mewed steadily. She looked away from her mentor and back across the river.
Tigerclaw snorted, "You do need this. I've noticed you've been holding back from the pile of freshkill. Others have too; it was Leopardfoot who insisted I bring this to you."
Firepaw twitched her whiskers.
Impatiently, Tigerclaw lashed his tail, "You must eat. It has been affecting your training. I'm not blind, I noticed that you weren't yourself in training and that Lightningpaw spared you the embarrassment. But that can't be in real battle or on patrol, you must always be at your best."
"ThunderClan doesn't need me for battles or patrols, or anything really," she meowed, "and honestly, they don't really want me. Most of the clan still doesn't trust me."
"Perhaps if you'd take part in clan life instead of just stare into RiverClan they'd be more willing to let you back in," Tigerclaw rumbled, "but it seems you don't even want to be ThunderClan anymore."
Firepaw was silent. Tigerclaw stood beside her for several heartbeats before saying, "I'll report that you're ready to be named a warrior so long as you start eating again. Maybe once there's prey in your stomach again you'll have the sense to see that ThunderClan needs you."
The she-cat listened to his claws scrape against the stones as he began walking away. Without looking back, Firepaw called out, "Tigerclaw?"
From the lack of sound, she knew he stopped to listen to her.
"Have you ever thought that there should be one clan? That would fix the half-clan problem, you know."
He growled, "No, I have only ever concerned myself with ThunderClan, where my loyalty lies. As should yours."

The deputy's eldest daughter was aware of Mapleshade's proud presence that night even though she was seated in ThunderClan camp beneath the moon with her best friend. Even with her worries about clan life, she found joy in the declaration of her new name: Fireflight. The idea that her powerful hindlegs could send her flying pleased her, made her feel the potential she had always known was inside of her. Like the others, she had been uncertain how to react to her denmate's shortened name: Longtail. Would Lightningtail truly have been too much of a mouthful for instant orders such as in battles? They would never know, Bluestar had already renamed the pale tabby tom.
Fireflight and Longtail sat pressed together to brace against the cold. If anything, the weather meant they would not become comfortable enough to dare drifting to sleep on such an important night. Yet, Fireflight could not help question it. She no longer had faith in her warrior ancestors, only Mapleshade.
During the night there was movement from within the camp. Longtail and Fireflight watched with numb interest as a tabby emerged from the warriors' den. They watched the tom, Runningwind, drowsily pad to the dirtplace. Not too much longer and he made his way back through the clearing. Before returning to the den filled with sleeping cats, he paused and looked at the two new warriors. Fireflight wondered if he was going to congratulate them, but the tabby disappeared into the brush without a word.
The remainder of the night was uneventful. Pale rays of sunlight bathed the forest but did not warm it. Their clanmates congratulated the young warriors once more as they made their way into the clearing, seeking Redtail and his plans for patrols. The young warriors were dismissed to their new den, Mousefur tasked with helping them attain nests of their own.
Before Fireflight stepped into her new resting place, her attention was caught by the new apprentices who had replaced her and Longtail.
"Come on, let's see what Redtail has planned for us!" The dark brown tabby excitedly mewed to his brother as he scrambled across the clearing.
The small black tom stood in the entrance to the den, looking out nervously.
"Tigerclaw will have his patience tested with that one," a warrior commented.
"But no doubt it'll pay off," another mewed in response.
The scared apprentice's eyes met Fireflight's. She had been one of the few cats to have bonded with him while he had been in the nursery. She had not seen much of him since her accident with Sandkit, but it was apparent he still remembered.
The young warrior felt a warmth inside of her, seeing how Ravenpaw and Dustpaw had grown so quickly, and called out, "Don't worry, you'll do great!"
Ravenpaw blinked at her, obviously questioning her words of encouragement. She took a moment to watch Tigerclaw greet him. Ravenpaw seemed even tinier when near his massive mentor. But she thought nothing of it, following Mousefur as she and Longtail were led to their spots in the warriors' den.

"First you need to fit back into the clan again; they can't have any doubts about you," Mapleshade meowed before pulling a paw over her ear.
"I know," Fireflight responded, pacing in their dim clearing, "but that will take time."
Mapleshade flicked her fluffy white tail, "That's true. Take the next moons to strive to be the best warrior you can be. Gain their trust and respect, perhaps take a mate. It won't be right away that you'll be granted an apprentice."
"That'll be the first major step, having an apprentice," Fireflight mused, "then I'll be eligible to be deputy and eventually leader."
"What makes you believe you will be chosen for such a role?" Mapleshade tested.
Fireflight flexed her claws as she replied, "I'll take the position if I have to. Say, both leader and deputy die in battle. If someone steps up to lead the clan, who is to deny it?"
"StarClan?" Mapleshade suggested.
The young warrior ignored the response and continued, "I have to become leader. Only as leader could I unite the clans as they should be. And that will mean no more half-clan cats. There will be no more trouble that way."
"StarClan is more than capable of setting the clan against you," Mapleshade explained, "It would be as simple as a message to a medicine cat."
Fireflight padded up to Mapleshade, their muzzles nearly touching, "But you could send a sign too, right? Mapleshade, if something like that were to happen I would need you more than anything."
The calico queen replied, "I know. And I'll be there so long as you help me in return."
Fireflight sighed and turned away, pacing. "I can't say I agree with murder. Bluestar's kits deserve to suffer the same as their littermate; half-clan cats are broken code and thus not allowed. However, Crookedstar and Oakheart exist accordingly."
A light growl came from the faded warrior, "Will you do it or not?"
The tabby-tortoiseshell's ears fell flat a moment before she responded, "I'll do it. I'll have to. Perhaps I shall include Bluestar as well. Of all cats, she deliberately broke the warrior code and then gave her kits away, led one to her death."
There was a silence before Fireflight spoke again, "It'll be a shame that she'll be dead though. I'd love to show Bluestar a queen is capable of being leader. I suppose she'll be watching from StarClan...."
Mapleshade spoke up, "While I don't fancy StarClan any more than you, I must warn you to not underestimate them quite so much. If you're not careful, they can destroy you."
Wrinkling her nose, Fireflight turned to face Mapleshade. "How do you mean?"
The tortoiseshell-and-white queen simply said, "They've already tried once."
Puzzled, Fireflight opened her mouth to ask for more information. Instead, she found her jaws gaping into a yawn as she entered into wakefulness. The light streaming through the den was clearly from the sun and the sounds around her were from her clanmates.
"I hope you'll be able to sleep tonight," a warm, familiar voice mewed, "I'm sure Redtail will expect you up early tomorrow for patrols."
Fireflight purred in greeting as Goldenflower approached. She padded toward her mother and affectionately brushed against her. "It doesn't feel like it was all that long ago that I used to race out of the nursery before you'd wake up in hopes he'd assign me to a patrol."
Goldenflower twitched her whiskers in amusement, "You were always anxious to serve the clan."
"I still am," Fireflight softly stated.
"But of course," Goldenflower replied, her words portraying the fact she truly believed it.
"Are you hungry dear?" Leopardfoot called out from where she and Robinwing were hunched over a rabbit.
Fireflight and her mother exchanged glances before walking over to the other warriors, grabbing freshkill along the way.
In response, Fireflight meowed, "only a little bit," as she sat down with the mouse she had grabbed for herself.
After the she-cats ate a few bites in silence, Robinwing muttered, "I remember how much coaxing it took Ravenpaw to leave the nursery when he was a kit; I was worried this morning would be the same thing!"
"Well he knows the camp by now," Leaoparfoot noted.
"But he hadn't been outside of camp yet," Robinwing countered.
Goldenflower licked her muzzle before saying, "Well at least he made it out without too much commotion. He's had a relatively good start to his apprenticeship; I'm sure he'll be fine."
Leopardfoot proudly meowed, "Under Tigerclaw's guidance he'll surely become one of the best warriors!"
Fireflight agreed, "Yes, Tigerclaw is an exceptional mentor."
"Perhaps that will help," Robinwing mewed thoughtfully before angling her ears toward Fireflight, "you know, he looks up to you. They both do, really, but Ravenpaw especially since he's so shy with everyone else. I bet he'll be more willing to learn from Tigerclaw if only for the fact that he was your mentor too. At least, as far as Ravenpaw can remember."
The young warrior added, "And I'll be more than willing to help him if he needs anything. I'm not going to stop checking in on them simply because their apprentices now."
Thoughts of the young apprentices filling their minds, the she-cats allowed their attention to drift to the young toms. Both were near their previous denmates; Dustpaw was standing tall, boasting to Sandkit while Graykit begged Ravenpaw for details of his first day out. Willowpelt and Brindleface were sharing tongues nearby.
"Bluestar has always enjoyed visiting the nursery," Goldenflower suddenly murmured.
Robinwing nodded, "Yes, I think that's one of the reasons she is such a good leader; she gets to know her warriors from the day they arrive."
Leopardfoot paused a moment before adding, "You know, Fireflight, it is funny that Bluestar did not finish your training; you are very much like her."
The young warrior felt a flare of emotion insider of her; she wanted nothing to do with the leader! But she fought herself to not allow that to show. Instead of her fur raising, she dipped her head and meowed, "Well, that just means I'm destined to be a great leader one day as she is." As they believed Bluestar to be, Fireflight corrected the statement only in her mind. She then focused on finishing her mouse.