Rise of FireClan

Chapter 2: Wound of The Heart

It was a frigid morning in the WindClan camp as the lithe bodied cats began to go about their daily duties. Sandstorm was with some help of Onewhisker was taking Princess out to learn to hunt. It had been a good few weeks now since the trio had been accepted into the clan as Tallstar's guests. Fireheart was basking in the sun the wounds on his eyes covered in cobwebs and a healing poultice. The broken warrior now rogue hadn't been himself since he was forced into exile.

He had been born a kittypet but raised a clan warrior. Day by day his eyesight failed him until today when he had awoke..nothing but darkness. It frightened him, it left him so unsure of himself. What good was a blind warrior? And an exiled one at that. His ear twitched as he heard the soft paw steps of the medicine cat come over.

"Hey, Fireheart how are you feeling today"mewed Barkface, tentatively sniffing at the wounds.

Fireheart's ears drooped. Just how was he feeling? Like crap, that's what. The tom was angry, hurt, sad, and felt all so betrayed. The cat he was had died the instant he was exiled for the crime he had done for the right reasons. A crime he had done cause his so called leader had lost all sense of reason. "All I wanted...all I wanted was to prevented unnecessary bloodshed when there was no proof WindClan had done it..."he thought bitterly as he turned his head away from the brown tom.

Barkface gave a sympathetic smile, "It's alright you don't have to talk if you don't want to. You're among friends here. So how about we check your eyes?"

Fireheart simply gave a nod, knowing better then any cat to never protest against a medicine cat. Barkface got to work and with the greatest of care he removed the old poultice and cobwebs for a better look at the injuries. He was pleased with the progress as they were nearly healed and just some scabs remained. It would certainly leave some scars but that was nothing compared to the damage the russian blue had done. it infuriated the medicine cat; What kind of leader hurt her own warriors let alone her own deputy?

"Well, try opening them Fireheart."mewed Barkface.

"Ok, Barkface."he meowed, gingerly rubbing his face.

Slowly Fireheart began to open his eyes to reveal their emerald depths.

A sleek pale tabby oriental tom with an unusually long tail sleeked through the reeds. His torn ear flicked in slight irritation as she shook a paw free of some mud from the damp, marshy ground around the river bank. He wasn't too found of getting his fur wet like those RiverClanners. This tom was in fact Longtail, now a former warrior of ThunderClan. His looked up at the sky for a moment, thinking what happened just a few weeks ago...

Sandstorm was carefully leading the younger ginger tom by the flank as the older tabby watched from the rear. There was no going back now; he made his nest and he would lie in it. By choosing to follow the kittypet born brat he was turning his back on everything, even sadly his first apprentice. But oddly...he didn't care.

ThunderClan had changed after he had been shown the treachery of the one tom he had looked up to so much. But over the course of the seasons he well, it shocked even him but, h-he grew a fondness for the brat that had ruined his ear. He respected the brat for his heart and his courage but also...his tenacity. He found he soon stopped in his tracks once they reached a old massive sycamore tree's roots.

Sandstorm and Fireheart stopped to look over at Longtail with concern, "You coming Longtail?"

"Sandstorm you go on ahead, I have a few things to take care of but I'll catch up with you at barley's barn alright?"he chirped hastly, turning to bound off.

"Ok, be careful Longtail!"she mewed.

Longtail dashed past only to stop right by the younger ginger tom to whisper, "Watch yourself, kit." before he ran off. The only words he heard before vanishing from the couple's sight was Fireheart's own words, "StarClan guide your paws."...