Ch.9: Firestar’s Quest (Omen of the Stars)
Firestar sat on the edge of the river, not far from Shadowclan. He listened to the gurgling of the river. He had been the leader for three seasons and was proud of it.
Suddenly, he padded over away from the river, senses alert. He had heard something. He heard a rustle of a bush just then.
A cat sprang up and plowed him over on his back.
He tried to push his attacker off with his hind leg, as a paw came down on his stomach, claws sheathed. As the paw did so, the image of the murderous Tigerstar vanished.
The cat jumped off him, letting him up.
He got to his paws and saw his apprentice.
"You didn't even know I was there, did you? Go on Firestar, admit it. You had no idea."
"Bramblepaw, you great lump! You've squashed me as flat as a leaf."
"I know," his apprentice said, as his amber eyes gleamed. "If you'd really been a Shadowclan invader, you'd be crow-food by now."
"So I would," the leader agreed. He touched his tail to Bramblepaw's shoulder. "You disguised your scent very well, and you did very well on your fighting."
"I rolled in a clump of damp ferns as soon as I left camp. Was my assessment okay?" He asked his leader. "Of course Bramblepaw. No cat could've done better." he replied. "Thanks, Firestar! Do you think Tawnypaw will be a warrior soon?" asked the apprentice, looking back at the border as they walked back to camp. "I'm sure she will."
"I hope she will. She'll be a great warrior," Bramblepaw told his mentor.
"And so will you; both of you."
"Was my assessment really okay? Will it be good enough to be a warrior?"
"Yes. We'll hold your naming ceremony tomorrow."
"Thanks. I won't let you down," he meowed, and then ran down the ravine to wait by the tunnel for his leader.
Firestar remembered how it felt like when he had been an apprentice. When he felt like he could run forever in the forest. But he also renumbered how it felt when the clan hadn't trusted him yet. Bluestar had taken him in because she knew he was the Fire who could save the clan. No cat had trusted him back then because of his origins. He had been born a kittypet. Tigerstar had taunted and tormented him with the words, "Once a kittypet always a kittypet." Because the clan hadn't trusted him yet, he had to work harder than any apprentice. Some still didn't trust him, he knew. Dustpelt was one. But then again, he had never been his friend. He had always hated him. Sandstorm was the same way until the night he saved her from falling in the river. She had started liking him after that. Now they were mates.
He wondered if Bramblepaw was having a hard time being trusted enough to be a warrior. He was popular in the clan because of his father. Bramblepaw was Tigerstar's son. To Firestar, he was trusted, loyal, and a hard worker and learner. He was the total opposite of Tigerstar. The trouble was it being so easy to see his tormentor; the ambitious, bloodthirsty, murderous, traitor of Thunderclan; Tigerstar.
When he caught up to with the soon-to-be warrior, he told his apprentice, "Go get some sleep. You'll have to sit vigil tomorrow night."
"Okay. If you're sure," he told his mentor, and then headed for the apprentice den.
Firestar turned around to see a gray cat in the ravine. Its fur was patched with white.
As soon as he started toward the cat, it disappeared. He couldn't stop thinking about the cat. It had looked at him, its eyes glowing helplessly, as if he needed him; needed his help.
The rain outside his den put him in the land of dreams.
He was on moorland with mist swirling around him. He could hear cats wailing from a distance. It sent chills through him. He saw blurred shapes of cats, but they vanished before he could see them better. Their scent was unfamiliar.
"Who are you? What do you want? Hello?" He said, but there was no answer.
He awoke at sun high from Sandstorm prodding at him with a paw.
“Are you okay? You were twitching in your sleep.”
“It was just a dream. I’ll be fine.”
“I brought you fresh-kill.” She pushed a vole towards him. “I just got back from hunting patrol.”
“Thanks.”
“Better now?” she asked after he had finished eating. “That’ll teach you not to let young cats jump all over you.”
“Hey, I’m not an elder yet you know. Have all the patrols come back yet?”
“The last one just came back,” Graystripe announced as he sat outside the entrance. “The hunting patrol caught a lot of prey, so Thornclaw has taken the apprentices out to collect it. “Why? Did you want them?”
“Not right away, but I need to know what they reported. Did any cat see any sign of rogues in our territory?”
“Not a trace. Everything is peaceful out there. Firestar, is something bothering you?” He padded inside. His eyes were full of worry.
“No, I’m fine,” he lied. He didn’t like lying to his old friend. “Bramblepaw did an amazing assessment last night. He jumped on me by the Shadowclan border. Come on. I want to hold his ceremony as soon as the apprentices get back.”
When they came back, he held his warrior ceremony. Bramblepaw was now Brambleclaw. He knew how important it was to him to be a warrior; especially when he talked about his loyalty to the clan.
He jumped off the High Rock and touched his muzzle to the warrior’s shoulder. Brambleclaw licked his leader’s shoulder.
He looked in a puddle and saw the face of the gray cat. He blinked and then it was gone.
Shrewkit landed in the puddle squealing.
The tabby leader looked at the sky, only to see a cloudless sky.
He led the evening patrol to tall pines, then two leg place, being cautious about possible remaining cats of Bloodclan.
He dreamed of the cries of the cats before he woke up.
He didn’t want to dream of those poor cats again.
He and Sandstorm walked together in the forest, and then sat down by Snake Rocks. They sat there in silence for a very long time. No cat spoke.
As he looked at the river, he saw images of cats swimming in the water, churning water desperately. Then the cats were gone. The river was still and quiet.
Firestar relieved the warrior of his vigil the next day. It was over.
He slipped into the Medicine Den to talk to Cinderpelt. He told her about the dreams he had been having. She said she couldn’t help, but she would tell him if Starclan gave her a sign or something.
He had the same dream the next two nights.
The leader awoke at sun high. He came out of the den, hearing caterwauling. He swiftly padded over to Cloudtail, Brackenfur, Rainpaw, and Longtail.
Longtail was put in a moss nest so Cinderpelt could examine him. A rabbit had scratched his eyes when he tried chasing it. His eyes were closed.
The other cats left the warrior and Medicine cat alone, when Cinderpelt had told them to. Rainpaw had been told to help her with Longtail by getting her the herbs she needed.
Once again, he didn’t sleep, dreading what he might dream.
The next night, they went to the Gathering. All was well in every clan. Tawnypaw was a warrior by the name of Tawnypelt.
As the cats left, Firestar saw a lot of starry cats. None said a word. He was the only one that saw them. Then they vanished.
He put Graystripe in charge of the clan when he left to go to the Moonstone.
Bluestar came to him. They were at Fourtrees. She reluctantly told him what cats he had been seeing; that they were in different skies. The cats were Skyclan. They had been driven out long ago because of monsters, and that the clans didn’t believe they belonged in the forest anymore. That once upon a time, there had been five clans.
When he got back, he went to Cinderpelt’s den. Longtail’s vision was still blurred. His eyes were still affected.
He let himself dream that night. He dreamed that clan was following the river. They couldn’t or wouldn’t hear him. “Skyclan, wait for me! Wait!” But he soon couldn’t keep up. He collapsed on the ground, unable to follow anymore. Then his dream changed. He was in his own den. Spottedleaf came to him. After that dream, he knew he must go.
That day, he stopped a couple of his warriors from fighting Smudge. After they left, Smudge told him of his dreams. Fire Star said he knew of them already.
The leader told Thornclaw he would be gone for a night and that Graystripe was in charge.
He spent that night in Smudge’s backyard.
The Skyclan leader came and spoke to him, then was gone.
He came back the next day. Not to the camp. He met up with a patrol. He told Brackenfur about giving Sootpaw a new mentor until Longtail’s eyesight got better. Thornclaw became the new mentor.
The next day, the patrol and Firestar scented a badger.
When they followed it, Willowpelt gave her life to save Sootpaw.
After morning for her, Cinderpelt took Sootpaw, Rainpaw, and Sorrelpaw to her den, and cared for them like a mother would for her kits.
Firestar dreamed of Silverstream. She gave him a fish to eat as a gift. After that dream, he was even surer he had to leave.
He told Cinderpelt, Graystripe, and Sandstorm first. He said he was taking his mate, and then told his deputy he was in charge. “We’ll take care of the clan the best we can,” Graystripe told his friend.
The next day, he announced he was leaving, made it sound like it was Starclan’s will, the Clan said good-bye, and he and Sandstorm left.
It took them four sunrises to get close to their destination.
When they were almost there, a storm broke out. In the storm, Sandstorm and Firestar had a fight; an argument.
“You wish you were on this journey with Spottedleaf, don’t you?”
“The only cat I want to be on this journey with right now is you,” he assured her.
“You miss her though.”
“Yes. I do.”
“You still would rather have Spottedleaf here than me.”
“Sandstorm, that’s not it. I miss her, but I love you the most.”
“You know what Firestar? Maybe I should go back home and let you journey on your own.”
“Sandstorm…”
“No Firestar. Don’t even try. Don’t start it.”
As they walked through the storm in silence, looking for shelter, a tree was hit by lightning, making it become like a bridge to cross the river.
He crossed first. But just as he called out to her, “Sandstorm, it’s safe! Your turn! Come on!” A wave came splashing down right where his mate was.
When it had gone, he couldn’t see her. The love of his life was gone.
For three days he searched diligently for her, thinking about the quarrel they had and what he would do if she had died.
Shorty brought him on the third day, when he met him, to a two leg place where he had seen a ginger she-cat.
Shorty warned the flame-colored tabby about a fierce kittypet before he jumped into its territory. He didn’t have his full strength yet, since he hadn’t eaten since Sandstorm had disappeared.
As soon as he landed in the garden and started calling for Sandstorm, he was attacked by a fierce black and white kittypet. He thought he could fight the kittypet off, but he was losing. He felt claws scrape his pelt and shoulder. Then once he was pinned to the ground, it clawed his left side, and he suddenly felt teeth in his neck.
As soon as the teeth sank in, he heard a yowl and felt wind, as a blur of a pelt brushed by. Then the teeth came out of his neck fur.
He stood up to see Sandstorm bite down on its tail and it fled into its two leg nest.
He padded over to her and she turned to him, gazing at him without a word.
“Thanks,” he said.
“You know, I met what I said when I said I wanted to go back to the forest. I’m surprised you even looked for me,” she said when she finally spoke.
“Sandstorm, I would search for you until I found you. Even at the end of the world.”
“But you would rather have Spottedleaf instead.”
“Sandstorm, that was the past. It’s you I love.”
He put his tail on her shoulder and gave her assuring licks between the ears.
Shorty’s head popped up from the other side of the fence.
“Is everything alright?” he asked. Then he saw the two cats. “You found her.”
“No. I found him,” Sandstorm corrected.
Shorty disappeared from sight and the clan cats continued their journey.
Five moons later, they had Skyclan cats as a clan once again. From former kittypets and rogues to Skywatcher who remembered his ancestors. His mother when he was young, would tell him all about them and Skyclan.
Soon after they finally had a queen, kits, warriors, apprentices, and a medicine cat, rats attacked. So many that they couldn’t see the ground. No cat died though. Thank Starclan.
Two days later, Skyclan attacked the small abandoned barn where the rats lived. Rainfur died and Firestar lost a life, leaving Firestar with five lives left.
The warriors of Skyclan, Sandstorm, and Firestar sat on a nearby tree.
The leader soon had an idea. He knew who the rats’ leader was. All he had to do was kill the leader.
All cats jumped to the ground facing their enemies. With a yowl, Firestar leaped in the middle and killed the leader.
Firestar stayed there, watching confusion ring out through the horde of rats. That’s when the warriors struck, killing rats who were in their path.
Sharpclaw started running after them toward the barn, but Firestar stopped him.
“No! Leave them be!”
He reluctantly obeyed and they came back to camp with Sharpclaw dragging the dead warrior Rainfur.
Echosong told the dead cats’ mate, Petalnose.
Cats gathered around him that night.
Two days later, Leafdapple was made leader.
Next, Leafstar made Sharpclaw her deputy, Bouncekit and Rockkit apprentices, Cherrypaw was made a warrior, Cherrytail, and Sparrowpaw was made a warrior, Sparrowpelt.
After the naming ceremony, all of Skyclan said their farewells as Firestar and Sandstorm left the camp.
Just as they started to disappear among the bushes, Leafstar called to the Thunderclan cats, “May Starclan go with you and light your path!”
After several moons of being gone, they came back to their own camp.
A few days later, it would be time that night for the Gathering. At the same time, Sandstorm had kitted. She had two daughters. One was a tabby like Firestar named Leafkit after Leafstar, and the other one was a dark ginger she-cat like Sandstorm named Squirrelkit, because of the fluffy tail.
Brightheart’s kit Whitekit, would soon be an apprentice. Whitekit sat by the new born kits. Her mother raised her head. “Whitekit, come away from them. They won’t be ready to play for some time yet. You’ll have to wait moons.” She went over to her mother, obeying her.
Firestar was happy as he watched his mate and sleeping daughters. They didn’t have their eyes open yet. It would be at least two moons before their eyes opened.
The dead cat’s prophecy, Skywatcher who had died of old age, rang out in his head.
“There will be three
Kin of your kin
Who hold the powers of the stars
In their paws.”
He wondered if it would be fulfilled by his daughter’s kin. He just had to be patient. Patiently wait. Then horror flashed through him, as he wondered if the prophecy was meant for good or evil.
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