Fireheart & Cinderpelt/Sandstorm

19

  Dawn arrived. The Clan stirred, remnants of the battle still obviously strewn about the site.

Patrols gathered - those not as hurt being sent to hunt for fresh-kill, herbs, and to check if the dogs were truly gone.

Fireheart's heart was heavy as he padded out of the warriors den. Undoubtedly, his injuries had been one of the worst - but besides the biting pain shooting up his leg, the death of Bluestar and the horrible state Cinderpaw was in pressed down on him.

"Fireheart!"

He looked up to see Sandstorm waving him over from her spot next to a fallen tree. Padding over, he plopped himself down beside her with a sigh. "Sandstorm," he greeted, none too joyously.

"Why the long face?" Sandstorm tried joking, nudging him using her shoulder.

Fireheart looked at her as though she'd grown two heads, and waved his tail around the camp. "You think?"

Sandstorm sighed. "I know, I was just trying to make the mood lighter."

Fireheart blinked. "Oh."

Silence ensued.

"Fireheart," Sandstorm started. She paused. "I know... I know it's not the right time to ask this but..." Fireheart glanced at her curiously.

"Do you like Cinderpaw?" She blurted it out, instantly closing her mouth after and looking at him in alarm but slight hope.

Fireheart blinked again. "Why would you ask that?"

Sandstorm turned her head away, paws shuffling together uncomfortably. "I saw both of you - that time when you were exiled. I just thought maybe you were angry at me, for not defending you at that time-" she quickly added as an explanation, but Fireheart cut her off.

"Sandstorm, I want you to know that I understand why you were mad at me. I admit, I wasn't being fair to you. But I have to make this clear; Spottedleaf is nothing but a friend to me, and... and..."

"And Cinderpaw?" Sandstorm whispered. "She's just your apprentice, right?"

"She's not mine anymore." Fireheart answered. Heaving a sigh, he placed his head onto his paws. "How did this end up here? I never thought of her in that way- she's just such a bright cat, always so eager to learn, and kind-hearted too."

Sandstorm cocked her head to the side, watching him. "But now?"

Fireheart shook her head after a long pause, "I don't think I can decide this right now. She's a medicine cat, and I was her mentor. She still has a lot to learn, a lot more cats to meet."

Sandstorm's tail brushed his. But he moved away, standing up with an apologetic look on his face. "And Sandstorm, I don't think we should be together right now. I think... we both need time to think, alone."

Sandstorm watched the orange tom pad over to one of the patrols. Sadness swam in her eyes, before another cat crossed her line of vision, breaking her attention. "Hi, Dustpelt."

***

Cinderpelt stretched outside the medicine den, letting the sun warm her stiff, frozen limbs. Her wounds had healed well from the dog attack moons ago. "Morning, Cinderpelt!" Whitestorm greeted. The name rang happily in her ears; being a medicine cat felt great.

"Morning, Whitestorm!" She meowed back.

As she turned to retreat back into the cozy spots of her den, her eyes involuntarily searched for Firestar - now leader of the Clan. Her mind flashed back to when she had woken up and Firestar had visited her:

Cinderpaw greeted him cheerfully while digging into a morsel of mouse Yellowfang had brought her. But Fireheart's serious eyes broke the mood; speaking with a sad tone, he said, "I'm sorry for everything you've been through, Cinderpaw. Especially for me."

Cinderpaw looked down at her paws, pausing in eating. "I... I didn't do anything, Fireheart."

The tom crouched before her, eyes looking up into hers. "Don't say that, Cinderpaw. I'm so grateful for everything you've done. I was too late to help you, and for that I'm sorry. I will forever be sorry."

Cinderpaw shook her head, nudging him to his paws. "Please, stand Fireheart." She avoided his gaze.

"And... I know you like me, Cinderpaw." He said this slowly, delicately. Cinderpaw's eyes shot to his immediately. "I'm sorry for that too, Cinderpaw. Besides being against the warrior code, I think you're too young to decide who you like and who-"

"Don't say that," Cinderpaw snapped, eyes blazing with- hurt? Anger? Fireheart couldn't decide between those flickering emotions. "I like you because of who you are, Fireheart. Because of your purity, your good intentions for the rest of the Clan."

"I'm... honoured, Cinderpaw. But I truly think you need to grow a bit more, see the world-" Fireheart paused. Shook his head. "I can't be with you, Cinderpaw. Not right now."

"If I had been a warrior, would that have changed anything?" Cinderpelt asked, her eyes brimming with tears. "I knew it, I would never be good enough, you don't have to be sorry-"

"No, that's not it. Cinderpelt, you're a wonderful she-cat. And... I'm sure one day you would make someone very happy. But that cat isn't me. At least not right now." Fireheart replied.

Cinderpaw looked away, sighing. Fireheart dipped his head apologetically. Then he left.

Now Firestar looked across the camp at her, eyes warm. Cinderpelt flicked her tail cheerfully. She tried to ignore the small sting of pain in her heart, but knew Firestar had made the right choice at that time. He'd been heavy with Clan burdens, and she was a medicine cat. She needed to learn how to help the Clan first before anything else.

But now...

Cinderpelt turned away. Maybe next time.

AN: 

Video chosen above is dedicated to Sandstorm's broken feelings. And mine :')

I took the ship CinderpeltxFireheart into consideration - researched on what others think, etc. and honestly I've come up with the right words to what I feel about the ship: Cinderpelt was far too young for Fireheart to love at that time - to me it just felt awkward. But slowly as the story evolved and they grew older, we as readers saw their relationship develop into something more mature and deeper. Understanding. I think then their characters would be more suited to each other - hence the ending. (Do you guys want me to write a bonus scene for them? :3)

I didn't want Sandstorm to end up with Fireheart here because I just felt like Sandstorm still had so many insecurities and fights with Fireheart, she needed to solve her own problems first.

Pls I was struggling so hard between these two ships T_T I wrote two different endings for this book and in the end incorporated one scene into a totally different ending :')

Hope you enjoyed guys <3  

~Jayhow