Warriors: The Return Of The Greatest Heroes

45. Tigerclaw Gets Another Step Up

"Oh," Oakheart suddenly got it. "So, how are we supposed to assist in keeping it a secret from not only this clan, but the other clans?"

"I don't know," Bluefur sighed. "I don't even think she wants us interfering at all. If she wants us to, she'd tell all the reborns and probably Marshfoot,"

"So, we wait," the tom flicked his tail impatiently.

"Yes," the blue-gray she-cat agreed.

-

"Fireheart," Tigerclaw approached the flame colored tom. "The time has come, kittypet."

"Shut up," Fireheart cut in, not caring about what Tigerclaw thought at all. "I thought we were past that." he groaned.

"You will never escape your heritage, Fireheart. The whole clan is onto you. There is something up. Your time is out." the great warrior sneered at him.

"Yeah, you've already said that, no need to repeat it," the flame colored tom retorted.

"But it's true." Tigerclaw was now right in front of the tom, towering down on him. "Fireheart, Fireheart, Fireheart,"

But Tigerclaw's voice suddenly sounded much more like a she-cat. A familiar she-cat...

"Fireheart! Fireheart!"

Fireheart awoke to Sandstorm prodding his side, trying to get him awake. "What is it?"

"I believe you had a nightmare," Sandstorm closed her eyes. "You were twitching and talking in your sleep, and I didn't know what to do about it. So I woke you up."

"Thanks,"

"Was it an addition to your previous dream? You awoke in a similar fashion that time, too." the pale ginger she-cat stroked her mate's side.

"You could say that. Anything interesting happen while I was asleep?" Fireheart eventually asked.

"Well, you know Clovercloud's three kits? Yeah, well they're reborns. Swiftkit, Mosskit, and Cinderkit are now way to antsy in the nursery; they probably feel the same way we felt when we were trapped in there," Sandstorm explained.

"The feeling that we could do something, yet we can't?" the flame colored tom wondered.

"Exactly," his mate agreed.

"So, do you want to ask to go on a patrol?" Fireheart inquired.

"We could do that," Sandstorm rose to her feet.

And Fireheart followed her all the way.

"Fernfur?" the pale ginger cat called as she and Fireheart approached the deputy.

"Sandstorm! Fireheart!" she looked excited that they finally exited the warriors' den.

"Can we go on a patrol?" Sandstorm asked.

Way to go Fireheart, let Sandstorm do the talking. It should always be like this.

"Of course!" she was even more excited now. "You can go with Mossbird and Splashflight!"

"Okay," now the flame colored tom spoke up. What a coincidence.

"Mossbird! Splashflight!" Fernfur called out to the other warriors.

The two cats padded over to their deputy.

"Yes?" Mossbird questioned politely.

"Can you guys go on a patrol with Fireheart and Sandstorm over to the ShadowClan border?"

"Of course!" Splashflight dipped her head. It has been a while since she's done anything. cough author forgot about her for a period of time cough.

They went out. Walking and walking and walking and walking until they reached the ShadowClan border.

"Shall we start?" Mossbird invited.

Sandstorm put down the first marker, and her scent was washed along the border. Next was Fireheart; he put his scent a little bit further down the border. Then, Mossbird took part, and finally, Splashflight hopped on down and layed her marker.

It was a long process. One scent marker at a time; it was very boring. At least it was until they smelled the stench belonging to ShadowClan. On their side of the border.

Fireheart and Sandstorm shared a glance. They both knew it could be a simple trick of the Dark Forest again; Tigerclaw had taken the ThunderClan life known as Stonestripe because of this trick. They despised it. They hated it. They would never make that mistake again; it turned Fireheart's rage mode on, too. Not only because Tigerclaw deliberately killed his new father, but also because he's seen that trick before. It was when he was a relatively new warrior and he found a pile of rabbit bones bathed in ShadowClan scent; ThunderClan had sent a fairly large patrol to the ShadowClan camp, leaving Fireheart the only warrior. But that had been a trick, too. No doubt Tigerclaw was behind the scenes on that one as well; while the ThunderClan patrol was heading to the ShadowClan camp, the medicine cat Yellowfang recognized the scent as Brokentail's. The patrol was heading to a hostile camp with false evidence; that was the trick. Then, Brokentail with his band of rogues attacked the ThunderClan camp.

The thing was, the death of Stonestripe hit Fireheart much harder. He suddenly couldn't breathe; the ShadowClan scent, the ShadowClan scent, the ShadowClan scent! His mind was whirling with this newly processed information. It wasn't ShadowClan, it was the Dark Forest! And yet, it was ShadowClan at the same time; Tigerclaw and the other evil reborns belonged to ShadowClan. It's always ShadowClan. Why was it always ShadowClan? Fireheart did not know. All he knew was that death was now highly inevitable, Mossbird and Splashflight were going to report this information to Ashstar and Fernfur who is inevitably going to send a patrol to confront the hostile ShadowClan camp, leaving ThunderClan's camp weak. And then...and then the Dark Forest would pounce. Killing, and maiming...

No, he couldn't let Mossbird and Splashflight report that to ThunderClan.

He would never have thought that Sandstorm would report such a trick to Ashstar and Fernfur; that was a challenge to be worked around. To slowly go against her and the others...Yes...

Tigerclaw and the Dark Forest had succeeded with the challenge Fireheart proposed.

The flame colored tom growled as he attacked Splashflight and Mossbird head on, teeth baring and claws unsheathed.

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