Warriors: The Path of Fire

Chapter Five

Firepaw woke with a start, pelt bristling. Wide-eyed, the apprentice swung her head to scan the den. It was still dark, full of shadows that were hardly penetrated by the half-moon light. Crowpaw's snores told her he was still beside her in his nest, his black fur melting into the darkness. Dustpaw, Sootpaw, and Eaglepaw were a little further away, deeper beneath the bramble thicket that made their den.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Firepaw relaxed. She had had the weirdest dream of a flame-colored cat sitting beside a smaller gray tom, the former with stars sparkling in his pelt. She couldn't hear what they had been saying even though she remembered seeing their mouths move in silent meows. They were strangers to her, although she recalled with a small jolt of surprise that the starry cat looked a lot like her and her mother, Flameheart.

A starry cat... Did I see a StarClan warrior in my dreams? Confusion clouded Firepaw's mind. She was not a medicine cat and, as far as she knew, warriors and apprentices didn't normally share dreams with their ancestors. The apprentice felt uneasiness creep under her skin.

Now that she was awake, she might as well get some fresh air to clear her head. Carefully sliding out of her nest, Firepaw left the apprentices' den and shook out her pelt. The half-moon was scarcely visible now through the pine branches and sent scant beams of cold, white light into the camp clearing.

Only one cat was seated near the entrance and Firepaw recognized the silver-and-black tabby pelt of Jayflight. The older she-cat twitched her ears at the sound of Firepaw's presence. "Shouldn't you be resting for training?" she asked, a hint of teasing in her mew.

"Couldn't sleep," Firepaw replied, drawing a paw over her ear. She was still weary from her dream and, although she knew Jayflight was Blackheart's mother, Firepaw didn't want to confide in the more experienced warrior. She'd probably think I was frog-brained.

"I remember when I was an apprentice," Jayflight continued, staring wistfully into the distance. "I used to have so much energy, I could hardly wait to start training each day! My mentor cuffed my ears countless times for waking him before the dawn patrols would leave." She purred at the memory, Firepaw joining her.

"I think Emberflame would line her nest with my fur if I tried that," she mused fondly. The reddish-brown she-cat was an excellent mentor, patient and understanding when Firepaw made mistakes. She was proud Emberflame had been assigned to her.

Jayflight was silent for a long moment before she said, "Blackheart and Flameheart are so proud of you and Crowpaw. They raised you two well."

Firepaw shuffled her paws shyly. "They've spoken about us?"

"Of course," the tabby warrior meowed with a twitch of her whiskers. "You know... I wasn't sure about Flameheart joining ShadowClan at first. I was always worried she was far too young to make such a decision to switch Clans for my son." She flicked her gaze thoughtfully up toward the sky.

Firepaw tilted her head, curiosity bubbling over. "And, what about now?" she dared to ask when Jayflight hadn't spoken.

Jayflight swished her tail over the dewy grass. "I think she's a fine warrior," she replied. "Flameheart is always the first to volunteer for hunting or border patrols, and she never comes back empty-pawed, even in the toughest leaf-bare moons. She hunted while she was pregnant with you and your brother, all the way up until your birth." She gave a resolute nod. "She is a strong cat and I respect her determination and loyalty to her new Clan."

Firepaw sat with that information as a comfortable silence dragged between her and her kin. Flameheart must have loved my father so much to leave ThunderClan, she thought with admiration. It would be so hard to leave every cat you ever knew behind for a warrior in a rival Clan.