Chapter Text
Firestar’s heart pounded in his chest as he tried to make sense of what was happening. His former friend Onestar, had led an attack on ThunderClan. RiverClan, led by Leopardstar, had joined him, and their assault had come without warning, launched in the dead of night. ThunderClan had been caught off guard, forced to fight back in the dark, defensive and overwhelmed. The worst part? Blackstar had refused to help. The ShadowClan leader believed that this was a ThunderClan issue, and that ShadowClan would not get involved in it.
Firestar’s thoughts churned as he recalled when Tallstar had died, leaving Onewhisker deputy instead of Mudclaw, who had been deputy since Deadfoot’s death at the paws of BloodClan. Onewhisker relied on Firestar’s support, and Firestar gladly lended it when Mudclaw rebelled against Onewhisker’s leadership. Even when Onestar and Firestar’s friendship faded, Onestar had been there when ThunderClan needed it.
Now though? Onestar has made his position clear. He, along with Leopardstar, wanted ThunderClan gone. The reason seemed simple: They saw ThunderClan as a threat, and Onestar, having been pushed around by Firestar in the past, now wanted to push ThunderClan out of their home.
Firestar thought over how Onestar agreed to the current borders, and they it would be unusable for the speedy WindClan, but that didn’t matter, the territory was ThunderClan, and Onestar wanted them gone. Firestar thought, not for the first time, how he missed Tallstar’s steady guidance. He knew that Tallstar, at least, wouldn’t exile a clan.
“Firestar” Brackenfur’s voice cut through the air “RiverClan’s coming from the direction of the Ancient Oak!” The panic in his voice was clear and Firestar understood the unspoken message: Without ShadowClan, they didn’t have the numbers to push them back.
Not long ago, Firestar sent a chunk of his warriors to hold WindClan back at the stream, he had hoped that RiverClan wouldn’t be able to get passed ThunderClan’s border. Brambleclaw’s group were supposed to keep RiverClan on WindClan’s moorland. The realization hit Firestar like a claw to the chest: ThunderClan was losing.
Firestar opened his mouth to respond when Hazeltail, one of the cats he’d sent to the stream, burst into camp, her eyes wide with terror. “Firestar, we’re losing ground! Onestar’s leading the attack, and we can’t hold them for much longer!”
Once again he thought about Onestar. First as an ally in the forest when he was Onewhisker, then as leader. Firestar didn’t just fight for Onestar because Tallstar made him deputy, but because Onestar seemed like the best cat to lead WindClan. Now, that same cat he had trusted and fought and bled for, was leading an attack to destroy all that Firestar had held dear.
“Why Onestar?” Firestar muttered to himself, grief filled his voice. He had so throughly believed in Onestar’s honor, but his former friend had no honor left.
“Firestar?” Brackenfur’s worried voice broke through his thoughts “What do we do?”
Firestar’s lips pulled back into a snarl “Gather all able-bodied warriors and take them to the oak!” Firestar ordered “I’ll head down to the stream”
Brackenfur nodded and he dashed into camp, Hazeltail following closely behind.
Firestar didn’t wait for more, he trusted Brackenfur to find as many warriors as he could. Firestar raced through the forest, heading towards the stream where his warriors were struggling to defend their borders. As he broke through the trees though, the scene in front of him made his heart turn to stone.
Squirrelflight, Birchfall, Spiderleg, Honeypaw, and Icepaw were locked in a desperate battle against WindClan. Squirrelflight was bleeding heavily, her breath coming in shallow gasps, yet she continued to fight, while Spiderleg was pinned underneath Leaftail. Heatherpaw spotted Firestar and she darted forward, but Icepaw leaped to defend her leader. Heatherpaw’s eyes flashed with fury and she slashed at Icepaw’s muzzle. In the center of the carnage, though, was Onestar, the leader of WindClan.
“Onestar!” Firestar yowled, his claws unsheathing “How dare you drive us from our territory! Have you no shame?”
Onestar’s amber eyes blazed with fury “Shame? You’ve meddled in every Clan’s business for seasons, Firestar. This is justice, you don’t belong here”
With a roar, Firestar launched himself at Onestar, his claws raked down the WindClan leader’s shoulders, but Onestar twisted, biting into Firestar’s neck and driving him back. Pain flared through Firestar’s flank as Onestar’s claws tore into his flesh.
Before Firestar could recover, Heatherpaw slammed into him, her small frame brimming with determination. “Get off my father, you fox heart!” She hissed, her claws swiping at his muzzle. Firestar growled, kicking Heatherpaw off him with his hind legs. As he stared at Heatherpaw and then at Onestar, his blood boiled with fury, the very cat who he felt he could trust with his life, now wanted to send him into exile, all because he wanted all four clans to stand strong. Perhaps Bluestar was wrong to save your Clan he thought bitterly
He quickly leaped to Spiderleg’s side, and forced Leaftail with a swipe of his claws, but no matter how fiercely he fought, Firestar could see the truth: his warriors were outnumbered and outmatched. Squirrelflight was faltering , her strikes growing weaker, Birchfall stumbled, barely dodging a blow from Tornear. Icepaw pounced on Heatherpaw, but even she was getting weaker. Only Honeypaw and Stormfur seemed strong still.
We can’t keep this up he realized “Retreat!” His voice rang out, sharp and final
Spiderleg, Squirrelflight, and Stormfur exchanged confused, panicked glances “Firestar, you can’t be serious!” Squirrelflight protested, wincing
“We’re not beaten yet!” Firestar insisted, though the words sounded hollow to his own ears. He turned on his paws, signaling the retreat. His Clan followed, as WindClan surged forward, their yowls of triumph echoing through the trees. Firestar led his warriors back toward camp, dreading what he might find.
When Firestar reached the clearing, his worst fears were confirmed. RiverClan had already breached the camp, and Brambleclaw was fending off Voletooth, while Lionpaw fought Rippletail and Reedwhisker, his youth and inexperienced replaced by terrifying skill. Brightheart was battling alongside Sandstorm, but both she-cats were bloodied and struggling
Firestar leaped into the fray, slamming into Blackclaw and driving him back from Thornclaw “Hold the line!” He shouted “Protect the camp!”
Firestar saw that Brook, Poppypaw, and Graystripe blocked the entrance to the camp. Owlwhisker leapt at the entrance, but Graystripe quickly jumped at Owlwhisker, and hit his shoulder, clawing his flanks with his front legs. Owlwhisker struggled to free himself, but once he did, he ran back into the WindClan line.
Almost every able-bodied warrior was fighting to prevent the invading cats from getting into the camp, there was still a hope in every ThunderClan warrior that they could push RiverClan and WindClan back into their own territories, but Firestar was realizing he was fighting a losing battle. His warriors were exhausted, outnumbered, and pinned on every side.
Blackclaw and Duskfur lunged at Whitewing and Birchfall, while Dustpelt fought Heatherpaw and Beechfur by himself, and even Brambleclaw, the Clan deputy, struggled to shove Rainstorm off of him, and when he did, blood trickled down from the open wound.
“Firestar, what do we do? We can’t hold them off much longer!” Brambleclaw asked, his amber eyes wide with desperation.
Every inch of Firestar’s body wanted to find a way to win this, to secure ThunderClan’s place by the lake. He felt his throat tighten, and he found it hard to breathe. He had spent his life defending ThunderClan, swearing to protect them at all costs. But now… he was faced with an impossible choice.
“I’m sorry, Brambleclaw,” he whispered “ThunderClan must survive”
Brambleclaw’s eyes widened in horror as Firestar raised his voice “Mousewhisker, Whitewing, Cloudtail - get the elders and queens out of camp! Move them now!”
The three warriors hesitated, but when Firestar lashed his tail, they obeyed, sprinting towards the dens.
“Everyone else, hold the line!” Firestar commanded “We need to buy them time!”
Every ThunderClan warrior had despair, anger, and grief in their eyes, but that didn’t stop the ferocity of their battle. Sandstorm and Hollypaw jumped on Voletooth and Beechfur, while Stormfur, Brook, and Graystripe jumped on Leopardstar.
Firestar threw himself at Pinefur, biting into her shoulder. Pinefur, in desperation, clawed at his back, but Firestar clawed at Pinefur’s belly and tossed her onto the ground, and the wounded RiverClan warrior ran off. He fought with every ounce of strength in his body, but his vision was starting to blur. He was exhausted and he was losing quite a bit of blood.
Just a few heartbeats later, Mousewhisker returned, and his eyes betrayed the fear and horror he was feeling. “The queens, elders, Leafpool and Jaypaw are outside the camp. But Firestar,” the young warrior’s voiced was full of grief “please don’t make us leave. This is our home”
Firestar’s heart ached at the young warrior’s plea, but he forced himself to stay strong “I’m sorry Mousewhisker,” he said softly “ThunderClan must retreat” the words felt like an execution.
As soon as the words were spoken, the clearing fell silent, save for the yowls of their enemies. One by one, the ThunderClan cats began to pull back, their movements slow and reluctant. Firestar led the retreat, his head held high despite the crushing weight of defeat
As he glanced back at the camp, he saw Onestar and Leopardstar standing together, their eyes gleaming with triumph. Firestar turned away, his tail lashing. He could only hope StarClan was watching, and that they wouldn’t abandon ThunderClan in their darkest hour.
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Up in StarClan, the ancestors watched in stunned silence. Bluestar’s gaze blazed with fury as she stared at the scene below
“Is this what we fought for?” Bluestar hissed “Is this why we led the Clans to the lake? For Onestar to chase them away?”
Tallstar was silent, his eyes clouded with grief “I never thought Onestar would do this,” he murmured “I trusted him”
“Trusted him?” Bluestar snapped, her tail lashing “You made him leader! And now ThunderClan is paying the price.”
Tallstar opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn’t muster any words
“I thought Firestar was supposed to be the blazing fire that would save the Clan, not a coward” Dappletail growled from beside Bluestar
“He is no coward,” Bluestar retorted, her voice low but fierce “He made the only choice he could. ThunderClan will survive, and that is what matters”
But there was fear in Dappletail’s voice “Will they survive? Alone?”
Bluestar’s eyes narrowed “They will. They have us, their ancestors, to guide them. ThunderClan’s ancestors will walk with them in exile, we will not abandon them”
But Jagged Peak’s voice was cautionary “You cannot control the living Bluestar. You cannot speak to them if they do not find a place for you”
Bluestar’s eyes gleamed with resolve “ThunderClan will find their way, even without StarClan”
Tallstar’s eyes burned with frustration and anger “Onestar betrayed everything we stood for. He made this choice, this cruel choice, and it will haunt him.”
“Onestar was not the leader you thought he was” Brambleberry spoke gently but firmly
“We must show that StarClan will not stand for the exile of yet another Clan” Jagged Peak added
Thunderstar looked down “Firestar is leading his Clan, and it is time for ThunderClan’s ancestors to guide them, wherever they may go.”
Half Moon, who had remained silent the whole time, finally spoke “Good luck, ThunderClan.” She mewed solemnly as the ThunderClan ancestors followed ThunderClan into exile.
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Back in the living world, Firestar led his Clan onward, his heart heavy with the weight of defeat. Behind him, Brambleclaw ensured no cat was left behind. They were exiled, driven from the lake.
Onestar had won, but Firestar’s resolve burned brighter than ever. ThunderClan would survive. No matter what it took.
Firestar thought about the battle that condemned the Clan, and he found himself less angry with Blackstar than the others. He hadn’t fought against them, though his inaction had condemned ThunderClan. Still, at least ShadowClan hadn’t chased them out, but Onestar and Leopardstar… his heart burned with fury whenever he thought of them.
His gaze flickered back to Daisy, carrying her two kits, Rosekit and Toadkit. Spiderleg shot her a glance before doing nothing. Berrynose, seeing the hesitation, stepped in to carry Toadkit so Daisy could focus on Rosekit. Purdy walked slowly, with Longtail not far behind. Mousefur, slower and frailer, struggled. Leafpool was there, supporting the elder.
Some of the worst wounded, Squirrelflight, Dustpelt, and Icepaw, had fallen to the back of the group, but Leafpool, Jaypaw, and Brambleclaw was ensuring that they did not get left behind.
Some of his warriors had criticized him for fleeing, but back when he got his nine lives, Brindleface gave him a life for Protection and Silverstream gave him a life to do what was right. Firestar’s first priority was to ensure that ThunderClan survived.
“Firestar, where are we going to go?” Graystripe’s voice was thick with worry. His long fur was matted with blood, but the wounds were shallow.
“I have an idea, Graystripe” Firestar murmured, though doubt gnawed at him. The forest was lost to them, so the Moonstone was off limits, and the Moonpool was at the lake, where they just got exiled, and the Cave of the Pointed Stones was in the Tribe’s territory, so that left the Whispering Cave in the gorge as the only choice left.
Graystripe’s eyes widened, his friend understood what he meant. While he had not journeyed to the gorge, he did hear everything about it from Firestar. “You want to go to the Gorge? With SkyClan there?” His voice held disbelief “Are you sure? You’d have to tell the Clan about SkyClan’s history”
Firestar nodded “I know, but it’s the only place we can reach StarClan. We can’t go back to the forest or the lake, and the Tribe won’t allow us to use the Cave of the Pointed Stones”
Graystripe hesitated and then sighed “I wouldn’t mind using the cave” he said softly and Firestar remembered with a pang that Graystripe’s daughter, Feathertail, walked in both StarClan and the Tribe of Endless Hunting. Firestar rested his tail on Graystripe’s back for a moment
“I know, Graystripe,” Firestar murmured “But for now, the Whispering Cave is our only option. Unless we decide to wander until we find somewhere suitable.”
Graystripe sighed “You’re right. We need to go to the Gorge.”
Firestar turned back, the cats of ThunderClan were exhausted, not just from the battle, but from the journey they just had to take. Leafpool and Jaypaw never got the chance to check the wounds of the cats and they didn’t even have any herbs. He didn’t want to push it, especially considering how severe some of the wounds were.
Firestar took a deep breath and stopped “ThunderClan, this seems as good a place as any to rest for the night.” He looked over his clan, even the most energetic apprentice and kit was exhausted. Firestar felt a pang of guilt, he felt like there was more he could have done to defeat Onestar and Leopardstar, but those were just hypotheticals, right now, he needed tos try strong for his Clan.
Brackenfur’s voice broke the silence “Firestar, I understand why you made the decision you did, but where are we supposed to go? The forest has to be completely destroyed by this point”
“Of course we don’t know where to go,” Dustpelt snapped, wincing in pain “Onestar and Leopardstar drove us out of our own land, we’re stranded” He shot Firestar an accusing look “Maybe staying would have been better, at least we wouldn’t be lost”
“But we’d be dead,” Thornclaw retorted, his voice tight with anger “Onestar and Leopardstar didn’t fight like warriors, they fought like cowards. They attacked under the cover of night and forced us out. I’d rather be alive, angry, and lost, than dead.”
“We should have fought harder!” Spiderleg hissed
“Fought harder?” Stormfur snapped back “Some of us are badly hurt, Spiderleg, including your father and sister! If we fought any harder, we’d have looked like we were part of LionClan”
“Enough!” Firestar ordered, raising his voice to silence the bickering. The Clan quieted, waiting for his words “It’s true that Onestar and Leopardstar betrayed StarClan and the Warrior Code by exiling us, but I do have a plan. I know one place where we can still speak to StarClan”
The cats murmured, their curiosity piqued. Firestar saw Sandstorm’s gaze soften as she understood what he was hinting at.
“Where?” Thornclaw asked, breaking the silence
“Why didn’t you tell us about this earlier?” Dustpelt asked, his tone sharp “When we moved to the lake, you kept quiet about a place where we could talk to StarClan? The lake wasn’t even a sure thing for us!”
Firestar nodded, meeting Dustpelt’s gaze “I didn’t say anything because StarClan led us to the lake, but there is a place to the north, in the gorge. It’s called the Whispering Cave, it’s where we can still speak to StarClan”
Dustpelt’s ear twitched, but he didn’t argue further. Spiderleg, however, wasn’t silent “And how do you know about this cave he challenged
Firestar drew in a deep breath, bracing himself “I know because, shortly after Brambleclaw became a warrior, StarClan gave me a mission. It led me to that very gorge, and I learned something that has been kept secret for generations. There wasn’t just four Clans in the forest. There was five”
The Clan gasped, murmurs rising among them. Dustpelt, his eyes wide, stood up, wincing from his injuries. “Five Clans? What are you talking about? There have always been four, haven’t we all been told that?”
Firestar met his gaze firmly “There were five Clans. ThunderClan, WindClan, ShadowClan, RiverClan, and SkyClan. SkyClan’s territory was the old Twolegplace, and they came to the other Clans for help when their land was destroyed, but we refused to give them territory, so they were exiled and their ancestors left StarClan to follow them into exile”
“That sounds familiar” Thornclaw muttered under his breath
Firestar nodded “SkyClan ended up in the gorge. Sandstorm and I went to help rebuild SkyClan as StarClan asked of me. I chose to keep their history quiet, especially after BloodClan. No one would have accepted the idea of a fifth Clan, not so soon, but now, we must live near SkyClan’s territory, to communicate with our ancestors.”
The Clan was silent for a long while, until Sorreltail spoke up “So we’re not the first Clan to be exiled. I hope SkyClan is willing to let us use this Whispering Cave”
Firestar nodded “As do I, Sorreltail.” He turned to his deputy “Brambleclaw, set up guards. We’re in unfamiliar territory, I don’t want anything sneaking up on us”
Brambleclaw nodded “Of course, Firestar”
“Leafpool, Jaypaw,” he turned to his medicine cats “Gather whatever herbs you can find, but don’t stray too far”
Leafpool hesitated “Firestar, Squirrelflight, Dustpelt, and Icepaw are in bad shape, and I still need to check the others, I don’t want to leave them in case their condition gets worse.”
Firestar nodded, his gut tightening with anxiety when he thought about Squirrelflight “But you need herbs” he protested
Leafpool nodded “Jaypaw can take Sandstorm, Hollypaw, and Brightheart, they know what herbs we need.” She reminded him
Firestar nodded “Right. Jaypaw, can you-“
Jaypaw’s response was sharp “Of course I can handle it, Firestar. I’m not a kit”
Leafpool glared at Jaypaw, but Firestar knew it would do any good. “Jaypaw,” she hissed “That’s no way to speak to your Clan leader”
Jaypaw shrugged “It is when he’s being mouse brained”
Normally, Firestar would have been angry, but the fact that Jaypaw was acting like his usual self was a sign of normalcy, which was oddly reassuring “Just don’t take too long, this is unfamiliar territory”
As Jaypaw, Brightheart, Sandstorm, and Hollypaw left the makeshift camps Firestar found himself looking around. Cloudtail and Brook were keeping watch while the Clan tried to get some rest. He noted with quiet concern that Lionpaw had no injuries, despite the chaos of the battle.
Could it be? He thought of the prophecy Skywatcher had given him long ago. “There will be three, kin of your kin, with the power of the stars in their paws”
Lionpaw, Hollypaw, and Jaypaw fit that description. We’re they the ones the Prophecy spoke of? Firestar resolved to keep a closer eye on them
“Firestar, can I have a word?” Whitewing’s voice broke through his thoughts. She was Cloudtail’s daughter, and Firestar couldn’t help but wonder if she, too, could be one of the three. No, that didn’t make sense. He would have noticed something by now.
“Of course, Whitewing.” Firestar said, his thoughts shifting “But you should get some rest soon. It’s a long journey to the gorge”
“I know” Whitewing hesitated. “That’s actually what I wanted to ask you about. This SkyClan… you think they’ll accept us settling near them?”
Firestar thought for a moment before answering “The Clans have lived side by side for more seasons than any cat can count. It’s rare for a Clan to leave the others, let alone turn against them. Battle, yes. Wanting to kill an entire Clan or otherwise doom them? No, that’s rarer. Most leaders aren’t like Brokenstar or Onestar”
Whitewing’s gaze remained troubled “But SkyClan has been isolated for so long. What if they’re different? What if they’re more hostile than we expect?”
Firestar met her gaze firmly “If they are, then we’ll fight for our place, but I trust Leafstar. She’s always been a reasonable cat, if she still the same, then we’ll be able to settle there, safely”
Whitewing nodded, though doubt still lingered in her eyes “I’m just not sure I ever imagined we’d be without a home again. I thought Onestar and Leopardstar would do better than this”
“I thought so too,” Firestar’s voice softened, a trace of sadness creeping into his words. “To tell you the truth, I’m not surprised Leopardstar would turn on us. But Onestar… I never thought he had this in him. Tallstar was a leader who led WindClan with honor and independence. I held a lot of respect for him, and I thought Onestar would follow in his paw steps. But now…” Firestar’s voice trailed off, as his heart tightened with grief and fury
Whitewing let out a shaky sigh “Onestar saved us from the badgers. Why would he do that, only to turn around and exile us?”
Firestar closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to steady himself. Every thought of Onestar since the attack filled him with rage and the pain of the betrayal was like a fire in his chest. He swallowed hard, keeping his voice even. “I don’t know, Whitewing, but Onestar got what he wanted. ThunderClan is no longer at the lake, and no WindClan cat should cross our path now. We’ll survive this. Now, go rest. We have a long journey ahead”
Whitewing nodded, her shoulders slumping as she turned away “Alright Firestar” she padded over to the other warriors, curling up besides Birchfall, but the tension in her posture was clear, as if she couldn’t quite relax
Firestar’s own weariness was overwhelming, stronger than the simmering fury inside him. He shuffled through the moss, seeking some semblance of comfort, but sleep came slowly, as it always did when the weight of the world pressed down on him.