Firestar’s Quest

Firestar took a deep breath and told his friends how he had been visited by an unknown cat, and dreamed of a wailing, fleeing Clan. He explained how he had met Bluestar when he visited the Moonstone, and what she had told him about SkyClan.

“You mean there were once five Clans in the forest?”

Sandstorm gasped.

“Yes. A long time ago, before Twolegplace was built.”

“But Twolegplace has always been there!” Graystripe protested.

“Not according to Bluestar,” Firestar told him. Not wanting to shake his friends’ faith, he skirted around how StarClan had lied, and hurried on to the next part of his story.

“That’s why I spent the night in Twolegplace. I wasn’t with my old Twolegs. I slept in Smudge’s garden—Graystripe, do you remember my friend Smudge?”

Graystripe nodded. “That fat black-and-white kittypet.”

“I thought his garden was a likely place for SkyClan to have made their camp, and I was right. The SkyClan leader spoke to me in a dream. He told me it was my destiny to go and find the scattered cats of SkyClan and bring them together again.”

Graystripe snorted. “And if he had told you it was your destiny to fly to the moon, would you have believed him?”

Firestar reached out with his tail and touched his deputy gently on the shoulder. “I know it seems impossible. But I’ve decided that’s what I must do. I must go on a journey to find SkyClan and repair the damage done by the other Clans.”

Graystripe stared at him, his eyes stunned with shock.

Sandstorm’s gaze was fixed on him too, anger and grief flickering in her eyes like minnows in a deep green pool. Only Cinderpelt remained calm.

“I can tell how much this means to you,” she mewed. “And if it is really your destiny, then you must go wherever your paws lead you. But be careful—StarClan may not be able to watch over you. Our warrior ancestors do not walk in all skies.”

“I don’t know how you can even think of doing this!”

Sandstorm sprang to her paws before Firestar could reply to the medicine cat. “What about ThunderClan? What about your friends?” She paused, then added shakily, “What about me?”

Firestar felt her pain as if it were his own, like a sharp stone that would pierce his pads on every pawstep of the journey. Glancing from Graystripe to Cinderpelt, he rose and beckoned Sandstorm with his tail.

“Come.”

He padded a few tail-lengths from the others to a sun-warmed spot near the center of the clearing. Sandstorm followed reluctantly.

“I know you never really wanted me for your mate,” she mewed as soon as they were out of earshot of the other cats.

“You’ve always been in love with Spottedleaf.”

Firestar thanked StarClan that he had not mentioned his dream encounter with the former ThunderClan medicine cat. “I loved Spottedleaf,” he admitted. “But even if she had lived, what could I have done? She was a medicine cat. She would never have chosen a mate.”

“So I was second-best?” Sandstorm spoke bitterly, not looking at him.

“Sandstorm…” Firestar pressed against her side, curling his tail around her as she tried to move away. “You’re not second-best to any cat.”

“But you can still go off and leave me.”

“No.” Firestar had spent a long time thinking about this.

Meeting Sandstorm’s gaze steadily, he went on. “I never meant to abandon you. Graystripe and Cinderpelt must stay here to look after the Clan, but I don’t want to make the journey alone. Sandstorm, there’s no other cat I’d rather have with me than you. Will you come with me?”

As he spoke, the grief and anger faded from Sandstorm’s eyes. Her green gaze shone, and the sun warmed her ginger pelt to the brilliance of flame. “You really want me to come?”

“I really do.” Firestar pressed his muzzle to her shoulder. “I don’t think I can do it without you, Sandstorm. Please.”

“Of course I will! I—” Sandstorm broke off. “No, I can’t, Firestar. What about Sorrelpaw? I’m her mentor.”

Firestar hesitated. Sandstorm had desperately wanted an apprentice, and he knew how seriously she took the little tortoiseshell’s training. “It won’t do Sorrelpaw any harm to have another mentor for a while,” he meowed. “It won’t be the first time an apprentice has had to change—Sootpaw will have a new mentor now, because of Longtail’s bad eyes.”

Sandstorm nodded slowly. “The experience could be good for her,” she murmured.

“Then that’s settled.” Firestar didn’t ask himself what would happen if he hadn’t returned before the apprentices were ready to be made warriors. He had no idea when he would come back—or if he and Sandstorm would come back at all.

With Sandstorm close by his side, he padded back across the grass to the roots of the tree where Graystripe and Cinderpelt waited.

“Sandstorm is coming with me,” he announced.

Neither Graystripe nor Cinderpelt looked surprised.