A/N: Thank Erin Hunter for her amazing series by supporting the official release!

Ch.21: The Chosen One

"Where did Firepaw go?" Yellowfang asked as her orange eyes looked around the clearing with a bit of anxiety. She'd noticed the apprentice's disappearance and likely heard the distorted sound, like most of the other warriors had.

"I saw him out of the corner of my eye for most of the fight," Whitestorm noted as he joined the growing group. "He was holding his own very well. Then Clawface crashed into him." His expression became one of puzzlement. "I heard Firepaw screech Clawface's name and then they both just…vanished." He concluded ominously.

"Yeah!" Graypaw agreed swiftly with worry flashing in his eyes. "Neither of them ran away; they just disappeared into thin air." Ravenpaw said nothing but fretting could be seen in his eyes.

The cats that had been mostly spectating the fight until now gave murmurs of agreement. Tigerclaw began to feel dread in his gut. That awful cry he heard earlier had to be Firepaw, but what had exactly happened to the tom and where did he get off to? That worry was temporarily pushed aside in favor of another. "The kits!" Tigerclaw remembered why they had come there in the first place.

"Here!" Runningwind signaled from the far corner and the camp and other ThunderClan cats bounded over to him. The little fur scraps were all huddled together in a small pit.

"Are they all right?" Whitestorm demanded, his tail twitching with anxiety.

"They're fine," replied Runningwind. "Most of them have just a few scratches on them. But that tabby has a pretty nasty wound on his ear."

Graypaw turned to Yellowfang. "Can you take a look?"

The old girl stopped licking her wounds immediately to examine the small kit that Runningwind delicately placed on the side of the pit. Graypaw and Ravenpaw helped lift the rest out of the hole. Mousefur gathered all the kits to her and comforted them with caresses and licks. With cobwebs that Runningnose offered her, Yellowfang treated the injured kit's ear.

Nightpelt approached the temporary allies. "You have helped ShadowClan rid itself of a dangerous and brutal leader, and we are grateful. But now you must leave our camp and return to your own. I promise your hunting ground will be free of ShadowClan as long as we can find enough food in our own territory."

Tigerclaw looked around at the ruins of the camp and the pitiful cats huddled beside them and nodded. "Hunt in peace for one moon. ThunderClan knows you need time to rebuild your Clan." He turned to Yellowfang. "What of you, Yellowfang?" The scarred tabby could understand if she chose not to return with them. ThunderClan had bared a fickle attitude of one of its own apprentices, after all.

Yellowfang looked up at him as she was surprised he had to ask. "I will make the journey back with you," she meowed confidently. She glanced at a gash in Tigerclaw's leg. "You will need a medicine cat for yourself as well as your kits." Her voice purred with slight amusement. "And Firepaw would likely be lost without me to cause trouble for him." Her earlier concern came back to her face. "Hopefully he's all right."

"I'm sure he's fine," Tigerclaw meowed, trying to comfort himself and her. "And…thank you." He signaled for the rest of Thunderclan to follow him out of the clearing.

Over his shoulder, he called, "Let's find Firepaw; he couldn't have gotten very far."

It wasn't until they reached the ShadowClan border that they found the orange apprentice. He was sitting perfectly still, unnaturally still. His head was angled upwards towards the sky, as if her were gazing at the newly dawned stars.

"Hey, Firepaw!" Graypaw called his voice laced with relief and curiosity. He was the first to bound over to his friend. He wasted no time questioning his companion. "How'd you get all the way out here, what happened?"

Nothing. Not a single hair on the ginger tom moved nor did a muscle twitch. "Firepaw?" The gray tom asked again as the rest of the group approached. Frustrated at the lack of response, he circled to the other apprentice's front side and his eyes went wide.

Instinctually, Tigerclaw joined Graypaw's side and a chill ran down his spine. Firepaw's eyes were murky and pupiless. He was unconscious! His line of sight was fixated on Silverpelt, as if all he ever cared about was hidden in the patch of stars. But it wasn't that detail that disturbed the tabby. It was the heinous, twisted sneer that had fixed itself on the passed-out apprentice's face. It was more disgusting an expression than even Brokenstar could make.

"Firepaw!" TigerClaw growled as loudly as he could, startling the rest of the group. He was desperate to pull his attention out of whatever trance had taken hold of his charge. It was a few seconds before he was ready to try again. But before he could-

"Agh!" Firepaw screeched as he suddenly sprang to his paws, further frightening his Clanmates. The sudden movement was jarring after such unnerving stillness. The orange tom looked around wildly, highly disorientated. "Huh-what-Where am I?"

The warriors glanced at one another uneasily.

"You mean you can't remember?" Mousefur questioned.

"We were in ShadowClan camp…" Firepaw trailed off as he shook his head to clear it. His tail twitched as he looked around with predatorial eyes. "Where's Brokenstar?" He asked feverishly, his claws popping in and out.

"He was defeated and fled," Whitestorm answered straightly.

Firepaw angrily turned away, his pelt bristling. He let out a fantastically ferocious yowl.

"He's been humiliated and dragged through the mud by his own hubris," Yellowfang said. She let the kit she was carrying rest by her paws. "That in itself is the ultimate punishment for a cat like Brokenstar." Her eyes shone with deep conviction, though Firepaw still looked bitter. "You were fighting Clawface, weren't you?" She recalled. "What happened to him?"

Firepaw was dreadfully still again, as if he was shocked into not moving. But it only lasted for a moment before looked at her then meowed, "Gone." in a harsh and quiet tone. Without even waiting for the order or even trying to explain himself, he stalked off in the direction of the border.

Frustrated but tired, Tigerclaw signaled for the rest to follow, though he didn't miss their worried, confused expressions. Ignoring that, the tabby kept pace with his detached apprentice. Just from that hazy look of disdain in the young tom's eyes, his mentor knew perfectly well that Clawface was dead.

At long last, they were back home and Tigerclaw could let out a breath easily. Yellowfang hung back at the camp entrance looking on in silence, but an approving nod from the deputy provoked her to bashfully come stand with the others. She'd earned that at the very least. Bluestar and Frostfur strode up to them and the tabby assured the worried mother that they were all right.

"Well done, Tigerclaw," Bluestar congratulated. "ThunderClan honors you."

Tigerclaw dipped his head at the praise but added, "It is thanks to these apprentices that we found them at all." He glanced over Firepaw, Graypaw, and Ravenpaw. They all lifted their heads proudly.

Of course, a familiar voice had to ruin it.

"Why did you bring back that traitor?" Darkstripe snarled accusingly as he stalked up to the patrol to glare at Yellowfang.

"You will watch your tongue!" Tigerclaw hissed with authority. He could see that the gathering cats coming near the patrol were also eyeing the old girl with hatred. "Look between Spottedleaf's claws," he recommended. "You will find the brown fur of Clawface, not Yellowfang's gray fur."

Bluestar nodded and Mousefur ran over to the medicine cat's body to check. Her yowl confirmed the that it was the truth.

"And before you start, Darkstripe," Tigerclaw growled preemptively, "Yellowfang had nothing to do with the kits being taken either! She was looking for them when Firepaw found her; she knew what ShadowClan warrior had taken them. Because of her, we were able to enter ShadowClan camp and get at Brokenstar and the kits. And it's because of Firepaw that we were even able to do that. Neither of their loyalties will be left up to suspicion or mere gossip!" He hissed with finality, astonishing the whole of the Clan. However, his tense gaze stayed fixed on Darkstripe who had the decency to hunch down in concession before the senior warrior's word. Though he still held a bitter look in his eye.

"He's right," Whitestorm meowed. "Yellowfang is a friend."

"I'm glad to hear it," Bluestar murmured, catching Firepaw's eye.

"Is Brokenstar dead?" Frostfur meowed anxiously above the crowd.

"No," Tigerclaw replied curtly. "But he will not ever lead ShadowClan again." Frostfur purred and went back to nuzzling her kits while the scarred tabby looked to Bluestar. "I promised ShadowClan we would give them until the next full moon to recover. Brokenstar' leadership has left their Clan in chaos."

"A wise and generous offer," the leader spoke approvingly. She looked to Yellowfang next. Yellowfang lowered her eyes as Bluestar touched her coarse gray coat with her nose. "I wish for you to become this Clan's new medicine cat. I sure you will the find the supplies as Spottedleaf left them."

Yellowfang gazed at the cats in the clearing skeptically before she was given nods of approval by the queens. She bent her head respectfully to them before addressing her new leader. "ShadowClan is not the Clan I once knew. ThunderClan is my Clan now."

Tigerclaw saw Firepaw simultaneously perk up and droop. He was happy that Yellowfang was now part of the Clan but hurt that he would never see Spottedleaf again. The tabby could relate.

"Now," Bluestar spoke up again. "There is still one more ritual to tend to." Her blue eyes glanced at the three apprentices and then swept over to Tigerclaw. "Did they fight well?"

Tigerclaw's tail flicked in satisfaction. "Like warriors," he said proudly.

With no more encouragement needed, the blue leader looked to Silverplelt. Her voice rang out clearly as she began to speak. "I, Bluestar, leader of ThunderClan call upon my warrior ancestors to look upon these three apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them in turn." She looked to the trio, narrowing her eyes. "Firepaw, Ravenpaw, Graypaw, do you promise to uphold the Warrior Code and to defend and protect this Clan, even at the cost of your lives?"

They all meowed their consent, their fur bristled in excitement. Tigerclaw inwardly felt a flame of great pride and joy stir in his chest as his troublesome, mighty, and passionate apprentice became a ThunderClan warrior in earnest.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names," Bluestar proclaimed.

"Graypaw, from this moment on you will be known as Graystripe. Starclan honors your bravery and courage." Bluestar studied Firepaw's sturdy frame for a moment. "Firepaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Fireshade. StarClan honors your fierce passion. May it cast benevolent light on your Clanmates and eerie shadows on your opponents." Her eyes sparked when she reached her own apprentice whose gaze was placed on her gratefully. "Ravenpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Ravenfeather. Starclan honors your perseverance and diligence."

One by one, the leader stepped towards them all and they all licked her shoulder as was customary.

Tigerclaw took the moment to bask in the Clan calling out Fireshade's new name. This moment was well deserved and hard fought for. He never should have had to strain so much to be respected.

Since it was almost moonhigh, Bluestar gave the three the duty of performing until dawn in line with tradition.

As the Clan absolved, the deputy went to speak with his former apprentice before he had to be held to silence.

"Fireshade, eh?" He tasted the name on his tongue as he approached. "It suits you very well." Only know did he take it how much his charge had grown and how strong he looked.

Fireshade's eyes glowed with triumph as he purred, "I suppose I should thank you for all your training?"

"But will you?" Tigerclaw retorted almost playfully.

"You did all right," the orange warrior admitted cheekily. "For an old tom…"

"Watch your mouth!" His tail flicked the younger cat across the muzzle. "Let's hope your just as spirited as a warrior," he meowed sharply. His amber eyes burned with satisfaction none the less.

"Would you expect anything less?"

"Never."

With that, he wished all three of them a good vigil and left Fireshade to get strange stares from Graystripe and Ravenfeather. As he nestled into the bottom of the warrior's den, he felt a deep peace. Everything seemed to be able to only go up from here. Tigerclaw had been given a second chance and stronger bonds with which to make the attempt. He did not intend to waste either of them. A nice beat of silence passed.

Whatever peace Tigerclaw had suddenly drained out of him as he remembered that Clawface's body was somewhere out in the forest, rotting.

Something was different about him.

Something inside him had changed, he could feel it.

Whatever it was, it was twisting his perspective and allowing him to see past what was in front of him. It was leaving echoes in his soul, leaving dark dreams in his mind. It felt like truth. It felt harsh. He liked it.

As Fireshade stared out into the darkened forest, he saw nothing but possibilities. There was a future yet written, a destiny for him to discover and claim. It would lead him down a path yet unknown, but he knew he needed to walk it. The very blood in his veins told him so. And any cat that stood before him without honor of with wicked intention would burn from their core outward and have their ashes scattered to the wind.

Just like Clawface.

"Whose eyes in my behind?

I don't recognize anything that I see.

Whose fur is this design?

I don't want this to be the way that you see me.

I don't understand anything anymore.

And these claws that I'm tired of.

Is taking me right up these trees

hat I climb up to get to your story.

It's anything but ordinary.

And when the world is on its knees

with me, its fine.

And when I come to the rescue,

I get nothing but left behind.

Everybody seems to be getting what they need.

Where's mine?

'Cause you're what I need

So very but I'm anything but ordinary.

Can you save me from this world of mine?

Before I get myself decimated with these expectations?

You are the one, look what you've done.

What have you done?

This is not some kind of joke

You're just a kid

You weren't ready for what you did, no.

And when the world is on its knees

with me, its fine.

And when I come to the rescue,

I do it for you time after time.

Everybody seems to be getting what they need.

Where's mine?

'Cause you're what I need

so very but I'm anything but ordinary.

I think I'm trying to save the world for you.

You've been saving me too.

We could just stay and save each other.

I'm anything but ordinary.

I'm anything but ordinary."

-Train, "Ordinary." (Some lyrics were edited by myself.)

End of Vol. 1

A/N: Cheesy? Yes. Do I regret it? No! Alright, we're past book one. It will only get jucier from here (I hope.)!

I want to thank you guys again for the incredible support you've shown towards my ideas. You guys make this such a more pleasurable experience. Read, Fav, Follow, Review! Thank you so much for all that you do!

See you guys at the start of Volume 2!