Our world isn't a single plane

It's more so like a tree. The biggest and scariest tree you've ever seen. Overarching and all-encompassing and it makes up more than the universe itself. All stems from the first moment of creation, and it branches off from there. Every little decision and every pawstep causes more and more to form until there are nothing but branches and all we see is bark and wood.

Each split is a new universe. A new time and a new space. This me isn't the only me.

But it's the only one that I can feel.

Dying was cold and a lot more sudden than he'd expected though he should've known it was approaching. Everyone dies, the entire world knows it's dying and that the time will eventually come, yet every single death without fail is one taken in surprise. Some cats live with the expectation that death couldn't touch them and even still the occasional battle, adder bite, monster, fall, fox, badger, dog, anything really catches them by surprise. For Firestar, it was another cat. Slowly all around him, the world spun (probably from blood loss) and the face of a little cat with dark fur and claws to rival a dog's appeared in front of him.

Twitch.

The expression was one of morbid curiosity. It was why cats crowded around any sort of commotion, and why his former humans would often gaze out of their monsters, staring at other dead monsters and the flashing of certain monsters with lights that screamed like sirens.

Twitch.

Where was the healing? He should've been healed by now- his nine lives should have made him all better by now!

Twitch.

Scourge sat, simply watching and waiting. Firestar could feel the burning interest in his gaze, disgusted with the feeling it left him with. He stared and held a fascination akin to a bully stepping on an ant, or killing a butterfly out of pure wonder. That fit the description of the collared fox-heart. He'd probably seen this a thousand times anyways. But the wonder was still there.

Twitch.

Sounds of battle surrounding them had begun to cease as BloodClan slowly turned the tides against the forest cats, beginning to stare at the twitching cat with their leader as Firestar's companions slowly fall. Picked off easily in the exhaustion and distraught. His gut twisted painfully, behind the gouges raked into his stomach.

Twitch.

Twitch.

Twitch.

Please stop staring.

Twitch.

Stillness.

After a moment of nothing, Firestar groaned at the nosing at his pelt. When the cat had resolved to prodding him, his annoyance reached its head as he jumped up and turned to nearly slash at whoever decided to poke at his body. Instead of being met with the frustrated gaze of Scourge and tackling him to the ground, Firestar had accidentally tackled his best friend, "Oh jeez- crap- I'm sorry, man I should've known you'd be jumpy."

For whatever reason he was prodding at him, Firestar didn't care anymore. He was just relieved that he could see his companion was safe. Graystripe watched as the hairs on the other cat's pelt slowly settled in the presence of a familiar and friendly face, anxiety dripping and falling off of him easily enough. Once the two had settled, Graystripe wrapped his tail around his friend while sitting so close to him that their sides were practically glued together, "Feel better now?"

"Yeah. A lot. What's going on, Graystripe? Did-" He suddenly felt a rush of excitement, "Did we win?"

"No." Well at least he was blunt. Firestar knew the other cat looked a little too sleek and healthy for the aftermath of battle. He felt the sudden rush of anticipation get knocked out of his body. So they were both dead. His limbs felt a little too light and his heart a little too bright anyways. They remained side by side, neither wishing to meet the other's eyes.

"BloodClan is taking… over the forest." A thick swallow accompanied the next statement, "I- I think the clans are gone. Cats are popping up everywhere, way too quickly. Bluestar and the other StarClan cats are scared. Firestar they don't know what to do, and- and what happens to StarClan when no one is there to believe in them anymore? Do you think we're gonna-?"

He quickly slaps his tail over Graystripe's mouth, causing his friend to blow a tiny raspberry and spit out hairs. Wasn't he dead now? That was too much panic for a dead cat. "Graystripe, calm down! All of your panicking is going to scare off all of the prey from here to ThunderClan."

"But we're in StarClan!"

"Uh, exactly." To be perfectly fair, Firestar was even more scared than Graystripe. He was sure dying was supposed to make someone a lot smarter or cooler or at least better at handling all of the utter mouse dung StarClan had chosen to throw at them. Now they were a part of StarClan. But with no other clans to watch over.

He really did end up just like Tigerstar, huh? Firestar internally winced, feeling just a little more pathetic than before but sucked in his self esteem for comforting Graystripe who was more in need of a good few words of reassurement, "I'm sure we'll be fine, okay? Just… take your mind off of the living world for a second and show me around StarClan. You seem to know more about the land even if I died before you."

"It's because you took your sweet time getting here."

"Thanks Graystripe, that is literally the last thing I ever want to hear again." At least the two seemed okay enough to be cracking jokes. Firestar took a deep breath. It's fine.

It actually wasn't fine! The more they saw and the more cats they met, Firestar felt even more fearful of the forest they had left behind. He couldn't remember any cats that were still alive, and the moment a name was about to fall off of his tongue, there they were. Claws sheathed and unsheathed themselves in the healthy dirt of the afterlife and the small crowds of murmuring and anxious cats had grown. Perhaps Graystripe was actually right and they were simply waiting on the calamity of the stars collapsing into themselves and erupting into a monumental destructive force that was enough to shake the very world to its core and knock it out of the sun's sight. Or maybe he'd get a grip on himself and take a few calming and disarming breaths. In and out.

He supposed this wasn't a common event in StarClan as the leaders themselves whispered to themselves in hushed, worried tones, wondering about what they could possibly do. Firestar felt a small rush of ease seeing the familiar gray silver pelt of his former leader, and the lack of a large tabby pelt. If he strained his ears and trained them towards the group of leaders with enough focus, he could catch snippets and clipped pieces of the marginable audible conversation. Ancients, calling, sending, and fear were the only comprehensible bits he could hear. As Graystripe turned to him in hope, Firestar shook his head. He didn't think any of that content was something that could be used to calm him down and opted for Graystripe to find Silverstream instead. She'd likely have more hope in mellowing the other cat down. With a hesitant nod and a gaze laced with worry, they parted ways.

Firestar padded to the circle of leaders, biting his lip as the closer he approached, the more of their panic he could feel. The fear sat and swam among them like a heavy fog or a blanket of snow, and the hot air that accompanied the talking group indicated that they had been together in this state for a good while now. Likely meaning that they held no answers either. Brilliant.

Bluestar offered Firestar a quick comforting lick on the shoulder that was most likely intended to settle his nerves. It didn't help, but the gesture was appreciated anyways. Instead of speaking, he listens to their debate.

"We can't do that- the last cat we sent was scattered! Or.. so the story goes."

"You know that story is a load of fox dung anyways, Ivystar told me she'd asked and the ancients have never even heard of that method before! So we can't just pull that as an option!"

"Ivystar isn't even here right now!"

"Ivywho?"

"Either way, I'm not lying am I?"

"You're all behaving like a bunch of idiotic-!" Firestar winced. Oof, he wasn't going to find anything by staying here. He practically lived for information and knowing the drama of the clans, even if his pride would say otherwise. With that background knowledge, he knew they would probably go on squabbling for a while. He spoke to Bluestar for a few hushed moments and dipped his head in farewell.

The soft grass of StarClan was cool and expansive, and there were patched areas of woodland, marsh, moor, and river that all of the clans would find ease hunting in. He felt his feet wanting to hunt a mouse and enjoy the land, but his stomach felt unsettled and still fresh from the wounds of his last fight. Maybe later.

Instead he wandered, cooling down and letting the breeze hit his face in puffs. He wandered until the worry and noise of the cats behind him were long abandoned, and he walked through the practically endless forests and marshes and moors and rivers. Firestar walked until he no longer felt the grass' soft touch, or the little tickle of the wind. Even the noises of life had ceased entirely. That was.. odd.

"You've gone far from the territory your time's cats usually stick to. Lost?" A voice sliced through the permeating silence and nearly caused Firestar to jump out of his skin with a little yelp. The rough rumble of a cat's laughter sounded in front of him in the form of the largest cat he'd ever seen. Eyes sharp as a hawk's and an odd mane that could put Lionheart's to shame. Firestar sat down and embarrassingly licked the chest fur that had puffed up in startling shock.

"Don't act so modest, we have seen and known more than you can comprehend, a little hiccup would not change anything. Firestar, you have wandered far from home, have you not?" The massive cat held a deep voice with the quality of rumbling thunder. Firestar's mind briefly flickered to an old story he, Graypaw, and Ravenpaw would settle inside the elder's den to listen to in exchange for cracking a few fleas in the meantime. As if it were actually that easy.

"It very much can be that easy if we wish it to be so." He was less sure of his doubts now. This massive cat had seemingly read his thoughts and voiced them aloud with his voice of thunder and delivery as unexpected as lightning. Another she-cat, limbs rippling with muscle and spots moving to sit next to the large golden cat had flicked her impossibly long tail at Firestar, appearing out of nowhere. Soon two more cats had joined them, and suddenly he was feeling awkward being the only tiny cat in the presence of four looming souls. Tinier than usual at least.

"This is the fire?"

"It seems so."

"Go on, speak up, kit. What is your title."

Firehe- Firestar gulped thickly and felt his mouth dry, "Firestar, former leader of ThunderClan and former kittypet." Why did he add on that kittypet part-?! Stupid, stupid-

"Your internal monologue is not helping your situation here, Firestar. What is it that you are seeking from us? I'm asking purely out of courtesy though, we obviously know what you wish to ask- you seem clever enough to know we are ancient beings in this plane."

"Then why not tell outright rather than engage in silly conversation with a modern kitten?" It was slightly frustrating but nerve-wracking to watch the faces of these powerful cats. They held answers and power and knowledge and practically the world within themselves, crammed like leaves on a bush yet not one leaf would fall. He wished StarClan could give him the instant mental stability and facade of control and coolness other StarClan cats would appear to hold when visiting his dreams.

Well, no that may not be all that true. Firestar recalled Bluestar's anxious look and the uneasy conversation among leaders and other groups of cats, the rapidly growing population waking to see other cats as perturbed as they were. He dug his sheathed toes into the hard dirt below them,

"In a sense, we wish to judge and understand you. Intense it sounds, but the most close to the truth I can convey."

Reluctantly nodding, Firestar soon let the questions spill out in a stream, "What is happening to StarClan? Is there need for worry? What will happen to BloodClan and the future of the clans after this-?"

A darkened look passed over one of the cats, a large black pelted one with green eyes that practically stared through him, "StarClan is the final resting place of all Clans. We make our decisions in an effort to guide the living through their course. StarClan itself will hold together but… well, it's residents may not." His insides felt cold and still.

"What do you mean…?"

"StarClan can't recieve all of these spirits at once, and some are being scattered and lost-"

Firestar remembered the words of the other leaders while standing among them, their panicked concerns of cats being scattered, and the story of one having done so already. Supposedly, at least according to… well… he'd just heard it somehow?

"Their souls are being lost to time and space, scattered and shattered apart until no memory remains of them left. No trace of a cat having lived here, like leaves falling off of their branches. Even we forget their existence and the sea of those shards lie in the back of our brains, flooding. Soon we also may soon be scattered and faded, existence lost to StarClan itself and where we will go, no one knows.

"If the clans end, lost to time itself, perhaps things would be different. But all has suddenly been wiped out, quick and methodical like monsters and hawks. These lands are growing increasingly unstable and soon it will-" collapse into themselves and erupt into a monumental destructive force that's enough to shake the very world to its core and knock it out of the sun's sight, just like he exaggerated earlier oh StarClan-

"No. Shut up. Not like that." Oh thank- "Worse."

Firestar elected to shut up for a good while. Nice decision. "Soon all of the cats of StarClan will slowly grow forgotten, faded and scattered across timelines and universes. It begins slow, like a name and a title, and consumes quickly like a wildfire. With the founders of StarClan slowly becoming nonexistent, you should likely know the rest. It's already begun."

"You- you're powerful and all-seeing spirits, though. Isn't there anything you could possibly do? Any hope to bring?" Firestar's panicked voice cracked slightly. Even in death there was so much fear and uncertainty. What was the point of living it it just amounted to this? What was even the point of talking to these ancient cats if they would soon become powerless and faded to time as well? Wouldn't it just be better to remain ignorant while dissolving into nothing but white noise in a pool of other random sounds?

"But why else would we be speaking to you?"

Ah yes. Because even in the face of death death, that's death times two, Firestar couldn't catch a single breath. But he was thankful to quite practically jump at the opportunity, "I'll do anything."

"Even risk being pulled apart by the Laws of Being themselves?"

"Even that." It helps that he didn't even know that the heck those laws were.

With a long eye to eye inspection under four inscrutable gazes, the lion-like (or maybe even full lion) cat reluctantly flicked his tail, "Jump onto me, then. We do not have a lot of time to explain everything. We will speak while we run." Firestar awkwardly jumped onto the cat's broad back and clung on tightly, putting all of his focus on not falling off while the four cats bounded with a velocity to rival that of a monster's.

"We live on a plane of existence that can only be comparable to a tree. Every decision we make is a splitting branch, one for what we choose to do and the rest of the branches for every other possibility that we choose to ignore. You lie at the base of a sizable amount of these branches, yet we are unable to discern the reason for such an anomaly.

"Well, at least we were. You are a center for many of the major decisions that relate to this world, and your actions echo through the forest, eons after your eventual departure. Whether it be a small decision such as what to eat today, or a decision so large, the tree of existence itself may as well grow another trunk. Such as the decision to leave the forest. I am personally.. unsure of the decision to send you back in time, as are the others. The situation itself may not change or may even multiply. There is always a point where one knows too much for their mind to hold. But there is no other choice.

"And eventually, all trees burn down. Soon the clans will be nothing but distant ash in the wind, however there is a reason why we sent the clans your prophecy. Your relationships in the forest are crucial to the survival of these clans and their spirits. And so we… reluctantly ask you to make a journey for us, outside of time and space. Even outside of the guidance and gaze of StarClan itself. How do you feel about time travel?"

"Terrible."

"Amazing. Well, we are here." A shaky step Firestar attempted to descend from the large back turned into a messy stumble, growing into a tumble onto the cold stone floor. He didn't know how to feel and held a swirling and fearful churning of trepidation inside of him, it filled his lungs and eyes, stomach and mind. What was a cat supposed to do with the knowledge that every decision he made could possibly alter the fate of the forest? His breathing quickened and a phantom pain crept up his gut, and he snapped his gaze down in search of gouging claw marks that weren't there.

"Calm down, this panic will lead you nowhere other than ruin. Act on the advice of those you trust and your own judgement, and things will likely fall into place. You are not a terrible cat, just hold weight into your own wisdom." But Firestar wasn't wise. He led the clans into total ruin. He accidentally caused the deaths of many. And now it was possibly his fault that the skies themselves would soon find their bodies devoid of stars. It sickened and scared him. Shoulders heavy with burden and fear, the lightning's clap of voice pierced their surroundings once more.

"Stay with us, Firestar. Tell me, do you trust our judgement?"

"I… I want to."

"Then do so. You will be fine. Pick those paws up and hold your head high, kit. You are a leader are you not? Lead us into existence." A large muzzle prodded his side and Firestar tentatively responded to the touch, nodding.

It's okay. He can do it. Just remember and make it right this time. Breathe in and breathe out.

He was going to go back home and make sure everything went okay.

"You don't have a lot of time and you are definitely not going to want to trust us, but you are going to have to. Inside this cave is a lake of water as blue as the sky itself. Step into it and let yourself sleep. When you wake up, it'll be in another time. Specifically the beginning of your prophecy, as they are the only tethers StarClan makes to the living world."

He wanted to protest but held it back. They seemed to at least resemble a sense of security and assuredness, which was about a million times more than what he was feeling at the moment, so he swallowed past his dry and tightened throat and looked back and forth between the mouth of stone and the four wildcats in front of him.

"Wait!" One of the ancient cats bounded forward and set their nose to Firestar's forehead filling him with a certain type of warmth, "I had nearly forgotten something. You'll know what it is sooner or later."

Firestar nodded warily. It was fine, this was fine. It really wasn't, but he could trick himself into thinking it was. A quick okay and he was running and jumping into the freezing waters before he had the chance to regret his decisions.

"Good luck, kit."

Firestar sank like a deadweight and closed his eyes.

He woke up slowly and stretched before freezing at the haunting jingle of name tags and collar metal.

When the ancient cats had said the beginning of the prophecy, he didn't expect that to be this far in the past! Firest- Rusty clawed and pawed at the annoying strap in hopes of tearing it off, however to no avail. Distantly, the sound of tasteless and dry pellets hitting the inside of a bowl resonated in the kitchen. Rather than waste any time eating, he stepped outside into the night air.

"Rusty, have you been messing with your collar again?" Dear StarClan what a voice he hadn't expected to hear again.

"Smudge!" He rubbed his face on the other kitten's pelt excitedly, happy to see his old friend. The black and white cat snorted, giving him a confused but appeased look. Smudge was someone he had missed, regretting not visiting him more and wishing that things may have been different and Smudge had been born a clan cat. He took advantage of the time he could get, though.

"I know I'm wonderful and everything, but you're acting like you haven't seen me in years. We haven't even been alive for that long." Rusty definitely knew that well enough, missing his strong limbs and stamina already.

"Oh, uh, well there's never too much affection." Smudge laughed at the messy reason but let it pass anyways. The two sat on top of the garden's fence for a quiet moment.

"Rusty, no offence or anything, but your face is super intense and it's honestly scaring me a little. What's wrong?" Oh. He hadn't even realized he was thinking that much. But the question provided enough of the opening he needed.

"Promise not to freak out on me."

"I promise?"

"I'm thinking about joining those forest cats. You know, the ones we hear about in stories around the neighborhood." He was actually dead set on joining those forest cats and his claws were eager to sink into the natural soft earth of the woodlands past the borders. Smudge would likely jump out of his pelt if Rusty managed to spill more than the bare truth, though. More than he already was, at least.

"I'm taking my earlier statement back. You can't be serious. Rusty, you know what we've heard! It's dangerous!" He nearly cried out, fixing a look of disbelief onto his friend.

"Smudge, you'll always be my friend, but I need to feel that freedom and I want to live without having any regrets of not taking that opportunity while I could. I don't want to end up like Henry!"

"I- Henry is cool!"

"We were always talking about how boring he was, you and I both know that's not true! Please, I don't want to leave behind any bad blood between us. I was really happy getting to know you and being your friend." He pleaded, wondering why this wasn't going as smoothly as last time. Smudge looked as if he were stricken and took a few good moments to think before he sighed in acceptance. They both knew that once Rusty had put his mind to something, he was nonstop.

"At least let me help you with your collar. It'll jingle and scare everything away while you're out there." He licked his friend's shoulder in gratitude and affection while Smudge worked on using his teeth to snap the pesky item off. Eventually with a click, the strap had fallen off and Rusty shook his pelt, happy to be freed of the collar. Smudge wound tightly around him and whispered a quick good luck before disappearing back into his nest. No amount of calling would bring him back out.

Rusty sighed and quietly gave Smudge his wishes before gazing back into the forest.

He needed to save his clans.

Rusty felt that it was almost too easy, integrating himself back into the clan under the gaze of Bluestar, Whitestorm, and Lionheart. Even the little battle between him and Graypaw passed as quickly as before. Maybe everything would just pass along easily? No, not that easily.

He couldn't get cocky, though. A misstep could prove fatal and it wasn't as if he could keep going back to redo his mistakes. Even if that were the case, he didn't think his mind would be able to handle it. Rusty quickly shook his pelt back out and passed through the bracken that composed the camp's entrance. He was eager to see the camp and its members. He nearly lost it a few hours earlier, when Lionheart jumped into view next to Bluestar. He hadn't seen the former deputy in ages and was honestly on the verge of sobbing like a kit, but at the last minute played it off as fear and intimidation. It worked well enough.

They arrived just like last time, during sunhigh when the cats of the clan gathered together and groomed one another, sharing tongues. Lionheart and Whitestorm lead him around the camp, Rusty happy to finally be in a familiar location that was dear to him, but after seeing the raised eyebrow of Whitestorm, he awkwardly smiled, not knowing what else to do. The tom laughed, but Rusty's chest caved in slightly. He couldn't afford to do something incomprehensible, or let on anything that indicated his displacement in time. If he did something weird and lost the trust of his clan, where would that leave them next?

So, no confiding. At least not yet.

Bluestar called the clan meeting quickly enough, and Rusty winced at the future of his fight. What would happen now?

… Well actually, apparently nothing.

"You look like a brand of fire in this sunlight." Her eyes flashed briefly, and for once, Rusty knew what she was referring to.

"From this day forward, until he has earned his warrior name, this apprentice will be called Firepaw, in honor of his flame-colored coat." She nodded at Firepaw and he smiled shakily, turning to face the rest of the clan. They were unsure, doubt and worry swimming in their gazes as the everknown whispers of kittypet echoed in the air. Firepaw's face betrayed no emotion other than forceful determination.

Underneath of that was pure fear.

Once the ceremony was over, there was no greetings or cheering like the last ceremony. Instead, the clearing held a tense and awkward hush that Firepaw was all too familiar with yet completely unexpected to. Graypaw congratulated him on the name anyways, "Hey, nice name! I'll finish that tour of the camp that Whitestorm and Lionheart started this time, if you want. Don't mind the rest of the clan, they all have sticks up their-"

"Graypaw, what were you about to say just now?!" The gray tabby nearly blanched completely. The angry voice came from Willowpelt, his mother. She had the hearing of a rabbit apparently.

"N-nothing, mom I just-"

"Just nothing! Come back over here right now, Graypaw!" She nearly snapped, but the motherly endearment held underneath of her words and interactions with her kit. Firepaw snickered at his friend. Apprentice or warrior, he'd always be his mother's son. He was happy for the quiet moment, though. There was no need for the tour, anyways, seeing as he spent many moons living in this camp in the past. Or was it future…? The timeline mixing itself up has nearly given Firepaw a large headache. Rather than attempting to sort that mess out, he padded into the apprentice's den for a quick reprieve from the suspicious gazes of clanmates he'd have to work to regain the trust of. Thankfully no one was inside. He couldn't bear the hostile glares of Sandstorm and Dustpelt again.

Inside, he was able to think. He was in the past and he had a clear opportunity to sort out the mess he'd made, but the first thing to think about was addressing his clan. Obviously there was a larger backlash to Bluestar's integration of a kittypet into the clan, he'd have to work twice as hard and bring back twice as much prey and befriend twice as many cats if he wished to earn their friendliness and trust back.

But how had he lost it in the first place? Think, he had to have done something.

Think long and hard, and carefully.

… wait. Smudge taking his collar off! He was careless in how he said his goodbyes to his friend, and as a result he didn't have a fight with Longtail about that stupid blue collar! So he couldn't prove himself in front of his clanmates.

Firepaw internally winced. Such a small item caused a large repercussion. He'd have to be even more careful in the future. Stick to the timeline and tread lightly, and he'd be fine. Don't make any dramatic mistakes and the clans would live. He's fine, they're still okay.

"Firepaw you look like you're going to burn a hole in the wall of the den. Are you sure you're good right now?" Graypaw gave him a once over with a curious look. Firepaw jumped, startled at the interruption and laughed shakily.

"Of course, you just scared me for a second there. What've you got?" Graypaw relaxed at the answer and held up a mouse proudly in his teeth.

"Got something for us to share! Scoot over, would you?" Firepaw snorted and made space in the moss next to him. His friend plopped into the moss and dropped the mouse, nodding at Firepaw to take the first bite, "Go on, you said you've never had fresh mouse before, right? Or any prey really. I'm letting you know ahead of time that this was a serious decision on my part." He laughed and took a bite of the mouse, elated to finally eat something as the last time he had eaten was just about ages ago. Or at least, a really long time travelling trip ago.

"I'll introduce you to the elders soon, it's too late for anything like training today, and you haven't been taught how to properly hunt yet. You know, I think One-eye would like you a lot-"

A distant yowl interrupted the moment between the two and the apprentices jumped up, alert.

"Smallear smells trouble, come on!" They raced into the clearing where a growing group of cats gathered in confusion. A single jet black cat with a distinctive marking raced through the camp's entrance and into view. Oh, Ravenpaw..

Graypaw gasped beside him, "That's Ravenpaw! Why is he alone? Where's Tigerclaw?" Firepaw nearly scrunched his face in rage at the slightest mention of the name but quelled his anger like a rising storm behind his confused facade.

"Who are Ravenpaw and Tigerclaw?" He took the time Graypaw used to explain for contemplation. Soon Tigerclaw would come into the picture, and Firepaw would have to think of any way possible to prevent beating the large tabby into a pulp. Most importantly, how to keep Ravenpaw safe and feeling secure in his own clan. He seemed happy with Barley at the farm in the past timeline, yet… Firepaw missed him. As selfish as it was, he was sure Ravenpaw could stay once he saw how much his friends supported him.

There's also the fact that Redtail was dead and soon Bluestar would have to promote a new deputy- Lionheart. He'd watch the other cat like a hawk if if meant preventing Tigerclaw's rise to power in the clan. For now, there was a bigger looming issue that Firepaw had forgotten about in the commotion of taking a trip into the past and imagining other possible scenarios of the battle for the clans.

What to do about the knowledge of death.

Firepaw hesitated and shook the idea from his pelt. That entailed far too much for him to handle at the moment. When he pulled his attention from his thoughts, Graypaw had stopped talking in favor of listening to Ravenpaw's story and the shaky apprentice himself had soon passed out in his blood loss and exhaustion.

Just like in the last timeline, he followed the jet black tom into the medicine cat's den.

The next morning, an annoying voice greeted him, "Hey, Firepaw! Wake up!" Firepaw scrunched his nose, twitching his tail in annoyance as he pressed his face into the moss. Eventually he got up and glared at the source of his waking.

"Whoa, didn't expect you to actually get up that fast, but that works too. Come on, Tigerclaw and Lionheart are waiting for us in the sandy hollow. Training begins at sunrise and Dustpaw and Sandpaw are already up!" Firepaw huffed at the hurry but ran alongside Graypaw to where the two warriors sat, one clearly more annoyed than the other.

Firepaw couldn't help but notice Tigerclaw's odd… twitchiness. Had he gained some of his apprentice's jumpy nature without realizing it? He nearly snorted, now that wasn't something he noticed the first time around. Instead he remained eager to begin practice, but slightly dreaded the lessons of information that he'd already learned before. At least Lionheart was with them that day, his lighter personality balancing out the urge Firepaw held to rip his own fur out the moment he saw Tigerclaw. All of this stress and death amounting to nine lives ripped from the body all at once in the end.

Firepaw wasn't sure if he was talking about Tigerclaw or himself at that moment.

Tigerclaw angrily snapped, "I expect you both to be punctual in the future."

Firepaw felt that his first lesson passed easily enough. He nearly hyperventilated, breathing choking at the mention of Fourtrees however he was able to keep it under control. He was here to prevent that, the world didn't know about that yet. It hadn't happened yet.

(It had to him, though.)

The presence of the Thunderpath kept him alert, yet he hadn't cowered at the passing of monsters or their hot stench. He hadn't even blinked. Lionheart led him away with his tail and continued the tour. Firepaw wasn't sure if there was anything he should've done differently that time. Regardless, another day had passed, meaning they were another day closer to the beginning of complication. Enjoyment was brief and the burden of future pressed and sliced its little nails into his back and into his footsteps. It was okay, Firepaw would be better this time around.

Upon return to the camp, Firepaw had decided to stay awake alongside the moon and care for the elders in exchange for their stories. He should have listened to more of them while he was still an apprentice, they held old tales he wouldn't be able to hear again until he was back in StarClan, hopefully a good time after the battle.

In fact, he barely knew a sizable amount of the camp, didn't he?

He held regrets but… well, there was no shame in getting to know ThunderClan even better.

"A full moon tonight, kit. Tell me young Firepaw, are you going to the Gathering tonight?" Halftail asked the little apprentice while he was set to work, changing bedding and cracking fleas when he could find them. The ginger in mention shook his head.

"Well of course he's not attending, practically right out of the nursery that one is! Even Ravenpaw wasn't that small during his nursery days. It's probably because of that darned kittypet blood. Well that, and the Gathering patrol had already left ages ago." Smallear scoffed, but Firepaw noticed the elder was careful not to actually display outright malice. He could respect that enough. After properly finishing off the last of the bedding, Firepaw shook his pelt of stray moss and such.

"That should be it, I'm getting some mouse bile from Spottedleaf, so I'll be-" Dappletail rolled her eyes, shooing the young apprentice out of the den. He was surprised to see the other elders snorting behind her, chuckling at the antics of their denmate.

"Thank you for the bedding, but you're practically asleep on your feet, kit. Do all of us a real favor and take a nap. The Gathering can wait, I'm sure one of your apprentice friends should be able to tell you about the details later. Just get some rest." Firepaw felt his chest fur puff up slightly in embarrassment and nodded, "Thank you Dappletail, I will."

A few shared goodbyes later and he walked out of the elder's den and into the apprentice's den. Graypaw was probably in Spottedleaf's den, talking to Ravenpaw, Firepaw figured. He rested his head on a bed of moss and let the fatigue of the past few days out in a long sigh. There will always be another day.

Just like the next, when the two crept out of the den early before Sandpaw and Dustpaw to mess with the duo. Firepaw lit up slightly, seeing Ravenpaw finally out and about. It soon dawned on him that he hadn't even introduced himself yet, and that was probably something important to do before he went on treating the world like it were his best friend.

"Ravenpaw, right? Graypaw told me about you, I'm Firepaw." Score! Okay, that was perfect!

"Oh, uh, hey." Well, it was a start. He didn't immediately expect everything to just click into place but they'd work at it. Meanwhile, there was a lesson to catch.

"What is the difference between stalking a mouse and a rabbit?" Firepaw let someone else take this question, if he had to hear this one more time, he may just catch a mouse himself to prove his point.

Luckily, Graypaw filled those shoes, "A rabbit hears you before it feels you, and a mouse feels you before it smells you?" Lionheart purred in approval, causing the apprentice to practically glow in pride.

"Exactly Graypaw! So what do we bear in mind when stalking mice?"

"Tread lightly!" Another rumble of approval. Nothing from Tigerclaw yet. The tabby actually stepped in himself, however.

"Let's try this out for ourselves now. Firepaw, show us a hunting crouch." Lionheart gave the other cat a curious stare. For what reason, Firepaw didn't really want to waste any time by figuring that out. Instead he performed just as he would any other day, crouching into his usual hunting stance and using a leaf as a poor excuse of a mouse. Scooping the thing up and biting it proudly, he turned around to face the blank faces of his mentors and companions.

What was the matter with them? Firepaw blinked and set the leaf on the ground, confused.

Lionheart cleared his throat, "Looks like we have a little hunting prodigy in our midst! We didn't even have to show you the hunting stance beforehand!" Firepaw felt that familiar caving feeling in his gut and laughed as naturally as he could manage. Another slip up? Come on Firepaw, you're better than this! Shape up! Get that mind out of the clouds!

"Beginner's luck I suppose." He grinned, feeling a small wave of relief pass over him when Lionheart nodded, insisting that the group practice the hunting crouch for a while longer after that.

Firepaw took extra caution in making his efforts sloppy before improving slightly throughout the day. Not drastically enough for it to become suspicious, however. He'd just have to focus on making himself look like an average beginning apprentice after that. His sharp claws dug into the earth and resheathed themselves several times. Everything had to move smoothly and perfectly and things would be okay. The ancient cats had said so, so it must be true. Firepaw shook himself out and rather focused on the good things about the day instead. He felt just the littlest bit closer to Ravenpaw after the same incident during training, defending him from the scrutiny of his mentor. And he'd finally been able to catch prey for the clan. Not too much though, not yet. He couldn't try and match the levels of a hunter such as Sandpaw yet, he'd likely raise suspicion.

Every act was carried out deliberately, carefully, and with meaning. He stepped with purpose and felt the weight behind his trail. Someday he'd lead the clans into his doom, so he'd have to do anything in his power to prevent that. Even if it meant facing the menace one on one. Not yet, though.

He still had a long way to go.

During his increasing frequency of deep thoughts, Whitestorm dropped a mouse in front of his face with a small nod, "I heard good things about you today from Lionheart, keep it up, okay?" Firepaw smiled and thanked the warrior, a bit surprised that he'd noticed and had come out of his private shell to praise him. Whitestorm had always been a cat that was a bit withdrawn, yet as an apprentice, warrior, and leader, Firepaw enjoyed spending time with him whether it be light conversation or thought out advice between the two. It may take a bit of time to regain that level of connection again, but he wanted to keep that little relationship from his old life, the same as he wanted to establish the new ones among other cats in the clan that he hadn't thought to before.

Speaking of relationships…

"Graypaw, you said you were hunting tomorrow, right?"

"Huh? Yeah, why?"

"Do you mind if I come with you?"

"Well duh, you didn't need to ask. Where do you want to go?"

Fireheart gave it a second of thought. Where had they gone last time?

"How about near the ShadowClan border?"

The last time he had met Yellowfang.