"Oh, Firepaw."

The ginger tom's pelt stayed smooth as he turned to face the cat emerging from the shadows. "What do you want?"

Tigerstar smiled. "I saw you last night. That was... impressive," the tom began to weave around his apprentice. Firepaw held the tom's burning amber gaze. "However, before you will be allowed to take the name of a warrior once more, you must complete one final assessment."

"Name it," Firepaw growled, flexing his claws. The sooner I'm a warrior, the sooner I can be free from your constant surveillance.

Tigerstar's grin turned into a sinister smirk. "I know that your kittypet sister is up at the barn. I want you to bring her to me... dead or alive."

The apprentice nodded and turned to stalk into the woods. "Oh, and Firepaw." He glanced over his shoulder. "Say hi to Ravenpaw for me."

      ~~❤︎❤︎❤︎~~

   Firepaw stared coldly down at the bloody mess before him. Two bodies were splayed across the ground, their guts spilled out from massive gashes in their bellies. Their pelts were barely recognizable beneath all of the crimson stains, but Firepaw could make out the basic colors. One cat was large and fluffy, with blood-soaked black and white fur.

   And the other was a small, skinny black tom. His eyes were wide open, and a fearful snarl was plastered on his face.

   "Barley... Ravenpaw..."

   Firepaw growled and kicked his friend's head out of his way. If you couldn't defend yourselves, then you deserved to die.

   "W-who's there? I'll shred you!" A very shaky voice called from the shadows.

   "Get out here, Princess."

   A fluffy brown tabby head popped up from behind a bundle of dried grass. "Firepaw! You're alive!" The she-cat came racing towards him, limping heavily on her front paw. Her thick coat carried the faint scent of dried blood, but it looked as if she had groomed herself recently. "You won't believe it. Tigerstar sent these despicable cats, and they, a-and they—"

   "I know," the tom growled gruffly. "I'm here to take you back to TigerClan."

   "W-what!?"

   "Come on, we should get there before sundown if we leave now," he turned and started padding towards the entrance to the den.

   "Firepaw, are you insane?"

   The ginger tom stopped, the slowly turned to his sister. His pupils were thin slits, and his long claws were sunk into the soft dirt. "I don't know, you tell me."

   Princess started backing away from him as he crept towards her, his head cocked to one side. "Firepaw, what's wrong with you? Stop, don't get any closer!" She yelped as he snapped at her wounded front paw. "H-how could you? Are you working for them, for Tigerstar?"

   The apprentice snarled. "I'm doing this for my Clan."

     ~~❤︎❤︎❤︎~~

   "Well done."

   Firepaw dropped the limp brown form at his leader's paws. Her collar's golden charm rattled as it hit the ground.

   Tigerstar smiled. "You've proven your worth to me. Now, clean that blood off of your chin. I'll call a Clan meeting."

   Firepaw watched through narrowed eyes as the broad-shouldered tom leaped onto the Highrock in a single bound, his sleek pelt gleaming in the early moonlight.

   "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!" Cats that had been filtering into their dens stopped and turned tail, padding sleepily back into the center of camp. Violetbreeze wove her way out of the warriors' den, making a bee line for Firepaw.

   The tom grunted as she sat down next to him. She purred, brushing her muzzle against his. He didn't flinch. "I wonder what he wants now. What do you suppose it is? I hope it's not another battle." A shiver went up her spine.

   Firepaw ignored her, keeping his gaze fixed on the leader. He saw hurt flash in Violetbreeze's eyes, but she quickly shook out her fur and shuffled her paws.

   "Today, I will perform one of a leader's favorite ceremonies," the TigerClan leader began. Firepaw noticed that Nightstar no longer perched beside him. He must have been stricken down in the battle at Sunning Rock. "Firepaw, step forward."

   Several cats gasped, and some of the rogues snarled at him as he stood, but he met their menacing stares with his ice-cold gaze. "Firepaw, do you pledge your unwavering loyalty to me, and the whole of TigerClan?"

   "I do," a soft growl edged his voice.

   Tigerstar smirked. "Then I rename you Firefang, in honor of your battle prowess and ability to act quickly in the face of danger."

   "Firefang!" Violetbreeze was the first cat to chant his new name, and others quickly joined in. "Firefang! Firefang!"

   As cats cheered around him, Firepaw held Tigerstar's gaze. A smirk was plastered on his once handsome, now horribly scarred ginger face. The time is nigh, Tigerstar. Soon, it will be you that I drag into camp, blood-soaked with your guts spilling out on the grass.