Firepaw stood, frozen, for a heartbeat as the massive patrol of ThunderClan cats sprang into action. All of the other cats screeched in terror, their eyes wide with fear. The dark ginger tom watched as Clawface, Jaggedtooth, and Jayscar circled Tallstar, baring their teeth and snapping at the WindClan leader. Blackfoot had Mistyfoot pinned, while five rogues covered the RiverClan leader.

"Tigerstar!" Leopardstar yowled over the screams of pain and pure, hysterical terror. "How could you!? I-I... I loved you!"

Firepaw's jaw almost dropped to his paws. WHAT!?

"Pause," the dark brown tabby growled and all of the battling cats froze immediately. "Leopardstar, you are a fool. I told you that we could have been great together. We could have earned a legacy, a place in the stars. But you disrespected me, and now you will pay."

Firepaw held his breath as he gazed out at the scene before him. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut through with a knife. Slowly, a smirk began to spread on the ThunderClan leader's face, while Leopardstar cowered helplessly in front of a crowd of her enemies. The ThunderClan leader raised his tail, held it in the air for a heartbeat, then lashed it once from side to side.

Firepaw inhaled a sharp breath as the ThunderClan cats dove at Leopardstar. There was a frenzy of flying fur and whirling claws, and then it was over as quickly as it had begun. Barely recognizable under all of her oozing wounds was the broken, battered body of the RiverClan leader.

Tears welled in Firepaw's eyes. He crashed blindly through the trees, not caring if he was spotted. A terrible grief filled his heart, for he knew all of the cats in the clearing would be dead by dawn. He thought of Tallstar, his old friend in WindClan. He pictured Mistyfoot, the strong, wise deputy of RiverClan, and Bluestar's kit. Firepaw shook his head to clear it as he reached the camp entrance. With a heavy sigh, he trudged into the clearing, knowing that every cat would be confined to their dens. He slunk past the drowsy guards and padded into the apprentices' den, sinking into his nest with a small, pitiful sob.

                      ~~❤︎❤︎❤︎~~

   "Firepaw." The dark ginger tom blinked rapidly to adjust to the bright sunlight. A chilly breeze ruffled his fur, signaling that leaf-bare was not far off. As his vision cleared, he made out the silhouette of the dark, muscular tom in front of him. "I need to speak with you."

   "O-ok," the apprentices stammered. Tigerstar turned and bolted towards the camp entrance. Startled, Firepaw hared after him, stumbling a few times as sleep fully left his body. What does he want to talk about? His eyes widened and his pelt pricked slightly. Did he see me at Fourtrees?

   Tigerstar came to a sudden halt. They were in the last thick swathe of undergrowth before the forest opened up to the riverbank. Firepaw tipped his head to one side. "Why are we here?"

   "It has been one moon." Cold fear flooded over Firepaw. I forgot about the prisoners! Oh no no no no...

   "You know what that means," the ThunderClan leader smirked. "It's time to get some more blood on our claws."

   "I'll set them free. I'll make sure that you won't get to kill a single cat," the dark ginger apprentice retorted, chin held high.

   A wide grin was spreading across Tigerstar's face. "Oh, is that so? I don't think so," he turned his head sharply, ears pricked. Firepaw swiveled his ears in that direction, but heard nothing. As he turned his head back to Tigerstar, he saw that his mentor was moments away from cackling with delight. "They're here now. Let's go see them and decide if you still want to free the prisoners."

Firepaw tipped his head to one side as he trotted after his mentor. Who? Cloudpaw? But he's only one cat. Tigerstar said "they," as in plural. Multiple cats. His fur pricked with unease as they neared Fourtrees. I don't like where this is going.

As the toms padded closer to the final edge of the undergrowth, Firepaw strained his ears. He managed to make out a few muffled words, but not much.

"Grr! Get your paws off of me, mange pelt!" That sounded like a she-cat.

"Stop! Stop, that hurts! Where are your housefolk!?" Firepaw's eyes widened. No, it
couldn't be...

"Hear anything familiar, kittypet?" Tigerstar sneered, shoving him out into the clearing. Firepaw stifled a distressed wail. There, in the middle of the clearing and backed up against the Great Rock, were five cats. All looked confused and terrified, covered in small, shallow wounds. The one on the far end was Cloudpaw, his jaw looking even more horrible out in the open daylight. Next to Cloudpaw was Graystripe, who shot Firepaw a weak grin. Beside him was Yellowfang, and next to her was her gray apprentice, who twisted hind leg looked battered.

But the fourth cat... Firepaw had to swallow the lump in his throat before he could address the bedraggled, leaf-mold and blood-covered she-cat, whose pink collar hung like a steel chain from her neck. "P-Princess?"

The fluffy white she-cat glanced up shakily, her dark gaze suddenly brightening. "Fireheart! I knew you'd come for us!"

"He's Firepaw now," Tigerstar growled shortly before Firepaw could respond. "Now, Firepaw, take a nice, long look at these cats. They all share an emotional attachment to you, do they not?"

The apprentice dropped his gaze and gritted his teeth. "The whole of ThunderClan share an attachment to me."

"TigerClan," the dark brown tabby corrected. "And as the leader of our noble Clan, I believe that you are ready for your first assessment."

So soon? Firepaw searched Tigerstar's gaze, but only a cold, dead stare met his blazing green one. There's got to be a catch. Tigerstar won't give up his free punching bag so easily.

"For your assessment," the leader continued, dragging Firepaw out of his thoughts. "You will need to perform an act of undoubtable loyalty to me."

The apprentice narrowed his eyes, his tail lashing slowly. "Such as?"

A malicious grin began to spread across the other tom's face. He began to chuckle quietly, but it quickly grew to a bone-chilling cackle. "Oh, Firepaw. You make me laugh," he flicked his tail, and the rogues that had been hissing at the hostages came over to circle the leader and apprentice. Their pawsteps thrummed faster and faster as Tigerstar waved his tail in a perfect marching rhythm. "Firepaw, I task you with an act of extreme loyalty to me. Because my word is law, as stated by the warrior code, you will—" he paused to smirk, making Firepaw tremble in anticipation. "—bring me the body of one of Willowpelt's surviving kits."