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Deep within the heart of StarClan's hunting grounds lies a peaceful, sheltered grove where few spirits venture. Here, an ancient warrior slumbered.
Like many of the elders that called Silverpelt home, his pelt was now faded beneath a layer of shimmering starlight. Each day, he became less and less corporeal, fading into the stardust which cradled his soul.
He used to awaken on occasion to share stories with the younger spirits. Delighted by the kits who scrambled over his back demanding badger rides and amused by the warriors who gaped at his recollections of lakes and mountains and old adventures, the elder took comfort in the presence of his fellow StarClan residents.
Nowadays, this cat rarely woke at all. He was tired. He was at peace. He was ready to fade away. Such was the way of things.
"Fire alone can save our Clan."
The prophecy echoed through StarClan on a phantom breeze, reaching the ears of all its residents. Whispered gossip soon followed, ripping across Silverpelt's hunting grounds in excitement.
The slumbering elder's ear twitched.
"But fire is feared by all the Clans!"
Forest green eyes filled with stars blinked awake as the cat stood up to stretch, a flash of bright ginger fur visible beneath the veil of starlight that shimmered in his wake. The elder turned his gaze down on the Clans below for the first time in a long while, taking in the familiar forest territory stretching far below, bordered by a twoleg house that tugged at the memories of his kithood. He also noticed the two ThunderClan cats who stared back up at the sky searchingly, unable to pierce the veil of stars for answers.
His tail twitched lightly as he cocked his head, deep in thought, "How curious ..."
~
Bluestar only let her tail droop once she had entered her den and was assured none of her clanmates could see her. She breathed a heavy sigh and wrinkled her nose. Fire alone ... preposterous. StarClan worked in mysterious ways, of course, but sometimes it felt a bit absurd.
"Hello, Bluestar. A fine night, isn't it?"
She hissed in surprise, rounding on the stranger languishing in her nest. With fur puffed up and claws extended, she prepared to launch at ... the cat was unlike any she'd ever seen. His fur was unkempt but glittered with dim stardust that lit up the den in a soft, gentle glow. Bright green eyes met hers and pinned her in place, not with malice but with knowledge hidden in their depths.
A strange scent lingered in the den, unlike that of any other cat that Bluestar had met. It reminded her of the forest, clean and warm and familiar. Her bones rattled with an assured and awed truth - this was a StarClan warrior, just like those she'd seen during her leader's ceremony. Though now, they seemed able to walk among the living, not just limited to dreams and prophetic nudges. That knowledge sat heavily in her chest, equal parts filled with wonder and unease.
Bluestar hesitated a moment before dipping her head, allowing her fur to flatten once more, "Greetings, stranger. I've never seen a warrior of StarClan appear so directly ... Do you have a message?"
Perhaps greater guidance on the meaning of Spottedleaf's fire prophecy. Surely, that must be it - a mistake, a clarification, anything.
Instead of answering her question, the StarClan cat just began grooming his front paws idly and for a moment, Bluestar saw a weary Sunstar on his last life, beaten down by the weight of his Clan's woes and troubles but still regal and strong.
It made him look at home as he lounged in Bluestar's nest like it belonged to him. A foolish and cocky Greykit - now Greypaw - had tried the same thing a moon ago only to learn a fierce lesson about boundaries. She'd had half a mind to delay his apprenticeship at the time as punishment. But now, Bluestar just sat down on the cold stone ground and curled her tail neatly over her paws, patiently waiting for her unexpected guest to say something.
Finally, the cat spoke, head twisting around to survey the leader's den absently, "It's somehow ... smaller than I remember. Funny how time twists the mind."
Well, that wasn't exactly what she'd expected.
He then frowned, pausing in his grooming to cast a critical, almost offended eye over his pelt. Translucent pulses rippled across his fur, allowing Bluestar to glimpse the rock wall behind him - through him.
"In any case, I no longer recognise the cats in Starclan and thought I might indulge in spending my last fleeting moments with my mentor."
Bluestar blinked, equal parts surprised and pitying. The conclusion was easy to draw - this wayward soul had spent so long prowling in StarClan's hunting grounds that he had grown delirious, confusing Bluestar for some other cat from his distant past. The thought of pretending was tempting, if only to ease this strange cat's final moments, but Bluestar had told many lies in her life, and she could hardly bare to deceive a dying spirit now.
"I'm sorry, but I don't even know your name. I would remember a pelt such as yours if we'd ever crossed paths."
For even obscured beneath half-transparent starlight, that ginger fur burned bright.
The cat sighed heavily, "Such is the dilemma I face. I awoke in StarClan to find that all the cats I once knew to be long since faded from Silverpelt ... and yet when I cast my gaze down below, I see them alive and thriving."
Bluestar's eyes widened and a shiver ran through her body from nose to tail tip, "You wander through time."
A sombre and wistful expression passed over the stranger's face as his eyes turned to the den wall. Bluestar got the distinct impression that he was seeing something far away that she could never hope to comprehend.
Eventually, he nodded, "Yes. My name is Firestar, and I've been dead for a very long time."
She gaped at the name, zeroing in on his bright fur once again. Her ears pinned back in shock, "You're the fire in Spottedleaf's prophecy! You will save ThunderClan!"
"In time, yes. The fire you search for will soon stumble right into Clan territory. For now, he sleeps beyond the forest with a bell latched around his throat, dreaming of mice and wild cats. A mere ember that will, in time, grow to a forest fire."
Many moons of cross-clan delegations and negotiations couldn't keep the disbelief from Bluestar's voice as she exclaimed, "A kittypet?!"
"Yes, my beginnings are humble. However, my memories of twolegplace are foggy at best now," Firestar's whiskers twitched in thinly veiled amusement.
Once again, his image appeared to flicker.
"You said you're fading," Bluestar drew a step closer. "How can I aid you tonight? I'm afraid I can't reminisce old memories."
She lay down on the stone floor as Firestar smiled warmly, "I only knew you for a fraction of my breathing life, but we grew closer in StarClan and you remain one of the few cats I admire and trust completely. Your presence alone is enough to ease my passing, Bluestar."
She dipped her head, "You honour me too much."
For Bluestar knew she had done all she could for her Clan, but that hardly made her admirable and trustworthy and good. She had lied to so many, used her clanmates as pawns to rise to the top and forsaken her own kits. For the good of the Clan, yes, but not a day went by that she didn't punish herself for her misdeeds. It would dishonour the sacrifice of those who had fallen by her need for glory.
A ghostly breeze of snow and death brushed against her whiskers, a reminder of that great loss. Stonefur and Mistyfoot thrived across the river, viewing her only as the leader of an enemy Clan they saw from afar at Gatherings. And Mosskit existed beyond her grasp entirely, separated by the veil of death. Bluestar could only imagine what her forever-kit thought of her, having been robbed of her life in the name of power.
Bluestar had carried the weight of that cost with her everyday in honour of her three kits and the life they all lost in a blizzard, whether they knew it or not.
"You know ..." Firestar started, pinning Bluestar in place with an unblinking and deeply knowing stare. "As the eldest of StarClan's residents, I've had more than enough time to converse with all manner of cats, from the fiercest warrior to the smallest kit. And let me tell you, most StarClan kits only have kind words to speak of their mothers."
He turned his head up, eyes turning glassy as he gazed right through the thick barrier of Highrock to the stars above, "She plays amongst the stars right now, warm and safe and happy, can't you see?"
The ache of loss in her heart was much more painful that the physical ache of her claws pressing into unyielding stone.
Firestar once again fixed his gaze on her, now smiling gently, "Trust me when I say that when your time comes, Mosskit will greet you with joy and love, not blame. She will guide your soul up into a meadow of starlight more beautiful than I can describe, and you will finally have time to know one another."
She gasped and squeezed her eyes shut as the grief cut through her body in a white-hot flash. She could feel the phantom pulse of the life Mosskit had granted her in her leader ceremony. A life for trust in herself and her Clan.
"Thank you, Firestar ... But tonight shouldn't be about me. Surely there is something else you wish to talk about this evening."
Firestar grinned, eyes alight with mischief and strength in stark contrast to that absent, searching gaze that looked upon Mosskit far beyond Bluestar's comprehension.
"Tell me about ThunderClan."
While the forest slumbered around them and the night grew longer, Bluestar happily regaled stories of her clanmates' recent triumphs and sometimes embarrassing failures. Firestar nodded and chuckled and listened with rapt attention to every word.
It was trivial but comforting as she was once again reminded of Sunstar, her own mentor, and spending long nights conversing with him in his den when she'd been deputy. However, despite having been Firestar's mentor and a figure of authority in another life, he was now the one infinitely older and wiser. The paradox made her tail tip twitch in frustration, struggling to even try wrapping her mind around it.
When Firestar spoke, he did so calmly and quietly, sharing his own little stories here and there. Some were filled with familiar names, others with cats Bluestar had never heard of, mostly two she-cats named Squirrelflight and Leafpool. She let him ramble on without interruption, piecing together fragments of Firestar's history and his loved ones and sharing in his grief at their loss.
Firestar asked often about the apprentices, particularly Greypaw, Ravenpaw and Sandpaw. He also asked after Whitestorm, Lionheart, Spottedleaf and a cat called Yellowfang, which made Bluestar stutter in confusion before reassuring him that she was fine over the ShadowClan border. Tales of her deputy, Redtail, were met with polite curiosity but she noted how the ginger tom didn't seem to know him at all. And when Bluestar eventually drifted to speaking of one of her bravest and most loyal warriors, Tigerclaw, Firestar's demeanour starkly shifted.
His hackles rose and his claws dug into the soft moss nest beneath him. Allowing himself a few quiet deep breaths, Firestar finally turned back to her and she knew that the time for idle chatter and unburdened jokes was over.
"I must admit, I came here tonight for more than just stories. As you once gave me one of my nine lives, I now have a gift for you."
Bluestar flicked her ears back, leaning away, "I have already received all my lives. I have no need for another."
Although the thought of a tenth life was certainly appealing. She had already burned through six of then and hardly felt prepared at the prospect of leaving ThunderClan so soon. There was still so much she felt she had to do.
Firestar chuckled apologetically, "Unfortunately, I have no life to give. I'm in no mood to face the wrath of StarClan tonight for breaking their delicate balance ... But I've lived these days before, and though the prophecy shall prove true and the Clans shall find peace again, I see no need for the same loss of life to pass this time around."
"So you give me a warning?"
Firestar heaved himself up to his paws, the image of grace even as his legs shook slightly. Now that she looked closer, Bluestar could swear that his form was more transparent than before. He closed the distance between them and she remained rooted to the spot, looking up at her supposed apprentice who seemed to carry the weight of the world on his back.
Up close, his green eyes seemed to hold galaxies and ancient knowledge beyond Bluestar's comprehension, rich and deep even with the cloudiness of age creeping in at the edges. They were so warm and comforting and old that they seemed to stare into her very soul and lay all her insecurities bare.
"Oh, Bluestar. I give you so much more than that."
Another life would've been easier to bear. As Firestar touched his nose to her forehead, Bluestar gaped in silent agony. Images and knowledge and memories passed through her mind faster than she could process them. At some point, she collapsed to the ground, unable to hold herself up beneath the mental onslaught and she shivered at a newfound soul-deep coldness that seized her body.
It might've been moments, it might've been hours but eventually, Bluestar uncurled from her cold stone bed. Inside her aching mind, a whole new set of memories was settling into place, but they were not her own. Echoes of the voices from cats she knew and didn't recognise rattled in her brain.
Oh StarClan, Tigerclaw ... Tigerstar?
She could hardly breathe through the sense of betrayal. No wonder it had broken her mind the first time arou. It still might. She forced herself to take a few deeper, yet still shuddering breath, seemingly unable to claw enough oxygen into her lungs as she needed.
"What ... have you ... done?" she demanded, a ragged desperation in her voice. She was drowning, this was the water which Goosefeather foresaw in her future—
Except no, Bluestar could see the water which would claim her final life clearly as witnessed by a terrified Fireheart. She saw herself tumble from the cliff in the name of her Clan, saw her kits forgive her and saw her clanmates mourn her passing from her new position looking down on the forest from StarClan.
She saw everything.
Firestar waited for her to compose herself as she sat up on shaky legs. He cast a pitying look over her shuddering form, "I'm sorry for the intrusion and for the new burden on your shoulders, but this was the best way."
"But the prophecy! Fire alone ..." Bluestar trailed off, the sense of helplessness so vast and overwhelming as she floundered in Firestar's memories. He was meant to save the Clans, and yet he was giving her all his knowledge, expecting her to fix things. It felt like all of StarClan's judgement condensed tenfold on her shoulders.
He gave her a reassuring look, "A long time ago, you were told by a grouchy medicine cat that you would blaze through the forest like fire."
Goosefeather's dreaded prophecy spoken aloud by another cat sent a ripple of unease along Bluestar's spine but she nodded.
"Well, I'm not the selfish type, I'm more than willing to share the title of the Fire. Together, you and my younger self can carve a new and prosperous path for the Clans. Again."
"But how will I know what to change? How can I remain impartial?"
The StarClan warrior's eyes hardened, "Is your name Bluefur or Bluestar?"
"... Bluestar."
"Yes, because you are the leader of ThunderClan!" Firestar snarled, his words surprisingly biting and forceful. "You've sacrificed so much to be here now, to protect your Clan. I've only given you the ability to do so more effectively. I trust your judgement and in the end, I have no doubt that when your time comes, you'll greet StarClan with strength and dignity, a great leader loyal to her Clan to the end."
"And what about you?"
Firestar sighed, sinking back into himself as the fight left him, "Just by being here, I imagine I've changed enough that the time I am from should never come to pass. I can feel myself fading away into a dreamless sleep where I will be at peace. All I ask in return for this gift is that you nurture young Rusty - Firepaw - into the leader ThunderClan will need after you're gone. Guide his pawsteps and watch over him."
Bluestar nodded easily, "Of course. It would be my honour."
Firestar rested his head on his paws and let out a great sigh, seemingly content now that he'd shared his piece.
"Come closer, Bluestar. Share tongues with me."
As Bluestar carefully padded closer and laid down beside the StarClan warrior, she was shocked to feel fur against her flank. Yet it wasn't warm with flesh and blood running underneath. No, this cat thrummed with an energy that was distinctly otherworldly and ancient but just as warm.
"Let me tell you about this one time Greystripe fell into a river and met the love of his life."
Bluestar already knew the story, knew everything about Firestar's life but she hummed in intrigue all the same and listened to his soothing voice recount the tale. Eventually, she fell asleep to the sound of Firestar's hearty purr and his tongue running through her fur.
She jolted awake a while later with a tingle running down her spine. Firestar was nowhere to be seen and not even his peculiar scent remained in the den. Had she dreamt the entire exchange? The memories of betrayal and death and a lake territory far beyond Bluestar's knowledge of the land cemented her understanding that last night, something very strange and very real had actually occurred.
After smoothing her ruffled fur, she gathered herself together and emerged into the camp clearing not to starlight but the bright rays of the morning sun. The camp was already abustle with ThunderClan warriors and Bluestar refrained from heading straight to the freshkill pile, instead casting a look around her Clan with fresh eyes.
Laying in front of the warrior den, Tigerclaw leaned over to say something to Darkstripe, who chuckled with a sharp look in his eyes. Bluestar swallowed the anger and sense of betrayal that welled up and instead let her gaze wander beyond to Lionheart and Whitestorm.
Their deaths flashed through her mind, bloody and graphic and needless. The pair were stretched out in the sun as they shared prey with their apprentices. Greypaw and Ravenpaw looked smaller and more juvenile than ever compared to Bluestar's future vision of them as proud adults. Greystripe would be a mighty warrior and Ravenpaw, though never receiving his full name, would grow into a noble and loyal cat.
The mundane sight of her Clan milling about, blissfully unaware of their bloody future, was laughable in a twisted way. They would not suffer or die, Bluestar decided, not for a very long time. She would see to it herself.
"Bluestar!" Redtail called out, trotting over with his bushy tail held upright in merry greeting. "I trust you slept well? It's good to see you rest later into the morning. The dawn patrol went smoothly and there's plenty of fresh prey from the morning hunt. Tigerclaw caught that plump squirrel right there especially for you."
Bluestar stared at him blankly. Even though she knew she had seen her deputy just yesterday, Firestar's memories of his absence flooded her mind with sorrow. It would take some time to distinguish her own thoughts from his projected future.
"... Are you alright?" Redtail narrowed his eyes in worry, looking Bluestar up and down in a quick assessment.
She snapped out of her reverie and quickly nodded, offering a reassuring but dismissive smile before he could suggest she pay Spottedleaf a visit for feeling ill, "I had an odd dream last night. I'll be fine."
Redtail's ears pinched back in concern, "A message from StarClan?"
"Of a sort, I suppose. We can discuss it at a later time with Spottedleaf."
Ever faithful and unquestioning, Redtail merely nodded and left her to her musings with a familiar headbutt to mark his farewell. Bluestar looked down at the squirrel Tigerclaw had supposedly hunted just for her. She glared at the offending prey before stalking out of camp to clear her head.
She had a lot of planning to do.
~
A half-moon later, Bluestar found herself looking down upon an exhausted flame coloured kit - for he was hardly more than that - and trying to reconcile him with the wise and gentle leader she'd shared tongues with that fateful night. He had a lot of growing to do, but Bluestar could see the same spark in those warm green eyes. Longtail's torn ear and wounded pride were both testament to that spark's strength and determination even in its infancy.
Bluestar smiled down at the little kittypet as she murmured, "You look like a brand of fire in this sunlight."
Rusty smiled up at her, his expression filled with awe and excitement and naivety. It was a harsh world he had stepped into and they had a hard journey ahead of them. Though she would've done so anyway without any foreknowledge, at that moment, Bluestar made a silent vow to herself to nurture him and protect him. If he could even become half the cat she'd had the honour of meeting, this unassuming kittypet would do great things for all the Clans.
Echoing her own words from another timeline that would never be, the ThunderClan leader looked down from Highrock upon her Clan, "From this day forward, until he has earned his warrior name, this apprentice will be called Firepaw, in honour of his flame coloured coat!"
Fire would sweep across the Clans and cleanse them of their threats and enemies - StarClan had decreed as such, and the prophecy could not be unwritten. But there can be more than one answer to a riddle, and blue fire burns brighter than any other. Bluestar's flames might be snuffed out by water eventually, but not today.
Today, she looked down on her Clan and smiled.