THE DAY WENT ON INTO A BEAUTIFUL NOON. Prey had been plentiful thanks to the well-organized hunting patrols, and to her relief, Fireheart appeared after a few hours - emerging from some bushes with a wide yawn and an obvious hunger. Even so, he only ate one mouse, having brought back two fat ones from his hunt.
When Fireheart turned toward Sandstorm upon returning, he smiled at her, making her blush and wave a paw in greeting. However, she noticed his gaze drifting elsewhere - toward the medicine den.
Was someone injured in there that worried him?
A strange pang of jealousy rose in her chest, but she lowered her ears and smiled calmly.
There's no one better for Fireheart than me. He's just doing his duty to the Clan, like the respectable tom he is... this... silly cat...
Memories of moments shared with Fireheart flashed through her mind, and she brought a paw to her mouth, letting out a warm sigh.
She stayed silent for a while before getting up. Her hind legs already felt better, so she could go hunting again. Stretching and rolling her shoulders, she walked toward Darkstripe and Tigerclaw to ask if they wanted to hunt - but as soon as they saw her, they both walked away.
``By StarClan, they're always together! Anyone would think they're mates...'' muttered Sandstorm in annoyance, though they ignored her completely. ``Fiiine, I can find someone else.''
She gathered her courage and determination. Even as she glanced around to make sure no one was watching, she walked up to Fireheart, who was quietly eating a mouse.
She carefully stepped on his tail, lowering her head a little while looking up at him through half-closed eyes.
``Fireheart, you... well, would you... like to go hunting with me... right now?''
Fireheart looked straight into her eyes and swallowed his bite. He noticed the prey pile seemed smaller than usual - as if someone had secretly eaten more than their share.
So, without hesitation, he nodded.
``Sure, I think it's needed. One-eye and Dappletail haven't eaten yet, and they prefer fresh mice. We can take an apprentice if you want.''
Sandstorm shook her head from side to side, pressing a paw firmly against the ground.
``No, just us is more than enough. The apprentices are a bit troublesome today.''
Fireheart twitched his ears.
``You weren't made a warrior that long ago, Sandpaw.''
``It's Sandstorm now. You know that.''
Fireheart chuckled and brushed her nose with the tip of his tail.
``Well, it suits you. You're the fastest she-cat I've ever known.''
Sandstorm swallowed hard, her face burning red. Fireheart purred, not expecting her to give him a light tap on the cheek before turning around.
``D-Don't waste time talking. Let's go before the Clan starves because of your chatter.''
Fireheart touched his cheek. This time, it didn't hurt... but he wasn't entirely sure what kind of signal the she-cat had just given him. He turned and ran after her, smiling, trying to match her speed as she bolted out of camp.
Fireheart couldn't see it from behind, but Sandstorm was smiling widely at that moment. Her face radiated joy... and peace.
They ran side by side, until Sandstorm gave him a playful shove. Fireheart pushed her back, making her perk her ears up in surprise and retaliate with a stronger push - sending him tumbling into some bushes and out of sight.
Sandstorm approached to look for him, not expecting Fireheart to leap out suddenly, grabbing her by the neck and pulling her with him into the bushes, laughing as they fell backward together.
Neither of them noticed that, just inches behind them, the ground sloped sharply downward.
``U-Uaaaah!''
Clinging to each other, they rolled down the incline, covering their heads, fearing the worst.
But in the end, they only rolled until they landed flat on their backs beneath a dense canopy of leaves.
A beautiful landscape... accompanied by an overwhelming urge to vomit.
Sandstorm immediately stood up, staggering until she found a spot to spit out whatever was in her mouth. Fireheart, still dizzy, took a moment to rise, feeling his legs tight and trembling. Sandstorm took a bit longer to emerge from the bushes, and when she did, she looked up, realizing how high they'd fallen from.
Fireheart was sitting down, focused on figuring out a way to climb back up, unaware that Sandstorm was already beside him. She flicked his nose lightly with her tail and sighed.
``I think... we've never seen this part of the territory before, have we?''
Fireheart swallowed. The discovery worried him a bit, but Sandstorm raised her gaze toward his ears and, with a small jump, playfully bit one of their tips.
``I'm sure we'll find the way out if we circle around this mound,''
she murmured with a smile.
Fireheart looked around after hearing her and sighed.
``By the way... why do you seem so cheerful today?''
Sandstorm froze, flicking her ears. She quickly lowered her tail as much as she could and turned to look at the orange warrior. Fireheart tilted his head, and Sandstorm lifted her left cheek, squinting slightly with an awkward, confused expression.
``It's nothing, just... follow me. Maybe we'll find fatter prey around here. If it's an unexplored area, it might be a hiding spot for them.''
``That's... possible. It just doesn't feel quite right. It's darker than usual...''
``It must be the shadow from the big trees around here. There's a lot of vegetation.''
Fireheart quickened his pace to walk alongside Sandstorm. However, she was the one who felt more uncomfortable - and above all, uneasy. She couldn't get out of her head what had happened the night before, and she was worried about the fact that Fireheart had been gone for so long.
It was then that she realized it was a good moment to ask.
``So... Fireheart, where have you been since yesterday? I haven't seen you in camp for most of the day.''
When Fireheart heard her, he lowered his ears and looked at her with a faint blush. He seemed to swallow and salivate discreetly, though the she-cat didn't notice. Sandstorm raised an eyebrow. Fireheart shook his head and let out a small, awkward laugh.
``I stayed out hunting... since early morning. I needed some extra sleep.''
``You slept out in the open?''
``It's... more comfortable that way sometimes. You should try it someday.''
Sandstorm narrowed her eyes and stepped ahead.
``If you don't want to tell me, just say so.''
``W-What are you talking about?''
Sandstorm had noticed the reddish tint on Fireheart's cheeks - and that annoyed her.
Fireheart, however, didn't realize. He tried to find a way to divert her attention, but Sandstorm couldn't understand why he was acting so evasive. He didn't usually talk to her much in camp, and now his behavior was especially strange.
Sandstorm lowered her gaze to the ground - and then saw a mouse dart between some bushes.
``Quiet... and still. You'll scare the mouse.''
Fireheart crouched carefully, and Sandstorm watched him.
``...Fireheart, there's something I want to confess. I don't know what you're hiding from me, but I think you should know this. Or things might get a little awkward later.''
Sandstorm brushed the dirt beneath her paws and, gathering momentum, leapt toward the mouse. She caught it just as it began to run, biting down quickly until it was dead. She dropped it on the ground, her muzzle stained with blood.
Fireheart stayed seated, confused, while Sandstorm sniffed the air. He noticed her pupils dilate as she caught the scent of more prey, and in an instant, she vanished from his sight.
Backing up a few steps, he pushed aside some leaves with a paw just as she burst into motion - sprinting toward two small mice hiding in the underbrush. With both front paws extended, she pounced, pinning them down with her claws. The high-pitched squeaks of the rodents echoed through the forest.
Sandstorm inhaled deeply through her nose, then exhaled with a long sigh.
She picked up the prey one by one and carried them to Fireheart, dropping them onto his paws.
Fireheart tilted his head in confusion, and she took the first mouse, squeezing it tightly.
``Fireheart.''
Sandstorm narrowed her eyes - and threw the first mouse straight at his face. The orange tom didn't see it coming, and ended up with his muzzle splattered in blood. He shook his head and growled.
``Hey! What was that for?!''
But Sandstorm had already thrown the second mouse.
``You stupid ball of orange fur...''
Fireheart took the hit right on the nose. He rubbed it with his paws, and when he opened his eyes, he saw something else coming at him fast. Instinctively, he jerked his head back to dodge.
But it wasn't a mouse flying toward him.
Suddenly, he felt a pair of firm - yet soft-padded - paws press against his chest and shove him to the ground. The weight of a feline body landed on top of him, while red droplets fell from a mouse still dangling from his attacker's jaws.
Fireheart looked up and saw Sandstorm above him, pinning him down with all four paws. She lowered the mouse to his mouth. Fireheart opened it unconsciously, and Sandstorm closed her eyes as she placed the prey directly between his teeth.
Then she raised her head and looked into his eyes - with an expression that left the orange warrior utterly confused.
``Fireheart... I love you.''
Silence filled the forest. The instant Sandstorm finished meowing, everything went still. No sound.
No wind. The forest itself seemed to listen.
Fireheart's eyes widened, his ears twitching as he felt a dull thud in his chest - as if something inside had stirred. Or rather... something was troubling him.
``W-What do you mean, Sandstorm...?''
``I already told you. I like you, Fireheart. I like you. Please... I'd like you to go out with me.''
Fireheart's heart began to pound rapidly. There was something in Sandstorm's eyes he couldn't quite identify.
Her face, despite having confessed her feelings... looked visibly uncertain.
Her lips pressed too tightly together, a tremor fluttering through her beautiful lashes, and her nose rising and falling with the light quickening of her breath as she narrowed her eyes - searching for a response she seemed to need... but above all...
She feared she wasn't the one he wanted.
As if she were afraid to uncover the truth hiding right in front of her.
Fireheart opened his mouth, letting the mouse drop to the ground, and tried to say something - but his heartbeat only grew louder.
Thump. Thump.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The beating of their hearts echoed in unison... yet neither of them dared to say another word.
``Do you... not like me?''
Sandstorm's second question made the orange warrior's paws sweat, as memories of the previous night with Cinderpaw flooded his mind - the words he'd whispered to the medicine apprentice, and that secret encounter they'd shared.
Sandstorm lowered her muzzle until it hovered just above Fireheart's, gazing at him intently... then softly licked his cheek.
``Give me a chance. I'll prove I can be a good she-cat. You... you're single, after all, aren't you?''
THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.
Cinderpaw...
The image of the happy apprentice formed in the warrior's mind, and he feared that the eyes watching him now would uncover his secret.
Sandstorm was waiting for an answer, but lying wasn't something Fireheart was good at.
And no... he didn't want to lie.
He loved Cinderpaw.
But he didn't want anyone to find out.
If they did, Cinderpaw would be exiled from the Clan.
And maybe he would too.
So then... what could he do?
The leaves rustled briefly around them, and finally Fireheart narrowed his eyes. Smiling - without thinking much about it - he meowed:
``I'm sorry, but I... already have a gi - girlfriend.''
Sandstorm slowly opened her eyes. She lifted one paw off Fireheart's chest... but then set it back down again, this time pressing harder against him.
``May I know who she is?''
``I-It's something we haven't made official yet, but... we will, eventually. And I'd rather keep it private for now. That's all... I won't tell you anything more.''
Sandstorm immediately furrowed her brow, but finally sighed and stood up, stepping back until she was no longer touching the orange warrior - though her claws were still dug into the ground.
Fireheart let out a long sigh and got up, shaking himself slightly before turning to look at her.
Sandstorm had turned her back and started walking ahead.
He noticed her gait was stiff, her steps fast - as if she didn't want to look back.
Even so, he had to follow. They still needed to find the way back to camp.
Quickly, Fireheart picked up the mice from the ground and began walking with them in his jaws, careful not to eat them.
He had done the right thing - or at least, that's what he wanted to believe. He clung to that thought.
But just a few steps ahead, Sandstorm was already wondering who that she-cat could be.
And if possible... she wanted to talk to her.
Alone.
***
The path had grown a bit long, but at last, both warriors spotted a dirt trail leading upward - a way back. They just needed to use the rocks along the slope for support.
Neither had spoken a word since what happened. And so they continued, even when they were already close to camp.
Sandstorm didn't want him to hear the murmurs her thoughts were whispering.
And Fireheart didn't feel comfortable after rejecting her feelings.
The time they'd spent walking had been enough for Fireheart to finally understand the gestures Sandstorm had been giving him all this time.
Foolishly, only now did he realize the meaning behind each mouse or small gift she'd offered him.
That only made his pace slow from time to time, his paws pressing harder into the dirt as he stared down at the ground.
I did the right thing.
I did the right thing.
``Hey.''
Fireheart lifted his head. A voice came from ahead.
Sandstorm had turned to look at him for a moment.
Fireheart twitched his ears and felt his whiskers tremble.
He gripped the mice more tightly and nodded.
``Listen... we're almost back to camp. I can already smell ThunderClan's scent. I don't want anyone... to know what happened down there, all right? I'm sure you don't want your special she-cat to feel uncomfortable... and I don't want anyone looking at me differently because of... what you did.''
The orange warrior stayed silent for a few seconds, then nodded.
Sandstorm nodded back and gestured with her head for him to keep walking.
In silence, they moved forward.
But Fireheart began walking faster, until he caught up beside her.
He noticed her gaze fixed firmly on the path, and how her chin was tucked close to her mouth - as if she had decided to remain completely silent.
Sandstorm was a very good warrior.
Loyal, skilled, strong.
He admired her in many ways...
And knowing that she would probably treat him coldly from now on hurt him more than he wanted to admit.
Should they pretend everything was fine when they returned to camp?
Was that what Sandstorm wanted?
Those questions wouldn't leave his mind.
The scent of ThunderClan's camp grew stronger, and as they climbed the final stretch of the path, both saw the silhouettes of several warriors ahead, out hunting.
They hadn't been gone as long as it had felt.
Sandstorm glanced sideways at Fireheart.
And to his surprise, she wrapped her tail around his neck.
``Fireheart.''
He perked his ears and turned to look her in the eyes.
She suddenly leaned in, closing the distance between them, pressing herself against him - then lifted her tail away from his neck to sway it in the air before lowering it to his, intertwining them together.
``W-W-What are you doing?'' said Fireheart, dropping the mice as a deep blush spread across his face. He had no idea what she was trying to do, and above all, he began to panic... because his heart was beating fast.
Sandstorm smiled and gently licked his neck.
Fireheart swallowed hard and closed his eyes. For a moment, he thought she would continue... but he didn't feel her tongue move across his fur again.
He slowly opened his eyes - and saw her simply smiling with her eyes closed, her mouth shut. However, she stuck out her tongue and opened her eyes, staring directly at him with dilated pupils. ``Don't tell me... that the she-cat you were talking about was Cinderpaw, Fireheart.''
On the yellow warrior's tongue was a single gray hair - one that had gotten caught in the orange tom's fur without him noticing.
Fireheart felt his chest pounding violently again, his paws starting to sweat on their own. ``I don't know what you're talking about...''
But Sandstorm surprised him with another lick - this time from his cheek down to his shoulder - and smiled, revealing a few more gray hairs between her teeth.
``I know her scent. I know the color of her fur... and I can smell that stupid herb all over you...''
Sandstorm's claws slid out, and Fireheart felt them almost dig into his paw. He flinched in fear, but she kept him still - their tails still tightly intertwined.
She had caught him.
This was the end.
They'll exile me from the Clan... along with Cinderpaw...
Fireheart squeezed his eyes shut, but a soft purr against his neck made his blood freeze for a moment.
``She... gave you those herbs... and forced herself on you, didn't she? If that's the case... you're just confused. So tell me the truth. You can trust me.''
The grip of their tails tightened.
``Cinderpaw... went against the warrior code and tricked you into falling for her... isn't that right? It's strange you'd tell me you have a mate... when not long ago I asked Graystripe - who, by the way, you always have the habit of telling everything to...''
Fireheart couldn't move back, even though he wanted to.
``You're just being manipulated by her... and you're scared the Clan will find out, because, I suppose... you don't want to hurt her.''
Voices began to echo in the distance - closer now. The silhouettes of a few warriors were approaching, noticing the two of them speaking apart from the rest.
``We... need to talk about this directly with Bluestar, Fireheart.'' ``A-AAaaaah!''
Fireheart yowled, pushing Sandstorm off with his body, jerking his tail to free it from hers, and bolted away at full speed. His heart felt like it would burst from his chest; claws still unsheathed, he didn't know why - but he felt something he had never felt before.
A true, raw sense of panic.
And the terrifying thought that everything that had happened that night... might have been a lie.
Sandstorm, meanwhile, remained on the ground, watching as the shadows of Darkstripe and Longtail drew near. Both had seen Fireheart's frantic escape.
``Where have you two been all morning? It's almost midday,'' meowed Longtail, raising an eyebrow.
``And why did that coward Fireheart run off like he'd seen a monster?'' added Darkstripe, nudging Sandstorm lightly with his nose to get her up.
Sandstorm shook out her fur and looked at the two warriors.
She stayed silent for a few seconds, then finally sheathed her claws, which had remained out since her confrontation with Fireheart.
She inhaled slowly through her nose and let out a long sigh - followed by a small, airy laugh as she lifted her left paw.
``That fool can't even handle a little joke.''
Looks like Fireheart... has a little girlfriend.
Both toms perked their ears. Sandstorm swished her tail side to side.
``But keep it a secret, all right?''
She brushed her tail across both their cheeks and walked past them, quickening her pace as she made her way back to camp. She longed to finally feel the warmth of the sun on her fur.
However, the two warriors she'd left behind exchanged a thoughtful glance.
And slowly... an unsettling smile spread across their faces.
They both knew that kind of information would be useful.
Especially for someone they had already been plotting with.
``This will be very helpful to Tigerclaw,'' they muttered, stretching their legs before turning and sprinting back toward camp as well.
Each cat took their own path.
Sandstorm entered the camp and lay down on a sun-warmed rock, finally ready to rest, her body relaxing at last.
Fireheart, on the other hand, hid inside his den, confused - trying not to think about Sandstorm's words, unsure what to do, terrified that everything was about to collapse.
And elsewhere, as he spoke with Goldenflower, Tigerclaw licked his paws and perked his ears when he heard the rumor.
The Clan would soon fall into chaos.
And the she-cat who had unknowingly started it all - unaware of what awaited her - was outside the territory, beyond the forest, near the Twolegs' fence, gathering a few herbs that grew there.
Still ignorant...
Of what awaited her when she returned to her beloved Clan.
Chapter End Notes
Thanks for reading my fanfic, please leave a comment with your opinion of the chapter, it will motivate me to keep posting!
Noon arrives peacefully in the Clan, but beneath the surface, everything begins to crack. A simple hunting trip between Fireheart and Sandstorm turns into a moment of tension that threatens the orange warrior’s calm. What will Sandstorm’s next move be?
