Fire and Ice/Chapter 27

Chapter Summary
Fireheart's PoV


 * Fireheart licks his wounds, deciding that he will go see Yellowfang later. He hears pawsteps and hopes Tigerclaw's hunting patrol has returned, as he is hungry. However, it is Swiftpaw and Sandpaw, returning from burying Clawface. The two apprentices head over to Bluestar and Whitestorm, and Fireheart and Dustpaw do as well.


 * Sandpaw informs Bluestar that Clawface has been buried, and Bluestar dismisses Swiftpaw. As Swiftpaw leaves, Fireheart tells Bluestar how well Sandpaw and Dustpaw fought against Brokentail. When he says this, Dustpaw is surprised and Sandpaw looks at the ground, embarrassed. Whitestorm comments that Sandpaw is usually not so shy, and Sandpaw blurts out that Fireheart was the hero, now embarrassing him. Tigeclaw and the patrol return with fresh-kill. Bluestar nods to him before praising the three, saying she was proud of ThunderClan's fine warriors and adding that she would make Sandpaw and Dustpaw warriors now.


 * Bluesar calls a Clan Meeting, performing Sandpaw and Dustpaw's warrior ceremony and giving them the warrior names of Sandstorm and Dustpelt. She then proceeds to praise Fireheart for his courage. The Clan cheers for all three cats, but Tigerclaw and Dustpelt shoot Fireheart hostile looks. However, Fireheart isn't bothered, as Bluestar's praise was enough.


 * Fireheart asks Sandstorm is she wants to share prey with him and she agrees, asking him to pick her something from the fresh-kill pile. However, when he returns, Dustpelt, Whitestorm, and Darkstripe are with her. He realizes that he won't get to eat with her alone, and then remembers that he hadn't seen Cinderpaw at the ceremony, so he heads to the medicine cat's den, fetching a vole for her.


 * He takes the vole to Cinderpaw's nest, but Cinderpaw doesn't eat it. Fireheart asks her if she's upset about the battle, to which she replies that she is just a burden. Yellowfang comes back, asking whether Fireheart was upsetting her helper, and that Cinderpaw had been a great help to her with treating the cats' wounds. Yellowfang says she'll let her stay in the den for a while because she's helpful, and Yellowfang had gotten used to her company. Cinderpaw replies that it was because she was deaf enough to put up with her chattering. Fireheart realizes that the two cats had formed a friendship.


 * Fireheart asks Yellowfang if she'll be all right with Brokentail. She says that she and Cinderpaw could manage, and that Longtail was there to help. Fireheart asks her for herbs to treat the bite on his neck. She gives him some, instructing him to chew them up and rub the juice on her wounds. Yellowfang thanks him for coming to see Cinderpaw, as she was feeling pretty sad, and Fireheart asks if she's sure that she'll be safe, to which Yellowfang replies that Brokentail was blind, and that she was not that old.