Fire and Ice/Chapter 30

==Chapter description==
:Tigerclaw addresses the warriors with a fierce hiss, and orders Whitestorm to wait for his battlecry. He tells Onewhisker to lead them through the WindClan camp. Onewhisker races down the slope, Tigerclaw after him, with Darkstripe right behind the deputy. Fireheart follows Darkstripe into the tunnel leading to WindClan. Graystripe and the other warriors stay at the top of the slope, as the fresh wave of warriors to strike after the initial attack.
:Fireheart notes that the last time he had been there in search of a scent trail; now the clearing was swarming with fighting cats. Onewhisker had been right, as WindClan are greatly outnumbered. More ShadowClan and RiverClan warriors wait at the end of the clearing, although WindClan has no backup cats. The whole Clan, including apprentices, elders, and queens, are fighting.
:Fireheart sees Morningflower wrestling a ShadowClan warrior. Howling, Fireheart jumps onto the ShadowClan tom's shoulder, and clings onto the surprised warrior, who tries to shake him off. Morningflower rakes him with her claws as Fireheart drags him to the ground. The ShadowClan warrior screeches and escapes, running through the prickly camp wall. Morningflower gives Fireheart a grateful glance, then returns to battle.
:Fireheart looks around, shaking drops of blood from his nose. Fresh RiverClan and ShadowClan patrols have joined the fight. ThunderClan's arrival had evened out the numbers for a while, but the second party is needed. Tigerclaw's battle cry is heard, and a moment later Whitestorm comes into the clearing, followed by Graystripe and the rest of the ThunderClan warriors.
:Fireheart grabs a RiverClan warrior, tripping him with one paw and holding him down with the other. Fireheart rolls him over and thrashes at his belly with hind claws. The RiverClan tom leaps away and crashes into Onewhisker who rears and attacks the tom without pausing. Fireheart leaves him to finish the fight.
:A hiss catches Fireheart's attention, and he sees Graystripe fighting Wetfoot, who had helped rid ShadowClan of Brokenstar. Both are well matched, and Graystripe thrusts Wetfoot away with his back legs, spinning around and looking for another cat to attack. Fireheart sees a RiverClan warrior behind his friend, and wonders if Graystripe would attack one of Silverstream's Clanmates. Graystripe leaps, but jumps over the RiverClan cat's head, landing on another ShadowClan member's back instead.
:Fireheart hears Tigerclaw call his name, and sees the deputy at the other end of the clearing, where all the Clans are fighting. As he goes to Tigerclaw, Fireheart feels Leopardfur grasp his hind leg and pull him down. Fireheart throws her off and flips on his back. Leopardfur rears up and comes down on Fireheart's exposed belly. He sees Tigerclaw watching him, but despite Fireheart's cries for help, the dark warrior doesn't move. Fireheart draws back his hind legs, and pushes up against Leopardfur's belly. The deputy looks shocked as his kick flings her halfway across clearing. Fireheart struggles to his paws and glares angrily and painfully at Tigerclaw. Tigerclaw meets his gaze with undisguised hatred and leaps into the thick of the battle.
:A blow on back of Fireheart's head knocks him off balance. He turns to see Stonefur, who prepares to aim another swipe. Fireheart ducks out of way and shoves Stonefur into Whitestorm, who whips around and grasps the RiverClan tom by his scruff. Fireheart tries to help the white-furred warrior, but claws digging into his haunches hold him back. He twists around to see Silverstream. Fireheart knows she doesn't recognize him. She prepares to swipe at him, and Fireheart braces himself, but hears Graystripe calling for Silverstream to stop. The RiverClan she-cat hesitates, shaking her head, then recognizes Fireheart with a silent gasp, and she drops back down to four paws. However, Fireheart reacts instinctively, and without thinking leaps onto she-cat's back and pins her to ground. She doesn't struggle as he prepares to give her a bite on the shoulder. But Fireheart raises his head, feeling Graystripe's eyes bare into him, watching in horror. The look of pain and disbelief brings Fireheart to his senses as he stops, sheathes his claws, and loosens his grip on Silverstream. The she-cat slips away and disappears into the surrounding gorse, Graystripe racing after her.
:Fireheart's eyes meet Darkstripe's on the other side of the clearing. The ginger warrior hears Runningwind, who is grappling with Nightstar howl, and Fireheart darts to his Clanmate's side.
:Without pausing, Fireheart leaps, grabbing Nightstar from behind, and sinks his claws deep into the ShadowClan leader's fur. Fireheart contemplates how a few moons ago he had fought side by side with him, but now he was attacking the same cat. Meanwhile, Nightstar twists in Fireheart's grip, and scrabbles free, but Runningwind is ready and pounces on him; the two warriors roll across the clearing. Fireheart watches them struggle, and times his moment perfectly so that when he leaps he lands on Nightstar's back, grasping the leader more firmly this time. With Runningwind, they scratch and bite the leader till he screeches, and they release him. Nightstar leaps to his paws, hissing, but backs away and gives a yowl of retreat. Instantly, his warriors stop fighting and back into the gorse, leaving RiverClan alone to fight ThunderClan and WindClan.
:Fireheart pauses to catch his breath; Whitestorm and Mousefur are grappling with Leopardfur, and Sandstorm was battling a RiverClan warrior. Dustpelt was fighting Blackclaw. Fireheart guesses Dustpelt would not thank him for interfering in the fight. Fireheart searches the clearing for Crookedstar, and finds him, crouching face-to-face with Tigerclaw. The RiverClan leader attacks first, but misses; then Tigerclaw lunges accurately at Crookedstar's back, grasping him with his claws. Fireheart watches as the deputy lunges forward and sinks his teeth deep into the pale tabby's neck, and wonders if he was killed; however, he is told by Crookedstar's cry that he wasn't. When Tigerclaw releases him, Crookedstar runs toward the camp entrance, his warriors pelting after him.
:Right after, the WindClan camp is silent except for the wind's howling. Fireheart notes that ThunderClan warriors were tired, but that WindClan was much worse, each bleeding, with some lying still on the ground. Barkface tends to the cat's injuries. Tallstar limps up to Tigerclaw. Seeing him so injured, Fireheart wonders if his dream of "Fire will save the Clan" might have misled him. The leader talks to Tigerclaw, head bowed. Tigerclaw sits straight up, chin held high, and Fireheart is angered by his arrogance, unable to forget how the dark tabby didn't help him when he was being attacked by Leopardfur.
:He is surprised at Willowpelt's voice, offering him medicine cat herbs. Fireheart purrs thanks as Willowpelt applies poultice onto Fireheart's bite marks. Despite the juice stinging, Fireheart is reminded of Spottedleaf, who had once given him the same herb to treat Yellowfang. At this thought, Fireheart remembers the "Beware a warrior" prophecy, and realizes that he was supposed to be wary of Tigerclaw, not Graystripe. He is shocked with himself at suspecting his friend while knowing what the deputy could do, and is suddenly positive that Ravenpaw had been telling the truth, realizing after the battle that Tigerclaw could easily have killed Redtail. Runningwind congratulates Fireheart on fighting well, bringing him back from his thoughts, saying that he'll make sure to tell Bluestar. Willowpelt agrees, and Fireheart is relieved to feel a part of the Clan again.
:Suddenly Fireheart's fur prickles. Darkstripe stalks toward Tigerclaw and waits for Tallstar to leave, then whispers into the deputy's ear. The two constantly glance at Fireheart, who realizes that Darkstripe must have seen him let Silverstream go. Willowpelt asks if he's okay, and Fireheart replies that he is, but Tigerclaw approaches him. Willowpelt picks up her herbs to check on other cats, and Runningwind follows her. Tigerclaw tells Fireheart that Darkstripe had said he had let a RiverClan she-cat escape. Fireheart doesn't know how to respond, since he wouldn't betray Graystripe. He growls that he did let her escape. Tigerclaw says that Darkstripe had told him that Graystripe chased after the RiverClan she-cat. Fireheart is afraid that the dark warrior might have guessed Graystripe's love for Silverstream. At that moment, Graystripe comes back, and the deputy sneers at him before leaving, Darkstripe right behind him.
:Fireheart sees that Graystripe is worried and exhausted, and the ginger tom walks over to meet him. Graystripe stands with his head hanging down, and Fireheart touches his nose to his friend's flank. Graystripe purrs, and his eyes are sad but not angry. Fireheart asks if Silverstream is okay, and Graystripe responds that she is, grateful to his friend for letting her go.
:Finally, Graystripe says that the battle had been hard for him, fighting Silverstream's Clanmates, but that he still couldn't let her go. Fireheart tells Graystripe that whatever he does, he will always be his friend, and the two sit side by side while the storm rages on.
==Characters==
===Major===
*Fireheart
===Minor===
===Mentioned===
==Trivia==
*This chapter aligns with chapter sixteen of Leopardstar's Honor and part three of The Prophecies Begin, volume 1.
==Notes and references==
de:Feuer und Eis/Kapitel 30es:Fuego y hielo/Capítulo 30fr:À feu et à sang/Chapitre 30nl:Water en vuur/Hoofdstuk 30
Category:Fire and Ice
Category:The Prophecies Begin arc
Category:Chapter subpages