Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

ERAS

PERMIAN:

298-252 Million Years Ago

Description: Harsh, filled with Ancestors of modern day Mammals, reptiles and other family trees. Semi-Volcanic and desert landscapes with small oasis in between. The atmosphere is harsh but manageable.

Fireheart hadn’t spent long in his kittypet life, but when he did, he did not pay much attention to the colorful images displayed across the dark, flat screen-like object that shifted constantly in the Twoleg dens. When he did, he found discomfort in his eyes, and he typically didn’t stay looking for long. The rare times when he did pay attention, he saw strange shapes on the screen. One time, as he reflected now, it would have been better to pay attention to those stupid colors on that screen.

“Stupid Furballs!” Sandstorm meowed, “I don’t see any prey here? What was that mouse brain thinking?”

Fireheart gulped, Sandstorm had been a lot nicer to him these last few moons, and he, admittedly, enjoyed her company. She wasn’t pursuing a relationship with a cat from another clan at least, something which another cat he was friends with seemed to have trouble controlling. 

The 2 were on a hunting Patrol, Tigerclaw insisted on putting his ‘Excellent Hunting skills to use’ and Bluestar insisted he take another cat with him. He didn’t get to choose, but Bluestar did, and it ended up being Sandstorm. At least he wasn’t alone, he felt a bit lost with his feud with Graystripe still going on, he thought back to the fights he and his former friend had ever since he found out about his affair with Silverstream. He knew it couldn’t possibly end well, but as much as he insisted he would never stop seeing the Riverclan She-Cat. That was love, he supposed, Fireheart wondered if he’d ever see the day he fell in love. That day had not truly come, and perhaps it was better for the Orange-Colored tom, he needed to focus on Tigerclaw, he was certain Thunderclans deputy wanted to get rid of him, he knew Fireheart knew something, and he wasn’t fully prepared to face the evil cat quite yet.

“Hey.” Sandstorms voice, snapped him out of it, “You look like you're thinking…we are supposed to be catching prey!” She had a teasing tone in her voice, but Fireheart could tell there was a deeper concern there, he was used to Sandstorm scorning him, having any cat other than Graystripe, Bluestar or Yellowfang treat him with respect was getting strange to him. He was accustomed to having the clan despise him or at least distrust him still, having Sandstorm, of all cats, treat him otherwise was still surreal.

“Yeah.” Fireheart said a bit nervously, “Tigerclaws orders are Tigerclaws orders, he is the deputy, after all…” He masked the tension within him, should he tell Sandstorm of Tigerclaws schemes? He was getting used to having her as a friend, he didn’t want to risk their newfound friendship on a secret she wouldn’t believe.

“Yeah.” Sandstorm said, “Tigerclaw would have us in the Elders Den on apprentice duties for a week! Don’t want that.”

Fireheart chuckled, Sandstorm was only made a warrior relatively recently, he guessed memories of her apprentice days were still fresh on her mind. 

“I think this is a punishment!” Fireheart said, “It’s still cold!” Even if it wasn’t leafbare, half melted snow lay on the ground, the ground damp and wet from it all. 

“It isn’t too bad, or are you going soft again?” Sandstorm joked.

“Me? Soft?” Fireheart laughed, Sandstorm was crouching, preparing to jump on him, but then suddenly he noticed a light out of the corner of his eye. Sandstorm saw it too, both cats stopped playing almost instantly and began to walk towards it. As they stalked through the brush, Fireheart could see it was pulsating, its colors filled the woods of Thunderclan, with the light being nearly enough to blind them.

“What in the name of Starclan is that!” Sandstorm whispered.

Fireheart shook his head, “I have no idea…” He said, he walked through the brush, Sandstorm trailing close behind. When the two cats emerged, they were confronted by a sight like no other.

Infront of them was what he could only describe as what looked like a Second Sun, a Small Ball of light close to the ground, beams of light emerging from its center with what looked like shards of glass floating around it. It was like nothing the two of them had ever seen before, nothing any cat alive today had seen period.

“It’s like the sunrise.” Sandstorm whispered, almost entranced. Fireheart watched the pale-ginger cat walk closer to it. Concern flickered through his mind, what would happen if she touched it.

“Be careful.” He insisted, she stopped just a few tail-lengths from it.

“I-I feel…” Sandstorm said, “Warmth, heat, strange scents…..”

“Strange scents?” Fireheart asked, he stepped closer, stopping right behind her. Her tail brushed his face, an accident, Fireheart was a bit embarrassed at that but he remained focused. He sniffed the air, beyond Sandstorm he could indeed smell strange things. It almost smelled like the Thunderpath, not as bad, but it carried other scents too. What smelled a bit like Lizards, and Rodents, and all other manner of things. He could also feel the heat coming off it, an intense heat, but one he could handle.

“I’ve never smelled anything quite like this…” Fireheart said, Sandstorm glanced at him. “It’s familiar, but…” He tried to finish, but he noticed Sandstorm's gaze had frozen and fixated on something behind him.

“Having a nice stroll, Kittypet!?”

The familiar sneer made his fur stand on end.

“Tigerclaw?” He turned to face him, confusion, and a mix of horror, filled his voice.

The Dark brown tabby tom laughed, his amber eyes fixated on the portal behind him.

“I wish I could say I had more time to talk, Fireheart, but time is something I’ve learned to master,  and I am not wasting any of it!” Tigerclaw hissed, with a yowl the Tom broke into an impossibly fast run, and Fireheart had no time to avoid the massive cat as he felt him collide with him. He felt the pain of Tigerclaws forelimbs on his shoulders, another pain as he could feel tigerclaw rotate midair and then kick him with his hindlegs. A Third pain shot through him as he collided partially with Sandstorm, and Fireheart, with horror, was sucked in by a sudden strong wind through… Something .

Tigerclaw sneered as he landed back on the ground; his eyes ablaze with triumph. Fireheart had vanished, and he looked back at the portal, where he saw a curious sight.

Sandstorm, she had seen the whole thing, she had been knocked on the head pretty hard, and she was clinging onto the grasses impossibly close to the Portal. He walked up to her, and what he said had the Ginger-She Cat gaze up at him with fear.

“No Witnesses.” Tigerclaw said, he swiped at her head, not with his claws out, but with enough force to do the job. The blow from him completely dislodged the cat, he heard her snarl and hiss at him.

“TIGERC-” Sandstorms final words rang across the clearing, before she too was sucked into the portal.

“No more mistakes.” He said as the portal vanished, and the wind stopped. He sighed, finally free of that Kittypet and his antics. His plan to conspire with the right cats, both living and dead, had worked, and now it was time for the real battle to begin.

Chapter Text

Fireheart tried to speak, but the world around him let no air escape his mouth. It was all a blur of colors. It disoriented him greatly, he felt a sensation he had never felt before, his fur burned even though it wasn’t on fire. Another flash blinded him, and suddenly he felt his body collide with hard ground.

He groaned, opening his eyes. To his shock, instead of the grassy floor of the forest his paws found nothing but dust, sand and rock. He looked around him, as far as the eye could see, stretched the same sight, Sand, Mountains, Strange mountains, as far as the eye could see…

Sand…

Sandstorm!

The memories were flooding back to him, what had happened, what led to him being here. Tigerclaw had knocked them into whatever that was, and Sandstorm was probably hurled in as well! He looked around him, noticing that it had disappeared, evidently wherever they were he guessed they were stuck for now. As he glanced around he noticed an extremely familiar shape of Pale-Ginger fur lying limp on the ground.

“Sandstorm!” He said frantically, rushing over to her. She was covered in sand and dust, a small bit of blood trickled down from her mouth, not a lot, and it seemed to have mostly stopped flowing.

“Wake up…!” He said, tugging at her fur.

She awoke and her green eyes fixated on him, half dazed. “F-Fireheart?”

“Yes!” He said, relieved, “Very, very pleased you're not dead!”

She shook her head, dust and sand flowed off her pelt. “Where are we?” She asked, Fireheart looked around, that was a question he could not answer. The Mountains in the distance were fully unfamiliar, They reminded him of Highstones, however instead of the gray pillars of rock these resembled more muddied-brown ranges, with no snow found at their peaks. A Single, lone mountain stood a bit closer, with a strange looking peak that looked like it had the top sheared clean off. The plains around them were filled with smaller rocky outcroppings, and the plains themselves were filled with sand, sand, as far as his eyes could see.

“I do not know.” Fireheart finally said, he scanned the She-Cats pelt, she didn’t seem very injured, beyond the little bit of blood in her mouth. 

“Well….bigger question.” She said, licking her paw and then swiping it over her forehead, “How do we get back.”

Fireheart looked back towards the mysterious point of their entry, where nothing now stood. If that mysterious light had truly been how they got here, and it was gone now, then they really did have no way back.

“I don’t know either.” He said, Sandstorm sighed.

“When I get my claws on that mouse-brained traitor…” Sandstorm hissed, Fireheart watched her begin to walk forward, then she lurched, nearly falling over as if disoriented. He rushed to her side again.

“Are you sure you’re ok?” He asked her, she gave him a glare, although not a murderous one. She stood up, shaking a bit.

“Yeah…” Sandstorm said, “Just a bit….dizzy, is all.” 

Fireheart nodded, Sandstorm had always been a Stubborn cat for the modest time he knew her. At least that hadn’t changed, wherever they were. 

“We need to find out if there is anything useful nearby.” She said, snapping him out of a quick burst of thought. He gave her a quick nod as they both walked slowly along the ground. It was hot, hotter than any greenleaf Fireheart had ever known, the temperatures were making him feel tired just standing still, and now that they were walking…

“We need to find shelter.” He said, this time it was Sandstorms turn to nod as the 2 cats crept along a rocky outcropping, nearly as tall as the tallpines back home. He scanned the edge of the rocky face, looking for signs of shade, as he did his eyes fixated on a rocky ledge, an overhang with a large, shadowy area under it.

“There!” Fireheart said, the 2 cats bounded to it, eager to be out of the sun. They relaxed as soon as they managed to get under the rock. It was warm, but at least now it was manageable. The air felt strange, Fireheart couldn’t describe it exactly, feeling a bit off. He looked to Sandstorm, who seemed to be enjoying the shade as much as him.

“Dear Starclan….” She meowed, “What is this heat?”

“I don’t think it's Leaf-bare anymore….” Fireheart muttered, Sandstorm snorted sarcastically.

“I couldn’t tell Mouse-Brain.” She said, her green eyes gazed out upon the distant landscapes.

“Well…I couldn’t scent any predators.” Fireheart said, “No foxes or Badgers, and no dogs either.”

“I hope not.” Sandstorm said, her face was softening, although it was still tense. “No animal deserves to be where we are right now, this place is wrong.”

Fireheart nodded in agreement, “I sense it too, it's like this place we are in…how do I describe it..?”

“It’s like it's dying.” Sandstorm said it for him, “I see no trees, no plants, nothing, no prey either…how in the name of Starclan are we surviving this without prey?”

“We will find prey.” Fireheart said, “There has to be something out here, and if there isn’t, then we will march as far as we can before our legs fall off.”

Sandstorm purred, “Well, of all the furballs I could have gotten stuck out here with, at least you’re confident.”

“And of all the Furballs I could have gotten stuck with, at least you’re not trying to kill me.” Fireheart purred back, Sandstorm laughed.

“I’m saving it for Tigerclaw.” She said, “I will claw that Mouse-Brains fur off for sending me back here.”

“That makes two of us.” Fireheart said, he wondered if now would be a good time to tell her about Tigerclaws actions. She had seen Tigerclaw try and kill both of them, surely she’d believe him…?

No, she had too much to worry about right now, they both did. Once they were fed and had water, he’d tell her everything, and pray to Starclan she didn’t remove the fur from his pelt for not telling her earlier.

Inostrancevia was not a word the cats would know, it was not a word that would be known at all for the next 255 Million years, to the creatures that called this land home it was regarded with the same fear a Kitten of the clans would a full-grown badger. Its body was long, its head massive, its skin one that was neither quite scale nor quite mammal, it was something in-between, something leathery, with a thin pelt of fur that had lots of bold, striped patterns, mostly being a Sandy-brown with darker stripes and spots. 

Perhaps its most distinctive feature, however, was on its jaws. From the Front of the upper jaws projected a Pair of enormous saber-fangs, even more impressive than those of a Saber-toothed cat from hundreds of millions of years later. It was no reptile, rather a distant cousin of the modern mammal, a lineage that could have dominated the world under different circumstances. 

The creatures eyes pranced around, taking in the surroundings. It patrolled this territory consistently, and yet now she smelled a new scent, unfamiliar, one that it had never smelled anything quite like before.

So it began to walk, following the scent that wafted through the desert winds, hoping to teach whoever dared intruded on its land a lesson they would never get a chance to forget.

Chapter Text

Sandstorm looked beyond their little crevice, for as far as the eye could see there was nothing. No grasses, no forest, no woods, the most sand she had ever seen was the Sandy hollow back in Thunderclan territory, this was a new experience to her, the sand felt strange on her paws, and the sun felt both less intense yet hotter at the same time. 

“I already hate this place.” She muttered, she heard Fireheart chuckle.

“That makes two of us.” Fireheart said, She saw the Flame-colored tom shake Sand and Dust off his pelt. She realized the wind was picking up and blowing more dust and sand onto them, as if a Sandstorm…was approaching. the irony…

“Is there any prey out here?” She asked Fireheart, although she knew he didn’t know the answer to that question, she still felt like she needed some sort of confirmation from someone else.

“No idea.” He breathed, “I am sure there is something, though what that something might be is even more unclear.”

“Yeah, right…” She meowed, looking again at the vast deserts that stretched before them, “What kind of creature would live here?”

Fireheart had no answer for that, and I sighed. The pain in my head had gone now, although my ears still rung a bit. 

“I think…” Fireheart said, sniffing the air, “I-I think I can smell something!”

Sandstorm perked up, she sniffed the air as well…she could smell something! It was upwind of them, so if it really was prey, then they were in luck! She tried to pinpoint exactly what it was, and although she could smell faint hints of lizard, something did feel a bit off about it.

“Lizard?” She asked him, he shrugged.

“You’re a better hunter than me.” Fireheart said, Sandstorm felt a bit embarrassed by the compliment, “Of course I am, furball!” She purred, “Besides, that weather looks nasty.” She gestured to the horizon, where what looked like clouds were gathering.

“I’ve never seen a storm like that.” Fireheart said, “We should hurry.”

Both cats leapt out of the shade, scrambling to get to the scent as quickly as possible. The ground outside the outcropping was mostly flat, and for Sandstorm it was easy for her to race across the sand. Fireheart followed close behind, and as she tracked the scent she realized it grew closer to a large, rocky ridge. She paused, Fireheart stopped as well, the Ridge was far bigger than the one they had just sheltered under, with numerous small caves and ledges for shelter.

“This way.” Sandstorm said, Fireheart nodded, following her as she climbed, “I think I can smell where it is…” She dropped low to the ground, assuming a hunting couch. As she finished ascending the rocks she gazed out on the landscape, from the higher vantage point she could see that no grasses were found in her field of view at all, rocks, sand and dust stretched seemingly forever into the distance. She did, however, notice small patches of green far off, perhaps some trees or ferns? She couldn’t tell, but her head snapped back to the source of the scent, and she saw it.

A Lizard, and not like any she had ever seen. It was bigger than the mouse, with long legs and a tail as long as the rest of its body. It paid them no mind, they were still downwind after all.  She crept closer, the creature completely oblivious to their presence, by the time it snapped its head towards her as it detected something was wrong she was already in the air, she caught it by the neck, and she heard a snap. The creature stopped moving, and she set it down. It was strange, she had never seen a lizard quite like this before…

“You got it…!” Fireheart purred, he looked at her catch, she could see the same confusion in his eyes that befell her upon sight of it. “That's…a large lizard.”

“No kidding.” She meowed, she looked at it closer, its scales were covered in stripes, mostly a sandy-color mixed with Brown, probably to blend in, its tail had a red tip to it, and she wondered what that was for.

“Food is food.” Fireheart said, “It’s one big lizard, that’s for sure, enough for us to share.”

Sandstorm nodded, Fireheart spoke again, “You caught it…you get the first bite.”

“I was planning to anyway.” Sandstorm said, She took a bite out of it, the Scales were tough, but as she chewed it she realized it didn’t taste nearly as bad as the small lizards that were found running across the Thunderpath back home.

“It’s pretty good.” Sandstorm meowed through a mouthful of food, Fireheart nodded, sat down next to her and took his own bite.

“Wow…this beats any other Lizard I ever ate!” He beamed, they ate in relative silence after that, once the oversized reptile was gone Sandstorm realized they hadn’t seen any water yet.

“I’m a bit thirsty.” Sandstorm said, “I think I saw some plants earlier, far in the distance…perhaps we can walk there?”

Fireheart nodded, “We’ll need to wait for that storm to pass first, perhaps it will rain tonight…” 

She looked at the approaching storm, it was much closer now, and she realized they had to find shelter as the wind began picking up.

“Follow me.” She said, leading him to a nice crevice where they could wait this whole thing out.

It moved with patience, it had been birthed many moons ago, and would live to see many more. The Inostrancevia saw no rush, for her kits were being protected by her mate, and her territorial patrol was taking an interesting turn. She could track 2 distinct yet similar scents now, they vaguely reminded her of the scents of the Small Saber-fangs, of course none quite as impressive as her and her mate, but they were still noteworthy creatures. Particularly the Venom-fangs, like her, but far smaller, and most notably, containing venom in their own teeth. She didn’t see them around often, mostly because creatures that weren’t her mate and kits tended to avoid her.

She was the top predator of the world, the apex. No other species of the Permian came closer in these times, perhaps those rock-heads, although those were increasingly rare and even they couldn’t quite match her. 

She remained on the scent, the rain would not bother her when it came, she knew the territory, knew which parts would flood, knew shelter, although she had no need of it. This land was hers, and whoever these strangers were would be taught a lesson.

Chapter Text

As day turned to night, and the sun set, the wind picked up. Although strangely the Sandstorm seemed to be shifting course, as it passed by harmlessly she noticed that far above them, that there were other clouds approaching, they were definitely Thunderclouds, Sandstorm could see Thunder Flashing inside it already as they neared, the rumble of it echoed across the landscape.

“At least we’ll get rain.” Fireheart said.

“True.” She said, “There goes our water problems.”

As the clouds approached, Sandstorm could see the last bits of daylight fade away, replaced by pale moonlight, which shone brightly.

“The moon looks…off.” Sandstorm noted, it appeared slightly larger than unusual, and she could have sworn it was different, one of those little dots on the bottom corner was missing as well. Sandstorm, looking at the stars, could also see they looked a bit different too, they weren’t in their usual spots, and some of them were far, far brighter, infact, they looked nothing like what they were used to as well.

Something else hit Sandstorm, the moon hadn’t been anywhere near this full when they were sent here…how was it nearly full now?

“Fireheart?” She asked, the Flame-Colored Tom crouched beside her.

“Yes?” He asked.

“Wasn’t the moon barely present last night?” She meowed, she flicked her tail in the direction of the sky. Firehearts eyes followed the movement, and widened at the sight.

“Yeah, it was a crescent…” He said, “Something is horribly wrong.”

“Where in the name of Starclan did that thing send us!?” She hissed, lashing her tail.

Fireheart began to speak, but was quickly cut off by a Loud Crackle of Thunder. The moonlight faded as clouds passed over, and it began to rain. An intense rain, which fell harder than any she had seen before. They were safe in their cave, but she could feel the moisture even from there, and it drenched her fur lightly. It was humid outside, but thirst wasn’t a problem anymore she could see. She lapped at the water collecting in small puddles at the Front of the Den, it was completely refreshing, something that was familiar and welcome. Fireheart joined her, the two cats finally being properly comfortable for this brief moment in whatever new environment they found themselves in.

“This is the best water I have ever tasted…” She heard Fireheart say beside her, she purred in agreement. It was still hot outside, although it did feel a bit more chilly, but the rain was so refreshing, even from inside the cave. 

“Sandstorm…question, how are we getting back?” Fireheart asked.

She looked at him confused, why was he asking her? She had no more idea than him, and neither seemed to have quite any knowledge on whatever Starclan had thrust on either of them this time.

She shrugged, “Don’t know…how about you?”

He shrugged as well.

She sighed, whatever path the stars had dreamed for her and Fireheart now were foggier than ever, she was just getting used to the Warriors Den! She couldn’t have just lost that already! Lightning flashed outside, both of them nearly jumped, it was by far the most intense lightning they had ever witnessed, and the thunderclap that followed made their ears ring. Both cats, with their thirst satiated, retreated briefly to the back of the den-like crevice they found themselves in.

“I’ve never seen a storm like this before…” She murmured. The rain intensified as lightning continued to flash through the clouds, illuminating the outlines of distant peaks and outcroppings hardly visible through the deluge.

“Sandstorm, I have to…tell you something.” Fireheart said, Curiosity sparked in Sandstorm's mind.

“Alright then.” Sandstorm said, shifting her gaze to him. Fireheart looked uncertain as he spoke, as if he was fighting himself to speak.

“So, you know…Tigerclaw..?” Fireheart began, the Orange-Ginger tom inhaled, she nodded. 

“Tigerclaw…the mange-pelt that stranded us here?” Sandstorm sneered, “Traitor! When I get my claws on him!”

Fireheart purred, but the noise stopped, Sandstorm shifted, she could sense some kind of tension in his voice, like he really was fighting his own inner self. What was up with him?

“Sandstorm…Tigerclaw…” Fireheart choked out, “Tigerclaw killed Redtail.”

Tigerclaw killed Redtail? She was shocked, obviously, but another question entered her mind.

“How did you know?” She asked, “He died before you even joined Thunderclan?”

Fireheart nodded, “I was told by Ravenpaw, who saw the whole thing. Tigerclaw killed Redtail and blamed it on Oakheart, who died during a Rockfall. He threatened Ravenpaw, sent him on deadly patrols…”

Sandstorm nodded, she always thought of Tigerclaw as a bit strict, but sending Ravenpaw to catch Adders at Snackrocks seemed a bit reckless. She had been in awe when he managed to catch one when he returned it back to camp, but given Tigerclaw had no issues with shoving her and Fireheart through a glistening rotating sphere she guessed Tigerclaw had been intending for Ravenpaw to never make it back to camp.

“So we had to hide Ravenpaw.” He said, “We took him to Barleys Farm, on the edge of the Forest, and he has been treated well there. Tigerclaw suspected I knew the truth, however, and has had a bit of…disdain for me ever since.”

Sandstorm thought for a moment, it did make sense…but why?

“Why would he do this?” She asked, “Why kill Redtail in the first place?”

Fireheart shook his head, “Tigerclaw wants to be leader, he wants to take over Thunderclan and restore glory to it, or that's what I think, at least.”

Sandstorm narrowed her eyes, and lightning flashed outside the den. 

“And why didn’t you tell me about this earlier?” She asked sternly.

“I wanted to tell the whole clan!” Fireheart responded, “I even told Bluestar, but she didn’t believe me, I-I thought you wouldn’t either.” The Orange Tom shrank under her gaze, and she felt a pang of sympathy for him. She hadn’t treated him properly when he joined the clan, and even Bluestar, a Cat he trusted, had refused the truth. She knew they had only stopped being enemies recently, so it made sense he hadn’t fully expected him to believe her.

“Alright.” She sighed, “If that fox-heart hadn’t pushed us into that thing, I’d probably not believe you, but here we are, so I’ll trust you.” 

Fireheart looked much happier at that, and relieved.

Lightning flashed again outside, and Firehearts gaze looked past her, his own eyes narrowed.

“Something is coming.” He said.

She glanced outside, lightning illuminated the ground as the rain fell, and for a brief moment she could see a Small Shape rounding some nearby rocks. It was about the size of a Cat, perhaps a bit bigger, it was probably Forty-Tail Lengths off, walking towards them slowly. She couldn’t see much detail on it, other than a thick tail and large head.

“Young badger?” He asked her, and she shook her head.

“No.” Sandstorm said, “Something is different.” 

Suddenly, the creature raised its head to the sky, standing on both hind legs. She could see its head bob up and down, and then the head maneuvered right toward them, what must have been its eyes locking onto her and Fireheart. It let out a loud screech, slamming back down onto all 4 of its paws and breaking into a sprint towards them.

“We can take that thing!” She said, it didn’t look like too much trouble for two cats, perhaps-

Suddenly, the wind shifted, and Sandstorm smelt something different. This was unique, a smell she had never quite detected before. One that was a mix of rodent, lizard….something that was truly alien to her. 

To both her and Firehearts shock, a massive shape darted out from Behind a Nearby Rock. It was nearly as tall as a Twoleg and Multiple Tail-Lengths long, far larger than any creature she had ever seen, nearly the size of a Monster on a Thunderpath. It moved with scary speed, its massive head clamped down with its jaws on the smaller creature, she could see its teeth sneak into it through the flashing lightning, it then lifted its head, the creature still in its jaws, as it fully lifted its head vertically into the air she could see it illuminated through another flash of lightning, the teeth tearing through the cat-sized creature, thick splots of flood and whatever lay beneath as its bones cracked and shattered, it clamped down with its teeth a few more times, the creature's body shattered, and it swallowed its remains whole. 

She retreated back further into the crevice, both her and Firehearts fur fluffed up in fear. She had never seen an animal that size before, and it had just eviscerated something their size in seconds. It would kill both her and Fireheart without a second thought, and both of them remained completely silent, shuddering, their green eyes wide.

She watched with horror as she saw the massive creature raise its massive head to the sky as the other animal had, sniffing the air, and its head snapped towards them. Its eyes, glistening like Amber, were trained right on them.

“Starclan, no…” Fireheart whispered, Sandstorm didn’t need to respond.

It began to walk towards the, lowering its head as it approached the rise to the entrance of the crevice. It placed its strange claws on rocks at the bottom, and began to ascend, sending cascades of wet material down. 

“It can’t fit its head in!” She said, but as she stepped back she felt her tail brush up against a rock.

Not good! She exclaimed in her head, the creature's head eclipsed the entrance, its eyes directly trained on them. It knew they were there, it knew, and they knew that it knew as well.

“What do we do?” She asked Fireheart, but he was completely frozen.

It began testing the Den, pawing at the Entrance with its Foreclaws, which while not as impressive as the massive fangs which jutted from its mouth, would still be enough to kill either of them. 

Then the real horror began, it tried sticking its head in the Rocky Den, attempting to widen its jaws and snap at them, but it failed as its head grazed the rocky ceiling. It tried to step forward, but was unable to. It fully shut its jaws, and began to attempt to use its head to force its way into the Den.

Sandstorm unsheathed her claws, she could hear Fireheart do the same, she could hear them grating against the rocks as he shuffled his paws in preparation. The Inostrancevia swung its head towards them, and Sandstorm got there first.

It attempted to snap its Jaws open, but in the tight space it failed to fully do so, and Sandstorm swiped as hard and deep as she could into its skull. She was surprised by just how thick its skin was, it was so thick she could hardly get through, but the sheer force of her strike and claws was enough to draw thin lines of blood. The Creature snarled, then began to reverse out of the den.

“We’ve walked into a Nightmare!” Fireheart yowled.

But no matter, the Monster, whatever it was, fully exited the Den, its head leaving and it scrambled down the rocks. She could see it walking slowly away, illuminated by thin stalks of lightning.

“We won.” She whispered, but Fireheart shook his head this time and spoke.

“No, it's still out there.” He said, “And since we are in its territory, it’ll be back, and for all we know it could bring friends, and what if there are things worse than that out there.”

“Let’s be positive.” Sandstorm said, but deep down she knew that Fireheart was right. What if it did come back, and what if there was really something bigger out there?

“Get some sleep.” She said as Thunder rumbled, “We need to leave at Dawn.”

The Inostrancevia left the 2 strangers alone, they hadn’t done much harm to her, other than leave a miniscule wound on its snout. She hadn’t encountered such agile creatures before, the pale one had struck fast, she may not have been the most agile creature on the planet, but to her what they did was unprecedented. Far more quick than the smaller sabre-fangs.

She sniffed the air, the rain and storms would subside soon, and with it the scent-trails would open up properly. She knew this land well, knew the floodlands would come, bloom with life as they always did during the seasons of rain. It would bring prey, Spike-Backs, but also competition, from the Venom-Fangs and Rock-Heads. She would need to move her kits and mate here, they needed to be as close to as much prey as possible.

So the Inostrancevia left, leaving the strange little creatures of Fire and Sand behind, paying them no mind, other than noting their agility down in case she hunted them in the future.

Chapter Text

The Clouds parted overnight, revealing a wide moon, the air was fraught with chill, although it hardly bothered them in their little crevice. Fireheart and Sandstorm slept modestly distanced from each other, they were still on edge after that thing attacked them, but at least now they were able to rest.

Fireheart drifted off to sleep slowly, but when it came the sleep nearly jolted him, as if something was reaching out to his mind across time itself.

Fireheart awoke in a dreamlike place, one which felt real yet also deemed…detached, a place he could instantly recognize as Starclan, even with no proper or formal introduction to the starry hunting grounds. He was surrounded by beautiful forests, the moon so bright in the sky it might as well be the sun. If this was where he was heading one day, then perhaps he need not be concerned by death.

He shook his head, as lovely as this place was, especially now that he and Sandstorm found themselves in a place of sand and dust, he still had to save Thunderclan from Tigerclaw, he still had to save Bluestar, and he certainly had a job to do.

But as he looked around the perimeter of ferns and trees, a voice boomed behind him, one that sounded familiar yet one he also didn’t recognize.

“Welcome, Young Warrior.” It was a gentle voice, one that spoke of age and wisdom. Fireheart whipped his head around, and stared into the eyes of a cat he had never seen before. He looked a lot like himself, with a ginger pelt and particularly long fur, his most distinctive traits, however, was a massive gash in his ear, his yellow eyes, and his size. He was a massive warrior, and Fireheart felt almost intimidated in front of him.

“Who are you?” He asked, “Did that Fang-Monster find us in our sleep, am I in Starclan?”

“Easy.” The Ginger Cat said, “It’s complicated Fireheart, although you’re very much alive, so is Sandstorm, ideally we’d be able to reach you both in this dream-state, but as I said, this situation is…complicated.”

“What do you mean?” Fireheart asked, “And who are you? You never answered!”

The Cat sighed, “I am Sunstar, the leader of Thunderclan before Bluestar. As for the situation? It’s something we can hardly understand ourselves.”

“But aren’t you Starclan?” Fireheart asked, “You watch over everything!”

“We do.” Sunstar said, “But what has transpired….What Tigerclaw did, was far beyond our control.”

“What do you mean?” Fireheart asked.

“As I said, this will take time to explain.” Sunstar meowed, “First off, you and Sandstorm are alive, as discussed, at least technically.”

“Technically?” Fireheart sputtered.

Sunstar nodded, “As for your situation…its not a matter of where you are, but a matter of when. There is no easy way to put this Fireheart, but you and Sandstorm are lost in time, a time before the clans, before even cats themselves, before Twolegs…before even the grasses of the forest took hold.”

Time? Firehearts mind spun, “Lost in time?” He asked in disbelief. 

Sunstar gave him a sorrowful look, “I’d give you a number, but no cat can count that high, it is countless cycles of seasons, and as I said, no cat walks the world yet, no Twoleg, not even the forest has come to be. The Land itself is different, the air, the sky, the moon and stars themselves, nothing is as it will be.”

“How long do we have to wait for our time to come around again?” Fireheart asked, Sunstar almost laughed.

“Far too long for even the oldest elder to live, you cannot live that long Fireheart, immortal or not, there is a massive problem we need to address.” Sunstar said.

Fireheart nodded this time, taking in all the information, which seemed less helpful and gave him more questions than answers. “And that is?” He meowed.

“The time you are in.” Sunstar began, “The Cats have no word for it, the Twolegs do I think, but I know not what that word is, the Twolegs would be pretty helpful here I’d imagine, but that isn’t possible unfortunately.” Sunstar continued with a sigh, “Anyway, as I said, the Time you are in…is dying, death won’t happen for countless moons, but the sickness has taken hold. Liquid Flames erupt from mountains, spewing clouds of death that kill like an Infection.”

“You forgot the monsters.” Fireheart said nervously.

“There are no monsters in the time you are in.” Sunstar meowed, “Just creatures, living out their lives, trying to make something out of the poor world that they inhabit.”

“Even that thing that nearly turned me and Sandstorm into crow-food last night?” He asked.

“Even that.” Sunstar said, “And now you are trying to carve a living among them, I’d wish I could stay longer, but Starclans Power is limited, and to stay here too long with you would be at risk of destroying it.”

“Destroying Starclan?” Fireheart gasped.

“Yes.” Sunstar said solemnly, “All I can tell you now is to follow your Heart and Trust your instincts, Fireheart, you were not named that for nothing.”

Fireheart looked at the ground at his paws, this may be starclan, but even this felt like home in comparison to the harsh sands they were in.

“As for getting home, it's necessary.” Sunstar said, “You are needed in Thunderclan, when you return, it will be as you left, but however long you and Sandstorm spend in that time shall not be lost. You will suffer much, face trials no cat has faced before, but you have the privilege of not facing them alone, and even if Starclan cannot walk with you, know that the Stars still shine under any sky.”

Sunstar faded away, but before he did he delivered one final message.

“Follow the Heart of Fire, Fireheart, and you shall come home.”

And with that Starclan faded away.

Fireheart jolted awake, A Paw lightly prodded his side. He shifted, Sandstorm stood over him, her paw outstretched, her Green Eyes trained on his with curiosity and a bit of amusement.

“You were mewing in your sleep.” She said, “Keep it up, and I’ll think you’re sharing tongues with Starclan like a medicine cat!”

He could tell it was only a joke, but he stayed silent, and she caught on fairly fast.

“You did, didn’t you?” She asked.

He nodded.

“Not the weirdest thing that has happened since last sunrise.” She said, he noticed the sun coming up outside the den, a beautiful sunrise, filtered with all sorts of colors reflecting off the clouds.

“Come on.” He said, gesturing for her to follow him as he got up, “I’ll tell you everything on our way to…whatever isn’t here.”  Fireheart still had trouble processing Sunstars words himself, but he doubted they were lies, this place, this land…it resembled nothing like home.

He saw her nod, and the two cats set out, perhaps not ready, but certainly willing to face whatever this Old World had in store for them.

Chapter Text

Sandstorm followed Fireheart outside the cave. It had been a chilly night, although the cave protected them from the worst of it. The Sun was rising, and the last stars vanished under its intense light. The air was a pleasant temperature for now, but she could tell it wouldn’t last long. 

“So…are we going to talk about your dream or…?” Sandstorm asked, Fireheart glanced behind him at her.

“It was a Starclan visit.” He sighed, looking back ahead of himself.

“Great!” Sandstorm said, “Did they tell us how to get back?”

Fireheart gave her a look that gave her mixed emotions. “They told us to follow the Heart of Fire, a bunch of stuff I couldn’t understand, some stuff I didn’t want to understand, and that was it.”

Sandstorm looked at him confused, “What do you mean stuff you didn’t want to understand?”

The gaze Fireheart gave her was one that seemed to hold the weight of the world on his paws, a burden of knowledge she had never seen before, as if he was older than Bluestar and seen every battle to ever happen in the forest. It was the look of a cat who had heard something he didn’t want to hear, and didn’t want to speak about.

“They gave me answers…” Fireheart said, “Answers that made me ask questions…even more questions.”

“What did Starclan tell you?” Sandstorm asked, more seriously this time, although some part of her was concerned about Firehearts answer. Something had gone wrong with him, whatever starclan said was too much to bear alone.

“Are you sure you want to know?” Fireheart asked, and for a brief moment Sandstorm questioned herself, did she want to know? With the way Fireheart was acting, the truth may well tear her apart as well.

Curiosity got the better of her however, and she eventually nodded, “The whole thing.” She said.

Fireheart nodded as they continued walking, the sun had crept over the horizon, the heat growing more intense. That weird Cone-Shaped mountain was a landmark in the distance as they travelled along the sands, weaving between distantly spaced rocky outcrops.

“It was a cat named Sunstar.” Fireheart began, Sandstorm nodded, she had heard tales of him from her elders. He had been a good cat, as she had heard, but she couldn’t recall many details about it for the life of her.

“He told me that…” Fireheart took a breath before speaking, she could tell he was increasingly stressed. “He told me that we aren’t lost in a specific place, but lost in a specific time, before the clans, before even cats came to be….before the forest, before anything, so far in the past we can’t just wait anything out.”

“How far?” She asked, she was shocked by this, but she had to know more.

“Too far.” He meowed, “A Number so high no cat could hope to count, countless seasons he said…”

Sandstorms mind spun a bit. Lost in a specific time? How did that happen? How could Tigerclaw do this?

“Confused?” Fireheart asked, “Dizzy? I was too, I guess that's a burden we both share now.”

“How? Why?” She asked.

Fireheart shrugged, “If not even the Stars know? Why would I?”

Sandstorm sighed, this really was just more questions than answers.

“What’s more?” Fireheart said, “There’s more of those monsters out there, Sunstar said so, more creatures, and the worst part Sandstorm? This Starclan-Forbidden Place is dying, poisoned by mountains of fire, the clouds themselves will turn deadly!”

Sandstorm nodded, still processing this. She would just have to stop asking why for now, and focus on getting back.

“Alright.” She said, Fireheart was clearly distraught talking about this, so she decided to change the subject to something less depressing, “How about rest? I saw that Green-Stuff a couple of ridges away, so we can find some Trees Hopefully, and rest in the shade, just like in the forest!” She said cheerfully, she was a bit distressed by the situation, but she decided some level of optimism was needed here.

“Like in the forest.” Fireheart said, Sandstorm nodded, walking close to him, so close her tail brushed his leg.

“Like that time we went hunting in leaf bare?” Sandstorm asked, “Back when I was still an apprentice and you a Great, Newly made warrior?”

“You mean that time when we found the entire river frozen? And it caused a War with Riverclan?” Fireheart asked sarcastically.

“Yes.” Sandstorm said, slowing down behind him and dropping into a hunting crouch behind him. They never got to finish their little play-fight in the forest, the one that Tigerclaw interrupted, and now she could finally-

Her legs moved as she finished thinking, she pounced on Fireheart, claws sheathed, Fireheart let out a joyful gasp, the two rolling around in the Dust like 2 Kits playfighting in a Nursery. Sandstorm playfully batted at him with her paw, her green eyes wide with assured victory and playfulness.

“Alright, Alright!” Fireheart asked, “Get off me, you big-oaf!”

Sandstorm conceded, “And now we are even!” She smirked, licking her paw and dragging it over her head. 

“You win.” Fireheart grumbled, “Now, where was that Green Patch again? It’s getting hot outside.”

“A Couple of Ridges away.” She said, “Those rocks are tall, I couldn’t see past them, but I saw something green.”

Fireheart was most certainly right about it getting hot outside, she panted as they walked, taking the lead ahead of Fireheart. She hoped she wouldn’t lead them to nothing, a win for both of them was something they sorely needed.

Fireheart followed after Sandstorm, his mind racing. He felt calmer playing with her, but part of him couldn’t shake the idea, the suspicion that their remaining moons, a short time, would be spent here. That the Monster with Sabre-fangs wasn’t the worst thing they had to worry about out here. The feeling that they were being watched out here, by something that viewed them as little more than Prey.

But he looked ahead at Sandstorm, she seemed so calm compared to him, perhaps the truth was eating her up too, but if it was she certainly wasn’t showing it. He was always the optimistic one, had the truth reduced him from that?

He Inostrancevia pranced along the desert sands, finally making its way back home. It was tiring, having kept moving all night and into the morning. It had a great deal of strength from its kill the night before, but under the Permian Sun even that could get you only so far.

She finally scented something familiar, her mate and kits, she climbed up to the cave, greeted by her mate. She nuzzled him briefly, snout trailing along his slightly more colorful skin and fur, which was orange-ish near the edge that faded into a tan-sandy color near the body.

She suddenly turned her attention to her kits. There were 3 of them, they were the size of those strange creatures she encountered last night, the ones of Fire and Sand, their fur still puffy as near-hatchlings, each with some unique combination of their parents' fur patterns.

She made a sound to her mate that indicated she had found new hunting grounds, he quickly began to nuzzle the kits forward, following her as she led them out of their usual hiding spot on their first real migration, perhaps she could catch these new intruders, whoever they are…

Chapter Text

Fireheart kept up with Sandstorm, occasionally throwing back wary glances behind him. If another storm came up or another creature they may not have time to find their old shelter again, meaning they were truly on their own now. The Sun was high in the sky, its heat beating down relentlessly. They were both extremely worn and tired, the few puddles on the ground seemed to be rapidly drying thanks to the sheer intensity of the day, and with no water in sight things were looking bleak.

“I’m hungry.” Fireheart grumbled, Sandstorm shot him an amused glare.

“We will hunt.” Sandstorm meowed, “But I can’t scent anything! The rain last night must have washed it away.”

“Hopefully we find more of those lizard-things.” Fireheart said, “They don’t taste half bad.”

“Not half bad at all.” Sandstorm purred, “Probably the best lizard I’ve ever tasted, way better than those stragglers that run across the Thunderpath from Shadowclan back home.”

At the mention of home, Firehearts thoughts flashed to Tigerclaw. He had been so willing to kill both him and Sandstorm…how far ahead were his plans? He must be planning to finally kill Bluestar soon! They had to get back, what if they returned home to Tigerstar instead of Tigerclaw? 

“Fireheart?” He was snapped out of it by Sandstorm, “You look like you’re asleep on your own paws!”

He nodded, “Just thinking, about y’know, Tigerclaw…He wants to take over Thunderclan, we have to stop him obviously, but no one else knows but Ravenpaw and he can’t do anything.”

“We will stop him.” Sandstorm assured, “Infact, I want it to be my claws which sink into him first.”

“Violent.” Fireheart muttered, “Alright, you can have first crack at him, but for now we need to focus on water.” Fireheart said, he looked around again, the landscape still barren, but he thought he could smell something, like a Lizard from before but different, Fireheart stopped in his tracks.

“Smell that?” He asked, Sandstorm nodded, the wind picked up slightly as their fur swayed in the wind. The scent wasn’t exactly identical to the Lizard they caught yesterday, it was stronger, and it smelled like there were a lot of them.

A rumbling noise filled the landscape, a low rumble as the rocks gently shook beneath his paws. He looked at Sandstorm, both their eyes widened, their thoughts flashing back to the night before. The Beast with the fangs, the one with a maw big enough to swallow either of them whole, it had been an unusual round of pessimism when Fireheart suggested it could come back with friends, but now it seemed very possible.

“Quick!” Sandstorm beat him to it, “To those rocks!”

Fireheart scrambled after her, they took shelter behind a small formation of rocks, it was scarcely taller than them, and he knew if it really was that fang beast that this would offer no protection to them.

“This won’t do!” Sandstorm said frantically, but it was already too late to try for somewhere else. The footsteps were discernable now to individuals, there had to be dozens, perhaps walking slowly. They were big, whatever they were, the ground shook lightly beneath them.

“Sandstorm, I have to tell you something.” He said frantically, if he died here he wanted to die with someone who viewed him as a Friend at least.

“What is it?” She asked, the rumbling grew even nearer, her own pale green eyes trained on him.

“You’re not a half bad cat to get stranded in time with.” He said, her gaze softened briefly.

“Heh, thanks mouse-brain.” She said, the footsteps grew nearer, their fur stood on end.

“Starclan!” Sandstorm said, peaking out behind the rock, “What is that thing?”

“Is it one of them?” He asked, she shook her head.

“Something else…” She said, the first of them passed by them, and he could see what Sandstorm meant for himself.

It was a massive reptilian creature, even bigger than the Fang-Beast, yet this one had no such fangs, its head was strangely shaped, with protrusions on it that were truly unique from anything Fireheart had ever seen before. It had rough spikes on its back, with a long and thick tail, it was a gray-ish sandy color, with some light stripes, although they weren’t very pronounced. 

Another followed behind it, then another. It was clear they showed no hostility, the first threw a curious glance at them, then ignored them and walked off. Sandstorms gaze was completely trained on them as they walked past.

“Wow…” She said, her voice full of awe, “I’ve never seen anything like it! It’s the size of a Twoleg Monster!” 

Fireheart nodded, they weren’t attacking, they seemed actually like a peaceful bunch, and there were a lot of them. As they passed by, Fireheart couldn’t even count them from how many there were.

“Perhaps we should follow them?” Fireheart asked, “They’re moving and migrating, so wherever they’re going is probably better than here.”

Sandstorm nodded, “Following them doesn’t seem half bad.”

Once the end of the migrating herd came, they began to follow, trailing close behind them, although making sure to keep enough distance to avoid trampling. The Herd seemed to be going somewhere, taking turns around specific rocks, as if moving with a destination in mind. That seemed promising to Fireheart, it was surely better than him and Sandstorm playing the guessing game and trying every nook and cranny for the smallest sign of life.

Hopefully, the residents of the area could lead them to shelter, or at least to survival.

—

The Inostrancevia sniffed the Warm Ground. It had weathered many moon-cycles, seasons, yet no scent caught it quite like this one. These 2 intruders bore scents like none she ever smelt, as if wherever they came from was a place far more alive than this one. They clearly had no experience, as she and her mate tracked them, their scent intermingled with a herd of migrating spike-backs. She knew these lands well, and she knew where they’d be headed.

They were heading to the Floodlands, which in the current season would swell with streams and rivers so immense they could drown many creatures. Given the storms recently it had probably swelled to its maximum, but only the most desperate of creatures would go right up to the banks. The Floodbanks were home to its own array of animals, the Strange-Snouts, which grew to a respectable length; they typically ate fish but wouldn’t hesitate to snap at a smaller creature.

Then there were the others, the Swimming-Sabres, which were far smaller than herself, typically only growing to the size of one of her kits, but they were quite ferocious she imagined for smaller creatures, then there were the smaller sabres, and the Venom Fangs, with other creatures collecting around them. She couldn’t imagine the intruders lasting long if they were heading there, any of those creatures could dispatch them easily. She and her family would make their nest in a cave near the floodlands, and she and her mate would take turns hunting and looking after them, as they always did.

What change could two such small intruders even make to such a world?

Chapter Text

Following the Strange, spike-backed creatures was a task to be certain. Despite moving slowly, they had a great deal of endurance, Sandstorm struggled to keep up, with Fireheart seemingly struggling even more so. The Spike-Backs were at least definitely going somewhere, but with all the clouds in the sky gone the sun was seemingly trying to burn them before they could get anywhere.

“How do they endure this?” She asked Fireheart, he had no answer for her. The Pale blue sky mocked them. She remembered as a kit she looked forward to warm greenleaf days where the sun was out like this, now she missed leaf-bare and its cold touch more than ever, it hadn’t even been long since she last felt it, yet it was already a distant memory. 

They walked till sunhigh, tracking the spike-backs was easy at least, they met strange noises often which echoed across the landscape, both her and Fireheart had tracked stealthier creatures than this. The issue, as always with this starclan-forsaken place, was the sun and its unrelenting assault on them. She could feel her heart hammering just from it, her breathing hoarse. It didn’t help that the air seemed a bit strange here, she couldn’t put her word on what was wrong with it, but it reminded her a bit of the Thunderpath, whenever a Monster rolled by and sprayed its strange scent behind it. As the sun beat down on them directly overhead, she and Fireheart took a detour to a small formation of nearby rocks with shade under them. They had made sure to memorize the scent of those spike-back giant lizards, it certainly wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

“Does the sun ever rest here?” Fireheart asked, Sandstorm grinned.

“It does during the Night.” She said sarcastically.

Fireheart chuckled a bit and spoke again, “Yeah, but that’s a given, here it seems like this place…this time, it wants us to burn, I feel like I could ignite any moment.”

“I guess Bluestar had an even better reason for giving you that name then.” She joked, Fireheart suppressed a light laugh next to her, “Very funny.” He said, “That pelt of yours will come in real handy though, It blends in nearly perfectly here!”

She realized for the first time she was right, her pale-ginger fur was nearly the same colors as the sand. It only blended in well in the Sandy Hollow back in Thunderclan, she remembered that Dustpaw made a comment about it once, a comment that earned him a glare from her. It may have done poorly in Thunderclan, but it seemed to do well here.

She looked at Firehearts own pelt. She remembered she had also made fun of it a couple times as apprentices. It contrasted terribly with the forest and she and Dustpaw had been quick to suggest it would give his position away to any prey, and yet he proved them wrong…Fireheart was a great hunter and loyal cat.

Sandstorm already admitted to him that she felt the way she treated him earlier was wrong on a patrol, but it hurt even more now. Fireheart was no less loyal to the clan than she was, he was good natured, a fine hunter…and here she was, trapped with him in time, bearing secrets she never knew existed.

“Ermm, Sandstorm?” Fireheart asked, Sandstorm realized while staring at him she had zoned out. She quickly whipped her face towards the distant mountains, a bit embarrassed.

“Sorry…got lost in thought.” She said, trying to change the subject.

“See that mountain?” She asked, gesturing towards the one with a sheared off peak. They had spotted it several times earlier, yet they had a great view of it now. It was distant yet massive, a Cone Shape, with a flat top, its surface a dark-gray and brown color that reminded her a bit of the Thunderpath again. Its slopes were smooth, and more gentle than the ones at highstones. A thought crossed her mind, one that gave her a perfect topic change.

“Yeah?” Fireheart asked.

“I think we should climb it.” Sandstorm suggested, “It’s not too steep, and I bet we could see the horizon from the top of it.”

“That mountain?” Fireheart gasped, “I don’t think that's a great idea, Sandstorm…look how tall it is.”

“Exactly.” She said, “It can’t be any worse than highstones, and we’ll be able to see for Miles!”

“I mean…” Fireheart sighed, “I guess we can give it a try, if all else fails.”

“Great.” She purred, she glanced around them, the Spike-Backs had vanished, leaving their scent and footprints as the only evidence they were there, although the footprints were rapidly vanishing thanks to Sand being stirred by the wind. Another scent crossed her nose, one she recognized as another one of those Lizard-Things.

“Fireheart, food.” She whispered, he sniffed the air and nodded, both of them understood they had to eat soon, and a lizard-thing would satiate their hunger perfectly.

Sandstorm slowly crept out of the Den, followed slowly by Fireheart. She sniffed the air more, and realized the scent was actually rather close by. She followed it in a hunters crouch, and pretty soon they came across it. It was nearly identical to the one before, except slightly larger, with a more Blue-Tipped tail instead of a red one.

“Can you handle this on your own?” Fireheart asked.

“Of course I can!” She said, and she watched as the creature snapped its head towards them.

Too loud. She realized, it made a screeching noise and broke into a shockingly fast run.

“After it!” She hissed, she broke into a sprint, not bothering to make sure if Fireheart was following her. The Lizard was fast, she took a moment to even catch up to it, when she did she leapt onto it, flipping it over. She could feel it trying to scratch at her with its claws, grazing the fur on her chest and neck, but she managed to get her jaws around its neck and with a quick twist it was over.

“You got it!” Fireheart said, catching up to her.

“This one put up more of a fight.” She said, it made sense as it was pretty large after all. She hadn’t even noticed how long its claws were, they could have done some pretty nasty wounds to her if they had found their mark. Luckily all they found was some of her fur, and not much even of that.

“These things can fight back.” She told him, “We’ll have to be more careful in the future…help me carry it!”

They both grabbed the lizard and took it to another nearby rock. This one offered a brief shade at the right angle, and they set down in its shadow. They both feasted on it at the same time, and like the last lizard they caught this one tasted delicious. As they ate, Sandstorms thoughts crossed back to the Spike-Backs. They were not fast movers by any means, but with the detour and time they spent catching this thing they had likely moved on by now.

She sniffed the air and was relieved when she caught their scent. They certainly were gone, but they left plenty of stench behind them.

“Great Starclan, those things reek more than Shadowclan cats!” Sandstorm joked, although it was mostly true. Fireheart laughed, “Yeah, they do!”

As they finished and satiated their hunger, Sandstorm and Fireheart left the corpse of the lizard behind. They couldn’t carry it the whole way, they both knew that, but they both made sure to fill themselves up. Once they were on their way, they made sure to keep track of the spike-back scent, it led them through winding outcrops, and as the sun slowly began to descend towards the horizon they rounded a final corner.

Once they emerged from behind the rocky outcropping, they could see it.

“Fireheart, look!” She said, they both bounded forward towards the sight.

It was a stream, a stream of clear, beautiful looking water. Surrounding it on both sides were a thin wall of Fern-Like Plants. There were no grasses, which Sandstorm found strange, but there were plenty of ferns, ranging in size and shape, and once they emerged through it and began to drink, Sandstorm tasted perhaps the greatest water she had tasted in her life.

Fireheart drank next to her, and after a moment they looked around them. The Ferns were cut and trampled nearby, probably by the Spike-Backs.

“Alright.” Fireheart said, “Now that we found a pretty nice place, how about we find a cave nearby and stay here for awhile?” 

Sandstorm couldn’t help but admit he was right, compared to every other place they had found so far this was paradise, clean water, probably some prey hiding in the ferns…they may be in a rush to get back, but they couldn’t just spend all day walking their paws off.

“Sure.” Sandstorm said, there was another rocky outcropping nearby, this one much bigger than the snakerocks back home. “How about we try and search there?” Sandstorm suggested.

“Good idea.” Fireheart agreed, and they both began to search the rocks. It didn’t take too long to locate a suitable crevice to shelter in overnight, it wasn’t much different from the last one, only a bit smaller or more cramped, and that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, since it would protect them if the Sabre-Beast came back.

Sandstorm sniffed the air as the sun went down, the light dimming. It was a beautiful sunset, all sorts of red colors and everything. She wished she could stay and stare at it, but it came as it went, quickly and far too soon. She kept sniffing the ground, and she suddenly caught a scent that made her fur bristle.

It was like the Sabre-Fang Scent, but weaker, almost as if it was smaller. It actually smelled a lot like whatever creature that thing dispatched last night, and she began to realize the scent wasn’t alone. It was mixed with at least three or even four others of its kind, of its species. Four or Five of those things was a fight neither of them could win, and she knew that. Luckily, the scents were stale, they must have moved on by now. As the Full Moon rose high into the sky she padded back to the little crevice Fireheart had found, he had dragged some of the leaves of one of the ferns over it, making them a temporary and makeshift den.

“Not bad.” She purred as she made her way inside, it wasn’t as comfortable as the Warriors Den back at camp, but it beat just the rocks they had yesterday. She laid on some of the fern leaves towards the back of the den, Fireheart laying on his own nearby. His eyes were focused, on guard at the den.

“I already checked.” Sandstorm insisted, “Anything nearby has moved on already, and the wind will carry scents towards us, we’ll be fine.” She meowed, she kept looking at Fireheart, his green eyes met her own in a long glance, a glare that was supposed to tell him he should really get some rest. He relented after a moment. “Alright.” Fireheart said with a sigh, lowering his head onto his paws. His eyes looked heavy, and she guessed he was as exhausted as her “Good Night, Sandstorm.” He meowed, his breathing grew softer, she did feel a bit worried he was carrying too much weight on his shoulders, he seemed far too stressed, even given their situation.

“Good Night, Fireheart…” She meowed drowsily, yawning. She was completely exhausted from the day, even though she was refreshed by the stream. Her paws were sore from their adventures, and she offered no resistance as sleep overtook her.

The Inostrancevia walked slowly on the ground, its ‘paws’ leaving tracks in the sand, it was flanked by its mate and kits, despite being young the kits were actually rather formidable creatures already, being the size of the Smaller-Sabre fangs that roamed the landscape. She sniffed the air, still tracking the scent of the small creatures, they were following the spike-backs evidently, although with the sun setting perhaps it was time to sleep for the night as well.

She led the family up a rocky outcropping, one of many nearby, and settled down on it. Her mate joined her, and the kits slept in the middle as the pair curled around them protectively. They would sleep, too.

Chapter Text

The Next Sunrise came quickly, their sleep went uninterrupted, thank Starclan, he was exhausted from Starclans vision last night, and despite the stress of their situation, he couldn’t help but feel a bit hopeful. This little stream they found wasn’t that bad, it had plenty of water, some shelter, even some plants. There were no grasses or flowers here, however, which made him miss the forest even more. He had always taken them for granted, they had just seemed so normal it was never necessary to imagine a world without them. When he got back, after they dealt with Tigerclaw, he’d make sure to pay all of Thunderclans clearings a visit. He could only imagine the grass now, the needles against his paws.

“You look like you slept well.” Sandstorm mused, rising from her own nest nearby.

“I had amazing dreams where I was on grass again.” He said, half sarcastic with his tone, but he was serious, those dreams he had certainly put into perspective how amazing such simple things really were. They were stuck in a time where there was no such thing, evidently, he remembered Sunstars words, a time before even the grasses of the forest took hold…

“Far superior dreams to mine.” Sandstorm said, “I was drowning in prey, rabbits, squirrels, even some of those lizard things.” He saw her flick her tongue out across her muzzle, “But I guess it wasn’t to be.”

“That’s not a half-bad dream.” Fireheart noted, stretching and yawning, his claws scratching against the ground as he did, leaving scratches against the rock. The Rising Sun filtered light through the den, he ducked a bit, squinting his eyes as the narrow entrance cast light on him.

“What a bright day.” Sandstorm said, squinting her eyes as well.

“We’ll see Blue Squirrels before the Sun stops torturing us.” Fireheart joked, his heart softened a bit however as he realized it was something Graystripe would say. He still had a lot to say about his relationship with Silverstream, but Starclan…if there was ever a cat to have at his side…

He shook his head, briefly looking back to Sandstorm, who was stretching in her nest, the light of the sun lighting up the markings of her fur. Fireheart looked at her for just a moment, not even a long, lingering glance, she was a well muscled cat, somewhat sleek, a strong and good build overall. She wasn’t a half-bad cat to get stuck with, although he realized that yesterday. Ideally, he wasn’t stuck here at all, or it was Tigerclaw being sentenced here instead, but that was beyond his control.

The moment of thought passed, his gaze went from Sandstorm as she finished collecting herself to the area outside. The Greenery wasn’t very dense, the tall ferns did stretch high, but even the shorter ones only stayed for about…say, ten or twenty tail-lengths from the stream. The Desert was very visible, and beyond their little rock lay more of it. The Stream itself was also very small, he hadn’t noted exactly how deep, but he could clearly see the bottom and it was almost certainly shallow enough to wade across, he wondered how desperate the plants here were to cling to such a small source.

“I need a drink.” Sandstorm said, walking up from behind him, she gestured for him to follow her, he complied, feeling the need for water as well. They padded over to the stream, not a long walk, all things considered. As they began to lap the water, Fireheart took notice of the streams depth. It was shallower than yesterday, probably whatever boost it got from the rain was wearing off. Once he was finished drinking, he ducked one of his paws in gently, the water splashing against it, a cool yet refreshing feeling against his paws, he dipped his paw lower, and it touched the bottom. He had to move forward to accomplish it, the water was about as high as the lower area of his shoulders, all things considered, at absolute maximum. 

“This stream will probably dry up.” Fireheart said, “If streams dry up back home during green-leaf, there is no way this one will last long at all here.”

Sandstorm shrugged, “You’re right, probably. Sucks, I was starting to like that cave.” She said with a sigh, “Where do we go from here?” She asked.

Fireheart gestured downstream, “I can see the plants thicken further down, it might join with another stream, maybe.”

Sandstorm nodded, “Well, when should we leave?”

Fireheart shook his head, “We don’t have too yet, it’ll probably last a few more days, we should probably prepare ourselves for the journey ahead, though.”

Sandstorm nodded, “Well, we have water solved…for now, we should probably hunt again.”

Fireheart nodded, his stomach was starting to yowl at him for food a bit. The Sun had risen well over the horizon by now, its light snaking across the landscape. The Shadows from the rocky outcroppings shortened as they trudged through the ferns, trying to scent something, anything. Fireheart caught a faint scent, not a lizard thing, but another creature, several, some that had moved on by now. The Scent sent shivers through him, it reminded him of the Saber-Fang, but different, smaller, more numerous, granted it was long gone but the fact there were others out there confirmed Firehearts fears, they would have to be careful to not become crow-food.

“I think I can smell another one of those Lizard Things.” Sandstorm meowed, “Up-ahead, smells like another big one.”

Fireheart nodded, his mind snapped out of the brief bit of fear he was showing before, his eyes returned to the floor of the forest, his eyes trained on the ferns.

“You circle left.” Sandstorm said, “I’ll circle right, I’ll let you take this one.”

He grinned, he hadn’t gotten much chance to hunt in this starclan forsaken place yet. He wanted to do some hunting for himself, Sandstorm had taken up most of this role since they arrived, and his paws itched for the thrill of the hunt.

“Agreed.” He said, Sandstorm nodded, they sank low into the ferns, both of them crouching and slowly sneaking up towards the scent, Sandstorm parted towards the Right, her gently lashing tail vanishing behind the ferns. He took left, as she said, he trusted her judgement, she was probably the best at hunting of the group of apprentices they had both trained in, perhaps only challenged by Ravenpaw, who had been a fine hunter himself. He continued his way through the ferns, snaking around a couple of rocks, making sure not to rustle the plants too much.

He partially emerged from the clearing, keeping as low as possible to obscure his bright pelt. The Ferns partially shielded him from view as he looked upon the Lizard-Thing, it was even larger than the last, its long tail studded with a Mix of Green and Blue Stripes, a much more colorful display than the last ones as well. He noticed this one had particularly long claws, sharp, glistening in the sunlight. It was eating something, an insect, perhaps, by the looks of it, an…unsettlingly large flying insect bigger than a bird.

He gulped, he hadn’t seen any insects like that yet, but as it chomped down and devoured it he could see just how large the thing was, it looked like a Dragonfly, and the Lizard Thing had managed to kill it, somehow, despite being actually smaller than it. An impressive feat.

The Ferns shifted on the other side to reveal Sandstorm, her light ginger pelt contrasted with the forest floor, unlike the sandy rocks outside where it blended in perfectly. Her muscles stood bunched, her tail lashing behind her as she prepared a pounce. It was a common tactic for larger prey, two cats would circle around, one would scare it in a particular direction while the other would jump out and ambush it. It was typically done by apprentices, but given the circumstances they would have to utilize this as well.

She pounced, landing just short of the creature, its head whipped around at her, dropping its prey as it turned tail and ran straight towards Fireheart. It was distracted by Sandstorm, and now was his chance.

He leapt out of the ferns, sprinting full speed towards the lizard, its head whipped around to him, it scrambled to turn in another direction, losing all its momentum, he tacked it, his claws scratching its back as he flipped it over, going for the same move Sandstorm used, a simple snap to the neck would all it would take. He had it pinned to the ground, and it would be over quick.

Fireheart forgot one thing, however, as he pinned it down.

It had claws, horrible claws.

As he went in for the neck-snap, it took one of its clawed hands and slashed it across Firehearts left foreleg. Pain blossomed as it cut fairly deep, not too deep, but deep enough to draw blood. Fireheart gasped, quickly leaning down and biting its neck, with a quick snap, it was all over. 

“Great job!” Sandstorm purred, walking towards him. Her eyes were trained on the lizard at first, but they wandered to Fireheart, in particular, his left foreleg. Her eyes widened with a concern that Fireheart hadn’t yet fully seen from her.

“Fireheart!” She exclaimed, “You’re bleeding!”

He looked down at his leg, not a horribly deep wound, but blood was rolling down his fur.

“Oh.” He said, there was pain, quite a lot, infact, but he was so focused on his catch he had hardly noticed.

She sniffed his wound, he tried to move his foreleg towards his head so he could clean it, but pain lanced through it, he grimaced.

“Here.” She said, moving her head towards the wound, nosing it, “Let me clean it for you.”

Before he could protest, a new sting hit him as Sandstorms tongue rasped across the wound, he shuddered from the feeling, he wasn’t used to this at all. He typically cleaned his own wounds for himself, or had let yellowfang grumble about them as she properly treated them. Having Sandstorm do it, however, was a completely different sensation. She was no medicine cat, and who knows if Spiders were around to make cobwebs in this horrid time. She cleaned his wound for him for a few moments or so, eventually she stepped back, the blood seemed to be gone for now at least.

“Well, erm, thanks.” Fireheart said, a bit embarrassed.

“Can you walk?” She asked, he put some weight on the paw. It ached, and it wasn’t a great feeling, but he felt like he could manage.

“Yeah.” He said, “It’s a bit sore, but I think I can make it back to the crevice without my leg falling off.” 

Sandstorm shot him an amused glance, “Wanna race?” She asked sarcastically, now it was Firehearts turn to shoot her an amused look. A grin spread across his face.

“Very funny.” Fireheart grumbled as he limped back to the crevice, followed closely by Sandstorm who carried the lizard in her jaws. He could tell it was heavy and must have been hard for her to carry, but in his condition Sandstorm made it extremely clear to him he was putting as little stress on his legs as possible. When he got back to the crevice, he lay in his nest, his wound sore. Sandstorm lay in hers nearby, keeping watch over the den. The Lizard corpse lay between them, ready for consumption. She got up and nosed it towards him, and spoke with a gentle tone.

“Eat.” She said softly, “It is your catch, after all.”

Fireheart gave it a glance, the claws caught his eye, he could see drops of his own dried blood on one of them, which made his stomach turn a little.

“I’m not hungry.” He insisted, Sandstorm gave him a glare.

“I don’t think that's true.” She affirmed, “Eat, Mouse brain.” She nosed it closer until the corpse was practically touching him, he couldn’t deny he was hungry. 

“Fine.” He relented, he took a bite, it tasted as good as the others, and part of him was prideful it was his catch as well. He took another bite, Sandstorm purred, shifting around to the other side opposite from him and eating it as well.

“I wonder if this thing is the only prey out here?” Sandstorm asked, “I mean, this lizard-thing is great and all, but those claws are something to avoid.”

“I mean, we can always try and find more of those insects.” Fireheart suggested, “Those things look huge after all, and if one of those lizard-things can catch then I am sure we can as well.”

“Insects!?” Sandstorm gasped, “I’m not a Shadowclan cat, Fireheart!”

“I’m sure there has to be some other form of prey then.” Fireheart meowed, “We’ll find it, eventually, for now lets just eat.”

They returned to their meal, Fireheart hadn’t taken note of how Sandstorm was acting until now, he assumed her behavior had to deal with a lot more of their current behavior than anything to do with him specifically. She had been warming up to him gradually since they became warriors, and particularly since that day he saved her from falling off the gorge. Beyond that, however, he hadn't had too much time to get to know her before, she seemed so closed off, outright hostile, before then. He was only just now realizing how protective she was, he wondered if she treated everyone she was close to this way, or if her protectiveness of him was amplified by the situation of being stranded starclan-knows how long in the past. As his eyes settled back on Sandstorm, her muscles rippling under her pelt as she ate, he began to question what his own thoughts on Sandstorms protectiveness was.

The day was brought to them on rays of a morning sun seen countless times by her before, yet the Inostrancevia…she had no concept of true beauty, that wasn’t something her species hadn’t needed to characterize yet, beyond perhaps admiring the markings of a mate for courting. Why would an apex predator like herself need such feelings, everything she truly needed was already in her instincts, a bit of curiosity, the ability to feel fear, protecting her kits and mate…hunger, thirst…what more did one need?

She got up, her mate and kits stirring, they did not need to rush, the floodlands were close, the rocky outcroppings typically crossed by small streams that led to them. She had been to the Floodlands before, they consisted of much longer rivers which winded down from the high-peaks, long rivers that were deep and drained to an endless sea, although that sea was a bit far off, the rivers themselves composed of a winding complex of streams, the main rivers and most importantly, marshlands. Marshlands, Forests, and the creatures that inhabited them. Lots of creatures called the Marshlands and Forests of the Floodlands home, some prey, some she’d like to avoid, even if they could beat them in a fight.

Perhaps her worst fear were the Fast-Fangs, creatures that while smaller than her were bigger than the Small-Fangs. She could take one, perhaps even two or three of them, but they struck in packs, packs unusually large. She had seen them strike down her fellow Sabres before using their numbers, and they posed great threat to her kits, and there was the matter of those intruders…a very tumultuous wet-season this would be, indeed.

They would make this quick, she hoped, or a feeling close to that, that the Fast-Fangs had no part in their travels.

Chapter Text

Sandstorm knew it would happen eventually, as soon as she saw the Lizard-Things claws for the first time she knew they were trouble. She didn’t think it was just skill that led her to catch them without any injury, it was probably a bit of luck too. It was an unusually large one of an already unusually large brand of lizards Fireheart encountered, it probably could have happened to her as well.

She gave Firehearts wound a little glance again, she had made sure to clean it thoroughly, Whitestorm had insisted Spottedleaf show her how to do that on one of her first days of training, she hadn’t understood why of course, but Whitestorm and Redtail had insisted it be one of her and Dustpaws first lessons, but now she was extremely grateful she learned that. She had made sure to clean it with care, she was no medicine cat, but she thought she did well enough. That did not stop her from continued and occasional glances at his leg to make sure it was ok, she hadn’t realized how stressed his injury had made her before, she was all too used to being alone. Fireheart was her connection to their warrior ancestors in Starclan, and moreover, he was a friend.

She didn’t know exactly when she began to see Fireheart in a more friendly light, it was some time after he…saved her from falling into the gorge. It was not an instant process, it took her a couple of sunrises to confront she had a growing respect for the flame-colored tom, and even longer for them to realize some sort of friendship. Now that they were stranded, however, she felt bad for the Tom as well, knowing he had been carrying the burden of truth about Tigerclaw for so long. He was a loyal cat at heart, she could see that, and she hated that she couldn’t see it earlier at a time when he dealt with other cats who would say nothing more kind to him then mock him over being a kittypet. 

“Sandstorm.” Fireheart said, “I’m getting thirsty.”

She snapped out of her thoughts and faced the Ginger-colored tom yet again. “We just had a drink!” She exclaimed

“Yeah, but then we went on that hunt, and came back here, and we’ve been sitting here for awhile…” Fireheart said, Sandstorm huffed, grooming herself by licking her paw and drawing it over her forehead.

“Are you sure you’re even capable of making the trip to the stream?” Sandstorm asked, her voice betrayed her concern, and she knew that. She knew there wasn’t much alternative if Fireheart really needed water, the typical ‘soak a ball of moss’ wouldn’t work here since she hadn’t seen much of that so far.

Fireheart nodded grimly, “I think…I think I can make it that far.”

Sandstorm gave a sigh, “Alright then…but we have to be quick, you can’t do any running if we find something that doesn’t agree with us.”

“So I’m helpless.” Fireheart sighed, Sandstorm wanted to say otherwise, she really did, but this was a harsh world as they’d collectively come to discover, and if they encountered one of those Sabre-Fangs…

She pushed that thought aside, the wind was flowing downstream, if it had followed them they’d smell it. Fireheart could still walk, he just couldn’t put weight onto that leg.

“You are not helpless.” Sandstorm said, moving closer to him. “You’re a brave cat, Fireheart, even with an injured paw you could still claw up something pretty bad, I’d bet.”

Fireheart purred, “How much prey would you bet on that?”

“I have no prey to bet.” Sandstorm said, gesturing to the Lizard-Thing Fireheart had caught, “This was your catch, but I would be willing to bet whatever I catch next.”

“Lets hope I don’t win that bet then.” Fireheart said, “We shouldn’t be fighting anything at all in my condition, let's hope today doesn’t get any more eventful.”

Sandstorm knew he was right, but still gave him a sarcastic “Heh!” as they left the safety of their crevice. The air was hot, increasingly hot, she really did think at this point she could burst into flame at any moment. Fireheart walked surprisingly well, given his injury, and Sandstorm was impressed. She did have to push against Fireheart to support him when he faltered, but that wasn’t often. It wasn’t even the first time he’d impressed her so far in the past few moons, either.

When they reached the stream, she made sure to take frequent drinks as well. She couldn’t possibly blame Fireheart for anything at this point, the heat was searing. Her gaze followed the stream as it curved into the distance, disappearing behind a bend covered with ferns. The Stream would almost certainly dry up, she could see that now Fireheart had been completely right, and it was only a matter of time before they had to move. There was a clear damp area on the pebbles next to the stream that indicated the water level was falling, after all.

“Do you think there are any fish in here?” She asked Fireheart.

“Too shallow.” Fireheart responded, “Besides, we aren’t Riverclan, I don’t think we’d catch any if there was.”

Sandstorm shrugged, “Food is food.”

“Food is food only if we catch it.” Fireheart corrected, “Fish in a stream do us no good unless it's in our bellies.”

She nodded, “Let's get back to the shelter for now, we are good on food for the day.”

She nudged Fireheart back from the stream, “Let’s go.” She told him, she made sure he stayed steady on his paws, and remarkably he did without much assistance, despite his limp he only needed her to steady him once.

When they returned to lay in their respective nests, Sandstorm took notice of clouds building on the horizon. These were towering stormclouds, more intense than any she had ever seen, stretching into the sky impossibly high and casting dark shadows on distant mountains.

“More rain.” Fireheart meowed, “Great, that means we can stay here a little while longer.”

“It also means it’ll be cooler, hopefully.” She agreed, she hoped the rain kept the Sabre-Fangs away as well, although she didn’t voice that concern, Fireheart knew as well as she did that thing was still out there, and could reasonably be following or stalking them. 

They lay in silence for a few awkward moments, watching the clouds slowly drift closer

“So, uhhh…” She heard Fireheart try and initiate a conversation, she turned towards him, curious as to what he was going to say.

“Graystripe.” Fireheart said hastily, “Opinions on him.”

Odd Subject. Sandstorm thought, “He’s a good warrior, I think.” She said, “He is out of camp a lot though, and he seems to not bring back as much fresh-kill as he should, but he is a loyal cat at heart.” Her words were honest, but Sandstorm noticed that she caught a look of nervousness in Firehearts eye, and she wondered what made him that way.

“What are your thoughts?” She asked, “On him, y’know…you guys aren’t as close as you used to be.”

Fireheart sighed, a long sigh that made her tense, “Graystripe has been…different lately, distracted to say the least.”

“I’ve noticed.” She said, “What is he distracted by?”

Fireheart took an even longer time to answer that question, “Personal things, things I do not approve of and have decided to not pry into further for both our sakes.”

She nodded, “You two are still friends at least, right?”

“Yes…” Fireheart meowed “Just a rough patch, for now.”

“Better than what I could say with me and Dustpelt.” Sandstorm said sadly.

“You and Dustpelt?” Fireheart gasped, a bit shocked, “You two have been inseparable forever!?”

“We’ve had some arguments lately.” She said, “After the Gorge, he seemed pretty insistent on keeping up with his bullying of you, I told him to knock it off one day, and he asked If I was going to side with a kittypet, I told him I was siding with a Clanmate…it got a bit more heated, and things aren’t really the same anymore.” She sighed, “I don’t want to talk about it any more, Dustpelt has some growing to do, I think.”

“We all do.” Fireheart said, she smiled a bit, he was right about that for sure.

“I guess we do.” She meowed.

The Inostrancevia did not spend the day simply lounging around, although she did not make great progress in tracking the strange intruders either. She had gotten distracted by the extremely enticing opportunity of a Lone Spike-Back wandering around, an older elder of its species. It was large, but obviously very weak. It clearly hailed from the lands of the great desert, a nearly endless space that filled much of the mainland; there were occasional oases inside, but those were disappearing. A lot of the Spike-Backs and other plant-eaters often made crossings to the more lush areas near the coast, including through the floodlands. This involved, unfortunately, crossing through the grand deserts, which stretched on seemingly forever. Many Spike-Backs did not survive this journey, and those who did came through in far reduced numbers to those before. So often were these crossings made that some lone predators could thrive out in the desert hunting them alone, although she would not dare endanger her kits by getting near the endless dunes.

She made a soft sound to her mate, a mix of something reptilian and something more mammalian, a low sound typically used to grab the attention of her fellow Sabre-Fang. Her mate understood the gesture, both of them nudged the kits individually until all three of them followed them. They would have to hunt someday, and a demonstration was in order. They would sit back and watch as their parents performed their little hunt.

The Inostrancevias crept closer to the Spike-Back, it noticed them, it became distressed. It began to try and escape, although its legs could not carry it away anywhere near fast enough. It stumbled, sprawling in the hard sand. She lunged, her mate beside her, she saw him turn and flank him from the other side. Larger Sabre-Fangs like herself typically did not pack hunt, although obviously mates and on occasion younger kits still bound by family did hunt together.

It didn’t take long for this particular hunt to come to its end, the Spike-Back, weak and old tried to reposition itself away from her mate, driving its vulnerable next right towards her. What followed next was the circle of life incarnate, her teeth silencing its throat and granting her family of kits another day of survival.

The feast lasted long, they were hungry, and the food was plenty. As the day dragged on, they lounged around next to the carcass. She felt she could sleep forever, but that was not to be, for she heard a curious rustling behind her, followed by the sounds of chewing. She looked towards her kits, they were sleeping in a pile between her and her mate, who himself was sleeping. She glanced at all 3 of them, Sabres like her species did not typically have too much diversity in patterns, the males had some colorful fur-like hairs typically to attract a mate, although both male and females could support their own unique stripes and spots, although never too colorful. The kits sported a small mix of colors, mostly sandy brown with lighter stripes and spots, nothing too extreme.

What interested her, however, was that her entire family was right there in front of her, and something else was chewing at their carcass.

She turned around, her claws digging at the dust until she saw that an intruder had indeed tried to stake a claim to her meal, a Small-Sabre. A Primal form of anger flooded through her as she let out a roar at the creature, it turned tail and ran, scampering off to hide behind the corpse.

More anger, she placed her paw on the corpse, then the other forepaw, balancing partially on top and looking down at the Small-Sabre. She let out a snarl, and it scampered off, its red-leathery skin vanishing into the distance. She looked where it ran, it was heading towards the floodlands, towards wherever those creatures of Fire and Sand were heading.

She settled back down in her sleeping spot, they would sleep until the storm came, and they’d head back to their cave and weather it, as they always had.