With All the Force of a Great Typhoon [CLOSED]

Firestone was slowly returning to be his usual self. He had talked to Gingerstripe... they made up and even if they are separated by great distance, they could call each other brothers again. Of course, everything that happened would never be forgotten but the flame-furred tom was willing to forgive. He did not hate his only brother. He was angry... he made mistakes... and he regretted them. The senior warrior knew that.

Even if he still didn't respect Littlestar as his leader, he found a family with Violetshine. They had no kits but he didn't care. It was enough for him to have her as his mate. She made him happy and made him feel young again. It was wonderful. And now, the deputy had given him an apprentice. But not every apprentice. It was his friend's kit, Brushpaw. The tom knew that none of her kits had passed apprentice-hood and that had brought grief and sadness for both Cedarstorm and Crowfur. He was going to do his best to make their daughter a good and strong Shadowclan warrior. "Brushpaw! We're leaving soon! Meet me at the entrance!" He shouted as soon as he spotted the apprentice in the clearing of the camp. He flicked his tail with a cheerful spirit he had forgotten and then walked to the exit, ready to leave.

Brushpaw had spent the morning anxiously awaiting her mentor's call, wondering why the tom was taking so long and what he was planning for them to do today. She didn't eat, because she hadn't hunted yet, and didn't go explore the territory because she knew she shouldn't. Had he forgotten her? Would he be one of those neglectful mentors that the other apprentices always grumbled about? When Firestone finally called, she exhaled in relief, glad that she hadn't been forgotten but also slightly annoyed that it had taken so long. Was he so old that he couldn't remember which apprentice he was training? Or did she just blend in with the ground? Still, the long-furred she-cat's face was calm as she approached the much larger tom at the camp entrance. Her mother respected Firestone, and so would she. He would teach her everything. "I'm ready. What are we doing today?" Brushpaw asked politely, not letting her eagerness show.

"Good question. Since you haven't visited the clan's lands, I think I could show one of our most useful prey sources and teach some things about hunting. I can show a little secret if you're a good apprentice today, what do you think?" He purred, knowing that he hadn't been the best mentor lately due to his unstable situation. Now he was getting slowly better, it was the moment to teach Brushpaw what she needed to be a warrior. Cedarstorm would be proud of her one day and he would make sure of that.

The large, plump tom walked to the exit, smiling at the young she-cat playfully like he used to do when Gingerstripe was in the clan. Firestone couldn't be stuck in the past forever. His brother, despite everything, was safe and he had a life here in Shadowclan. Why couldn't he give himself the chance to enjoy like when he was a kit and an apprentice? "Don't stay behind! There's a lot to learn!" And with those words, the orange-furred tom left the camp, walking to the direction of the Deep Marshes.

Brushpaw blinked in surprise at her mentor's sudden enthusiasm, and almost... apprentice-like manner as he bounced off into the pine forest. Weren't older cats supposed to be serious? She'd never seen a warrior act like that before. He was like an overgrown kit, going out to play for the first time. Of all the things she'd expected of the tom who was supposed to teach her everything she needed to know, this.... was not even on the list. Well, this should be interesting. After a slightly stunned and more than a little apprehensive silence, the fluffy mottled she-cat followed Firestone into the forest. She still needed to learn hunting, even if it was from a tom who seemed to have lost part of his mind. It was easy to keep track of his dark red pelt in the early morning light, and so she caught up with him without much trouble. His eyes were green and bright, happy about... something. She didn't know what. "So..." she began hesitantly, not liking the silence as she walked behind him, "I've heard that you had a brother once. Warriors mention him, then look at me and stop talking if I walk in on them. His name was Ginger... Ginger-something? What was he like, and why do cats not want me to know about him?" If anything, this would get her some good information- and maybe get some sense into the tom.

The older tom enjoyed the walk and he was happy when the apprentice was ready to talk to him. But her words let him stunned and the brightness in his eyes disappeared. He looked to the front, away from the younger she-cat. He slowly turned into that serious, bitter tom he disliked... the one who was created after the mess his life turned out to be. However... he remembered that not everything was bad. His brother was alive, living a peaceful life in the barn, away from the troubles. They had talked and they were on good terms. That was all he could ask for in such a situation.

Firestone took a deep breath and then turned his sight to Cedarstorm's daughter. "His name was Gingerstripe and yes, he was my brother. Together, we were unstoppable and we considered ourselves as one of the best warriors in the clan. He was a good brother. More easily angered than me but he had a good heart." He continued walking with a nostalgic smile. "But he did a mistake. Is not a secret among the clan but it's no wonder why young cats like you don't know. The former medicine cat broke the Code and me and my brother was the result. When Gingerstripe knew this... he couldn't take it so when our mother was exiled, he followed her and pushed her to the Thunderpath. Moons after that, the clan knew it and he was exiled as well."

The senior warrior stopped in a clearing and face Brushpaw. There was no anger. The truth was sometimes painful to remember but it was still there and there was no reason to hide it. "I won't ask you to see him as a good cat. For me, he was a good one but our life wasn't an easy one after that betrayal and he dealt with that in a different way. If I have to be honest, I think his exile was unfair considering that the she-cat who punished him was the same cat that lied to the entire clan and to us by telling that she was our mother. But there's nothing I can do now. I'm still a Shadowclan warrior and, as I swore, I'm loyal to the Code and to the clan. I miss my brother dearly but clan always come before blood. That's one of the hardships of being a warrior, young Brushpaw."

The second Firestone began monologuing, Brushpaw regretted asking the question. However, the news cast a different light onto her mentor. His mother was a medicine cat? A brother, exiled for murder? So apparently the tom wasn't as perfect as he seemed. It was interesting to know that impurity ran that deep, even in ShadowClan. She hadn't expected that. The news was concerning, to say the least, but she wasn't quite sure what to make of it yet. She was just a brand-new apprentice. Was this how it felt to all of her Clanmates, when they figured out the truth? That the code was no more than a plaything to most cats? But, maybe, she was jumping to conclusions. Perhaps there were better cats out there... she'd have to see. As a sudden silence fell, the mottled she-cat realized with a blink that Firestone had finished speaking. Good job, Brushpaw. "Um... all right," she meowed finally, feeling more than a little awkward after having her mentor's life story unloaded right onto her inexperienced shoulders. "Should we... start training, then?"