This story takes place in 'Into The Wild'. In the next few books, Firestar had admitted that things would be different if Spottedleaf hadn't died. So in the scene of Clawface killing Spottedleaf and the scene of Firepaw meeting Yellowfang...what if those scenes had never happened? Would Firepaw have had a different path leading to a different love?

Chapter 1: Spottedleaf

Firepaw looked in horror and disbelief at the unmoving lump of fur. Her pelt was torn and her throat was slowly bubbling with the dark, crimson liquid. Just as Firepaw was ready to push his nose in the familiar tortoiseshell fur, Spottedleaf's body gave a tiny jerk and her jaws opened slightly in her shallow gasping breaths for air.

Firepaw stared unbelievably at the beautiful medicine cat. "Spottedleaf?" he whispered.

Spottedleaf just moved her jaws in reply. But even this small movement sent the blood oozing out of her throat faster.

Firepaw panicked. "Bluestar!" he yowled.

Bluestar came limping rapidly towards him. "What's the matter?" she puffed as she reached him.

"It's Spottedleaf!" Firepaw gasped. "S-she is awake!"

Bluestar looked at him in disbelief and joy. Then she pushed him away and bent down to sniff Spottedleaf's body. Only her rapid rising and falling of her flank told them that she was alive. "She is awake!" Bluestar exclaimed. "Quick, Firepaw, go get some cobwebs! We have to stop the bleeding first and just snatch some herbs too, incase some of them are useful."

Firepaw nodded and dashed off for Spottedleaf's den. He ran through the cool, fern tunnel and into the clearing. When he got there he was pretty much out of breath, he felt dizzy and he gasped for air. Spottedleaf's den was well arranged so it wasn't hard to find the cobwebs. Firepaw wrapped his forepaw full of cobwebs and looked around for herbs. He spotted a pile of bundled leaves, so he snatched up a few bundles and a few leaves on his way out.

As Firepaw dropped the herbs at Bluestar's paws, he flung down on the ground, exhausted. "Well done." Bluestar moewed as she peeled the cobwebs off his forepaw and pressed them onto the wound on Spottedleaf's neck. "What herbs have you brought?" Bluestar opened up a bundle of the leaves and inspected the herb carefully. Firepaw peeked in. Had he brought the wrong herb?

"Goldenrod." Bluestar finally meowed. "I think it was...it was...for healing wounds."

"Great!" Firepaw couldn't contain his happiness and began to chew up some of the leaves. The bitter taste trickled down onto his tongue and into his throat. He grimaced then he lowered his head so that the juice would not be wasted. Bluestar had already spat out some chewed leaves into a poultice. Firepaw then spat out his chewed up leaves into the poultice.

"That's enough I think." Bluestar said. And she took half of the poultice and smeared it onto the cobwebs on Spottedleaf's throat. The cobwebs instantly stained green with herb juice and Spottedleaf gently moaned as the juice reached her wound but her breaths were still shallow. Bluestar put the rest of the poultice onto Spottedleaf's torn pelt and then covered it with cobwebs.

Firepaw looked in silence then he sniffed the other leaves that he had snatched on his way out of Spottedleaf's den. He remember seeing it before. Spottedleaf had once told him about some of the herbs she had needed for she had wanted him to collect some if he sees them. Firepaw searched his mind for a name and the use. Suddenly it came to him.

"Bluestar," Firepaw moewed. Bluestar turned her head around. "Let Spottedleaf chew these." Firepaw pushed the leaves towards Bluestar.

"These." Bluestar inspected the leaves. "What are they?"

"They're coltsfoot. It helps the shortness of breath."

Bluestar nodded. "Very well." She bent her head and chewed up some leaves into a pulp. Then she parted Spottedleaf's jaws gently. "Firepaw, put the pulp into her mouth."

Firepaw pawed up the pulp and gently pushed it into Spottedleaf's mouth. Spottedleaf's jaws were slowly moving up and down in her chewing to swallow the pulp. Then jaws parted again to gasp for air, but this time her gasps were more even. Firepaw breathed a sigh of relief.

Bluestar sighed too. "Firepaw, you can stay here with Spottedleaf, and if she feels unwell again, call me."

Firepaw nodded and settled himself down more comfortably beside Spottedleaf.

- - - - - -

At dusk, when the breezes became colder, Firepaw shivered, longing for his warm nest. The Sandpaw came with a ball of moss dangling from her jaws. She settled it beside him. "Here." she mewed. "Bluestar sent me to give you some bedding."

"Thanks." Firepaw said, glad for the warm bedding. He began to make a nest for himself and Spottedleaf.

"Firepaw..." Sandpaw's voice suddenly sounded, and Firepaw looked up. He was surprised to see how warmly Sandpaw was looking at him.

"Er...wh-what?" Firepaw stammered.

"N-nothing." Sandpaw looked away, but Firepaw didn't miss the glance she gave Spottedleaf. What was she thinking? Sandpaw headed for the apprentices' den, leaving Firepaw puzzled. What did Sandpaw mean? Did it mean that...she suspected that Firepaw likes Spottedleaf? Or...was it something else?