Icewind's Path Ch 1

by Icecats

Icekit is born into ThunderClan under the rule of Bramblestar. But her dreams and the actions of the cats tell her that her parents harbour a secret; a secret that everyone but her seems to know. But a tragedy forces the secret to the very back of her mind as her dangerous path begins to roll out before her... For more, visit my Deviant art account here:

Chapter 1

Icekit blinked in the bright morning light, her eyes dazzled by the glare. Somehow, she knew she was dreaming. She was standing by a river, the soft rushing sound of the water beating gently against her ear fur.

Just then, soft pawsteps made her turn her head, and Icekit saw her mother, Frostfern, padding towards her. Frostfern gazed at her with a face full of uncertainty for a moment, her long grey and white fur rippling in the slight breeze, before she leaned down to pick Icekit up by her scruff. Icekit wailed in complaint and fear as the river disappeared from sight, and her mother carried her into darkness.

At a sharp jab in her side, Icekit jolted awake. Firekit was gazing down at her, blue eyes gleaming. "Had another nightmare, Icekit?" she hissed unkindly. "What was it this time? A monster butterfly carried you off?" Silverkit padded up beside his sister.

"No, I'll bet it was a beetle that tried to eat her!" he yowled in a mocking tone.

Suddenly, Hawkkit jumped between Icekit and her tormentors, facing up to her siblings bravely. "Leave her alone you two!" she growled, her amber eyes flashing. "Real warriors respect their elders!"

"Icekit's not that much older than us," Firekit mewed mutinously.

Silverkit scuffed the ground in front of him with his paws. "Yea, Hawkkit, why do you always stand up for her?"

"Because, Icekit's my friend." Turning her nose up, the little brown tabby looked down on her siblings archly.

"Well I'm your sister!" Firekit hissed. "You should be on our side! And you shouldn't be friends with that fish-breath!"

Suddenly, Frostfern entered the den with a mouse in her jaws. Setting down the mouse, she growled, "That's enough. If you can't play nice, then don't play at all!" Pushing Firekit and Silverkit out of her nest, Frostfern settled down beside Icekit.

Pebblestream glared at Frostfern from across the nursery as her kits padded back to her. Hawkkit stayed with Icekit, but her mother growled, "Come away from them Hawkkit."

As Hawkkit turned to leave, Icekit jumped to her paws to lick her cheek. "Thanks," she murmured.

Frostfern wrapped her tail around Icekit with one last glare at Pebblestream and her kits.

Icekit sighed sadly. "Frostfern, why are they so mean to me?"

The grey and white queen looked away, and simply muttered, "It doesn't matter. I love you, that's all that matters." Nudging the mouse towards her kit, Frostfern murmured in a softer voice, "Now why don't you have something to eat?"

Shaking her head, Icekit mumbled, "I'm not hungry."

Frostfern sighed. "Why don't you go outside and play then? I'm tired from my hunting patrol, so I'm going to take a nap. But Flamebreeze is outside, so she'll keep an eye on you." Icekit flinched at the harsh edge of her mother's voice as she mentioned Flamebreeze. For some reason, the orange tabby didn't like her mother, but she loved Icekit like all the kits. Sometimes Flamebreeze would tell her that it's not her fault Frostfern made bad choices, but she would never explain what she meant. All Icekit knew was that some cats treated her mother and her like outcasts, and she hated the poisoned looks that got shot their way.

Heaving herself to her paws, she scrambled out of the nursery and into the bright morning light. Flamebreeze purred as she entered the clearing. "Good morning Icekit," she murmured, her swollen belly rising and falling gently as she enjoyed the sun. "Did you come to enjoy this beautiful day?"

"Firekit and Silverkit were picking on me again," she mumbled, looking down at her white paws.

"Never mind them," Flamebreeze purred, giving her a reassuring lick. "Why don't you play with that moss ball over there?"

Icekit padded over to the moss and batted at it half-heartedly, but she wasn't in the mood to play. With a sigh, she sat down and watched as the cats went about their business, the warm scents of ThunderClan welcoming her. Blossomfall, Bumblestripe and Dovewing stood near the entrance, ready to go out on patrol. Ivypool called for her apprentice, Robinpaw, and the five cats headed out of camp.

A couple of the elders, Sorreltail and Sandstorm, were sunning themselves. Graystripe and Millie were sharing tongues outside the elder's den, but Icekit noticed that Graystripe kept casting glances at the entrance tunnel, as if he longed to go out on patrol again. The old warrior had moved to the elders' den recently, and it seemed as if he wasn't quite used to the peace and quiet. The other two elders, Daisy and Brackenfur, must still be sleeping in the den.

The two medicine cats, Jayfeather and Seedwhisker, emerged from their den, apparently going out to collect herbs. Lilystripe and Spiderleg met them at the thorn tunnel, ready to escort them as they worked because a fox had been scented in the territory recently. Jayfeather twitched his ear irritably as if he hated the fact that he needed an escort in his own territory.

Bramblestar emerged from his den, looking around the camp with his head held high. Leaping down the rock fall, he made his way towards Flamebreeze with a loud purr rumbling in his throat.

"How are you feeling this morning, Flamebreeze?" he meowed, leaning down to lick her head. Icekit remembered that Flamebreeze was his and Squirrelflight's kit, just like her father, Cloudwind.

"I'm fine, just like every morning Bramblestar," the orange tabby purred in amusement, her amber eyes glowing with affection.

Bramblestar tilted his head as he gazed at his daughter. "Are you sure? You don't feel sick? No unusual pains? Did you get Jayfeather or Seedwhisker to have a look at you yet today?"

Before Flamebreeze could respond, Squirrelflight padded up, nudging her mate good-naturedly. "Bramblestar, you worry more than a sick queen! Flamebreeze will be fine. She's a strong warrior, and it's greenleaf, the best season for having kits." Licking Flamebreeze between the ears, Squirrelflight meowed, "All your bothering is going to give her a bellyache!"

Bramblestar ducked his head in a rare moment of embarrassment, mumbling, "I'm only worried because it's her first litter."

"You worried when I was having my first litter too, and look how well that went," Squirrelflight retorted, flicking the dark pelted leader with her tail.

Bramblestar spotted Icekit sitting not too far away. "And how are you this morning, Icekit?" he asked, a curious gleam in his eye.

Standing a little taller for being addressed directly by her leader, she mewed, "Fine thank you."

With a nod, Bramblestar turned as Hazletail, Mousewhisker, Berrynose and Poppyfrost returned from patrol. "I'd better go hear their report," the tabby murmured, half to himself before padding away.

Giving Flamebreeze one last lick, Squirrelflight followed Bramblestar. No sooner had they left, Molefur, Flamebreeze's mate, padded up with a sparrow in his jaws. "I brought you this," Molefur purred, setting the sparrow down before her. "I can't stay though, I'm on another hunting patrol." With a wave of his tail, Molefur trotted off to meet up with the rest of his patrol.

Icekit crouched near Flamebreeze, watching the daily life of the camp. It all looked so normal to her, but at the same time, she couldn't help remembering her dream. There were no rivers like that in ThunderClan territory, as far as she knew, and the scent of the air was different… She couldn't remember ever leaving the camp before, and yet she felt as though the dream had been a memory, from when she was a tiny kit.

Suddenly, Icekit spotted her father, Cloudwind, walk through the thorn tunnel, his jaws laden with fresh-kill. Jumping to her paws, Icekit bounded over to meet him. Pouncing on his shoulders as he dropped his prey on the pile, she mewed, "I've got you now! Get out of my camp, you ShadowClan scum!"

Cloudwind staggered and flopped onto his side. "Mercy!" he yowled. "You are a far too mighty warrior for me!"

Icekit scrambled off of him. "Were you on a hunting mission?" she squeaked. Without waiting for him to reply she continued, "Can I come out with you?"

Getting to his paws, Cloudwind shook the dust out of his dark brown coat before he replied, "You know that no kits are allowed out of camp Icekit. You have to wait until you're apprenticed." Licking his white paws, he mewed, "That won't be too long now. You're almost six moons!" Getting to his paws, he wrapped his tail around her, guiding her back towards the nursery.

Icekit tilted her head, suddenly wondering if her father knew where the river was that she had dreamed about. "Cloudwind, have Frostfern and I ever been to a river?"

Cloudwind froze, looking down at her sharply. "What makes you say that?" he muttered, his gray eyes wary.

"I dreamed that I was by a river, and Frostfern came and carried me away," she explained. "But it felt more like a memory than a dream."

Looking away, Cloudwind didn't respond, and his tail twitched back and forth in uncertainty. Flamebreeze had been listening to the conversation in silence, but now she spoke up. "Cloudwind, she has to know sooner or later. Would you rather tell her, or wait until one of the kits tell her?"

Icekit turned to look at Flamebreeze curiously. It seemed as if there was a secret behind the fact that she had dreamed of the river!

But Cloudwind turned to look at his sister with pain in his eyes. "I don't think she's ready."

Flamebreeze snorted and looked away. "Suit yourself," she muttered.

"What am I not ready for?" Icekit mewed, looking between Cloudwind and Flamebreeze.

Leaning down to lick her forehead, the brown tabby warrior murmured, "I'll tell you tonight, after I get back from my patrol. We're going to hunt down that fox and chase it from the territory."

"Okay," Icekit sighed, sitting down with a huff.

Cloudwind looked towards the nursery. "Is Frostfern awake?" he asked.

Icekit shook her head. "No, she said she was tired so she took a nap."

With a sigh, Cloudwind murmured, "I'll see her later then." His gaze was sad, and Icekit guessed that he would have liked to talk to her before he went out on his dangerous mission.

Reaching up to lick his cheek, Icekit murmured, "Good luck. Show that fox that it better not mess with ThunderClan!"

Purring, Cloudwind turned and followed the rest of his patrol out of camp. Sitting down beside Flamebreeze with a little huff, Icekit wondered what she could possibly do that would make her day interesting. Gazing up through the branches of the tree that covered part of the camp, she sighed, her shoulders slumping with boredom.

But then she sat up straight as an idea came to her. She could go looking for the river from her dream! Then she wouldn't have to wait for Cloudwind to get back!

Flicking her tail decisively, she tried not to look too excited as she meowed to Flamebreeze, "I'm going to make dirt."

"Hurry back," the queen murmured sleepily, beginning to sink into a doze.

Icekit made sure that she didn't walk too fast on her way so that no cat would think she was up to something. But her paws itched like mad to carry her out past the thorns and into her Clan's territory. She ducked quickly into the dirtplace tunnel, squeezing her way off the path and deep into the protective barrier.

But then a thought made her pause. There was a fox out there. Wouldn't it be dangerous for her to go out? Shaking her head, she thought, It'll be fine. The warriors are taking care of the fox. It won't even get the chance to see me.

Taking a deep breath, Icekit padded forward through the rest of the thorns, careful not to prick herself or make too much noise. When she reached the edge of the thorns, she peered out cautiously, checking to make sure that no cat was nearby. When she was sure that the coast was clear, Icekit dove from her hiding spot to disappear into the brambles on the other side of a well-trodden track.

Icekit paused in the brambles, lifting her head to sniff the air. The breeze ruffled the leaves above her head gently, bringing with it the scent of rabbits and heather. She had heard the other cats say how WindClan hunted rabbits on the moor. That must be the scent of WindClan, she told herself.

Sitting down, Icekit thought for a moment. She wasn't at all sure what direction the river from her dream was, so she decided that there wouldn't be much harm in following the breeze over to WindClan.

Icekit made sure to check thoroughly again before she began to creep from bush to bush, making her way steadily towards the scent on the wind. Sometimes she had to dash across paths to get to her next spot of cover, and once a patrol walked by dangerously close, but she wasn't spotted.

Just as she was about to dash for a dark leaved holly bush, a glint of light caught in her eye and made her blink. Turning to face the source of her distraction, Icekit gasped quietly. The lake stretched out before her like a glowing pool as it burned in the sunlight. Drawn by the beautiful sight, the little white kit padded from her hiding spot towards the shore.

Icekit stopped a tail length from the water, sniffing the moist air uncertainly. As the scent of the water caught on her tongue, she felt a jolt of excitement run through her, and she bounced forward into the water with a squeak.

The water felt soothing on her paws in the hot greenleaf sun. Purring with delight, Icekit went out deeper until the waves were lapping at her chest. She liked the way her tail felt as it was moved by the gentle current. Do other ThunderClan cats feel like this too? she wondered curiously, lapping up some of the refreshing water. Looking out across the lake, she could just barely see the distant shore. She knew from the elders' stories that the territory on the other side of the lake belonged to RiverClan.

I wonder what it's like living over there, with the sound of water always in your ears. Icekit liked the soft rushing of the waves as they washed gently on the shore. But then she looked back over her shoulder at the welcoming forest behind her and decided that she'd rather be here. At least in ThunderClan I can enjoy the water and the forest.

Just then, the sound of voices drifted through the trees and the holly bush she had been about to run into before shivered as cats pushed their way through. Taking a big gulp of air, Icekit flung herself beneath the water. She clutched desperately at the bottom. The last thing she wanted was to be found by a patrol and sent back to camp. She hadn't even had a proper chance to go looking for the river yet!

Wanting to make sure that the other cats moved on before she went back up, Icekit held her breath until she felt that her lungs were going to burst out of her chest. Finally, she pushed herself up, gasping as her head broke the surface. Panting, she looked over her shoulder to see that the patrol had disappeared back into the forest. Letting out a sigh of relief, Icekit padded out of the lake.

I'd better get back to my search for the river before I'm caught, she thought, shaking out her fur and hurrying up the bank. Holding her breath, she plunged into the holly bush, freezing as she pricked her ears for the sound of pursuers. Letting out a gutsy sigh, she began darting from bush to bush in the direction of the scent of WindClan, stopping every so often to make sure she wasn't spotted.

Finally, a soft gurgling reached her ears, and her paws tingled with excitement. Is that the river? Icekit wondered, her tail lashing enthusiastically. After she had checked that there were no cats nearby, she darted from her hiding place towards the sound.

As the water came into sight however, she skidded to a halt, her heart dropping. It was a stream winding its way through the trees. But she knew for certain that it wasn't the river from her dream. The river she had dreamed of crossing was wide, shallow and clear, glistening in the bright sunlight. This stream was dark, narrow and mysterious, the trees around her cutting out the light.

Icekit padded down to sniff at the water, fighting down a pang of disappointment. She may not have found the river of her dream, but she had certainly had an adventure. Her day no longer seemed dull and boring.

But suddenly she found her paws slipping out from under her on the steep bank and she plummeted into the stream with a yowl. At first she was carried and swirled along by the current, but as her head broke the surface, she used her instincts to kick out strongly and swim for the closest bank.

Dragging herself out of the water, Icekit scrambled a safe distance from the edge of stream before pausing to shake out her fur. She sat down to lick her paws, but that's when she realized that the scent of WindClan was suddenly much stronger. Glancing around with shock, her tongue still sticking out from her washing, Icekit realized that she had crawled out on the wrong side of the stream.

"Fox dung!" she snarled quietly to herself. "Now I'll have to swim back." The idea of swimming didn't seem so bad to her strangely enough, just the idea that she was washing her paws on WindClan territory. What would she do if a patrol happened to come along? Hopefully they'd realize she was just a lost kit. But so close to her sixth moon, some warrior might mistake her for an apprentice and chase her off.

Shivering at the thought, she padded carefully back to the water's edge. She was about to spring back into the current when suddenly something in the water caught her eye. It was her reflection. Curious, Icekit stared at the little white cat before her. She had never seen herself before. There had never been a clean enough puddle to look into in the camp, and she had never left its safe confines before.

She had green eyes so bright that they glowed even in her dim reflection in the water. She wondered if these were the eyes that her great grandfather Firestar had. Icekit had heard stories of the flame-pelted tom who was Clan leader before Bramblestar. As she pondered this, her eyes drifted over her long white fur that was laced with soft grey stripes. One of her ears was a dark brown like her father, but the rest of her was the white and grey mix.

Icekit jumped with fright and nearly fell back into the stream as a voice purred behind her, "Enjoying the view pretty kitty?"

Her long fur fluffed out as she spun around to see a WindClan kit about her size pad from one of the bushes. He was a bright orange with yellow chest and paws. Black spots dotted his back and his long tail. His eyes were a bright gold, and as he stepped forward into a patch of sunlight, they glistened and his fur glowed. Icekit nearly gasped at her shock that a WindClan cat could be so handsome.

Her ears burned hot with embarrassment at his compliment but she gasped in shock, "What are you doing here?"

"It is my territory," the kit squeaked in amusement, stopping a tail-length away and sitting down to clean his whiskers.

"In ThunderClan, kits aren't allowed to leave camp until they're apprentices," Icekit told him. She didn't know whether this cat was an apprentice or a kit himself, but she secretly hoped the later because she thought he would be less likely to chase her out. But the little tom had taken to washing his ears, keeping one eye fixed on her, and Icekit didn't think he would attack her even if he was an apprentice.

"Then what are you doing out here?" the tom asked mischievously, his golden eyes glinting. "Surely you're not an apprentice yet? You're far too tiny!"

Stretching herself so that she was standing taller, Icekit put her nose in the air and informed him, "I'm going to be an apprentice soon. And I decided to go out on an adventure! No one knows I'm out here."

"Me too!" the kit exclaimed, jumping to his paws with enthusiasm. "Why don't we go on an adventure together? My name is Spottedkit by the way."

"I'm Icekit," she told him, caught off guard slightly by his offer. "But I really should be getting back to ThunderClan territory. I'm not even supposed to be out of camp, let alone on WindClan territory!"

"Too right," a gruff voice growled, and Icekit stiffened as two warriors padded from the bushes behind Spottedkit. One was a large black and white tom, the other an orange queen.

"Swiftwind! Warmbreeze! Er, what a surprise to see you here!" Spottedkit exclaimed, flattening his ears and lowering his head meekly. "Did you decide to go for an afternoon stroll too?" he asked, and Icekit was surprised by his boldness. If it were two ThunderClan warriors that had came up, she knew she would have been in big trouble and there was no way she would talk so casually.

"How dare you leave camp Spottedkit!" The tom growled angrily, and Icekit saw Spottedkit sink lower as if he wished he could disappear into the ground. "You worried your mother and I half to death! We thought you were taken by a fox! Ashstar sent out two patrols to look for you!"

"I'm sorry Swiftwind," Spottedkit murmured as Warmbreeze padded up and began licking him fiercely. Icekit guessed that they were his parents.

Backing away slowly, Icekit hoped that she could dash into the stream before the two warriors remembered she was there but there was a rustle in the bushes and a very dark grey tom padded out. "Stop right there kit," he growled, and in the light of his intense blue gaze, Icekit froze.

The grey tom turned to the other three WindClan cats, rumbling, "You take Spottedkit back to camp. I'll escort this one home." He shot a glance at Icekit.

"Of course, Crowfeather," Swiftwind murmured.

Before his parents began nosing him into the bushes, Spottedkit called, "Maybe I'll see your pretty face again sometime Icekit!"

Warmbreeze stared at her as if Icekit were crow-food hidden in the fresh-kill pile before shoving Spottedkit roughly into the bushes. Swiftwind took one last glance at her before following his family.

Ears burning hot with embarrassment, Icekit looked down at her paws. She glanced back up when Crowfeather stopped beside her. "I guess I better carry you across," he growled crossly, flicking his nose in the direction of the stream.

"I can swim back on my own thanks!" Icekit exclaimed heatedly. The last thing she wanted was this WindClan cat treating her like a bothersome kit. Even though I am just a bothersome kit, she added silently to herself before plunging into the stream, swimming strongly for the far bank. As she crawled out and shook her fur, Crowfeather leaped the stream in a single bound.

He stopped beside her and looked at her closely. "What did you say your name was?" he growled quietly.

"Icekit," she responded with her head tilted to the side.

"Your mother is Frostfern?" he asked.

Slightly confused, Icekit mewed, "Yes. Why?"

"Hm," Crowfeather grunted, turning and leading the way into the trees without answering her question.

"Why did you ask?" Icekit pressed, scrambling to keep up with the long-legged warrior.

Glancing over his shoulder at her coldly, Crowfeather growled, "I don't answer the questions of nosy kits."

Icekit noticed that the old warrior's muzzle was beginning to turn white with age. Padding along behind him sulkily, Icekit grumbled to herself, "What's a grouchy old elder like you doing out here anyway?"

The grey tom obviously heard her because he growled, "This grouchy old elder is the deputy of WindClan, and he's wondering why ThunderClan don't teach their kits some manners."

Huffing angrily, Icekit flicked her tail and stared down at her paws as she trotted along beside the WindClan deputy.

A rustling in the bushes made her look up as Frostfern, Squirrelflight and Bramblestar himself padded out.

"Icekit!" Frostfern yowled, throwing herself at her kit and covering her ears with licks. "I was so worried! I thought the fox had taken you!"

Squirrelflight padded forward, stopping before Icekit to ask sternly, "What were you doing out of camp?"

Before Icekit could respond, Crowfeather answered for her, "She had wandered on to WindClan territory, so I decided to escort her home." Crowfeather gazed deep into Squirrelflight's eyes as he growled softly, "Seems familiar doesn't it? I once had to escort Jayfeather home when he wandered off as a kit. Does ThunderClan let its kits wander free?"

Icekit couldn't stop herself from mumbling, "WindClan's no better." Crowfeather shot her a sharp gaze, but Icekit met it bravely.

"Thank you for returning her," Bramblestar meowed coolly, giving Crowfeather a stern glare. "But we can take it from here. You'd better get back to WindClan territory quickly before you run into one of the other patrols. They won't know that we found her yet."

Dipping his head in the formal greeting of the deputy from one Clan to the leader of another, Crowfeather growled, "I'll be on my way. I only hope that this will be the last time I have to escort one of your kits home."

"It will be," Squirrelflight assured him sharply as the dark warrior turned and disappeared into the bushes.

As soon as Crowfeather was out of earshot, Bramblestar gazed down at her, and Icekit flinched at the disappointment in his eyes. "What were you doing out of camp? You know that kits are not allowed to leave camp, especially when there is a fox around," her leader rumbled as he turned and began to lead the way home.

"Well," Icekit began, deciding that she better tell the whole truth. "Last night I dreamed I was at a river and Frostfern came to carry me away… but the dream felt more like a memory, so when I asked Cloudwind about it, he said he would tell me when he got back from his patrol, but he was acting very strange which made me very curious so I decided to go looking for the river myself, but I fell in the stream and ended up getting out on the wrong side and that's when the WindClan cats found me." The story tumbled from her mouth in a guilty rush, but Icekit refrained from telling them about Spottedkit. For some reason, she wanted to keep their encounter a secret.

No cat spoke for a long time, but Bramblestar and Squirrelflight exchanged a glance. Finally, Frostfern mewed, "You should have just been patient Icekit. You knew it was dangerous to go out when there's a fox in the territory. And even if there wasn't a fox, there are still plenty of things in the forest that would gobble you up for a snack."

"I'm sorry," Icekit mumbled as her mother ran her tail softly over her spine.

"I just don't know what I'd do if I lost you or Cloudwind," Frostfern murmured, more to herself than to anyone else.

"So…" Icekit began hesitantly. "Is anyone ever going to tell me about that river?" A pang in her belly told her that there was a secret behind the river and that it had something to do with the way Silverkit and Firekit treated her.

Frostfern looked down at her sharply. "If your father said that he would tell you after his patrol, then that's what he's going to do. You'll just have to be patient like you were supposed to in the first place."

With a sigh, Icekit followed the warriors as they slid through the thorn barrier and into camp. Tired after her long adventure, Icekit wanted nothing more than to curl up in her nest and sleep, but as she turned her paws towards the nursery, a soft growl from Bramblestar stopped her.

"You realize you must be punished for breaking the warrior code," he rumbled quietly. Icekit couldn't bring herself to see the disappointment in his eyes again, so she just stared down at her paws and nodded her head soberly.

Bramblestar opened his mouth and Icekit braced herself for her punishment, but before her leader could speak, there was a sudden commotion at the thorn tunnel. All the cats in the clearing turned to look as Birchfall, Lionblaze, and Cinderheart burst through into the clearing, all their pelts stained with blood. Lionblaze carried a tattered, bloody shape and with horror, Icekit realized what it was at the same moment Frostfern shrieked in agony.

"Cloudwind, no!"