Just One Patrol

Ah, well, I have time. Here is a quick Ice/Lion from "Warriors". This takes place a few moons after Icepaw becomes a warrior... I wish her names had been Icestorm. Icecloud is too... girly for her, I think. Anyhoo, I'm still reading "The Fourth Apprentice" and the lack of romance so far is displeasing me… Spoilers for "Power of Three" and "The Fourth Apprentice".

Disclaimer: All credit goes to Erin Hunter…sadly.

Song Choice:

Celine Dion- That's the Way It Is

Lionblaze stretched his back in a long, glorious arch as the sun illuminated his golden pelt. He had a patrol to go on in a moment and he knew they were waiting for him. He gave his fur a few licks and then froze as a voice behind him sounded.

"You do think a lot of yourself, don't you?"

Lionblaze turned to see Icecloud sitting not far from him, her blue eyes filled with amusement. Her white pelt glowed as the sun hit it and for a moment he was blinded. Then he realized his tongue was still sticking out of his mouth, paused mid-lick. He swiped it around his jaws with embarrassment and sat up, nervously looking around to see if anyone else saw him acting so foolish.

Icecloud purred at his expression and padded toward him, eyes mischievous. "So you thought you were going to skip out on us, were you?"

Lionblaze blinked in confusion until the moment grasped him. "Oh! Oh, you mean the patrol. No, I'm coming."

"Good," Icecloud mewed. "We wouldn't want to leave without you." She loped toward the entrance, where Dustpelt, Thornclaw, and Sandstorm were waiting. Lionblaze tilted his head to the side. A strange feeling began to creep through his veins like a spider weaving a web as he watched Icestorm's legs move gracefully, each paw-step carrying her farther. He had never really noticed how pretty her white pelt was, or how her whiskers were positioned at exactly the right angle. And those eyes! How those blue eyes shined-

"Mouse got your tongue?" Sandstorm kneaded the ground impatiently. "We need to move."

Lionblaze gave himself a shake. "Right."

"Can I come?" Dovepaw came up to him, hope filling her green eyes. "Please?"

"Don't let her," Jayfeather growled as Lionblaze was about to agree. "She just wants get out of her punishment for putting pinecones in Longtail's nest." The sightless gray tabby nudged the gray apprentice back to the elders den. "Get going. Mousefur and Longtail both have ticks you missed."

Lionblaze purred as Dovepaw rolled her eyes and then bounded into the elders den. Dustpelt cleared his throat loudly from the entrance. "Anyday now, Lionblaze."

"Right," The golden tom raced after the impatient cats. "Sorry."

As the patrol moved through the forest, Icecloud began to speed up a bit, positioning herself a little ways in front of him, instead of at his side like she was before. He quickly matched her pace, narrowing his eyes. Surely she knew how much he hated it when someone walked in front of him? Icecloud sped up again, and Lionblaze sped up as well. They were ahead of the rest of the patrol now.

"Wait up!" Thornclaw meowed crossly. "I'm leading this patrol!"

Icecloud began to run, outpacing Lionblaze. Lionblaze twitched his whiskers. So that was how she wanted it then? A race? Perfect. He dashed after her, hearing Dustpelt yowl behind him. He could see Icecloud's white pelt and picked up momentum, claws digging into the earth. Icecloud looked over her shoulder and laughed seeing her pursuer; Lionblaze's heart swelled at her purr.

Suddenly, Icecloud let out a startled cry and tripped over a small stone, crashing to the ground. Lionblaze yowled in surprise and he found himself unable to stop and the two cats tumbled over each other, stopping in a heap on a patch of moss.

"Ow." Lionblaze found Icecloud on top of him and they both raised their head at the same time, touching noses.

Neither of them moved. A bolt of electricity moved through Lionblaze's muzzle at the touch. Icecloud began to purr. Lionblaze joined in until their hysteria echoed though the forest. A twig snapped and Lionblaze looked up the small hill they had fallen down on and saw the patrol. Sandstorm looked amused at the sight of the two cats on top of one another, Thornclaw looked embarrassed, while Dustpelt looked furious.

"You two need to learn how to obey orders!" He yowled, amber eyes narrowing. "You can't just keep on running off and ending up like this-"

Sandstorm purred. "I don't think they meant any harm, Dustpelt. Why don't we continue on with our patrol like nothing happened?"

Lionblaze sat up and licked his pelt embarrassedly, and Icecloud pressed against his fur, sending fire racing through his body.

While Dustpelt sputtered, Thornclaw stepped forward. "I'm leading this patrol. Get up, both of you. We need to check the borders." He began to turn, when he paused, looking back at the two cats scrambling up the hill. "Oh, and you two need to watch your step from now on," he twitched his whiskers. "Next time you decide to walk ahead of the patrol, watch out for more rabbit holes; just because you weren't running doesn't mean you need to be clumsy."

I love Thornclaw. He is awesome. Ice + Lion = Happy lovinglife