"Icepaw! Stop dithering like a useless kittypet and get over here!" Jaggedtooth spat at me.
I shook my head to clear my head and pushed my thoughts to the back of my head. I was thinking of Redkit and Lionpaw, my two deceased siblings. Redkit had died from the carrion disease, spread to him by other sick cats. Lionpaw had been slain by another apprentice while battle training.
For some reason, my training than most ShadowClan apprentices, as if Brokenstar wanted me to learn how to fight and hunt like a RiverClan, WindClan, and ThunderClan apprentice as well as regular ShadowCLan training.
I followed my mentor, Jaggedtooth, as we padded into the camp, two voles, a mouse, and a frog dangling from my jaws. Father had called a Clan meeting. I quickly dropped my prey on the pile before settling down to hear his words.
Once all eyes were on him, Brokenstar spoke.
"ShadowClan has kits that need food to grow strong, and WindClan refused to accept this. In order to feed our young, we shall attack and take over their territory." he announced.
"The Clan is still to weak for this!" Runningnose, our medicine cat whispered, his eyes clouded with worry.
"Do you doubt my leadership?" Brokenstar's fur began to bristle. He almost seemed genuinely concerned for the health of our kits, yet I clearly knew he also wanted more territory.
"No, Brokenstar." Runningnose murmured, flustered and nervous.
Blackfoot sneered from his place, next to the smooth boulder that my father announced Clan meetings.
Runningnose cast his eyes down shamefully to his gray paws. I mrrowed quietly to myself. Seeing a medicine cat look so timid and self conscious was rather amusing.
"We shall attack WindClan tonight!" Brokenstar hardened his gaze, and a flick of his bent tail signaling the end of the meeting. The Clan dispersed, some of them muttering amongst themselves. I rolled my eyes. Dimwits.
Brokenstar was whispering to his deputy. "Blackfoot, we will take Jaggedtooth and his apprentice, as well as a few other apprentices... to test their strength.
Blackfoot eyes glittered evilly. Oh, father was sly in his way of disposing of the weaker ones. ShadowClan had no room for weakness. Weaklings were to be disposed before the other Clans took advantage of it. That would make us look pathetic.
Brokenstar once blamed our former medicine cat, Yellowfang, for the death of a few kits, forcing the weak, old fool out of ShadowClan territory. She was weak anyway.
"Yes, Brokenstar," Blackfoot nodded eagerly. He padded towards me.
"Icepaw, you and Jaggedtooth will be accompanying Brokenstar and I to WindClan territory tonight, as well as Petalpaw, Whitepaw, Littlepaw, and Grasspaw. Tell them."
I nodded, my eyes gleaming hungrily. Blackfoot seemed to approve of my nature. He stalked away, and I dipped my head to him. I padded into apprentice den.
"Whitepaw!" I addressed the timid black and white tom. "Where are Littlepaw and Grasspaw?"
"On p-patrol." Whitepaw stammered, not meeting my gaze like usual.
"What about Petalpaw?" I asked, beginning to get irritated.
"She's out hunting with Clawface and Tallpoppy." he answered quietly, gazing at ground. After a short pause, he spoke again. "Why?"
"You all are coming to WindClan tonight." I growled.
"Really?" Whitepaw's eyes widened in excitement, his clear blue eyes finally meeting my icy blue for a few heartbeats. His ear tips went red and he stared at his paws again. "Maybe I'll be made a warrior."
"Doubt it, you were only made an apprentice when I did." I tried to meet his eyes, but he looked away. It was as if thought Brokenstar would punish him for looking at me.
But, maybe Whitepaw was more afraid of Brokenstar than Grasspaw or Littlepaw were. Oh well. If one of them were weak during the battle, they would soon be done and over with, and WindClan would take the blame.
Whitepaw usually seemed the same, sometimes even braver than Grasspaw, yet he seemed more shy and timid around me. Sure, I resembled my father a lot, and my personality could be described as cold and frightening, but if that was what he was afraid of, why could the other apprentices not meet my eyes, though they were almost as short lived as Whitepaw's moment earlier. At least they were more often.
I shook my head for the second time that day and cleared my thoughts. "Be ready by sundown, Whitepaw, or StarClan will have a new recruit."
His eyes widened in fear, and he nodded. "Yes, Icepaw."
I sniffed indignantly before retreating out of the den. It felt good to be in charge, ever so good. The other apprentices were to weak to badger me around, to retaliate or protest. I was in charge of this den, and I will be throughout my whole apprenticeship.
After learning a few battle practice moves and hunting, the sun was soon sinking into the sky, casting a mix of red and orange to befall the camp. Whitepaw was pacing restlessly not far from the entrance of the apprentice den, while Littlepaw, Petalpaw, and Grasspaw gossiped. I rolled my eyes. They were the most into cats, always talking about one cat or another. I often spat threats at them when they gossiped about Darkmist, my mother.
Brokenstar's yowl alerted the five of us. I beckoned the other apprentices with my tail and we padded across the clearing. Brokenstar's eyes gleamed in approval as he watched me lead these cats confidently. "She's a born leader." I would often hear him say to Blackfoot. "She will make a powerful and reliable leader for ShadowClan."
Blackfoot would always agree, and not just because I was the leader's daughter. I was quite popular with the elite warriors.
"ShadowClan!" my father addressed the chosen cats, who had gathered in a ring around their leader. "Tonight, we will fight for the well-being of our kits! We will force WindClan for some of their territory, or drive them out of the forest!
Yowls of approval rose from the crowd, the loudest belonging to Jaggedtooth, Blackfoot, and Clawface, as well as the other strong warriors.
Brokenstar silenced them with a twitch of his bent tail, and stalked towards the WindClan border, us following right behind him.