Chapter 2
Ivyface purred quietly and kept her ears hidden. She stalked among the grass, watching the patrol from EarthClan as they marked their borders. What foolishness, thinking that just a scent would keep WaterClan from invading their territory. Then again, her leader, her fellow warriors, all of them - were obsessed with keeping the Warrior Code in everything they did. What good was it if it didn't help them advance and become stronger? She could feel a rumble beginning in her chest. If she didn't stay quiet, they'd hear her! Ivyface scowled and dashed off without so much as a blade of grass rustling. She made her way back into the heart of WaterClan territory and stopped when her ears caught a small rustling a good fox length away. Lowering herself onto the ground, she glanced from left to right. Sure Water Clan were avid hunters when it came to fishing, but they needed something other than fish once in a while; something with some more flavor and less stink.
"Look at what we've got here!" a voice chuckled from behind her. She spun around to see Krestelclaw, her mate, trotting up behind her. She cocked her head and sharply covered his mouth with her tail. He paused for a moment, realizing she was serious. Ivyface looked back towards her prey and unleashed unto it. It squirmed for a while in her paws before she silenced it forever.
"Now what was it you wanted?" she asked in a soft tone. He sat upright and waved his tail back and forth. He looked like he wanted to say something… "Come on then, what is it?" she said a little louder, with more impatient force. He padded up to her and touched her nose.
"I don't understand it at all, Ivyface. The way you watch EarthClan is uncanny." Oh. That was it, hey? He had no need to be so frightened of something that didn't concern him. "And besides, what reason would you have to watch them anyhow? They're our rivals, so why so interested?"
Ivyface just shook her head and picked up the piece of prey in her mouth. The answer to his question would require her telling him of her plan. And when that happened… She began to pad away, with Krestelclaw right beside her. He glanced at her, his eyes glittering. She found herself looking away at his gaze. He seemed to have something more about him than meets the eye. Did he already know what she was planning, ever since they'd been kits? She pushed these thoughts out of her head as they entered the camp and a rush of kits tumbled out and onto her paws.
"Hey now, be careful! Or Ivyface will get you like she did that mouse!" Krestelclaw joked around playfully. Fawnkit and Volekit squealed and ran back towards their mother. The tortoiseshell gave him a look before dropping her prey into the fresh-kill pile. She was greeted by Brackenclaw on her way out. She stopped for a moment and nodded her head. Ivyface followed her and opened her mouth to speak when she was hushed by the deputy. The brown she-cat dashed off, probably expecting the tortoiseshell to follow her. Ivyface struggled to keep up. Brackenclaw stopped short of the river and turned back to face her, fear evident in her eyes. It was as though Ivyface's breath was forced right out of her. What was wrong with the deputy?
"Ivyface, some of the Clan has been… under quite a lot of pressure lately. Leaf-bare is not far off. In fact, I've noticed the leaves on the trees are already changing into their rainbow of colors. I know we moved our camp farther from the river, but every new-leaf it gets fuller and fuller. And Talonstar is fretting about it as well. It seems I'm the only one who's calm during a turbulent time such as this. I need some back up" she explained mutedly. Ivyface laid her face on her paws and let her thoughts wander. This would be a perfect opportunity! "I would like you to start with the warriors. Convince them with all your power that StarClan wouldn't let the river flood our camp like last new-leaf" she finally said.
Ivyface blinked in understanding and sat up. "I would love to help you. Of course, anything for the deputy. But, I have a suggestion," she said with a grin. "Wouldn't it be StarClan's fault if our camp was once again destroyed, killing kits and warriors alike? EarthClan can't be there to save us all the time. StarClan knows all; they know when these things are going to happen. Therefore, why bother sending our wishes to them when they could stop it, but won't?" This was absolutely positively perfect! She could finally set her plan in motion without any interference! These cats believed that StarClan could do whatever they want. In this case, it should've been quite easy to manipulate them into thinking that StarClan could prevent things like this without telling them as such.
The deputy's eyes widened with grave despair. She trembled and cocked her head. "Y-you really think so?" She paced around in a circle, contemplating this new found theory. She looked up again with determination. "I, Brackenclaw, have found my resolve. I will go inform Ravenface of this" she whispered with dread. Ivyface watched with a purr as her deputy ran off, back to the camp. Now what to do? The Gathering wasn't until another half-moon! Oh, the anticipation killed her! To be able to set her plan in motion with such ease, it was almost a dream! Wait… was it a dream? She knocked her muzzle on the thin trees that stood wearily above her. It caused little pain, but it was enough to reassure her she was indeed awake. The tortoiseshell padded back towards her camp, though she had to hide her triumph. Not unexpectedly, she was just in time for the leader to make an announcement.
"Let all cats who are old enough to catch their own prey gather around the Watering Hole!" Talonstar called, her pelt glistening under the weak rays of sun. Ah yes, the small remnants of the Great Flood still remained, even today. The flood had gone on much farther than the Clan had thought. The following Gathering, even FireClan was complaining of water mucking up their hunting grounds with mud. They had gone on and on about how it was nearly impossible to hunt at the bottom of the hill, where the best prey was. Here they were, practically worshipping the force that destroyed their old camp. What reason did StarClan have to flood their camp? They were sadists, that's why! They even took her beloved brother from her!
Ivyface stayed perfectly still, though her fury raged through her veins. Her tail was rigid and sharp, her eyes narrowed. The leader's next words surprised her. "Foxkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day, until you receive your apprentice name, you will be known as Foxpaw. I ask StarClan to watch over you and guide you until you find in your paws the strength and courage of a warrior." And as Talonstar twisted her gaze to stare at Ivyface, she found all her anger dissolved. W-what? She thought with embarrassment and panic. She looked left and right, wondering whether the leader was really staring at her or another cat behind her.
"Ivyface, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Stoneface, who unfortunately perished during the Great Flood, and you have shown yourself to be cunning and intelligent. You will be the mentor of Foxpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to him."
The tortoiseshell she-cat just blinked in confusion as she touched noses with her new apprentice. As the Clan began calling out Foxpaw's name, she faded out. For a moment, she saw her own apprentice ceremony, where her mother had looked at her proudly. For once in her life, she'd felt so… happy. But Lilyface hadn't even been acknowledging her until that day. She'd spent all her waking hours mourning over her lost son, Smallear. She sighed and glanced back at Foxpaw. She would not let the same happen to this poor apprentice. She would make his mother proud too!
"Oh wow, I can't believe it! I'm really an apprentice!" the black tom bubbled. "So what are we going to do Ivyface?" She purred in amusement at his energy. How lovely. He seemed to realize he was acting like a kit, since he quieted down and flattened his ears with embarrassment. She let out a mrrow of impish laughter, her eyes gleaming.
"Since you're so ready to get on with the training already, I'll give you something to tire you out. You see over there?" she said, pointing with her tail at the setting sun. He nodded eagerly. "By the time the sun is down, I want all the elders' beddings replaced. I'm sure you'll be tired by then" she instructed. Without so much as a complaint, he rushed off towards the forest. She silently followed him, watching all of his movements. Leaping deftly from bush to bush, she kept her eyes trained on him. His ginger tail was the only thing that stood out, his black fur blending in with the ash colored trees. His pawsteps, they were clumsy yes, but he moved with agility. He would trip over his own paws, but he never even brushed against a leaf. She looked on with curiosity. Ah, a remarkable trait indeed. And he was just apprenticed a little while ago! To think what kind of warrior he'd become...
Ivyface sat down and relaxed for a while as she saw it was taking him a little while to pull the moss off of the rocks. So strange, they weren't usually so stringy. She cocked her head to get a better view, and almost burst out with laughter as water spurted out from the moss giving way. Looks like the apprentice had taken moss from near the river. Foxpaw growled and attacked the little piece of moss. He then dashed off to go give it to the elders. He gets angry at silly things, Ivyface thought. She went after him to see his behavior to the elders. Surprisingly he was quite interested in their mindless chatter. He worked diligently to replace their beddings without a single complaint. He then raced off to go put it elsewhere. Coming back and forth, he brought more clean moss. Finally, the job was done. He raced up to Ivyface, practically bouncing.
"Did I do a good job?" he asked excitedly. She scrunched up her face in a "thinking" pose and jokingly took her time. He seemed to take it seriously as his eyes got wide. She pawed his ear and let out a noise resembling laughter.
"Yes, you did well. I'm surprised you were able to do so without any word. You even listened to the elders' stories. I think, despite your outer appearance, you're quite patient. Which is a good trait for a warrior." This made the apprentice hop up and down. She shushed him with her tail and began to pad towards the more forested area of the Clan territory. He followed after her, almost tripping over his tail. They padded along the edge of the territory, before she stopped at a row of large trees. "Take a whiff and tell me what you smell" she instructed the cat.
Lifting his nose up into the air, Foxpaw took a good, long sniff. He gagged and rubbed his nose between his paws. "What's that awful smell?"
Ivyface used her tail to point across from them. "See those large trees? Compare them to the smaller ones on our side. When you see that particular row of large pine, you'll know you've gotten to EarthClan territory. That terrible stench is their marking scent, so we know that we'd be trespassing if we went any further. That's why the Clans mark their territories, so that every cat will stop when they reach the unfamiliar scent."
Foxpaw nodded and trotted along the scent, seeing where he should and shouldn't go. Glancing back at his mentor, he cocked his head to the side questioningly. "Why shouldn't we go onto other Clans' territory?" he asked.
"It's the Warrior Code. It's just unacceptable. Just like how we have to mark our territory, otherwise the cats will never know it's ours and then cross the border liberally."
The smaller cat paused, and then went to mark the territory. Her eyes glittered with amusement. How interesting. He did everything she told him to. Perhaps he could be used in her plan. Besides, if he were to tell any cat of what she told him, would they believe him? He's just an apprentice after all.
"Hey Ivyface, what put those strange trees in a row like that? It looks kinda like a barrier?"
"What do you think, Foxpaw?"
He looked all around him, probably searching for the answer to the tricky question. When he answered her, she wasn't surprised. She'd expected it. "It's StarClan's doing, right? They're the ones who put them here?"
Shaking her head, Ivyface almost grinned. Oh perfect, someone who's easy to manipulate. "There's no such thing as StarClan."
"No! That's not true Ivyface!" Realizing that this was disrespectful, he flattened his ears and put his head on his paws. More quietly, "Since we were born our mothers have been telling us of StarClan and how every good kit goes there when they die. Why would they lie to us?" He sounded, to Ivyface, like he was just reassuring himself. He wasn't really sure, was he? Of course not, there was no proof. Well, there would be in just a moment.
"I want you to think about something as you go to sleep tonight, Foxpaw. Think long and hard. If StarClan existed, then they could've been the ones who brought the Great Flood upon us, right?" He nodded his head. "Then, they could've also… stopped it, right?" Again, he nodded his head, slower this time. "So why didn't they? Why is it that every day, somewhere in this home of ours, a cat dies? Why is it that there are unexplainable phenomena every so often? StarClan obviously has the power to bring it, so they can stop it! Why don't they? I'd like you to ask yourself: If they were really real, why would they bring such heartache? If we stopped believing in them, they wouldn't have any power over us anymore."
She let the silence do its job of aiding the words to sink in. The little apprentice blinked slowly with realization, then rushed off. With a surge of happiness, she followed. This was good, everything was being set into motion.
