It was dawn when Icepaw felt something prod her in the side. She looked up to see a dark ginger tom with blue eyes. "Hi Readpaw," she mewed in a choked up voice. The tom was staring at her in concern, and Icepaw knew why. She had not groomed herself or eaten during the vigil. All she had done was sit with her nose pressed into Bumblepelt's fur.
"We have to collect bedding," Readpaw mewed. Standing up on stiff legs, Icepaw padded beside the tom. They had to get moss for the elders and queens. As soon as they came out of the hollow, Icepaw caught the scent of rotten prey. Padding forward, she almost stumbled on the half-eaten body of a rabbit.
Spitting, Icepaw licked her paws clean of any trace of the animal. Redpaw's eyes flared with anger. "Amberclan." he growled. "They've been stealing our prey again." Looking across the border to the 'clan', Icepaw snarled. Just because they did not live in the territories anymore didn't mean they wern't clans! They could not steal prey, for it was not right.
"We must find bedding anyway," Redpaw sighed. He padded left on the pine strewn path. Shrugging, Icepaw padded towards the border. Sniffing along the mingled scents, she could just find a trace of moss. Sure enough, it was growing on a nearby rock. Yowling with glee, she scrambled towards it. Just then, a hevy weight fell on her back and she felt thorn-like claws pierce her sides.
Squirming untill she got free, she saw a black she-cat standing infront of her. "Tresspasser!" The she-cat spat, glaring at Icepaw with narrowed Amber eyes. The mark of Amberclan.Who are you?" Icepaw wailed as she dodged a blow aimed at her side, but she felt it burn her ear instead.
"I am Coral," The she-cat snapped. Icepaw launced herslef at her, but she wasn no match for Coral's muscles. The young cat obiously had plenty to eat. With a heave of her powerful shoulders, Coral tossed Icepaw back and rolled on top of her. "Not so special now, are 'ya sis?" Coral purred coldly.
Freezing, Icepaw remembered the story her foster mother had told her. She had come from Amberclan, but had been brought to Thunderclan by Bumblepelt. Coral had been her sister. "You are not my sister," Icepaw whispered, Throwing Coral off. "Not anymore." Stripping some moss of the rock, Icepaw raced back towards the camp.
"You'lll be sorry!" Coral called after her, but Icepaw pretended not to hear
, Green, and
Lashing her tail, Icepaw set the moss down and buried her head in her paws. For a heartbeat, she wished she could throw away the memory of Bumblepelt's story. She could not be related to that Amberclan! The medicine cat, Flashspirit, came out of the den only to stop and stare. "Where did you get those wounds?" The gray tabby asked.
Icepaw looked up. "From a battle with an Amberclan apprentice." she muttered. Flashspirit beckoned with her tail for Icepaw to follow her, but she didn't get a chance to. A screech rang through the air and Icepaw turned. Coral was standing at the head of a line of cats.
"I told you you'd be sorry," Coral purred as the cats behind her attacked.