CHAPTER FIVE
Icepaw awoke with a start, jolted by his sudden shudder at the cold, morning breeze. His eyes fluttered awake, still weary as we watched a drop of dew fall onto his bedding. He stared at the shadows cast outside from the vines, trying his hardest to remember what he had dreamed. All he could summon up was the echoing sound of the thunder last night; ringing ever so faintly in his head.
He looked beside his flank, surprised to find himself all alone in the den.
Why did no one wake me? He thought, fearing what Firetail would say to his late slumbering.
As he got up to his paws - heart beating with fear - a large figure of a cat appeared from a shadowed corner in the cave.
"I thought you'd never wake up," mewed Firetail calmly as he appeared from the darkness. Icepaw's eyes widened in shock. "For a moment I thought you had stopped breathing," he remarked as he slowly made his way to the entrance.
Icepaw wanted to apologize, but his fear wouldn't let him. He stood silent, awaiting his mentor's next words. To his surprise, the orange-colored cat let out only a sigh.
"Lucky for you, I have quite the patience," he continued, circling him as he talked. "Tiring first day I suppose?"
"I-I didn't-" Icepaw could barely find the words.
"Shhh. Suppose we get on with your training. You'll have some catching up to do," finished Firetail, not letting his voice spark a hint of frustration or anger.
Icepaw felt even worse by his mentor's coldly calm composure. He even felt a shiver down his spine at the thought of his mentor watching him so patiently to wake up.
Firetail turned towards the exit, flicking his tail for him to follow.
"I just don't understand what she sees in you," he muttered as they passed through the vines and into the clearing.
Despite his stomach churning at the thought of disappointing his mentor on his first actual day of training, Icepaw was ecstatic to finally be able to leave the camp and tread through the forest. He let his paws nearly hop as they padded towards the gorse tunnel leading out of the camp. The grass was still wet from the rain. This would be his first time leaving the soft, grassy field in his life.
While he walked, he couldn't help but notice Firetail's flame-pelt practically glow in the sunlight, his shoulders upright as he padded confidently across the ground.
So that must be how it feels to be a real warrior, thought Icepaw proudly, eager to start his rigorous training.
As they approached the tunnel, he felt his mentor's paws come to a stop. He then noticed Snowfur approach, blocking the entrance as he stared at them.
"Snowfur," nodded Firetail, as he bowed his head respectfully,
"I need to have a quick word with you," mewed Snowfur, looking down to Icepaw in curiosity.
It was the moment when he saw the two warriors - standing side by side - that he took notice for the first time of their similar appearances. Despite the opposing pelt-colors, each had the same tall build and shared the same yellow eyes.
They must be brothers, concluded Icepaw. Surprised to discover this for the first time.
His thoughts were cut off by a tail brushing his muzzle. Without realizing, he had tuned out from the conversation. He watched as Snowfur headed back towards the highledge, his mentor signaling him to start walking again.
They passed the tunnel and Icepaw immediately felt the change in the surface of the ground. He stared at his paws, mesmerized by the rough, rocky surface of the forest floor. It wasn't until he looked up that his eyes widened. He was outside the camp barriers. In the forest! He had only dreamed as to what it would have been like. He was unlucky to not get the chance yesterday like his clan mates.
As they walked, Icepaw took notice of the enormous trees standing tall, the large decaying logs on the ground. He felt the breeze of the mountains brush his fur, sniffing the air and tasting the many scents of the sky - not knowing what most of them were.
As they kept moving along, Firetail didn't slow his pace for a heartbeat. He didn't even bother to turn around. Icepaw knew he wouldn't have much time to enjoy the scenery; they were making up for lost time.
"So where are we going?" asked Icepaw as he looked back down from the canopy above, wishing he had asked him sooner.
He watched as Firetail leaped over a massive trunk, clearing it by almost a tail-length.
"We're going to check out our newly acquired territory in WindClan. There you'll learn about our clan's boundaries and how to set them" he replied, picking up his pace.
"How much farther it it?" asked Icepaw as he went around the trunk, too afraid to jump.
"Not much, but if you keep walking like a two-footed kit we'll never get there," remarked his mentor with slight hostility.
Icepaw tried his best to keep up with him, breathing hard as he tried to avoid fallen debris. Eventually, despite lagging behind a few times, Icepaw felt the rythm grow in his paws, trudging much quicker through the forest. He observed his mentor's strides, trying his best to follow where he placed his paws. He even noticed Firetail's head turn as he ran up towards him, keeping up with his massive leaps.
Before he got the chance to pass him, he motioned him to stop as they approached a stretch of gray land with an acidic smell.
"Stop right here," Firetail ordered. Icepaw glanced curiously at the odd smelling pathway. "This is a Thunderpath, we're going to need to cross if we want to get onto WindClan territory," he explained, glancing frantically back and forth.
"How come it smells so bad," asked Icepaw, sniffing the air even more.
"Because of the monsters. As long as you time it properly you should be fine," replied Firetail, readying to cross.
"And if I don't?" asked Icepaw, pondering as to what a monster could be.
Firetail didn't reply, he simply stood silent, pricking his ears for any sounds. He backed up as a loud rumbling was heard in the distance. A blast of air hit his face as a large monster stormed past, leaving pebbles trembling in its wake.
Immediately, Firetail sprang forwards and crossed. Icepaw watched him as he arrived on the other side, licking his fur.
"See. It's not that bad. Hurry up before the sun decides to set."
Icepaw took a big gulp as he prepared to cross. Copying his mentor, he listened to the side from which the monster had come from. When we concluded all was silent, he tensed his muscles as he dashed full-speed across. As he ran across, he could feel the rough surface numbing his paws. Without looking up, he jumped onto the other side, safe and alive.
"See, not that bad," exclaimed his mentor, not showing any signs of flattery. "Lets keep moving."
Upon reaching the end of the forest - which seemed never-ending - the two cats emerged onto a divided plain. In the distance, Icepaw could see vast hills that stretched for ages. On his right he noticed a large lake and far in the horizon, he could see an enormous snow-capped mountain.
Icepaw stood by his mentor's side, as the wind blew even stronger.
"We've made it," remarked Firetail, letting out a few small breaths. Even he was tired. "Down there is WindClan's territory, it borders the lake and these trees where we sit. Over there is the horseplace," directing Icepaw to the fenced up clearing near the hills. "It used to be WindClan's, but now we own it, as with that meadow to your right.
Icepaw turned to see the beautifully colored flowers growing in the grass. It stretched all the way to the lake. He tasted the air and was met by its wonderfully aromatic smell. He couldn't believe all this was theirs.
All this they had to protect, thought Icepaw gloomily.
"That big mountain in the distance is StarMountain," explained Firetail, pointing with his tail towards the peak that seemed to only get bigger the more he stared at it. "It's where leaders go to get their names," added Firetail, not masking his lack of interest as he went on.
Icepaw picked up a strange scent coming from farther down the hills.
"Is that WindClan scent?" he asked, sniffing again to make sure.
Firetail turned to him, "Yes, it is. We ought to keep an eye out for any patrols." Icepaw noticed his mentor's surprise as he spoke, clearly trying to hide it.
Icepaw stood staring a little longer, not wanting to leave, feeling as though he needed to defend his territory. Something inside him sparked his stance, wanting to defend it with his life.
As the wind blew ever fiercer, Icepaw noticed his mentor get up to his paws.
"Come on, I'll show you how to properly mark the borders. We still have much to see."
"Mouse-dung," cried Icepaw as he let a small mouse flee from his claws. After visiting the ShadowClan border - which smelled as bitter as ever - Firetail had told him to catch as much prey as he could; that he was being tested along with the other apprentices as to who could catch the most. Icepaw knew he was at a disadvantage, since Firetail's only bothered to show him once.
He could've at least done it a little slower, thought Icepaw bitterly, frustration brewing in his whiskers.
He tried to calm himself down, getting into the crouch that he had been taught. He tried to remember what Firetail had done as he spotted a small mouse on the side of a tree. Before he even took a step, the mouse darted away, leaving nothing but its scent as it disappeared.
Icepaw sat down, defeated. He looked back up towards the dense canopy above, realizing his time was drawing to a close. He stood up, padding towards a small pond near the base of a tree. He knelt down on the moss encircling it and bent down for a sip.
As he went to drink, he stared at the clear reflection of his face in the water. He stared at his eyes, his fur. Intrigued by the stillness. He lifted his paw as he tried to touch the surface. As his paw brushed the water, it sent ripples all along the pond, obstructing the image. As he bent back up, he noticed something in the corner of his eye. He lifted his gaze slowly. On the other side of the pond, a cat stood sipping from the water as well, unaware of his presence.
Icepaw jolted back in shock. He took a careful look at the cat, noticing its fur glowing blue, translucent onto the foliage behind its pelt. Icepaw couldn't move, his eyes fixed on the mysterious cat. Curiosity racing through his veins.
As Icepaw stared, the cat looked up from the pond, and met his gaze, smiling. Icepaw leaned in for a closer look, trying to see its face.
The cat simply stood up and nodded for him to follow. Reluctantly he did, as the two disappeared into the thickness of the trees.
He followed its blue gleam, trying not to blink. The cat stopped at the base of tree where he had lost his prey. As if in a dream, a similar blue mouse appeared, scampering along the ground. The blue cat crouched down stealthily to make the kill. It kept its body to the ground and with one quick leap, caught it in its claws and killed it in one blow.
With the mouse in his jaws, the cat directed his paws to another mouse darting from Icepaw's left. He slowly crouched down, keeping as belly as low as the cat had done. As he approached the mouse, he noticed the cat nod its head. Within a heartbeat Icepaw jumped and grasped at the mouse. He took one quick swipe and took its life.
Confidence surged into his body, overwhelmed by his first-kill. Before he could look back to the mysterious cat, it had vanished; leaving nothing more than the silence of the trees and the roar of the wind.