Disclaimer: I don't own the Warriors series!

Title: Ruffled Fur

Summary: Sequel to Resilience. With two WindClan cats dead and one RiverClan apprentice brutally injured from a horrible attack, the two Clans are too busy fighting each other to do much of anything against the actual cause. If peace is going to reign once again, it's going to be up to two unlikely allies to save the day.

Chapter Title: New Friends

...

Icekit woke up alone, but it didn't last. Featherpaw never brought her anything to eat, but he always brought his smile, which he said was almost as good. After him came Barkthroat, who would slip in and out of camp with little aim, watching her kin as they went about their day. Rarest of all was Badgerberry and Hailface, who were always gone. Icekit didn't know where they went, but she knew she couldn't ask. Cats got mad at her when she asked about her special friends.

"Your Aunt had a long night," Featherpaw meowed as he settled in next to her. "I'd be careful if I were you. She's as friendly as a fox when she doesn't sleep right."

Icekit's ears flattened. "But she promised to talk to me!" she whined, upset. The gray and white molly wanted answers- if not for herself, than to rub it in Lilykit's face. "I wanna know more about the things she said!"

Featherpaw laughed. "I don't think she had much else to say. You can see me, just like you can see your normal Clanmates. That's a pretty spectacular power."

Normal? Icekit blinked at him, baffled. She didn't see why Featherpaw was any different from Owlstrike or Heathertuft. The gray apprentice ignored her look, nudging her to her paws.

WindClan was busy when Icekit poked her nose out of the nursery. Instinctively, she searched out for her parents, and found them joining separate patrols. Finchcloud and Deertail were sharing a sparrow, and looking very, very awkward about it, bumping foreheads more than once. Stagclaw and Raintail were cheerfully conversing, all but ignoring Ravenfur's gruff voice. Runningpaw was meowing to Foxpelt, who nodded along. Stripeface, Heathertuft, and Cloudear all dutifully listened, brushing pelts in a friendly manner. Brackenheart slipped out of the dirtplace just as Ravenfur called his name, making him jump.

A squealing caught her attention. Curlkit was leading her sisters on a game of chase, pelting across the camp with a cackling shriek. Curlkit, as deaf as a newborn kit, didn't realize how loud she was being- might not even realize she was vocalizing at all, as excited as she was. Stormkit was close behind, with Lilykit struggling to pull up the rear, having inherited their parents' short legs.

Icekit's ears fell. Neither Stormkit nor Curlkit had taken any sides during her and Lilykit's fight the other night, but it felt like this was all the preference needed. They think I'm a liar too.

Featherpaw seemed to sense her hurt, or maybe it was written across her muzzle. He nudged her again. "Hey, let's get out of here," he urged. "I've got someone I'd like you to meet."

"Out of here?"

"Out of camp."

Unease prickled at Icekit's belly. "Isn't it dangerous right now? The dog-"

"Is nowhere near where we're going," he reassured her. "The cat I want you to meet knows all about dogs. If anyone can help, it's her."

Icekit glanced at her playing littermates one last time before jerking her head in a determined nod. They won't think I'm a liar if I can save everyone! "Okay."


Featherpaw didn't seem to know the territory very well. Icekit, who had never left the walls of the camp, was quickly at ease with the long heather and peat, the smell of rabbits and the cool, crisp air of Leaf-fall. It put a little skip into her step. Featherpaw, meanwhile, only grew more antsy, looking over his shoulder almost constantly.

"It's pretty open out here," he said.

"That's the point, isn't it?" asked Icekit.

"I guess. I can't imagine hunting on a place this flat."

She shrugged. It didn't occur to her to question it. After all, more than a few warriors were terrible hunters. "You have to run really fast. At least, that's what papa told me."

The open fields began to segue into a more tree-filled area. A foreign scent hit Icekit like a wave as they approached, stopping her in her tracks. It begins to sink in just how exhausted she is, flopped back on her haunches. "I can't go any further."

"Not long now," Featherpaw called back, not stopped for a second. The trees seemed to excite him. "There's no danger, I promise. I made sure of it."

The ground under-paw was softer than what Icekit was used to, sheltered from the heat by the trees. In the distance, she could hear a stream rumbling. Icekit was becoming more and more certain that they weren't in WindClan anymore. But, like Featherpaw said, it seemed safe enough. Not even a breeze seemed to be blowing. The surrounding area was barren of life.

The gray apprentice stuck his muzzle through some bushes, perking up. "Oh! Good, you're here. I was getting worried I'd missed our time." Featherpaw reached around to nudge Icekit through. "Say hello."

Icekit stared up at the figure as it stood up from a sitting position. It was a cat, surely, but no kind of cat she'd ever seen. Unlike her family, there was no solidness to its form- and, unlike Featherpaw or Poppykit or Barkthroat or many other cats, it had no stars in its fur. It looked more like a bunch of lines, with the slightest bit of creamy yellow and black tabby in-between.

"You did. I waited," the cat rumbled. The voice was distinctly feminine. "Hello, Icekit. My name is Dogwood."

Icekit's eyes stretched wide. "Wow. You knew my name!"

"I did."

"Are you a dog leader? Is that why your name has dog in it? Is 'wood' your version of 'star'?"

Dogwood chuckled at the barrage of questions. "Dogwood is a kind of plant- and a very, very silly coincidence in this matter. But I've known my fair share of house cats over the seasons, and they knew dogs, so I have a pretty good idea on how they work."

Icekit didn't know what a house cat was, but she assumed it was something cool and moved on. "The dog is a big jerk! He killed Birdleap and Shadestorm!"

"And Patchscar is in critical condition," Featherpaw added grimly. "Dogwood, I hate to bother you- especially since you've found peace- but I didn't know who else to ask to give us an idea of what to do here."

"Odd of a dog to attack a bunch of cats at once," Dogwood mused, licking a paw before dragging it across her ear. "Did either of you notice if it has a collar?"

Icekit looked at Featherpaw, baffled, to find him staring back.

"Right, right. Clan cats." She shook her head. "Collars are Upwalker things. They go around the neck of a dog or cat, and they usually have your name and the address of the Upwalker's house on it."

Featherpaw's nose wrinkled. "Why?"

"The same reason you lot spray all over the place; to mark your own. If it has a collar, we can return the dog to its home. I imagine, with how its been acting, it's either hungry or sick or both. Upwalkers can make it better, and it'll be out of your fur for forever."

"Can you read Upwalker?" he asked. "Because I sure can't."

"Oh, sure. The basics, anyway. It's mostly just about memorizing the symbols." Dogwood hesitated, looking up at the treetops. "I have to be going soon, and so do you. Any longer and we'll all be in trouble. Come back at the next quarter-moon and we'll make a proper plan."

"Can't you come to us?" Icekit pleaded, thinking of how tired she was.

"I'm afraid not. A few seasons ago, I let RiverClan into my home, and now I can walk in their territory as repayment. But WindClan owes me nothing." Dogwood's form trembled a little. "This is as close as I get, and it's wearing me out like nobody's business."

RiverClan? Icekit's heart froze with fear. As quiet and empty as their meeting place had been, she'd assumed they'd left the Clans all together. Petalfoot and Wolfbreeze were around my age when it happened, weren't they? I don't want to spend Leaf-bare in this heather-forsaken place! "You didn't say it was enemy territory!"

Featherpaw had the decency to look ashamed. "I'm sorry, Icekit. There wasn't much else I could do. You're the only one who can translate for us."

Icekit turned and ran.


It was Beeheart who found her, confused and forgotten and trying to decipher which way was camp. He immediately bundled her close, snuffling her pelt. Icekit could only imagine the strange scents she must carry- RiverClan, certainly. His shoulder fur steadily rose as he took it all in. He said nothing, picking Icekit up by the scruff, and she almost wished he had yelled.

Beeheart stomped into the medicine den, setting her down on a nest. "She's got scratches," he meowed, deathly quiet. He wouldn't look at her. The gray tom turned and stalked out.

Petalfoot hardly bats at an eye at his fuming. She pulled out some rounded green leaves. "This is dock. It should take the sting out of those boo-boos."

"Won't it hurt going on?" Icekit eyed the herbs warily. Shoving chewed-up plants into wounds sounds like the opposite of help to her.

The medicine cat looked mildly surprised, but it faded quickly. "Yes, but overall it helps." Petalfoot slid in next to her, pressing close while she worked. "So. You wanna talk about it?"

"Aunt Petalfoot?"

"Hmm?"

"Are those special cats you mentioned..." she swallowed, thinking back to Dogwood's strange appearance. "Are they ghosts?"

Petalfoot's tail flicked. "I believe so, yes."

"Why?"

"What what?'

"Why me?"

"Why is the sky blue?" The medicine cat let out a little laugh. "No one knows why certain cats are born with certain ways of doing things. It just is."

Icekit blinked up at her desperately. "But you know who Featherpaw is. Do you... do you see them too?"

Petalfoot rubbed a little dock into her side. Icekit flinched at the weird sensation. "They come into my dreams, sometimes, but I can't see them when they wander like you can."

The kitten felt herself tremble. No wonder Lilykit called me a liar. She doesn't even know who Featherpaw is. "Do I have to be a medicine cat now?"

Petalfoot's eyes flashed. "Of course not! I would never force someone to be my apprentice."

"But I can see ghosts!"

"Finchcloud had premonitions at your age," she replied, wrapping the smear with cobwebs. "He still does, from time to time, but it's faded as he got older. It might be the same way with you. Or maybe it won't. Either way, your life is your own."

Icekit opened her mouth, then closed it, staring at her feet. Do I want to lose this? Featherpaw was kind to her, and Barkthroat had told her more stories than any of the living elders. Hailface and Badgerberry didn't come very often, but when they did they would shower her with games of monsters and rogues. They were part of her family, and she didn't want that to just evaporate as she got older.

"What's it like?" she meowed. "Being a medicine cat?"

Petalfoot hesitated before answering. "It can be a lot of pressure. Everyone expects you to be able to heal every bump and bruise; you wish you could, most of the time. You don't fight as much, and sometimes the fighting just doesn't make sense. But it's great too. You talk to the stars and help your closest kin with the most amazing of things; kitting. I have connections to cats I've healed that I wouldn't have as an everyday warrior." She stepped back, her paws covered in gunk. "I guess what I'm trying to say is...it can be very rewarding too."

"Wow. That... it sure sounds amazing."

"It is, for me. But you and I are different cats." Petalfoot gestured to the entrance of the den. "Your parents are waiting for you. You're in enough trouble as it is; I wouldn't want to keep them waiting."

Icekit reluctantly nodded. She padded away, her mind filled to the brim with questions she didn't have the answers to.

Author's Note: Hey, I'm back! Sorry this took so long lol. I wasn't originally planning on having Icekit meet Dogwood- actually, it was gonna be Pikepaw. But this made more sense from a plot standpoint, and it meant I got to expand on a once-off character who I never even intended on bringing back.

-Mandaree1