Chapter 10
Icestar stretched out her legs once she finished eating a thrush and sat up in her nest. So far, it's been an uneventful day. The only thing that happened was Frostpaws' warrior ceremony. She was renamed Frostpath. She was happy, of course, to get her name at last but was obviously upset over getting it so much later than her sister, Streamheart. It was understandable and Icestar did feel bad about putting off. She had her busy schedule to blame but it was a poor excuse.
The white she-cat noticed a small group gathered just besides the fresh-kill pile outside. Curious, Icestar padded over across the camp to see what was happening. When she left her den, Icestar sighed when she spotted Rockstorms' Sunhigh border patrol return. Since they were back, that meant the day was already more than half over.
Before reaching the cats, Icestar listened to what they were saying.
"What makes you deserve it any more than I do?" Stormtooth demanded. Bluefoot, Sunclaw, Snowpelt and Ferncloud stood next to him, backing him up on his argument.
"Well for one, my hunting party did better than yours," Hawkwing argued back. Sparrowfall, Thornear, Leopardfang and Bluefire nodded in agreement. Wolfclaw stood between the two groups, trying to stop their raging but they were too involved in their conversation.
"You did not," Sunclaw replied.
"We caught more than you, if not the same amount," Stormtooth retorted. Icestar almost forgot about the long-lasting feud between her past mentor and Hawkwing.
"You're delusional," Leopardfang growled back.
"And anyway," Hawkwing meowed, "we got to the pile before you, so we should get the last of the prey!"
"Nonsense! We got here at the same time. And besides; we were always better hunters than you so-"
"Enough of this!" Wolfclaw hissed, silences the cats and gathering their attention at last. "Stop this mindless argument, you mouse-brains!"
"What's going on here?" Icestar asked, stepping in.
Wolfclaw was quick to answer before any of the others could. "These two groups both went on hunting parties this morning. Most of the prey they brought back has already been taken and since prey is getting scarce, this is all that's left." The pile only held two fish, a sparrow, and two mice. "They're arguing over who gets it."
Icestar glanced at both Stormtooth and Hawkwing then looked at Wolfclaw. "This I pointless," she started. "Why is there so little prey? It hasn't even started snowing yet."
"Prey already started hiding for Leaf-bare, it seems. I already sent several hunting parties out not long ago."
It always felt uncomfortable to act leader-like in front of her leader but it couldn't be helped. "Well send some more out." She looked at the several cats. "Since you can't reach a decision on your own, then I want all of you to go hunting again. By the time you get back, there should be enough prey for everyone." No one argued but there was a hot, angry air between the cats, Stormtooth and Hawkwing in particular. They began to go in their separate directions after a short moment of silence.
Once they were gone, Wolfclaw signed unconsciously and Icestar glanced at him. "They might never stop fighting," she muttered.
"I haven't noticed any disputes in the clan lately," she pointed out.
"Eh, you don't really notice the small stuff. Featherstripe, Hawkwing and I usually deal with them but Hawkwing is often causing problems."
"I guess he's still mad," the leader said idly with a half-heated smile.
"Guess so. Though, I expected as much."
Icestar nodded and their discussion died into an awkward silence before Icestar broke it. "Well, I need to go… do stuff."
"Yeah, me too," the dark tom replied and padded away.
Since Hawkwings' plans to overthrow the clan were foiled, Icestar decided to keep him in the clan but demote him from deputy. She thought about exiling him for lack of loyalty, but then he would just go running to the rebels and she didn't want them to have a cat with nine lives on their side. Icestar already considered what to do about all the lives he still has since he wasn't a deputy anymore. She couldn't send him to the Moonstone because Starclan would explain everything and he would become a great thorn in her side. In the end, the leader decided to just act as if she forgot about it and not bring it up. She knew she might regret it later but didn't have another option.
Hawkwing was always deeply entwined in the clan; from leader of Thunderclan to deputy of Forestclan. He has many followers and he now has several cats keeping a close eye on him from past events. He couldn't escape the clan even if he tired. Keeping the tom close was the best choice for Icestar at the moment, though she didn't like it.
Icestar sighed heavily. Though she hasn't done much yet, being the leader of so many cats was very exhausting in itself.
The leader turned around, about to head somewhere else but paused when she noticed Rockstorm was standing behind her.
"How long have you been standing there?" Icestar asked, surprised that she didn't notice earlier.
"Not long," he said simply and continued straight to the point. "I came to report the Sunhigh border patrol."
"Go on."
"First of all, we ran into the rebels in the forest." Icestars' eyes widened in interest. "We gave chase but they eventually got away." The leader seemed to have lost interest but she kept listening until the report was over. "We also found someone else who wants to join."
"Huh?" The she-cat surly wasn't expecting to hear such news. "Who?" The leader then noticed that the other cats who went on the patrol as well were standing nearby, probably listening in. From inside the group, Mapleshine appeared and nervously walked over to Icestar.
Icestar was shocked and unsure of what to say. She dug through her mind wildly for the right words to say to her past apprentice. At last, she simply said "let's go inside my den" and she was first to begin walking.
"Wait," Eagleflight said and got closer to the scene. "Is that wise? What if she tried to kill you or something?"
Icestar looked at him then at Mapleshine who looked slightly offended. The thought didn't occur to her but she began to feel uneasy once Eagleflight suggested to possibility. "Fine; Rockstorm, you come too."
The tree cats went inside the leader den. Once they were in, Icestar looked straight at Mapleshine, not knowing what to expect. "Care to explain yourself?"
The rich brown she-cat opened her mouth but Rockstorm jumped in. "She truly wants to join the clan," he said quickly. "She already told the other rebels that she was leaving. I was there when it happened too."
Mapleshine started to add something but her brother spoke over her again. "And she's not a spy either. We spoke about it earlier too. So please give her a chance!"
Once he stopped, Mapleshine managed to speak. "And I-"
Rockstorm cut her off again. "She decided to join because-"
"Rockstorm!" The brown tom turned to her sister. "Please, let me speak."
"Oh… Yeah, sure," he replied blankly, suddenly realizing he had been interrupting her.
Mapleshine faced Icestar. "I want to join because I miss Rockstorm and everyone else. All my friends: I don't want to fight them anymore- I can't fight them. Please, Icestar. I know I won't be accepted by everyone right away but give me a chance." The she-cat looked at Icestar with hopeful eyes. The leader glanced at Rockstorm to see him looking at her in the same way as his sister.
That's only understandable. She couldn't understand the pain of being torn away from a sibling by war but she could understand the pain of losing a sibling. No one should experience such agony.
Icestar looked at the two for a moment as she thought it through. She knew very well what would happen to Mapleshine if she was turned down. She couldn't return to the rebels and would have nowhere to go. She couldn't do that to her apprentice.
"Maybe I'm not just thinking straight," Icestar began, watching closely and the anticipation showed clearly through their eyes. "But I'll allow you back in the clan."
Mapleshine smiled and sighed as if a large burden was just taken off her shoulders. "Thank you so much," she said with relief.
Rockstorm perked up suddenly. "Yes, this'll be great! We're finally in the same clan again," she said enthusiastically and jumped back to his paws. "Come on, let's go tell the others!"
"O-okay," she managed to say before Rockstorm pushed her out of the den. "Thanks," she called before Icestar was out of ear-shot.
And now Icestar was alone in her den. He never acted that excited before.
Icestar watched as Mapleshine and Rockstorm ran through the camp. She was happy for them. Seeing them together happily reminded her of Cloudheart.
The leader sighed and walked out of her den once again. She walked aimlessly though camp and decided to walk through the territory. She was getting tired of spending so much time in the camp.
The white she-cat idly explored the forest until she reached the Thunderpath. Nothing in particular happened on the way there.
She flinched as a large Monster roared by on the path with amazing speed. She hasn't been to the Thunderpath in quite a while and was never able to get used to the sounds, sights and smells that the path held.
Standing by the edge of the path brought her mind to many moons ago when she and her sister first crossed the path with Ashstar and Runningshade. She remembered how fearless the old leader was when Monsters passed by.
Icestar pictured him running across the black ground as he did back then. The thought of him made her sigh. She never thought she could be a better leader than Ashstar. He was such a great leader. Compared to him, what has she done other than combing the clans?
The white she-cat stared out into what used to be Shadowclan land with several thoughts streaming through her mind. Wait, why did I come here anyway? She thought after realizing she had no reason to come to the Thunderpath.
Before another Monster could race by, Icestar decided to turn around and head somewhere else but before she could move, she spotted a cat on the other side of the path. The cat looked quite young and was running across the path with great speed. At first, she wasn't sure why anyone would be running to fast in such a dangerous area until she saw what the cat was running from. An angered fox appeared and chased after the cat.
As they got closer, Icestar was able to recognize the cat as Oakpaw, Rainshadows' apprentice before he left.
Once learning the danger he was in, Icestar wasted no time and stepped onto the Thunderpath, only to freeze when another Monster flew past. She hurried across the path when it was gone and got into Oakpaws' view once she was safely across.
"Oakpaw, what are you doing here alone?" She demanded as he got closer and closer with the fox trailing behind.
"I'll tell you later," he answered through tired breath. "Run!" The apprentice dashed past Icestar.
They couldn't run from the fox forever. Instead of catching up with Oakpaw, Icestar faced the fox as it got closed in. It stopped running and began walked up to Icestar very slowly with a snarling growl. At this point, Oakpaw noticed what was happening and watched from behind.
Icestar tensed herself and waited for the Fox to move first. The animal didn't wait too long before it lunched forward and snapped its' large jaws at Icestar. However, she was faster and easily jumped to the side and jumped onto the foxes' back and dug her claws into its pelt. The fox wrestled back, trying to get Icestar off.
Oakpaw gathered up the courage to run forward and attack the fox as well. He aimed for the other side of its back but the fox moved as it was focused on Icestar and the apprentice ended landing on the animals head. He was quickly shaken off but managed to claw its eyes when he was tossed to the side.
Before the fox could attack Icestar, she jumped off its side and faced the beast again. Its' back and face were bleeding but the feisty creature wasn't done yet.
"Oakpaw, are you okay?" She asked as she kept a distance from the fox.
"Yeah," he said as he got back onto his paws.
Before he could add more, Icestar swiftly ran around the fox, dodging several bites and snaps it made in attempt to stop her. Without getting hurt, Icestar slashed at the fox's legs but it managed to grab her front leg in its' jaw and the fox threw her against a tree.
Icestar groaned as she tried to pull herself up. She looked at the leg what was bit to see deep bite marks and blood soaking through her white fur.
Loud growls and whimpers caught her attention and the white she-cat looked up, watching as Oakpaw took charge of the battle and latched himself to the back of the animals' neck. The fox struggled greatly to get him off but he was holding on with his all his strength. As the fox was occupied, Icestar forced herself up, enduring the pain in her leg, and ran towards the fox, landing a deep cut when she clawed at its' chest.
The fox yelped and began to flee, still shaking its' head in attempt to release Oakpaws' grip. He soon let go and stumbled over his own paws when he landed back on the ground. The fox disappeared into the marshy plants.
Icestar sat down, taking all weight off her injured leg and sighed heavily. She remained silent until she caught her breath.
"That was reckless, Oakpaw," she told the dark brown apprentice.
He walked over and stood facing her, avoiding eye contact and holding the expression of a kit who was being scolded. "I know; I'm sorry."
"Where is your mentor?" It took her a moment to remember who his new mentor was. "Uh, Mosspelt: where is she?" It's been a while since she gave the Thunderclan she-cat the Shadowclan apprentice.
He shrugged and looked down at his paws, shifting them through the dirt. "I don't know; at camp, probably." He looked up at the leader. "She doesn't really take me out much for training and hunting so I went alone. I should have brought someone with me…"
Icestar was very close to saying something along the lines of no; you should have been patient but she wasn't in the mood to talk to him in such a way. She was just glad he was alright. "I see. Well, you did a good job against the fox. I would have been crow-food if you didn't help," she told him with a smile. The compliment was enough to make him smile back.
"Uh, thank you, Icestar," he replied at last.
"By the way, how is Leafpaw doing?" It's been quite a while since Icestar talked to Oakpaws' sister. In fact, there were a lot of cats that she hasn't spoken to lately.
"She's doing pretty well," he meowed. "Mistystripe was always a good mentor for her."
Icestar simply nodded, thinking everything over.
Oakpaw looked hesitant for a moment, unsure if he should speak or not. He eventually decided to ask "do you think we could become warriors soon?"
Icestar nodded again. "Yes, there is a good chance. You've been apprentices for a while now. Don't be surprised if it happens soon," she told him with a calm half-smile.
Oakpaw suddenly got excited. "Thank you! I have to go tell Leafpaw," he said and slowly started to head to the tunnel that went straight under the Thunderpath.
"Alright, you go ahead," she said and started walking to but she limped down thanks to her wounded leg. Oakpaw paused after noticing.
"Maybe I could help," he suggested, eyes locked on her red paw.
"No, don't worry about it," the leader insisted. "You should go find your sister."
Oakpaw took a moment to figure out what to do. He eventually decided and walked over to Icestars' side. "No, let me help you," he said in a concerned voice.
Slightly shocked by his suddenly change of mind, Icestar agreed at last and the two cats slowly made their way back to camp.
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The sun was setting by the time Icestar and Oakpaw returned to camp. Although, since the sky has become covered in clouds, it was difficult to see.
The camp had become less active and most of the warriors were beginning to settle down. As Oakpaw helped support Icestar on their way to the Medicine cat den, the white she-cat glanced around the camp to see who was around.
She saw Flowerfrost and her kits inside the nursery when she walked by. Ashkit and Hollykit were apparently trying to escape outside but their mother got in the way. Seeing the carefree life of kits brought a smile to Icestars' face. Kits at their age were always trying to spend every second of the day outside with the warriors.
In the corner of her eye, Icestar could have sworn she saw Bramblestripe looking at her but when she turned to make sure, she was gone. Icestar hasn't seen her friends in a while. It was very odd and she couldn't figure out if it was just a coincidence or if they were avoiding her. It was very unnerving at times.
"Icestar, what happened?" The leader snapped back to the moment when she head Heartherwishs' shocked gasp at the sight of her bloody leg. She also attracted the attention of the other medicine cats.
Firestripe was the second cat to notice but he didn't spend any time consoling the leader. Instead, he made a hasty turn back into the den to fetch some herbs for her.
Icestar was brought into the den and told to sit down. Heatherwish thanked Oakpaw and gently told him to leave.
Willowleaf and Goldenfur joined the group and asked details about what happened. Firestripe returned with the herbs, dropped them by his paws. "You should lick some of the blood off first," he muttered, not wanting to deal with it himself.
Icestar agreed without saying anything and began grooming her fur as the Medicine cats' gathered around. Icestar already explained what happened at the Thunderpath in a nutshell.
"So," Icestar started as she softly cleaned her fur. "Where is Nightwind and Coldstone?" She asked after noticing the cats were absent.
"Someone- Spottedfire I think- apparently fell into the river while on a border patrol. He got out okay but wasn't in the best shape to do too much walking so they went over there. He probably swallowed a lot of water," Heatherwish answered. "I hope he's okay."
"So do I," Icestar said quietly. When she finished with her leg, Firestripe began wrapping cobwebs around it and Willowleaf started preparing some other herbs. She chewed some leaves up that Icestar couldn't name and rubbed the juice into her wound, making Icestar flinch from the unexpected sting.
"Sorry," the she-cat said simply and continued sorting through some extra herbs.
"Make sure to stay off that leg for a while," Heatherwish told her as the other Medicine cats left to continue with whatever they were doing before. They all knew Icestar didn't need four Medicine cats working on one little bite wound but they didn't have anything else to do at the moment.
"I will," she meowed. "Oakpaw got hurt too. Why did you tell him to leave?"
"Really?" Heatherwish seemed sincerely surprised. "I didn't notice. I figured he was fine since he was helping you walk. Well in that case, I'll go fetch him."
Icestar nodded and Heatherwish left den. Having no more reason to stay, Icestar left as well.
The days were getting shorter. In the short time she as in the Medicine cat den, the sun was sinking into the far-off mountains, leaving the sky in a shade of purple.
Before she got too far from the den, the former Riverclan cat, Lilyshade, ran into the den and she, Goldenfur and Willowleaf soon ran back out with their jaws filled with herbs. The she-cats headed straight for the nursery.
Icestar watched them leave then turned back into the Medicine at den.
"What was that about?" She asked Firestripe.
"Lilyshade just informed us that Silverheart is having her kits," he said calmly like he has said the same thing several times before.
Considering the great lack of kits in the large clan, this was fantastic news to the leader. She excitedly headed towards the nursery, limping as she tried to keep as much weight off her leg as possible.
Before she could go in, Goldenfur appeared through the entrance with a pile of moss in her jaw, probably going to soak it in water. She dropped it to speak. "Sorry Icestar but Silverheart doesn't want anyone inside until the kits are born.
Icestar wasn't expecting that but she wasn't going to argue over it. The white she-cat stood aside and Goldenfur ran past with the moss while the leader began pacing around in front of the nursery. It was progressively getting darker as she waited.
As Icestar waited outside in boredom, Goldenfur soon returned into the Nursery without a word to the leader.
The clan needed more kits. But more than that, Icestar always enjoyed seeing newborn kits. It was always interesting to see them for the first time and be there as the parents discuss names. Since Icestar was stuck in such a unique position in life, she often doubted she would ever have her own kits.
After a while of enduring impatiens, Willowleaf emerged from the Nursery and said it was alright to come inside now to see the kits.
Icestar eagerly padded into the den and saw Silverheart and her mate, Pinethorn, sitting around a few small kits. The silver she-cat was busy grooming their fur.
Getting a closer look, Icestar could see what the kits looked like. There were three toms. One shared a similar fur design as Silverheart with smooth, silver fur. The second tom was a light shade of brown and the other was a darker shade of brown, almost black, like their father. The darker brown tom was the largest of them all. The forth kit was a she-cat with brown fur and a white belly and tail.
"They're beautiful," Icestar commented, looking down fondly at the small cats.
Silverheart nodded with a smile that suddenly disappeared and replaced with an expression of horror. "Something's' wrong," the silver she-cat whispered.
"What is it?" Pinethorn asked, suddenly alert.
"This kit," she said, motioning to the light brown tom. "He's not moving!"
Several gasps were heard inside the Nursery, including one from Flowerfrost who was watching from a distance with her kits playing in arrogance.
Willowleaf and Goldenfur stepped up to check the kit. They examined the tom for a moment while everyone waited in heavy silence. After a moment, Goldenfur sat back up. "He's dead," she whispered at last.
"No!" Silverheart yelled and scrambled closer to the one kit. "H-how? It's not even Leaf-bare yet," she pointed out and tried licking the kit, hoping he was still alive somehow.
"It seems he was born weak," Willowleaf said mournfully. "I'm so sorry."
Silverheart didn't reply. She kept her eyes locked on the little kit who didn't last long after birth. "Wildkit," she whispered and looked up at her mate. "I want to name him Wildkit. I hope he can run wildly in Starclan with all the clear streams and tasty fish he needs in Starclan."
"That's a great name," Pinethorn said mournfully and sat down next to Silverheart.
After a moment of silence, Silverheart turned to the three kits who blindly bumped into each other, searching for their mother. She guided them over to her with her tail.
"Let's name the darker tom Sootkit," Pinethorn suggested. Silverheart nodded thankfully.
"The silver tom could be named Snowkit," Silverheart said then turned to the brown and white she-cat. "And Petalkit."
"Those are great names," Pinethorn said.
Icestar could tell the parents were trying to not get too upset over to the dead kit and focus more on the live ones but the tone of their voices showed their sadness. The white she-cat had no idea what it felt like to lose a kit right after he's born but it must be a terrible feeling.
Silverheart snuggled in closer to the kits, including Wildkit.
Icestar couldn't take this. The air was full of sadness and it was almost suffocating. She had to get out but didn't want to be rude. Before she said anything, another thought jumped into her mind. She planned to tell the queens something but never got around to it. This would be a terrible time but she couldn't wait any longer.
She glanced at Ashkit and Hollykit, who have now fallen asleep beside their mother.
"Goldenfur, Willowleaf; can I speak to Flowerfrost, Pinethorn and Silverheart alone for a moment?"
The medicine cats gave each other a glance before nodding and walking out.
Icestar faced the three cats. "Okay, I'll just cut to the chase," she started, rewarded with very curious looks from them. She took a deep breath before continuing. "I don't want the kits to hear about the clans before they combined."
No one seemed sure how to respond to what the leader said.
"What do you mean by that?" Flowerfrost said at last.
"I'm asking you not to tell them about the four clans. As far as they know, we've always been one clan."
Silverheart stared at the leader, looking very startled. "You mean… you want us to lie to them?" She looked down at her three kits. Silverhearts' kits weren't able to understand what they were saying and Flowerfrosts' kits were sleeping. It was safe to discuss this around them for now.
"Yes," Icestar said, holding in a sigh. "And make sure you tell the others too. I don't mind them knowing about it when their older since they'll find out eventually but not while they're still so young."
Icestar could imagine the thoughts going through the parents' minds. They were probably wondering why Icestar would tell them to do such a thing. With any other cat, they would go even deeper into it but Icestar somehow got herself quite the reputation with included why no one argued with her.
The three of them remained silent without agreeing or refusing.
Icestar knew they would follow her orders eventually. "I'll leave you be now," she said and started for the exit. "Also, I'll let the clan know about the kits later," the leader sighed and continued outside. While she said she would inform the clan, Icestar needed a moment before doing so.
That wasn't easy to say. And to make it worse, death was heavy. I guess I can't avoid it even after joining everyone together and ending the war, Icestar thought to herself. It was impossible to escape loss. Icestar needed to accept that.
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A/N: Well that took a while to write. I was always a little late on when the kits should have been born but I finally got that done. Yay.
Anyway, this wasn't much of filler like I said it would be. Oh well. Everything that happens from here on is pretty straight forward. If I keep at a steady pace, this story will be done in no time!
Well thanks for reading and I hoped you enjoyed. Please leave a review!
Have a nice day~