CHAPTER NINE:

"Skypaw, can I talk to you?" Cloverkit's green eyes shone as she padded into Skypaw's den.

"Of course you can." Skypaw sat down and wrapped her tail around her paws. "About what?"

Cloverkit glanced down at her paws for a second before replying. "Can you teach me to be a medicine cat? she asked shyly.

Skypaw had to bite her tongue to keep from blurting out, "Of course, I've been waiting for nearly five moons for you to ask me!" Instead, she meowed, "What makes you want to be a medicine cat, Cloverkit?"

"I want to help cats, not hurt them," mewed Cloverkit earnestly. "I want to interpret signs from StarClan and heal those that need healing." She shuffled her paws. "Please, Skypaw, I know this is what I'm supposed to do."

"You're right." Skypaw purred at the stunned look on the kit's face. "This is what you're supposed to do. But we need to talk to Fogstar and your mother first."

"What do you think they'll say?" Cloverkit suddenly looked nervous. "Do you think that my littermates will be angry with me?"

"Of course they won't." Amused, Skypaw flicked Cloverkit's ear with her tail. "They might not understand your decision, but they'll accept it."

"You think so?"

Skypaw blinked. "I know so."


A cracking sound startled Skypaw out of her sleep, but, looking around, nothing seemed wrong.

The thin gray light of dawn clawed at the darkness as Skypaw exited her den, still feeling uneasy. Something was wrong; she knew it.

But what?

A breeze wafted Iceheather's scent towards Skypaw, causing her to halt before going back to her den. Wondering where the young she-cat had gone so early in the morning, she followed the trail out into the woods.

Remember your warning, Skypaw.

Lightfeather's voice startled the medicine cat, causing her to jump and then freeze. The forest had suddenly disappeared, and she was standing on what looked like a flat expanse of white land. Except - the land was breaking apart, fissures growing even with the smallest shift in weight.

Ice can break.

Oh.

Realization pounded through her veins and sent her flying through the underbrush as she returned to reality. For some reason, Iceheather had been walking on the lake. And now? Well, now she was stuck.

A bramble bush caught Skypaw's fur as she tore through it to the pebbled beach. Sure enough, Iceheather was paralyzed ten tail-lengths off shore. "Skypaw, I'm stuck," she meowed in a small voice.

"Just - stay right there," meowed Skypaw unnecessarily as she paused at the ice's edge. "How bad is it cracking? Can I get out to you?"

"No." Iceheather inhaled shakily. "Skypaw, there's no way - "

"I'll find one." Oh StarClan, please let me find one. "I - I need a stick. I'll be right back."

"I'm not going anywhere. Trust me."

It took Skypaw a few moments to find one that was even close to long enough. But, after pushing it carefully across the ice towards the she-cat, there was still four tail-lengths in. "You're going to have to risk moving," mewed Skypaw nervously. "You'll just have to be careful."

Iceheather looked at her, her blue eyes wide and scared. "What if I fall?"

"I'll come in after you," Skypaw promised, putting the end of the stick in her mouth. "Hurry; before the ice is much weaker."

Iceheather inched forward incrementally until she was only a tail length away.

That was when the slick surface cracked open.

In a final, desperate attempt, Iceheather dove forward and managed to grab her end of the branch between her teeth before she plunged into the lake.

Skypaw was yanked forward, though she refused to let go with her teeth. But her paws were sliding on the frosty stones, and she was almost to the edge of the breaking lake.

She would have to either let go and save herself, or drown with Iceheather.

Suddenly another cat was pulling on the stick with her, his shoulder shoving Skypaw back. Together, they managed to pull the white queen onto the shoreline ice, where it was safe.

Skypaw staggered over to Iceheather and pressed her ear to her chest. "She's alive," she rasped finally.

"Good."

It was then that Skypaw realized that the other cat was Coldpaw. He was looking at her with an unreadable expression.

"She needs a medicine cat," she meowed unthinkingly.

Now Coldpaw was giving her a strange look, like, Um, yeah? Your point?

"Oh. Right." Skypaw remembered then that she was the medicine cat and stared bleakly down at Iceheather. "We need to get her to camp."

"Okay." Coldpaw strode forward and picked up the small, unconscious, drenched she-cat easily.

The trek through the woods was awkward. Finally, Skypaw broke the silence. "Thank you."

"I didn't do it for you," Coldpaw mumbled around fur.

"You could have done it for the Dark Forest for all I care. She's my best friend, and you saved her; so I thanked you."

Coldpaw shot her a look. "You're welcome, then."

Just then, Iceheather coughed, retching up water before lapsing back into blackness.

The apprentice holding her rolled his eyes. "You know what? Hold that thought until I get myself cleaned off."

Skypaw glanced at her paws. For the first time in StarClan knew how many moons, she felt a slight warmth in her belly as she talked to Coldpaw. It was a nice feeling.

"What?" Coldpaw looked mystified. The hard mask that had been painted on his face for such a long time seemed to be melting a little, revealing the old tom that she'd known as her best friend.

"What?"

"You just look... weird."

Skypaw leaped easily over a slushy puddle, concentrating on her landed for an extended amount of time. "I've just missed you, Coldpaw," she meowed finally. "That's all."

"That's all," Coldpaw repeated. His face closed off again, expressionless and uncaring. "I see."

"Do you, Coldpaw? Do you really?" The heat had drained out of her as quickly as it had come.

Skypaw picked up the pace so that she was a few steps ahead of him for the rest of the walk.


Author's Note

I don't deserve readers like you. I'm sorry to have been so disappointing with my updating. I've had some scholarly issues that I had to take care of, not to mention writer's block on this story, so this was the last story updated. Again, so sorry. Please forgive me? Also, did you think this chapter was okay? Review/PM me if you'd like to share your opinion. I myself wasn't hugely impressed by the first part, but the second seemed okay to me.

Psst. Here's a little secret about the plot of the entire series: this scene was the basis of everything to come. So stay tuned. Mwahaha. (: