Broken Ice - Chapter 12

*tour guide's voice* And if you look just below you, you will find conflict numero uno.

If you like this story, please check out the novella, "Alone Together". You can find it on my profile.

I don't own Warriors.

Too Good to Last

If it's too good to be true, it usually is.

The hunt had been going so well. Pire had caught a large pigeon for the entire group to share, and he and Lithe were in the process of chasing a rabbit into my paws for me to catch. And I would have caught it to if it hadn't shown up. I don't even respect it enough to give it a gender at this point. You'll see why.

The rabbit was coming right toward me. It was plump, and enough to keep the group fed for a day or two. I was just about to leap forward and sink my fangs into its soft flesh when a large, dark brown paw slammed down onto the creature's back. I listened and cringed as I heard the rabbit's spine snap under the paw's weight. The rabbits squealed once, and then stilled, a small stream of blood trickling out the side of its mouth.

I looked up to come face-to-face with a set of dark amber, almost black eyes. I shivered under their intense gaze. There was an undeniable coldness and indifference there, and hiding behind that was a mixture of rage and hatred that was just barely peeking through a carefully controlled mask. "Prey stealer!" the cat – a tom – snarled, taking one massive step toward me so he was less than a mouse-length away.

In turn, I took a step back, my pelt beginning to bristle with fear. There was no way I would be able to protect myself if he attacked . . . Where were Pire and Lithe?

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I replied, doing my best to keep my voice calm and collected. But I knew it was futile. My fear-scent was probably pouring off me in blatant waves. "This land belongs to no one, and I am free to hunt as I please!"

He chuckled darkly. "You say that with such confidence, but I can smell your fear, kitten! And this land belongs to me and my cats!"

"Says who?" I shot back, feeling rather bold. What right did this tom have to take control of free land? I felt like I was back in the Clans again – that was practically all they did. They'd bicker, and then they'd start wars over tiny chucks of land that couldn't support one cat let alone a Clan! It was foolish, and all a part of their pathetic, selfish power-struggle. "You have no authority over me and my friends."

"Ice?" Pire's voice suddenly sounded. I turned to see the brown tom emerge from a clump of ferns. He bounded toward us, Lithe following close behind. About time you two showed up! I thought indignantly. Pire gave the dark brown tom a skeptical look. "Who is this? What's going on here?"

"You're stealing my prey!" the tom growled once more. The fact that he was now outnumbered did little to humble what was apparently a massive ego. "You are trespassing on my territory, and it is my duty to drive you out."

Pire's hackles rose. "This land doesn't belong to anyone. We aren't the Clans – we don't claim territory out of selfishness so others cannot benefit from it!"

"This isn't about selfishness!" A new voice snarled. I peered around the tom just in time to see a tortoiseshell she-cat come into view. Her claws were unsheathed, and her amber eyes were just as hard as the toms. "This is about keeping our group alive! We have mouths to feed, and kits on the way. We need to carve out a territory now to ensure the survival of future generations! And before you say 'go somewhere else when the prey runs out', we can hardly travel with newborn kits, and waiting until they are old enough to survive the journey could mean death for us all. We are doing what is necessary to protect our own!"

"Well said, Rose Thorn," the tom meowed approvingly. "Unfortunately, I think even with your simple, and understandable explanation, these thick-headed beetle-brains still won't get it."

Rose Thorn? That almost sounded like a Clan name.

"In that case, let's drive them out, Fallen Shadow."

Fallen Shadow? Who are these cats?!

"In case you haven't noticed, you're outnumbered here," Pire pointed out. He was flexing his claws, and trying to look intimidating. Even though these two new cats didn't know about my disability, when it came down to fighting, there wasn't much I could do except try to the best of my ability, and probably end up having an attack of my own.

Rose Thorn snickered. "We've trained ourselves to fight! We are stronger and better than you rogues!"

"Leave now, don't come back, and we'll spare you," Fallen Shadow added after a moment. "We aren't murderers, but we will protect what is ours!"

"It's not yours to—"

"Pire, maybe we should just go," Lithe suggested, putting a soothing tail on his shoulder. "Is fighting these mouse-brains really worth it?"

"Mouse-brains?!" Rose Thorn hissed in outrage. I saw as the tortoiseshell she-cat crouched, her shoulders bunching. She was preparing to spring, and she was aiming right at Lithe! Fortunately, before she could leap, Fallen Shadow stepped in front of her.

"Enough," he growled. His voice was deep, and commanding. I shuddered and let out a breath I hadn't known that I was holding.

"I agree with Lithe," I meowed. "Please, Pire."

I watched as my friend narrowed his eyes dangerously. He gave Fallen Shadow a fearsome glare before growling. He set his jaw and flattened his ears against his head. "Fine," he snarled darkly. He didn't take his eyes off the rival tom. "But don't think that this is over!"

I felt my blood chill in my veins. What did Pire mean by that? Did he think that our group was going to fight for this land?

"We're looking forward to that fight," Rose Thorn hissed in response. "Now get going." Her eyes drifted in my direction. "Wouldn't want to upset your companions, would you?"

Pire glared at her once more before turning around to head back to camp. I followed him, glancing over my shoulder every few seconds to make sure they wouldn't ambush us while we had our backs turned. They seemed like the kind of cut-throats that would do a thing like that. They could talk about their honor, and doing only what they had to do all they wanted, but they couldn't fool me.

I remembered a time when RiverClan had troubles with rogues like that. They could have supported themselves and their families with the land outside the Clan territories, but it wasn't enough for them. They were greedy and selfish, and didn't care about any other cat that might need that land to hunt, or might need help in future seasons. If I had been a warrior, I might not have had this view point. I would have been raised to fight and protect RiverClan territory. But I was not trained to be a warrior; I was trained to be a medicine cat. Batwing always told me to keep an unbiased opinion, and help any cat you might meet no matter what their allegiance because it is the right thing to do. Even though I despised Clan life, that was one thing I was glad I got the chance to learn. If I had been born a rogue or even without my disability, I might never had thought about it that way.

As we padded back to camp, I still could not suppress the uneasiness in my gut. I remembered how the rogues fought fiercely in an effort to take RiverClan land. I remembered sitting in the medicine cat den with Batwing treating horrible injuries that nearly made me wretch. I knew that these rogues would not give up easily – rogues seldom did.

But that raised another question – what would my group do in response to this? Would they fight just as hard? Pire seemed to think so, but Lithe was less enthusiastic. What did this mean for us? Were we going to leave and let these rogues have their way?

Or would we fight?

A/N:

As I said above, if you like this story, please read it's novella, "Alone Together". It is a small story - only six chapters long, and is all about Dove and Pire. I really like that story, and I would love it if it got some love. If you wanna know about Dove and Pire's pasts, take a look at it! I'd really appreciate it!

Please review!