Frostfire sighed in relief as Poppylight nodded. "Yes, you may." She let out a dry cough. "Though, normally I would have you stay longer, which you may, if-"

"No! No thanks, Poppylight!" Frostfire mewed desperately, bounding out of the medicine den. She sniffed. Her hind leg still hurt just a little if she put pressure on it, but she supposed that was just normal. Purring, her blue eyes wide in excitement, Frostfire sprinted forward, almost knocking the smallish fresh-kill pile over as Ashflame jumped out of her way.

"You're finally out of there!" Ashflame gasped, looking cheerful. "That's great!"

"Honestly, I don't see how a cat can get injured so often and stay in the medicine den so long," a cat snorted, padding past. Frostfire turned to see that it was Brightwing, one of the warriors who were slightly older than Ashflame. The tabby-and-white she-cat had never found Frostfire her favorite cat, but she knew that Frostfire was a loyal warrior all the same.

"At least I was strong enough to sustain my own in battle," Frostfire mewed evenly, thinly veiling her reference to the two long scars that marred her elegant pelt: one that scored from the top of her nose to the soft fur beside her jaw, and the one that lay from her flank to the top of her belly.

Huffing, Brightwing narrowed her eyes. "What did you do, stand in the middle of the Thunderpath so that a monster could easily ride over you?"

"No!" Frostfire protested. She sighed. "All right, I know you think I'm weird, but how weird do you think I am?" Purring, Brightwing padded away without a reply, disappearing heartbeats later into the warriors' den.

The two cats didn't exactly hate each other, but they weren't as friendly as they could have been. Still, there were moments when they actually were friendly to each other.

Frostfire turned to face Ashflame, only to find that he had vanished. "Ashflame!" she snapped angrily.

"You were looking for me?" a voice asked, and Frostfire whirled around to see Ashflame spring out of a fern bush. She let out a yowl of alarm, then quieted sheepishly, laughing weakly. Frostfire purred as his eyes widened with false innocence.

"You startled me!"

"I did?"

oO0Oo

Frostfire stalked closer, her tail lifted as she crept silently forward. Her gaze shifted slightly to the two squirrels she had already caught on this patrol, then shifted back to the vole she was stalking. She bunched her muscles, ready to spring, her eyes already lit with triumph.

She let out a yowl of shock as a shadow fell over her, and she looked up, to see Ashflame, leaping gracefully from tree to tree until he was just above her. He slipped as he flew toward the branch, falling and dropping directly onto the startled Frostfire. "Ashflame!" she protested, sliding out from under him. She stood up and faced him. "Flying is best left to birds, you know! You scared off the prey I was stalking!"

"Sorry, Frostfire!" Ashflame apologized quickly. "I was looking for you. Brackenstar wants me and you to lead a training thing with warriors only. Thinks we should sharpen our skills a little." Frostfire narrowed her eyes.

"Let me get this straight. Brackenstar wants to see us lead a training session with experienced warriors?"

"Well... yeah..."

"I think you should ask Duskfire about this. She's leading the patrol, so-" Frostfire began.

"Okay."

oO0Oo

"Well done, you all!" Frostfire yowled, her cheek stinging as she broke away from Blossomshade. The older warrior had pressed her paw against it, hard, and when Frostfire had finally broken free, the area still burned with pain.

One pair of fighters did not stop. Brightwing and Grayleaf swiped at each other, ducking and rolling. Suddenly, they separated, but still eyed each other distrustfully. Grayleaf let out a hiss, her lips drawn back in a snarl, and Frostfire, though she knew this was only for the training, thought the young she-cat looked quite ferocious.

The two she-cats circled each other, and both Frostfire and Ashflame were so engrossed in the fight that they could not bring themselves to call the session to an end.

Grayleaf leaped first, but Brightwing ducked, throwing her head back to strike Grayleaf's underbelly and send her flying backward. Grayleaf was on her paws soon enough, and ducked a hard blow from Brightwing, who raked a soft paw across her belly.

Though she wouldn't admit it, Brightwing was a really good fighter.

"Okay, that's enough!" Ashflame yowled, thrusting himself between the two she-cats. Brightwing immediately jumped off Grayleaf, dipping her head obediently to the gray tom. "Back to camp!" he ordered.

oO0Oo

"Frostfire, you're going whether you like it or not, okay? You've spent too long away from gatherings, and you've not spoken to many cats in a long time. And the day on the Thunderpath, any cat would think you stood there in the middle and tried to get hit! You're coming, and that's that." Ashflame flicked his tail in finality.

It had been over a moon since Frostfire had left the medicine den.

"Who died and made you leader?" Frostfire shot back. She didn't want to attend the gathering; she'd rather stay back and grieve, sort out her problems... everything.

"No one. I only want what's best for you!" Ashflame growled.

Frostfire's blue eyes blazed in cold fire. "Fine, I'll go," she spat. "I'll go. That's what you want, isn't it?" Without another word, she stalked away, padding over to speak to Sandshade. "Hello, Sandshade!"

"Hi!" Sandshade was obvious faking happiness, but she shot a worried glance between her and Ashflame.

For a heartbeat, Frostfire shared a moment of understanding with her, torn, for Sandshade it would be between friend and littermate, for Frostfire it would be between loyalty and fear.

"Are you going to the gathering?" the pale brown she-cat asked curiously. Clearly she hadn't heard the interaction, but she had seen Frostfire stomp away. Frostfire swallowed, still fuming. How dare Ashflame say she was moping around camp so long, and not speaking to many cats? She had been, maybe be not as much as usual, but he knew that inside, she felt guilty.

"Yeah, I am," Frostfire growled. She paused. "Unfortunately."

"What, you don't want to go?" Sandshade asked, looking taken aback.

Frostfire's fur bristled. "No. But Ashflame somehow has become clan leader and is ordering me to."

"Ah," Sandshade mewed, staring worriedly at Ashflame again. "Well, I've got to go. Grayleaf wants me on patrol."

oO0Oo

Frostfire padded through the trees, alone. She reflected on what Ashflame had said, his words still ringing in her mind. "I only want what's best for you!"

Maybe she had been too harsh. No. She shook the thought off. She hadn't really noticed that she hadn't been talking to many cats, but she was spending more time distracted, thinking about her future actions when she could have been chatting with other warriors or going out on patrol.

Ashflame had no right.

He couldn't order her to go to the gathering, and even if he supposedly wanted what was best for her, he clearly wasn't showing it.

Frostfire's thoughts wandered. Whatever Nightclaw does, he'll harm the clan. If I tell, and even supposing Brackenstar believes me, he'll return with a vengeance. If I don't, he'll take over the clan anyway.

Suddenly, the bushes rustled, and Whitefoot, one of the newest warriors, exploded out. What's he doing here? He should be with Grayleaf and Sandshade... The black, white-pawed tom couldn't stop in time. He charged directly into Frostfire, sending her sprawling as he skidded to a halt. "Come quickly!" he panted.

"What is it?" Frostfire snapped; this would be the first time she had spoken to the warrior in moons, she realized. Maybe Ashflame could be right after all. I know he cares... I guess he was just worried.

"River...Clan... attacking... patrol... outnumbered," Whitefoot gasped, his flanks heaving. Before he had even finished speaking, Frostfire sprinted past him, pushing her way through the thick undergrowth toward clearer ground, near RiverClan territory.

I may not be able to stop Nightclaw in time, StarClan, but I can be a good warrior in this way!