Well, I'm back. Thanks for all the reviews/favs/follows! :) I really appreciated them. I can't believe we're at 62 favs, 84 follows, and 351 reviews! :O :D Thank you guys so much!
Anyway, in this chapter, we get to see how Squirrel/Bramble/ThunderClan react to Owlpaw's disappearance! :D I also just realized, that FirexTiger is so similar to SquirrelxBramble. Firestar's daughter/Firestar (both gingers with green eyes) and Tigerstar's son/Tigerstar (both dark brown tabby with amber eyes)
Also, most people have said that they liked the title- so I've decided to keep 'Thawing A Frozen Heart'. I guess it kinda does match the story- as she is thawing his frozen heart. :O
Review Replies:
So Cheesy: Thanks, I try. + Thank you lols, I hope the trip goes well.
Graystorm11: Haha, :P I know... I'm so mean to poor Firepaw, but it's okay because she has Tigerpaw to make her feel better! ^_^
Moonbeam141: Owlpaw didn't kill herself- because she stated that she was afraid of suicide/death, and she wasn't brave enough to do so. So that leaves one option. She ran away. 0:
Stream That Flows Around Rock: Mhm. The FirexTiger fluff was good, hehe. :P And yeah, Owlpaw really is gone. She threw herself into self-exile. xD
Swimming Trees: Thanks! :D Also, don't worry- I'm back! ^_^ Anyway, in this chapter- you'll be finding out how Squirrel/Bramble feel about this whole Owlpaw situation.
Stealthstar of StealthClan: No problem. :) + Nobody knows where Owlpaw really is. dun dun dun...
FrostFall37: Indeed it is. :O
Ravenflame2025: Thank you so much! :) Here is my update~
Timberbreeze of ThunderClan: Owlpaw is in self-exile, but she is currently alive. :D
Amberflame805: I know, right. Finding a corpse- everyones favorite activity. xD
billy the cat: wat? ^_^
Sparrow: Thank you a lot! :) + yeah, the previous chapters have been pretty intense. :0 But it's still building up to the main like plot.
bomby123: Thank you :D + I'm sorry, but thats not whats going to happen, because I've already got the plot figured out. :P But that sounds pretty interesting, lols. :D
poopadoop: Ikr, Owlpaw. Why D: You still have a few fans, although you lied and stuff. ): + Breezepelt has a lot of haters it seems, xD
kate23816: Yeah, everything seems to be going crazy. 0:
Guest: Those are actually really great names, :) but I've decided to stick with Thawing A Frozen Heart. Thanks for them in though. :O
Wood Cats: I can reply to your previous chapter, if you want. :P Here it is. Well, I decided not to change the title after all. ^_^ Also, I'm not going to reveal anything about anybody's deaths, because that will spoil the story. :P
Bobbie1776: Yeah. D: The dark forest and Breezepelt and Owlpaw should all leave her alone- but thats not going to be the case. xD Also, I don't know that book. Is it good?
Lazy watermelon: Yeah, I do think that it is actually a little dramatic, but I guess that helps to build the intensity? Idk. ;P Also, thank you! ^_^ + Breezepelt's part was really nasteh. D;
Coralstorm: I'm sorry, but I'm not christian. :( I don't know how to pray, but I guess I could say something at like, 11:11, and say that I hope your friend gets better- but I dunno if it'll work.
...
A slender ginger she-cat sat there, eyes narrowed in determination. "No. I'm not going to stay in that medicine cat den for one night longer." She didn't shout, but her voice was icy calm. "I won't." Shaking her head angrily, she shoved past her aunt and stomped into the clearing.
Eyes fell on her pelt everywhere she walked. She had become quite famous, in fact. They all knew her- the she-cat that had almost died. The one who had been unfortunate enough to stumble upon his corpse. The one who got injured, and missed a moon of her training. The one who had fallen into shock, but managed out two words, of which nobody could understand.
Firepaw knew that the two medicine cats' were still watching her, and she kept her ears pricked to pick up a bit of their conversation.
Leafpool watched her go, sighing heavily. She tilted her head and fixed her gaze on her apprentice, "What do you think? She seemed to have recovered a lot faster this time."
"Yeah she did." Jayfeather grunted, looking slightly miffed that the ginger she-cat had rejected their advice to stay in the medicine cat's den where they could keep an eye on her.
As the she-cat bounded towards her mother and father, her mother sat up in surprise. "Firepaw? What are you doing out here?" Squirrelflight sat up in shock. The vole dropped from her jaws, where Bramblestar shrugged and promptly took a bite out of it. He looked rather relaxed, despite his mate's shock and uncertainty.
"What do you think?" Firepaw meowed, rolling her eyes. "I'm here waiting for you. You are my mentor, after all. Now, lets go train. I'm behind enough already!" The words came out in a flurry; she spoke rapidly so her mother wouldn't be able to interrupt her.
Bramblestar purred with amusement at the horrified expression on Squirrelflight's face. "Absolutely not!" She gaped, ears twitching. "You're still not fit enough to train yet!"
"What?" Firepaw leapt to her paws, lashing her tail in protest. "That's nonsense! I'm perfectly okay this time."
It was true. The ginger she-cat had only been in the medicine cat's den for the night. During that night, she stayed awake and just thought hard. Thinking about Owlpaw- and how her sister must be. Thinking about Tigerpaw and Snowheart and Tigerstar and Thistleclaw and Breezepelt and her parents. She felt an awful guilty churning in her stomach as she thought about Owlpaw. She felt her heart twist with affection as she thought about the two toms- one dark brown, the other one white. She felt a surge of anger but also fear in her stomach as she thought about the three dangerous toms- Tigerstar, Thistleclaw and Breezepelt. And for her parents… it was conflicted. She felt a slight affection for them, but to Squirrelflight she still felt mostly numbness and anger. Her mother had never really explained why she had ignored her own daughter for so many moons.
The leader of ThunderClan looked thoughtful, licking his whiskers as he finished the vole. "I agree with Firepaw." He meowed, gently touching his cheek to her head. "She's a lot better, and I think you should go train her. She's already missed out on a moon's training- and she is going to fall behind the other apprentices- including her sister!"
"Why don't we patrol with your sister, then." Squirrelflight suggested, still looking reluctant. Getting to her paws, the ginger she-cat waved her bushy tail against the ground.
Panic made Firepaw's heart skip a beat. Leaping in front of her mother, she opened her jaws and closed them again. "No!" She blurted out.
Looking bemused, the she-cat tilted her head to the side. "Why not?" She meowed, bewildered. At the same time, Brackenfur stepped out of the apprentice's den, eyes wide with surprise.
"Where's Owlpaw?" He exclaimed, shocked.
Damn it. Firepaw winced. She had no idea where her sister was- but she knew it wasn't ThunderClan. She didn't want the camp to go into an uproar just yet. She wanted to give her sister time to get far, far away. Last night, she had blurted out, 'Owlpaw's gone', but when she thought about it… well, she decided she didn't want others to find out so soon. Something made her stomach clench- a possibility. Maybe she was hiding it… because she really did want her sister gone. No. That can't be true… I don't want Owlpaw gone, do I? Feeling unsure, she took a step back, pinning her ears to her head.
Squirrelflight's head swerved to side, fixing Firepaw in an intense gaze. "Firepaw?" She meowed slowly, "Do you know anything about this? Is this what you meant by saying that Owlpaw's gone?"
The ginger she-cat cringed. "Um… no." She meowed, trying to sound honest.
"What's going on?" Spottedpaw meowed, bounding over with Tigerpaw on her heels. Hollypaw was still in the medicine cat's den- sleeping, she had been shocked and tired from the previous night's incident. "Why is everyone crowding around here?"
"Firepaw, are you okay?" Tigerpaw meowed, stopping beside his sister.
Of course his main concern would be Firepaw.
"No, I'm not." Firepaw muttered, slumping back down to the ground. Her ears burned with shame for not telling earlier- but also anger. It wasn't fair. Why? Now they would have to go and chase down Owlpaw, and bring her back- where she would continue to ruin Firepaw's life. Why did the ginger she-cat always have to be the sister who suffered?
Tigerpaw crouched down besides her, looking genuinely concerned. "Why? What's wrong?" He meowed, sounding worried.
"Owlpaw." Firepaw muttered, hanging her head. "She ran away."
Collective gasps rose around her, as the cats of the clan were shocked by the news. Especially Bramblestar and Squirrelflight. The two leapt to their paws, eyes wide with fear.
"Why would she run away?" Bramblestar meowed. His voice was calm, but Firepaw detected a quiver of fear and worry in it.
Firepaw's heart twisted in her chest. If she told about her sister, then she would have to say that she was meeting up with Breezepelt. Panic jolted through her, and her eyes stretched wide in dismay. Looking away, she was torn between telling and lying.
She honestly didn't know what to do.
"She… she ran off." Firepaw meowed quietly, "We were just talking." The ginger she-cat pinned her ears to her head, dropping into a low crouch. "She said something about…" Briefly, she glanced at Tigerpaw. His familiar triangular ears, his angular cheekbones, his pale amber eyes... Her heart twisted in her chest- if she said that her sister fell in love with Tigerpaw, would the clan be angry with him? Would they blame him for chasing her off? Most importantly- would he blame himself?
"Well?" Brackenfur meowed, almost impatient as he flicked his tail nervously, obviously concerned about his apprentice. "Said something about what?"
The ginger she-cat was panicking, and she cringed inwardly. Her mind flitted to a certain snow-furred tom, and she sent a silent apology to what she was about to do. "She was in love with Snowheart!" Firepaw almost shouted, her heart thumping against her head, blood pounding in her ears. "After he died… she was broken. She was talking to me, about all the regret- she said she couldn't stay anymore. If she stayed, then she wouldn't be able to move on. I'm sorry." I really am sorry, Snowheart. She was shaking all over from what she had just improvised, and her gaze grew misty as she thought about the real reason.
The real reason being her and Tigerpaw, and causing Owlpaw to be, as she called it, blinded by hatred and anger. The she-cat also remembered, that her sister had been the one to cause the death of Snowheart.
So why didn't I just say that she was too guilty after causing Snowheart's death? Firepaw wondered. She tried to tell herself that it was because then she would have to talk about Breezepelt… but she knew that wasn't the real reason. The real reason was that, as much as she hated to admit it- Firepaw cared for her sister. She didn't want to expose her sister to her clan- especially as Owlpaw's treachery was partially her own fault.
"She left… because Snowheart died?" Brackenfur meowed, looking shocked yet also doubtful. His golden-brown tabby fur was bristling, and he frowned.
Firepaw looked warily up at her sister's mentor. "Yes." She meowed, forcing her eyes not to dart back to the ground. "That's what she told me, anyway."
Bramblestar and Squirrelflight were looking shocked, grief-stricken, and horrified. "That can't be true!" The broad-shouldered leader exclaimed, his fur bristling. His mate nodded in agreement, but tears had sprung to her eyes. She looked away from her daughter and buried her face in her mate's fur, her tears streaming down his fur.
"I'm sorry…" Firepaw whispered, stepping back from her grieving parents.
Squirrelflight whirled around and fixed her daughter in an intense glare, her eyes like green flames. "You should have stopped her!" She snarled at her daughter, fur rising on her spine.
Tigerpaw's amber eyes flashed defensively, and he stepped protectively in front of her. "Hey!" He protested, lashing his tail. "It wasn't her fault. She couldn't have stopped Owlpaw, even if she tried. She fell right into the abandoned fox den!"
The young apprentice lowered her gaze again, her heart sinking like a stone. But it was my fault. She thought miserably. If I had just been more considerate of Owlpaw's feelings- none of this would have happened. I just wanted to be cared about! Closing her eyes, she stepped away from her mother.
"It's true." Bramblestar meowed, staring at his mate. "Don't blame Firepaw- it wasn't her fault." His voice rose slightly as he defended his other daughter. Squirrelflight was too tired and depressed to answer, and she fell to the ground, crying and wailing over her loss.
As the cats stared in shock at each other, grieving over the young apprentice, nobody noticed him. A pale gray tabby tom, his jay-blue eyes narrowing as he beckoned three cats towards him. The first being a fluffy gray she-cat, her belly slightly round with kits. The second was a muscular brilliant golden tabby tom. The last, the third, was a slender silver and white tabby she-cat. They withdrew from the crowd of cats silently, glancing at the blind medicine cat, stiffening slightly in alarm. They padded towards the exit of the camp- unguarded, as the guard, Birchfall, was in the middle of camp, his eyes wide as he too grieved over the lost apprentice.
Bramblestar had pulled away from his mate, and padded onto Highledge. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather around Highledge!" Although his voice wasn't as strong as before, it was effective still- and it echoed around the stone hollow.
Firepaw, however, was not going to stay for this. Looking pleadingly up at Tigerpaw, she whispered quietly, "Can we talk?" She meowed in a hushed tone. "I don't want to stay in this camp any longer."
He hesitated, glancing back at Squirrelflight- and how grief-stricken she was. "Wont your mother want you here? And your father?"
"I don't care about my mother." Firepaw snapped mutinously, obviously still not over the whole 'you should have stopped her' comment. "She's always liked Owlpaw better- and there's nothing I can do about that. But please come take a walk with me. There's something I have to tell you."
Tigerpaw nodded reluctantly, casting one last worried glance at Bramblestar and Squirrelflight before getting to his paws and padding after her.
Emotions swirled in Firepaw's chest as she led the way out of the camp, her heart pounding in her chest. He followed her, obviously oblivious. The ginger she-cat flushed red as she thought about what she was going to tell him. That it wasn't Snowheart that Owlpaw loved- but it was he. How she was angry and jealous and feeling betrayed when Owlpaw said that Tigerpaw loved her… because… because…
The ginger she-cat almost choked on the realization.
She was jealous of her sister and agreed to Breezepelt's terms…
She was in love with Tigerpaw.
Her pulse began to race, and she began to freak out mentally. Oh my StarClan! I'm in love with him! Tigerpaw! My best friend! But we're just apprentices! Oh, mouse-dung. Inwardly, the she-cat cursed, her heart doing flips in her chest. Oh StarClan! She thought with dread. What if he doesn't like me back? She began to scramble backwards, and tripped over her own paws and ended up sprawled on the ground. She felt embarrassment soak over her, and she flushed red.
"What's wrong, Firepaw?" The dark tabby meowed in concern, bounding over to her. He lightly nudged her to her paws, flicking her affectionately over her ears.
The ginger she-cat blushed fiercely. "Nothing."
"Well, what did you want to tell me then?" Tigerpaw asked curiously, tilting his head to the side. Firepaw froze- unsure of what to say, her eyes widening in horror. "Is this about Owlpaw?"
"Yes!" She meowed; sighing in relief as he reminded her what she originally came out here to tell him. "I lied to the whole clan." She mumbled, suddenly feeling ashamed, lowering her head. Firepaw sighed heavily, sitting down and wrapping her tail tightly around her paws. The ginger she-cat opened her jaws to speak, trying to push the whole 'in love with Tigerpaw' dilemma out of her head. At least until she finished saying what she had lied about.
Tigerpaw also sat, his eyes curious. "What did you lie about?"
"Owlpaw. She didn't leave because of Snowheart. She wasn't even in love with Snowheart." Firepaw's voice trailed off, and she felt her stomach twist into a knot- but she kept going. Somebody in this clan had to know the truth aside from her- she couldn't carry the burden alone. Not only that, but a part of her wanted to tell Tigerpaw. Tell him how she felt. "Owlpaw was in love with you."
The dark tabby stared in disbelief. "What?" He exclaimed, shaking his head wildly. "That's impossible. She never told me that she loved me…"
"It's true." Firepaw insisted. "Anyway, that wasn't the reason she ran away. Well, you see," Firepaw coughed anxiously. "Owlpaw actually talked to me before the gathering… and told me a lot of lies. She told me that you thought I was stupid, that I was pathetic, and she tricked me into thinking that the two of you liked each other. Loved each other." Tigerpaw looked as if he wanted to interrupt, but the ginger she-cat pressed onwards, not giving him time to comment.
"That same night, Breezepelt approached me. He convinced me to train with him, and… and I was angry with you. I thought you would feel the pain I felt if I ditched training with you and trained with someone else- especially someone that was from WindClan. Well… I didn't realize I condemned myself. Breezepelt later tried to kill me. Owlpaw made me angry on purpose- she knew that if I were angry I would accept Breezepelt's offer. Then, Snowheart died, and I suppose my sister couldn't handle the guilt. So she… so she left." She took a deep breath after she finished, evading her friend's gaze- afraid of what emotions those amber depths might hold.
"Wait." Tigerpaw blinked slowly, taking it all in. "You mean… Owlpaw was the one who basically tried to kill you? The one who caused Snowheart's death?" Firepaw, without lifting her gaze, nodded mutely. "I… I can't believe it."
"Are you angry at me?" Firepaw meowed quietly. "Because I accepted Breezepelt's offer."
Tigerpaw shuffled his paws, not replying. After a while, he finally meowed, "No." His voice was soft, gentle. "I'm not mad at you. Owlpaw tricked you- and Breezepelt was just a bad cat, and a murderer."
The ginger she-cat sighed in relief. "Thank StarClan."
Tigerpaw realized how depressed she looked, and seemed as if he were going to cheer her up. "So," He meowed jokingly. "Why would you think that me and Owlpaw loving each other is such a bad thing?" However playful he sounded, there was a serious, yet earnest gleam in his eyes that showed that he actually wanted a good answer.
"I don't know." Firepaw lied. She was afraid of rejection- and certainly didn't want her heart broken when she was so young.
"Don't worry." Tigerpaw purred lightly. "Owlpaw's pretty and all… but I prefer ginger fur."
Firepaw glanced self-consciously at herself, flushing a deep shade of red.
Tigerpaw looked embarrassed, and quickly added, "I actually thought that you were in love with Snowheart. You spent so much time with him, and you really seemed to care about him."
Firepaw smirked a little. "Don't worry," She meowed playfully. "I don't really like white fur as much. I like dark brown fur more."
Now it was his turn to be embarrassed, and he glanced down at his paws, shuffling them awkwardly. They sat like this for a while- awkward, embarrassed, and uncertain.
"I… I actually like someone else." Tigerpaw confessed, amber eyes round.
Her heart plummeted, and Firepaw tried to fight back the tears that were forming in her eyes. She forced herself to smile and sound playful as she replied.
"I also like someone else." She meowed, her voice trembling slightly.
Tigerpaw's ears flattened against his head. "Really?" He muttered quietly. "Is it Dewpaw?" He asked at the same time as Firepaw meowed, "Is it Lilyheart?"
"Nope." They both replied simultaneously.
Amber eyes met green, and warmth flooded between them. Then Firepaw coughed awkwardly, averting her gaze. Tigerpaw ducked away as well. Both apprentices were embarrassed.
"So, who do you like?" Firepaw meowed, her voice still quivering. It has to be Seedwing then.
"I… I'll tell you if you tell me who you like." Tigerpaw whispered.
It was silent between them, tension crackling like electricity. It was serious, and the two apprentices were too close. Their muzzles were less than half a mouse-length apart, as they stared into each other's eyes. Their pelts were bristling slightly with anticipation. The seriousness of the situation made the ginger she-cat uncomfortable, so she decided to act playful.
"I'll tell you if you can catch me!" Firepaw meowed, leaping to her paws and darting off. She heard a shout of protest from Tigerpaw, before the dark brown tabby leapt to his paws and raced after her. She swerved around trees, all thought about Owlpaw and her parents wiped from her mind.
Then she saw a rustling of brambles ahead of her, and low, hushed voices. She skidded to a halt. Tigerpaw dashed towards her, and opened his jaws to purr in triumph, but immediately she flicked her tail over his mouth. She narrowed her eyes, and angled her ears towards the brambles.
"Firepaw looks exactly like him. She has right ginger fur and an orange underbelly. Long tail. Same leaf-green eyes, and she has the makings of a fine warrior." Somebody was whispering.
Tigerpaw's eyes widened, his amber eyes reflecting the shock in Firepaw's own green eyes.
The dark tabby opened and closed his jaws, peering through the bramble bush. The four cats that were there were all important to ThunderClan history! Lionblaze, Jayfeather, Dovewing and Ivypool.
"My son is also like Tigerstar. Same dark pelt, same amber eyes. They both have such long claws- and Tigerpaw seems to excel at everything his mentor throws at him! And we all know that Blossomfall, having trained in the Dark Forest, is not an easy mentor. Tigerpaw is younger than the newest warriors- but he can almost beat them in fights. Not to mention, he's got that same scar. The one where his ear is split in a 'V' shape."
The dark brown tabby apprentice seemed to forget about being quiet, and his eyes widened in hurt and fear and confusion. "I'm not like Tigerstar!"
The voices from the other end of the brambles were silenced.
Firepaw groaned, "Mouse-brain!" She hissed quietly. Tigerpaw widened his eyes helplessly. Their cover was blown. So, Firepaw and her friend dropped into a low crouch and wiggled through the clump of brambles, where they stood face-to-face with the four discussing cats.
Lionblaze's eyes widened in horror as he saw his son, "Tigerpaw! I… I…"
"Save it." The dark brown tabby meowed, tears already forming at the edges of his eyes. "I can't believe you thought I would be like Tigerstar. You're my father! I thought you were going to support me! Instead, you just randomly go off and talk to other cats as if I'm some villain?"
"Not to mention- you guys talked about me too?" Firepaw piped up, eyes narrowing suspiciously.
Tigerpaw looked stricken, and he turned around to leave, but a pale gray striped tail barred his way. Jayfeather stood there, eyes narrowed.
"No." Jayfeather meowed to Tigerstar. "We don't think you're a villain."
"We think you're the reincarnation of one."