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Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors

Chapter Thirty-Five

A quarter moon went by quickly. The Alley Cats were developing into something that Ice was beginning to feel proud of. They had a fresh-kill pile, below her ledge that was fully stocked and all of them were better fed now. That plus the scars she had been giving them made them look as deadly as she was.

She hadn't killed anyone yet, and the cats seemed like she would be down upon them at any time, but she would not kill warriors as long as they obeyed her. She didn't need large forces, but it was good to have them.

In fact, with them, they were already rising into the most feared group in possibly worlds away from the Twolegplace. While Ice stayed and trained the weaker cats during the assessments, the superior cats went out and proved that each and everyone of them were worth being feared. And Ice had gone out a few times on her own and every cat that was out would shrink back at her appearance. They knew she was at the head of it all.

A few cats were out that very moment, scaring and scarring others. Ice sharpened her claws on the wall of the Twolegnest. They screeched against the nest and she lowered her paws to look of them. They looked ready to kill. Turning to look at the training, she saw a she-cat, Zoey, and a tom, Shadow battling it out. Blood splattered at the ground and the blows they threw were powerless and seemed to be weighed down by exhaustion. Ice padded towards them.

"Now, now," she said. "Don't kill each other, that's my job. And since no one won, you will both be hunting extra time. I'm talking three pieces of prey. Nothing less. Go rest for now, and lick your wounds. But don't expect me to go easy on you later." Her last few words were harsh and she showed her teeth to define her meaning. Zoey and Shadow nodded and limped off.

Bolt was next to her. Ice had kept him as the second in command despite his reluctance at violence. He could be aggressive, especially when someone mentioned his family, so Ice was to keep them around. She only hoped that they were going to be strong enough when they were bigger to be worth the sacrifice.

"Yes," Ice said.

"I've just noticed that you've shown some mercy there," he replied with a certain highness to his voice.

Ice snapped at him. "Mercy? They have only until later of the day to clean and dress their cuts before I send them away to hunting. I am not a merciful creature, Bolt."

He laughed, voice edged with uneasiness. "I know, Ice. But that's the nicest I've ever seen you. Of course I'm going to notice the mercy there."

When she looked at him he flinched. She glared at him through narrowed eyes and then realized. Just like everyone else, he was afraid of her, but he was going to make an effort to be a companion to her. Her lips curled into a smile. He had to be pretty brave to do that. "Bolt, how observant of you to see that. Good eye." She pushed her face up into his. "But get this in mind. Not killing you isn't showing kindness. Don't you ever, for a single heartbeat think that I'll ever be your friend. I compare you to mice. Trust me, I could have taken over this Twolegplace by myself and let you all starve to death under the command of Darren, but I didn't. That, my deputy, is luck."

"Deputy?" asked Bolt sharing a look of terror and puzzlement on his face.

"Scram," she hissed, unsheathing her claws. Bolt nodded calmly and backed away.

She sat. Question her, will he? What's wrong with calling him deputy? After all, he was her second in command. Of course, the word had just slipped out of her mouth without thought, but why would that matter? She huffed.

She needed something to clear her mind. Even as leader, there was always something overwhelming her, whether it was Bolt or hunger or anger, and in this case, it was all three. She would hunt.

Ice stood, and as she padded out of the alley she called out to everyone that she was going out and disappeared from their view.

The morning was misted with the slightest of rainfalls. The air was thick, but heavy with the scent of the arrival of newleaf, and with it was the prey. Even in a Twoleg neighborhood, the scent was carried along abundantly in the wind. Squirrels and birds seemed to hop around at every corner, and Ice raced after all of them. The thump of her paws tended to scare them away faster than she could get a good look at them, but a few times, she would have the prey at her claws.

She past by the yard of Pussy, the kittypet she had maimed in the chest. Through the clear barrier of the Twolegnest, she could see his plump figure and a giant scab over his front where she had let her claws loose. Upon seeing her, Pussy ducked away, fear dancing in his eyes like ashes in a violent conflagration. At this, Ice grinned and continued ahead.

A small rat bounded through the fog into her ken. Ice stopped and moved forward slowly, not wanting to startle it. The creature bent over and started licking its wet fur, a perfect time for Ice. She crouched, prepared to leap and readied her teeth and claws for the kill.

She sprang at the rat and with a bite to the neck and a squeal to follow, the prey was dead. Along with a crow and pale brown squirrel she had hunted, she had three pieces of prey, ready to bring back to her alley.

Her anger was less now and her thoughts no longer swam with the continuous reassurance to herself that she was a merciless cat. She no longer had to remind herself. And that made her feel good.

The prey was a little much to carry all at once but she managed. As she crossed the yard before the pond, she saw a ginger and black shape and another totally black. Ice stopped and squinted to see through the mist.

Bolt and Drake.

Ice wound around them so they did not see her and climbed an overhanging willow tree to sit an listen to their conversation. What could they be talking about that couldn't be said before everyone else in the alley?

"We need to get rid of her!" exclaimed Drake. "We'll all be dead if no one does anything soon!"

"What can we do? Everyone who is actually brave enough to face her wouldn't be enough to defeat her. You know how quick and nimble she is. She'll dodge every blow and climb away. Not before killing us of course," Bolt said.

Ice widened her eyes. They had the nerve to speak about her that way? Did they even know what kind of risk they were taking? She continued listening.

"Well, what now? We can't just stand around being afraid of her while she slowly kills us all off. The longer we wait the less of a chance we'll have in kills her," Drake spat. "Right now, it's one against twenty, but soon enough, it'll be one against five. You know it will, Bolt."

The ginger and black tom nodded. "What if she gets Pine and Flare?" he asked quietly. "I'll have nothing."

"We have to fight back now, before it's too late," Drake hissed.

"No one will agree," Bolt said. "They will either side with her for strength or back down. She's a living nightmare to us all. It's kill or be killed now."

"Everything was so much better with Darren," grumbled Drake. "Maybe we were all half-starved, but at least we didn't have to be as guarded and afraid as we are now."

"Even Slither is scared. I never though I'd live to see the day..."

"You know what we need," Drake growled, "Is some outside power. Not everyone out there knows how dangerous Ice really is. Maybe if we build a strong enough hold, there won't even be a need for a fight."

"But who do we ask?" Bolt questioned. "Most house cats aren't allowed out of their houses until the warmest season, if at all. And there aren't many strays that don't already know what she is capable of."

They both stood silent for a while. Then Drake piped up. "I know who can help us."

"Who?" Bolt asked.

"Spike."

Bolt shook his head. "No..no...there's no way he'd help us. There isn't even a cat alive that has talked to him before. He's never talked to anyone." Bolt paused. "My, he's not even looked at any cat before."

Drake dug his claws into the grass. "He has to help us. He must know the danger we're all in here. Come on. Spike has to know that one day she'll find him."

"He doesn't usually stay in one place for too long," Bolt argued. "None of us will ever find him."

"Spike's the only one that will have the capability," Drake urged. "He's fearless!"

Well, Ice thought, That's because he hasn't met me. She jumped down from the willow tree and had Bolt pinned before they could even comprehend she was there. She held a paw over his throat. Drake yelped and leaped back.

"Ice!" Bolt yelled. "Uh...we weren't talking about you."

"Don't lie to me," she hissed, pressing her paw deeper into his neck fur. Bolt's eyes bulged with pain. "Just tell me where this Spike is, and I'll let you go."

"I-" he cut off, coughing. "I don't know...he's never...ack...talked to anyone...or-or anything."

Ice growled.

"It's not a lie," Bolt gasped.

"Sure it isn't," she said, raising a paw above his head.

"No, no, please! I beg of you, don't!" Bolt screeched. "I don't know where he is! Promise on the name of-of-of anything you've ever loved and cared about. Please! My kits and mate need me!"

Ice considered him for a moment. "Eh," she said, "alright." She released him and let him up. "Your kits will be very valuable to me. Better give them a father to raise them. But this is your last chance, Bolt. Last chance."

"Oh, thank you, Commander Ice, you won't regret it," Bolt said, scampering off.

"I better not," she hissed, and began to follow him back to the alleyway.

"Psst," Drake said. Ice turned.

"What?"

"Bolt really wasn't lying. No one has ever known where Spike has ever really lived, he's been around so much, and even so, no one's seen him." Drake gazed at her for a moment. "But there is this one place he's been spotted on more than one occasion. It's a tall oak tree on the other edge of the neighborhood. You can't miss it."

"Really?" Ice asked. "Very well." She snaked forward and hit him to the ground.

"What?" Drake demanded, fear in his voice. "I just told you where he may live! What are you doing?"

"Don't act so surprised, Drake. This was coming. You also talked about me behind my back just as badly as Bolt did," she clawed him over the face. "And since you told me this information...you're of no use to me anymore." She smiled down at him wickedly. "Goodbye."

He screamed as her teeth closed around his throat.

:) Okay, tell me everything you thought about in this chapter. I won't say what I'm looking for specifically, because maybe, you already know. :) Review!

~Destiny