Icebelly and Whitestorm sprang forward and burst through the curtain of lichen. Tiger-roar and Bluestar were writhing on the floor of the den while Nightshade was off to the side.
Bluestar always seemed like a talented fighter, always at the top of her game, but Tiger-roar seemed to prove that all wrong as he slashed and shook her around like prey. Bluestar's claws managed to score again and again across Tiger-roar's shoulder, but the deputy's greater weight kept her pinned down in the soft sand. Tiger-roar's fangs were buried in her throat, and his powerful claws raked her back.
"Traitor!" Icebelly yowled. He flung himself at Tiger-roar, slashing at his eyes. The deputy reared back, forced to release his grip on Bluestar's throat. Icebelly felt his claws rip through the deputy's ear, spraying blood into the air.
Bluestar scrambled to the side of the den, looking half-stunned and her flower necklace was torn and destroyed. Icebelly couldn't tell how badly she was hurt. Pain lanced through him as Tiger-roar gashed his side with a blow from his powerful hindpaws. Icebelly's paws skidded in the sand and he lost balance, hitting the ground with Tiger-roar on top of him.
He spotted Whitestorm and Nightshade in a similar situation. Nightshade had Whitestorm pinned on his back, raking at his belly.
"I could flay you, Icebelly, but I'll make you an offer; help me kill Bluestar now, and I'll let you live. Maybe I'll even make you my deputy."
Icebelly stopped struggling for a second, staring at Tiger-roar. Whitestorm had flung Nightshade off and sliced at her back while the black molly fastened her teeth in Whitestorm's front right foreleg.
A small, evil part of his mind had almost agreed with Tiger-roar's offer, but the moral side of him knew the answer was clear. He wanted justice for Sunnypaw, Redtail, Mossthorn, Thrushpelt, and Leopardfoot.
"Never!" Icebelly summoned every scrap of skill he possessed. He knew Tiger-roar could kill him, but in spite of that he felt strangely free. No more secrets and no more deceit. There was only the clean danger of battle.
He aimed a blow at Tiger-roar's throat, but the deputy swung his head to one side and Icebelly's claws scraped harmlessly through thick tabby fur. But the blow had loosened Tiger-roar's grip on him. Icebelly rolled away, narrowly avoiding a killing bite to the neck.
"Kittypet!" Tiger-roar taunted, flexing his haunches to pounce again. "Come and find out how a real warrior fights" He threw himself at Icebelly, but at the last moment Icebelly darted aside. As Tiger-roar tried to turn in the narrow den, his paws slipped on a splash of blood and he crashed awkwardly onto one side.
At once Icebelly saw his chance. His claws sliced down to open a gash in Tiger-roar's belly. Blood welled up, soaking into the deputy's fur. He let out a high-pitched caterwaul. Icebelly pounced on him, raking claws across his belly again, and fastening his teeth into Tiger-roar's neck. The deputy struggled vainly to free himself, his thrashing growing weaker as the blood flowed.
Icebelly let go from his neck, planting one paw on Tiger-roar's outstretched foreleg, and the other on his chest. "Bluestar!" he called "Help me hold him down!"
Bluestar was crouching behind him in her moss-lined nest. Blood trickled down her forehead, but that did not alarm Icebelly as much as the look in her eyes. They were a vague, cloudy blue, and she stared horror-struck in front of her as if she was witnessing the destruction of everything she had ever worked for.
When Icebelly spoke, she jumped like a cat woken suddenly from sleep. Moving with dreamlike slowness, she crossed the den and pinned herself across Tiger-roar's hindquarters, trapping him. Even with wounds that would have stunned a lesser cat, Tiger-roar still fought to free himself. His amber eyes burned with hatred as he spat curses at Icebelly and Bluestar.
Whitestorm had Nightshade pinned down, blood dripped from a cut on Nightshade's head and her shoulder looked dislocated.
A shadow fell across the entrance to the den and Icebelly heard hoarse, ragged breathing. He turned his head, expecting to see one of the invaders, but it was Raveneye and Graystripe. Dismay flooded over Icebelly at the sight of his mates. Graystripe was bleeding heavily from his flank and one foreleg while Raveneye had blood bubbling from his mouth and his chest looked sliced.
Graystripe stammered, "Bluestar, we-" he broke off, staring. "Icebelly, what's happening?"
"Tiger-roar and Nightshade attacked Bluestar," Icebelly told him quickly. "Raveneye, we were right all along; they are traitors. Tiger-roar brought the rogues to attack us."
Graystripe went on staring, then shook himself as if he had just climbed out of deep water. "We're losing the fight," he mewed. "There are too many of them! Bluestar, grandma, we need your help!"
The leader looked at him but did not reply. Icebelly could see that her eyes were still dull and unseeing, as if the discovery of the truth about Tiger-roar and Nightshade had bruised her spirit beyond repair.
"I'll come," Icebelly offered. "Graystripe, can you help Bluestar hold on to Tiger-roar? Whitestorm seems to have Nightshade handled. We'll deal with them when the battle's over."
"You can try, kittypet," Tiger-roar sneered through a mouthful of sand.
"This isn't over," Nightshade growled but had her face pushed into the ground by a rage-filled Whitestorm.
Graystripe limped across the den and took Icebelly's place, planting his claws on Tiger-roar's chest. For a heartbeat Icebelly hesitated, uncertain that a wounded Graystripe and Bluestar in a state of shock and betrayal would be a match for Tiger-roar. But the deputy was still losing blood, and his struggles were definitely getting weaker. Swiftly Icebelly turned and raced outside again with Raveneye close behind.
At first glance the clearing seemed to be filled with rogues, as all the Thunderclan warriors had been driven out. Then Icebelly caught a glimpse of familiar shapes here and there- Fogtail squirming underneath a huge tabby tom; Patchpelt scrabbling just out of reach of a skinny gray rogue, whirling around to rake his nose with outstretched claws before he hurled himself at the rogue's belly. He saw Raveneye dash forward, pouncing on a ginger-and-black molly.
Icebelly tried to collect his strength. The fight with Tiger-roar had exhausted him, and the wounds where the deputy had clawed him burned like fire. He did not know how long he could keep on. He rolled over instinctively as a ginger molly tried to drive her claws into his back. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a lithe, blue-gray body racing across the clearing, yowling a challenge.
Bluestar! he thought in astonishment, and wondered what happened with Tiger-roar. Then he quickly realized that the warrior he had seen was not Bluestar. It was Mistyfoot!
With a massive effort Icebelly tore free of the ginger cat and scrambled to his paws. Riverclan warriors were pouring out of the tunnel. Leopardfur, Stonestorm, Lakewillow, Reedtail, Swanlight, Shadepelt, Willowheart… After them came Sandstorm and the rest of her patrol. They were strong and full of energy, and they fell on the invaders with claws outstretched and tails lashing in fury.
Terrified by the sudden appearance of reinforcements, the rogue cats scattered. The ginger molly fled with a shocked howl. Others followed her. Icebelly staggered a few paces in pursuit, hissing and spitting to speed them on their way, but there was no need. Surprised when they thought their victory was certain, and leaderless now that Tiger-roar had been caught, the rogues had no fight left in them.
Within a few heartbeats, they were gone.
The Riverclan cats were gathering together again with murmurs of concern as Icebelly limped across to them. "Thank you," he mewed. "I've never been so glad to see any cat in my life."
"I recognized some of the old Shadowclan warriors," Leopardfur told him gravely. "The ones that managed to escape."
"Yes." Icebelly didn't want to say anything yet about Tiger-roar's involvement. "How'd you know we needed help?" he asked, puzzled.
"We didn't," Mistyfoot replied. "Silverstream wandered into Thunderclan territory and Graystripe found him. He's too weak from giving birth to go back to Riverclan at the moment."
He saw Silverstream leaning on Willowheart for support, kits in his mouth. He padded over to Silverstream, rubbed against the silver tabby and took a gray tabby kitten in his mouth. He didn't fail to notice that Silverstream's eyes looked glossy. Was he blind?
"We'll take care of him."
"I sure hope so," Leopardfur mewed, eyes narrowing at Icebelly and Silverstream. "We need to go. We'll be back."
Icebelly watched the Riverclan cats leave, then looked around, feeling his shoulders sag with tiredness as Silverstream leaned on him. The clearing was littered with blood and fur. Thymeroot and Yellowfang were beginning to examine the injured cats. Though Icebelly hadn't noticed them in the fighting, they both bore the marks of enemy claws.
He saw Goldenflower rush over, checking Silverstream over. "I'll take care of him," Goldenflower assured, a knowing look in her gaze.
He took a deep breath. It was time deal with Tiger-roar, but he did not know if he could summon the strength. His wounds throbbed with pain, and every muscle in body shrieked a protest with each step. As he limped toward Bluestar's den, a voice sounded behind him. "Icebelly! What happened?"
He turned to see Sandstorm, newly returned at the head of her hunting patrol, with Cloudpaw panting just behind her. She was staring around clearing as if she couldn't believe what she saw.
Icebelly shook his head. "Brokenstar's followers," he grunted.
"Seriously?" Sandstorm spat in disgust. "I hope Bluestar has a plan."
"It's complicated at the moment." Icebelly felt unable to explain right then. "Sandstorm, will you do something for me and not ask questions?"
Sandstorm gave him a suspicious look. "Depends on what it is."
"Go to Bluestar's den and deal with what you find there. Better take another warrior too- Seedspots, will you go? Bluestar will tell you what to do."
At least I hope so, Icebelly added to himself as Sandstorm, still frowning, jerked her head at Seedspots and headed for the Highrock. Out of everything that had happened, what disturbed Icebelly most was how Bluestar seemed to have lost her will to lead her clan.
As he glanced towards the nursery, his heart dropped at what he saw. Duststorm was dragging Cypressflower over to Yellowfang, while Mousefur dragged Spottedleaf to the side. When he looked closer, his jaw dropped. Cypressflowers throat had been sliced through, blood pouring out. Spottedleaf's neck had been snapped, and her head bent at an odd angle.
Turning away, Icebelly saw Sandstorm emerging from the den beneath the highrock. She was followed by Tiger-roar, who struggled forward with an odd, lurching gait. His long fur was matted with dust and blood, and one eye was half closed. He stumbled to a halt and collapsed in front of the rock.
Seedspots trailed him closely, alert for any sign that the deputy intended to attack or flee. Behind her came Nightshade, her long black fur covered in dust. She collapsed not too far from her brother while Whitestorm kept a close eye on her. Bluestar came not long after her nephew, her head drooping and her tail dragging in the dust. Icebelly's worst fears flooded back. The strong leader Icebelly respected seemed to have vanished, leaving instead this frail, wounded cat.
Last of all, Graystripe limped out of the den and sank down on his side and began to inspect his wounds with an anxious frown.
Bluestar raised her head and looked around. "Come here, all of you," she rasped, beckoning with one flick of her tail. While the rest of the clan was gathering, Icebelly padded over to Thymeroot. "Can you give Tiger-roar anything for his wounds?" he asked. "Something to ease the pain?" He didn't want the once-great deputy bleeding to death in the dust before he got proper justice, but Nightshade seemed to be fine for the most part.
Thymeroot looked from her examination of Graystripe. To Icebelly's relief, she didn't challenge his request for her to treat the treacherous deputy. "Sure," she mewed. "I'll fetch something for Graystripe as well." She limped away in the direction of the medicine den.
The clan cats had taken their places by the time she returned. Icebelly could see some of them looking at one another. Mousefur was looking at the ground. They must all be wondering what all this might mean.
Thymeroot padded over with a wad of herbs in her mouth. She dropped some of them beside Tiger-roar, and gave the rest to Graystripe. The deputy sniffed the leaves suspiciously and then began to chew them, while Nightshade remained silent beside him as Tiger-roar pushed some leaves for her to chew.
Bluestar watched them for a moment, her eyes showing the sadness of a mother, but it seemed to vanish in an instant remembering what they tried to do. She then began to speak "I present you with Tiger-roar and Nightshade, now as prisoners. They-"
A chorus of worried murmurs interrupted her. The clan cats were looking at each other in shock and dismay. Icebelly could see they did not understand what was happening.
"Prisoners?" Darkstripe echoed. "Tiger-roar's your deputy. What have they done?"
"I'll tell you." Bluestar's voice sounded more even now, but Icebelly could see the effort it was costing her. "Just now, in my den, Tiger-roar attacked me while Nightshade watched. He would've killed me if Icebelly and Whitestorm hadn't arrived in time."
The sounds of protest and disbelief swelled even louder. From the back of the crowd, Patchpelt let out an eerie wail. Miststrike looked frozen in place, her eyes expressionless. Nettlesong matched his mother's expression. Darkstripe got to his paws. He was one of Tiger-roar's strongest supporters, Icebelly knew that well, but even he was looking uncertain. Icebelly also saw that Darkstripe's belly slightly bulged. "There must be some mistake," he blustered.
Bluestar raised her chin. "Do you think I can't tell when a cat tries to murder me?" she inquired dryly.
"But Tiger-roar-"
Icebelly sprang up "Tiger-roar and Nightshade are traitors to the clan!" he spat. "They brought the rogue cats here today."
Darkstripe rounded on him. "They'd never done that. Prove it, kittypet!"
Icebelly glanced from Raveneye to Bluestar. She nodded and beckoned them forward. "Icebelly, Raveneye, tell the clan what you know. Everything."
Raveneye rushed over while Icebelly slowly padded to her side. Now that the moment for revealing everything had come, he felt strangely reluctant. It was as though he were pulling down the Highrock, and nothing would ever be the same again. "Cats of Thunderclan," he began. His voice squeaked like a kit's, and he paused to control it. "Cats of Thunderclan, do you remember when Thrushpelt and Leopardfoot were killed? It wasn't same random attack, Tiger-roar and Brokenstar conspired to kill Thrushpelt and Leopard-"
"She wasn't supposed to die," Tiger-roar growled. Thymeroot's herbs were doing their job, the huge tabby had begun to recover some of his strength.
"Good riddance, in my opinion," Nightshade sneered, licking her paw. "Thrushpelt was weak."
"Excuse me?" Miststrike snarled. "He raised us!"
Bluestar yowled for silence. Icebelly tried breathing, the crowd of cats became fuzzy and the world began to ring. "Tiger-roar also conspired with Brokenstar with the attack that killed Rosetail," Raveneye added.
Icebelly kept his eyes closed as he spoke again. "Tiger-roar and Nightshade were responsible for Redtail's death. I was a witness, and Nightshade killed Mossthorn. Raveneye, Maplepaw, Cloudpaw and I found out that Chestnutclaw and Nightshade killed Sunnypaw; I'm guessing Sunnypaw found out and knew too much."
"Icebelly and Raveneye told me about their concerns but I didn't believe them." Bluestar bowed her head and murmured, "I trusted them, but…I was wrong."
"Why didn't you say anything?" Fogtail retorted. "Why didn't either of you say anything?"
"Would some of you believe a once-scared apprentice?" Raveneye asked.
"Or the 'kitty warrior,'" Icebelly sneered. "Besides, who would believe Tiger-roar or Nightshade, the loyal noble warriors, to lay a claw on their leader, their mother?" He fell silent. His whole body was quivering and he felt as weak as a newborn kit. He leaned on Raveneye.
"Bluestar," Whitestorm spoke up, his yellow eyes unreadable as he stared down Tiger-roar. "What will happen to Tiger-roar and Nightshade now?"
His question set off a crescendo of furious yowling from the clan.
"Kill them!"
"Blind them!"
"Drive them from the forest!"
"Chestnutclaw has also returned, Bluestar!" Duststorm called, her amber eyes cold. "He killed Spottedleaf and tried to kill Lightcloud."
Just as soon as Duststorm finished, Sandstorm dashed forward with a blood curdling screech. Duststorm leaned to the side to avoid being shredded as Sandstorm's claws latched onto Chestnutclaw's back. To his credit, Chestnutclaw fought back well, trying and failing to throw Sandstorm off of him. But the discovery of Chestnutclaw's treachery and the fact that he had killed her aunt in cold blood gave Sandstorm a new drive, allowing her to win the feud this time.
Sandstorm flipped Chestnutclaw on his back, ripping at his throat. Chestnutclaw gagged on the fountain of blood that gushed from the fresh wound. Icebelly thought that would be the end of the fight, but it wasn't enough for Sandstorm. She tore into Chestnutclaw's belly, allowing his organs to fall into the large scarlet pool that surrounded them. Chestnutclaw gasped and feebly strained to rise to his paws and escape, but the effort was useless. It took only a few moments before he finally fell still. Sandstorm panted heavily, a smirk on her face.
Bluestar sat motionless, her eyes closed. Icebelly could feel the pain coming off her in waves, the bitter shock of betrayal as she discovered that the deputy and son she trusted for so long was black at heart. "Tiger-roar? Nightshade?" she mewed at last. "Do you have anything to say in your defense?"
Nightshade laughed wickedly. Tiger-roar swung his head around and fixed Bluestar with an amber glare. "Defend us to you, you gutless excuse for a warrior? What sort of leader are you? Trying to keep peace with the other clans. Helping them! You hardly punished Icebelly and Graystripe for feeding Riverclan, and you sent Sandstorm and Raveneye with them to fetch Windclan home! I would have never shown such kittypet softness. I would have brought back the days of Tigerclan. I would have made Thunderclan great!"
"And how many cats would've died for it?" Bluestar murmured almost to herself. Icebelly felt memories of a gray and white tom with bloody thirsty amber eyes flood into his mind, and the name Thistleclaw appeared. Icebelly figured this cat was just like Tiger-roar was at this moment. "He was," Goosefeather whispered in his ear.
"If you have nothing else to say, then I sentence you both to exile," the leader announced, her voice cracking. Every word seemed to be dragged out of her. Icebelly couldn't blame her, she raised them and they tried to slaughter her like prey. "You will leave Thunderclan territory now, if any cat sees you here after sunrise tomorrow, they will have my permission to kill you both."
"Kill us?" Nightshade spoke, a chuckle rising in her defiance.
"I'd like to see any of them try," Tiger-roar sneered.
"Icebelly and Whitestorm beat you!" Graystripe called out.
Tiger-roar snarled in Icebelly's direction, his amber eyes burning with rage. Icebelly met his amber eyes, unblinking.
Slowly, Tiger-roar and Nightshade got up. Tiger-roar's massive head swiveled back and forth as he scanned the crowd of cats. "Any cat who comes with me will be well cared for. Darkstripe? You should take this offer in your current state."
Icebelly craned his neck to see Tiger-roar's chief follower. He waited for Darkstripe to get up and go to Tiger-roar, but the sleek black and gray tabby remained in his place, his shoulders hunched wretchedly and his tail curled around his belly.
"I trusted you, Tiger-roar- and you too, Nightshade," he protested. "I thought you two were the finest warriors in the forest. But then you decided to plot with Brokenstar." His voice slightly cracked as he added, "and you said nothing to me about it. And now you expect me to come with you?" He looked away deliberately. Willowpelt rubbed against him.
"Fogtail?"
Icebelly saw Fogtail's blue eyes burn with rage. "Join you two?" He hissed. "After Nightshade killed my mate in cold blood? After bringing rouges that nearly killed Sagepaw? Never." He saw Sagepaw being treated by Thymeroot, her mentor Mousefur looking on in worry.
For the first time, a look of uncertainty flickered across Tiger-roar's face as the few cats he had trusted turned him down. "Duststorm? Ebonyfoot?"
Ebonyfoot scoffed. "Not a chance, father." She said the last part like it was bile.
The dark brown tabby got up deliberately, picking through the crowd until she stood in front of Tiger-roar. "I looked up to you," she mewed in a clear, level voice. "I wanted to be like you. But Redtail was my mentor, I owe him more than any cat. And you two killed him." Grief and fury seemed to make her limbs shake, but she kept going. "You killed him and betrayed the clan. I'd rather die than follow you." She turned and stalked away.
"Whitestorm? Miststrike? Goldenflower?
"You dare ask me to join you?" Whitestorm and Goldenflower had spat in unison while Miststrike had just turned her back on her littermates.
The white tom rose to his paws, advancing slowly on Tiger-roar as though he were nothing but a cornered piece of prey. "Join you? After you tried to kill my aunt?" he padded closer, his yellow eyes glinting dangerously. "You killed my loving mate. You killed my little sibling Mossthorn, then you worked with the cat that killed Patchpaw- then have the gall to ask me to join you?"
His voice was full of so much fervent anger that Icebelly was sure Whitestorm would finish Tiger-roar off in the camp, here and now. But to his surprise, Whitestorm only turned and padded away, his head low. Before he vanished into the warriors' den, he cast one rueful look over his shoulder and added, his voice cracking, "My only regret was loving you."
Icebelly saw a flicker of sadness in Tiger-roar's eyes, and it only seemed to increase when Goldenflower hissed and padded into the nursery, refusing to look at Tiger-roar. It seemed Tiger-roar really loved Whitestorm and Goldenflower.
"Tiger-roar," Bluestar broke in. "No more of this. You two, go now."
Tiger-roar drew himself up to his full height, his eyes blazing in cold fury. Nightshade bared her own teeth as she stood up next to him, her green eyes filled with equal rage. Tiger-roar spat, "We're going, but this isn't over; you can be sure of that. I will have my revenge on you all!"
They padded unevenly away from the highrock, glaring defiantly at the crowd of cats as they walked towards their exile. Tiger-roar paused as drew close to Icebelly, curling his lips back in a snarl. "And as for you… Keep your eyes open, Icebelly. Keep your ears pricked. Keep looking behind you, because I vow that you will be the first cat to suffer my wrath."
Icebelly and Tiger-roar shared a single testing glare for a long while. Icebelly tried not to shrink beneath the massive tom's glare, but he was determined not to break Tiger-roar's challenge. Finally, Tiger-roar was the first to pull away as he trailed Nightshade to the camp exit. His threat almost seemed empty as the two great warriors tread to their exile on unsteady paws. Their wounds would keep them at bay for a long while, Icebelly knew. But he also knew that Tiger-roar was too stubborn to be deterred by a few scrapes and scratches. I know you'll be back when your wounds heal, but we'll be ready for you then, Tiger-roar!
/
Sandstorm felt the blood on her fur start to clot but she didn't care. She looked at Chestnutclaw's corpse, the blood had stopped gushing out a while ago. This monster took her sister and now her aunt. She spat on him.
"You should have your wounds treated," Lightcloud mewed softly, her white fur brushing against her pale ginger one.
"It's not my blood," Sandstorm replied. with a dry laugh "He barely laid a scratch on me."
"Then wash it off before your fur starts to stain," Cinderfrost mewed. They tried to sound light-hearted as they added, "You don't want to be like Thornblood. He lets it sit there all day, rarely washing the blood out. I'm pretty sure that's how he got his warrior name, and it wasn't just Brokenstar being wicked."
Sandstorm sighed. "Okay."
She slowly rose to her paws, nearly falling completely over from her sudden dizziness. Cinderfrost and Lightcloud quickly came to her aid and held her up. "Alright, we're taking you to Yellowfang," Lightcloud mewed.
All around her, talk was beginning to break again as cats mewed urgently to one another about the startling events. "Who'll be deputy now?" Her father Runningwind asked. Sandstorm didn't think too much as she felt her head spin and blacked out.
/
Icebelly glanced at Bluestar to see if meant to make an announcement, but she was slipping around the side of the Highrock toward her den. Her head was down and her paws dragged as if she were ill. There would be no announcement yet.
He could start to feel the ache in his wounds more now urging him to rest, but he wanted to get Sunnypaw's body. "I'll do it," Raveneye offered, seeming to read his thoughts. "Cherrycloud, come with me." Cherrycloud nodded and followed her brother just as Thymeroot came over and started treating Icebelly's wounds.
"I think Icebelly should be deputy!" Maplepaw declared, bouncing with excitement. "He'd do a great job!"
"Icebelly?" Darkstripe's eyes narrowed. "A kittypet?"
"What wrong with that?" Cloudpaw bristled in front of the much bigger warrior. Whitestorm pushed between Darkstripe and the young apprentice. "That's enough!" he growled. "Bluestar will tell us who she chooses before moonhigh. That's the tradition."
Icebelly let his shoulders relax as Cloudpaw and Maplepaw scampered off to join the other apprentices. He could see that the apprentices didn't realize the seriousness of what had happened. The older warriors, the ones who had known Tiger-roar and Nightshade well, were looking at one another as if their world had just come to an end.
And maybe it has, Icebelly thought dejectedly. As long as Tiger-roar and Nightshade prowl these forests, we may never be safe again.
/
Icebelly jerked awake a short while later. His wounds still stung, and as he rose to his paws his limbs protested stiffly, but he could feel his strength returning. He had helped bury Sunnypaw before he passed out. He looked up and saw the tortie molly sitting in front of him. She had a wound on the back of her neck that was dripping blood, and she had a scar on her left eye.
"I'd suggest you check outside, dear," she mewed, her voice as sweet as honey, yet it didn't soothe Icebelly at the same time.
"Who are you?" he asked. "I've seen you around Bluestar a lot, and I saw you and another tortie during the flood."
"You'll know in time," she replied simply. Before he could say more she faded away.
Icebelly realized that the chill he felt was not just because of fear. The den, usually warm from sleeping bodies, was cold and empty. Outside he could hear the murmuring of many cats. When he pushed his way out to join them, he saw that nearly all the clan was already assembled in the clearing, with the pale light of dawn just rising above the trees.
Sandstorm pushed her way through a group of cats. "Icebelly!" she mewed urgently. "Moonhigh has come and gone, and Bluestar hasn't named a deputy!"
"What?" Icebelly stared at her in alarm. The warrior code had been broken! "Starclan will be furious," he murmured.
"Bluestar hasn't named a deputy or an heir. I doubt Willowpelt can do it, and Maplepaw is way too young," Sandstorm went on, lashing her tail in agitation. "Bluestar won't even come out of her den. Whitestorm, Goldenflower, and Miststrike tried to talk to her, but she sent them all away."
"She's probably still shocked over Tiger-roar and Nightshade," Icebelly pointed out. "She raised them and they betrayed her." Then a concern crossed his mind. "Wait, what about Cypressflower?"
Sandstorm lowered her head. "Cypressflower is unconscious, and no one is sure that she's going to wake up." She raised her head up, green eyes blazing. "But Bluestar is the leader of the clan, she can't just curl up in her den and forget about the rest of us!"
Icebelly pulled Sandstorm close, licking her ears softly. "She won't forget-" he began, and broke off as he spotted Bluestar stumbling around the highrock from her den. It seemed she didn't get a replacement flower necklace after Tiger-roar's attack, which seemed to alarm some cats. She looked old and weary as she sat down in front of the highrock, making no attempt to climb it.
"Cats of ThunderClan," she rasped, barely loud enough to be heard over the crowd's anxious muttering. "I will name my deputy. Listen, and you will all hear."
The clan only looked and listened.
Bluestar opened her mouth for a few moments to continue, but remained silent as something seemed to catch her attention. Icebelly followed her gaze and spotted Redtail's spirit gliding across the camp towards her, his bushy red tail streaming out behind him. Icebelly wanted to call out to him, but he remained silent as he watched Redtail climb up the highrock and whisper something in Bluestar's ear.
Bluestar murmured something quietly in response, but Icebelly was too far away to catch what she was saying. To a normal cat, it would seem she was muttering to herself, but Icebelly knew that they were exchanging words that no normal cat should know- not even Icebelly himself. Redtail nodded at whatever she said, and the two stared at each other for a few short moments before Redtail faded away.
Bluestar shook her fur, rose to her full height and announced very hesitantly, "My new deputy, and my heir, will be Icebelly."
End of Book 2
Onto Rising Storm