Fire Heart was on his usual unusually big patrol. Yellowfang walked a little ahead of him and Ravenpaw. Shattered Ice and Dappled Pelt were up ahead, talking. Ivy Breeze and Acorn Fur were lagging behind, Jagged Peak and Rainswept Flower were also discussing in whispers, looking grim, and Frost ran to catch up with Yellowfang.
They reached the RiverClan border, the dry reeds rustled over the ice and snow. Dappled Pelt was gathering up some stalks of herbs near the shore and Acorn Fur hurried over to help.
"Look!" Shattered Ice flicked his tail at a vole on the shore. He ran at hunting speed, but the vole sensed him and skidded across the ice. Fire Heart, a moment before worried, was relieved when Shattered Ice lowered his weight, so that he slid across easily too.
He crashed into the snowy bank and popped back up with the vole in his jaws.
"You're on RiverClan territory," Rainswept Flower pointed out. The gray-and-white tom shrugged when a RiverClan patrol appeared.
Leopardfur, of course, had to be there! She had Blackclaw, Mallowtail, Silverstream and Loudbelly with her.
"What're you doing on our territory?" Her amber eyes narrowed with hatred onto them all. She still hadn't forgotten the battle moons ago.
Shattered Ice took one look at the patrol before he turned and slipped back across the ice before disappearing into their territory. Fire Heart could see surprise in the RiverClan cats' eyes and he knew why.
Shattered Ice was the fight-first type of cat. Not the run-away cat.
Acorn Fur and Dappled Pelt backed away, too, with herbs in their jaws before they slipped away into the forest.
Jagged Peak and Rainswept Flower were discussing something in whispers, eyeing the RiverClan cats before Rainswept Flower shook her head.
Fire Heart wondered what they were being so secretive about.
"Are you okay?"
He looked up from his thoughts to see Silverstream closer to the border. The rest of the patrol were leaving, casting the SkyClan cats odd looks.
"Ye-yeah, we're okay," Ravenpaw muttered, nervously glancing between Yellowfang, Frost and Fire Heart.
"Well, actually~" Jagged Peak began, stepping forward only for Rainswept Flower to shove him back.
"Let's just go!" She hissed and stalked away. The gray tabby reluctantly followed.
Fire Heart looked around and realized it was only him, Ravenpaw, Yellowfang, Frost, and Ivy Breeze left behind.
"We're fine," Yellowfang murmured. "Go on and mind your business." She beckoned her clanmates to follow her and they left the bewildered RiverClan she-cat behind as they disappeared back into the trees.
"Guys," Fire Heart began with a sigh. "We can't continue acting paranoid and like we're all gonna die, just because of a dream."
"So you're saying Dappled Pelt imagined it? And Skystar?" Yellowfang snapped. Fire Heart decided not to mention that it was actually Pebble Heart, who had also had the dream. He had promised Gray Wing to keep quiet.
The young tom didn't need that kind of weight on his shoulders at such a young age.
"No, but the other Clans will start to notice our uncharacteristic attitudes. RiverClan and ShadowClan don't like us, so…what if they teamed up with ThunderClan if a battle did happen?"
"You sound like Gray Wing," Frost muttered.
"Huh?"
"Well...my uncle believes there won't be a battle still," Ivy Breeze hesitantly answered for the white tom.
"And I'll continue being optimistic while you guys mope around," Fire Heart meowed, ignoring Frost and Yellowfang's annoyed hisses.
As the others ran ahead, Fire Heart turned to Yellowfang. "You still haven't told me what had happened at that battle a few moons ago."
"Which battle?"
"And she's playing dumb," Fire Heart muttered. "The one where we helped WindClan against the other three Clans!" He snapped.
Yellowfang didn't answer for so long, Fire Heart assumed she wouldn't answer at all. Finally she sighed and meowed, "this better stay between you and I then."
"Okay."
The two cats sat down. Fire Heart curled his tail around his paws and fixed his friend with an expectant green gaze.
"You probably didn't know since you're new to the Clans…and their gossip," she grumbled at that part. "But I was a warrior at first. I had trained as one all my life."
"Oh, that's where those scars came from," Fire Heart meowed in understanding. "I just thought ShadowClan was really messed up."
Yellowfang gave him a look.
"Sorry, continue."
"Anyway, I was apparently born with the ability to feel others' pain," she continued.
That explains it. That must have been harsh at the battle. With so many cats getting hurt at the same time.
"But I can only feel the very major injuries…or just ones that stick out…like a thorn in a pad."
Never mind.
"As I trained to be a warrior, Sagewhisker, the ShadowClan medicine cat before me, kept telling me that it was StarClan's destiny for me to become a medicine cat. I couldn't uphold my warrior duties with my power…so I did."
"Oh, and that crushed your dreams of being a warrior…?" Fire Heart asked.
"Not just that, but I already had a mate."
"Oh, no. The forbidden medicine cat romance story, huh?"
"Oh, yes. I told Raggedstar that I had to be a medicine cat. He was angry and we broke up."
"That's why you were sad when Brokenstar admitted to killing him."
Something flashed in Yellowfang's eyes at the mention of the former ShadowClan leader. "Yes…" she shook her head. "I trained as a medicine cat, but soon realized I was pregnant."
"What…?" Fire Heart asked. "That makes no sense, how long were you training as a medicine cat? Tell me what really happened."
Yellowfang rolled her eyes. "Okay smart one. We continued our relationship. In secret."
"That's what I thought."
Yellowfang rolled her eyes again. "Soon I gave birth to three kits. Two died. The third was Brokenstar."
Fire Heart choked. "What?!"
"Yes, he must have been my punishment from StarClan for breaking the code. His sisters died, he lived. The end."
He did kinda act like Yellowfang for the short times I've seen him alive. ThunderClan got rid of him at least.
He remembered one Gathering when Thistlestar had announced the death of Brokenstar and Stumpytail after he and his band of outlaws had attacked.
Yellowfang had seemed a bit upset at this. Now he knew why.
It was during Thunder's stay, but he didn't say anything. Thunder had been real quiet ever since he had returned, too afraid that if he spilled secrets he'd immediately endanger them all.
"Great story, Yellowfang," Fire Heart meowed, putting his tail on her shoulder. "And I promise not to tell."
"Good."
"And plus, we live in the same Clan and you know where I sleep, so if I spilled your secret…"
"You're a smart one," Yellowfang purred.
"Let's go, Cricketpaw!" Thistlestar rushed down the slope and leaped a ditch. He had taken Brightpaw and Cricketpaw out to be assessed today. It was the blue-gray she-cat's first one.
Said she-cat was falling behind while Brightpaw managed to keep up, only falling behind a fox-length.
"Help!"
Thistlestar turned to see Cricketpaw scrabbling at the edge of the ditch. Brightpaw doubled back to help the younger she-cat.
Thistlestar rolled his eyes. "Hurry up!" He yowled impatiently.
Brightpaw cast him a wary glance before pulling Cricketpaw up to safety.
"Can't we go slower? Your legs are longer than ours," Cricketpaw whined, ignoring Brightpaw's frantic head shake.
"Slow cats get eaten by badgers!" Thistlestar spat and the blue apprentice winced. He had chosen these two for a reason. He needed to help them toughen up more. The other apprentices were good enough.
The gray-and-white tom was hardly out of breath when he reached Snakerocks, but Cricketpaw stumbled into the clearing. Even Brightpaw was out of breath.
"Um, what're we doing at Snakerocks…?" The ginger-and-white she-cat asked warily.
"Training," Thistlestar snapped. "You're not gonna let some snakes scare you, are you?"
The apprentices slowly shook their heads.
"Okay, Cricketpaw you'll wait here." Thistlestar switched his attention to Brightpaw. "And I want you to sneak around and attack her."
"Wh-what?" Brightpaw stammered.
"Don't tell me we have to use claws!" Cricketpaw added. "Mother will overreact if I get a scratch!"
"Di-did I stutter?" Thistlestar mocked the older apprentice before glaring at the younger one and snapping, "she'll just have to deal with it! Using claws now~"
"Will prepare you for real battles later in life!" Cricketpaw interrupted, rolling her eyes.
Thistlestar managed to contain himself from clawing the idiotic kit. "Get into position! I'll be watching you!"
He watched Brightpaw slink away before he left himself. He froze when he heard a bark and thumping pawsteps charging towards him.
Dog!
He grinned devilishly when he got a new idea and raced back towards Snakerocks' clearing yowling loudly to attract the dog.
"What's going on?" Cricketpaw jumped to her paws, fur puffed in alarm as the dog charged towards them.
"We're playing a new game instead called Escape the Dog!" Thistlestar announced and raced past.
Cricketpaw scrambled after him just as Brightpaw exploded from the ferns. "Hey~" She began to complain before she spotted the dog. Her blue eyes widened and she took off after the other two, easily outpacing Cricketpaw.
Just as the three cats neared the ravine a blue shape zoomed past Thistlestar and flung itself at the dog. For a moment, Thistlestar thought it was Bluefur and sneered before he realized it was Mistyfoot.
She clawed at the dog fiercely until it ran away, howling with its tail between its legs. Thistlestar directed his sneer after the creature. They were as bad as kittypets. After all, they did come from Twolegplace.
Mistyfoot rounded on him. "Why were you letting the dog chase them?" She hissed. Thistlestar glared at her, disgust boiling inside of him once more. She looked just like her mother!
"Are you forgetting who you're talking to?" He snarled.
"No, I know exactly who I'm talking to," she growled.
Thistlestar glared at the apprentices and ordered them back to camp. They scampered down the ravine and into the camp.
"Don't tell me how to train our young," Thistlestar snapped.
"Then stop trying to get them killed for your amusement!" Mistyfoot all but yowled.
Thistlestar raked his claws across her face and she yelped, stumbling back. She pawed at her cheek and looked at him with wide eyes.
"I know what I'm doing," he meowed, leaning down to whisper menacingly into her ear. "And you'd better watch yourself or there'll be consequences. For you and your mother!"
With that he stalked down the ravine into the camp, tail lashing.
The she-cat slowly backed away from the scene only to bump into somebody. She all but jumped and turned to see her boss. She gulped. He usually didn't follow her. He'd always said how good of a spy she was for him.
"That was weird," she managed to murmur.
"Yes…" the brown tom muttered, but his eyes were sharp with interest. "Stupid of him to endanger those kits, but kinda clever. Maybe we should train our young that way too." His voice took on an edge of amusement as if he was making a joke but to the she-cat it just sounded as menacing as the ThunderClan leader's voice.
She shivered.
"Let's get back," he muttered. "And pass it on to him."
Great, now we have to see that scary cat too, the she-cat thought.
They traveled back through Twolegplace and entered an alley where two big black-and-white toms with collars lined with dog teeth, stood.
Their blue eyes narrowed onto them and the she-cat shivered.
"Password?" One of them asked.
"Password?" The she-cat's companion muttered. "Uh, I don't know. How about~" the she-cat quickly nudged him before he could say something smart that would get them in big trouble.
"Let them through," a bigger black-and-white tom meowed padding up. "He wants to hear their report."
The big tom led the two further down the alley, passing many scraggly and vicious looking cats.
The she-cat wished for nothing more than to be back in their own camp with her campmates. They may look wild, but most of them were kind. And she needed to look after her younger sister! What if a dog attacked?
"Well?" The leader asked in an icy tone once they reached him.
"Oh, do we have a lot to tell you?" The she-cat's companion grinned widely.
Can you guess the cats in the last POV? I probably made it obvious though.