NEXT CHAPTER! WHEE!


Chapter 3: New Warriors

Two moons had passed, and Icepaw had finally returned to the apprentices' den. Now, she could hear Silverwind's familiar yowl from High Rock: "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather below High Rock for a meeting." The apprentices slowly crept out of their den. They had fear in their eyes, as if ThunderClan would attack them right then.

"Icepaw, need any help?" Tigerpaw asked.

"No, not right now," Icepaw answered.

The two apprentices trotted out to the clearing. Every warrior was out, every queen, every kit, every elder. The apprentices were the last to arrive. It had been like this for the two moons, you see, because of no leader or deputy, and because of Leopardpaw's death.

"Two moons have passed since Fallenstar, Brokenwind, Russetcloud, Wildtail, and Leopardpaw have died. Now, with such a small amount of warriors, it is time for new warriors to take their places," Silverwind began. "Apprentices, step forward, please."

Every pair of eyes was on them as they did.

"I, Silverwind, medicine cat of ShadowClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn. Runningpaw, Darkpaw, Singepaw, Tigerpaw, and Icepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your lives?"

The apprentices' ears pricked.

"I do," Runningpaw replied.

"I do," Darkpaw echoed.

Singepaw nodded. "I do."

Tigerpaw stood up straight. "I do."

Icepaw stared up at her bravely. "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names: Runningpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Runningstep. StarClan admires your strength, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan." She stepped forward, placing her muzzle on his. He gave her a respectful lick on her shoulder, and padded off to join the other warriors.

"Darkpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Darkpelt. StarClan admires your courage, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan." They did the same as before, and Singepaw and Tigerpaw got their names: Singefur and Tigertooth.

"Icepaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Iceclaw. StarClan admires your bravery and strength, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan." Silverwind and Iceclaw stepped forward, the medicine cat resting her muzzle on the warrior's.

"I am so proud of you, Iceclaw. You have earned your name very well," Silverwind whispered.

Iceclaw gave a respectful lick on her shoulder, and went to join the other warriors. The Clan began to chant their new names, but the medicine cat stopped them.

"We must get new apprentices also," she meowed. "So the kits may step forward."

The kits' names were Blackpaw, Brindlepaw, Dawnpaw, Gingerpaw, and Moonpaw. Their mentors were the new warriors, also. Iceclaw got Moonpaw, the sweetest black she-cat with white spots.

"Hello," Moonpaw mewed.

Iceclaw nodded. Silverwind flicked her tail at them, signaling them to go and stand watch. The new warriors padded to their places, each a few rabbit-hops away from each other. Singefur and Tigertooth fell asleep right away, and Iceclaw had to wake them up.


Dawn seemed to take ages to come. Finally, the light of the sun reached the horizon.

It would be beautiful at Twisted Glade, Iceclaw thought sadly. ShadowClan had gotten that territory from WindClan before she was even born. Tigerstar had said just before he died that he would always be there, fighting.

"ICECLAW!" Moonpaw screeched.

"Huh? What is it, Moonpaw?" Iceclaw meowed.

Her apprentice sighed. "You told me we would go hunting today!"

Iceclaw stared at her for a moment, then nodded. She flicked her tail at the apprentice, beckoning her to follow. They raced to the best hunting grounds in ShadowClan. Moon Creek was the most amazing place to go for hunting. It had survived for many, many years, and had the scars to prove it.

Iceclaw skidded to a halt. To her horror, there were cats from RiverClan there, but only a few. Thankfully, they were apprentices, which meant easy scaring. She jumped out hissing and spitting. The apprentices yowled in fear, and raced away.

"Ha! Scared 'em right out of their fur, right Moonpaw?" Iceclaw turned to her apprentice. Her green eyes stared forward, not ever meeting her mentor's gaze. "Moonpaw? Moonpaw, what's wrong?" she demanded. "Moonpaw, answer me RIGHT NOW!" The new apprentice did meet her gaze this time, only there was fear in her eyes.

"I saw Tigerstar."

Iceclaw snapped around. She was right, Tigerstar was here. He was standing on a rock, his mouth open. Her golden gaze softened slightly. If her great grandfather was here, it was okay. Her ears pricked up. Wait a minute, wasn't he dead? His eyes fell upon her.

"Hello, Iceclaw," he hissed. "A great leader will rise in our Clan. She will be of magnificent power, just like me. Iceclaw, I think you know who I am talking about."

Iceclaw stared at him, her gaze hardening. "Who? Who will rise with great power? How long will it be?"

"A moon. Iceclaw, you will follow in our pawsteps."

"What do you mean?"

"Defeat Fernstar, Rippedstar, and Sandstar. Then, only then, you will find out."

"Wait! What will the new leader's name be? I need to know!"

"Ice alone can save our Clan…" He faded away into the shadows.

"Ice alone will save our Clan?" echoed Iceclaw. "What does he mean?"

"He means you," Moonpaw spoke up. "You will be the leader. You will save the Clan."


Did that make you tense? It did to me! Next chapter preview:

Chapter 4: Pt. 2 Allegiances

new for the allegiance thing!