Chapter 8

"Icepaw! Icepaw you've got to get up," a voice called. Icepaw felt a paw prodding her but it seemed to be coming from far away. Icepaw meowed despondently, realizing she wasn't going to get to sleep any longer.

"What is it?" she murmured through her blurred eyes. Crabpaw was standing above her, eyes filled with consternation.

"It's Seakit!"

Icepaw jolted out of her sleepy stupor and bounded to her feet.

"What's wrong? Crabpaw, tell me!" she cried out. Crabpaw shook his dark head.

"I don't know. But Rosetail sent me to fetch you," he said urgently.

Icepaw didn't wait for him to finish. She dashed out of the den and skidded over to the nursery. Seakit and Rosetail weren't there. Icepaw begin to feel a tremulous pressure being applied to her heart. She turned and pelted over to the medicine cat's den. She brushed through the reeds and stopped dead inside the den. Owlear was hovering over Seakit's motionless body. Rosetail was sitting next to him, panting heavily and looking distraught.

"What's wrong?" Icepaw said. Her voice was riddled with hysteria.

Rosetail looked up but Owlear ignored her and continued to fuss around Seakit.

"She wouldn't wake up. Owlear thinks she sick. She's-she's not breathing," Rosetail stammered. Icepaw felt sick to her stomach.

"Listen Owlear," she said, pushing her way next to the medicine cat, "I had another dream. I dreamt I was in the forest. Then I heard a cat calling for help. It was Seakit and she was saying that she couldn't breathe. Then the ground opened up and swallowed me whole. I tried to find you but-" Icepaw was cut off by Owlear's hiss.

"Foxdung!" he cried. "I never should have left camp. I don't know what's wrong with her. I'm going to give her some Coltsfoot, that should help her get her breathing to normal. I'll need Juniper berries too." Owlear cursed. Suddenly he looked up at Icepaw. "Icepaw I need to go as quickly as possible to Windclan. Go to their medicine cat, Littlewood. Tell him what has happened and get him over here. He owes me a favor anyway. Hurry!"

Icepaw felt like someone had just pounced on her chest.

"But Owlear, I-"

"Now, Icepaw!" the medicine cat shouted. "We have no time to waste."

Icepaw glanced down at Seakit. Her eyes were shut tight and Icepaw couldn't see her chest moving up and down. Icepaw bared her teeth and nodded quickly. She spun around and flashed out of the den and out of Riverclan.

Icepaw pounded across the land, leaping from rocks and fallen logs. Her legs soon began to burn and ache but the image of Seakit lying, not moving in the medicine cat's den kept her going. Icepaw didn't know how long she ran. She barely knew where she was going. She had never ventured out of Riverclan before. Icepaw focused on the faint scent of Windclan that was getting clearer and clearer. She tore through the trees and felt a stabbing pain on her side; a thorn from a bush had gotten stuck in her pelt. She couldn't stop. Icepaw felt like she was flying over the land, paws barely skimming the earth. Suddenly, without notice, a brown blur launched itself at Icepaw from the cover of a small hill. Icepaw screeched in surprised as the other cat pinned her down. Icepaw realized she had reached the heart of Windclan territory. Rolling hills covered in scraggly trees and sparse bushes completed the landscape. Up ahead, Icepaw spotted a circular space surrounded by dead bushes and a few trees. Icepaw suddenly understood that she was looking at Windclan camp. She began struggling under the paws of her captor.

"Who are you? You smell of Riverclan but you're only an apprentice. Why are you on our land?" the brown tabby holding her down demanded.

"Let me up! I have to see Littlewood. I come from Owlear in Riverclan. It's an emergency," Icepaw said, wiggling around.

"Volefur, let her up," another voice said. Icepaw felt the pressure being released from her shoulders and she stood up, unsteadily. She looked around her. Four cats surrounded her. One was Volefur, who was glaring at her mistrustfully. The cat who had just spoken was a light brown tabby who Icepaw recognized as Windclan's deputy, Beechfoot. The other two cats, a tabby tom and an apprentice stared at her questioningly.

"What's the emergency? Tell us now," the tabby tom growled.

"Tallwhiskers, please," Beechfoot said.

"A kit in our clan is hurt. I-I think she's dying," Icepaw said, feeling her eyes prickle. "Owlear said Littlewood owes him a debt. Please help us."

Beechfoot stood looking at Icepaw for a moment and then nodded to Tallwhiskers.

"Alright. Cloudpaw, run quickly. Get Littlewood," she said. The apprentice tore off across the downs.

"Oh thank you," panted Icepaw, "Riverclan will not forget your kindness."

Beechfoot nodded. "Cloudpaw will accompany you and will escort my medicine cat home."

Icepaw and the others waited what seemed like two moons for Littlewood and Cloudpaw to return. Icepaw felt Seakit's moments ticking by. Her stomach gave a lurch. Finally the two cats returned.

Icepaw bowed her head to the deputy and jerked her head towards where she had come.

"Follow me," she yelled. The white and brown tom sped up to run next to her.

"What's wrong with her?" he said in between breaths.

"She's not breathing. Won't move, didn't wake up in the morning," Icepaw cried out, panting. Littlewood nodded.

When Icepaw and the two Windclan cats finally dashed into Riverclan camp, the clearing was deathly silent. Icepaw felt her stomach twist. She nosed the medicine cat's den to Littlewood who tore off into it. Icepaw turned her head to the side and threw up, coughing and spluttering. She collapsed on to the floor, out of breath and feeling sick.

Suddenly, she felt a light touch on her shoulder. Cloudpaw, the other apprentice was lying next to her, his tail draped across her back.

"It's okay," he whispered. Cloudpaw's face was the last thing Icepaw saw before she fell into a deep and abrupt faint.

Voices were murmuring around her, Icepaw could hear them. She couldn't make out what they were saying though. Icepaw wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep; it was so peaceful and quiet. She could make out some words here and there as she listened.

"Badly..."

"...it was the run..."

"Seakit..."

Icepaw suddenly felt herself stir. Seakit? What had happened with Seakit? With great effort, Icepaw cracked open her blue eyes. She was laying in Owlear's den. She was barely aware of the cobweb wrapped around the thorn wound on her side. She let out a cough and saw heads turn her way.

"Icepaw? Icepaw are you okay?" said Rosetail, crouching over her. Icepaw tried to speak but her mouth seemed sealed shut. She watched as Owlear hurried over to her and placed his ear near her mouth.

"Icepaw? Can you tell me how you feel?" he asked. Icepaw mumbled something incorherently. Owlear disappeared from her line of vision and then returned with a bundle of moss soaked in water.

"Drink," he commanded. Icepaw sucked greedily at the moss, letting the cool water flow into her mouth. Suddenly, her mouth seemed to unstick and she looked up at the other cat.

"Seakit," she said.

"She's okay," Owlear said.

Icepaw sighed in relief.

"What happened?" she asked.

"I'm not quite sure. But when I gave her the Juniper berries, her breathing started up again. When Littlewood arrived, we were both able to lower her temperature. But he didn't know what happened. I applied Goldenrod and she seemed to get better. She sleeping it all off with some poppy seeds I gave her."

"Oh thank Starclan she's safe," Icepaw whispered, "What happened to Littlewood?"

"I sent him and the apprentice back. He's paid off his debt to me," Owlear said. " But thank Starclan you got him here in time. I was running out of options and ideas. I believe I need an apprentice," he said thoughtfully.

"What happened to me?" Icepaw asked, nervous of the answer.

Owlear smiled sadly.

"You overexerted yourself. A combination of fear and exhaustion. That's my fault and I'm truly sorry."

"Not your fault," mumbled Icepaw.

Owlear licked Icepaw's head.

"That dream you had about Seakit wasn't any old dream. I believe that was a premonition sent by Starclan. You have a gift. Starclan chose you to convey their message. Your destiny is intertwined with the clan's now," he said softly.

Icepaw gasped. "What?"

Owlear and Rosetail gave each other a look. Rosetail nodded to the medicine cat.

"Icepaw, it's time you learned the truth," Owlear said.

Icepaw gulped. She didn't know what was coming and she wasn't sure she wanted to now. She gazed apprehensively at the medicine cat.

"When you were born," he began, "I had a sign sent to me from Starclan. A prophecy about you was foretold: 'The blue-eyed cat will seal the fate of the river and let the warring winds cease.' You are that cat. It is my belief that you will lead Riverclan to a safe haven."

Icepaw felt a shiver go down her back. Struggling, she sat up.

"I don't understand, Owlear, what does that mean?"

"I'm not sure what the actual words are referring to, but in short, it means that you hold the fate of this clan in your paws."