Chapter 14

By the time Icepaw returned to camp, the light red glow of dawn was beginning to touch upon the horizon. Icepaw's eyes were drooping with fatigue; the clans had been up half the night discussing the Twoleg attacks and the necessary precautions against them.

Icepaw herself had been asked to speak, retelling her first sight of the dangerous creature and how it had reacted to her.

Now all she wanted to do was sleep.

Silverstar had other plans.

"I need Icepaw, Rainwhisker, Coldsnow and Wingfeet to go on a quick border patrol," the Riverclan leader announced to the weary cats. "I know you're all tired but we must secure the safety of the clan."

The four chosen cats nodded and rose to their feet once again. Icepaw's head was pounding as she followed her mentor out of camp. The four cats brushed through a thick layer of weeds growing just outside of the camp and trotted towards the far side of their territory, towards the Twoleg's dens. Icepaw looked up at Silverpelt as she walked, admiring the beauty of the stretch of stars. It seemed like moons ago since she showed Silverpelt to Seakit. Icepaw sighed. She hadn't been able to see much of the kitten lately because of the Twoleg attack.

Icepaw raised her muzzle to the slight breeze rustling the grass and inhaled deeply. She could smell the scent of a water vole rushing into its burrow. She breathed in the sharp order of an owl returning to its nest. Icepaw was suddenly more awake, the thrill of the night coursing through her veins. She ached to hunt; her skills were still lousy and she wanted to improve her stalking technique.

Coldsnow noticed the longing in his apprentice's eyes.

"We'll hunt for the clan on the way back," he said reprovingly. Icepaw nodded her consent.

The cats ran alongside the river, following it upstream. Then Coldsnow, who was leading the others, branched off to the side of the water and skidded to a halt. Icepaw slowed down as she approached her mentor, gazing around at her surroundings.

They were standing on top of a small, sloping hill, hidden by stubby trees and gnarled bushes. At the bottom of the hill was the lake, glistening innocently in the fading moonlight. A half-bridge was stretched out on the water and was swaying softly. Everything looked calm and quiet.

Coldsnow nudged Icepaw and flicked his tail towards a huge square den.

"That's where the Twoleg's live during greenleaf," he whispered to the others.

"It looks like they're asleep," Wingfeet said, his voice low and rough.

"They are," Coldsnow replied. "Let's keep moving. Everything looks okay here."

The four cats turned their backs on the Twoleg den and took another route, one that led along the lake. The water lapped at the shore gently. The noises of waking birds was growing louder. Icepaw could see the tip of the sun peeking over the shoulder of the hills across the lake.

She yawned noisily.

Coldsnow looked back over his shoulder at his apprentice and smiled apologetically.

"Let's hunt a little and then we'll go back," he decided.

The rest of the patrol disappeared into the brush. Icepaw listened as the other cats crept away. She stretched her front paws and crouched low to the ground.

Suddenly, a tail-length away, Icepaw saw the tiny furred face of a water vole appear from behind a rotten log. Icepaw flattened herself to the sandy ground and began to inch forward.

The water vole was blithely picking away at the ground, scrounging for food. Icepaw took a deep breath and hurled herself into the air, pouncing at the vole. The creature looked up, squeaked and tore across the ground, narrowly avoiding Icepaw's sharp claws.

Icepaw ran after the vole but it was too late, it had disappeared. Icepaw snarled angrily at herself. She couldn't catch anything! Some warrior she'd be.

"You almost had it," said a voice from behind her.

Rainwhisker was standing in a clump of weeds, carrying a sparrow in his mouth.

Icepaw dropped her eyes to the ground, embarrassed Rainwhisker had seen her blunder.

"I was horrible," she snapped. Rainwhisker dropped the sparrow and looked kindly at Icepaw.

"No, your timing was just off. Next time, wait until the last possible second. And remember, vole's have great smell and hearing, but bad eyesight. Try and get closer to it," Rainwhisker advised.

Icepaw lifted her head up and blinked gratefully at her friend.

Suddenly, the rest of the patrol burst out of a bush in front of Icepaw and Rainwhisker.

"The Twoleg's are up," panted Wingfeet. "And they're headed for camp."

xxx

Icepaw watched as Wingfeet and Rainwhisker dashed off, headed towards the camp.

"Can you do this Icepaw?" Coldsnow asked gravely.

"Absolutely," Icepaw replied, her eyes growing hard and cold.

"We must head them off," Coldsnow continued, "This isn't one rogue Twoleg anymore. This is the vicious pack of Twolegs that attacked Shadowclan. If we can hold them off until Wingfeet brings back more cats, we can save Riverclan."

Icepaw's heart was thumping uncomfortably against her ribs. She felt the tip of her ears get warm and itchy.

She was ready for a fight.

"How many of them are there?"

"Six."

Icepaw gulped. Her throat suddenly went very dry. She and Coldsnow wouldn't stand a chance.

"And they all have, what did Tearstar call them? Knives?" she asked.

Coldsnow nodded slowly, his eyes blank. Icepaw unsheathed her claws.

"Okay, I'm ready. Let's go," she mewed.

Coldsnow blinked hesitantly and then rose to his feet.

Without warning, a pair of Twolegs burst through the trees and stumbled on to the sandy bank of the lake. One of the Twolegs made a high-pitched shriek. Loud noises from behind them signaled the arrival of the other Twolegs. All six of the Twolegs brandished knives.

Icepaw felt her heart drop into her stomach. They were crow-food.

The Twolegs spotted Icepaw and Coldsnow and made noises of delight as they advanced on the cats, raising their knives threateningly.

Icepaw looked sideways at Coldsnow. He was breathing heavily, his eyes narrowed in calculating anger.

"Now?" she whispered.

"Almost," he responded, not looking at her.

The Twolegs were almost upon them. Icepaw stared into their leering, broad faces with disgust. Why would they bother attacking cats? she briefly wondered.

"NOW!" Coldsnow screeched.

Icepaw launched herself on to Coldsnow's back and he sprang up into the air, sending Icepaw flying at the nearest Twoleg, copying the motions Rainwhisker had done a few sunsets ago.

Icepaw once again found herself hurtling through the empty air. This time however, she was prepared.

Aiming quickly, she collided into a tall Twoleg with black fur on the top of its head. Her paws scrambled for a hold as she kicked her back legs out, knocking the knife to the ground. Icepaw dug her claws into the soft skin on the Twoleg's chest. Beneath her Coldsnow flashed over to the knife and grabbed it with his teeth and flung it into the lake. Icepaw saw it splash a few fox-tails from the shore.

She felt herself slipping down, losing her grasp. Icepaw gave the Twoleg one last slash on the face and then let go of its body, dropping like a stone to the floor.

"Are you okay?" quickly cried Coldsnow, dodging a Twoleg's kick.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Icepaw replied, darting forward and biting a Twoleg's ankle.

"Ready?" Coldsnow said, scurrying to the center of the circle of Twoleg's.

Icepaw didn't bother responding. She jumped on her mentor's back and was flung into the sky, tumbling. This time Icepaw landed on a Twoleg's shoulder. The Twoleg howled as Icepaw clawed his back and face. Warm blood spurted over her fur, dotting the sand on the ground. With a final leap, Icepaw plowed into the knife, taking it down to the earth with her.

She hit the floor with a thump and the breath was knocked out of her body. Icepaw struggled to her feet and-echoing Coldsnow-grabbed the knife with her teeth and swung her head around, releasing her hold on the knife, letting it fly into the lake.

Icepaw turned around in time to see a Twoleg bring down its knife with conviction. Icepaw threw herself to the side, avoiding the brunt of the attack but getting caught on the shoulder by the tip of the blade.

She screamed with pain as her blood began to drip from the wound.

In a second, Coldsnow was at her side.

"Go back to camp now," he said, shoving her to the side as another Twoleg tried to swipe at them.

Icepaw growled. "Never. I'm not leaving you!"

Coldsnow grimaced and was about to say something but was cut off by a Twoleg's kick into his stomach.

Icepaw cried out as her mentor collapsed. She dived in front of Coldsnow, snarling menacingly at the approaching Twolegs. The set of Twolegs without knives were balling their paws up and raising them in an awkward pose.

Icepaw gulped down air hurriedly. She knew this was the end. Her shoulder was bleeding too much for her to continue being thrown into the air. Coldsnow's left paw was hanging at an unnatural angle. They couldn't win.

Icepaw helplessly hissed and slashed at the open air with her red-stained claws. The Twolegs looked amused. The tallest one bent down and lifted its knife. Icepaw felt her eyes glaze over in terror. She couldn't move. Her paws felt sunk in the ground.

The Twoleg brought the knife down with a swishing sound.

And from the shadows leapt Rainwhisker, his fur blowing in the wind. Without pausing, the tabby warrior charged the Twoleg, scratching its back with his long claws. The Twoleg howled in pain and Icepaw suddenly became unfrozen. She jumped out of the way of the knife and weaved underneath the Twoleg's feet as it tried to stand.

The Twoleg tripped on Icepaw's body and fell, face first, to the ground.

A scream of triumph came from the bushes as Riverclan cats poured out, their claws out and their eyes gleaming.

They were saved!