Chapter 2
Sleetpaw bounced as Whitepaw and Ravenfeather padded over to her and Lightningfur.
"Thunderclaw wants us four to go hunting," Ravenfeather meowed. Sleetpaw's jaw dropped.
"But we haven't even had any training!" Whitepaw exclaimed.
"We'll be assessing what you already know," Lightningfur explained.
"Oh," mewed Sleetpaw, relieved. For a heartbeat she had thought that she had missed a crucial part of some special kit-hood training or something. As the two apprentices and warriors padded out of camp and through the waterfall-path, Whitepaw and Sleetpaw bombarded their mentors with questions.
"Where are we going to hunt?"
"What are we going to hunt?"
"When will we get back?"
"Isn't any other cat coming with us?"
"Why don't we get any training first?"
"What if we-"
"What if you fall down the mountain and into a beehive?" Lightningfur stopped and sighed exasperatedly.
They were near a small cave with an overhang above it. Bushes surrounded them. Ravenfeather answered the 'paws questions.
"At the Tree Springs, anything we can find, by sundown, no, and Snowstar's orders."
The two apprentices stared at Ravenfeather until he started to look nervous. Sleetpaw's icy eyes made him want to shiver. Lightningfur flicked an ear, unfazed. She was used to the tom's silence.
Suddenly, Snowpaw's ear twitched, and she whirled around, flattening her ears and curling her lip in disgust. "What is that stench?"
Lightningfur and Ravenfeather tasted the air. Lightningfur narrowed her eyes and unsheathed her claws, her fangs bared. Ravenfeather broke the silence.
"IceClan."
Whitepaw flattened her ears, frowning. "What are they doing on our territory?"
"Hunting." The cat's voice was a deep growl, and a huge brown tabby tom emerged from the bushes, flexing his claws.
Sleetpaw glared haughtily at him. Who was he to hunt on SnowClan land? The tabby had not expected this, as he was a warrior feared by all the Clans. He stared right back at her, his burning amber eyes combating her icy blue ones.
"Hunting what?" Lightningfur challenged, spitting.
The tabby smirked. "Prey," he replied. Several more IceClan cats slid out from the bushes.
Sleetpaw gulped, and realized that the prey the IceClan cats were hunting was probably not any normal prey. She sized up her opponents. There was a big black cat, a brown tabby, an orange tabby, a dark brown tabby, a dusty-furred cat, a small brown cat with a nasty scar, a smoky gray one, plus the huge brown tabby. Sleetpaw shivered and gulped again as she realized they were all toms. Strong toms.
Ravenfeather whispered quickly and urgently into Whitepaw's ears. If the IceClan cats or Lightningfur had noticed, they gave no sign of it, and Sleetpaw tried to be discreet in straining to overhear what he was saying, to no avail.
"What do you want Tigerclaw?" Lightningfur spat at the huge dark brown tabby.
"I already told you, Lightningfur." Tigerclaw purred dangerously. "I'm hunting."
Suddenly there was a streak of white, a rustle of bushes, and Whitepaw was gone. Sleetpaw hoped Ravenfeather had told her to go back to camp to get help.
Tigerclaw narrowed his eyes and jerked his head. "Smokepaw, Scarpaw, after her," Tigerclaw commanded.
The small smoky and brown toms nodded and started to speed after Whitepaw. Sleetpaw instinctively leaped at them, blocking their way into the bushes at the same time that Lightningfur and Ravenfeather leaped into the midst of the IceClan cats back-to-back. The two toms stopped, hesitating long enough for Sleetpaw to attack. She slammed her paw down, claws unsheathed, on Smokepaw's head, as if she were playing with Lilyflower's kits; except her goal was to maim, not play. While the blood pouring into his eyes blinded him, Sleetpaw leapt for Scarpaw.
Go for his ears! A voice mewed urgently in Sleetpaw's head. Sleetpaw slashed and ripped at the tom's ears. He tried feebly to defend himself, shocked that such a tiny apprentice, and a she-cat, no less, would try to fight them both. Now break his root! Sleetpaw shook her head to clear it of the voice, and dived underneath Scarpaw, flashing out her unsheathed claws at his legs then darting back, just before he collapsed.
Sleetpaw darted over to Smokepaw, who had just staggered onto his paws, only to stagger back again at the sight of a raging, bristling, Sleetpaw. Smokepaw hissed at her, bristling back.
"Look at the little kit, trying so hard to defend her sister!" Scarpaw cooed.
Sleetpaw blushed with rage and let out a snarl. "Well I'm doing a better job at my goal than you are!" She smirked.
Smokepaw scowled. "Say what you want, pretty kitty, but y-"
"Excuse me?" Sleetpaw hissed softly, drawing herself up and straightening her posture. "Were you about to insinuate that I can't fight because I'm a she-cat? I didn't even know a tom could be so stupid."
Smokepaw leaned forward, blinking blood out of his eyes. "You're nothing. All you'll ever be i-" Sleetpaw didn't let him finish, seizing the perfect chance to lunge.
She barreled into his chest, ripping and tearing at his flesh and fur. He was knocked back by her force, letting out a yowl.
Smokepaw froze suddenly, staring at something over Sleetpaw's shoulder. She whirled around, hoping her Clanmates had finally shown up, only to see a streak of fur flying at her face. She ducked her head, but Scarpaw landed on her, pummeling her into the ground.
Sleetpaw's head slammed into the ground and she let out a muffled yelp, her eyes watering and blood welling on her tongue. Smokepaw and Scarpaw each battered her with blows that she blocked when she could, occasionally making a swift and effective offensive move.
There came a familiar roar. "SnowClan, attack!" It was Thunderclaw, with a patrol of SnowClan warriors.
Thank the stars! Sleetpaw thought fuzzily, winded and dazed from so much physical exertion that her body was unused to.
Whitepaw dragged Sleetpaw out of range of Scarpaw and Smokepaw's blows, leaving the two IceClan apprentices to howl and screech as Sunstreak, Skystorm, and Moonbeam descended upon them with fangs snapping and claws whirling.
"Are you okay?" Whitepaw demanded once she and Sleetpaw were hidden in the bushes.
"I think so," Sleetpaw mewed, blinking unfocusedly. "I think I just need rest."
"Let's head back to camp!" Whitepaw pleaded. "Before someone really gets hurt."
Sleetpaw shook her head stubbornly. "We might be needed here!" She insisted. "Besides, we're beating those mangy intruders," she nodded her head in the direction of the battle. Smokepaw and Scarpaw were cowering under a rock while the three newest SnowClan warriors were savagely showing their Clan that they were worthy of the title of Warrior.
Tigerclaw was taking on three warriors at once: Thunderclaw, Lightningfur, and Ravenfeather. They were handling him well enough.
All of the IceClan warriors and apprentices had been subdued with the exception of Tigerclaw, who was still furiously throwing blows and dodging. He looked insane next to the calm collected swiftness of his three opponents, who were quickly draining his energy and strength and soon had him pinned.
Each of the subdued intruders who hadn't fled were shoved into a group. Of the eight cats who had attacked, five remained. She heard names whispering around the SnowClan cats. There was Tigerclaw, the black tom Blackclaw, Flamepelt a ginger tabby, Smokepaw the gray apprentice, and Scarpaw, with bristling brown fur and the scar across his face. The ones who had fled were called Oakpelt, Darkclaw, and Duskfur, from what she could gather.
Thunderclaw raised his head. "We're done here." He growled, his eyes shifting to glare at Tigerclaw, who glared right back at him. "Escort the prisoners back to camp."
Sleetpaw's eyes widened, and she exchanged a glance with Whitepaw. Prisoners! She mouthed.
Whitepaw blinked, her eyes filled with excitement.
"Come on, you two," Ravenfeather mewed. He looked more confident than ever, but gave Tigerclaw a distrusting glance every now and then. "Before something else happens."
Whitepaw and Sleetpaw scampered after him as their Clan headed off, snarling and prodding the IceClan cats to make them move faster. Lightningfur and Thunderclaw prowled along with Tigerclaw between them. The two siblings moved as if they were one, making sure that Tigerclaw was perfectly unable to escape and not giving him an opportunity to distract them.
Moonbeam, Sunstreak, and Skystorm were harassing Smokepaw and Scarpaw, jabbing and jeering. The other warriors did nothing to stop them, and Sleetpaw felt a shred of pity. She could tell Whitepaw felt the same way.
"You must be so proud," Sunstreak sneered, her orange eyes glinting, "Of your tremendous accomplishments of beating up a kit-fresh apprentice."
Smokepaw flinched as Skystorm let out a low hiss. Scarpaw flattened his ears. "We were just doing our job," he started to protest. "It was Ti-" Smokepaw cut him off with a blow to the side of his head and a warning glare.
"Do tell," Moonbeam purred silkily, blinking her soft blue eyes slowly.
Scarpaw stiffened, a scowl on his face. "No."
Moonbeam's pleasant expression turned to a snarl. She gave him a wordless kick, and Smokepaw a cuff with claws unsheathed for good measure.
Patchpelt fell back from the group, searching the crowd for her kits with an anxious expression. Sleetpaw hadn't noticed her in the fight, but purred when she saw her mother. She and Whitepaw pushed through the crowd towards her and they walked in contented silence the rest of the way back to camp.
"I'm fine," Sleetpaw protested. "Really. I just need a nap."
Whitepaw fretted. "Are you sure?"
Patchpelt had escorted her daughters to the medicine den and was now preoccupied with helping keep Lilyflower company and her four kits out of the way and out of the den.
"Yes," Sleetpaw mewed tiredly.
Songpaw tilted her head, inspecting Sleetpaw's wounds, which consisted mainly of simple scratches and bruises. "They're only minor," she mewed breezily. "Believe it or not, those toms went easy on you."
Sleetpaw blushed. Now she felt even worse about how savagely she had let Skystorm, Moonbeam, and Sunstreak torment them.
Whitepaw sniffed, her sympathy for them gone. "Doesn't matter. They're still bird-brained."
Songpaw didn't respond to her. She only remarked, "Sleetpaw, rest for a bit. Snowstar will probably want to talk with the both of you."
Sleetpaw nodded, her tail tip twitching. Whitepaw crouched beside her, yawning.
There was a muffled yelp outside and the three apprentices stiffened, only to relax when they realized it was just the kits bursting into the den. There was a mrrow of amusement from Patchpelt and an exclamation from Lilyflower, who Sleetpaw could hear was stirring and trotting into the den. She couldn't see the queen, however, due to the four bodies piling onto her.
"I heard you fought off three cats at once!" Treekit started, not giving her a chance to speak.
"Are you okay?" Petalkit asked, blinking up at her.
"We thought you were dead!" Grasskit exclaimed.
"Whitepaw told us you were under attack!" Seedkit bounced. "What was it like?"
Sleetpaw shook the kits off, wincing a bit as they reopened her little cuts and trod on her bruises.
"Off," Songpaw chided sternly. The kits obliged her, but continued to pester Sleetpaw and Whitepaw for answers.
"Neither of us is dead," Whitepaw purred. "And Sleetpaw's pretty much fine. She'd be better," she added with narrowed eyes, "If she could get some peace and quiet."
Sleetpaw grinned a little. "I'll be fine," she lied easily. "I'm not that tired, anyway." She turned to the kits, sitting back on her haunches. "And it wasn't three warriors. It was two apprentices going easy on me," she corrected Treekit.
"Did you beat 'em?" Grasskit demanded.
Sleetpaw shook her head. "I'd be so dead if Whitepaw hadn't arrived with backup," she admitted.
"I bet you still gave 'em a good fight!" Treekit purred.
Sleetpaw purred. "I did," she grinned, sitting up a little taller.
Whitepaw nodded in agreement. She opened her jaws to say something, but was cut off by a commanding yowl.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Grand Pillar for a Clan meeting!" It was Snowstar. Sleetpaw wondered what she'd have to say about the battle.
Sleetpaw, Whitepaw, and Songpaw herded the kits out of the den.
They gasped at the sight that greeted them as they emerged. For a heartbeat, Sleetpaw thought the bodies lined up on the ground were all dead. Had the warriors killed the prisoners? Upon closer inspection, she realized with slight relief that they were breathing; they were only knocked out.
Sleetpaw gazed up at Snowstar, who was perched on the Grand Pillar with regal posture, in awe. She wanted to be up there someday, leading her cats and making sure they were protected.
"These cats," Snowstar began, staring down at the knocked-out IceClan warriors and apprentices, "Have invaded our territory and attacked us without provocation or motivation. As such, they shall be contained until we are able to obtain this information. We will be using the Caves to contain them until then."
There were a few gasps, mostly from the elders and senior warriors, including the young Silverpelt, who was every kit's favorite. The poor she-cat was nearly always ill from the same illness, which had made her go blind when she was still a kit. It didn't ever spread to any other cat, but she was too unwell to become a warrior, so she resided in the elders' den.
Everyone else was just confused. They'd never heard of the Caves, and whispered and murmured speculations about what they might be for.
"Thunderclaw, Lightningfur, Ravenfeather, Sunstreak, Moonbeam, Skystorm, Lionclaw, Tigerstripe, Leopardheart, Sleetpaw, and Whitepaw," Snowstar called out. "Come with me."
Whitepaw glanced nervously at Sleetpaw, who frowned thoughtfully. They stood to join their own mentors and the three young warriors with their former mentors.
Snowstar gracefully descended the pile of boulders to meet the group. Thunderclaw padded along at her side.
"We'll need to carry them," she instructed, jerking her head at the IceClan cats' bodies. "So that they won't know where they're being kept. If we give them back, we'll do the same thing."
Thunderclaw, Lightningfur, and Ravenfeather all gave each-other glances, then trotted off to carry Tigerclaw.
Skystorm and Lionclaw shouldered Blackclaw, while Sunstreak and Tigerstripe picked up Scarpaw, the larger of the apprentices. Sleetpaw and Whitepaw tried to help Moonbeam carry Smokepaw, but they were too short to be of any real help. Moonbeam was probably stronger than her brother and sister anyway, even though she didn't look it at all.
They departed, Snowstar leading the way out of camp with her Clanmates bearing their enemies on their backs.
