Hey guys! Here's more chapters! Yay! Okay, it is Spring break right now (whoo-hoo!) so chapters may not come out soon and also its almost summer break and Midnightstar and I most likely won't see each other (hopefully we will though!) so that may be a problem with chapters being published sorry about that but we will try and work around that so be patient with us!
Also keep reviewing! :D
Thanks!
-Echosong
Chapter Fourteen: Hollyleaf
Foxleap and I are sharing a wonderful meal with Icecloud; I am officially the best sister/best friend ever! Lionblaze and Cinderheart look so happy together – thanks to me! So like a fool I'm thinking that nothing that nothing can go wrong. (I can't help it!) It's perfect until:
"Can't you two lay off each other?" Icecloud hisses suddenly.
"What?" Foxleap stares at his sister like she gone nuts.
"You're always hanging all over each other! Ferncloud and Dustpelt aren't even as bad as you guys! You make me sick!" She thrashes her tail as she jumps up and walks away, jealous much?
"What in the name of StarClan was that about?" Foxleap asks, majorly confused.
"She's jealous of us because she doesn't have a mate of her own." I murmur to him.
"Oh. Well why doesn't she get one?" He asks. Toms!
"It doesn't work that way for she-cats." I explain patiently. "The tom has to make the first move; otherwise it looks like we're all desperate and clingy."
"What if the tom can't make the first move?" he asks.
"What do you mean?" I mew.
"Like what if he's too scared to, or he's still getting over someone else, or…or he's with someone else." Foxleap explains.
"Then there's not much the she-cat can do. She has to get over him."
"That's horrible! She'll be upset forever! She'll never forgive me!"
"Um, what?"
"When we first became apprentices, we made a pact that neither one of us get a mate before the other. She made me agree and I was young so I was like whatever. But I love you! I have to be with you." He wails. I look into his eyes so full of love and pain, his heart is being torn apart. The two most important cats in his life and he feels like he has to choose between us.
"I'll fix this! I'll follow Icecloud and find out who she likes, and then I'll talk to them like I did for Lionblaze and Cinderheart, and she'll fall in love and then everyone will happy!" I mew, begging him to be happy.
"Are you sure that will work?" he mews doubtfully.
"Of course I'm sure! It worked for Lionblaze and Cinderheart didn't it?" I mew wounded.
"Sorry, it's just that this is my sister! She can't be hurt."
"I know, I'll make sure she won't be." I promise purring lightly as I lean into him, twining our tails. A small smirk appears on my face as feel him relax and purr with me.
I think the best thing to do in the Icecloud situation is to let her burn off her steam and talk to her in the morning, maybe I can talk to Brambleclaw about going on a patrol with her.
I wake when I hear cats stirring, the dawn patrol. Icecloud is among the cats getting up. I wait until they all plod out of the den before I rise as well. Foxleap makes a small noise of protest, still asleep. I run my tail along his pelt, loving him to the point where I think I might burst.
"Hey Brackenfur!" I call trotting across the hollow to them, "Can I come with you?" he turns and nods before running out of the tunnel.
I follow the patrol hastily, catching up to Icecloud.
"Hey, can I run with you?" I mew. She nods and I push on, "I know I'm probably the last cat you'd want here." She flicks her ear guiltily.
"Not really." She mews.
"Well if you tell me who you'd rather be with, then I'll pretend to be them, and we'll all win."
"How will you win?" She asks.
"Metaphorically I'd still be nice and warm in the den. So tell me." She makes a weird sound like she was about to speak but cut herself off as she starts to.
"It doesn't matter; they'd never be able to run with me on a dawn patrol anyway." She mews putting on a burst of speed leaving me to curse under my breath and try to figure out that riddle.
We slow at the WindClan border.
"We'll patrol here and loop around to the ShadowClan border, then back to camp. We should split up so we can cover more ground." Brackenfur mews briskly, the run must have woken him up. Wish I could say the same for me.
"Icecloud," I call, refusing to give up. "Want to patrol with me?"
"Yeah, okay." She replies not looking too thrilled. I can still remember her and Foxleap as cute little kits begging me for battle training. Weird.
"Let's try over here, they often run over the border chasing squirrels." Icecloud mews indicating the stream that leads to the moonpool.
"Sounds good." I reply and we head toward a part of the stream that the others aren't checking.
"We're all good here," Brackenfur mews after checking with the rest of the patrol, "What about you?" I open my mouth drawing air over my scent glands, and one scent sticks out. Breezepaw (well pelt) which isn't too bad, it could have drifted across the stream – but it wasn't lingering or stale. He was here! On the wrong side of the border.
"Breeze –"
"Breezepelt!" Icecloud and I yowl at the same time.
"What?" Thornclaw snarls racing to us.
"Where?" Spiderleg hisses.
"There!" Icecloud yowls at the same time I pinpoint him in a holly bush.
"In the holly!" I yowl racing to the bush, Icecloud and Thornclaw on my heels. He wriggles out of the bush as I reach it.
"What are you doing on ThunderClan territory?" Brackenfur hisses.
"I accidently crossed the border chasing a rabbit; I smelled you coming and didn't figure that you'd believe me, so I hid." Breezepelt mews lazily. "And anyway it wasn't long ago that it was your cats on my territory and they were way farther in."
"Get off!" Spiderleg hisses.
"Whatever," Breezepelt mews arrogantly, "And friendly tip, I do the dawn patrol a little earlier. Who knows what type of battle patrol could slip by while you're sleeping in?" For one mouse-tail the whole patrol would have clawed his sorry pelt off. Instead we flank him until he crosses the border.
"If I ever catch a whiff of your sent on my territory again I will go straight to Onestar." Brackenfur snaps as Breezepelt crosses the stream back into WindClan territory.
"You do that." He mews with a bored look on his face. One more arrogant tail flick and he's gone.
As soon as he's out of sight Brackenfur turns to Icecloud and me, "I want you to go back to camp and report to Firestar, that could be him being an arrogant mouse-brain or it could be a thinly veiled threat. We'll continue on and keep our eyes open, you two do the same." We nod and then turn and run, racing as fast as we can back to camp.
The camp is only just beginning to wake when we burst into it like a horde of foxes are on our tails.
"Firestar!" We gasp as we charge into his den.
"What is it? What's happened?" He mews worriedly, infected by our fear.
"Breezepelt was on our territory!" Icecloud hisses.
"Were there others?" He asks.
"No it was just him, that's not what we're worried about. It's what he said." I mew quickly.
"What did he say?"
"'Friendly tip, I'd do the dawn patrol a little earlier. Who knows what type of battle patrol could slip by while you're sleeping in?'" Icecloud recites at top speed. Firestar's hackles rise and his eyes flash with fury.
"How dare he?!" he spits.
"Brackenfur wasn't sure if it was a threat or not." I mew fluffing my own fur out.
"I'll send out Battle patrols, disguised as hunting patrols. If there's any fox-hearted WindClan cat on ThunderClan territory we'll shred their pelt off." Firestar declares, his pelt still ruffled by an unseen angry wind.
Icecloud's eyes suddenly grow wide, "What if it was a warning?" she breathes.
"Pardon?" Firestar mews tersely.
"What if he meant that they will attack soon?" She explains.
"Good point. But I'm still sending out patrols, and we'll double border patrols. Hollyleaf do you know where Lionblaze is? I want him to lead one of the battle patrols." I shrug helplessly,
"He might still be asleep with Cinderheart," I mew.
"Find him for me, will you?" I nod and turn to leave with Icecloud.
"WindClan will never invade my Clan again as long as I'm still breathing." I hear Firestar hiss as we pad out.
"Again?" I murmur to Icecloud.
She looks at me confused for a moment, "Don't you remember? They attacked us before you disappeared, you fought in the battle. For StarClan's sake Squirrelflight almost died in it!"
I draw my breath in sharply, "No," I mew, "I don't remember a thing." The camp has fully woken up now and Foxleap pads over to us, looking worried when he notices the stricken look on our faces.
"What's happened?" He asks. I let Icecloud explain while I continue to search for Lionblaze. Noticing Jayfeather slipping out of his den I call to him, if anyone can find Lionblaze it's Jayfeather. A slight look of panic crosses his face as he walks to me buts it's gone by the time he reaches us so I can't tell if I was imagining it or not.
"What, Hollyleaf?" he mews.
"I need to find Lionblaze." I mew.
"He and Cinderheart just left, hunting. Why?"
"We think WindClan might invade." I mew quickly.
"Let them try!" He snarls his claws sliding out. Real rage glows like fire in blind blue eyes.
"That's why we want Lionblaze." I mew trying to calm him.
"I have to go." He mews turning around to go back into his den. I hear Icecloud give a soft sigh as he leaves and I shoot her a sidelong look my blood turning to ice when I see the look of love on her face.
"I have to go fined Lionblaze." I mew hurriedly and race out of the hollow as quickly as I raced into it.
"Lionblaze!" I yowl bowling over him and Cinderheart in a small glade not far from camp.
"What are you doing?" he yowls.
"Firestar wants you!" I gasp, "For a battle patrol." Eagerness flashes in his amber eyes as he leaps up,
"What are we waiting for then?" he yowls. We race off again Cinderheart on our tails.
"Wait!" I hiss when we slip into camp, pulling him away from Cinderheart.
"What?" Lionblaze mews impatiently.
"I think Icecloud is in love with Jayfeather!"
"No!" He gasps, worry and fear dance in his eyes. "We have to talk as soon as I get back." He mews rushing to Firestar.
Waiting is madding. We have to figure out what to do now! Icecloud CANNOT break the code. She just can't!
Finally Lionblaze reappears; with a quick report to Firestar ("No sign of them.") we rush to the warriors den.
It's mercifully empty and Lionblaze turns to me flicking his tail worriedly.
"It's not just Icecloud who's fallen in love." He mews.
"What do you mean?" I ask peevishly as we have no time for mysteries.
"Jayfeather is in love with Icecloud." My jaw drops.
"No." I whisper shaking my head as if I can will it not to be true.
"I am dead serious." Lionblaze insists.
"What do we do?" I moan.
"We can't let them know. We'll have to keep them away from each other." Lionblaze decides, a frantic gleam shining in his amber eyes.
"How?" I demand, sure I look as frantic as him.
"No idea."
"We should probably rejoin the Clan." I mew after a long period of silence. Lionblaze can only nod helplessly. We walk out, trying to smooth our pelts and put unconcerned looks back on our faces.
"Hey guys!" Jayfeather calls, sounding cheerful – for him anyway.
"Hey Jayfeather." Lionblaze mews quietly.
"What's wrong?" He asks suddenly weary.
"Wrong? Nothing's wrong!" I squeak.
"Yeah right." He mutters and I feel him probing my mind. No! He can't find out! Oops. The weariness on his face switches to shock in half a second. He whips around and vanishes into the crowd.
"Fox dung!" Lionblaze spits. Couldn't have put it any better myself.
"We have to find him!" I mew running to his den. He's not there.
"Where would he be?" Lionblaze hisses.
"I don't know!" I wail.
"We have to find him!" Lionblaze echoes me.
"A search party!" I yowl.
"Brambleclaw!" Lionblaze yowls, "Jayfeather's missing!"
"When did you last see him?"
"A few moments ago – we had argued." Lionblaze lies.
"Well then we must organize a search party! We can't have our medicine cat disappearing. You two will lead?" He mews looking at us expectantly, and I can hear his unsaid, especially not a blind medicine cat.
"Absolutely!" I mew, "We have to find him!"
Brambleclaw nods, "I'll assemble our best trackers, you can alert Firestar." He then bounds quickly away.
"I don't want to alert Firestar." Lionblaze mumbles.
"Why?" I ask in confusion.
"Because he'll see right through our story!"
"If he does, then he does." I mew sharply, "The only thing that matters right now is finding our brother. Or did you forget? He's not just your medicine cat."
Lionblaze hangs his head for a moment then looks back up, "How could I forget?" he mews furiously, "For a long time he was the only family I had left!"
"What?" I gasp.
Horror lights my brothers amber eyes, "N-Nothing." He stammers, "Come on we have to get Firestar." He turns around and runs away from me to Firestar's den. When I catch up to him Firestar is with him and mewing,
"You two will have to split up, you take the territory closest to the ShadowClan border and Hollyleaf can take WindClan."
"Sure Firestar!" Lionblaze mews and rushes to Brambleclaw.
"Go on Hollyleaf." Firestar mews, "There is no time to lose." I nod, fear knotting my stomach I follow Lionblaze. Brambleclaw has assigned Lionblaze's patrol and they leave tearing off toward the ShadowClan border. Brambleclaw has given me Cloudtail which is fine by me – he's still our best tracker.
"Cloudtail!" I mew when we get out of the hollow, "I want you on point." He swiftly moves to the front and we all stay still letting give his full attention finding my brother's scent.
"This way!" He calls when he's found it and we race off after him. We run through the forest following a path leading to the WindClan border, we reach the stream and the scent points along the stream to the moonpool.
"There, he's just gone to talk to our warrior ancestors." Cloudtail mews sounding both relived and a tad annoyed.
"Then why didn't he just tell us?" I ask.
"He probably just forgot." Squirrelflight mews. I flick my tail, I know that's not it but there's nothing I can do, not now that we've found him, innocently chatting with our warrior ancestors. Not! I pad slowly back to camp, apprehension still weighing heavy on my heart.