AN: Finally got this updated! Sorry for the delay, but this chapter's a big shocker! Thanks everyone for your reviews, they make my day :D
Chapter 15
Morning sunlight poured through the trees when Icepaw woke up again. She blinked as wariness crept over her. Bramblepaw was sleeping beside her while Seawhisker sat perched on a branch. The hill they slept on overlooked the flooded forest, and for the first time Icepaw noticed how damaging the flood had been.
She could see piles of moss that had been ripped apart by the churning water. Nests that belonged to other animals had been torn apart during the storm. Icepaw could only stare at the horror that the flood had created. Now she understood why water was so dangerous, and why she hated it so much.
I can't let them know of my fear, she thought desperately. They'll think I'm weak.
"We're going to find the others," Seawhisker announced when she noticed that Bramblepaw was waking up.
"Where do you think they went?" Bramblepaw asked after giving his chest fur a few licks.
"Higher ground most likely," Seawhisker replied. "We live in the deeper part of the forest, and it floods during the rainy season often," she explained when Icepaw looked at her in confusion. "Birchstar, the leader before Fallenstar, knew that something like this would happen. He had a secret spot in the forest planned out and forced several warriors to build dens in case an event like this should happen."
Icepaw's eyes narrowed into tiny slits when she realized that Seawhisker had to be right. Why would Birchstar build the camp at lower level than? What was the point of having more than one camp? If they felt safer on higher ground than they should have stayed in that camp.
Her thoughts were churning with anxiety as she followed Seawhisker up the slope. Bramblepaw kept a steady pace beside her, tail fluffed up against the cool breeze. Icepaw gazed at him in surprise and wondered how he could be so happy.
The Clan might be gone, she reminded herself. She tried shaking the thought aside when Seawhisker reached the highest point of the slope. Up here a cool wind buffeted against their fur. The grass had been flattened by the constant breeze. Icepaw bounded up to Seawhisker's side as her mentor looked down into the forest.
"Something is wrong," Seawhisker murmured. Her voice was so soft that Icepaw barely heard.
"Is it the Clan?" Icepaw looked at her in concern. If there were any survivors, they might be in trouble.
"No, it's..." Seawhisker's eyes widened when her ears pricked to one side. "Get down!"
Icepaw's fur began to bristle with unease as she followed Seawhisker's command. She picked up the scent of fear and something else that made her wish this was just a dream. The wind was blowing in their direction. Icepaw recognized that scent anywhere.
She peered over the slope's edge to see two cats wandering through the undergrowth. The water had fully receded, but the ground underpaw was still damp and slippery. Icepaw dropped to a crouch and prayed that what she saw wasn't real.
"How do you think they will react when we find them?" a pale tabby she-cat asked her companion.
"They will act with hostility," the dark gray she-cat replied. Her voice was heavy with exhaustion, as if they had been traveling for days. Icepaw wondered just how long it had taken them to reach this part of the forest. "And who can blame them after what we put them through?"
Seawhisker's tail lashed with anger before she lunged down from the slope. Icepaw's eyes widened in disbelief when she realized what was happening.
In a flash Seawhisker had the dark gray she-cat pinned to the ground. The pale tabby she-cat's eyes were wide with horror when Seawhisker began clawing at the intruder. Bramblepaw stayed where he was, ears flat and lips drawn in the beginnings of a snarl.
"Get off of our territory, rogue!" Seawhisker spat when the dark gray she-cat managed to push her off.
"We are not rogues," the pale tabby she-cat sneered. Icepaw blinked when she heard the disdain in the tabby's voice when she mentioned 'rogues'.
Seawhisker's eyes narrowed into tiny slits when she sat up. The dark gray she-cat was rigid with shock. Icepaw's nose wrinkled when she picked up the scent of blood. If those wounds weren't tended to they could get infected.
"Then what are you?" Seawhisker demanded.
"We come from beyond this forest," the dark gray she-cat rasped. "We're... looking for signs of life."
Something in her eyes told Icepaw that what she said was a lie. The two she-cats exchanged looks before the pale tabby went on.
"We're not looking for trouble," she meowed. "We only wish to find what has been lost to us."
This time Seawhisker stiffened. Icepaw could see the look of unease in her eyes. When Seawhisker looked back at the dark gray she-cat, recognition lit within her eyes.
"R-Rosekit?" she stammered.
"How do you know that name?" the pale tabby advanced on Seawhisker, claws unsheathed as she prepared to strike.
"Actually it's Rosefall," the dark gray she-cat murmured.
Seawhisker flinched as though the she-cat had struck out. Icepaw's claws sheathed and unsheathed as she watched the started washing through her as she looked down at the two strangers.
She pictured herself sitting in a large camp, surrounded by Clanmates. A mother was watching her, eyes glowing with pride as she watched her daughter grow. The happy moment didn't last though. As newleaf arrived news of the next Chosen had come.
Now she was alone in the nursery. No cat had cared for her since the news was received. Only her mother cared for her safety. When the time came Icepaw pictured herself being carried away by another cat, one she wasn't familiar with. Everything else was a blur.
Without thinking of the consequences she stepped down from the slope, jumping between Rosefall and the stranger. Rosefall's eyes widened in shock while Seawhisker stepped protectively between them.
"Icekit? Seakit?" Rosefall's mew was filled with disbelief when she looked at the two she-cats.
"It's Seawhisker to you, foxheart!" Seawhisker hissed.
"Seawhisker... I like it. It fits you." Rosefall's next choice in words caught Icepaw by surprise. She glanced at Seawhisker to see her mentor's reaction.
Any emotion Seawhisker felt was hidden as far as Icepaw could tell. Icepaw's eyes narrowed in confusion. She glanced back at the pale tabby and noticed that she had calmed down as well, but Seawhisker's fur was still bristling with unease.
"You're alive... that means the other Chosen kits must be alive!" the pale tabby nearly yowled. Her voice was filled with excitement when she realized the full extent of their situation.
Seawhisker looked down at her paws, tail brushing against the undergrowth as she remembered what had happened to the other Chosen kits.
"Not all of us survived the river," she admitted. Her voice was barely a whisper, but Rosefall heard it.
"What do you mean?" Rosefall demanded.
"There was a flood, and we're still-" Icepaw was cut off by a slap of Seawhisker's tail across her muzzle. Anger surged through Icepaw when Seawhisker shot her a stern look.
"We can't just forgive you for what you did," Seawhisker hissed. "After everything we went through..." Her words got caught by some strong emotion Icepaw couldn't detect.
"I understand your anger and grief," Rosefall meowed. "I know what it's like to lose everything." She looked at Icepaw for the first time. Icepaw flinched when she noticed the look of longing in Rosefall's eyes.
Seawhisker was about to say something else when a yowl sounded in the distance. Icepaw whirled around to see a familiar creamy brown shape emerging from the undergrowth. Bramblepaw was standing nearby, fur bristling with unease as he looked between Rosefall and Seawhisker.
"Fallenkit!" The pale tabby had stepped forward, ears pricked up when she noticed the creamy brown leader glaring at her coldly.
"Birdkit, it has been a long time, hasn't it?" he asked.
Icepaw was surprised at how calm he sounded. But she didn't miss the look of anger within his eyes when he kept staring at the pale tabby.
"Actually it's Birdsong now," the pale tabby replied. "I'm a senior warrior, and by now you would be..." Fallenstar cut her off with a snarl.
"Enough!" he snapped. "I am a leader now, and this forest is my responsibility. If you are not gone by dusk, you will be killed."
Rosefall's eyes widened in shock when Fallenstar's orders became obvious. Icepaw backed away when the two she-cats exchanged looks.
"If you are leader now, than please take us to your camp," Rosefall meowed with a dip of her head. "We need to talk."
This is a bad idea, Icepaw thought as Fallenstar's eyes narrowed. Instead of turning their offer down, he allowed Seawhisker to lead them. Icepaw's fur crawled with fear and dread as she followed them. She knew that no good would come out of this. The five Clans would clash sooner or later, and Icepaw had a feeling that it would be sooner now.