Chapter 6

Icepool couldn't get back to sleep that night. She couldn't get the horror of her vision out of her head. What evil cat would do that? At least that good cat had more than one life. Or the other cat would have triumphed.

Where was that? All she could see was a large river. Maybe that was Rain. The winning leader and his followers must be them. How do I get there?

Icepool stood up and walked out into the clearing and looked up at the moon. The storm clouds had already cleared after dumping tons of rain on the territories. It was so peaceful here, she couldn't even begin to imagine what it would be like to leave and live a new lifestyle. Unless, the other cats lived in the same way. But is still wouldn't be the same.

She could hear a voice in her head, "Some things never change Icepool," it said, "and the moon and stars are the same, no matter where you are. Your family will always stay as it is. Even before you knew it, you and your sisters, you mother, and you father, they've always been family."

As the voice faded she realized it was right, some things never do change. She will always see the same moon and stars, and no matter where she went, she knew one day, she would join StarClan. Feeling better, she walked back into her den and got some sleep.

That morning the queens and there kits moved back to the nursery, and the first of the snow began to fall. By sunhigh the ground was covered in snow enough to cover an entire kit in snow.

"The snow's coming in fast," said Leafpool, "The apprentices are having trouble training. They can't get through the snow."

"So am I!" exclaimed Icepool. She was still the size of an apprentice, so she also had trouble moving trough the snow and she could tell more was coming. But she couldn't feel it as well as the rain.

It was almost sunset and they decided to check out the training hollow. The snow came down all day. So on the way there, Icepool had to dig tunnels through the snow, and use the ones the other apprentices already dug.

When they reached the place where to hollow was supposed to be, all they saw was more snow.

"Did we get off the path?" asked Leafpool.

"Nope," said Icepool, "were in the perfect spot."

Icepool started digging until she reached the sand of the hollow, "Come down here!" she shouted back up, "I found it!"

Leafpool jumped down the hole after her, "It's cool down here," she said, "Did you dig that tunnel too?"

Icepool turned around, "I didn't dig that."

Just after she said that, they herd Brambleclaw shouting from above, "Berrypaw! Berrypaw where are you?"

Then before they could call up to him he fell in the hole, and landed on Icepool.

"Um, ouch," she said painfully.

"Sorry," he said, "Have you seen Berrypaw?" he asked, "He went after a rabbit a little while ago then disappeared."

"Haven't seen him," answered Icepool, "but I'll keep and eye out for him. Just after I look through this tunnel...well I would look in the tunnel but I have a deputy on me."

"But you don't know who or what made that," said Leafpool concerned, "Maybe you should leave it be and we can look for Berrypaw."

Ignoring her mentor, she crawled out from under Brambleclaw, and into the tunnel. She expected one of them to go after her, but she realized the tunnel was two small for them. She kept going for a long time before coming to a small room at the other end of the hollow. Inside, it was quite warmer than on the surface, but still quite cold. Then, in the center of the room, she saw a shivering apprentice with a short tail curled up in a ball.

"Berrypaw!" Icepool ran over to him, "Are you okay? How long have you been at here?"

"I-I'm not sure," he shivered, "the snow gave out beneath me and I tried to find the side of the hollow and climb out, but all my muscles feel frozen."

Icepool started licking his fur to warm him. Then she yelled as loud as she could out the tunnel, "Leafpool, Brambleclaw!" she shouted, "Get to the other side of the hollow and start digging!" After she said that she heard scratching at the snow above her, "Lets move so we don't get fallen on."

Icepool pushed Berrypaw over a little just in time for them to fall in the clearing

"Berrypaw!" said Brambleclaw, "Thank StarClan! What happened?"

"Don't let him waste heat talking," Leafpool scolded Brambleclaw, "Start digging out of here!"

The two medicine cats started curling up around and licking Berrrypaw like a newborn kit. Brambleclaw kept digging at the snow until he reached the surface.

"Come on! Let's get back to the hollow," he ordered. The three cats picked up Berrypaw and ran back to the hollow.

In the hollow, they ran to the medicine cat den and covered Berrypaw in warm moss and straw. Icepool and Leafpool worked together to mix the right herbs for him. Brambleclaw went to tell Firestar that all cats need to stay clear of the training hallow, while Berrypaw went to the apprentices den to sleep for the rest of the day. Which wasn't that long, because it was already sunset.

Icepool felt good about the day, but it also felt like something was missing. The day seemed to short for what was happening lately. There had to be more. But still confused, she drifted to sleep in her nest.

Icepool walked toward the strange black starry cat. She knew that the cat wasn't a StarClan cat, but yet still had stars in her pelt.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I am Star, Ice," she said, "and here we cannot say anything like a real conversation. You still have not mastered your power of walking in other cats' dreams, when you do, we can talk normally."

"I don't understand," said Icepool, "What is Rain? Another clan? But I'm a Thunder cat. Even more a medicine cat, my clan needs me there."

"Your clan has been blessed with two medicine cats, and I swear by Star, Rain needs you more."

As the cat faded away she thought about the mysterious clan that needed her. How can I leave? She wonderd, can I really go to a different clan? She new they believed in StarClan because the Star cat swore by them. But she had never seen a cat of StarClan that wasn't of the four clans. Maybe they had a different StarClan.

While she was sitting there alone in the clearing, Spottedleaf walked up to her, "I know this will be hard," she said, "but you need to go to RainClan as fast as possible."

Icepool was shocked for several reasons. For one, how did Spottedleaf say the full name in this forest when she couldn't, and how could she leave the clan of her birth? "But why?' she asked, "I just discovered my family, and how do I find them? And why can we speak normally again Spottedleaf?"

"Slow down a little," she said calmly, "Your family will come with you. You are all to go to RainClan. You may have been born here, but your heart was born somewhere else."

"How can your heart be born where your not? You're not making any sense."

Before Icepool could keep going on asking questions, she woke up a tabby paw prodding her awake. It was Brambleclaw. Sometimes Icepool wondered how in the name of StarClan he became deputy.

"Finely," he sounded annoyed when she got up, "Firestar wants to speak with you. He said it was urgent. So I'd go fast, nothings ever urgent unless a cat's about to join StarClan."

Without asking any questions she stretched and leaped up the rocks to Firestar's den by the highledge. She could sense he was worried by the tone of his voice when he told her to come in.

"Is something wrong Firestar?" she asked, "You don't sound well." As she spoke she was trying to hide the fact she probably didn't feel any better than him. She couldn't get that dream out of her head. And something was telling her it wasn't about to leave.

"I had a dream last night," he started, "and I need your help with it."

"Maybe I should get Leafpool," she answered, "She has more experience and-"

"No, I need your help," he interrupted. He motioned with his tail to sit down, "Last night, I saw Spottedleaf - you know her right? She was the medicine cat when I first came to ThunderClan." Icepool nodded and he went on, "I was at the moonpool, and she told me there is a group of cats that will be leaving the lake." His voice began to shake slightly as he continued, "Then, in the pool, I saw a white and black she-cat, a sand colored tom with a lake blue she-cat. Then there was a large gray she-cat in the back, and a she-cat that looked like you in the front."

There was a slight pause and Icepool thought, "Is my time to leave this forest soon? I thought I would at least get to go to the next gathering."

Then he continued, sounding a little better, "Have StarClan come to you about anything? Are you leaving ThunderClan?" slightly quieter she thought she heard him say, "Like you sister?"

Sitting up straighter, trying to seem more confident, she said, "I believe I am."

"And you're going through with it?"

"You must understand," she protested, "I've been having visions of cats, fighting and suffering. They seemed to be fighting the world for there lives. And I keep seeing this cat too, but I haven't gotten her full name. All I know is she has 'star' in her name."

"So you think she is their leader?"

"I'm not sure, in one vision, I saw another cat from her group get killed, then come back to life just like a leader with nine lives would. And I saw Spottedleaf too. She told me I must hurry before their clan is destroyed."

Firestar seemed to be having trouble taking it all in. Icepool had just then realized as she had been talking she stood up, so as calmly as she could, she sat back down.

"Well then take you group and go. The clans can manage here. You will forever be remembered in ThunderClan."

Slowly they both got up and walked out to the highledge. Firestar stopped at the edge and spoke the same words as he would normally call a meeting with. Slowly the clan gathered below and Icepool heart began to race.

Icepool wasn't even listening when Firestar began to speak. She was looking at the sad look on her mentors face as she looked back at her. Leafpool knew this was coming, but she didn't seem to be ready for it. Then she looked out over the shocked faces of the clan. Then she looked back to Firestar who was beginning to end the meeting.

"Icepool, you will always be welcome here at ThunderClan, and you will always be remembered here."

Firestar leaped down the rocks, Icepool followed slowly as the clan began to come and say goodbye.

Icepool licked her chest in embarresment as the clan gathered around her saying their goodbyes.

"I'll realy miss you Icepool," Berrypaw said, "and I'll always remember you."

Icepool wished he was right. The sad truth is none of them would remember her. Spottedleaf said they would only remember at the moonpool, which for most cats, they would never be able to go there.

The last to say good bye was Leafpool. She walked up to her and touched noses with Icepool. She could see the hurt in her eyes as they walked toward the enterence together.

"I will miss you Icepool," she said, "I will see you at the half moon, if you find a way to speak with StarClan by then."

"I'll never forget everything you taught me. About herbs and wounds, and about StarClan."

"May StarClan light your path." Leafpool touched noses with her one last time before watching Icepool leave the camp.

Am I doing the right thing? She wondered, StarClan, please help me!