Chapter 7

Icepool walked to the very edge of the stream marking the border to WindClan territory and stopped. She looked back at the territory she grew up in. I can never go back, she thought, it's too late for that now.

Icepool was about to cross the river when her herd rustling in the bushes behind her. She looked back again and saw Lakeheart and Sandpelt come through the bushes.

"You didn't think you'd leave without us did you?" said Lakeheart, "You're one of our only kits; we're not just saying goodbye and letting you go."

"But-" Icepool was about to tell them to go back, but she decided to let them come along. Sandpelt's wounds were just about fully healed, and Lakeheart could be good company too. So instead she said, "Okay then. But on one condition."

"Anything," answered Sandpelt almost evidently.

"You're still not strong enough to make the trip around the lake Sandpelt," she started, "Tonight we're all sleeping at the moonpool anyway, so you meet me there and I'll get Dawnleaf and Ravenheart. Okay?"

The two nodded and began to set off toward the moonpool. Knowing them they won't actually go into the hollow without the medicine cat or a leader, so she new they would just make makeshift nests outside the hollow.

Icepool lightly stepped through the stream and shook off her paws at the other side. Staying close to the lake, Icepool crept along keeping her ears pricked for a WindClan patrol. As she went farther down the lake, she could smell strong WindClan scent coming toward her. She quickly leapt behind a bush and peered out to see that it was no threat.

"Come on Icepool, I could scent you five fox-lengths away!"

Dawnleaf's remarks never did sit well with Icepool, but she decided to keep her mouth shut and just say, "Why are you alone? I figured that you were a patrol. With how noisy your paws are on the ground you could have been your whole clan!"

Dawnleaf tail suddenly dropped and her whiskers drooped, "My old clan. A strange StarClan cat told me to leave to find this endangered group of cats. I hope I did the right thing." Her voice trailed off. Icepool always figured nothing could upset Dawnleaf. She always seemed happy, as if nothing was wrong with life.

"That's why I'm here," said Icepool. Waking closer she said, "We all have to help these cats. And there's no reason to fear your clan will miss you. Spottedleaf told me that now they have to go to the moonpool to even remember who we are. She said we were interfering with some long ago told prophesy."

"So we left our clan for a stupid prophesy!" hissed Dawnleaf. Her fur started to stand up but then fell again, "Sorry, I just can't believe we actually left. We should go find Ravenheart too. I wonder how she's taking this."

The two she-cats walked along the lake into RiverClan territory. Icepool didn't even look at the island when they passed the fallen tree. She could never go to any of these places after they left. It would be better if she just didn't think about them and kept going.

When they reached the stream, they began to head toward the camp up stream. Suddenly something hit her in the side knocking the breath out of her. She hissed and looked up to see Ravenheart on top of her.

"Did you miss me so bad you wanted to trespass on RiverClan territory?" she asked.

Dawnleaf pushed her of Icepool, "You know that's not why we're here Ravenheart."

"I know," Ravenheart sat down, "I can't believe we all left our clans just to find some other cats. It's not fair! Just because they're suffering doesn't mean that we have to dose it?"

Icepool walked over and gave her a swift lick across her shoulder- since she couldn't reach her ear still being the size of an apprentice.

"It's not to bad," she started, "now we can all live together instead of having rivalry just because we're in different clans."

"But what if there are other clans with RainClan?" asked Dawnleaf.

"Yah," said Ravenheart, "When hedgehogs fly."

"I agree with Ravenheart," said Icepool, "and if there are more clans, then we'll all stay in one clan. Promise?"

Dawnleaf and Ravenheart looked at each other and answered, "Promise."

It was almost twilight when the three she-cats walked up the hill to the hollow where the moonpool lay. She started to smell the familiar scent of her mother and father when Ravenheart stopped her with her tail.

"You didn't tell me that they'd be coming," she said, sounding annoyed.

"What's wrong with bringing them? They followed me out of camp this morning."

"Yah Ravenheart, I thought you liked our mother and father," remarked Dawnleaf.

Ravenheart gave a slight snort and they all kept waking till they reached two makeshift nests in a small circle of bushes. In the nests were Lakeheart and Sandpelt, sharing a rabbit.

When Sandpelt saw them he quickly said, "It's not a ThunderClan rabbit. It was on the other side of the border. Lakeheart killed it before it crossed."

"It's okay Sandpelt, keep your fur on," said Ravenheart. Then there was a slight rumble sound and Ravenheart licked her chest in embarrassment.

"I'll fetch you all some fresh-kill," said Lakeheart and she got up and stretched.

"I'm fine thanks," said Icepool, "I'm going to go down to the moonpool once the sun sets."

"Then I'll catch you one for later," Lakeheart walked off to the bushes and Sandpelt spread himself out across the nests.

"Make your own nests if you like," he said calmly, "there's plenty of room in this little circle of bushes. It's like the warriors den back in the ShadowClan camp!"

"Don't mind if I do," said Ravenheart and she started to claw at the ground where she would put her nest. It was back in the corner on the opposite side of Lakeheart and Sandpelt's nests.

"I'll take the middle," said Dawnleaf, "In WindClan we usually sleep in the open."

Dawnleaf started to make her nest in the center of the ring of bushes where there's nothing covering the stars beginning to show in the pale blue sky.

"I'll make mine later," Icepool said. Instead she waked out to the top of the hill and looked out over the lake.

From where she was sitting, you could see the bright orange sun begin to sink into the twoleg nests on the other side of the lake. She looked up at the sky beginning to turn different pinks and purples against the small clouds, making way for the dark of nighttime. Looking down, she saw the WindClan camp. It was completely exposed except for the small trees on the sides. Inside you could she the cats begin to take there places in there nests in the center of the clearing. They all seemed to be missing something that would never come back. I bet we have to leave the territories completely before they forget us, she thought.

Then she looked to the RiverClan camp, you couldn't see much except for some cats around the stream in the medicine cats den, getting ready to fall asleep by the sound of the gently flowing waves in the river.

Then she looked to ShadowClan territory, there she couldn't spot the camp, but she could see the final patrol beginning to disappear into the trees and head for camp.

Finally she looked to ThunderClan territory. She could see a cat at the edge of the stream where she had crossed earlier sniffing at the ground. Then the cat seemed to give up and its head drooped, looking at the ground. Icepool stood up and wanted to run toward the cat but stopped herself before going. She was not a ThunderClan cat anymore and had nothing to do with them.

Icepool shook her head, which shook her paw, which make some rocks begin to tumble down the hill across the stony path.

The cat's ears pricked and looked up at her. Icepool froze unable to think of what to do. Before she could think the cat was running at her full speed with its tail held high.

As is got closer she could tell it was a she-cat. She saw it was a tabby with white paws and a white chest. Then she realized who it was.

Leafpool! What is she doing looking for me when she knows I left the clan for good?

Before she could run, Leafpool was a few tail lengths away. She could hear her shouting to her, "Icepool, Icepool wait!"

Then she came up in front of her and started gasping for breath from the long run she just took. When she caught her breath she began talking again, "Icepool, I need you, your clan needs you."

"I already told you Leafpool," remarked Icepool trying not to sound harsh, "It's not my clan anymore. I left and I'm never going back."

"It's Mousefur," she started ignoring Icepool almost completely, "She says that I'm a horrible medicine cat to just let my apprentice leave. Now she's threatening to chase me out of the clan with you, and find a new medicine cat for ThunderClan. Some of the warriors are starting to think the same."

Icepool was shocked at the words that came out of Leafpool's mouth, "What about Firstar, he's your father; he'd never stand for something like this against you."

"I know, and he doesn't. But they think that it's only because I'm his daughter, and they're not considering what will happen to the clan if I'm not there. The clan will only get weaker and weaker. I thought maybe, if you came back, then they'd stop and leave me alone."

"Well I'm not going back," before Leafpool could speak she added, "You know as well as I do that once we cross into the mountains, none of the cats will remember we ever existed. Then Mousefur will have no reason to kick you out of ThunderClan. The only way to remember us will be in dreams, or in the hollow that the moonpool lays. Now please Leafpool, don't make this any harder to say, I'm not coming back."

After a long pause, they both looked up and saw the stars were already appearing. Then Leafpool looked back and said, "At least come to the moonpool with me one more time."

Icepool agreed, and they both set off down the path to the moonpool. At the rocks they took their places and Leafpool looked up at Silverpelt, "Warriors of StarClan," she started, "Icepool was a fine apprentice, and a great medicine cat to ThunderClan. Now let her serve her new clan well, and heal their lives as she did ours. Let the StarClan warriors of RainClan take her in as their new medicine cat upon her arrival, and serve her new clan mates for all the moons of her life."

At the end of her speech, Leafpool bent down and lapped up water from the moonpool, and fell asleep. After she was in her dreams, the moonlight sparkle in her pelt that Icepool had received when becoming a medicine cat seemed to fade. Then she lapped up the water and felt the cold go through her just as she had done a quarter moon ago.

When she opened her eyes, she was in a clearing with Leafpool, when two cats appeared in the clearing in front of them. One was Spottedleaf, and the other a blue tabby, with eyes the color of the lake.

"You have served ThunderClan well Icepool," spoke Spottedleaf, "But you can no longer bare the moonlight sparkles of a ThunderClan medicine cat."

Icepool's whiskers drooped, but the blue cat went on, "When you arrive at RainClan, you will bare the moonlight shine of a RainClan medicine cat."

"Is there really a difference?" asked Leafpool. Icepool was thinking the same thing. Was there a difference between a moonlight sparkle and a moonlight shine?

"Yes there is," answered Spottedleaf, "You explain Rainstar, you better than me at this."

Rainstar started to tell them, "Look at Leafpool's sparkles, they are specks arranged in the order of lightning, just like Riverclan's form the shape of a river, Windclan's spiraling wind, and Shadowclan's is just slightly duller.

With Rainclan, their leaders and medicine cats get a shine that spreads across there fur like the large river running through our territory."

Icepool sort of understood, but who was Rainstar? Before she could ask, he said, "I am Rainstar, I was the very first leader of RainClan."