Chapter 10

Icepool looked around the cave from her nest with her sisters. The cats were all asleep now except for the cave guards by the waterfall. She looked up at the rocks on the sealing, with points that could kill if they fell. She thought she could see the shadows of cats across the cave walls suddenly. They looked like they were all hiding from a huge cat. And the huge cat had cornered a smaller cat that looked like a warrior.

Then a shadow of one of the sharp rocks fell on the large cat killing it. But another cat had dropped the rock down with her own weight and killed herself too. She thought she could hear voices saying, "How could she give her life for cats she's never known?" and another saying, "She did what she did for a reason, but we just have to keep going. We will mourn Feathertail's death, but now we have a job to do."

Icepool guessed it was the group of cats returning from their mission to bring the clans to their new home. Stormfur must have mourned Feathertail's death for a long time, but he managed to move on and look at the future.

And I need to be like Stormfur, she thought, I have new cats to watch over me now, I just need to leave the past behind and look to the future.

That morning, Icepool stretched and looked around the cave. After her vision last night Icepool felt better about leaving the clans behind to find these unknown cats. But she wanted to learn some things before they left the tribe tomorrow.

Icepool walked over to Stoneteller at the mouth of his den. He was talking to a group of cave guards that were probably returning from a patrol. She waited until they left before walking up to him and asking some questions.

"Good morning Stoneteller," she greeted. Stoneteller dipped his head in greeting and let her go on, "Do you remember a group of cats that came through here a long while ago? From the old forest?"

Stoneteller seemed to think for a moment before answering, "I do," he said, "One kit had the potential of being the next Healer of the Tribe of Rushing Water. But he left with the rest of his family toward an unknown area. We haven't seen the cats since. But some of the cats joined the tribe. Some of them are still here today. But only one of them is still doing full duties."

Icepool nodded, "What was the cat's name? And do you remember why he would be a good apprentice-I mean, to-be for you?"

Stoneteller seemed to understand why she was asking questions because he never asked why she was. She just answered, "His name here was Rain from storm Cloud. But when he left his mother she probably changed it to a warrior name when they arrived at their new home," Stoneteller stopped to think for a moment before continuing, "I'm pretty sure that Rain was seeing cats with stars in their pelts. I thought they were from the Tribe of Endless Hunting, but I guess they were your ancestors. What were they called again?"

"StarClan," she answered. Icepool was about to thank him then ask if there was one of the former clan cats she could talk to, but he spoke up first.

"Would you like me to show you some mountain herbs?" he asked, "If you are coming through then you should know what the herbs are here."

"Sure, I'd love to."

Stoneteller went over to some cave guards and told them to come and protect them while they were out. Icepool tried to tell him that she could fight for herself, but he wouldn't listen. Soon they were quite a way down the river and he stopped by a green bush.

"These are no cough leaves," he said, "They cure white cough, green cough, and black cough."

Icepool sniffed the leaves and recognized catmint. She looked around for anything to use to recognize the area, but only found an odd shaped rock on the other side of the river.

Stoneteller took her up and down the river several times before reaching the end of it and stopping. He looked out and twitched his tail to a mountain with a flat top, "That mountain marks the edge of our territory," he said, "from there my cave guards cannot help you. Tomorrow you will set of that way and climb to the top. There is a cave there for shelter so you can stay there. On that mountain you can see four many length beyond there. That way you can find your way to Highstones."

Icepool was about to ask how he knew that their next stop was Highstones, but Crag cut her out, "Stoneteller, if you keep talking then we'll never make it back before nightfall."

Stoneteller dipped his head in agreement, and they all set of back up river.

Icepool looked up at the half moon from where she sat at the pool at the end of the waterfall. By now the medicine cats would be on their way to the moonpool to share tongues with StarClan.

She looked down at the water in front of her and could see the same stars as when she looked into the moonpool. The rest of the water was regular though, so she couldn't figure out what was making the water that way.

Icepool tried lapping up some water, and felt the same cold rush as at the moonpool. The ground seemed to disappear under her paws and she found herself in a forest with nothing around her but trees. She tried sniffing the air for scents, and she could smell a faint ThunderClan scent. Icepool began to race toward it, when she suddenly ran into something. She looked up and saw the gentle eyes of Leafpool!

"Leafpool it's you!" shouted Icepool, she couldn't believe she was actually seeing her.

Leafpool sniffed her, "Icepool? Is it really you?"

"Of cores it's me mouse-brain," remarked Icepool, "I'm so glad to see you!"

The two of them groomed each other for what seemed like moons, until finally Leafpool asked, "So have you made it to your new home yet?"

Icepool gaze dropped to the floor. If it weren't for the detour, they probably would be there by now, "No," she answered, "we're with the tribe cats now. Tomorrow we leave for Highstones."

"Highstones?"

Icepool explained to her the dream with Feathertail and how water from the moonpool was supposed to engulf the Moonstone to finish gaining all of its ancient power. Leafpool eyes began to widen as she told the story, but she didn't seemed to be scared of destroying the Moonstone in anyway.

"Well you could stay with Barley and Ravenpaw while you're there," she answered, "they have plenty of prey. I just hope they can smell ThunderClan from all of those other scents on you."

Icepool let out a purr of amusement before the dream began to fade and Icepool was lying down by the pond. A paw was prodding her in the side.

"Are you going to sleep in the cold in the middle of leaf-bare?" asked Dawnleaf, "or do you want to come sleep with me?"

Icepool let out a purr and went to go sleep with her sister.

It was around sunhigh when they reached the flat top mountain. They had already said good-bye to Stoneteller and were climbing up the mountain. The path had some grass growing on it, but it was mostly stone. The side of the mountain was to steep and rocky to climb up, so they had to take the spiraling path.

"How much longer?" Dawnleaf whined, "My pads are starting to hurt."

"We're only half way up," said Ravenheart, "How are your pads already hurting?"

"Well my pads are used to the soft moorland," she answered, "not rocks. I'm surprised you're not complaining Ravenheart. You've been licking your pads every time we stopped on the way here."

Ravenheart licked her chest in embarrassment. It was true her pads were hurting too. She had asked Icepool for the herb back at the cave. Truth is none of their pads were used to the rough mountains. That's why on their way back they would travel along the edge of the mountains instead of through them.

When they were further up the mountain, Icepool could look of the edge and see the waterfall. She thought she saw Stoneteller walking back into the cave with the cave guards. She thought she could see a hawk in one cat's mouth, so the cave guards probably learn how to hunt too, just to be safe.

As they walked farther up the mountain, Icepool noticed there was more grass under her paws. She was about to look up to see how much farther they had, but a cold gust of wind hit her in the face. And when she looked up she saw the same cat shaped cloud, being pushed by the wind toward the setting sun. She knew they were to go that way, but she had to finish Feathertail's mission first.

As they continued, the ground began to get softer and softer. When she looked up again, she could the top was only a few fox-lengths away. She began to run but the wind hit her in the face again and she tumbled onto her back.

"Be carefully!" scolded Lakeheart, "The wind is strong up here and you could fall down the mountain."

Icepool remembered those bones she saw when traveling through the mountains. If that happened to a cat before, she didn't want it happening again. She quickly got up, shook her head and began walking again, only this time closer to the side of the mountain.

Finally they made it to the top and Icepool could see the cave. It was made of rocks and mostly underground, but that would keep the wind out. And the top was covered with moss they could use for nests. She could even see a couple herbs growing by the wall inside it.

"Well here we are," she announced, "let's start making those nests in the cave. Then we can look for some fresh-kill."

Talking about fresh-kill reminded her of how hungry she was. The last thing she had to eat was a magpie early that morning before they left. Now it was almost twilight and it was getting colder. And when the wind hit her again, it carried the sound of her stomach growling to everyone else behind her.

Ravenheart purred, "Hungary are you?" she teased. Icepool's ears burned in embarrassment. "I'll go with Lakeheart and go hunting a little way down the mountain. Dawnleaf and Sandpelt, you can start making the nests. And Icepool," she turned to her sister, "you look around on the ground to plot our next route."

"Yes oh great Ravenstar," Dawnleaf teased, "would you like me to kill myself for you to eat if you find nothing?"

Everyone purred, even Ravenheart. But she licked her chest in embarrassment after, "Very funny. Now let's get to work. We may be here one night, but the wind makes the leaf-bare nights even colder."

Without saying anything more, they all went about their duties and Icepool went the ledge of the mountain top. From there you really could see everything. Just on the horizon was what looked to be the Tangle of Thunderpaths she'd herd about. But they still had to pass several things before they even got that far.

Later Dawnleaf padded up to her with a rabbit in her mouth. She nugged it in front of her motioning to share, so Icepool dipped her head and began eating.

After she licked her lips she said, "I thought Ravenheart and Lakeheart weren't back yet."

"They aren't," she answered I found this rabbit sleeping in the cave. So I took the opertunity to catch it before it ran of. But even if it did it would have to either fall of the mountain, or be cornered."

Icepool let out a purr and looked back out at the horizon, "If we follow the Big Thunderpath, then it should eventually lead us to Highstones. The hard part will be getting through the Tangle of Thunderpaths over there."

"I have an idea," she said, "what if we crossed the Big Thunderpath to those flat areas with all the horses. Then we just follow the river back to Highstones."

"That's a great idea."

After nightfall they walked back into the cave and lay down in their nests. Icepool and Dawnleaf were in the back, Ravenheart the right of them, and their parents to the left.

Then finally she slept with no problems on her mind. She hadn't slept that way for half a moon now. She missed it, and wished she could sleep that way every night. But sadly, that couldn't happen.