Icepaw felt herself go cold as she watched the ThunderClan cats fight her Clanmates, swarming like mice with claws and fangs. She could only watch as the other apprentices threw themselves into battle as she had no training from Clawface. If he had, she'd be along with them. Her claws dug into the dirt as yowls and screeches filled the air. After a couple of breaths, she ignored her fear and raced out, leaping on a small gray she-cat who had been holding Beetlepaw down. The she-cat yelped in surprise, rolling Icepaw off with a hiss as Beetlepaw got up. He used the distraction to turn and bite the cat's tail. Icepaw rolled to her paws as the she-cat scratched at his face, clawing at his check and leaving a wound.
"What's this, Beetlepaw?" the ThunderClan apprentice taunted him. "You use kits to help you out in battle?"
"I'm not a kit," Icepaw hissed at her.
"You can't beat both of us, Pebblekit," the black tom snarled at her. "Take your Clan of rouges out of our camp."
"We're going to be the ones to drive you out," Pebblepaw growled back. "You rabbit-munchers have always been weak."
Icepaw landed on her back again to get her to shut up, making sure to dig her claws in so that she wasn't thrown off again. Beetlepaw helped by slashing at Pebblepaw's legs. For a second, it reminded Icepaw of the attack on her and she felt herself let go. Pebblepaw shot out of the camp once she was free, hissing and spitting the whole time.
"Why did you let her go?" Beetlepaw turned to snarl at her. "We had her."
"I don't care if they attacked the camp!" Icepaw shot back at him. "We weren't going to kill her."
"I wasn't going to kill her. Just teach her a lesson."
"She learned her lesson," Icepaw jumped onto another cat, a small ginger tom who had been fighting with Paleflower at the entrance to the nursery. Seeing Icepaw jump in, Paleflower got out of the way and moved to the front of the nursery again.
The ginger tom turned on her, before seeing how small and frail she looked.
"Go back to the nursery," he ordered her. "I'm not cruel enough to attack a kit."
"I'm not a kit," She told him. "I'm an apprentice too."
"Dovestar is making a cat younger than six moons an apprentice?"
Before she could respond, Crowsong, the sleek black ThunderClan deputy threw his head back and yelled, "ThunderClan retreat!"
The ThunderClan cats stopped fighting and backed away from the WindClan cats, surrounding their deputy as he called them to stop. Dovestar made her way to the top of the Tallrock and glared at the enemy warriors.
"Crowsong, get your warriors out of my sight. This attack was unjust! Tell Seedstar that if I see another ThunderClan cat on my territory, they won't make it back alive."
"WindClan is weak," The toms words were followed by hissing from Icepaw's Clanmates.
"The only weak cats I see are yours," Clawface yelled.
"Yeah," Ivyheart followed. "You are all a bunch of cowards."
"Get out of our camp," Lichenpelt hissed, swiping at the ThunderClan patrol.
Crowsong gave Dovestar one last glare before he and the other ThunderClan cats sped out of the gorse tunnel, leaving the WindClan cats in a bad mood.
They was small puddles of blood throughout the camp, but luckily there were no bodies. Icepaw's own wounds had opened back up and many of her Clanmates had some of their own. Amberfur had a nasty scratch on her shoulder, while Wasptail's left eye appeared to be swollen. The tips of Sandnose's ears had been cut. But every other cat had minor injuries.
"Come on, Icepaw," Sparrowpaw had appeared by her side almost as fast as Nightfeather did. "We have to treat those infections."
"What about the others?" She didn't care, but she didn't want Sparrowpaw to be snapped at by Marshleaf.
"My mentor can care for them. But I'm the one that will care for you. Let's go now. That gray cat slammed you pretty hard."
She let Sparrowpaw heal her and the stamina she used in the battle made her very tired. So when she was woken up two sunrises later, she was surprised to see the one waking her up. It was Clawnose.
"How are you feeling?" The ginger tom's voice was rough.
"Much better now," Icepaw couldn't help but feel skeptical of her mentor. He never asked about her before. Was it because she could have died in that battle if that warrior had chosen not to spare her? Was it out of pity?
"Good," he sighed. "You saved Beetlepaw's life, you know. I think with that it's time I take you to see the territory."
"Really?" She perked up. "But what about Sparrowpaw?"
"I asked her this morning," Clawnose replied. "You've been cleared to leave the medicine cat den."
"Alright," Icepaw got to her paws, but noticed that Sparrowpaw was curled up asleep in her nest.
"She was treating Amberfur earlier and wore herself out," he explained casually. "Since Marshleaf is still not back from the Moonstone yet."
Marshleaf had gone to the Moonstone to figure out what to do with ThunderClan. They were seen at the border more and more from what Sparrowpaw had been telling her. Many fights had broken out and more cats had been injured. Thistlepaw had a deep gash down her leg and had to stay in the medicine den with her. Thistlepaw had been in too much pain to antagonize her and she ignored the dark ginger tabby.
"Alright, I'm coming," Icepaw walked with Clawnose as they left through the gorse tunnel. The wind was blower harder that day than usual, but Icepaw liked it. It had been hot in the den with her infections and her wounds needed this. She followed behind her mentor as they began strolling along the river. Once they reached the gorge, they stopped. Icepaw had never seen the gorge and didn't realize how huge it was. She had thought the other apprentices had been exaggerating, but it was more surreal up close.
"What are we doing here?" She asked, right as he swooped down on her.
He dug his claws into her back, opening some of her wounds, causing her to gasp.
"Did you really thank I brought you here because you were some big hero?" He hissed in her face. "One battle and you're an amazing fighter? You are weak and will never be strong."
"Get off me!" Icepaw struggled under him, but her body hadn't gotten a chance to recover since the fight. "Didn't you promise Sparrowpaw-"
"I never spoke to Sparrowpaw," He lifted her by the scruff, dragging her easily over to the edge of the gorge, her heart beating hard in her chest. "Dovestar told me to get rid of you and to not tell Sparrowpaw. But I will tell her that you left camp and jumped into the gorge because you knew you'd never be a warrior. That you were always weak!"
"No!"
She tried to struggle, but was soon pushed into the water. Her body twisted to land on her paws, but she fell straight in. She hit the water hard and sank through. She was stunned for a moment and couldn't help the gasp. Her lungs burned as they filled with water.
"Icepaw!"
Nightfeather's voice broke through as the black she-cat's face hovered in her mind.
Icepaw kicked feebly as she pushed her head out of the water and tried to paddle. But she was exhausted and weak. Her body was more frail than when she had been crushed in the tunnel and she knew she was going to die.
"You will not die! Keep moving!"
She couldn't feel her legs, but did as Nightfeather said, somehow managing to keep herself afloat. The water was dragging her among the river and she no longer knew where she was. She turned her head and was surprised to see how far away the gorge was. Had the water really carried her three tree-lengths down?
"You got it. There's land there that you have to get to."
She could see where Nightfeather was talking about. Stones leading out of the water. She pushed herself close to it and felt as though some cat had been carrying her to them. Nightfeather?
Once she made it, she kept walking. She was soaking, cold, weak, and tired, but she felt like she had to keep going. Soon the oak trees around her were replaced with dark pines as unfamiliar Clan scents hit her nose.
"Right here," Nightfeather appeared behind a tiny clearing surround by pines where there was no shade. "Relax, Icepaw. Sleep. This is your destiny."
"My destiny?" Icepaw asked, but before she could say anymore, she collapsed when Nightfeather told her to and let the darkness take her over and she fainted.