Chapter VI

The three apprentices walked for some time before they decided to stop and hunt. When they finally caught a squirrel, they sat and ate, while Icepaw bounced up and down. "What are you waiting for?! We've got to go!" and the two just ignored her.

"Why do you think StarClan chose us?" Cherrypaw wondered out loud. Stonepaw glanced sideways.

"I think Bluetail misread the prophecy again."

Cherrypaw thought on that. "Maybe. But doesn't it thrill you at all? That at least DawnClan thinks we're special?"

"Yes, we're very special." Stonepaw grinned. They got up and stretched. Icepaw hurried over. "Com'n we're wastin' daylight!" she strung the words together so fast they coudln't understand her. Cherrypaw shrugged over her shoulder at Stonepaw as the two fell into a line. Icepaw jumped up to trailblaze very fast. Soon they lost track of her.

"Icepaw! Get back here!" Cherrypaw shouted. There was no answer, but instead the crazy white kitten leaped out at them from the bushes, smothering the reddish-brown apprentice in fur. Both were knocked to the ground. Stonepaw tutted.

"Aww shut up Stonepaw," Cherrypaw meowed. Icepaw resumed her position as trailblazer.

Come sundown, they had made good distance, mainly because they had to run to keep up with the little white tail bobbing ahead of them. Icepaw, for one, and probably the only one, was enjoying herself.

"WE WERE CHOSEN FOR A PROPHECYYYY!" Icepaw dragged that last word out. She was wide awake and was keeping the other two that way, as well. Cherrypaw covered her ears with her paws. "Pipe down, idiot. Some of us are trying to sleep." she glanced Stonepaw's direction, where soft snores were rising from. "Some of us."

Icepaw rolled over. The skies were being brilliant for her. She stared into the stars and waited for sleep to overcome her. It didn't. Cherrypaw was asleep, she observed ( aw, come on, give her some credit. She observed this time. Usually she'd jump on her, and judging by how cranky she was she'd see if she'd been asleep).

And when morning arrived, she started getting sleepy. They forced her up, and, after eating breakfast, they continued their journey. Icepaw flumped over on her back with her paws in the air. "But I'm tired..." she told them. They pushed her up and quietly observed her in case she fell behind again.

But what they didn't observe was the noises behind them, drooling and growling and pounding at the earth in anticipation. No, Icepaw was to distracting...