Chapter 9, The Choice
Icepaw stared in shock at the cat that had known about her parents' betrayal. "You?"
Sleetflash grimaced wryly. "I take it you heard about me at the gathering."
Icepaw nodded, swallowing. "You told the truth," she mewed slowly.
Sleetflash tipped her head to one side. "What?"
"Maskface confessed," Icepaw told her hoarsely.
Sleetflash's mind raced. Maskface had confessed that he loved Nightrose, and broke the warrior code. Something caught her notice about the young apprentice standing in front of her. Something about her looked familiar. StarClan above, she had Maskface's looks! But... it couldn't be... Maskface's ThunderClan daughter? She closed her eyes. "Are you... Nightrose's daughter?"
The apprentice looked up at her vehemently. It was strange to see a look so powerful on such a young face. "Yes. I'm Icepaw."
Icepaw. Icepaw. The name rang through Sleetflash's mind like a bell. It seemed to spread to all corners of her mind until she could think of nothing else. That name had a prophecy belonging to it. The shadow on ice. Ice. Icepaw. Another thought controlled her mind now. This cat would do something terrible when she grew up. The forest will be frozen, and will tremble for the coming of the shadow on ice. Sleetflash had a sudden vision of her own paw slashing across the young angry apprentice's throat. She pushed the vision away, revolted. "Then... you're Maskface's daughter too."
"Yes. Icepaw. You can call me HalfClan." Icepaw's temper was boiling at the slow mind of this cat.
Sleetflash's patience was also growing thin. "Look, your parents made a terrible, terrible mistake."
"Duh," Icepaw mewed.
Sleetflash found herself hissing in annoyance at this cat's attitude - but also slightly amused. She continued. "They broke the warrior code, they lied, and that must feel awful."
Icepaw said, "I don't care what they feel!" Then wished she hadn't, it sounded heartless.
"I didn't mean that it must feel awful to them. I meant it must feel awful for you, as after all I'm sure they were thinking about you the entire time. I'm sure that the entire warrior code was engineered just for you, just so that your parents wouldn't make the mistake of breaking it. I'm sure everything they did was just to mess up your life. I'm sure they hate you with all their hearts, that's why they told the truth." Sleetflash looked hard at the apprentice. "Sometimes it's not all about you, Icepaw. You need to learn that if you are going to live in this world."
Icepaw swallowed. The medicine cat had a point.
"And you're much too young to know everything. What one cat said in one night - even if that cat is your father - you can't let that influence your entire life. Maskface wouldn't have told you how he felt about it, just what he did. That's just how he is. But you don't have to be like him, if you don't want."
Icepaw looked up at the medicine cat, her blue eyes twinkling with some emotion Sleetflash couldn't read.
Sleetflash asked, "Do you want to return to ThunderClan, to patch your life with your new understanding of your parents mistake?"
Icepaw looked at her paws, then returned her eyes to Sleetflash's gray face. "I guess you think a lot of your own advice," she said quietly.
Sleetflash sighed, and looked at the starry sky, with dark green trees on the edge of her vision. "Look, Icepaw. If you follow my advice, then maybe you can make a new life in ThunderClan. I don't know if what I'm telling you is right or not, I'll confess to that. But if you don't want to patch your old life in ThunderClan, you can start a new one."
Icepaw looked warily up at the medicine cat, but her eyes betrayed her curiosity.
"You are half ShadowClan, Icepaw." Sleetflash began. "You could go to ShadowClan. You would be accepted there."
Icepaw's heart leapt, then sank. A new life was more than she could ever hope for. Yet... she didn't want to be anywhere near Maskface. She remembered that Maskface had been sent to look for Sleetflash, to bring her back. Maybe Sleetflash could come back with her, and Maskface would never know! Maskface would be stuck looking, forever. Her heart began to pound faster. Could she really betray her own father like that? A tiny voice in the back of her head said, He deserves it. Leave him looking forever. She shook it away. She hadn't even decided to come to ShadowClan yet. What about her sister? What about... wait. She didn't have any friends in ThunderClan. The only other thing keeping her there would be Wolfsong, her mentor. Wolfsong was always nice. Icepaw remembered her first training session.
Sunlight dappled the mottled ground as Icepaw bounded through the warm air. She scuffed her paw in the sandy dirt, waiting for her mentor to appear. Her tail wormed its way under the sand, feeling the warmth. She heard a twig snapping from behind her. She spun around, confused. Her mentor was coming from camp. The Sandy Hollow had a steep side with roots coming down on that side, that she heard apprentices tried to climb. Snowpaw and Forestpaw had gone off to try the second day they were made apprentices. Icepaw shook off the feeling of jealousy, and wondered if she could climb it on her own. Her eyes traveled up to the green mossy top. She had about two tail lengths before the trees began, and they were thin and scarce. But before she could start up the slope, a gray shape hurtled at her from a holly bush to her left. Icepaw gasped as Wolfsong landed on top of her, and began to pummel her stomach with sheathed claws. Icepaw wriggled away. "Stop!" she pleaded. "What are you doing?"
Wolfsong cocked her head to one side. "Testing your reflexes. Now, come at me."
Icepaw asked, "But you haven't shown me anything!"
"I shouldn't need to show you how to bite, claw, and fight for your life. If you are attacked, it isn't your moves that will save you. It is your will to live."
Icepaw had remembered that lesson. And she would thank Wolfsong for it the rest of her life. She sighed. "I'll go to ShadowClan."
Sleetflash nodded. "Come with me. I know the way back."
The two cats retreated up the leafy hillside, towards ShadowClan camp, with the moonlight shining off of their fur.
In response to reviews:
Tabbycat47: ...
Priceless Cat Lady: Wow! I'm glad you found this by mistake too! Thank you for r and ring my story! (It makes me so happy when some one new turns up) That said, someday soon I should be going back through and editing everything. So, hip hip hooray for you! hahahaha I'm weird...
Koraki: Well, well. I must say you were the last person I expected to get a review from, but I must apologize for my rather heated words over a review you posted on another story. Although I would have written it differently, things can sometimes come off as something different in text than in speaking face to face. But, on to responding to the actual review you posted to this story. I'm very glad you enjoyed it! I'm not sure why I dislike Maskface so much. . . . I don't know, it was the fact that he chose Owlsong as his mate without telling her, and totally betrayed Nightrose also. Plus... I just dislike him for some reason. Finally, someone that likes Sleetflash! Although I disliked her at the start of writing this, I've come to like her the more I write about her. I like Owlsong much more, and though she was a bit OOC attacking Maskface, I think she really loved him and would have been absolutely devastated when he betrayed her. I'm not sure Maskface will be having any happy endings... although maybe at the very very very end. Ah, the two leaders. The allegiances were made up in about 15 mins, maybe 20 so I didn't really think the characters through. Obviously I thought through the mains - wait, the main - being Icepaw/mememememememe! I actually made a mistake, which is how Maskface became her/mymymymy father. I realized there were no ShadowClan toms left and I didn't want Owlsong to be without a mate, so... Anyways. Last, but not least, Snakepaw! Well done, your eye caught the right apprentice. He was the other cat I thought through the most. We saw him at the gathering, but only for about one sentence. Anyways, you can be sure he will be in future chapters. I'll keep in mind your 'recap'... wait, why did I put that in quotes? Anyways, keep in mind your recap, and you can be sure I'll be updating soon - this is my main story at the moment.
Sunmist: Wow, you reviewed every single chapter! Sunmist, thank you thank you thank you! Zank you!
Drakan722: Another new person! OMG, OMG OMG! I LOVE HOLLYLEAF TOO! That said, thank you, and that said, I'm glad you enjoyed reading, and that said, I hope you continue to enjoy reading. All that said, thank you again!
aaaaaaaaaaaaanddddddddd...
Bye, folks!
~Iceshadow