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Chapter 27, Tragedy Binds

Forestshadow stepped out of the overhang out into the splashing rain. "Iceshadow," he said softly.

Her eyes gleamed. She cocked her head again. "Is it wrong?" she asked suddenly.

"Is what wrong?" he said in the same cautious, gentle voice.

"Is it wrong to want to see the blood?" Iceshadow swallowed, her claws glancing off the slick rock.

He shut his eyes. What had happened to this once noble cat? "It's not wrong," he told her, his voice thick. "It's not wrong to want to defend your Clan, it's not wrong to feed your Clan; but it is wrong to kill without reason."

Her eyes were so intense he wanted to look away, but he couldn't. "I feel like I have a reason, but I can't find it, I can't put it to words... It's like there's a haze..."

Iceshadow was alive, and she had lost her mind. Somehow, he felt a sorrow that he should not have felt until it had sunk in more. He should not have felt this sorrow for a lost soul until he had thought over what had been lost, but he did.

Perhaps he had always known that she had a potential for murder, a potential for insanity - a potential for evil. She had fought that since she had attacked him that day as an apprentice, without cause or reason.

Finally she had given into that. "What happened to you, Iceshadow?" he asked with a sadness in his amber eyes which would not leave.

She shuffled her paws, and looked back at him with the same sadness. "I don't know any more. I don't know where it all went wrong."

"Think back," he urged her. Forestshadow felt that he could help... if only, if only he could have the chance.

Suddenly, anger gleamed in her features, transforming her lost expression to one of rage. "It's my fault," she growled, claws coming out once again.

"It's not your fault, just let me help you," he pleaded.

"They didn't say that, but..." she trailed off, focusing on her claws and the way the diffused light glinted off.

"Who didn't say that?" Forestshadow asked, clutching to the last hope he had.

She looked at him, this time a haze over her eyes. "After the monster hit me, the cats of StarClan came to me. They said I had a terrible destiny, and gave me a prophecy. They said that my destiny must be fulfilled, even if it was one to shake the forest to its roots." In a voice hardly above a whisper, she recited the prophecy that had come to only a few. "Thunder to Shadow, dust to dust, ashes to ashes, ice to shadow. Daughter of Thunder and Son of Shadow bring upon themselves the greatest pain the Clans have known. Bloom of the Night cannot hide it, but the face that shows nothing will be the undoing of both.

"Shadow on ice is doubly wrong, for ice is cold-hearted and shadow casts all the others into shadow. The wrongs of the past and present cannot be righted, because of the daughter of Thunder.

The forest will tremble, for the coming of the shadow on ice. Lies will be spread, and it will be thought that the wrong was righted.

The wrong cannot be righted.

The forest will be frozen, and lie under shadow."

Forestshadow stared at her. "Iceshadow," he murmured.

"What's wrong with me?" she asked, her voice growing in tone and intensity. "Why did it have to be me? Why couldn't I be happy? I deceived myself, I know why..." It seemed now she was talking to herself more than him. "I thought he loved me."

*.*

One day later

Wolfsong was leading the group in the gray, solemn light. Swiftwing, Nightrose, Shadefrost, Snowblossom, and Forestshadow were already behind her.

The moorland of WindClan stretched before them. "Where shall we go?" Swiftwing asked as Wolfsong paused.

"He went this way," Nightrose said, with an unreadable expression.

They were going to find Maskface. The news of Iceshadow being alive had spread through ThunderClan like wildfire, but had not yet been told to ShadowClan. They needed Maskface for that.

All the group stopped to think about what they were about to do. The group of six each had something different to think about, and all of it was entwined with the tragedy of what had happened to one they had known, known and loved. Wolfsong's chest was tight as she remembered Iceshadow on the night of the gathering. They had met eyes once, but that had said all they needed to say. Iceshadow had been wild, joyous - finally at peace, something the young, awkward apprentice Wolfsong remembered had always coveted. She had finally found her place... and now it had been taken from her. The kit she had watched, the apprentice she had taught, and the warrior she loved were gone, but she would do anything it took to get Iceshadow back.

Shadefrost felt remorse that while the kit had been under the impression he was her father, he had only used her as a way to find out who had taken Nightrose from him. It was too late for remorse now.

Nightrose felt only an emptiness for Iceshadow - an emptiness that she had felt since Icepaw had left her, but an emptiness that had started to be filled when she had seen how happy her little kit was. She wondered how Maskface would react to seeing her again; and what she would do. She loved Shadefrost now, but she had loved him once, and a part of him would always be with her.

Snowblossom and Forestshadow were as one, supporting each other, helping when the other fell, sharing in a secret self blame that they could not alleviate. Had this happened because of them?

Swiftwing had never seen the two kits as much as she should have. She and Nightrose had become separated when Nightrose wouldn't tell her what happened. She, Shadefrost, and Nightrose had been friends. Shadefrost had become cold, and ignored them - then they had only each other, and now, she didn't know if this would tear them apart again.

Suddenly, Maskface and Shine were seen picking their way towards them. "Maskface!" Wolfsong called out after Nightrose identified him in a shaky voice.

"What are you doing here?" he asked warily. "This is Shine," he introduced the cream shecat with bright blue eyes.

They all knew what had happened to the others. They were like old friends, even if they didn't know each other well. They had to tell Maskface what had happened.

Wolfsong answered slowly, the instinctive leader of the group.

"Tragedy Binds."