Wazzzzuuuppp my lovelies? Can you believe we're at 40 chapters? Including the prologue! My gosh, this is pretty long. Or at least longer than I ever anticipated! Anyway, thanks for reviewing. We're on Part 3 now! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not, nor do I claim to owning Warriors

Part Three - Shattered Spirit

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Ice chewed on a robin as she laid in the shade. Greenleaf has slammed down upon them just overnight, because now, the air was warm and the sunlight was intense on her eyes. Each morning and night, as the sun rose and fell, she'd watch as a golden glimmer danced over the blue water of the pond, and training now was difficult to keep up with. Cats would tire easily and some would take to long hunting, and be late for their session. These complications frustrated Ice, and she wished the air would go cool again.

Ice melts in the greenleaf, she thought.

After taking a last bite of her prey, she pushed the remains aside and stood to observe the alley. Since she had killed Shadow only a few sunrises ago, the Alley Cats became really careful of what they said and did. Sure maybe hunting and training were slow, but on all other times, like on missions and other orders, they were quick and attentive. Even Slither was respecting her words now.

She supposed in could have all been the doing of Nettlepaw, and just having this "powerful and insane cat" - as Bolt would say - on her side, and having him nearly as an equal as Ice, with the same liberties and authorities must really make a mark of the Alley Cats.

Nettlepaw came by once a day, and for a while. He seemed to catch on that from sunhigh to the beginning of sunset is when Ice relaxes for the day, and maybe practices her own battle moves. It was around that time, when the sun was at it's highest and its hottest, but he had not come quite yet.

Bolt passed by her, carrying a squirrel in his jaws. Ice called out his name abruptly.

He immediately dropped his food. "Yes, Commander Ice, what do you need?" He spoke quickly and politely, probably fearing that she would attack and kill him if he had not said his words in that manner.

"I want to assess Pine and Flare again. The last time, it didn't really end well," she replied.

Bolt considered her for a moment and then had his gaze go round at a realization. "I am terribly sorry, My Commander for giving an argument, but this is hardly the weather to be training kits in." She noted how weak with fear his voice sounded.

"You question my thoughts?" she asked, partly to tease him and partly because she meant it. His strength seemed to falter under her cold green gaze. "Kits," she hissed. "Now."

He nodded, grabbed his squirrel and scampered off.

I like him, she thought to herself. Very loyal, and respects authority.

She stayed where she was until Bolt came back, Flare and Pine trailing behind him. The two of them looked as they had during the first attempt for an assessment. Flare was excited and confident and Pine looked small and uncertain. Ice narrowed her gaze. He would have to shape up during training.

"We're doing this again, Pine! And then we'll find our training group. It's too bad we'll be in different groups, because I'll miss you, but it'll still be fun right! We'll be allowed outside the alley and go to hunt birds and squirrels and fight dogs and nasty rogues. Oh, Pone doesn't that all sound fun?"

"Mmph," Pine mused.

"Remember," Ice snapped, getting both of their attentions."You are too put up a fight, and I mean each of you using teeth and claws. I want to see you bleed and hear you scream. I don't care if you're kits, you're going to grow up sometime, so why not today?" She lowered her voice to a growl. "You will not fight like kits."

"Okay, Commander Ice!" exclaimed Flare happily.

"Uh, yeah, okay...Commander Ice..." whispered Pine.

"Doesn't Flower want to see this?" Ice asked Bolt as the kits got into position.

"She'd rather not watch..." the black and ginger tom replied gingerly, with a slight shake of his head. "That's alright?"

"Yeah, sure," Ice muttered. "I just thought that this would make her proud to see her sons battling like real warriors of the Alley Cats."

Bolt shrugged.

"Alright," she meowed then, turning to Pine and Flare. "Go!"

It took a moment to understand what she had said, but even with the hesitation, Flare was of course, the first to move. He snaked forward on one side of Pine, making slashes with his claws down his flank. As Pine crouched in pain, Flare reared up behind him and slammed his paws down on his brother's back, pinning him uncomfortably.

But yet, a way he could easily slip out of, she observed.

Pine cried out again and wriggled, and her thoughts were proven true. He slipped out of Flare's grasp and whirled to face him, fearing his brother's next move.

Ice shouted out for the small tomcat to hear, "Stop being a coward and fight!"

He did nothing in response, not even a tail flick. Flare advanced, in a hunter's crouch position, like he was going to leap, but he wasn't careful. He didn't need to be. A single paw swipe, and he had the upper paw, battering at his brother, blow after blow and Ice watched the blood run to the ends of his spiky fur before dripping to the ground.

"Flare," he groaned. "You're hurting me."

For a moment, Flare stopped but then he said. "This is an assessment, Pine, I have to hurt you to win."

Pine struggled under the weight of his brother, but nonetheless, Flare won and Pine surrendered.

Ice nodded at Flare. "You will be joining training with your father." He jumped happily up and down and went to stand by Bolt. Then her eyes found Pine, making an effort of stand. "And you," she said bitterly, capturing his attention. "We will be training together now. And it will be the hardest thing you will ever have to go through. Be prepared kit, I don't take any excuses, or tolerate weaklings like yourself."

Pine trembled before and and gave a shaky nod.

"Go find Slither, if you will, you know large, ginger, scarred," she hissed. "She'll be happy to begin your training."

"Now hold on-"

Ice whirled around to face Bolt. She thrust her face in his. "What were you saying?"

Bolt shook his head. "I didn't say anything."

"Yeah, right."

"No really, I didn't."

Ice glared at him and then looked over his shoulder. Nettlepaw walked towards her and the rest of the cats there, giving them all a skeptical look. "I spoke. Ice, do you really think it's a good idea to have this kit fight his brother, bleed and lose to his brother, and then go train right away without any proper treatment? All while under the blazing hot sun?"

She narrowed her gaze. "I'm trying to show his how to be a strong cat. If we keep showing him that he can rest and heal after every fight and battle, he'll never be a worthy enough warrior for us."

Nettlepaw brushed his tail over her shoulder. "Calm down. You may think this is making him stronger, but you're really killing him. And losing a fight isn't worthy of killing him."

Ice considered his words and thoroughly disagreed. What's the point of living a life when you waste it on weakness? But she couldn't hold his gaze, so she nodded. "Fine. As you say, Nettlepaw."

"Good," he said, voice calm and soothing, but it didn't have any effect on Ice. "Why don't you try to heal his wounds? Do you remember anything from your medicine cat days?"

She gasped and snapped her eyes up at him. Her medicine cat days? Was he serious? She gritted her teeth and shook her head. "No, and even I did I wouldn't patch him up or give him poultices or anything. First you tell me to stop his training, and then you expect me to heal him? Have you no thought?"

Nettlepaw sighed. "I'll take him to his mother." He grabbed Pine by the scruff and carried him away, leaving Ice alone to stand.

What she said was a lie. She did remember. And she remembered all of it. Each remedy for each sickness and injury and ache, but there was no way she would admit it all.

It felt like since she reunited with Nettlepaw, that he was trying to hard to change her back to who she was. He'd mention anything when he could, and tried to get her to by merciful and kind, like a weakling warrior, guarded insecurely by the "warrior code". But she wasn't ever going back to Frozenleaf. Ice is who she would stay as, because in this life, she at least had to a choice to be happy.

When Nettlepaw came back, flicking his tail casually, she turned on him playfully. "Hey, I stead of seeing if I remember my medicine cat days, let's see if you remember your apprentice days." She cuffed him over the ear and he reeled back in surprise. "If you took on three strays around here, you have to be able to fight me."

He stared at her for a moment and then copied her ready-to-attack position. Ice beamed and then threw herself at him, yowling. He grunted as she knocked him to the ground. A feeling within her pushed her away from him but she reassured herself that this was only playing.

Her heart wouldn't allow her to hurt him anyway.

He flailed his hind legs until they connected with her belly and she was shoved backwards. Swifter than she could have noticed, he leaped to his paws and twisted away from her next blow just to swing right back around, a paw lashed out to strike her face. The move sent her back another few tail lengths, but she maneuvered his next attack and retaliated with a shove in the chest. As he struggled to stay on balance with his paws, she spun, kicking her legs through the air and striking him several times on the flank before losing control of her body and falling right on top of him.

The both of them broke out in a fit of laughter. "I haven't hurt you too bad, have I?" she asked between gasps of air.

"No," he responded, trying to catch his breath. "Have I?"

"No," she said.

As they broke away from each other Nettlepaw meowed, "You know, it's times like these, with both of us together, here, lost from everything around us that I-"

"That you what?" she asked.

He looked her in the eye with his own amber then looked away. "Nothing, I never should have said anything...Commander Ice." He stood, bowed awkwardly and padded out of alley, leaving her behind to ponder his words.

Hope you liked it, and I hope you review! It was kinda a filler, but I want to put some space between finding Nettlepaw, and the next big event. :)

And one more thing, I'm not saying this to single out anyone person, but several people on different chapters, like when Frozenpaw kills Lionfire and things like that, that I'd appreciate no flames. To me and to any other person. Just a word of advice for any other story you read, it's never a nice thing to flame. I've been seeing that lately, on other stories besides mine, and most likely you don't flame, but please, make sure you spread the word about that on your own stories as well.

We're all here to practice our writing, not to get mean comments. Spread the word.

~Destiny