Welcome, my friends to the next chapter of Trapped in Ice! Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you enjoy. There's not much else to say here. :)

Disclaimer: Erin Hunter owns Warriors. My name is not Erin Hunter.

Chapter Forty

They padded around the alley together, watching as the training commenced. Two days have passed since Pine and Flare redid their first assessment, and now things felt normal once again. Nettlepaw had stopped mentioning things having to do with the Clans, and she once again felt on top of things. Ice nodded as she saw each pair ready to train although both Slither and Bolt stood glaring at each other.

She stopped and threw them each a questioning look. "Why have you not begun your fight?" she asked.

"He's a coward," she growled.

"She's stubborn," said he.

Ice peeled back her lip. "I don't care if you like each other or not. Shouldn't that be what fuels your anger to fight? Wouldn't it be delightful to feel the skin of the other tearing under your claws?" She felt Nettlepaw's eyes on her but she continued. "Why is your fury a reason not to battle?"

"I thought you took no excuses," Slither sneered.

Ice slid out her claws. "I also want you to answer me when I ask you questions, you fox-hearted mange-pelt! Speak!"

Slither raised her chin in defiance. Bolt took a step forward, calmly speaking. "These aren't fights, Commander Ice, these are training sessions. They are not for relieving our stress and anger, they are for practice. We merely refuse to work with one another."

His words earned him a swipe over the mouth. As she stumbled back she growled, "I decide what they are for, Bolt, and when I want you to fight, you fight." Her eyes found Slither's laugh-stifling face. "And that goes for you too, scar-face."

The smile totally vanished from the ginger she-cat's lips. Her eyes widened in surprise at the words of Ice. A snarl emitted from deep within her throat. "What did you just say to me?"

"You heard me," Ice spat, arching her back. "Scar. Face."

The two she-cats now faced each other, hissing and bristling. Nettlepaw thrust himself between them, startling them both backwards. "Stop it. Before someone is hurt."

"That's the idea," retorted Ice.

"No it's not," Nettlepaw said to her sternly enough that she had actually begun to believe him. She forced her fur to lie flat and he continued speaking. "Slither, Bolt. Just fight for a few minutes and let it go, whatever you're talking about. This is about practicing your battle skills so you'll be...stronger. You got it?"

"Yes, Commander Nettlepaw," Slither said.

Ice felt ire course through her. "I'm your Commander," she growled.

"But doesn't Nettlepaw have the same power you do?" Slither asked innocently. "I mean that's what you said..."

"If you don't want to fight him," hissed Ice, "You can fight me. I have no problem with ripping you into crow-food once and for all!"

"Enough!" Nettlepaw yowled. "This is getting out of hand. Stop with the arguing! Slither, Bolt, train...now."

The two Alley Cats reluctantly obeyed him and began their fight. Nettlepaw turned to an angry Ice and soothingly wrapped his tail over her shoulder.

"Great," she said, sitting. "Now it seems that I can't even control my own cats. I have to be defended by you, and you aren't even an Alley Cat at all!"

"You have plenty of control," Nettlepaw told her. "You just need to handle different cats in different ways. When it comes to Slither, if you threaten her, she'll fight you. Perhaps with her, you need to take a separate approach than violence."

She looked up at him. "But that's what I'm good at! It's...it's what keeps me sane."

"I know," Nettlepaw said, and Ice thought she detected pain in his words. "But you're going to have to learn to control yourself beyond that."

She sighed, feeling like a kit who had just been scolded by a parent. She knew he was right, but most of her hated the idea of staying calm instead of using claws and teeth, but they continued around the alley, watching the training. It was pretty simple, now that she forced her fur flat and her claws sheathed, with only a few things to say before the Alley Cats understood and got back to work, but she scowled at the realization that they were more controlled when she was peaceful. It put a sour taste in her mouth.

By the time everyone was looking good with the fighting, Ice leaned in to Nettlepaw with gritted teeth.

"You know I can no longer take this," she snarled. "I need to do these things my way."

"Isn't it better to have them obeying you more easily?" asked Nettlepaw, sounding puzzled.

"Maybe it is to you, but for me, I like it when they put up a fight. It gives me strength to show." She gazed off in the distance, baring her teeth. "Oh, and how I love the fear in their eyes when I kill one of their fellow cats."

"Aren't you afraid that they'll rise up and rebel against you? It's one cat opposed to many. They do have the power to drive you out." His eyes glimmered with worry. "Or worse, kill you."

Ice remembered the time when Drake and Bolt were talking about a rebellion. What the Alley Cats speaking of when she was gone? Could they really be planning something? She glanced at the battle training. They all really had improved since she took over Darren's leadership.

"No, no," she lied, trying not to make her voice waver. "They wouldn't dare touch me with you around. They look up to me, and it's about time they do me." Her eyes went dark, her paws prickled with a certain craving. The craving for blood.

She looked at her friend. "Maybe this 'remain calm' stuff works for you, Nettlepaw, but not for me. I'm going out - to kill some pathetic kittypet. I'll be back soon enough. This won't take to long."

Ice had already turned away by the time the dark gray tom spoke. "You need to learn to control the bloodlust, Ice," he said, warning to his tone.

She looked over her shoulder. "How many times must we go over this before you get it in your head? This is who I am, and who I am happy as. Stop trying to convince me that this path will only hurt me in the end." She paused and whispered to herself. "That is what the first one did."

Ice left behind the alleyway, with Nettlepaw within it. Simply knowing that he was left there longing after her made her remember the Feeling she had when she had helped him escape.

That Feeling was gone.

It was humid that day, and her fur felt like it was being weighed down by the thick, warm, invisible moisture in the air, but the heat did not tire her. She felt the adrenaline course through her blood when the thought of killing something pulsed through her mind. She walked on the Twolegpaths shadowed by the leaves on the trees. Twolegkits ran and played outside, laughing their odd laughs and shouting with their odd voices. Only one spotted her and didn't give much of a thought of her, only pointed her out to a companion, as they watched her disappear up the path.

She passed nest after nest, nose in the air, searching for the smell of a kittypet, or even a stray. Yes, a stray would put up more of a fight; a sweet, blood fight, but she would take what she could get. Killing was just an escape from everything else buzzing in her head, whether it was hunting, or the Alley Cats, or even Nettlepaw. Killing would just pull her away and take her to her happy place, wherever that could be.

Ice reached the end of the Twolegplace, somewhere near Nettlepaw's tree, when a smell fluttered past her nostrils. And it wasn't Nettlepaw's scent, it was lighter and heavier with the smell of pine. Whoever this cat was, the weren't usually near of Twolegplace. They must have lived in a forest.

She followed the scent, ready to rip flesh open and taste hot blood on her tongue. Her claws dug into the grass below her as she walked, and excitement stood at the ends of her fluffed out fur.

Eventually, through the trees, a blue-gray pelt caught the rays of the sun and shined brightly for Ice to see. A well-muscled tomcat sniffed the grass, probably trying to catch a scent. Ice stalked him like she would a mouse until she was close enough...

She jumped. With a screech of both delight and struggle, she pinned down the tom and locked her paws in place, holding claws above him, she began to bring them down, but the tom was quick. He rolled his shoulder, breaking her grip and rolled, catching her hind paw beneath him and causing her to fall.

Once he was standing, he gasped. "You're Ice!" he exclaimed.

"And you're a genius!" she hissed back sarcastically and leaped at him again.

For many moments, they exchanged blows, neither one of them successful in bringing the other to the grass. Then, as she lashed out a paw for a powerless strike, she realized, she was holding herself back, as if she was training another cat.

The blue-gray cat stopped when she did and stood panting. "Please Ice, don't kill me. I have heard stories of your excellence, but never believed them. So I came here to see if they were all true."

"Well they are," she said bitterly. "And if you were here long enough, you'd know I don't appreciate it when cats doubt me."

"Oh, I apologize greatly, Ice," he said frantically.

"Apologizes don't work for me," she growled. "This is just a game." She released her anger and ran for him, bowling him over while at the same time delivering several strikes and feels blood run under her claws.

"Ice!" a voice screamed, and she had already slashed her claws down the blue-gray cat's belly by the time Nettlepaw shoved her away. "What are you doing!? This was an innocent cat! Have you no conscience?"

"You know very well, that no one here is safe," Ice snarled at him. "And no one here is innocent. They all made a mistake trying to fight me."

"That's foolish!" Nettlepaw yowled. He sighed, quieting his voice. "Ice, do you know what you're even doing?"

"Of course," she said. "I have no problem with admitting that I kill these cats out of cold blood, out of my frustration at myself. This is all to make me feel good again. So I am sane."

"Are you really?" Nettlepaw asked. He sat and glanced at the body.

Ice shrugged. "Maybe not. At least I think I am."

"Is that enough?"

Ice stared at him. It took many moments for his words to process in her mind, and when they did she couldn't help but wonder, was it? Was it enough to believe that all of this was doing enough to keep her from hurting?

Completely unsure of herself and what was really going on, Ice brushed past Nettlepaw and stumbled back to the alley.

Okay. That wraps up another chapter. Looks like Ice has got herself in a little issue regarding her sanity and her reasons. I hope by now you understand why she is really killing. To keep herself from completely losing it. She feels that this is her purpose and without a purpose, she'd probably lose her mind entirely.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and I hope you review!

~Destiny