Here's chapter 16. A lot of people have said that Icepaw is like a little Tigerstar…too true, too true, but I promise she will be somewhat different. She's not ambitious in the same way that Tigerstar was: as she grows older, she develops a burning hatred for Clan cats, as opposed to Tigerstar's burning hatred for kittypets, etc. And of course, no one, not even a perfect, clever 'Firepaw', guesses her secret.

A/N: I came up with the term sun-steps to mean moments in time smaller than moons and all that. I dunno if there's a better term, but that's mine.

WAIT WAIT WAIT…whoa. I was looking on the site, and it says on the map of the old forest that Sunningrocks belonged to RiverClan! I thought ThunderClan controlled Sunningrocks the whole time in the first series! Wtf??? Since when was RiverClan territory so huge? Well, whatever. In my story, ThunderClan controls that whole bit of land between the river and the forest, including Sunningrocks.

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It was too good to be true. And yet here she was, standing beneath the vast web of branches that splayed out from the trunk of the oak tree like the streaks of a giant green eye, her future just a few sun-steps away…

"Icepaw, are you paying any attention to me?" came a furious growl. Icepaw's gaze snapped down to meet Oakshadow's narrow-eyed stare. His striped tail lashed agitatedly behind him.

"We have until sunhigh, when we have to report to either you or Stonepelt. If we find anything out of the ordinary, such as an enemy patrol on our territory or a Twoleg, we are to return to camp immediately," Icepaw meowed, reciting Oakshadow's words perfectly.

"Yes, well…do that," he grumbled, flustered.

"Can we get started, please?" whined Robinpaw. She was shuffling from foot to foot restlessly, eager for the challenge to be underway.

Oakshadow sighed and gave a brief nod. "I'll see you both at sunigh, and remember – Stonepelt and I will be watching each of you," he meowed, and padded away into the undergrowth.

"Oh StarClan, this is so exciting! Our warrior assessment…finally!" Robinpaw squealed as soon as her mentor's scent had disappeared from the breeze.

"Come on, Robinpaw, we should get going," Icepaw growled, getting to her feet and heading for the ferns.

"Wait, wait, wait – where should I go? Stay here maybe…no, by the stream…hang on wait for me!" Robinpaw cried, dashing after her friend as Icepaw trotted away.

"You have to go on your own," the white she-cat insisted, pausing to turn and glare at Robinpaw. "This is to assess each of us on our own skills, not how we work as a team. Now go, catch something before it's too late."

A flicker of panic went through Robinpaw's gaze before she nodded and sprinted in the opposite direction. Icepaw recognized it: the apprentice was afraid she might not pass the assessment.

With a smug smile, Icepaw continued on her way. She had no doubts that in a few hours time she would be a full warrior of ThunderClan. It wasn't possible, considering how hard she'd worked towards this moment that she would fail. Robinpaw's success, on the other hand, was less secure. Oakshadow had arranged their assessment for the same time, but Icepaw could tell that he wasn't sure his apprentice was ready. Something about the way he acted towards Stonepelt gave her the idea that it was a competitive issue: Oakshadow wasn't going to be outshined by a younger warrior just because his apprentice was incompetent.

In a way, Icepaw pitied Robinpaw. The she-cat had heart, that was for sure, and she would make a good warrior someday, but Oakshadow's arrogance had gotten in the way of her training. Icepaw hoped she wouldn't be too disappointed when she didn't receive her warrior name.

It was a perfect day for hunting – not too hot, unlike the past few quarter moons, with some clouds in the sky to shield the worst of the sun and a dry, clean feeling to the air. The birds were out, and their delicate songs filled the forest with a well-tuned symphony. Pale yellow sunlight dappled the dusty forest floor and outlined the treetops against a wide azure sky.

Icepaw had decided to try the area around the creek and the training hollow, where there was sure to be prey. The stream was almost dry, and any prey within fifty fox-lengths would be crowding around looking for a drink. Remembering to keep light on her paws, Icepaw trotted swiftly through the trees in the direction of the RiverClan border.

Her cache consisted of two mice and a finch before Icepaw had even reached the dry creek bed. Feeling self-satisfied and invigorated by her success, the white she-cat padded closer to the edge of the stony swathe, preparing to leap into the ditch and search for thirsty water voles.

The crack of stone against stone made Icepaw jump. It had come from farther down the creek, and sounded like pebbles clattering down the hill. Wary of the nearby RiverClan border, Icepaw crept forward, keeping low to the ground, and peered surreptitiously over the lip of the stream. Her gaze immediately focused on a small shape, far at the end of the creek where it began to narrow and peter into nothingness, swallowed by the forest.

It was Robinpaw, snooping among the boulders, her pelt shining against the pale grays and browns of the stone.

Icepaw's blue eyes narrowed angrily. Robinpaw would not ruin this for her. The clumsy she-cat would probably scare all the prey halfway to Highstones. This gave Icepaw an idea, and a smile wiped away the fierce expression her face. Perfect.

As silent as a mouse herself, Icepaw slunk towards her denmate, keeping to the shadows atop the lip of the riverbed. From shrub to shrub she darted until she was within a few tail lengths of Robinpaw's bright figure. The she-cat had dropped into a hunting crouch, presumably stalking some prey. Icepaw watched where the she-cats' head was pointed, and the direction in which her pawsteps were moving, trying to locate the piece of fresh kill that Robinpaw had sighted.

A water vole was crouched in the hollow of a boulder, scrabbling amid the pebbles. Its den was a dark hole not four tail-lengths away, hidden behind a small, stubby bush. Robinpaw seemed ignorant of the vole's obvious escape route. Icepaw's lip curled in a sneer – careless. The white she-cat crept closer until she was peering over the lip of the stream. Robinpaw was almost directly below her, and still the she-cat had noticed nothing, completely oblivious to Icepaw's whereabouts. The wind was blowing onto ThunderClan territory, down from the WindClan moors, so Icepaw's scent was masked by the thick, heady smell of heather and dry grass.

The clatter of a stone alerted the vole to danger. It looked up, noticed Robinpaw, and streaked to the safety of its burrow. The ginger tabby straightened up from her crouch, her expression mortified, and glanced down at her feet. At the same time, Icepaw watched the pebble that she had kicked as it came to a stop in a tiny pool of water nestled at the bottom of the creek. The plan had worked even better than she could have possibly imagined: the dark hole that she had assumed was the vole's burrow was really just a tunnel, and she had watched as the creature appeared from the stones five fox-lengths away from her current position. Robinpaw was, as usual, unaware.

With a sigh, the ginger tabby sprung out of the creek and trotted back towards the forest, probably figuring she'd try her luck elsewhere. Icepaw snorted – luck would have nothing to do with it if she had any say.

After dispatching the unhappy water vole, Icepaw followed Robinpaw's scent trail into the fringe of woods surrounding Sunningrocks. She would have to worry more about giving herself away now that the wind from the moors couldn't shield her from discovery. On the way she unearthed a sparrow at the base of an oak tree that was wreathed with Robinpaw's scent. Icepaw hissed and picked the sparrow up in her jaws, rubbing its feathers against her chest fur to erase her friend's scent and replace it with her own. This is probably the only thing she's caught, Icepaw thought disgustedly, reburying the sparrow that now told a different story of its demise.

The sun was halfway through its upward journey by the time Icepaw relocated her friend padding in circles through a copse of birch trees, her nose to the ground. Making sure to stay a relatively safe distance away, Icepaw watched her intently, measuring the way her ears flickered back and forth, searching for the sounds of prey.

While she waited for the ginger tabby, Icepaw even managed to catch a sparrow of her own, creeping up on it as silently as one of its own. The poor bird had seen her coming from twenty tail-lengths away, but her speed had made up for the error. And most importantly, she had given it just enough time to release a warning shriek before it breathed its last breath, and the pale-furred apprentice listened satisfactorily as crowds of birds and squirrels emitted screams of their own, disappearing into the trees. Not a creature was left in the open of the surrounding clearing.

A defeated snarl told her that Robinpaw had watched her prey escape. The ginger she-cat appeared in the trees, heading away from Icepaw, deeper into the forest. The white apprentice was about to follow her when a flash of gray fur made her freeze. A low hiss wound its way from between her lips – she's almost forgotten that Stonepelt would be watching her. Chasing Robinpaw would be too transparent – she would have to catch her own prey from here on out.

By the time sunhigh had almost arrived, Icepaw had brought down more fresh kill than on any other day of her life. As she padded between rows of light-tinged trees, mounds of turn up earth seemed to surround her on all sides – everywhere she looked there was a piece of prey buried for her to dig up when the time came. The she-cat couldn't even remember how much she'd caught – the memories were blurred.

Icepaw waited patiently, sunning herself on a flat boulder by the creek, while time inched forward. Finally, she looked up and felt the sun beat down straight on her pale face – sunhigh at last. The white-furred she-cat stretched luxuriously, her muscles smooth and supple, warmed by the sun. With a flick of her whiskers she jumped down from the stone and trotted into the cool shadows of the forest, collecting prey wherever she saw the telltale piles of mud and stones. It took seven trips for the she-cat to carry back her entire catch. Neither Stonepelt nor Oakshadow nor Robinpaw had returned to camp yet, and she wondered if her mentor had tired of watching her or if he was running an errand of his own. Whatever it was, Icepaw settled down to wait by the fresh kill pile, where her hoard lay separate from the rest.

It was about half an hour before Oakshadow padded into the camp, alone. His face was drawn and worn-looking, as if he'd run a long way. Immediately, Icepaw uncurled and stood to greet him, frowning.

"Hi, Oakshadow," she mewed, "Where's Robinpaw?"

"Coming," the tabby quipped, not meeting her gaze. He loped straight past her and snatched a thrush from the fresh kill pile, giving her own private stash a wide berth as if it was somehow poisonous. With a contemptuous flick of his tail, the senior warrior disappeared into his den with the prey. Snorting to herself, Icepaw sat down again. "Coming," she snarled to herself, mimicking Oakshadow's sharp tone of voice.

Not ten seconds later Stonepelt appeared, leading Robinpaw. Again, Icepaw jumped to her feet, her eyes wide.

"Hi Stonepelt, Hi Robinpaw," she greeted, nodding to them. Stonepelt smiled complacently at her, but Robinpaw remained expressionless. "What happened?" Icepaw questioned.

"Nothing," Robinpaw growled under her breath.

Stonepelt echoed, "Nothing happened. Robinpaw just had some…trouble, that's all. It was just bad luck."

It took Icepaw a second before she had gotten enough control over her sudden urge to laugh before she could ask, "That's too bad. Did everything turn out okay? Robinpaw?" She turned to the tabby, who was padding in sullen circles, her eyes on the ground.

"I don't know," the apprentice replied vaguely, her voice harsh.

Stonepelt padded closer to Icepaw and bent his muzzle to ear, mewing in an undertone, "Robinpaw claims she couldn't find half her catch. Oakshadow thinks she's lying because she didn't catch anything, but we found some prey of hers in the forest that's just fine. He's being stubborn. It's really unacceptable, actually, but I can't tell him that, can I?" The evident scorn in Stonepelt's voice surprised Icepaw. She'd thought he looked up to Oakshadow, but apparently many cats disliked the pale brown tabby – she'd seen how arrogant he could be at times, but never this bad.

"What about Robinpaw's assessment? What'd Oakshadow say?" she questioned, trying to keep her tone mildly curious. Stonepelt shrugged, his whisker twitching.

"But let's see about what you caught – after all, you're my apprentice, and this is your assessment too." The gray tabby got to his feet and padded to Icepaw's pile, his eyes wide.

"All of this is yours?" the warrior asked, disbelief apparent in his voice.

Icepaw nodded calmly, keeping her mouth shut.

"Amazing. I only watched you half the time, and even then I was surprised at how much you were managing to get your claws on. But this is beyond even my imagination. Well done, Icepaw! Cinderstar will give you your name for sure!"

At this moment Oakshadow happened to emerge from his den. As Stonepelt's words reached his ears, a violent snarl twisted his face, and his eyes narrowed to angry slits. With his hackles raised, the tabby marched across the clearing, glaring at Stonepelt, and then slipped into Cinderstar's cave without a word.

"I'll never hear the end of it," the gray tabby mumbled, his tail switching back and forth in the dust. He shook his head slowly. "I hate to offend Oakshadow, but he's go to learn some humility. Poor Robinpaw gets the brunt of it everyday."

"Did she catch anything? Do you think she'll pass?" Icepaw asked, prompting her mentor further.

"Oh sure, she caught plenty – well, not plenty, per say. I know I caught more than that on my warrior assessment, and you certainly bested her by a long shot. But it's all up to Oakshadow really – it's more about performance than it is about quantity, although- " he glanced sidelong at Icepaw and grinned, "quantity counts for something."

Icepaw grinned back, and was about to ask a few more questions about the mysterious situation with Robinpaw, when a movement by the Highrock made her freeze. A gray shape had appeared from the shadows of the den. A conspicuous gray shape that was now moving up the side of the boulder.

"May all cat old enough to catch their own prey please gather here beneath the Highrock!" came that conspicuous voice.

"Ah – already," Stonepelt mewed satisfactorily. He rose to his feet and padded to the base of the Highrock, where Oakshadow was curled in a tight ball, his gaze on the dusty ground. Robinpaw slinked behind Icepaw, silent and stone-faced. She looked as though she was headed to her execution, not to a warrior ceremony. Even it is Even it is my warrior ceremony instead of hers, Icepaw thought smugly.

Eaglepaw and Yellowpaw emerged together from the apprentices, both looking slightly crestfallen. They were disappointed that they would be the only apprentices in the den, maybe even until they became warriors. Specklefoot was once again in the nursery, now that her kits Tansyleaf and Ashfoot were well out of it, but it would be a long while before he new litter was old enough to be apprenticed.

Mossfur and the other elders also appeared, and the brown tabby elder had a sour grimace on his face as he guessed what the meeting was about. His gaze flicked towards Icepaw and away, his tail lashing.

"I have called you here to welcome…a new warrior," Cinderstar called.

A rush of mews swept through the crowd, as well as a rush of adrenaline through Icepaw's heart. A new warrior, he'd said. Only one. Icepaw resisted looking over her shoulder at Robinpaw, but she could hear the apprentice's sharp intake of breath. Murmurs of surprise and unease spread through the crowd like a wildfire – the last time an apprentice had failed their warrior assessment was a vague imprint on even the elders' memories. It was almost unheard of. Icepaw did search out Oakshadow through the crowd though. His face was practically pressed against the ground, so obsessed was he with hiding the shame.

Proudly, Stonepelt led Icepaw through the throng and into the trampled space before the Highrock. Cinderstar slid down from his post atop the stone and padded closer to Icepaw, his tail standing straight up in the air.

"Icepaw, you have trained hard to understand the ways of the warrior code. Though you were not born in ThunderClan, you deserve the title of ThunderClan warrior more than even I could have hoped. You have proven yourself worthy a hundred times over, and I am honor to confer upon you your warrior name. StarClan," he looked up to address the invisible swath of stars that houses ThunderClans warrior ancestors, his voice ringing out clear and definite through the camp, "I cal upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice, who has worked hard to learn the ways of the Clan and the warrior code, and I commend her to you in her turn."

Cinderstar looked down again and met Icepaw's lever ice blue gaze. She had managed to keep the fur flat on her shoulders as the gray warrior spoke of her disgraceful heritage, and now the anxiety had faded, making way for excitement and exhilaration.

"Icepaw, from this day forward, until you join the ranks of our warrior ancestors in Silverpelt, you shall be called Icefang."

The long-legged gray tom stepped forward, and Icepaw licked his shoulder respectfully, her eyes lidded with pleasure. Then the leader of ThunderClan turned and clambered back onto the Highrock, his fur shining.

"Icefang will sit vigil tonight and guard the camp. Remember, as soon as the moon rises she is forbidden to speak to any cat. Meeting dismissed."

"Icefang! Icefang! Icefang!" cheered the gathered cats. Icefang turned and glanced at her Clanmates. Mossfur's mouth was clamped tightly shut, but to her surprise both Tansyleaf and Robinpaw were cheering, albeit not quite as enthusiastically as cats such as Stonepelt and Eaglepaw.

"Congratulations!" Eaglepaw squealed, bounding over and prancing in circles around the white she-cat.

"Thanks," Icefang purred. She blinked slowly at the tabby apprentice. "Someday you'll be a warrior too."

Out of the corner of her eye Icefang saw a ginger shape stiffen at these words. Sighing, Icefang turned to face Robinpaw, but the tabby had disappeared. It was too bad that she was disappointed, but it could not be helped. Robinpaw had failed, and she would have to face the consequences.

Other cats padded forward to offer her congratulations, including Brightpool and Whitefoot, who both smiled encouragingly and said something about how they'd always believed in her, which Icefang didn't believe one word of. Not that she disliked Brightpool or Whitefoot, but neither of the she-cats had gone out of their way to be friendly to her.

Icefang had thought that she was finally going to be left alone, and was about to pad off to the warriors' den for some sleep, when another shadow formed out of the corner of her vision.

"Congratulations, Icefang. You certainly deserve it," came a smooth purr. Icefang turned, and her eyes widened as she took in Tanglethorn's tabby pelt and fluffy tail. His eyes were lidded and his tail drooping low, but a smile curled his lips.

"Thanks…" Icefang murmured, wary.

His smile widened. "You know, I never thought a kittypet could become a warrior. I'm glad to have been proved wrong." With a slight nod, the deputy turned and slowly traipsed away.

A wild surge of anger suddenly engulfed Icefang's heart. She'd managed to contain herself during the ceremony when Cinderstar had brought it up, and even when Brightpool and Whitefoot had alluded to it during their own congratulations, but coming from Tanglethorn, the deputy, a fairly respected member of the Clan, it was almost worse than from Cinderstar's mouth. Her muscles clenched as she watched the warrior pad further away. Icefang's eyes narrowed and her lip curled, as her mind churned furiously. Meanwhile, Tanglethorn's frame disappeared into the shadows at the edge of camp.

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Dun dun dun… SORRY for the late update, but I got kinda stuck and I was really busy, but this chapter was pretty long so be happy. Also sorry for any spelling mistakes but I really wanted to pos this today and it's really late.

-ASTER