Look, I update slowly. 'Tis a fact. :O
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The fire had cut a swathe ten tree-lengths wide through the entire forest, leaving cinder clouds and charred debris in its wake. The yellow sunlight that streamed down from a clear blue sky pooled on the black earth with no leaves to shield its blinding rays. Padding through the forest surrounded by the warriors of her Clan, Icefang felt as exposed as a WindClan hare, despite the fact that they were obviously in no danger. The fire had scared away every predator within ten miles of its path. Of course, this meant the prey was gone too.
When they reached the crest of the ravine, Icefang swallowed a deep breath and plunged down the rocky slope, Eaglepaw at side. The golden tabby apprentice was breathing hard, her eyes wide with apprehension. The clearing by the ravine was the only home Eaglepaw had ever known, as opposed to Icefang's vague memories of her Twoleg prison.
Cinderstar waved his tail for the party to halt when they reached the bottom of the ravine. "Whatever we find over this hill," meowed the gray tom gravely, "is still our home. Even if there is nothing left, we will rebuild the camp twig by twig and stone by stone. ThunderClan has always lived in this clearing, and ThunderClan will live in this clearing until the forest no longer exists." His ominous words rang true as fear coursed through the hearts of every cat.
Taking a deep breath, the slender tom turned and slowly led the way up the hill. The chill breeze that had arrived with the morning still ruffled their fur, only adding to the despair that seemed to cling to every whisker.
Icefang bounded forward until she was directly at Cinderstar's heals, her breath ragged in her throat. Cinderstar's gaze flickered over his shoulder to her face and he nodded briefly, his tail twitching towards her. Understand the signal, Icefang leapt forward to his side.
"I never thanked you in person fir rescuing Redkit," he murmured while they padded, pawstep by pawstep, up the steep hillside. "You know how much kits mean to the Clan, so your actions are that much appreciated, by the Clan and by myself. You're a good warrior, Icefang," he said slowly, his whiskers quivering, "and I'll be watching your progress with interest-" And then they crested the hill.
Gasps rose from the line of warriors that came up behind the shocked pair. Yowls of horror and mews of despair following in quick succession. But after a few confused seconds, the cries stopped, and finally someone mewed, "It's still here."
It was true. The skeletal remains of the camp could be seen among the gray wreckage. Between piles of ash and fallen branches, a strip of bramble was still intact, forming one wall along the western side. The Highrock was still there of course, its sides streaked with grime, and the lichen curtain that shielded Cinderstar's den from the elements had been reduced to a single tattered ribbon. The dens were practically unrecognizable, most of the camp wall having been burned away. The elder's log sat somewhat diminished where it always had, and the tree stump was unmoved as well.
"Look!" Eaglepaw cried, bounding forward. "The nettle patch!" She flicked her tails towards a pile of misshapen sticks that might once have been nettles. "And the nursery was over here!"
More cats began to stream into the hollow, pointing out certain things they recognized and exclaiming over the damage that had been done. After allowing this for a few seconds, Cinderstar released a caterwaul to regain everyone's attention.
"Warriors, please! We cannot waste the little time we have. Oakshadow, organize parties for hunting, clearing away debris and bringing in supplies. The apprentices can bring water-soaked moss to those who are working," Cinderstar instructed calmly, looking as unsurprised as thought this was how the camp had always been. Icefang marveled at his ability to remain cool in the face of such a grave setback. Though her face betrayed as little emotion as his out of habit, her whiskers and tail continued to twitch in agitation.
Oakshadow nodded and began to gather the warriors into small groups, murmuring to each cat. Eaglepaw and Yellowpaw darted out of camp to find moss, which Icefang guessed they would have to go a long way to find amid the desolation.
"Icefang! Come over here, I want you working on the warriors den with Stonepelt and Brightpool," Oakshadow called.
Sighing, Icefang ran to where Stonepelt and Brightpool were beginning to scratch at the ground where the new warriors den would be. They planned to put it exactly where the old one had been, since much of the thorn barrier was still intact, but Cinderstar had mentioned that one day he might want to expand the den, so Brightpool has suggested they make it just a tiny bit bigger.
Whitefoot and Leafspots trotted over a moment later. They were the digging group, and the two she-cats immediately went to work on the ashes and barren earth that had been swept over the brambles. Stonepelt dragged some of the odd stones and branches away while Brightpool and Icefang collected building materials from a growing pile supplemented by Robinwing and Tansyleaf.
The work was tough and mindless, and by the time the sun had reached its highest point, the area around and inside the den had been entirely cleared out, a neat pile of brambles lay in wait to be placed as walls, and the rest of the camp was beginning to take shape around them.
"Good work you three," Cinderstar mewed as he passed, going over all of the marks on the ground where the warriors were planning to create a wall. "I see you're expanding it a little bit. Good thinking. Why don't you get some food and water and take a break?"
Gratefully, Stonepelt and Brightpool led the way to the freshkill pile.
"Here," Stonepelt mewed, grabbing a squirrel and tossing it down in front of Icefang. "Let's share."
Too tired to protest, the white she-cat flopped down and snatched a mouthful from the still-warm body, chewing contentedly.
"Icefang! We've brought water!" came a cheerful yowl.
Icefang looked up to see Yellowpaw and Eaglepaw striding over. Eaglepaw's jaws were full of bright green moss, which she quickly deposited at the warriors paws and then turned to spit out a few pieces of green stuff.
"Gross," commented the tabby she-cat angrily, swiping a paw across her ear.
"Yeah," agreed Yellowpaw wholeheartedly, "it is."
Stonepelt chuckled and then bent forward to drag one of the moss balls towards him.
"Thank you Eaglepaw," meowed Brightpool doing the same. The three warriors eagerly lapped delicious drops of water from the moss, quenching the thirst they had worked up during the morning's labor.
"We had to hike all the way to the Treecut place to get that," Yellowpaw mewed, watching enviously. "So you better drink it all."
"Have some," Icefang mewed, pushing her wad towards the she-cats.
"Really?" Eaglepaw mewed. "Cinderstar never told us we could drink…"
"It's fine. If he asks, tell him I said it was okay," Icefang said with a bark of laughter.
"Thanks Icefang!" cried Yellowpaw happily, immediately attacking the moss with her small pink tongue.
"Yeah, thanks Icefang!" Eaglepaw echoed, "You're the best!"
The two apprentices became absorbed in drinking from the moss and said nothing more.
"We should get back to work," meowed Brightpool. She buried the remains of her fresh kill and waited while Stonepelt and Icefang finished off the squirrel. Then they traipsed back to the unfinished den and resumed their work.
Icefang picked up long trail of bramble and dragged it into place alongside a pile of others, the foundation for the den. Stonepelt came forward and wove more thorns and vines among the wall that had survived the fire. The different between the old and new construction was incredibly stark - blackened twigs interspersed with stripes of bright green.
Finally, as the sun was beginning to disappear behind the canopy, Cinderstar's loud yowl echoed through the clearing, calling for a halt. Wearily, the warriors padded to the Highrock, where Cinderstar and Oakshadow were seated, their eyes wide and glittering in the gathering dark.
"We have accomplished a massive amount of work today, more so than I hoped. The camp is almost looking back to normal," Cinderstar meowed appreciatively. "I think that the Clan is ready to return to their home. The same work will be resumed at sunrise tomorrow morning. Oakshadow, Whitefoot and Robinwing, go and collect the rest of the Clan. We sleep here tonight."
Cheers followed his words, and the three warriors charged with gathering their comrades leapt immediately to their feet and raced away, eager to show their Clanmates the work they had done.
"I'm so tired I think I'll sleep for a moon," Ashfoot complained as the rest of the cats turned away from the Highrock to retreat to their dens.
"Or two," added Leafspots darkly. Her pads left spots of blood on the dust as she walked slowly to the new warriors den.
"Hey, you made it bigger!" cried Tansyleaf excitedly as soon as the bedraggled group had entered the den.
"Cinderstar said something about expanding it a few moons ago," Brightpool explained, dragging a piece of moss into a back corner for her den. "We figured we might as well, since we had to rebuild it anyway."
"Nice," commented Ashfoot, glancing around at the new spacious quarters. There were a few holes in the ceiling, and the breeze was managing to whistle its way into the den, but all in all Icefang was proud of the work they had done. They had transformed what was a blackened and ash-covered shell into a comfortable, roomy shelter.
Dusty and footsore, the white warrior padded to a secluded corner of the den and settled into a makeshift nest of leftover vines and moss. It wasn't as comfortable as her old feather-lined bed, but it was alright for one night. Tomorrow she vowed to go out and gather better supplies for the den.
Stonepelt settled down beside her with a loud sigh, sending a piece of moss fluttering into the air. Night had claimed the camp, and the sound of crickets was a surprising, calming addition to the silence. Icefang hadn't expected the crickets to be out after the fire, and when leafbare seemed right around the corner, but she was glad.
"Hard day, huh?" Stonepelt mewed wearily, resting his nose on his striped paws.
"But good," Icefang mewed in reply, her own eyes threatening to close. Her thoughts wandered for a moment, and then she was struck with a sudden question.
"Stonepelt, I wanted to ask…" she began hesitantly. She wasn't sure how he would take her query, but it was worth a try.
"Yes?" he lifted his head, a hint of disbelief in his gaze. Icefang almost swallowed her question. He was probably expecting her to ask something heartfelt and mushy. Sorry to disappoint, she growled to herself.
"How many lives does Cinderstar have left? I understand if you don't want to tell me, or you don't know, but I thought…"
At first Stonepelt's expression was shocked, then a little suspicious, but then it melted into what seemed like sympathy. "You thought that after the fire, and with leaf-fall around the corner, that one might be worried about his health? It's okay, I understand, I worry sometimes too. He doesn't take enough care of himself, he spends so much time looking after everyone else."
Icefang shrugged. That wasn't exactly why she was going to ask, in fact it was pretty far off from her real reasons for wanting to know. Whatever helps him sleep at night, she said to herself.
"The answer is three. I don't even know all the stories of how he lost the other six, but I do know for a fact that he's down to the last few," Stonepelt answered, his brow creasing.
A gasp leaped out of Icefang's throat. Her heart thrilled: Only three!
Stonepelt, misunderstanding again, shook his head. "I know, I know. Like I said, he needs to spend more time looking after himself. I'll tell you what – you and I will keep an eye on him from now on. Make sure he doesn't do anything completely ridiculous!" He winked and flicked his tail across her ear.
"Yeah, we should do that," Icefang mewed with a small smile, but inside her thoughts were ranging far in an entirely opposite direction.
Today she had come to another conclusion. There was nothing she wouldn't do for her Clan, and after the goings on today she had realized that all ThunderClan needed to be great was someone strong who could lead it in the right direction. A real leader who knew what was best for the Clan and wouldn't hesitate to make it happen. A leader like herself, for example. Cinderstar was a good cat, but his softness and his reserve weren't getting ThunderClan anywhere. Therefore she had decided to go ahead with her old plans. It wouldn't be easy, for sure – it would take concentration, subtlety and skill, but Icefang knew that she could master all of these things. It was only a matter of time before her time came.
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Lol, just as I was writing the end of that chapter, I was listening to Who Let You Go? by The Killers, and it said something about "nothing getting in my way" and I almost wrote that…but then I didn't…