Hmmm…I got a little lost on my outline, so I need some feedback: are you, my Readers, as lost as I am? If you are, tell me so I can patch up the holes. It's really hard to remember exactly what's going and what I've already said, or if I'm moving too fast or what not, so if any of that comes up, please don't hesitate to comment on it, it's really very helpful.
And OH MY GOD I am soooo so so sorry that it took me this long to update, I've been very busy and craziness and that and yeah…so hopefully I can make up with it for a somewhat longer chapter.
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Dawn came far too quickly, with a blinding flash and a burst of noise. The sun seemed to leap above the horizon, and the birds that were beginning to return to the ruined forest poured forth a symphony to rival a thunder storm.
Yawning widely, Icefang opened her eyes and gazed around. It seemed that a dawn patrol had already left, but most of the other warriors were sleeping. Whitefoot was sprawled in the dust not two paces away, which meant that the rest of the Clan had arrived some time during the night. Blinking away the sleep from her eyes, the white warrior wobbled to her feet and traipsed out of the den and into the brightly lit camp. Some work was already under way – Yellowpaw and Sparrowpaw were carrying bundles of herbs into the secluded glen that was the medicine den. It wasn't quite as sheltered as it had been, many of the ferns having been burned away, but new growth was already beginning to peek out from beneath the ashes.
"Good morning Icefang!" someone called. The she-cat turned to find Robinwing bounding over with a contented expression on her face. "I was out hunting with Ashfoot. Wanna get some fresh kill?"
Icefang shrugged and trotted after the ginger warrior as she made her way to the pile of freshly caught prey. Still bouncing, Robinwing snatched up a sparrow and tossed it to Icefang's feet, grabbing a mouse for her self.
"Where did you manage to find all this prey? I thought the fire would have scared away every mouse from here to the Moonstone," Icefang mewed in disbelief, bending down to sniff suspiciously at the sparrow. It didn't smell like it was from another Clan's territory, but who knew…
"Don't be ridiculous," Robinwing snorted, recognizing Icefang's allusion, "We caught it by Twolegplace. Plenty of fat sparrows over there, just waiting for us to jump up and swat them out of the air."
Icefang cringed and snatched a mouthful of the bird to keep herself from making a snide reply. The two she-cats ate their prey quickly, both of them eager to get the day going. After burying what was left of the sparrow, Icefang and Robinwing padded to Cinderstar's den to get orders for the rest of the day. The work on the camp was going well, and it would be completed in a few more days, at least as much as was possible, but Cinderstar wanted to make sure that they would have adequate shelter before leafbare set in, so he was keeping the work on a tight schedule.
"Cinderstar?" Icefang called. The lichen screen had been mostly burned away, but it was still hard to see into the shadows of the den. They waited for a moment, and then a slender gray head appeared in a ray of sunlight.
"Ah, Icefang, Robinwing. Good morning. Are you looking for something to do?" meowed the leader, slinking the rest of the way into the light. Cinderstar's pelt was dull and somewhat rumpled looking. Icefang worried for a moment whether her leader was sick, but the thought quickly passed, because it didn't really matter.
"Yes, I've been hunting, but Icefang and I have loads of energy and no patrols until moonrise," Robinwing replied quickly, her eyes alight with the prospect of an interesting task.
"Well, I wouldn't mind you two joining Oakshadow on a patrol," Cinderstar meowed, his gaze faraway in thought.
"Now?" Icefang questioned, glancing around at the camp. It didn't look like dawn patrol had returned yet, so why would Cinderstar send out another one?
"Yes, earlier he mentioned something funny about the RiverClan border, and these days you can never be too sure about them. If Floodstar is up to something I want to be prepared. Why don't you head out and see if you can meet up with Brightpool's patrol – she should have been over there this morning, maybe she saw something." Flicking his whiskers, the gray tom stepped past them and strode across the camp to speak to Palenose.
"Huh. Well, if he says so…" Robinwing mewed, shrugging. The expression on her face made Icefang guess that she wasn't happy to be going on patrol with Oakshadow. The two weren't on very good terms after her warrior ceremony incident.
They fund the deputy speaking with Shortwhisker in the medicine den. As soon as the two warriors entered the glen, the conversation stopped, and both toms glanced up to greet them. Sparrowpaw and Yellowpaw, who had been sorting herbs in a corner, both bounded forward, mewing hellos.
"Ugh, I've been stuck with these mangy furballs all day, pawing at flowers," Yellowpaw grumbled, giving Sparrowpaw a good-natured shove.
"But Shortwhisker been in a good mood today!" Sparrowpaw protested, her eyes wide and innocent.
"Really? He still acts like an elder with a thorn up his nose."
"Good morning, Icefang, Robinwing. What can I do for you?" mewed Shortwhisker, rising slowly to his feet and limping towards them. Sparrowpaw and Yellowpaw bowed respectfully out of his way and returned to poking at the piles of herbs.
"Actually, Cinderstar wanted us to join Oakshadow's patrol," mewed Robinwing somewhat reluctantly.
"Oh yes, I spoke to him about the RiverClan border," Oakshadow meowed, nodding to himself. "Good, good. Well, I'll come back later Shortwhisker. Thank you for your help."
The deputy led the way out of the hollow, Icefang and Robinwing trailing at his heels. Without speaking, he slipped through the tunnel and out into the silence of the forest.
"What did you see on the RiverClan border?" Icefang asked in an attempt to breech the uncomfortable quiet, jumping forward to Oakshadow's side. The tabby tom glanced sideways at her and twitched his whiskers.
"It was nothing really, just some odd scent marks. I thought I smelled a place where they had crossed the river up by the gorge, but the river was so high it seemed impossible. I just wanted to lead a patrol up there to make sure. Did he mention anything else for us to check out?" Oakshadow mewed.
Icefag shook her head, her eyes trained on the dust beneath her paws. "No. Just RiverClan."
"Very well."
They padded on in silence, Robinwing dropping a little bit behind so she wouldn't have to walk next to Oakshadow.
Suddenly, the undergrowth around them erupted, ferns swinging and brambles shaking as though a huge gust of wind had blown through the forest. With a yelp, Robinwing dove for cover, her pelt fluffing up to twice its size. Oakshadow did the same, his tail standing straight up, spitting in fright as the noise of something approaching grew louder and louder.
"Oh thank StarClan! It's a ThunderClan patrol!" came a loud yowl, not moments before three cats came tumbling into the small clearing.
"Brightpool!" Icefang gasped, darting forward. The ginger she-cat was stumbling towards them, blood dripping from a gash on her shoulder, one eye squeezed shut and oozing more blood. On either side of her, Eaglepaw and Tansyleaf were supporting her shoulders.
"What in the name of StarClan happened to you?" Oakshadow questioned angrily, taking Tansyleaf's place at Brightpool's shoulder. The brown she-cat swayed where she stood, her eyes glazed.
"There's no time," Eaglepaw growled, her eyes searching Icefang's face. "We've got to speak to Cinderstar, now."
"What is this about?" Oakshadow demanded, his expression furious.
"RiverClan has crossed the border," Tansyleaf gasped, "by the gorge. I don't know how, but they managed it. We tried to force them off our territory, but they sent an apprentice back for another patrol. If we hadn't run, they would have killed us."
Oakshadow's eyes bulged. "Killed you?"
"We don't know why! Now just get us back to camp and send out a patrol, quickly!" Eaglepaw growled. She began marching forward, Brightpool pressed in between her and Oakshadow.
"Icefang, run ahead, will you?" Oakshadow hissed, his eyes on the ground.
Nodding, Icefang whipped around and sprinted into the undergrowth, heading back in the direction of the camp. Why was RiverClan attacking them again, and why now? Leafbare hadn't taken hold yet, and the river was still running strong, probably full of fish. The fire hadn't touched RiverClan territory. There was no reason why they should force themselves upon ThunderClan after such a disaster had struck the forest.
Icefang reached the camp far ahead of the rest of her patrol. She skidded to halt in the center of the clearing, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"What's the hurry?" someone sneered. It was Mossfur, languishing by the Highrock, his ears flickering lazily. Unable to contain her anger, her usual icy composure rattled by panic, she she-cat lunged forward and snarled in Mossfur's face, her teeth bared. The elder hissed and cringed away form her, the fur on his spine lifting.
"Shut up, you mangy fleabag!" Icefang snapped, putting her paw threateningly close to Mossfur's throat. The elder swallowed and stared at her unsheathed claws in horror.
"Icefang! What in StarClan's name are you doing?"
The white she-cat whirled to face a shocked Stonepelt, his tail lashing. He was about to open his mouth to question her again when she cut him off, growling, "It doesn't matter. We need help – Brightpool's patrol has been attacked on the RiverClan border, by the gorge. She says that RiverClan has called out more warriors. I need to speak to Cinderstar."
"That's alright, I'm already here," mewed the leader, suddenly appearing at Stonepelt's shoulder. His eyes flickered to Mossfur's confused expression before meeting Icefang's gaze. "Go find Ashfoot and Yellowpaw. Stonepelt, go with her. Is Oakshadow coming?"
"Yes, he's bringing the others," Icefang replied, before dashing away to find Yellowpaw and Ashfoot.
"What's going on with Mossfur?" Stonepelt asked while they ran to the warrior's den. Ashfoot was pulling brambles into gaps in the wall of the den, his pelt covered in dust.
"Ashfoot! RiverClan is attacking, find Yellowpaw and then come with us!" Icefang ordered the gray tom quickly, before turning to face Stonepelt. Ashfoot gave a yelp of surprise and dropped the strand of brambles, skittering out of the den to find the apprentice.
"It's nothing, we just can't seem to settle our differences, that's all," Icefang explained, padding more slowly out of the den.
"You looked like you were about to…I don't know, slash his throat or something," Stonepelt mewed, somewhat mollified. He rarely found it in his heart to get angry with her, which sometimes got on her nerves. Any other warrior who had witnessed such a scene would have been shocked out of their skin. She snorted – Mossfur deserved a good thrashing, but some cats with their stupid ideas about 'respect' and 'duty' tried to look past that and went on and on about how elders deserved to be treated well. Namely Whitefoot, which was why Icefang didn't particularly like her.
"Icefang!" It was Ashfoot. He had found Yellowpaw and they were waiting by the tunnel, both looking thoroughly disheveled but eager to be on their way.
"Good, let's go," Icefang meowed. Though she wasn't even close to being the most senior warrior in the group, no one else was stepping up to lead, so she figured she might as well. "We left Brightpool and the rest of the them a little ways from the stream – wait, there they are!"
Oakshadow, Eaglepaw, Tansyleaf and Brightpool had just limped into the clearing. Almost immediately, Shortwhisker and Sparrowtail had reached their sides and were supporting the wounded warriors as they hurried them toward the medicine den.
"Wait, Icefang, I'll come with you!" Eaglepaw called, giving over her spot by Brightpool's shoulder to Thrushwing. She bounded over, shaking droplets of blood from her ears.
"You're wounded," Icefang pointed out, watching the red liquid spatter in the dust.
"It's only a scratch, I'm fine. Besides, I can show you where we think they crossed the gorge."
Icefang nodded and turned to leave, but another yowl stopped her in her tracks. "Icefang, wait!" Exasperated, she turned, only to find Oakshadow padding towards them. "Cinderstar says I should join the patrol, just in case Floodstar is trying something sneaky."
Eager to be underway, Icefang just shrugged and then turned and sprinted towards the tunnel.
The patrol left camp at a swift pace, their bellies close to the ground and their tails streaming behind them. If Icefang guessed correctly, the RiverClan warriors would have waited for reinforcements before pushing further into ThunderClan territory. If that was the case, they would reach the border before the enemy could fully enter their territory. Icefang picked up her pace, the thought of the sleek RiverClan warriors skulking through the forest spurring her forward. Beside her, she could hear Eaglepaw panting, but the apprentice didn't slow down or utter a single word of complaint.
"It looked like the Twolegs had built a bridge across the gorge, right at the edge of RiverClan territory where the river branches. Otherwise there's no way they could cross the stream in that area. We saw some torn earth and other signs that Twolegs had been there," Eaglepaw explained as soon as they had reached the extent of ThunderClan territory. There the patrol slowed down, exercising extra caution as they left their territory and entered the no-man's land around Fourtrees. Technically, no battles should be going on here, but RiverClan had attacked them first, so if StarClan was unhappy, the enemy Clan was to blame.
"Over there," Eaglepaw directed, flicking her tail in the direction of the stream. Squinting into the wind, Icefang was able to make out what the apprentice had described – freshly turned earth and some glinting metal objects surrounded on area near the gorge.
"This could mean real trouble," Oakshadow commented fearfully, his fur rippling in the breeze. "If RiverClan has a way of crossing the gorge, what's to stop them from claiming this territory for their own?"
"But this has always been free land!" Stonepelt protested, his own face twisted with worry.
Neither of them had a chance to say more, because at that moment Eaglepaw let out a furious growl and stepped forward, her eyes suddenly narrowing. "There!" she hissed. Icefang followed the line of her gaze and noticed a group of cats picking their way through the brush towards the hillock where the ThunderClan patrol stood.
"That looks like Stoneheart!" Ashfoot exclaimed, his ears twitching nervously. The RiverClan deputy was notorious for his brute strength in battle.
"But it's four against six," Yellowpaw pointed out quickly. Her tail was lashing in anticipation of the coming battle.
"What are we waiting for?" Eaglepaw hissed, flattening her ears against her head.
Icefang nodded. She stepped forward, waved her tail, and then lunged down the side of the hill, streaking towards the approaching RiverClan warriors. Because the ThunderClan patrol was downwind of them, the enemy cats didn't catch their scent until Icefang was practically on top of them. There were four cats – Stoneheart, a huge gray tom, a skinny ginger tabby, a pale gray she-cat who Icefang recognized as the apprentice who had asked her name at the last RiverClan battle, and a long-legged black tom who had a fierce snarl on his face.
"What are you doing here?" Oakshadow snarled as soon as they met. The RiverClan patrol slowed to a steady walk and padded forward until they were standing directly before the ThunderClan cats, who also stopped to speak with them.
"Now that we have access to this territory," meowed Stoneheart in a deep voice, "this land should rightfully belong to RiverClan." His hard stare challenged any one of the ThunderClan warriors to oppose him.
"Nonsense. This land is free – any cat can walk here and not fear for his safety. Or have you decided to break that rule in the face of our warrior ancestors?"
The skinny ginger tabby tom shifted on his paws, his expression a little uneasy. Icefang guessed that he agreed with Oakshadow, but wouldn't dare speak out against his Clanmates.
"The Twolegs have torn up part of our territory with their monsters and scared much of the prey away. We need more hunting grounds if we are to survive this leafbare," Stoneheart explained, his tail twitching. Icefang heard Eaglepaw snort behind her, and flicked her ears in silent laughter.
"This land is thick brush and forest," Stonepelt pointed out, waving his tail to indicate the expanse of land behind him. It was mostly covered in shrubs, with small trees and only a few open spaces. It looked for like ThunderClan hunting grounds than the soggy marshes of RiverClan territory. "You don't know how to stalk mice in the undergrowth."
Stoneheart's lips twitched, and his eyes shifted sideways to glare at the tabby tom, who looked like he might blurt out his opinion at any moment. The other two RiverClan cats remained seated calmly at Stoneheart's side, their eyes flickering back and forth between their deputy and the ThunderClan patrol.
"We will learn," Stoneheart growled, flexing his paws and turning back to the ThunderClan cats. His muscles were tense, looking as though he were ready to spring forward at any moment. The fur on Icefang's neck rose as the heat of battle began to lick at her paws. The desire to throw herself at Stoneheart and sink her claws into his flanks was hard to suppress, and she hoped that Oakshadow would finish the negotiations soon so they could battle.
"ThunderClan won't allow you to take over this territory. It belongs to no one, and will remain that way," Oakshadow meowed with finality, his eyes narrowing to slits.
"Very well," Stoneheart hissed. He turned to face his warriors, and then opened his mouth and released an earsplitting battle cry. "RiverClan, attack!"
The ThunderClan and RiverClan warriors leapt straight for each other, but that wasn't was made Icefang suddenly scream in surprise. The four RiverClan warriors had suddenly turned into six, with the addition of a ginger tabby she-cat and white and gray-patched tom. Her fellow Clanmates didn't seem to notice, all of them locked in battle with an enemy warrior, but Icefang felt a sudden chill as the odds turned rapidly against her Clan.
The battle was moving them all dangerous close to the edge of the gorge, just as all ThunderClan warriors feared when fighting in this area. Too many cats had drowned or fallen to their deaths over the edge of the bank for such a battle to be taken lightly. Also, though the ThunderClan patrol was six cats strong, they had two apprentices, and for all she knew, the RiverClan patrol was made up entirely of warriors.
"Mrrroooww!" came a piercing screech. Icefang whirled to find a pair of pale gray paws reaching for her face. With a hiss of surprise, the she-cat jerked backwards just in time for the RiverClan warrior's paws to clutch at air where her head had been.
"You!" she hissed. She had fought this gray she-cat at the last battle. Growling, Icefang sidestepped so that she and the enemy warrior were facing each other.
"Icepaw!" mewed the she-cat in surprise. There was a flicker of panic in her gaze, probably because the last time they had met, Icefang had nearly killed her. The hint of a smug smile twitched at the corner of the white warriors lips. This puny warrior would pay for trespassing on her territory, maybe in the same way if she didn't run first.
"It's Icefang now," Icefang corrected her, taking a step closer. To her satisfaction, the she-cat flinched. Something like embarrassment also showed on her face, and Icefang's eyes widened. "Are you still an apprentice?"
The she-cat hissed, but her downcast eyes expressed so much misery that Icefang guessed her assumption had been correct. She laughed joyfully, relishing the feeling of superiority that flooded through her. "You were probably apprenticed before I was, and you're still picking ticks out of elders' fur? Ha!"
Snarling in fury, the gray apprentice launched herself at Icefang, who thrust out her shoulder and caught the she-cat by surprise, tossing her easily to the ground and then leaping onto her shoulders. Hissing and spitting, they rolled in a mass of fur and claws through the dust. Though Icefang's claws clung desperately to the she-cat's fur, her mind was on the path that they were on, rolling parallel to the side of the gorge, but perilously close.
"Geroff me!" Icefang spat, struggling to disentangle herself from the RiverClan she-cat's legs. When she finally succeeded, it was not a moment too soon – her paw sent a pebble skittering over the edge, into nothingness. The RiverClan apprentice managed to save herself to, jumping away just before she would have slid to her death.
They turned to stare at each, both frightened by the fate that they had so narrowly escaped. But after a moment, the shock wore off, and the sounds of the battle returned to Icefang's ears. She turned to see what was going on, and a writhing swirl of dust, the center of which was a mass of screeching cats. Yellowpaw and Eaglepaw were fighting off the ginger tabby she-cat, taking turns at darting forward and slashing her across the nose. They looked like they were handling themselves well on their own, so Icefang's gaze moved on.
Stonepelt was battling ferociously against the black tom, whose long legs gave him a speedy edge on the larger ThunderClan tom. But Stonepelt was smart and more experienced, and from the looks of it he was gaining the upper hand.
Ashfoot was in the process of chasing off the ginger tabby warrior, who only had a few scratches but looked eager enough to be away from the gorge and back in his warm den. Icefang snorted – the tom was a coward, abandoning his Clanmates in the middle of a fierce battle.
Lastly, she spied Oakshadow, who was on the defensive, corner by Stoneheart and the gray and white tom. His teeth were bared, but even the brave deputy showed a little fear as the two warriors, one practically twice his size, bore down on him. Icefang grinned to herself and bounded forward to help.
She targeted the gray and white tom, figuring she might as well leave the toughest one to Oakshadow. Though the gray apprentice was still around somewhere, Icefang guessed that she would probably choose someone else to fight, and far away from the edge of the gorge.
Hissing defiance, Icefang barreled into the RiverClan warriors shoulder, tossing him to the ground. Stoneheart turned to growl at her as she flashed past, which gave Oakshadow time to give him a resounding smack across the nose.
"Yeow!" yelped the patched tom, desperately trying to right himself after being shoved into the dirt. Icefang kicked viciously at his belly, the softest spot, though the blow cost her her position over his head. The tom let out a gasp as the air was knocked from his lungs, but still managed to get his feet under him so he could push up from the ground. They faced each other, both winded, their tails lashing.
"Mintleaf!" came a screech from somewhere behind Icefang. The gray and white tom, who must have been Mintleaf, lifted his head and took his eyes away from Icefang's face, looking for the cat who had called his name. This was all Icefang needed to dive forward and hook her paw under the tom's jaw, shoving upwards. He spluttered as he was knocked off his feet, flipping over his haunches. Icefang punched both of her paws into his chest again, further stunning him, and then pressed one claw to his neck.
A gash on Mintleaf's cheek dripped blood into the dirt as Icefang stared down at him, challenging him to surrender. The tom glared back, but as he slowly began to lose his breath, he finally went limp, allowing her to lift her paw and step back. Gasping, Mintleaf stumbled to his feet. He twitched his whiskers angrily and hissed at her before turning tail and running away in the direction of the Twoleg bridge.
Now that the two extra RiverClan warriors, who must have been hiding somewhere nearby while their Clanmates distracted the ThunderClan patrol, were gone, the odds were once again in ThunderClan's favor. Satisfied with herself, Icefang turned to find Oakshadow.
He was nowhere to be found.
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DUN DUN DUN.