First and foremost, I apologize profusely for this incredibly late update. Of course I've had school and all of that stuff, but in addition, my trusty laptop had a crack in the screen so it spent a dismal week in the repair shop. (OMG good idea for short story….don't steal it!) Therefore, this chapter is waaaay late, and again, I'm sorry. I hope I sort of make up for it by combining what should be two chapters into one. Feel lucky for that one. (as a side note, I changed Dapplekit from a she-kit to a tom because I realized how few toms there were in ThunderClan at the moment)
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Icy moonlight skimmed the treetops. A wind that carried the damp taste of rain and thunder pawed drearily at the dust of the camp floor. Silence gripped the air, and the tension was so high it seemed like any movement might shatter the peace.
Breathless with anticipation, the warriors of ThunderClan were gathered in a tight circle at the foot of the Highrock, every cat's pelt fluffed out against the chilling breeze. Their shadows stood out long and skinny on the earth, huddled in a shivering clump that wavered as the cats shifted anxiously.
"Where is he?" The murmur spread through the crowd like a ripple of water. "Where is Cinderstar? It's nearly moonhigh!"
At the edge of the circle, Icefang sat with her back to the crowd, her head bent low. To the rest of the cats, she looked the picture of a grief-stricken warrior, her blazing white fur ruffled, her ears laid back, awaiting the news with a heavy heart. On the contrary, Icefang's head was a churning mass of schemes and aspirations, but her well-mastered features showed none of this furious activity. Her blue eyes were glazed over as though still reeling from the shock of the day's events.
"They're dead! I'm sure they are! Cinderstar is dead and we have no deputy to replace him. StarClan has cursed us!" someone suddenly yowled. This seemed to break the intent flow of Icefang's thoughts, and she glanced up, her gaze suddenly full of interest.
Palenose was standing before the agitated throng of cats, her skinny tail lashing in anger. Her eyes were wide with fear as she challenged her Clanmates to resist the prophesy. Paws shuffled and whiskers twitched, but no one stepped forward. The elder threw back her head and released a sorrowful wail.
"It's true!" another cat spoke up, more quietly but with a quivering force. To Icefang's surprise, Thrushwing stepped forward. The timid queen had never been very opinionated in the past, but Icefang conceded that she would have good reason to want her voice heard today. "StarClan has surely forsaken us."
"They would never! StarClan has always watched over the forest!" growled Stonepelt form the front of the crowd. Her shook his head, his eyes closed. "We can't lose hope in our warrior ancestors now, not when we need it the most."
His words seemed to quell the fear for a moment, but then Thrushwing mewed quietly, "First Tanglethorn, now O-Oakshadow. We didn't even get to bury either of them. And the fire. Even last leafbare was one of the hardest we've ever known! What more proof do you need?" She was getting worked up now, and with a shudder the queen stepped forward, making a few cats skitter backwards in surprise. She glared into their faces, her teeth bared. "StarClan no longer cares for ThunderClan. What have we done wrong?"
Thrushwing blinked and then turned, her gaze searching through the crowd. Icefang followed it curiously, and found her eyes resting on Sparrowpaw's innocent face. The queen stalked forward, and a small space formed around the medicine cat apprentice, who cowered before Thrushwing's furious glare.
"Have you received any news, any sign that StarClan is watching us?" the queen demanded, pressing her nose close to Sparrowpaw's. The tortoiseshell she-cat shook her head frantically, her whiskers quivering.
"Stop scaring my apprentice!" Shortwhisker snapped, shouldering Sparrowpaw out of the way to face Thrushwing himself. Sparrowpaw relaxed, but only slightly, and to Icefang's surprise she sent a desperate glance her way that seemed to say "We need to talk". Icefang shrugged. Whatever that look meant, it could wait until after the ceremony. If there ever was a ceremony. Her paws tingled.
"Have you?" Thrushwing hissed. The fur on her spine was sticking straight up as she bore down on the old tom. Shortwhisker stood his ground and glared back her.
"No, our warrior ancestors have not graced us with any messages lately. However, I firmly believe that they are still watching over us with the utmost care and attention. The hunters of Silverpelt can't protect you from everything, Thrushwing. StarClan cannot change the course of fate. Have faith in them, and they will have faith in you."
At another time, Shortwhisker's encouraging speech might have put an end to the argument, but Thrushwing was by this time beyond all reason, and more cats seemed to be joining her. Whitefoot leaped to her feet yowling, "The fire, the fire! What about the fire! Where was StarClan when Tanglethorn was killed?"
"Yes! Where was StarClan!" the crowd echoed. A few cats were trying desperately to calm everyone down, including Icefang, Stonepelt and Eaglepaw, but it looked as though chaos was about to break loose at the base of the Highrock.
Suddenly, Mossfur seemed to appear out of all the confusion, and for at least a moment, all eyes were on him, slinking in a circle in the shadow of the great stone.
"What could we possibly have done to make StarClan so angry with us?" he questioned in a sibilant hiss. The clamor died down as cats turned to face him and contemplate his words. Thrushwing was nodding vigorously – this was what the question she had posed to Stonepelt earlier. It seemed she wanted to hear the answer as much as anyone.
"Where have we gone wrong? When did our pawsteps cross the line? Surely our ancestors would not abandon us for nothing? They have not done so in the past," Mossfur meowed, still traipsing in a circle, his tail-tip switching back and forth.
"I'll tell you," he growled, and after a dramatic pause, the elder twitched his tail and pointed directly into the crowd. "We have disobeyed the warrior code."
"No! No, we never!" came the protests, but as cats followed where his tail pointed, the cries of defiance petered out as quickly as they had sounded.
Icefang froze. All eyes had turned toward her.
"Cats of ThunderClan!"
Gasps covered whatever Mossfur was trying to say next, and immediately the heat of fifteen pairs of eyes was removed from Icefang's pelt. Mossfur's sharp glare still bored into her face, but Icefang ignored it and strained her neck to see what the commotion was.
"At last!" "Where were you?" "Thank StarClan, Cinderstar has returned!"
Cinderstar, his pelt looking newly washed and his gaze bright, had padded through the thorn tunnel, with a somewhat exhausted-looking Brightpool at his heels. Her pelt was still parted by scratches from the scuffle with RiverClan that she and Tansyleaf had endured earlier that morning, but the luster seemed to have returned to her eyes.
"I apologize for making you wait so long. Brightpool and I were attending to some business in the forest." Cinderstar's ambiguous statement did not answer the questions on the tip of every cat's tongue, but it certainly stopped them from being blurted out. It appeared that that was all he was going to say about where he and the ginger warrior had disappeared to only moments after the announcement of Oakshadow's demise.
Cinderstar loped to the Highrock and leapt gracefully to his customary position. Brightpool padded to the base of the stone and settled herself in the dust, her eyes half-closed.
Instantly, the ThunderClan warriors who had only moments ago been nearly at each other's throats, returned to their former seats and became as still as before, eagerly awaiting Cinderstar's next words. Mossfur's accusations seemed to have been forgotten, but Icefang didn't count on it. Just like the elder to bring such a petty argument into this. Still, Icefang had only been mildly surprised when she had discovered his tail pointing straight at her forehead. After all, it was only a matter of time before the rest of the Clan put two and two together and realized that Icefang had been present at the death of both their deputies
"This had been a tragic day – indeed, a tragic year for ThunderClan. But we cannot despair. Oakshadow was my good friend, and we fought beside each other from kithood to the end. He was also a good mentor, and those who learned from him will never forget him. He was a father, a son, and above all, a proud warrior of ThunderClan. Though we cannot share tongues with him this night, I hope that you will all join me in keeping a vigil for our lost friend."
Nods followed his speech, and Icefang saw Robinwing hang her head sadly. Even though the ginger she-cat hadn't been on the best of terms with Oakshadow, her former mentor, his passing was still a blow to her, especially after the young cat had watched both her mother and father disappear from her life.
"Now, without further delay, it is time I appointed a new deputy of ThunderClan. My heart is heavy as I say these words before the spirit of Oakshadow…Brightpool will be the new deputy of ThunderClan."
Icefang clenched her teeth as yowls of approval rose from the Clan. Of course, she scolded herself, trying to stay calm. Of course. You haven't had an apprentice yet, everyone knows that. But somehow, the disappointment still stung. Putting on a good face, Icefang jumped forward to congratulate the ginger tabby she-cat.
"Brightpool! Brightpool! Brightpool!" The cheer was taken up all across the clearing. Brightpool was a good choice, it was true. She was a senior warrior with a long list of victories behind her name and a cool head.
No one says it, hissed Icefang in her mind, but Brightpool could never be leader. She's as useless as a mouse when it comes to making decisions for the Clan.
"I hope that Brightpool can carry on the legacy left behind by Tanglethorn and Oakshadow, and we should all remember that they will be watching over her, and all of us, from Silverpelt. Brightpool will sit vigil tonight with the Clan, and in the morning we will visit the Moonstone. Leafspots, I would like you to accompany Brightpool and I on our journey tomorrow at dawn. That is all." With that, Cinderstar dipped his head to the cats and jumped down from the Moonstone.
"So that's where he and Brightpool snuck off to," came Robinwing's low voice. Icefang turned to greet the tabby warrior with a flick of her ear. "Probably discussing secret plans or something."
"Cinderstar would never keep secrets from his Clan," Icefang replied vaguely, her mind entirely focused elsewhere.
They were suddenly interrupted by a squeak from somewhere behind Robinwing. Both warriors jumped in surprise and searched for the source of the noise.
"Icefang!" someone hissed. It was Sparrowpaw, crouched in the shadow of the Highrock. Cats were starting to drift away to the corners of the camp, and a crowd was forming around the fresh kill pile to snatch a bite to eat before the vigil.
"Icefang, I need to talk to you!" Sparrowpaw squeaked again, her eyes wide with desperation. Icefang glanced sideways Robinwing, whose head was cocked to the side, her ears swiveling slowly.
"Yeah, right. I'll just go get some fresh kill," murmured the tabby warrior. Before she padded away she stared at Icefang with an expression that demanded to know what was going on. Icefang shrugged, and Robinwing rolled her eyes before disappearing. Immediately Sparrowpaw beckoned furiously for Icefang.
Reluctantly, the white she-cat padded over to where the apprentice was huddled in the dark, her pelt fluffed against the cold.
"What?" Icefang snapped, but she was beginning to wonder exactly what had been bothering Sparrowpaw all day. She'd been like this since that morning when RiverClan had first set paw in ThunderCan territory.
"The prophecy!" the she-cat all but shrieked, trying to keep her voice muffled but failing somewhat miserably. Luckily, no one was paying attention to them as Sparrowpaw jumped up and led the way to the secluded glade beyond the charred fern tunnel.
"What prophecy?" Icefang questioned, her forehead furrowing in confusion. Her white tail lashed as Sparrowpaw paced in circles around the clearing.
"Remember what I told you a few moons ago, about my dream?" she meowed, her gaze fixed on the ground. "Well, it came true!"
"What are you talking about?" Icefang sighed, dropping onto her haunches and watching in exasperation as Sparrowpaw continued to trod back and forth.
"I had a dream, you must remember, about the river jumping its banks and flooding the forest, and how I thought something bad was going to happen." Sparrowpaw stopped pacing and shifted her gaze anxiously to Icefang's face.
Now that she mentioned, Icefang did remember that day. In all the confusion of the season's events, she'd lost track of it in her mind. Icefang scolded herself. Those kinds of things shouldn't be forgotten. She would have to get better at remembering things in the future, especially if she really wanted to tread the dangerous path to the top.
"Yeah, I remember now. What about it?"
"I should have told Shortwhisker!" Sparrowpaw yowled. "What if it was a dream from StarClan? Maybe I could have prevented Oakshadow's death! Maybe I could have done a lot of other things. Maybe it's my fault that StarClan has abandoned us."
Unlike Stonepelt, Icefang wasn't concerned whether or not her Clanmates had faith in their warrior ancestors. She wasn't willing to put her own destiny in their paws, no matter how powerful everyone claimed they were.
"I might have been, Sparrowpaw, but what does it matter? What would you have done? Who would have believed you?" Icefang mewed matter-of-factly.
Sparrowpaw's eyes opened even wider, and her whiskers drooped. Yes, it was a cruel thing to say, but as far as Icefang cared, as long it kept Sparrowpaw's mouth shut to everyone but her, it didn't matter if the she-cat's feelings got a little bit hurt.
"No one would believe me?" the tortoiseshell apprentice meowed quietly, as if asking for confirmation. She rocked back on her haunches and curled her tail slowly around her paws, her expression still stunned.
"After all, you're still just an apprentice," Icefang added. "If I were you –" she fixed Sparrowpaw with a penetrating stare, "I would keep all my dreams to myself. You never know – they might end up causing more harm than help. What if you'd told Cinderstar? He could have interpreted the dream any way. In the end, maybe we should be thankful that Oakshadow is gone."
Icefang smiled briefly, and then rose to her feet and strode away, leaving a shocked Sparrowpaw to contemplate her words. The white she-cat snorted to herself. When I'm leader of ThunderClan, cats like Oakshadow would never have become deputy. He didn't deserve to stick around. She glanced surreptitiously at the stars, and then grumbled to herself, "But who am I to play StarClan?"
-
"Morning," Stonepelt meowed.
Icefang awoke at the edge of the clearing, her muscles stiff from sleeping out in the cold. Stonepelt was curled a little ways away, watching her as the white she-cat stretched luxuriously and yawned.
"Good morning," Icefang murmured, blinking at the gray tabby as she strode past him on her way to the fresh kill pile. Stonepelt rose quickly to his feet to follow her, but he didn't see Icefang's eyes roll as he hurried to her side.
"Cinderstar, Brightpool and Whitefoot left a while ago," he meowed conversationally, trailing her as Icefang grabbed a sparrow from the fresh kill pile and stalked to the nettle patch to devour it. Ashfoot and Tansyleaf had just left, leaving freshly turned piles of earth where the remains of their prey was buried. Both warriors looked extremely proud of themselves as they stalked away, and Icefang couldn't help commenting on it.
"Why are Tansyleaf and Ashfoot more conceited-looking than usual?" Icefang snapped, tearing at the sparrow with vigor.
"Icefang, that's no way to talk about your Clanmates, especially your elders." Stonepelt admonished quietly, as if he was still her mentor. However, after a moment, he continued anyway, "I'll guess they're acting a little bit self-important because Cinderstar placed them on camp duty for the day. There aren't any other senior warriors besides myself around to do the job."
"Camp duty?" Icefang questioned after swallowing another bite of sparrow.
"They're assigned to fix up the camp today," Stonepelt explained. He leaned forward and snatched a bite of the prey, brushing her ear as he moved. Icefang flinched away, annoyed.
She finished the sparrow quickly after that, eager to do something that would get Stonepelt out of her fur. He was getting more and more clingy as time went on, especially after the incident in the forest a few Gatherings ago. The warrior seemed determined to win her over, no matter how stubborn she was being. On the one hand, keeping up appearances was important, and taking a mate and having kits was expected of a Clan she-cat. It wasn't required obviously, but it help ThunderClan become strong and powerful, so Icefang wasn't necessarily averse to the idea. On the other hand, having Stonepelt around was like having a lovesick kitten to look after. Of course the gray tom could take care of himself in a fight, and he was, after all, a senior warrior with much more experience than she, but in some respects he was still as awkward and immature as a first-moon apprentice.
To add insult to injury, Icefang heard her name called out as she and Stonepelt made their way to the leader's den, where Ashfoot was giving orders to the apprentices. They were hoping to find something to do, but someone seemed determined to keep Icefang from working. The white she-cat turned to find Quickstep beckoning to her with a twitch of her tail.
"Maybe she wants some fresh kill," Icefang mused, shrugging. "I'd better go see." It was usually the job of the apprentices, but Ashfoot was keeping them busy at the moment, and maybe Quickstep was just impatient.
"I'll find you later," meowed Stonepelt, and from his expression it looked like he meant it.
"Yes Quickstep, can I do something for you?" Icefang called, striding back the way she had come, towards the elders den where the slender black she-cat was sprawled in a tiny patch of wan sunlight.
"Icefang! I can't help but notice how much time you're spending with dear Stonepelt there. I have a special interest in that tom – his mother was my sister, may she hunt peacefully with StarClan," meowed the she-cat. She leaned forward and beckoned Icefang closer, smiling.
"Well, Stonepelt and I are…good friends," Icefang meowed carefully, trying to find the best way to phrase it so that she wasn't committing to anything but she didn't back out entirely either.
"Hm." Quickstep's gaze raked her pelt as though judging her worth for the first time. "I've heard wonderful things about you, Icefang, and I trust that my nephew has good judgment. That's all I wanted to say! See you around!"
Slightly disturbed and feeling oddly self-conscious, Icefang bid Quickstep goodbye and padded back to the Highrock. Ashfoot, Yellowpaw and Stonepelt had disappeared, but Eaglepaw was still there, gazing around as though she was waiting for something.
"Icefang!" exclaimed the apprentice, jumping to her feet as Icefang approached. The pale sunlight glinted of Eaglepaw's golden fur in tiny sparkling streaks.
"Hey. Where'd Ashfoot go?" Icefang asked, flicking her ear in greeting.
"He said he'd be back in a second," mewed the apprentice, "but it's been more than a second."
"Huh," Icefang grumbled. Nothing was working out the way she wanted it to today.
"Icefang!" came a loud meow. Icefang bared her teeth and turned to snap at whoever it was calling her name again. This was the final straw, if someone made her do one more ridiculous thing she would snap, but it turned out to be Leafspots with a very determined look on her face.
"Icefang, I need to take over Eaglepaw's training today. Stonepelt and Yellowpaw have already gone to the training hollow. If you could just do some basic techniques to fill in for Brightpool, that'd be great. Is that okay with you?"
Icefang and Eaglepaw glanced at each other. The golden tabby grinned.
"Perfect," Icefang replied with a curt nod. Once Leafspots was gone, the two she-cats cackled with joy and raced to the tunnel.
"What should we do?" Icefang asked, still smiling. Robinwing may have been her first friend, but she and Eaglepaw were like-minded souls.
"Let's go beat Stonepelt and Yellowpaw into the dust!" Eaglepaw hissed eagerly, flexing her claws. A mischievous glint flashed through her gaze.
Yeah, Icefang thought contentedly to herself as they padded side by side through the forest. Like-minded souls.