Um, so, yes, it has been a while since the last update. Yup. Yes. Well. Yeah.

Cinderstar had known. He had known all along.

He had guessed.

He had allowed Brightpool to die.

Was he just as heartless? Or did he understand some fundamental aspect of Clan life that Icefang could not comprehend?

The others. Did the others know? Had she really lied as well as she'd thought?

And Eelshadow. Surely Eelshadow knew.

Surely they knew.

Perhaps it was all for naught.

What was there after this?

Perhaps nothing. Perhaps this was the end after all.

A pleasant end, at least. At the very least.

…

"It is not your time, Icefang. Rise." The voices surrounded her, and then were gone.

…

"Look, look, I think she's breathing! More, Robinwing! Has anybody found Yellowpaw? She was supposed to be by the river. Her eyes, watch her eyes Robinwing!"

With a stab of pain, Icefang's world became bright again. It was terribly disconcerting. She had just been getting accustomed to the dark. It was very warm where she had been, and she would have liked to sleep there for a while longer. Just a little while.

"Icefang? Icefang, can you hear me?"

This was not the voice she wanted to hear. This was a strident voice, loud and jarring, not the sibilant whisper of her dreams. Where was the whispering cat? Had he fallen asleep too?

"Yellowpaw!" the voice sounded from far off now, breathless. "Thank StarClan. Ashfoot told me he hadn't seen you since moonhigh. Was Redpaw with you? Where? Whitefoot, go find Redpaw, I'll take care of this." Things were quiet for a moment. Then the voice shattered her ears again. "Wake up, Icefang! Please, please wake up!"

This seemed very unfair. Was it so wrong to want just a few moments of peace and quiet to regain her strength? That hardly seemed like too much ask, after all she'd been through.

With a jolt, Icefang lifted her head, her eyes flashing wide. For a brief moment she sucked futilely at the air, and then black spots began to cloud her vision. What was happening? Was she already dead? Something hit her, hard, between the shoulders, and suddenly a gush of water came bubbling up from her lungs and spewed from between her jaws, burning her throat. Gasping, Icefang swallowed a gulp of air, swaying slightly. Her mouth felt dry and sandy, and she tasted blood on her tongue.

"What-" she managed to choke, trying to lift herself off the damp ground.

A dark shape floated into her field of vision, blurred and wavering. It uttered a wordless whimper, and warmth collided with her cheek. Disoriented, Icefang tried to move away, but the warmth did not seem to notice her feeble attempt.

"I don't know what we would have done if you had died," said the shape's deep voice, thick with emotion. Icefang had no words to reply, so she ignored it and concentrated on rising unsteadily into the air. Two firm touches guided her shoulders up, pressing her, keeping her steady.

"Give her a minute to get her bearings," commanded the voice, and the supports disappeared. Icefang gazed at two pale splotches, which she believed to be her paws, trying to force them to carry her. She was sure it was possible, but it seemed very silly now, her entire weight hovering on top of these white specks. They appeared very far away, and very small – too small to bear her. It was no surprise when she began to fall again. She would need bigger paws to stand upright for very long.

The warm supports returned, lifting again. Icefang wanted to tell them to just stay there and carry her, but she didn't quite now how to form the words. Could sounds coming from her throat really make them do something? That didn't seem right.

"Icefang. You're breathing, but are you even awake? Can you say something?" demanded the voice.

She was sure she could say something, and had said it before, but it slipped her mind now. Her mind was very slippery. Icy slippery. Melting ice. And it was dripping, drop by drop, off the tip of her nose. The ground was suddenly beside her.

…

…

"She's coming around again. Stand back, Eagleclaw. Icefang, can you hear me now? Can you talk?"

Icefang shook her head slowly. Her ears were buzzing.

"For StarClan's sake, Icefang, give me some sign that you're alive!"

"Be quiet!" she hissed angrily. The sound seemed to surprise them all. "I'm trying not to pass out again here," she growled. Sparkling shapes were swirling against her eyelids.

"She speaks," said another voice. This voice sent a spike of electricity through her. Her eyes blinked open again, and this time clear shapes were arranged before her in an orderly fashion. Shapes that she recognized. Colorful shapes.

"Somebody help me stand up," she grumbled, wincing as blood pounded in her ears. Some cat stepped forward to lend her a shoulder, and she tottered reluctantly to her feet. Her paws were stable now, all four managing to balance out her weight before she toppled over again. After giving her pelt a vigorous shake, Icefang blinked and surveyed her audience. Stonepelt was there, looking ragged and tired. It had been his voice giving all the orders. Eelshadow was standing next to him, looking comparatively sleek and well rested. His eyes were dancing, flashing from one face to the next, never lingering on anything for long. Eagleclaw and Robinwing were there as well, gazing at her anxiously.

"What happened?" Icefang spat, wrinkling her nose. The mossy, sickly smell seemed to be coming from her own pelt.

"You almost drowned," Stonepelt explained mournfully, his eyes wide.

"You had a paw in Silverpelt," added Eelshadow, his voice remarkably even. His tail was lashing back and forth slowly. Stonepelt shot him an annoyed glance before turning back to Icefang and taking a step forward.

"And…" he began, but his voice seemed to lodge in his throat, and he choked on his next words.

"Cinderstar drowned too," Robinwing finished. Her eyes looked bloodshot, her pelt streaked with mud. Icefang recalled that she hadn't even been part of the nighttime escapade, and wondered when ThunderClan had called in reinforcements.

"The dogs," she gasped immediately. "They fell?" She remembered Cinderstar telling her, but it seemed hazy, and she wanted to confirm it.

Stonepelt nodded. "Two of them did. We took care of the third."

"You took care of it? What, you killed a dog?" Icefang's gaze flashed over the four cats, checking their pelts for wounds. They all seemed relatively unscathed.

"Not us," said Eelshadow smoothly, waving his tail at their little group. "Some others. RiverClan, mostly. The WindClan warriors too." Icefang realized that he had pointedly excluded ThunderClan, and wondered if it was on purpose.

"So…" Icefang meowed, going over her words carefully in her head. "Cinderstar is dead?"

Stonepelt hung his head, and Eelshadow looked away, eyes flat and blank.

"I… Yes," Stonepelt murmured, his voice pained. "We found his body washed up farther downstream. There's no doubt that he drowned when he lead the dogs off the riverbank." Stonepelt's gaze flickered to her face, his expression mixed. "You are leader of ThunderClan now."

At his words, Icefang felt Eelshadow's eyes suddenly alight on her pelt, burning. She ignored it, but her skin crawled. Something was very wrong, but she didn't want to admit it to herself. Eelshadow had seemed so perfect. Almost a savior, of sorts.

"I can't believe it. I never thought it would happen so soon," whimpered Icefang, hanging her head. Her ears were flat against her skull, and her tail drooped between her legs. When she lifted her head, Stonepelt's shoulders were shaking.

"Is anyone hurt?" Icefang asked after a moment. Slowly, the gray tom lifted his head. He stared at her vaguely for a second, then blinked and shook his head. "No. The ThunderClan warriors are fine."

"What about Swiftfoot?" Icefang questioned, remembering. He hadn't been where he was supposed to be, waiting for her by the gorge. Had he been wounded, or even killed?

Stonepelt frowned. "I think he's fine. I haven't heard anything."

Nodding to herself, Icefang's gaze wandered to Eelshadow's face. His expression had changed, slightly. He looked almost – annoyed. That couldn't be right. His eyes met hers, and his lips curved into a smile before she could study it further. She smiled hesitantly back. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Stonepelt look between them warily. With a sigh, Icefang looked away.

"We should get back to camp," she meowed, stretching her stiff muscles. The cold was slowly being chased from her bones, but it felt like it would be ages before she was really warm again. "Is everyone here?"

Stonepelt nodded. "They're meeting by the border. The WindClan warriors have already left for their camp. It looks like they'll be needing a few moons to recover, and Floodstar has agreed to leave them in peace until the next Gathering. I suggest we do so as well. Toadstar still hasn't showed his treacherous face. I almost wish we'd led the dogs straight into ShadowClan territory to give those yellow-bellied cowards a good wake-up call." His lips curled into a snarl.

Icefang turned to lead the small group away, nodding to Eelshadow as he melted into the undergrowth, presumably to join his own Clan. She was amused by how Stonepelt had already seemed to step into the role of deputy, giving her suggestions as though it was his right. As soon as her thoughts turned in the direction of the future, Icefang couldn't help but allow herself a few moments to gloat. Things hadn't worked out quite as she'd planned, but in the end, no one was harmed but herself. That was the way it should be: she could endure anything if it meant her Clan's survival. Cinderstar's… acceptance of her actions had put a dent in the whole affair, but she convinced herself that it didn't matter. After all, his body had washed up downstream. Her tail twitched excitedly.

They reached the border quickly, to find the rest of the patrol gathered around a thorn bush. Whitefoot, Ashfoot, Yellowpaw and Redpaw, all looking a little worse for the wear but mostly unharmed. Redpaw had a dark scab over her eye, and Ashfoot appeared to be limping slightly, but in general Icefang was relieved. Things could have gone much worse. Her whiskers quivered with concealed delight. Everything really turned out for the best, she thought happily. Except for Eelshadow. That was still… wrong.

A quiet cough sounded by her shoulder. Icefang blinked and looked down. Stonepelt was staring at her, and as she looked around she realized everyone was watching her expectantly.

"Er, I'm sorry," she said quickly, shaking her pelt to cover up her embarrassment. "It's so good to see you all," she purred, trying to really make it heartfelt. Redpaw's face lit up, twisting her wound into an ugly shape. "The night's events have been tragic indeed, but I hope that, after all of the terrible things ThunderClan has endured these last few seasons, we can recover and stay strong."

"Is it true that Cinderstar drowned?" Whitefoot meowed quietly, her eyes dull.

Icefang hesitated, acting like emotion had seized her for a moment, before swallowing and meowing in a hoarse murmur, "Yes. I am leader of ThunderClan now." She tried to force all of the annoyance she felt about Eelshadow into that phrase, trying to make herself sound truly sorry, and she felt satisfied that Whitefoot seemed fooled. There was no way these idiots could see through her lies. At this moment, Icefang felt like nothing could touch her.

They slowly made their way back to camp, whispering to each other, but every word that broke the silence sounded far louder and heavier than before. The squelch of the melting snow and mud beneath Icefang's paws was absurdly discordant, jarring her thoughts. She just wanted to reach the camp and fall into her soft nest to sleep for moons, but she knew this could not be. If the Clan's morale was to be preserved in any way, she still had many things yet to finish.