Read the chapter first. If you want to, you can read what I have to say afterwards.
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It was morning, and Icestar tasted newleaf in the air. She could practically feel the seasons changing beneath her paws. What had been hard, frosty ground was now fresh springy earth, interspersed with green shoots and small, pale flowers. Birds moved from branch to branch in the heights of the oak trees, chattering to one another, keeping a watchful eye on the predators lurking below.
"There's no way this is possible," Rosepaw complained, gazing mournfully at the trunk of a tall pine.
"It's all about determination," Icestar explained once again. "If you convince yourself that it's possible to climb this tree, then it's possible. I picked one with low branches – it should be easy for you."
Rosepaw rolled her eyes and flicked her tail in annoyance. Her beautiful pelt was ruffled from sleep, and there was a slightly glazed look in her eye as if she wasn't fully conscious yet.
"Here, watch me," Icestar directed. She backed away from the tree, unsheathing her claws and flexing the muscles of her legs in anticipation. She crouched close to the ground, digging her claws into the loam. Then she launched herself forward and took a flying leap at the tree. When she felt her paws scrape its surface she clenched her claws and began to climb, keeping her eyes focused on the branch that loomed overhead. Within seconds she had scaled the trunk and was seated primly on the overhanging bough, her tail hanging down above Rosepaw's ears, twitching.
"Well you make it look so easy," moaned the apprentice, but she turned and took a few steps away from the tree as Icestar had done.
It took the better part of the morning before Rosepaw was able to clamber up the trunk and join Icestar on the tree branch. One of her claws was strained and her pads were scraped where she had kicked at the rough bark, but Icestar felt no sympathy. This was how Stonepelt had taught her to climb trees, and now she was an expert, so she expected the same tactics to work for Rosepaw as well. The young she-cat had gotten off fairly well, as far as Icestar was concerned. During her training the white she-cat had torn off an entire claw. That toe was still sore sometimes, after a long day.
"Are we done now?" panted Rosepaw after she had settled down at Icestar's side on the branch.
"Of course not. We've only just begun."
"Whaat?" wailed the apprentice, throwing back her head and groaning. "I could sleep for a moon."
"We're going back to camp and joining a patrol, so stop your chirping," Icestar reprimanded lightheartedly. "You're going to have get used to working this hard, now that you're an apprentice."
"I'll never get used to it if I can't sleep." Rosepaw scowled at the forest floor and scratched at a patch of mud.
After they returned to camp Icestar sent her apprentice out with Yellowstripe's patrol and retired to the leaders' den beneath the Highrock. The cool shadows behind the lichen curtain were a welcoming respite from the bright newleaf sun, and Icestar sank into her bed with a grateful sigh. It would be a few moments at least before someone came looking for her with some problem or another that needed addressing. With the beginning of new leaf came a storm of activity, and Icestar could hear the sounds of cats padding busily back and forth across the camp.
She closed her eyes and used these precious seconds of privacy to turn her mind to more delicate matters of her own. Tonight was the first Gathering since her escapade with Eagleclaw. The last powerful storm of leafbare had prevented the previous Gathering, a blessing from StarClan. Rosepaw and Tawnypaw had been apprentices for a few moons now, though, and it was likely that they expected to be invited to tonight's Gathering, but Icestar still felt a pang of unease at the thought of bringing them along.
The two kits looked measurably different from when they had first come to ThunderClan. They had grown; their pelts had darkened and taken on a luster uncharacteristic of dull ShadowClan fur. To any other cats they would look like normal ThunderClan apprentices, but Icestar knew that the kits' mothers might recognize them. There was a chance that they wouldn't be seen, or that the queens wouldn't be there. The kits' mother had obviously been ill when Icestar had invaded the ShadowClan camp, but by now she would have had time to recover. It was too much to hope that she had died.
"I can't bring them," she murmured to herself, slowly opening her eyes to the dimly lit cavern. "That much is for certain, at least this time. But what about the next Gathering? I can't keep Rosepaw and Tawnypaw in camp forever without someone growing suspicious, or without limiting their growth as warriors." She furrowed her brow, tail twitching.
"Er…Icestar?"
Icestar blinked and lifted her face towards the tunnel opening. Owlheart had poked his head through the lichen and was staring at her sheepishly.
"Yes?" she meowed, a little bit perturbed that she had been interrupted so soon, but keeping her annoyance to herself.
Owlheart shuffled his paws nervously. He was a new warrior and still slightly uncomfortable with his duties.
"Stonepelt asked me to call you. Something about sunhigh patrol." He shrugged, and ducked out of the den mouth.
Reluctantly Icestar got to her paws and loped out of the den into the bright sunlight. She brushed past Sparrowtail on her way to the medicine clearing and nodded a hello, making her way across the camp towards the freshkill pile. Stonepelt sat there with his tail crossed over his paws, watching her with a stern blue stare.
"You have a report, then?" Icestar meowed, briefly touching her nose to his and then sitting beside him. Dappletail bounded forward, grabbed a mouse form the freshkill pile, dipped her head to Icestar and then scampered away.
"We found traces of WindClan scent on our side of the border, near Fourtrees," said Stonepelt in a grave voice, leaning close to Icestar. His brow was furrowed in concern. "It's possible that they were chasing prey in our territory."
Icestar's pelt prickled, but her expression remained unchanged. "Interesting. Thank you for reporting." She made a move to return to her den, but Stonepelt flicked his tail against her shoulder and continued.
"Icestar, they may have been stealing ThunderClan prey! Shouldn't we investigate?" hissed the gray tom, trying to keep his voice out of earshot of the young warriors sharing freshkill nearby.
"Do you really think it's necessary?" mewed Icestar with a tilt of her head. "I think it would be best to wait and see if it happens again. It could have been a mistake. Our Clan is thriving. We have no lack of prey." Icestar moved away from him, but once again Stonepelt rushed to cut her off.
Before he even had a chance to speak again, Icestar lowered her head, flattened her ears against her skull, and stared sharply into Stonepelt's eyes. He opened his mouth to meow but hesitated. Icestar lashed her tail.
"Do not question me," she said coldly. "If this happens again, tell me. If not, never bother me with information like this again. I am not the leader of a Clan of fools, am I, Stonepelt?"
Stonepelt shook his head and looked away, clenching his jaw. Icestar brushed past him without another word. She did not need Stonepelt breathing down her neck any more than he already did. And she did not need any cat sticking their noses where they did not belong.
Icestar checked in on the sleeping cats in the warriors' den and then poked her nose into the nursery. It felt unnaturally empty now that Rosepaw and Tawnypaw and their adopted siblings had moved into the apprentices' den.
Only old Specklefoot was in the nursery now. Her belly was slightly rounded and she lay with her paws on her nose, her muzzle beginning to gray with age.
"Icestar!" she called affectionately as Icestar stepped into the cozy shelter.
"How are you, Specklefoot?" asked Icestar padding forward to nuzzle the old queen behind the ear.
"The same as ever, I suppose," said the she-cat with a shrug. "Just sitting here. Little Patchpaw was in earlier with some freshkill and moss. It's amazing how times change, you know. It seems like just a few short moons ago it was you and young Robinwing popping in and out all day with bright eyes and waving tails." The old queen chuckled to herself.
"Sometimes I think it was yesterday too," said Icestar with a smile. "It does seem strange how quickly the moons go by. But you don't look a day older, Specklefoot!" Icestar added with a laugh.
Specklefoot looked sheepishly at the ground, and then breathed a heavy sigh. "I'm certain this will be my last litter. I'm far too old to have kits running about my feet any more."
Icestar flicked her tail over Specklefoot's ear and turned to leave. She meowed over her shoulder, "You've raised many great warriors, Specklefoot. Any kits of yours are a blessing from StarClan."
By the time night had fallen and the moon was nearing its zenith in the star-speckled sky, Icestar's paws were itching to be on their way. The Clan had gathered for nightfall and most cats were retreating to their dens to catch up on some sleep while their friends attended the Gathering.
Icestar climbed to the top of the Highrock and waited for those who were still padding about to gather at her feet. She watched the warriors trickle in with a calculating stare, measuring the strength of their pawsteps, the smoothness of their muscles beneath their sleek fur. ThunderClan was growing strong again after their eventful past few seasons. The hardships they had faced seemed to be fading away, washed into memory by the swift, cold streams of newleaf. Everywhere there were signs that ThunderClan was thriving. The freshkill pile was full. The leaves of the camp wall were full and green, shielding the clearing from prying eyes. The trees overhead were thick with new growth. The ThunderClan warriors looked well fed and alert. They sat straight and tall, waiting for her to speak.
"Tonight we attend the Gathering. Last half-moon the winds blew against us, but tonight they whisper in our favor," purred Icestar, feeling the energy of the night thrilling in her veins. "Keep your eyes sharp, your ears pricked, and your tongue careful."
The warriors gathered beneath her stirred in anticipation. Icestar's gaze passed over Rosepaw and Tawnypaw, their pelts freshly groomed and glistening, hopeful that this night they would attend their first Gathering. Icestar felt a brief twinge of regret that she could not fulfill their hopes – very brief. She would not risk the Clan's safety for their sake.
"Tonight, Thrushwing, Patchpaw, Whitefoot, Smallpaw, Stonepelt, Ashfoot, Owlheart and Redwhisker will accompany me to the Gathering. I leave the safety of the camp in the paws of those who stay behind," Icestar added, hoping it might placate Rosepaw and Tawnypaw. She did allow her eyes to linger over their crestfallen faces. She leapt down from the Highrock and strode purposefully to the tunnel mouth. Those that she had called followed dutifully after her, keeping their pawsteps silent as they streamed through the tunnel and out into the forest.
When they reached Fourtrees, WindClan and ShadowClan had already arrived. The two Clans were mingling in the hollow, swapping battle stories. Icestar led her Clan into the clearing, calling a greeting to Guststar and Toadstar. The skinny gray leader of ShadowClan turned away from her as she descended the slope of the hollow, but Guststar dipped her head in greeting.
"Icestar," she meowed. "It's been a while. Thank StarClan the weather was favorable tonight."
"This newleaf is a certainly a blessing from our ancestors," meowed the white she-cat with a good-natured nod. "I'm glad I can finally cross my territory without soaking my paws in snow!"
It was only another moment before RiverClan arrived at the lip of the hollow. Floodstar's distinctive silky pelt wove through the crowd as he made his way toward the leaders.
"I hope I am not too tardy," he meowed placidly. "The river is high, and we must be more cautious when crossing of late."
The other leaders nodded in acknowledgment and then scrambled one after another onto the Great Rock. Guststar yowled for the attention of the cats milling about in the hollow, and soon all eyes were turned towards the leaders standing together on the edge of the huge stone.
"This newleaf promises to be a prosperous one for WindClan," Guststar announced. "Tornpaw and Mudpaw have received their apprentice names!" Two WindClan apprentices stood and grinned as their Clan cheered for them. "Bluewhisker had given birth to a litter of two healthy kits, who promise to become fine warriors of WindClan!" A few more cheers arose from the WindClan warriors. "The prey runs very well on the moors. We have had no further trouble from the Twolegs or their dogs. My Clan prospers." Guststar sent a stern look in the direction of Toadstar, but the ShadowClan leader lifted his chin and pretended not to have seen.
Floodstar stepped forward second. "RiverClan too prospers, though we have endured a recent tragedy. The river climbs its banks – it swells with the melting snow of leafbare. I caution any cat who approaches it not to test the river's edge. We lost our apprentice, Milkpaw, to the torrent not two days past." A moan of distress arose from the RiverClan cats, who looked somewhat subdued. Some murmurs of sympathy followed, and Icestar dipped her head to Floodstar with a sorrowful blink. The black tom nodded his thanks. "Milkpaw will be greatly missed. Other than this event, RiverClan has been thriving as well."
Floodstar stepped back and Icestar padded forward to take his place.
"Like WindClan, and RiverClan, ThunderClan flourishes this newleaf. We have recently named many new apprentices. Smallpaw and Patchpaw are here tonight." Icestar nodded to the two apprentices, who stood and listened to their names being cheered with embarrassed smiles. "The prey is plentiful in the forest. The stars smile on ThunderClan."
Icestar backed away. Toadstar shoved past her roughly, nearly sending the white she-cat toppling off the Great Rock, but she held her footing and made no sound.
"Unlike the rest of you," sneered the gray tom, lashing his tail. "StarClan has not been kind to my Clan recently. Morningcloud died of a fever one quartermoon ago." His whiskers twitched in distaste, as though remembering something unpleasant. Icestar noticed many downcast stares among the ShadowClan warriors, whose dull pelts were looking unkempt and grime-streaked. The warriors did not meet the eyes of their leader, but he seemed somehow oblivious and continued on in a cold tone. "Falconclaw was hit by a monster on the Thunderpath and is unable to walk. An apprentice brought back crowfood that infected our freshkill pile and caused Snowpaw to become very ill. She is still recovering, and may yet succumb."
Icestar could not help but shiver at the indifferent way Toadstar spoke of the horrors that had befallen his Clan. It was almost as if he didn't notice that his words were further condemning his own Clan. An opportunistic neighbor like WindClan might find these tragedies the perfect distraction to invade ShadowClan and teach them a lesson. Icestar almost felt tempted to do so herself, if anything just to knock sense into Toadstar.
Her thoughts were cut short as the gray tom suddenly turned and met her gaze directly. His eyes were narrowed and his lips slowly curled back to reveal yellowed fangs.
"And worst of all," he hissed furiously, "there is a kit-stealer on the loose."
Icestar stared calmly back at him. Her heart did not even miss a beat. Her carefully crafted facial expression did not falter even for an instant. Her eyes widened, her ears flattened against her skull, and her pelt puffed out to twice its usual size. Amidst cries of outrage from the cats gathered in the hollow beneath them, Icestar stalked forward, claws unsheathed, to press her face close to Toadstar's sneer.
"How dare you?" she growled, fighting to control the urge to lunge forward and tear at Toadstar's ugly visage. "How- how- how can I even dignify such an accusation with a response?"
Toadstar seemed to hesitate, wondering if his words had been wise. Out of the corner of her eye Icestar marked the expressions of Floodstar and Guststar. Both leaders looked utterly shocked by Toadstar's claim. Floodstar looked almost worried, as though he wondered if Toadstar had finally lost his mind.
"How dare you, Toadstar?" yowled Whitefoot, fairly spitting with rage. "You speak nothing but lies!"
Similar cries of outrage arose from ThunderClan, WindClan, and RiverClan warriors throughout the hollow. Only the ShadowClan warriors remained silent. They did not raise their voices in support of Toadstar. They merely glanced at the ground, huddling close to one another and looking about nervously.
"It's true! Icestar stole Morningcloud's kits!" snapped Toadstar. He took a step away from Icestar but began to slip off the edge of the Great Rock and was forced to crouch lower towards the stone as Icestar pressed her fangs even nearer to his face.
"I have never been so disgusted in my entire life," Icestar hissed. "The fact that you would even fabricate such a lie offends me. Are you so threatened by ThunderClan that you must resort to accusing us of kit-stealing? It's more likely that a fox strode through your camp and snatched the kits right out from under their mother's nose!"
Floodstar came forward, extending a paw between Icestar and Toadstar and gently maneuvering between the two outraged leaders. "Toadstar," he meowed to the gray leader. "What evidence do you have for this accusation? If you truly believe that Icestar stole kits from your Clan, then you must present evidence here and now or rescind your claim. Icestar deserves to know why she is being accused of so grave a crime."
The howls in the clearing died down in response to Floodstar's voice, ever calm and logical. Toadstar picked himself up from the Great Rock and gave his ruffled chest fur a few quick licks before responding. "One of my clan saw her. She swore before StarClan." Toadstar leaned over the edge of the Great Rock and indicated one of the ShadowClan warriors with a flick of his tail. A small tabby she-cat with amber eyes raised her head to Toadstar. Her expression suggested that she had seen the ghost of a StarClan warrior. Her eyes were wide, her pupils huge, and her ears were laid back in fear.
"Speak up, Dawnpaw. What did you see? Remember what you told me?" urged Toadstar.
"An apprentice!" spat a RiverClan warrior. "You expect us to listen to the words of an apprentice?"
Dawnpaw looked mortified. She attempted to sink down to the ground but straightened with a sharp hiss from Toadstar.
"Tell them, Dawnpaw! Tell them what you saw!"
The apprentice trembled. Her whiskers quivered. The fur on her spine was raised. Toadstar raised a paw as if to slash at her from the Great Rock, but in a flash a brown tabby warrior came to stand in front of the tabby she-cat, presenting a sold wall of muscle between Toadstar and the frightened apprentice.
"She can't speak, Toadstar," growled the tabby warrior in a low voice. "She's frightened." Icestar recognized Raggedpelt, and she allowed herself a private moment of triumph. I chose well, she congratulated herself. This warrior is no mousebrain.
Toadstar spluttered in horror. "Raggedpelt? What are you doing? Get out of the way!"
Raggedpelt did not move. Toadstar began to shake with wrath. "I said get out of the way!" hissed the leader, his entire body wracked by shivers of anger. "Dawnpaw must speak!"
There was a long and heavy silence in the hollow. Every cat seemed to be holding his or her breath. Never before had a leader made such outrageous accusations without evidence. Never before had a leader threatened one of his own apprentices in the middle of the Gathering. And never before had a mere warrior defied his own leader underneath the watchful stars of Silverpelt.
"Dawnpaw will not lie before the ears and eyes of StarClan," said Raggedpelt slowly. "Not even for you, Toadstar." His words rang clear across the clearing, strong and definitive.
That was all Toadstar needed to hear. With a feral shriek of rage he launched from the Great Rock and collided head-on with Raggedpelt. The two cats tumbled head over heels through the crowd, knocking down anyone in their way. It was only a few more seconds before chaos erupted in the clearing. ShadowClan warriors leapt forward to drag their clanmates apart, but Toadstar was beyond consolation. He lashed out at any cat who came near, clipping the nose of a WindClan queen, who howled in anger and retaliated. Fighting broke out among all three Clans. Horrified, Icestar scrambled down from the Great Rock. She did not want any of her warriors to be caught in the fray and injured.
"Patchpaw!" she called. The black and white apprentice came running, with Thrushwing by his side. "Get everyone together and lead them home immediately," Icestar murmured quickly to Thrushwing. The deputy nodded firmly and turned tail to take control of the Clan. Icestar dragged a ShadowClan apprentice off of Owlheart and sent the warrior running to collect his clanmates.
In the heart of the fight, ShadowClan cats were attacking anyone who moved close. They looked frightened, wild, strained by days of hardship. Icestar almost pitied them. Then she felt the brush of Redwhiskers pelt against her own, and she could not help but grin. Together the two she-cats dove into the mass of writhing cats. Icestar knocked away clawed paws and pushed further into the center of the crowd, making for a single target. Redwhisker moved fluidly beside her, pushing away any cats who moved to attack.
Before she reached her goal, Icestar caught a glimpse of a dark shape moving in her peripheral vision. Hissing quietly to herself, the white she-cat turned to Redwhisker.
"I leave this in your paws," she murmured. The ginger-streaked she-cat nodded and slipped away. Icestar turned back from the fighting and followed the shadow as it skirted around the edge of the crowd.
"Keeping your paws clean?" growled Icestar, unsheathing her claws and matching her step to Eelshadow's. He glanced sideways at her and paused, his tail twitching. A WindClan apprentice limped past them, nursing his wounded forepaw. Eelshadow watched the young cat pass with a disdainful glance.
"What a mess," he purred, his ears swiveling back and forth. His lip curled, first into a sneer and then slowly into a dry smile. "I almost wish I'd stayed home."
"Don't make me laugh," murmured Icestar, flexing her sharp claws against the dry earth. "This is your element. Chaos suits you like the river suits a fish. Or the shadows a fisher." Icestar narrowed her eyes and padded a few steps ahead of him. Her words were almost drowned out by the screeches of fighting cats, but she knew from the perturbed look on Eelshadow's face that he had heard her.
"Do you know what you're doing, Icestar?" Eelshadow muttered, his smile fading. "You're right, I do like to keep my paws clean. I'm afraid they're being sullied unnecessarily tonight. And what about your paws? Are they always that immaculately white, eh?"
Icestar did not have to answer. A wail of surprise and anguish rose from the mass of tangled warriors. In an instant the fighting stopped. Cats back away, forming a ring around a fallen warrior. Icestar turned quickly away from Eelshadow and darted towards the center of the circle.
A cat lay dying there. Its blood formed a pool in the dusty earth.
"Who did this? What cat is responsible for this?" cried a horrified ShadowClan warrior. But no one answered. Every cat's paws were stained with blood. The culprit was invisible among the many guilty of fighting. No one had seen the killing blow.
Raggedpelt stepped forward out of the circle of appalled cats. His head was bowed, his whiskers drooping. "It doesn't matter," he meowed sorrowfully. "Tonight, every warrior of every Clan is responsible for this tragedy." For once, no grumbles of resentment followed his words. Every cat knew it was true.
"Fighting under the truce of a Gathering?" Raggedpelt meowed, seeming to demand an answer from his clanmates. No one spoke. The silence betrayed their shame. Raggedpelt lifted his head towards the night sky, and the other cats followed suit. "Look," he ordered them. "The stars are obscured. StarClan scolds us. Tonight, they turn their backs on us. The Gathering is ended in tragedy. Tonight, the blood of this fallen warrior clings to all of our paws."
Toadstar shouldered his way suddenly into the center of the clearing. One of his ears was badly torn, and a long gash along his shoulder still trickled dark blood. The leader peered down at his fallen clanmate and shivered.
"Seedfur," he meowed, his voice hollow and small. He nosed the dead warrior futilely, and then backed away in horror. "ShadowClan's deputy is dead," he murmured, loud enough for the ears of the other cats gathered about Seedfur's cold body. "Dead! StarClan has forsaken us!"
"No!" growled Raggedpelt sharply, turning to snap at Toadstar. The gray tom jumped in surprise, cowering before Raggedpelt's fierce stare. "You are wrong. StarClan has not forsaken us. Look at the sky, Toadstar. Yes, the sky is dark. The stars have disappeared. But StarClan spurns us for a reason. Tonight, innocent blood was spilled. Our warrior ancestors have a right to be ashamed. We all do. If StarClan had watched us this night with no response, then, only then, would I have believed our Clan forsaken."
Toadstar seemed stunned. He stared at Raggedpelt, his eyes glassy. One by one, the other warriors of ShadowClan gathered around their leader and Raggedpelt, all of them bloodied, all of them looking ghostly and exhausted.
Raggedpelt turned to the stiff body of Seedfur. With a stony expression he padded forward and lay down by the dead she-cat's side, curling his tail around his paws.
"Tonight," he meowed, "ShadowClan will sit vigil for our fallen deputy here at Fourtrees. I ask that the other Clans leave us in peace for the night. We will bear the body back to our territory for burial at dawn, but for now we ask to be forgiven this trespass. We at least owe Seedfur, and StarClan, a proper vigil."
Toadstar's thin voice raised above the meows of agreement. "ShadowClan must have a deputy."
Silence fell once again. Icestar watched Raggedpelt's face carefully. It was well composed. He was clever. She lashed her tail in delight.
"I say these words before the body of Seedfur, and hope that my warrior ancestors in StarClan may hear them and approve my choice," murmured Toadstar, standing, quivering, over the body of his former deputy. "Raggedpelt will be the new deputy of ShadowClan."
There were a few half-hearted cheers from ShadowClan warriors. Raggedpelt nodded slowly, but his eyes were sad. "I accept my responsibilities with a heavy heart," murmured the tabby tom. He hung his head.
Icestar had seen enough. She turned away from the mournful spectacle. Redwhisker fell in quickly beside her. The rest of the ThunderClan warriors had followed Thrushwing back to camp already.
"It's a good thing Rosepaw and Tawnypaw didn't come tonight," mewed Redwhisker as she and Icestar made their way out of the hollow and back through the forest to the ThunderClan camp.
"Of course," murmured Icestar.
They paused outside the mouth of the tunnel. Icestar could hear Thrushwing reporting on the events of the Gathering to the cats left at camp. There were meows of outrage at Toadstar's accusation of kit-stealing and cries of surprise when the she-cat described the fighting. Quickly, just like at the Gathering, Icestar's purported crime was forgotten in lieu of the shock of the fight. After Icestar announced the death of Seedfur, she knew the accusations would likely fade into the background.
Icestar turned to Redwhisker, who was listening to the report with a thoughtful look. Her eyes were glowing brightly in the nighttime shadows, and her pelt gleamed subtly. Icestar chanced a look down at her paws. Between the claws of Redwhisker's left forepaw there clung a small, almost invisible tuft of black fur.
Icestar pressed her muzzle briefly against Redwhisker's cheek. "I'm proud of you," the white she-cat purred. Redwhisker's whiskers twitched with happiness. Then the two she-cats turned and slipped through the tunnel entrance, leaving the brambles quivering in their wake.
So basically, if anyone wanted an explanation of why this is the first time I've updated Blind Faith in, like, practically a year, here it is. Namely I've gotten older and busier and I stopped reading Warriors like three years ago so the books seem kind of distant. However, I'm still really fond of Icestar as a character and I did feel bad abandoning her for so long. Therefore, I will try my hardest to finish this story. I'm leaving in two days and I'll be computer-less for a very long while, so you may have to hang tight, but I'll probably try to update again as soon as I can. I'd be really happy to finally finish this story, just as happy as ya'll will be to read the end.
Also, this week is finals week for me, so that makes me busy. And I've been pretty dedicated to watching Doctor Who for the past few weeks, so that also eats up time. All in all it's kind of miraculous that I even got this done. But I did, so voila. I hope you enjoyed it. If you have any comments at all please, please leave them for me. It really helps to hear what people think about the story. Plus, probably the only reason I actually did finally get this out is because Smokefrost has been pestering me. Kudos to you, faithful reader. You can take some credit for this update.
THANKS FOR READING. Really.