Chapter Twenty

Teleporting from place to place wasn't something Otterpaw experienced often. She felt a strange sensation rush through her when Hazelpaw touched her. Fadepaw had to cling on for dear life while the three of them were whisked away from the safety of the mountains. It wasn't long before they reached their destination: The lake.

Yet the moment Otterpaw opened her eyes she found something wasn't right. Her gaze traveled across the open land to see huge black and white creatures munching away on grass. Otterpaw narrowed her eyes when she realized where they were.

"Why are we at the Twoleg farm?" she demanded, turning to Hazelpaw. Hazelpaw bowed her head, her once silver eyes now turning back to blue. That was new. Otterpaw blinked when she realized that Hazelpaw's eyes changed color every time she used her power.

"Because it is safer for me," Hazelpaw explained, bowing her head. "I know that I would be killed if I returned to the Clans. Harefoot hates me; I'm responsible for my mother's death."

Pity swelled within Otterpaw. It wasn't Hazelpaw's fault that her mother had died. Harefoot must have filled her head with lies out of spite. If she could she would try and convince Hazelpaw otherwise, but it looked as though her mind was already made up.

Otterpaw surprised herself by touching Hazelpaw's forehead with her muzzle. The silver tabby flinched at the contact, but she didn't run.

"Take care of yourself; we'll be back by tonight," she promised. Hazelpaw blinked at her before nodding.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Fadepaw offered as they left the field. Those huge black and white creatures were far enough away that they didn't pose a threat. But Otterpaw kept her distance nonetheless. She did not want to get trampled by them.

"I'll be fine," Otterpaw replied with a shake of her head. "All I'm doing is going to the lake, and I might check on my Clan."

Fadepaw watched her curiously as she trotted away towards the lake. Otterpaw was more than ready to see her old home. She longed to feel the reeds brushing against her fur, and see her Clanmates swimming in the water. The feeling of seeing them again was almost overwhelming.

She held her chin high though. She weaved through the undergrowth until she found herself standing in front of the moor. From here she could see WindClan territory stretching before her. The pungent odor that filled her lungs made her chest ache. WindClan always had an unusual scent that reminded her of where they lived.

If she was caught by a patrol here they would likely kill her on the spot. Otterpaw decided to stick to the safe side of the border that lined the lake, just a few fox-lengths from the moor. Even with the protected border it was still likely she could be caught and captured. Or worse.

Once she had reached the shoreline she jumped into the cool water, letting it seep between her fur. Otterpaw felt safer here in the water. No cat could reach her here, not unless they were ready for a swim. She knew that WindClan hated getting wet. They were one of the many who hated water more than anything.

She took advantage of her freedom by twirling through the water. Silver and black fish swam past her, startled by her sudden intrusion. They were clearly not expecting a cat to appear in the lake. Amusement coursed through her at the thought.

"Hey, wait!" she laughed when a larger brown fish shot past her. It's mouth was gaping open, and it had long whiskers hanging down it. Otterpaw remembered hearing stories about catfish swallowing a cat whole. Such a thing had never been witnessed before in her lifetime, but the rumors made her way of them. Still, she couldn't resist seeing if it was true.

Otterpaw swam a little closer and gasped when it's mouth opened in a gaping 'o' shape. She staggered backwards until the catfish was far enough away to leave her there. There was no way in StarClan she would want to face those creatures alone.

It's a good thing they can't breathe on land, she thought happily. Her Clan was safe from catfish for now.

She stopped when she saw something in the gloom. Narrowing her eyes, Otterpaw swam closer to the object and realized that it was another cave. This one had an entrance similar to the one in the mountains. Hope filled her heart as she swam through the opening.

Sure enough there was a large cave inside, broad walls surrounding her. Only this one was completely filled with water. She tilted her head to one side and had to strain through the darkness just to see what was written on the cave. Like the one in the mountains, this cave had detailed drawlings that made Otterpaw realize they might be connected with the Tribe of Rushing Water somehow.

"Why would StarClan place two caves with different drawings though?" she asked to no one in particular.

Otterpaw's eyes widened with interest when she saw that there were four strange markings on the bottom of the cave wall. And four markings on the top of the cave wall. It took her a few heartbeats to realize that the markings represented the eight apprentices that were cast out of the Clans.

What did the drawings mean though? What was the reason behind them? Otterpaw shook her head in confusion. Then she suddenly remembered what Nightpaw had said. Only four would survive, but he hadn't made it clear when that would happen.

"If only things were easier, than maybe we could figure out what was going on," she murmured, feeling more confused than ever. She was afraid of what the future had in store for them. If anyone hurt the others she might never forgive herself. But if anything happened to her Clanmates the same would happen.

...

Amusement coursed through Frost as she watched the two cats fighting one another. The rogues were fighting one another for the sport of it. Some of them were left for dead. Others were given a high ranking status among her army.

"Don't fight with your claws sheathed, mousebrain!" The ginger and white tom had been holding back. His ear was badly torn, and he had several scars on his muzzle.

Frost narrowed her eyes when she saw Fish, the silver and black tom, dodge the attack Speck was ready to use. The two toms were constantly at each others throats. Fish was desperate to prove himself, while Speck had an attitude that reminded her of a fox.

Fish was ready to attack when something knocked him to the ground. Frost rolled her eyes in annoyance as Fish landed on his paws once more. What sort of mousebrain stopped them in the middle of a fight?

She suddenly got to her paws and slammed them to the ground, allowing the ice to stretch as far as where Fish had landed. Immediately he rolled to his paws once more just as another shape slipped on the path of ice.

"And just who might this intruder be?" Immediately Hawk and Russet were on the intruder before he could scramble back to his paws. Fish struggled to his paws while Speck was mrrowing with laughter. Frost simply rolled her eyes and padded forward until she was standing between them.

"Breezepaw." Frost spat the name as Breezepaw finally got to his paws. Russet, a dark ginger she-cat with piercing green eyes took a step forward and snarled at him. Hawk was a light brown tabby and had joined the group only recently. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"I was about to ask you the same thing, Hail—" She cut him off by lunging at him. No cat said a thing as Frost dug her claws into Breezepaw's chest, ignoring the yowl of pain that followed.

"Do. Not. Call me that!" she snapped, her voice rising to a yowl. "I go by Frost now."

"Frost?" Breezepaw's eyes lit up with confusion. "W-What are you doing here? Why are you here? Why are these rogues here?"

Frost flicked her tail towards Russet. The she-cat was one of her top fighters. Russet had survived in every fight that Frost could throw at her. And to top it off she was loyal. She had seen what Frost was capable of and looked up to her. The group of rogues split up and left them alone. Frost than chose to lead Breezepaw further away from them into the cave that she slept in. The last thing she wanted was anyone eavesdropping.

"You've got ten heartbeats to explain why you're here, foxheart." Frost suddenly turned on Breezepaw once they were alone and inside the cave. His eyes widened before he quickly dipped his head and tried to say something.

"I-I ran away from the group," he explained as quickly as he could. "Those cowards want to return to the Clans all because of some 'vision' Nightpaw had. I want nothing to do with them, not after what they did to Hazelpaw and me."

A light gleamed in Frost's eyes. They were going back? That meant she had a chance to take over the Clans in a fair fight. She smirked in triumph at the thought. The Clans deserved to fall, one by one for what they did to her. The others were just a pawn in her plan, including these rogues.

"Well than, perhaps we can work together," she purred silkily. Breezepaw jumped at her sudden change in tactics. His eyes narrowed in confusion for a moment, and it looked as though he was actually afraid of her.

Good. Fear gives me control over him, she thought. Fear makes him weak.

"I-Are you sure that's a good idea?" he stammered. "I barely know you; you're just another enemy to the Clans and to me."

"Oh, I'm the enemy?" She rolled her eyes once again. "Who decided to cast us out like fish in the water? Who thought it would be a good idea to kill us all?" Her claws sheathed and unsheathed with anger as she thought of everything the Clans had put them through.

Breezepaw's eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he looked down at the ground. Frost knew full well that she had him. His mind was weak just like the rest of his Clan.

"You're right," he growled, suddenly looking up with anger in his eyes. "Because of the Clan, Hazelpaw's ready to give up on her life. I could lose the only friend I truly cared about because of them. And they deserve to suffer for what they did."

Pride swelled within Frost when he said that. Yes, she was not the only one who had suffered because of the Clans. It gave her the perfect opportunity to take down the Clans once and for all. And this time they would all suffer for what they had done.

"You'll need a new name," she meowed. Breezepaw looked at her in surprise. "Something that matches your personality. After all these rogues would kill you on the spot if they knew you were from the Clans."

She watched on in amusement once more as Breezepaw's eyes narrowed once again. Clearly he wasn't expecting to have his name changed. But she was right. Most of the rogues in her group hated the Clans and what they had done to them. Any cat spotted on the edge of Clan territory was chased or left with nasty wounds. Some of them barely managed to survive during leafbare.

"I suppose that will have to happen," he murmured after giving it some thought. "What sort of name would you recommend?"

"Something obvious that matches your name," she replied. "How about Breeze." She didn't miss the look of annoyance flashing in his eyes. Frost would have suddenly burst out with laughter at the sight if it wasn't for the situation.

"What sort of stupid name is that?" he demanded, his voice cold.

"The kind that could safe your life," she snapped. "Would you rather me allow those rogues to kill you?" Breezepaw flinched and dipped his head once again.

"Alright, I'll go by Breeze from now on," he murmured.

Frost smirked as he stood up and locked eyes with her. Any other cat would feel the sting of her claws if they stared at her like that. For now she would let him live. Until that moment arrived, she would keep him closely guarded by Russet. That she-cat had a meow that was bigger than her bite. She could easily keep Breeze in line.

AN: So here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoyed it :D

Blue1272000 - Hehe, it's always more fun spying on the Clans. Though sadly Fadepaw's chapter won't be coming for a whole other chapter, so... yeah XD But everyone will get to see how the Clans are doing nonetheless.

Moonstorm123 - Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying this story so much! And that's why I like the two so much, Breezepaw's definitely got a lot of characterization to go through along with Hazelpaw :) And I hope this chapter was satisfying enough, she's always fun to write about :D