The first part of the patrol had little small talk between them as they headed through the snowy woods towards the WindClan border. Awkward silence hung heavily between Pineshade and Frostmask, even while Lizardpaw and Cricketpaw chatted cheerily together. Or, more accurately, Cricketpaw chatted and signed while Lizardpaw responded as silent as usual, but Frostmask could tell from his demeanor that he was happy to be spending time with his old den-mate.
Frostmask found herself chewing the inside of her cheek indecisively as they continued deeper into the woods. How did she even begin the conversation with Pineshade? …Should she just say that she's sorry?
"What can you scent, Cricketpaw?" Pineshade meowed, and Frostmask blinked, pulled out of her thoughts.
Cricketpaw lifted her muzzle obediently to the air. Her eyes were eager at being given her first real apprentice task. But, her excitement seemed to wane as the moments stretched on while she continued to scent the air silently.
"Um… the air smells like mostly snow…" she meowed, her face uncertain. "Cold and icy…"
She shot a hesitant look at Pineshade.
"Am I supposed to be able to scent something else?" Cricketpaw meowed, her expression crestfallen.
Frostmask saw Lizardpaw's paws begin to flash in a response, eager to help her out, but Frostmask shook her head at him quickly, and he paused. This was something Cricketpaw should get to figure out by herself. Frostmask observed Pineshade silently out of the corner of her eye, curious to see how the often hot-tempered warrior would respond to her apprentice. But, Pineshade's expression was all patience for Cricketpaw.
"Snow masks scents, but you should still be able to pick a few others out. Try opening your mouth and drawing the air across your tongue," Pineshade meowed. "Scents are heightened that way."
Cricketpaw nodded and parted her jaws to breathe in the air. Her eyes brightened immediately.
"Cat scent!" she meowed, her tail perking up. "Lots of it… but it smells strange… WindClan?"
Pineshade nodded.
"Very good," she purred, her tail curling up happily for her apprentice. "We're getting close to the WindClan border."
Lizardpaw sniffed the air, his face curious. Frostmask glanced at him, recognizing his expression. He got that look when he caught a faint scent, which Frostmask wasn't able to pick up yet.
Cedarpaw is close by too. Lizardpaw signed.
Frostmask felt the fur down her back ripple slightly with unease. If Cedarpaw was touring the territory nearby, Dampfang would be there too.
The last thing I need is to run into that frog-brain right when I'm trying to fix things with Pineshade!
She gave Lizardpaw a nod of acknowledgement, and then she cast another side-glance at Pineshade to see if she had any reaction to Lizardpaw. But, if Pineshade had seen his signs, she was doing a good job at looking uninterested.
Soon they reached the final line of trees that bordered the moor. Frostmask stared out at the rolling fields, which were now nothing but a sea of white snow, as she half-listened to Pineshade sharing information about WindClan to Cricketpaw a little ways away from her.
Lizardpaw, though, was right at Frostmask's side, but even being so near to her, he was close to invisible in the snowy landscape. Her apprentice attracted her attention with a touch of his tail against her flank.
Dampfang and Cedarpaw approaching. He warned, casting her a glance.
Frostmask's tail twitched. She knew Lizardpaw was aware she wasn't fond of Dampfang. It wasn't something she tried particularly hard to hide. But, if she had to guess though, she didn't think Lizardpaw liked Dampfang very much either, even without her influence. As far as Frostmask could tell, Dampfang never acknowledged Lizardpaw at all… as if he couldn't stand the thought of the existence of a deaf apprentice.
Frostmask's lip curled up slightly at the thought.
Or, maybe it's just me. Maybe it's just because Lizardpaw is my apprentice.
Frostmask shook her head, trying to focus. She pricked her ears, listening for Dampfang's and Cedarpaw's paw-steps, but she didn't hear anything besides the rush of the wind as if the snow was muffling her ears. She opened her mouth to taste the air, and she then managed to catch a whiff of their scents. Frostmask glanced to the side and saw two dark silhouettes cutting through the snow. Unlike camouflaged Lizardpaw, Dampfang's black pelt stood out in the snow like a piece of crowfood in the fresh-kill pile. Cedarpaw's dark tabby pelt didn't fare much better.
Frostmask saw Dampfang's tail lift when he noticed Pineshade and Cricketpaw.
"Pineshade!" he meowed in greeting, padding up to her as Cedarpaw trailed behind him.
Pineshade and Cricketpaw turned to them, and Frostmask's saw Dampfang's gaze slide past Pineshade and meet hers.
"Oh. Why are you here?" Dampfang said, his green eyes immediately going cold.
Frostmask wanted to curl her lip up at him in response, but she resisted for Pineshade's sake.
You're trying to make up with her, remember?
"Frostmask and Lizardpaw are patrolling with us," Pineshade answered for her. "Clearstream doesn't want Cricketpaw doing the full territory, so we're just going down the WindClan border."
"I'll come along with Cedarpaw too," Dampfang said, looking away from Frostmask and back to Pineshade. "I was just about to show him the border."
Frostmask felt hot irritation lick at her pelt.
Dampfang's not a leader or deputy! The nerve of him to just invite himself onto our patrol without even asking.
"Alright," Pineshade responded, even though it was clear from Dampfang's tone that his words were a statement, not a question for permission.
Frostmask snorted derisively to herself, turning her face away from Dampfang, but she didn't say anything to protest.
The now six cat patrol headed down the border with Frostmask and Lizardpaw trailing behind the rest of the group. Frostmask listened sulkily as Dampfang bragged about the amount of territory that he'd already covered with Cedarpaw during their tour.
"We've already gone through the marsh and the Carrionplace," Dampfang was saying. "After this, I'm going to head back towards the ThunderClan border, stopping by the Burnt Sycamore before getting to the thunderpath."
Pineshade was nodding along with him. Dampfang puffed out his chest.
"Cedarpaw was already able to catch a mouse on the way over here," he boasted. "We buried back by the marsh to pick up later."
"Well done," Pineshade said, with a nod to the apprentice.
Frostmask saw Cedarpaw duck his head down shyly at the praise, but his pelt prickled with pride.
"Why don't we have a friendly competition between the apprentices?" Dampfang meowed, his tail twitched with eagerness. "We can see which of them can catch the most prey as we travel down the border."
Pineshade's ears twisted back uncertainly.
"Cricketpaw's still on light duties," she reminded him. "I don't think it's a good idea to push her too hard."
"Alright," Dampfang meowed smoothly. "We can just do Cedarpaw and Lizardpaw then."
Frostmask felt the fur on the back of her neck stand up as Dampfang cast her a glance over his shoulder then, waiting for her response. Frostmask narrowed her eyes at him. She knew his suggestion wasn't a friendly competition, but a thinly veiled attempt to prove that his apprentice was better than Lizardpaw, or to prove that he was a better mentor than Frostmask.
"A competition like that seems hardly fair to Cedarpaw," Frostmask said, her voice cool but polite. "Lizardpaw has been training for a moon now, but it's just Cedarpaw's first day."
"Nonsense," Dampfang scoffed. "Cedarpaw caught a mouse on his first day! He's clearly naturally talented. And, besides, he doesn't have the same… incapacities as Lizardpaw."
Frostmask's pelt started to heat with anger, but she didn't say anything, glancing down at Lizardpaw instead. He was staring at her, clearly waiting for an interpretation. He had missed most of Dampfang's words since Dampfang had been carelessly tossing his words over his shoulder, not bothering to accommodate Lizardpaw at all.
Frostmask signed to Lizardpaw so that Dampfang would have no chance of eavesdropping.
He wants you and Cedarpaw to have a hunting competition, to see who gets the most prey until we reach the end of the WindClan border. You don't have to do it, if you don't want to. There's no reason to play Dampfang's games.
Lizardpaw's blue eyes flickered away from hers and to Dampfang. Her apprentice's chin raised, a stubborn look entering his eyes.
Tell him I'll do it. Lizardpaw signed. But, it's his fault if I hurt Cedarpaw's feelings by crushing him.
Frostmask felt a quiet purr building in her throat.
"Alright. Lizardpaw agrees," Frostmask said, her gaze flickering back to Dampfang's.
She saw Pineshade look back at her uncertainly, clearly realizing that the tension between Frostmask and Dampfang was escalating. But, Pineshade didn't say anything to protest as Dampfang gave a curt nod of agreement.
"Should we start now?" Dampfang meowed.
Frostmask nodded in agreement and flicked her tail at Lizardpaw. In an instant, he silently vanished into the snow like a ghost.
Frostmask had to stop her whiskers from twitching in smug amusement when she saw Dampfang glancing around in confusion, searching for Lizardpaw, only to realize he was already gone.
"After him," Dampfang said, turning to Cedarpaw quickly.
Cedarpaw gazed back at Dampfang for a moment, his expression hesitant.
"Aren't you coming with me?" he meowed.
"No, you'll do it alone," Dampfang said.
Frostmask brow furrowed. Her smug amusement soured as her stomach turned uneasily.
Dampfang wasn't going to keep an eye on his apprentice? Even though it was Cedarpaw's first day outside of camp?
"But, how will I find you afterward?" Cedarpaw protested, his eyes widening. "I haven't been in this part of the territory before."
"Follow your scent trail back," Dampfang huffed.
"But, you're not staying here, right? You'll still be walking?" Cedarpaw asked.
"Yes, we'll be walking down the WindClan border the whole time," Dampfang said, an impatient growl in his voice now. "Just stay close to the border yourself, and you'll be fine. The competition's over once we reach the end of the border."
"O-okay…" Cedarpaw said.
He slowly turned his back on the patrol, padding out into the snowy forest. Cedarpaw hesitated a moment, shooting a final glance over his shoulder like he was hoping Dampfang would call him back. But, Dampfang just gave him a nod, and the apprentice turned, his tail drooping as he padded out into the trees. Frostmask felt her stomach clench as she watched the young apprentice go.
Maybe I shouldn't've agreed to Dampfang's dumb idea. I was so eager to show what Lizardpaw can do that I didn't think about how the competition would affect Cedarpaw…
Frostmask felt the snow swirling fiercely around her pelt, and for a moment, she was a tiny kit again, confused and lost in a forest of ice and snow. She shuddered and brought herself back to the present.
"Maybe this isn't a good idea, Dampfang," Frostmask found herself saying. "It is pretty cold and snowy out. And, Cedarpaw's right; he doesn't know the territory well. He could get lost."
"Are you afraid that your apprentice will lose?" Dampfang challenged, shooting her a sharp look.
Frostmask narrowed her eyes at him but refused to take the bait.
"I'm afraid for Cedarpaw," she said firmly. "It's his first day outside of camp. Ever. You should call him back. Or, go with him at least."
Frostmask glanced over at Pineshade and Cricketpaw. Frostmask noticed the young apprentice's eyes were wide and worried for her littermate before Frostmask turned her gaze to search Pineshade's expression for support.
"You can't think this is a good idea, Pineshade," Frostmask meowed. "Our mentors would've never sent us out on a solo hunt without any training. Or without even a proper territory tour! The forest can be dangerous."
Pineshade blinked then turned to Dampfang.
"I think Frostmask's right," she said to him tentatively. "We can always have another competition once the apprentices have some more training. Then Cricketpaw can participate too."
"I know my own apprentice's capabilities," Dampfang snapped, his neck fur bristling defensively. "And, Cedarpaw's going to be fine. I'm right here, nearby! We can easily get to him if he's in trouble."
Frostmask clenched her jaw but remained silent, and Pineshade didn't protest Dampfang again either.
What should I do? I could ignore Dampfang and go after Cedarpaw, but then Dampfang would just drag me back to camp to tell Sedgestar how I've stuck my nose into his training…
Her tail twitched uneasily.
Cedarpaw will be okay… Dampfang's right that we won't be too far from him at least…
The rest of their journey down the WindClan border was spent in uneasy quiet. Frostmask was careful to scent the air as they went, and she was relieved that she caught traces of both Lizardpaw's and Cedarpaw's scents in the snow as they continued onward. Once they reached the end of the border, the group paused, waiting for the two apprentices to rejoin them. It wasn't long until Lizardpaw appeared, pushing through the now knee-high snow with two mice clutched in his jaws.
"Only two mice?" Dampfang said with a scoff as he approached the group.
Lizardpaw paused.
Hunting was poor. He explained, although Frostmask wasn't sure if Dampfang had even bothered to learn Lizardpaw's signs.
Lizardpaw headed over to Frostmask, placing the two mice on the snow next to her.
"Have you seen Cedarpaw? I'm worried about him being alone in the forest," Frostmask meowed to Lizardpaw, but she cast a pointed look at Dampfang.
Lizardpaw shook his ears 'no.'
"I'm sure he'll show up any moment," Dampfang sniffed. "We should just wait here a little while longer."
Quiet settled over the group again. Frostmask could feel herself getting colder and colder as the moments stretched on. She hadn't been too uncomfortable earlier when her body was warm from walking, but now that they were just standing there, the snowy breeze seemed to cut through her pelt like a cold fang.
Frostmask pricked her ears, searching for any hint of Cedarpaw on the breeze, but she could hear nothing but the sound of the snow howling through the pine trees around them as the storm grew more intense. The branches above their heads strained in the wind, and there was still no sign of Cedarpaw.
"He should be back by now," Pineshade said, breaking the silence over the group. "We should look for him."
Frostmask nodded in agreement, her tail twitching anxiously.
"Will he be okay?" Cricketpaw murmured, turning big, worried eyes onto Pineshade.
"I'm sure he's fine, just a little lost," Pineshade reassured her.
"Maybe he got turned around and went the wrong way down the border?" Frostmask suggested.
Pineshade began to nod thoughtfully, but then Dampfang hissed.
"Cedarpaw isn't a frog-brain," he spat to Frostmask.
The fur down Frostmask's back bristled. Her annoyance towards Dampfang turned to anger as her worry for Cedarpaw grew.
"I didn't say that," she snapped back. "But, he is young, and he may have gotten confused."
"My apprentice can handle himself," Dampfang said, raising his muzzle into the air.
Frostmask dug unsheathed claws into the snow. A surge of powerful anger at Dampfang's willful blindness seared her skin, chasing away the chill of the snow.
"No, he can't. You've been training him for less than a day," Frostmask hissed, lashing her tail. "You've taught him nothing."
Dampfang snarled and took at threatening step towards her.
"Dampfang," Pineshade warned, shooting him a sharp glance.
Frostmask glared at Dampfang, and blue and green gazes burned into each other.
"I don't care if you help me or not," Frostmask spat at him before he could decide to respond. "But, I'm going to find Cedarpaw. I'm not going to let your ego kill your apprentice."
Dampfang gave a low, rumbling growl in his throat, but Frostmask turned her back on him. She hoped that the display firmly demonstrated that she didn't see his aggressive posturing as a threat.
Can you try to track Cedarpaw? Frostmask asked Lizardpaw.
Her apprentice's eyes were wide after watching her and Dampfang face off, but he blinked quickly as if to focus himself on Frostmask's question before parting his jaws to breathe in the air.
There's no scent here, but I had noticed a trail when I was coming here with the mice. Lizardpaw signed.
"We'll track him from there then," Frostmask said, snatching up the two mice by their tails to take them with her and signaling with her tail for Lizardpaw to lead the way.
She didn't look back to see if anyone was coming with them as she followed Lizardpaw into the storm, but she did hear paw-steps crunching on snow behind her.
As they padded through the grey and white forest, Frostmask finally gave into her curiosity and shot a quick glance behind her. Pineshade and Cricketpaw were following, and even Dampfang was trailing behind them, although he looked like he loathed every step he took after her.
Frostmask turned her gaze back to Lizardpaw.
At least even Dampfang has some limits about how frog-brained he'll be.
Lizardpaw paused, his nose twitching. Frostmask parted her jaws, being careful not to drop the mice from her mouth, to see if she could scent anything too, but she could only taste the sharp bite of the icy wind.
Lizardpaw touched his nose with his paw, then signed Cedarpaw's name.
"Lizardpaw's caught his scent," Frostmask translated for the cats behind her, meowing around the mice tails in her fangs.
Lizardpaw turned and plunged into the forest, kicking up snow behind him as he ran. Frostmask bounded after him quickly. She had to stay close or she'd easily lose sight of the white-furred tom in the storm.
Then we'd have two apprentices to track down…
Lizardpaw's path was unwavering through the forest as the group ran. They were heading away from the WindClan border, traveling deeper into ShadowClan territory.
Cedarpaw must have gotten really lost.
Frostmask felt mounting concern in her belly. It filled her veins with urgency, encouraging her to run faster. Frostmask blinked in surprise as Lizardpaw led them into a clearing, and through the falling snow, a tall, metallic web emerged, looming over the cats threateningly.
The Carrionplace.
Frostmask felt the fur on her shoulders rise with unease. She normally gave this part of the territory a wide breath. She hadn't been this close to it since Lizardpaw's territory tour, and before that, her own tour as an apprentice. Of course, no cat was allowed to go past the webbing, into the strange two-leg territory, without Sedgestar's permission. But, Lizardpaw led the group to a gap in the silver net where he hesitated.
Cedarpaw's scent goes through there. He signed, but even the normally confident Lizardpaw looked nervous as he shot Frostmask a look.
Frostmask stared out into the Carrionplace. The two-leg stuff inside seemed a bit less menacing than normal with the snow piled on them, turning them into harmless looking piles of white. But, when Frostmask opened her mouth, through the scent of snow, she could still pick out the pervasive reek of rats and the unnatural scents of the two-leg items.
The fur down her back rippling with worry, Frostmask dropped the mice she was carrying in the snow and turned to glare at Dampfang.
"Didn't you tell Cedarpaw not to go in the Carrionplace?!" she hissed, not bothering the hide the blatant accusation in her voice.
"Of course," Dampfang growled, twitching his tail. "Maybe your apprentice is wrong about the scent trail."
Frostmask glared at him but ignored the jab. She turned to look at Pineshade, deciding that she wouldn't even bothering asking Dampfang's opinion.
"Should we go in?" she asked. "We're not supposed to without Sedgestar's approval, but if Cedarpaw's in there, and he's in trouble…"
Pineshade hesitated and shot a glance at Dampfang as if she was looking for guidance, which just made Frostmask's lip curl up in disgust. Pineshade was absolutely the last cat in this whole forest that needed someone else to tell her what to do!
But, before anyone could say anything, a quiet, pitiful wail echoed through the air, snapping Frostmask's gaze back towards the Carrionplace. She dug unsheathed claws into the snow as the cry rose the fur on her shoulders. It definitely sounded like a cat that needed help.
Frostmask turned her head back to group, her mouth open to suggest they go ahead in, but she saw that Dampfang had already ducked through the silver webbing and bounded inside without waiting.
Frostmask gave a hiss of frustration. Even when they were all trying to help Cedarpaw, Dampfang still refused to work with her.
Pineshade turned to Cricketpaw.
"You should stay outside," she meowed firmly to her apprentice.
Cricketpaw gazed at her in dismay.
"But I want to help find Cedarpaw too!" she protested.
Pineshade shook her head.
"It's not safe," she said. "You're still recovering from whitecough, and you don't have any training. If Cedarpaw is in trouble, I don't want to have to worry about you getting hurt too. Alright?"
Cricketpaw's gaze flickered from Pineshade to stare out into the Carrionplace, where Dampfang had already disappeared between the large piles.
"What is this place?" she whispered. "And, what is that sour animal smell?"
"Rats," Frostmask meowed grimly.
Pineshade nodded.
"Two-legs bring odd things and their old food to the Carrionplace," she explained. "It attracts rats. It's dangerous, which is why you need to stay out here."
Cricketpaw's pelt pricked with fear, but she nodded. Pineshade stepped towards her to rasp her tongue over her forehead reassuringly.
"If we're not back soon, I need you to go back to camp and tell Sedgestar or Grovepelt where we are and what happened," Pineshade meowed. "Can you do that? Do you remember the way back to camp?"
Cricketpaw nodded again, her eyes as wide as an owl's.
"Good," she meowed. "Now, go stay out of sight. We'll be back before you know it."
Pineshade turned to Frostmask, motioning with her tail for her and Lizardpaw to follow, then she headed into the Carrionplace.
Frostmask snatched the mice back up again and padded after Pineshade through the silver webbing. Her pelt prickled with fear as they crept closer to the piles of two-leg junk. The piles were unevenly covered with snow with many dark nooks and crannies, and she could occasionally make out flashes of metal or unnaturally bright colors peeking out through the white. Her ears pricked and swiveled to the noise of faint skittering all around her, but she could see no movement.
Maybe it's coming from inside the piles.
Frostmask shivered, but it wasn't from the cold. She could almost feel dozens and dozens of eyes fixed on their group, peering out from the shadows in the piles. Frostmask took a step closer to Lizardpaw.
Stay near me. She warned, shooting him a sharp look so he knew she was serious.
Lizardpaw nodded, his blue eyes round and his nose constantly twitching as if the odd two-leg scents and the smell of rats were overwhelming for him.
"Which way does Cedarpaw's scent go?" Pineshade whispered, nodding at Lizardpaw for him to guide them.
Lizardpaw hesitantly crept forward to take the lead, but Pineshade and Frostmask stuck close to his tail in an attempt to keep young apprentice safe.
Frostmask shot a look out of the corner of her eye at Pineshade as they crept through the looming piles. Frostmask wasn't sure if it was Dampfang's disappearance or the dire situation, but Pineshade seemed back to her normal self— collected, confident, and easily taking the lead instead of hesitant and looking at Dampfang for his opinions before offering her own.
Frostmask was snapped out of her thoughts, and her gaze flew to the side as she heard a soft thump. She saw a clump of snow rolling down one of the piles and a dark flash across it, which quickly disappeared into one of the many crevices in the snow.
What was that? Lizardpaw asked, glancing back at her and noticing her bristling pelt.
Rat. Frostmask responded. Let's keep moving. Quickly.
They picked up their pace, trotting now around the piles. Frostmask kept a look out for Dampfang in addition to rats, but she wasn't sure were the dark warrior had went. If they were lucky, maybe he had already found Cedarpaw.
"Look!" Pineshade whispered, nodding at the snow on the ground ahead of them.
Frostmask felt her pelt prickle with relief as she followed Pineshade's gaze to see paw-prints in the snow. They were too small to be Dampfang's, and they hadn't yet been obscured by the still falling snow, which meant they were fresh.
"Cedarpaw must be close," Frostmask whispered around the mice dangling from her mouth.
Not needing to rely on Lizardpaw's tracking anymore, Frostmask and Pineshade crept forward in unconscious agreement to put Lizardpaw in the relatively safer position between the two of them as they followed Cedarpaw's trail.
Frostmask inhaled deeply. She could finally smell Cedarpaw's scent-trail through the smells of snow and rats. It was a miracle that Lizardpaw had been able to pick it up at all and get them so close.
Frostmask jolted as another cry echoed through the storm, this time much louder and clearer than before.
"Help!" Cedarpaw wailed.
Frostmask and Pineshade surged forward toward the voice, and Lizardpaw jerkily followed, shooting them a confused look.
"Cedarpaw— calling— for help." Frostmask panted, hoping that Lizardpaw could read her lips around the mice dangling from her jaws well enough as they ran.
She didn't want to waste time by slowing and using her paws to sign when Cedarpaw's life could be hanging in the balance. But, Lizardpaw gave a firm nod, and his blue gaze darkened as if he understood.
Pineshade was in the lead, but as she rounded the corner of one of the piles, she suddenly slammed to a stop and started back-pedaling back behind the pile. Frostmask scrambled her paws against the snow to try to slow herself, but she still crashed into Pineshade's flanks, unable to completely halt in time. Frostmask hissed out a breath at the new bruises, but Pineshade shot her a look with amber eyes round with fear as she frantically signed at Frostmask and Lizardpaw to be quiet.
Frostmask felt the fur on shoulders rise at the expression on Pineshade's face while the three of them grouped tightly together in the shelter of the pile. Frostmask shot a glance over her shoulder to make sure Lizardpaw was still behind them. He was watching them and Pineshade with wide eyes. Frostmask dropped the mice in her mouth to the ground and crept over to the edge of the pile to see what had so badly spooked Pineshade.
Frostmask carefully peeked around the corner and swallowed hard, her stomach suddenly turning nauseatingly. Several fox-lengths away, there was a sea of rats swarming at the base of a junk pile.
They were all thin— Frostmask could see ribs poking out of dingy brown and black pelts, but their skinny frames were taunt with energy. The rats clambered over each other, occasionally letting out a furious squeak and nipping at each other when one of them stepped on the other's paws or tail.
What are they doing here? Why are they so agitated?
Frostmask's questions were answered when she saw one rat break away from the others to climb up the side pile they were all clustered around. The rat's dark eyes glinted as it scrambled about half-way up the pile, pausing just beneath a crevice in the snow and two-leg items. It seemed to hesitate for a moment, before lunging forward with a fierce squeak. A dark tabby paw flashed out of the crevice to meet it. The rat shrieked as it was clawed down its side, blood dripping onto snow, then it was knocked off the pile by another hit of the paw. It tumbled down the little hill towards the crowd of starving rats below.
The rats' squeaks seemed to reach a fevered pitch when their bloodied companion fell into the crowd. Mounting horror grew in Frostmask's belly as the rats descend on the wounded one, drawn in by the scents of blood and weakness.
The wounded rat shrieked as its companions ate it alive.
Red spurted across the white ground as the rats sunk sharp, yellow teeth into its sides, pulling off its legs and tail. The rats squeaked and hissed at each other as each of them rushed in to get a mouthful, fighting one another for each bite.
In a matter of moments, there were only scraps of fur and blood left. Even the bones were gone. Some rats had snatched them up quickly, then fled from the group with their prizes clutched in their jaws— stealing them away to crack them open and eat the marrow in peace.
The squeaks quieted and the rats settled back into the churning sea that Frostmask had first seen them as; only squeaking occasionally when bothered. Frostmask realized they were patiently waiting for another rat to try their luck and fail, or for a rat to succeed and drag the cat out so they could have a bigger meal.
Frostmask slipped back around the corner of the pile, her muscles taunt with terror. She turned to look at Pineshade and Lizardpaw. Judging by their unnerved expressions, they had just witnessed the same baseless savagery that she had.
"How do we get Cedarpaw out?" Frostmask whispered, her eyes round with fear. "He's surrounded. He'll be eaten alive as soon as he sticks out even a whisker."
Lizardpaw just shook his head, looking like he felt ill to his stomach. Even Pineshade seemed like she was at a loss for words as her tail flicked with nervous energy. Frostmask was distracted from them when she saw a shadow flash between the piles behind Pineshade and Lizardpaw. Frostmask tensed, preparing herself to leap forward and fight a rat, but she realized the shape was distinctly feline.
Dampfang noticed them at the same time Frostmask noticed him, and he hurried over to the group.
"Have you found Cedarpaw?" he whispered.
Pineshade nodded.
"He's over there," she whispered, flicking her tail to indicate the direction. "But, he's trapped in a little cave and surrounded by tons of cannibal rats."
"Cannibal rats?" Dampfang echoed incredulously.
Pineshade nodded, her face grim.
"We just saw them kill and eat one of their own," she meowed. "Poke your head around to take a look. But, be careful that they don't see you. Cedarpaw's in a crevice about half-way up the pile."
Dampfang edged forward, peering around the corner for a moment before slipping back.
"Should we try to fight them?" he whispered.
"And get eaten alive?!" Frostmask hissed incredulously, lashing her tail.
Dampfang narrowed his harsh green gaze at her.
"Well I'm not leaving my apprentice to die, mouse-heart," he growled.
"Of course I'm not abandoning Cedarpaw, but we need to be smart so we all don't die," Frostmask growled back, having no patience left for him. "Besides, Cedarpaw wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't for you being a frog-brain. So, maybe you should let someone else come up with the plans."
Dampfang bared his fangs at Frostmask.
"Enough," Pineshade hissed, glaring at the both of them. "The longer we argue, the greater the chances that the rats find us, or get impatient and overrun Cedarpaw!"
Frostmask twitched her tail, but she knew Pineshade was right. She inhaled deeply through her nose, trying to push her annoyance at Dampfang away so she could think.
"I agree that fighting's not a good idea," Pineshade murmured, continuing. "There's only three of us, plus Cedarpaw. No way we can take on that many of them. So, what we need to do is get the rats away from the pile so Cedarpaw can escape."
"A distraction," Frostmask meowed, nodding in agreement.
"Can we try to scare them off?" Dampfang suggested.
Frostmask's gaze flickered to the ground, where it lingered on the two mice lying in the snow next to her, and she felt an idea forming in her mind.
"No," she meowed. "Let's give them what they want: fresh-kill."
She bent over and nudged the mice closer to them.
"We can lure them away with this," she meowed.
Dampfang glared at her skeptically.
"Two tiny mice for all those rats?" he said.
Frostmask shook her head.
"The mice will be just to get their attention," she meowed. "The real prize will be a big, tasty cat."
Pineshade and Dampfang stared at her.
"You want one of us to lure them away?" Pineshade said slowly.
Frostmask's tail-twitched, her stomach turning. Admittedly, it would be quite risky.
"Yes," she said. "It'll be dangerous, but does anyone else have a better idea?"
Her question was met with silence.
"The rats went crazy at the scent of blood," Frostmask continued. "Whoever does it can rub some mouse blood on themself to make them smell more appealing. They should first get the rats' attention, then run away and drop a mouse behind them to whet their appetites. If the rats give chase and catch up to them while they're trying to escape the Carrionplace, they can drop the second mouse to distract the rats again and buy themself more time… Hopefully the rats will see them as an easier meal than Cedarpaw."
Pineshade nodded.
"It's a good idea," she meowed softly. "I'm faster than you, Frostmask. I'll do it."
"No!" Dampfang interrupted quickly, staring at Pineshade. "No. I'll do it."
Pineshade's brow furrowed, and her tail tip twitched.
"I'm faster than you too. I'll be fine," she insisted, but Dampfang just shook his head.
"I'm not taking that chance," he said stubbornly. "You make sure Cedarpaw's okay. Give me these—"
Dampfang snatched the mice up quickly as if he was afraid Pineshade would try to take them before he could.
"You all head to the tear in the webbing where we came in from. I'll try to lead them in the opposite direction," he mumbled around the mice in his mouth.
Pineshade opened her mouth, but before she could say any more, Dampfang turned and quickly slipped off. Pineshade gave her tail a few annoyed lashes.
"He should've let me do it! What a frog-brain!" she hissed in the direction he left.
Frostmask shrugged.
"I know he is. I've been saying that for moons, but you never listen to me," Frostmask meowed.
Pineshade glared at her.
"Not helping right now, Frostmask," Pineshade huffed.
Frostmask glanced away from her.
"Sorry," she muttered.
"Come on," Pineshade said. "Let's see if the rats take the bait."
Pineshade, Frostmask, and Lizardpaw crept forward to peek their gazes around the side of the pile.
For several long moments, everything was as Frostmask had last seen it— the rats swarming around, squeaking occasionally, waiting for something to happen. But, then a rat at the edge of the group lifted its wedge-shaped muzzle to the air, its whiskers twitching with curiosity.
Rounding the edge of the pile where Cedarpaw was hiding, was Dampfang. He had followed Frostmask's suggestion to rub the mouse blood in his fur, but it wasn't a very convincing appearance of injury. The blood had congealed into a dark substance with tree sap-like consistency, and the amount he had managed to get from the mouse was barely a splatter on his pelt. But, Dampfang was still playing up his act as best he could. He was faking a limp and his head was bowed as he panted in mock exhaustion around the two, now quite mangled, mice that hung from his jaws.
A ripple of interest passed through the rat mob as eerie silence fell over them. They edged over in Dampfang's direction, a few brave ones on the edges of the crowd darting forward, closer to him for a moment, before ducking back into the safety of the group.
Frostmask found herself holding her breath in anticipation.
Come on. Go after him. She silently urged the rats.
Despite Dampfang's appearance of weakness, his green eyes were sharp and quick as they darted from rat to rat as the mob drew closer to him. His tail began to flick and his dark pelt prickled, but Frostmask couldn't tell if the indication of fear was genuine or another part of his act.
One rat, a big black brute, struck first.
It charged at Dampfang, its long yellow teeth bared, but Dampfang knocked it aside with a lightning fast strike of his paw. A surge of worry shot through Frostmask.
What's he doing!? He's supposed to run, not fight! The idiot will be eaten alive!
But, Dampfang's plan seemed to have a whisker of merit to it, since the attack just worked to entice the rats to go after him even more. The silence broke as a sharp chorus of harsh squeaks rose up from them as they dashed forward.
Now Dampfang did turn tail and flee, his paws kicking up snow behind him. After he led the rats a few boulder-lengths away from the pile, he dropped the first mouse behind him, which a few rats snatched up as the rest doggedly pursued Dampfang. A heartbeat later, Dampfang had disappeared around one of the many two-leg's piles, the rats hot behind him.
"Let's go," Pineshade hissed with a signal of her tail, wasting no time in hurrying towards Cedarpaw's hiding spot as soon as the rats were out of sight.
Frostmask dashed after her with Lizardpaw only a step behind. They ran to the pile and quickly scrambled up the side. Frostmask hissed as her paw struck something sharp in the pile beneath the snow, cutting her pad.
"Cedarpaw!" Pineshade hissed.
The apprentice's dark tabby head warily poked out of the little crevice, his gaze narrowed in fear, but when he spotted them, his eyes went wide with a powerful relief.
"Oh StarClan, you found me," he gasped, his voice wavering.
"All thanks to Lizardpaw," Frostmask meowed quietly. "He tracked you down."
"Thank you," Cedarpaw said, in addition to blinking his thanks in sign to Lizardpaw, as he pulled himself out of the hole.
Once he emerged into the light, Frostmask could clearly see that the rats hadn't left him completely unharmed. His forepaws and shoulders especially were marred with bites and one eye was swollen up from a scrape to his cheek. Thankfully no bite seemed too deep, but they'd have to get him back to Clearstream and Elmclaw quickly so infection didn't set in.
Pineshade peered at Cedarpaw's cuts worriedly as the four of them skidded back down the side of the snowy pile.
"Can you run? We need to get out of here as fast as we can," she meowed in a hushed voice.
Cedarpaw put on a brave face and nodded.
"Stay absolutely quiet, and you and Lizardpaw stay between us," Pineshade whispered, flicking her tail to indicate herself and Frostmask. "Come on."
The four of them took off at as fast a pace Cedarpaw could manage. Frostmask kept her ears pricked, wary for the rats as they sprinted through the Carrionplace, but the storm which had been working against them when they were tracking Cedarpaw down, now worked with them to disguise their presence. Frostmask didn't even see a flick of a furless tail.
A shudder of relief shook Frostmask as the silver webbing came into sight. Frostmask slowed as they reached it, keeping watch over her shoulder for rats until everyone else was through the tear in the webbing. Then she followed them. As Frostmask cleared the bit of distance between the webbing and the tree-line, she sighed deeply. She felt like she had never been so grateful to be back in the forest.
As Frostmask trotted back under the safety of the pines, Cricketpaw came barreling over to Cedarpaw, her eyes wide with relief.
"You're alright!" she gasped, running to his side and starting to lick at her brother's wounds.
Cedarpaw winced as her tongue scraped his cuts.
"Where's Dampfang?" he meowed, glancing around.
Frostmask saw Pineshade's gaze darken with worry.
"He lured the rats away from the pile. Hopefully he'll be back soon," Pineshade murmured.
Frostmask's tail twitched as she glanced back at the Carrionplace, hoping to see a flash of Dampfang's dark pelt through the snow. She might not like the cat, but being eaten alive by rats was a fate that Frostmask wouldn't wish on anyone. Frostmask looked back over at the group, and she saw Pineshade's brow furrowing.
"Why did you go into the Carrionplace?" Pineshade asked Cedarpaw, an undercurrent of anger entering her voice. "Didn't Dampfang tell you it was dangerous?"
Cedarpaw dipped his head in shame.
"Yeah," he muttered. "But, he also said that Sedgestar sometimes allows hunting there when there's no prey to be found in the forest… I got a bit lost during my hunt, and I bumped into it. I hadn't found any prey yet, so I thought…"
"No one is to enter the Carrionplace without Sedgestar's permission." Pineshade's voice was stern. "You could've been killed, and you put our whole patrol at risk."
Cedarpaw bowed his head deeper, his ears flattening.
Frostmask's tail flicked. She felt like she had to come to Cedarpaw's defense.
"Cedarpaw's one day out of the nursery," Frostmask meowed in a low voice that only reached Pineshade's ears. "We can't really expect him to know any better… Dampfang should've been more clear about the Carrionplace being forbidden. Cedarpaw shouldn't even been hunting alone… I know you know that it was a frog-brained idea, Pineshade."
Pineshade glared at Frostmask, the fur on her shoulders bristling slightly. She jerked her head to the side, indicating Frostmask to follow her a few tail-lengths away from the apprentices, out of their earshot. Frostmask did so reluctantly, her muscles tensing in anticipation of an argument.
"Stop blaming Dampfang for everything," Pineshade hissed at her. "You're acting like this mess is all his fault."
Frostmask's jaw fell open in shock, and she completely forgot about how she was supposed to be not making the rift between her and Pineshade worse.
"Uh— but it is?!" Frostmask said, her tail starting to lash. "If he didn't send Cedarpaw out alone, Cedarpaw wouldn't've ended up here!"
"Well it wouldn't've happened either, if you weren't so eager to have this dumb constant with Cedarpaw and Lizardpaw," Pineshade snapped back.
"Dampfang started that too!" Frostmask gasped indignantly. "And, like a heartbeat afterwards, I decided it was a dumb idea and told Dampfang to call it off!"
Frostmask's lip curled up as her frustration grew.
How could she make Pineshade see sense?! For such a clever cat, she always had such a big blindspot when it came to Dampfang.
"Stop defending him when he's clearly in the wrong," Frostmask hissed.
"I'm not saying he didn't mess up at all," Pineshade grumbled, her tail twitching. "But, he didn't cause everything. I mean, he helped us save Cedarpaw too. He lured the rats away."
Frostmask snorted derisively.
"Yeah, after he insisted that you weren't capable when you volunteered to do it," Frostmask said, unable to keep the contempt from her voice. "What a hero."
Pineshade glared at Frostmask.
"He just wanted me to be safe," she spat, lashing her tail. "That's what cats that care about each other do."
Frostmask pinned her ears against her head.
"Well I care about you too!" Frostmask snapped. "But, I know you're a competent cat that can handle herself! And, I believe you when you tell me you can do something!"
Pineshade just stared at Frostmask, having no retort back. But, Frostmask jerked and broke eye-contact as the sounds of paw-steps interrupted their argument. Frostmask turned to see Dampfang appear, panting slightly from his run, but looking no worse for wear. Dampfang strode up to Cedarpaw as soon as he spotted him.
"Are you okay?" he asked, inspecting Cedarpaw's wounds.
Cedarpaw nodded.
Pineshade brushed past Frostmask, heading over to Dampfang where she bumped his shoulder with her head affectionately.
"I'm glad you made it out," Pineshade mewed in a quiet voice.
"There was a lot of them, but they couldn't climb the silver webbing after me," Dampfang meowed, giving his dark fur a brisk shake. "We should get going though, in case they decide to do a border patrol around the Carrionplace and spot us and the hole in the web."
Pineshade nodded in agreement.
"We should go back to camp," she said. "Sedgestar needs to know what happened, and Cedarpaw needs his wounds looked at."
Dampfang glanced at Cedarpaw.
"Did you manage to catch any prey?" he meowed.
"No," Cedarpaw muttered, his tail-tip twitching.
"That's alright," Dampfang meowed offhandedly. "Lizardpaw caught two mice, but they were lost, so we can call it a tie."
Frostmask felt the fur down her back rise.
Of course Dampfang still cares about that! For StarClan's sake, Lizardpaw's mice were used to save Cedarpaw! That's more important than any dumb competition!
Dampfang cast Frostmask a look, his green gaze taunting. She realized that he was provoking her. He wanted her to argue with him, but Frostmask wasn't going to give him that satisfaction.
Frostmask rose to her paws, her gaze icy as she stared at Dampfang. She glanced at Pineshade, but she was still gazing at the dark tom. Frostmask turned and used her tail to signal for Lizardpaw to follow as she silently padded into the forest, leaving Dampfang, Cedarpaw, Cricketpaw and Pineshade behind.
Author's Note: Frostmask is 1000% done with putting up with Dampfang lol.
Also, good news: since I wrote so much for that single "chapter" over the past few weeks, I've got a back-log of finished chapters ready to go. So, I'm back on a regular 1 chapter a week update schedule, at least for the next few weeks (hopefully I can keep that up longer though haha.) I was planning on releasing this chapter over the weekend, but I won't be able to, so I decided to put it out early! Thanks of course for reading and reviewing, and I'll see you all soon!
Reviews:
BrianH.H: Thank you! And, I'm glad to hear you're still psychic haha.
Also, don't worry about the typo, I've much much dumber typos than that in the many pages I've published in these fics haha. Yes, Frostmask definitely picked up the Stoic Silence(tm) trait from Swoopstrike, which definitely isn't the most productive for her development since she was already a shy kit lol.
I'm considering writing a proper prequel story in which Grovepelt and Sedgestar would be the main characters, and it would fully show Grovepelt's evolution from rash, young warrior to wise, calm mentor, as well as his relationship with Sedgestar, and Sedgestar's journey from kit to leader... but I suffer from a terrible affliction where I have so many story ideas and never enough time to write them all haha. But, maybe one day! I can always dream lol.
Autumnleap: Aw this is so nice! Thank you so much! Your review made my day when I saw it :) Is your username in reference to Autumnleap the Frosted Heart character?! If so, I'm honored haha.