"RiverClan, are you ready for this journey?" Rainstar called to the Clan. There were murmurs of agreement, and the whole Clan looked at Willowtwig, who had returned only moments before.
"I'm ready." He mumbled.
"Let us begin our journey." Rainstar led the way towards the distant mountains, their tops hidden by layers of fluffy white clouds. In the other direction, opposite from the mountain peaks, a dark gray mass was slowly approaching.
"Well, I guess this is goodbye." Plumeshine caught Bearfrost's attention.
"Plumeshine, we can't leave you behind! We need you! I need you!" Bearfrost rushed to touch noses with his brother.
"You'll do fine without me." Plumeshine nuzzled Bearfrost affectionately. "Our paths will cross once again. I'm sure of it."
Bearfrost could feel a lump rising in his throat, threatening to break out into a sob. "Plumeshine, I'll never forget you and how you helped RiverClan time and time again."
Right then, Rainstar began leading the Clan away from their old territory; their old home. Bearfrost could do nothing but follow the cats in front of him as he watched Plumeshine sit down to watch them depart.
Bearfrost waved with his tail to his brother, and Plumeshine waved back. It began to sprinkle, then rain. Bearfrost looked back to see his only littermate fade into a swath of mist.
Oh, Plumeshine. I'll miss you.
As Bearfrost strained to see through the thick mist, he heard one last cry from the distance.
"I love you Bearfrost! I'll always remember you!" Plumeshine's faint voice ringed out through all of RiverClan.
Bearfrost couldn't hold back the tears anymore, and water streamed from his eyes and down his face. "I love you too, Plumeshine!" He called back, unsure if Plumeshine could still hear him.
All the RiverClan cats looked back one last time at the lake territory, then began the journey that would determine if RiverClan would ever be a Clan once more.
"We're about to enter the mountain range." Rainstar called to the tired and hungry warriors. They had been traveling for almost a whole day, and it was nearing dusk.
"Shouldn't we camp here tonight? The apprentices are getting tired." Shouted Littlerose from the front of the crowd.
"Yeah, I'm not used to walking this far!" Gorsepaw commented.
"Me and Perlpaw are tired!" Patchpaw added. Bearfrost was close to where the apprentices were walking, and he could see Perlpaw yawning.
"Let's camp under these trees. We don't want to get too soaked in the night." Rainstar brought the cats to a small grove of trees, and everyone sat down and took a breath.
"Who wants to go on hunting duty?" Rainstar looked a little lost without his deputy, and Bearfrost realized that because of the battle, and immediately moving out of the territory, his leader had no time to appoint a new deputy.
Bearfrost stepped forward. "I'll see if I can find some prey."
"I can hunt." Sandfang also volunteered.
"Good. Bearfrost, check to see if there are any rivers nearby that you can fish in. Sandfang, see if you can find any land prey around here. Bring back as much prey as you can. As soon as a few other cats are feeling fit enough, I'll send them to help you."
Bearfrost nodded, and trotted away towards the direction the lake was. Sandfang began sniffing the ground, and seemed to find a scent trail.
There must be river's flowing into the lake from a few points, so I'm bound to find a drainage point somewhere. Bearfrost began walking slower, and then finally stopped to listen. He heard a faint gurgle.
Running water! Bearfrost began to trot again, and eventually found a small river. He could see the dark shapes of fish just below the surface. He crouched by the riverside, and waited for a fish to draw close enough to pull out.
Now! He smoothly slid his paw into the water, and with a flash drew out a flapping fish. Bearfrost cleanly bit its neck, ending the fish's life.
He laid the fish next to him, and continued fishing until there were five fish on his swiftly growing pile. Bearfrost, satisfied with his work, picked up two of the fish in his jaws, stretching his mouth open wide.
He quickly found his way back to the camp, and Dewpaw helped him carry back the last three fish.
"Thanks for your help." Bearfrost thanked Dewpaw after both of them set down their loads on a pile of leaves. Clan cats began to crowd around the pile to eat their fill.
"Anything to help feed my Clan." Dewpaw replied.
Soon Sandfang smoothly stalked back into camp carrying three small mice in his mouth. Sandfang's eyes widened when he saw Bearfrost's catch, and he nodded respectfully.
A senior warrior is nodding at me? Bearfrost nodded back, and took one of the fish over to Pikefoot and Cherryfang. The old cats were looking weary, and Pikefoot was shivering in the cold. Bearfrost pushed the fish over towards them.
"Eat this. It'll make you feel less cold, Pikefoot."
"I'm not cold!" Pikefoot retorted. "I'm just very wet."
"And being wet makes you cold." Bearfrost mused.
"Pikefoot is thankful for the generous offer." Cherrytail put her tail over Pikefoot's mouth before he could reply. She took the fish in her jaws, and began to divide it out between the three cats.
"Oh, I don't need any, but thank you." Bearfrost backed away a pace or two.
"Ah, but you young cats need to eat so you can catch more fish to feed us old cats." Cherrytail teased. The old she-cat pushed a few lumps of fish to Bearfrost, and he took them up in his mouth, then chewed and swallowed.
"Thank you." Pikefoot mumbled when his shivers subsided as soon as he ate his first bite of fish.
"No problem." Bearfrost replied as he finished his food. He got up, as Cherrytail began telling a story to Pikefoot, ignoring Bearfrost. He walked over to where Maplefern was thoughtfully chewing on a mouse. Bearfrost sat beside her, and she looked up at him.
"Do you need anything?" There was a hint of sadness in her voice.
"Nothing really. But why do you sound so sad?" Bearfrost thought that Maplefern wouldn't want to answer, but the medicine cat replied.
"It just seems like that other cats are getting all the prophecies, while I do nothing but heal. One of the most important aspects of being a medicine cat is that we are the ones that receive messages from StarClan, then pass them onto the leaders and cats of the Clan. I'm not seeming selfish, am I?" The question caught Bearfrost off guard.
"Not at all. Medicine cats are the ones who get signs from our warrior ancestors, and you feel as if they are ignoring you."
"Exactly." Maplefern looked relieved to have someone to talk to. "I feel like my Clanmates don't look to me for advice anymore. I'm just there to heal, and do nothing else."
Bearfrost assured her that she was a vital part of the Clan, for healing and receiving prophecies and signs from StarClan. Maplefern purred.
"Thanks, Bearfrost." She got up and walked over towards Dewpaw, who was a few tail-lengths away from where they were sitting. "Hey, Dewpaw." Maplefern said in a gentle voice. "How would you like to be my apprentice from now on?"
Dewpaw gasped, and looked delighted. "I would love to! Healing is so much better than training in fighting and hunting. And I feel like I was born to be a medicine cat."
Maplefern looked relieved, and took her new apprentice to see Rainstar.
Meanwhile, the warriors had built a small den with just enough nests for all of them. It was a tight squeeze, but Bearfrost had pushed his way through to the inside. He chose a nest near the back of the den, and curled up beside Pigeonwing, who was sound asleep.
As more and more warriors slowly trickled into the makeshift den, Bearfrost felt his eyes droop and his mind scatter into random little thoughts.
I wonder if a Twoleg will ever learn to speak cat language. Bearfrost thought randomly. Or if a dog will be friendly towards a mouse… Bearfrost's eyes closed, and he fell into a restful, dreamless sleep.
Bearfrost woke to the smell of wet bark and leaves. He realized that he himself was soaking wet.
Did the roof of the warriors' den leak? He looked around, and noticed that the den he was in looked different than the warriors' den. Then, Bearfrost remembered what had happened. He remembered the loss of their home, the great battle that killed Spottedcloud and Spiderstrike, and he remembered saying goodbye to his brother Plumeshine for the last time.
Bearfrost sighed, the heartbreak he was feeling for his littermate only seeming to intensify as he overheard Willowtwig gossiping to Mintbreeze about Plumeshine.
"Do you think Plumeshine will follow us and kill another of our Clanmates?" Willowtwig inquired.
"How could he? We've already traveled so far, and the rain would've covered up our tracks."
Bearfrost flinched as Mintbreeze said this.
Plumeshine would never follow us, let alone purposely kill one of our own cats? And how could Mintbreeze even think that what Willowtwig was true? Bearfrost ignored the rage bubbling up inside of him, and decided to hunt by the river he had found.
When he met a row of thick bushes concealing the riverside, he could detect a strange cat-scent.
Rouge! He thought. Bearfrost was about to burst out from the shrubs to confront the rogue and ask why it was on his territory, but then Bearfrost remembered that he didn't have a territory anymore.
Before he could do anything, Bearfrost heard a she-cat's voice call from the river.
"Come out from the bushes. I know you're there." The voice was soft and sweet, and Bearfrost felt obliged to obey. He stepped through a bush, and was face to face with a beautiful light brown she-cat, with blotches of bright crimson. Her piercing green eyes stared into his.
"Uhm, hello." Bearfrost was stunned by the she-cat's sense of smell.
The wind was blowing towards me, so I could smell her, but she couldn't smell me. But, she could smell me. Strange.
"Hello. Why are you here?" The stranger demanded, her sweet mew ringing in Bearfrost's ears.
"I-I'm just here to catch fish." Bearfrost muttered.
"What's your name? Mine's Apple." The she-cat suddenly changed the subject.
"My name's Bearfrost."
"Well, Bearfrost, It seems that you're trying to hunt on my land." Apple's claws slid out, and she showed her teeth. "I think you should go."
Bearfrost backed away, not wanting to get in any fights. "Look, I don't want to fight you. I'm trying to feed my Clanmates and-"
"Your Clanmates? I've never heard of Clanmates before." Apple's honey sweet voice suddenly turned bitter.
"Well, a Clan is made up of many cats, and Clanmates are the cats that live in that Clan. I'm from a Clan called RiverClan." Bearfrost tried to explain.
"I didn't ask for an explanation!" Apple growled. "Now leave, before I make you." The fierce she-cat took a step forward, and Bearfrost unsheathed his claws.
"I'm not leaving without prey to feed my Clan, no matter what I have to do."
"Very well." Apple sprang at Bearfrost, tackling him to the ground. She tore at his muzzle with her claws, leaving deep gashes. Bearfrost struggled to swipe at her, but Apple quickly avoided his clumsy blows. She clawed her way onto his shoulders, and ground Bearfrost's head into the ground.
He struggled to break free, but the she-cat was very strong- almost too strong for a normal cat.
"Had enough?" Apple hissed into his ear, which was lying flat against his head.
"N-Not even a little bit."
"You've made your choice. Now prepare to die." Apple bit down on his neck and pushed down with her teeth, making it impossible to breathe.
Bearfrost's vision began to fray, then blurr. As darkness began to enfold him, he thought he saw StarClan warriors bounding over the bushes, coming to knock Apple off of him.
I wonder if living in StarClan will be as nice as RiverClan. Bearfrost thought dreamily as Apple was thrown off him and comforting paws helped him too his paws. Bearfrost's head began to hurt as the blackness engulfing his sight faded away.
Bearfrost could just barely comprehend what was going on before him. Honeyripple, Mantisflame, and Pinefoot were battling Apple. Bearfrost had to admit that the fierce rouge was an admirable fighter, and she got at least three good hard blows in at Honeyripple's head. Pinefoot yowled in pain as she turned her paw on a large stone while dodging Apple's sharp blows. She crumpled to the ground, nursing her injured paw.
I should help fight. Bearfrost launched himself into the battling, ignoring the throbbing pain behind his eyes. He reared up on his hind legs preparing to bring his front paws down on Apple's back, only to be gently brought down again by Mantisflame, who led him away from the battle.
"You need rest. That she-cat nearly choked you to death." Mantisflame sat Bearfrost down beside the river, and all Bearfrost could do without his head hurting more was to flick his tail in agreement.
It even hurts to think… Bearfrost rested his chin on his paws, watching his friends battle Apple. He closed his eyes, and waited for the pain to end.
Eventually, A paw shook him. He opened his eyes, and the light blinded him for a moment. Mantisflame helped him stand, and Pinefoot and Honeyripple supported him from both sides.
For the first time, Bearfrost felt battered and beaten. He let his Clanmates lead him back to camp, and Mantisflame and Honeyripple took him to Maplefern's clearing. He sat down, then toppled over.
"What happened?" Maplefern asked brusquely.
"A rogue attacked him while he was trying to fish. We think he caught a fish, and she ate it." Honeyripple explained.
Bearfrost groaned, and said, "Her name is Apple. And she never ate the fish I caught. She stopped me before I even got to the river. What did you do with her?"
"Oh, uh…" Honeyripple looked away. "She's unconscious. In the river." Honeyripple scuffed her paws. "We put her there."
"Are you trying to drown her?" Maplefern snapped. Bring her to me. I'll get her seen too." (ōUō)
Honeyripple and Mantisflame rushed out of the temporary camp, and the medicine cat began her work. She asked where Bearfrost was injured the most, and he replied saying that his head hurt more than the other wounds.
"You need some feverfew." Maplefern rummaged through the small pile of herbs she had collected, and found a small white flower.
"Eat this. It'll help with your headache. Don't chew it, just swallow it."
Bearfrost did as he was told, disliking the bitter taste. After a few moments, the pain behind his eyes disappeared and his thoughts sorted themselves out.
"Thanks, Maplefern." Bearfrost began to notice his other various scrapes and bruises, and his medicine cat saw to all of them.
"Now, if you ever see a strange cat again, don't go off fighting it, and instead get help." Maplefern scolded him.
"I didn't go off fighting her! She fought me!" Bearfrost protested.
"Sure she did." Maplefern had a joking look in her eyes.
"Bearfrost!" An angry call sounded from the temporary warriors' den.
Rainstar.
Bearfrost half trotted, half sulked over towards where his agitated leader was waiting. He stopped a few paw-steps away from Rainstar, and sat down.
"Bearfrost, did you or did you not attack a cat on their own territory?" Rainstar inquired, his voice full of rage and annoyance.
"I didn't know it was her territory, and she attacked me! I tried to be peaceful!" Bearfrost was angry that every cat in his Clan thought that he was the one who attacked Apple, and not the other way around.
"Either way, you must be punished for going along with the fight, and not stopping it."
"Oh, come on! Now you're just making excuses for me to be punished!" Bearfrost immediately regretted his words, but he knew that they were true.
"How dare you speak to your leader like that!" Rainstar advanced towards him a couple steps, and Bearfrost stood up and took a couple back. "I ought to banish you! Or- Or!" Rainstar suddenly sat down heavily, and sighed; all signs of aggression gone. "Bearfrost, I know that you didn't fight the rouge. I'm sorry. I've just been so overwhelmed with moving territories, and having cats getting injured, and-"
"I get that it might be a lot to handle," Bearfrost wrapped his tail around his leader's shoulders, and Rainstar sighed again. "But we must persevere. We will complete the journey, we will find the perfect place for us to live, and we will thrive." Bearfrost doubted his words, but he didn't show it.
"You're right. RiverClan will continue the journey again this sunhigh, and we will not stop until we reach our new home, wherever that place may be."