FLAREPAW

By the time Flarepaw returned, the camp was starting to look a little better. Parties of the cats had clearly been repairing continuously throughout the day.

Flarepaw trotted over to where Shadowpaw was grooming his fur.
He purred, "So? What did Poolstar show you this time?"
Flarepaw shrugged. "Just a re-run of some battle training before my final assessment."

She scanned the camp clearing, and saw Shinepaw coming with Shadowfoot from the stone tunnel with a fish set in her jaws.
Shadowpaw growled. "What a sister."
Flarepaw hesitated as she mewed. "Hey..Shadowpaw? Cats do bad things, right?"
Shadowpaw tilted his head. "Yeah?"
Knowing she couldn't back now, she mewed, "What if... I don't know, just let go of the anger at Shinepaw?"
Shadowpaw bristled. "Flarepaw, are you hearing yourself? Don't you remember what she did to you? I was there comforting you, not her. She was off chit-chatting with some low-born, lazy, kittypet while you, alone, mourned the death of our deputy. She lost her chance to be close to you."
Flarepaw flinched, hearing her own words. "I know, I know... I just.."

"Just what?"
Flarepaw closed her eyes. After her encounter with the baby cardinal, she didn't know what to feel about Shinepaw. But there was one emotion she could feel when she thought about her relationship with Shinepaw...
Regret.

Shadowpaw sighed, "Flarepaw, don't forget how she hasn't talked to you for the past moons, while she frolicked with the other apprentices." With a nuzzle against Flarepaw, he padded away.

Flarepaw sighed. Maybe Shadowpaw is right. She tried to focus on her anger, but it felt so... hollow. What's wrong with me? she worried.

When she looked up, she saw Icepaw trotting through the entrance of the camp. She seemed to have hold some fresh-kill set in her jaws.

Flarepaw padded over to her as Icepaw dropped the mouthful of food on the ground. "Enough for a few cats!" She mewed proudly. "And it should taste extra good—it's from DawnClan territory."
Flarepaw widened her eyes. "You... you hunted in DawnClan's territory?"
"That was my task," Icepaw explained.
"Shadowfoot sent you, not only into an enemy's territory, but a Clan we're main rivals for?" Flarepaw choked. "We need to tell someone!"

To her surprise, Icepaw looked angry. "Just shut it, okay?" she snapped. "I survived. I caught some prey. End. Of. Discussion."
"You're lucky you've survived," Flarepaw hissed.
"I said, shut it! Just eat it and you'll be fine!"

Flarepaw, with a hiss, took a piece of fresh-kill.
Icepaw ate quickly, avoiding Flarepaw's eye.

Icepaw lifted her head, suddenly sounding worn out. "I'm tired. I need to sleep." She stood up and padded towards the apprentices' den.
Flarepaw's eyes went into suspicion. From Shadowfoot's deputy ceremony, and from the way she acted, Icepaw knew something. And she was determined to find out what.

She got to her paws and followed Icepaw inside.
Icepaw was asleep, but Flarepaw could tell from her twitching paws and whiskers that she was dreaming. Suddenly, the silver cat leaped to her paws, her eyes stretched wide in terror. Her fur was standing on end, and her back was arched.

"Great StarClan, Icepaw!" Flarepaw mewed in surprise. "Calm down."
Icepaw blinked and seemed to recognize Flarepaw. She let out a sigh of relief and collapsed onto her moss bed.

"Icepaw," mewed Flarepaw ominously. "There's something I need to tell you. I heard Shadowfoot telling Darkclaw and Jayclaw that you were a traitor to IceClan. He told them you slipped away during the journey to the Moonstone and told Claw and his rouges that the camp was unguarded."
Icepaw widened her eyes, horrified. "B-but I didn't! I swear!"
"Do you think I'm frost-brained? Of course I know you didn't!" Flarepaw snorted. "But Darkclaw and Jayclaw believe him. I think... Shadowfoot wants to kill you."
Icepaw's breath came in a gasp.

Flarepaw stepped forward, determined to find out the truth. "Icepaw, what's going on with you? You've been acting weird since-" She choked.
I can do it, I can do it, I can do it, I NEED to say it, she thought with guilt.
"Since Dovenose died."

Icepaw took a deep breath, and stood up, and whispered in Flarepaw's ear. "Because the DawnClan deputy didn't kill Dovenose, Shadowfoot did."
Flarepaw took a step back, too shocked to process.

Even through her shock, some sort of relief flowed through Flarepaw.
So it's NOT my fault Dovenose was killed, she thought happily.

"So, what did happen?" Flarepaw promoted.
Icepaw sighed. "After Dovenose had killed Goldenfur, Shadowfoot ordered me back to the camp. I wanted to stay, but he yowled at me to go, so I ran into the snow forest. I should of carried on running, but I couldn't leave while they were still running. I turned and crept back to see if Shadowfoot and Dovenose needed help. By the time I got near, all the DawnClan warriors had fled, leaving just Dovenose and Shadowfoot. Dovenose was watching the last warrior running away and Shadowfoot—" Icepaw paused, taking a deep breath. "Shadowfoot j-jumped on her. He sank his teeth into thr back of her neck and Dovenose fell to the ground, dead. That's when I ran. I don't know if Shadowfoot saw me or not. I just kept running till I got back to the camp."

"And why didn't you tell the Clan?"
"Would they have believed me? Y-you believe me, r-right?"
"Of course," she nodded. "Just stick close to me."
Icepaw looked relieved.

Flarepaw looked at her, a determined look in her face. "I'll keep you safe," she vowed. "I promise."

The next morning, Flarepaw watched as she was next in line to see Berrysplash's new kits. Poolstar was beside the nursery, a solemn look on her face. "Flarepaw, after you're done looking at the kits, can we talk in my den?"
Flarepaw nodded. This was her chance to tell her the truth about Dovenose's death!

When Poolstar walked away, Flarepaw padded in the nursery to see three kits suckling Berrysplash's milk. One of them a cream and white she-kit, while the other two were distinct in patterns.
A gray she-kit with a darker muzzle, ears, paws, and her tail had dark gray stripes.

While the other was a black tom kit with tortoiseshell markings that looked like flames. He had ginger paws and tip of his tail.

"What are their names?" Flarepaw looked down at the queen.
Berrysplash purred as she finished grooming the tom. "The cream and white one is called Fawnkit, the gray she-kit is called Vinekit, and the tom is called Foxkit."
Flarepaw purred. "They'll make great warriors, I'm sure!"

When she was done, and padded out, towards Poolstar's den.

The Clan leader was waiting for Flarepaw at the entrance of her den. Jayclaw sat at her side. The tabby warrior stared hard at Flarepaw as she approached. Without Poolstar looking, Flarepaw spat a hiss at Jayclaw. She's not gonna let anyone look at her like that just because she is an apprentice! When Jayclaw growled, Flarepaw looked expectantly at Poolstar.

"Come inside," she meowed, turning her head to lead the way.
As they padded inside, Flarepaw stuck a raspberry at Jayclaw as she padded in.

Poolstar circled slowly on her mossy nest. "You fought well on your battle session yesterday, Flarepaw," she mewed when she finally settled herself curled her tail around her black paws.
Flarepaw purred proudly.

Poolstar stared past her at the far wall of her den. "I can still smell the stale stench of Claw's rouges in our camp," she murmured. "It is a great tragedy that our enemies broke into the heart of IceClan."

"And so many deaths," she continued. "First Dovenose, then Thornwing. I thank StarClan at least the warriors we have left are strong and loyal like them."
Flarepaw widened her eyes in shock. She'd never heard Poolstar sound so... sorrowful.

Poolstar flicked her tail. "At least with Shadowfoot as deputy, IceClan may still be able to defend itself."
Flarepaw's ears drooped.
"There was time, where I very much disliked of Shadowfoot's strength, he was very much like Black-..." she shook her head, and continued. "But now I am proud to see how much respect the Clan has for him. I know he is ambitious, but his ambition makes him one of the bravest cats I have ever had the honor to fight alongside on."
Flarepaw clenched in her claws, and took a deep breath. She nodded and forced herself to mew, "Of course."

Poolstar looked at Flarepaw. "You know too, that Claw will return."
Flarepaw puffed her chest. "We've fought him off before, remember? We can do it as many times as we want!"
Poolstar nodded, a look of pride in her eyes. "I admire your confidence, young Flarepaw."

Her next words were quiet. "Flarepaw... In the battle of the rats, it was not my fifth life that I lost... it was my seventh."
Flarepaw's fur stood on end.
Poolstar continued. "The Clan doesn't know, I don't want them to fear for my safety. Jayclaw and Darkclaw are proof of that. But if I die two more times..."

Flarepaw bristled, determination like the greatest fire. "I won't let that happen!"
Poolstar patted Flarepaw with her paw with a pitying smile. "I know you won't."
She doesn't believe me, Flarepaw thought with frustration.

Poolstar nudged Flarepaw with her tail. "Go on, Flarepaw. And promise me not to tell any cat in the Clan."
Flarepaw nodded, fear distracting her. "I promise," she mewed.

She spat a hiss at Jayclaw for fun one last time as she headed out.

Just as she went out, a yowl of horror coming from the nursery. Riverpelt came sprinting into the snowy clearing, her tail bristling and her eyes wide with alarm. "My kits! Someone has taken my kits!"

Cinderfall poked his head out of the warriors' den, ears pricked. "When did you last see them?" He meowed when he ran over to her.
Riverpelt looked frantic. "I-I don't know! Last moment they were curled with me, and I took a nap, but when I woke up, they were gone!"

Shadowfoot bounded to her. He called to the Clan, "Quick, search the camp! Featherfall, stay where you are. Warriors, patrol the camp boundary. Apprentices, search every den!"
Riverpelt panicked. "Please find them! They're all I have left of Thornwing!"

Flarepaw rushed to the nearest den, the elders', and rushed inside. It was empty. "Hello? Kits? Kits!" She scrabbled through the bedding with her paws but there was neither sight or scent of Riverpelt's kits.

When she stepped out, she heard a horrified yowl.
Alderpaw.

He seemed to be shaking, bristling in fear as he stared right into the medicine den.
He turned to Lakeshine, his eyes sympathetic. "L-Lakeshine...I'm so sorry.."

The crowd raced over to see.

Inside the medicine den, was Owlpool's dead body. Her body limp, clouded eyes, and blood streaking from her slashed open throat.

"Owlpool's dead!" One cat yowled in horror.

Lakeshine padded forward to sit next to her mentor. "Who did this?!" She cried out.

Through the grief, there was a yowl with shock. "Leafeye is gone!"