Icefog's Origins

Prologue

"Come on, you fox-heart!" Spat the hostile and threatening voice that cut through the trees and that sent birds shooting toward the open sky. There was snarling, and a orange shape with shadow-like stripes swiped at a russet-colored animal. His face was splattered with blood, but it appeared that none of it was his own. Rather, that it was the other animals'. "Strike me!" He darted forward, snapping at the black paws of the larger creature, and it yelped and staggered backwards. "That's what I thought, you coward!" There was a loud yowl and the tom looked up as a silver-and-white tabby shape latched onto the fox's back, hissing and spitting. "Shiningstar!"

The she-cat was thrown off the back of the fox, but she scrambled to her paws and rushed to the tom's side. One flank was bleeding from a gash next to her shoulder, and one of her ears was badly torn. Despite her wounds, the elegant she-cat's green eyes burned with exhilaration and determination. "Never challenge a fox like that, Tigerflame." She warned without looking at the tom.

Tigerflame rolled his eyes and waved his tail. "It wasn't fighting back, so I thought I'd encourage it." With a fierce yowl, he flung himself at the fox and swiped at its snow-white chest that was stained red with blood. His claws struck and he hissed when teeth sank into his shoulder in response and suddenly, he was in the air and being shaken like a piece of prey. Tigerflame let out a pained yowl, and he felt helpless while the fox sank his teeth deeper into his flesh.

"Tigerflame!" The tom winced as a light gray tabby she-cat launched herself at the fox, desperately clawing at the fox's shoulder until blood ran freely down its shoulder and leg. "Let him go!"

"Lightstorm, stop!" Tigerflame admired his former apprentice's courage to save him, but he did not want her to get injured in the process.

The fox dropped him with a snarl and swatted Lightstorm away with one hefty paw and Tigerflame hit the ground with a thud. His head spun from being shaken around, and his back felt like be was being pierced with thorns.

A pelt flashed up to him and he looked up as Shiningstar nosed him. "Are you alright?" She asked, concern lit up in her eyes as she helped him to his paws. Noticing the punctures in his back, the concern grew and she guided him to the side, where a dappled golden tabby she-cat was waiting with green leaves and cobwebs. "Leopardwave, will you keep this mouse-brain together? Make sure he doesn't go back out and fight."

Protest grew in Tigerflame's eyes and he parted his jaws to speak, but Shiningstar pressed her muzzle against his, effectively quieting him before speaking.

"You're badly wounded and you need to get some rest," she meowed in a hushed tone. Flicking to her tail to the fight, Tigerflame saw Lightstorm fiercely attacking the fox with white she-cat with silver points known as Shiningfox. "We've got this. You rest."

Tigerflame dropped his head and sighed. "Alright," he murmured, and watched as Shiningstar smiled briefly before bounding away to help her Clanmates. Longing to help seared in his chest, but Leopardwave dabbing at his wounds brought him to hiss with pain and he dug his claws into the forest floor.

"Keep still, brother," the she-cat ordered when he flinched away from her white webs that stuck to her paw. "Great StarClan, you're bleeding more than I thought!" She turned and called. "Wetface! I need more cobwebs!"

A dark gray tabby tom nodded from in the shadows and hobbled forward with a thick wad of webs wrapped around his paw. Leopardwave nodded a thanks and took it, pressing it down on a wound across Tigerflame's cheek. "Where's Shiningstar?" The gray tabby tom asked, sitting down and wrapping his tail around his lighter paws.

Tigerflame nodded to the leader as she helped Lightstorm and Shiningfox chase the fox into the trees. His paws itched to jump in and teach that fox what happened when it threatened ShellClan, but Leopardwave quietly warned him to stay put. Once the medicine cat was done poking and prodding his injuries, he got to his feet and shook out his fur.

There was a hiss of exasperation from Leopardwave and she shook her head. "You're going to wipe off all of the cobwebs and marigold if you do that," she meowed and looked at Wetface. "Are we ready to go?"

Wetface nodded. "I patched up Pineflower and Gravelcreek is taking her back to the camp." He reported and gathered the rest of the herbs with one sweep of his tail.

Leopardwave nodded with approval. "Good." She turned to her brother. "Be more careful in battles," she said sternly. "I don't care that you're the deputy, you're my brother and I want to see you alive and well by the end of each day." Touching noses with Tigerflame, she turned and vanished into a clump of bracken after Wetface.

Turning his head, Tigerflame bounded toward where the three cats had disappeared and called out for his Clanmates. Silence greeted him and he began to bristle. What if that mangy fox took out his Clanmates? A shiver ran through him, chilling him to the bone at the thought. Shaking his head to clear it, Tigerflame called out again.

"Tigerflame!" His ears pricked up at the triumphant call of Shiningstar and his heart swelled with relief as she charged out of the undergrowth with Lightstorm and Shiningfox flanking her heartbeats later. The leader bumped heads with the deputy and for a moment, they looked at each other before turning to the other two cats. "Are you both alright?"

Shiningfox nodded, the light in her orange eyes burning brightly as she circled the leader and deputy. "You should've seen Lightstorm," she purred. "She made sure that fox could barely see as it ran away!"

Tigerflame looked at his former apprentice, his eyes round with surprise. She flattened her ears sheepishly and shifted her paws. "Oh, really?" He touched her forehead with his nose. "Well, it won't have a hard time remembering you, then." Glancing at the sky, he made note of the sun just above their heads. "We should head back to the camp. Leopardwave and Wetface already left, so we should do the same."

Shiningstar nodded and looked at Lightstorm as she and Shiningfox headed off side-by-side. After a moment, she fell into step beside Tigerflame and together, they followed the two she-cats. "Are you alright?" The leader asked after a short silence.

Tigerflame nodded. "I'll be just fine." He couldn't help but look over at his bloody pelt where Leopardwave had applied herbs and cobwebs to his back. "It only got a taste of my blood before Lightstorm shredded it's face." He chuckled.

The silver leader pressed against Tigerflame's flank and rubbed her head against his neck fur. "You shouldn't be taking so many chances in battle like that," her voice was warm, but there was a hint of fear in her mew as she nuzzled his neck. "You're too important to me and the Clan."

Tigerflame halted and curled his tail around his mate. He licked the top of her head reassuringly and rested his chin on her muzzle. "You worry too much," he murmured in her ear as she shifted closer to him. "I'll be fine, I promise."

"I know," Shiningstar sighed. She sat down and twined her tail with his, peering into the trees. "But battles are getting way too frequent. HollyClan and SwampClan are constantly pushing our borders, and the foxes are getting way too comfortable with coming into our forest."

"Hey," Tigerflame nudged her with an orange paw and the she-cat looked up at him. Her usual guarded and authoritative eyes were gentle and emotional, something only Tigerflame had the permission to see away from the Clan. "Everything will be okay. With you as leader, ShellClan will survive."

Shiningstar pulled away from Tigerflame, and she stared at her paws. "I don't think I'm going to be a good leader," she fretted. She looked at Tigergflame with fear glittering in her eyes. "Hopstar's death rattled the Clan, and they want a strong leader, not one that doubts her capabilities whenever something goes wrong."

The black-striped tom paced in front of her and touched noses with her. "If you're having doubts about being leader, why not ask StarClan about it at the Star Cave? Maybe take Leopardwave with you and you both can talk with StarClan."

Shiningstar didn't reply, but she half-smiled. Her eyes swam with doubt as she padded alongside Tigerflame toward the direction of the camp.