Cinders to Flames

Chapter 20

Cinderfrost was drowning. She churned her paws, desperately trying to get to the surface. The water felt warm and sticky... A metallic taste filled her mouth. Her body stiffened with horror.

She was drowning in blood.

Cinderfrost awoke with a jolt. Concerned amber eyes met her gaze. "You were thrashing around. Are you okay?" Blackwhisker asked, his whiskers twitching.

"I'm fine. Just a bad dream," she replied, shaking the stiffness from her legs.

"Well we'd better join a patrol before Houndheart bites our heads off." Her denmate joked.

"Grumpy furball." Cinderfrost mumbled, clawing bits of her scattered nest back to where it should be.

"You shouldn't be speaking about your deputy like that." Cinderfrost froze. She turned to meet her old mentor's disapproving amber gaze.

"Uh, sorry." Blackwhisker grumbled, shifting his paws.

"I'm sure you complained about your deputy when you were a young warrior." Cinderfrost teased, but there was no hostility in her mew.

"Ah, you're right, Cinderfrost. I was quite the complainer when I was your age." His eyes smiled. "Now, you should really be going." He added, "Houndheart is all bark, no bite." Mudsplash whispered before disappearing out of the den with a flick of his fluffy brown tail.
"How did you do that? I was scared out of my fur!" Blackwhisker asked.

"Mudsplash can be intimidating. He was my mentor, remember? He's actually a big softie." She winked before following her old mentor out into the morning sunlight. The two young warriors shared a small thrush, their fur prickling in the frosty air. She gazed across the camp at her clanmates, her mind still on her dream.

"What are you thinking?" Blackwhisker asked, blinking at her slowly.
"I was just thinking that there's still a lot of tension between us and DarkClan. I wonder if there will be another battle." She lied smoothly.

"Hm. I hope not." His gaze shifted from hers, and he tore another piece from his thrush. "It's too close to Leaf-Bare for war."

Cinderfrost brushed the tip of her tail against his flank. "You're starting to sound very wise." She murmured.

Blackwhisker broke his gaze from hers, hiding a smile.

She gazed at her denmate fondly for a moment before getting up. "Are you done eating yet? Houndheart is probably expecting us."

"I'm done," he meowed, drawing a pink tongue across his jaws.
"Ha, you have a feather on your nose!" She teased, trotting over to a group of cats getting ready for the dawn patrol.
"Wait for me!" Blackwhisker cried, leaping across the clearing to catch up to her. "Did I get it?"

"Nope, it's still there. You got room on your patrol, Toadshine?" Cinderfrost asked the pale spotted she-cat.

"Sure I do. Twistfoot and Appleheart are coming too." She replied, flashing Twistfoot an affectionate look. Ugh, I'm going to have to deal with these lovebirds and Appleheart. "Hey Blackwhisker, you have a feather on your nose." Toadshine added. Blackwhisker scowled, shooting her a glare.

"Let's get going." Toadshine led the patrol out into the forest toward the DarkClan border, Twistfoot closely behind.
"I heard that Twistfoot and Toadshine are mates now." Cinderfrost said to Blackwhisker as they hung behind the three older warriors.
"Really? I thought Appleheart liked Twistfoot." The black tom replied, lowering his tone and glancing at the red and white she-cat who walked not too far ahead.