A New world - The Frozen Forest 1# Warrior Cats

10 - Featherfall

(Sorry for delaying this chapter! I'm gaining a new method of schedule to publish chapters. It will be minimum a chapter per week, but it can be more depending on this new schedule. I promise I won't give up on this fanfic just like I did with the other ^^)

She found her way from the tunnels and Lucidpaw accommodated herself on her own den, the other apprentice's scents still awkward to her. She started to remember 'You'll soon learn every cat's scent by heart' her mother told her. It would have taken less time if it wasn't under these conditions. Her fur bristled with uncertainty, worried for the non-Stonewarden, but also for whatever laid ahead for her.

What did she do to be there? Most importantly, what did she have to do...?

'Nonsense...' she finally decided. She tucked her nose under her paws, tail wrapping all up. She stared one last time at the stone wall, different to the den of brambles and feathers and moss she got used to. Soon, her body just showed her sides heaving, saying that sleep took her in.

...

The patrol leader knocked out bushes and brambles out of the way, leaving narrow space for the rest to follow. The she-cat kept up, gaining orientation in the Clan's territories and ways. She kept her head low, aware for any prey scents she had been longing for.

Snowclaw, a white tom-cat, stopped right on his paws. ''I think we can spread now,'' he murmured, and the patrolling cats nodded. The cats darted into the undergrowth, and Lucidpaw chose which way to take to not intervene with the hunting cats.

She dashed nearby a snowy trail, padding at the bottom of the huge cliff. She slowed down, the rabbit scent catching her nose. The white-furred creature, on winter coat, nibbled on the bare grass at the bottom of a tree.

The apprentice crept towards it. Her belly grazing the snow sent shivers, yet she was getting used to being cold in this weather. She leapt towards the prey, struggling until she gave the final blow. She proudly took it besides the bushes, and covered it with snow to avoid any bird to take it.

Lucidpaw kept hunting, the sun didn't help to warm her up but she continued to scavenge for prey. The apprentice shook another skinny, snow-clad piece of prey. It was too tempting in the season, despite its awful size.

The call of a bird distracted her from hunger, and dropped her prey. She looked up. In the distance there was a lean, feathery figure, hiding beneath the snowy trees. It stopped dead on its place, staring at the apprentice. She began to back up slowly. What if it was a Stonewarden? 

Lucidpaw turned around, it wasn't the time for a fight. Not after her wounds back when she joined. Her paws trembled, but a tiny bit of her told her to stand up and face the figure. But how could she do that? Was she even able to? She tried pushing her concern away.

''Well hello!'' it called from behind. Lucidpaw arched her back, to be met with another cat, its scent unrecognizable. It was no cat bigger than her mentor, with feathers tucked into his fur. ''Who do we have here?''

The she-cat didn't strain to notice his cream and brown fur, remembering the small creature of Featherpaw, laying on his den weakly. ''You are-!''

The tom splashed feathers onto the apprentice's face as he shook himself. Some sort of way to interrupt her. ''My bad, I didn't introduce myself'' he explained, ''Glowtree, you are new here, it apepears'' the tom approached the she, and withdrew himself wide eyed.

''You are no FrostClan, by scent,'' he counted, ''No Stonewarden or Twoleg pet...'' Lucidpaw could catch a glimpse of anger in his eyes, ''You aren't a rogue, are you?''

''No.'' She uneasily faced the stranger, baffled by his cheeful manner to present himself, ''Y-you are the cat who led-''

''A small tom to a snake?'' the feline interrupted her, ''Yes, what a gossip you cats made it...'' he simply grinned, ''it was all a misunderstanding, you'll see, I did not know either!'' he kept his gaze firmly on the she, mildly intimidating.

''You wanted to show him a... snake burrow?'' she questioned.

''Something else, the snake just popped up,'' he explained, picking a feather from the ground, ''Gosh, it is hard maintaining this feathers-'' 

Lucidpaw swung her tail in an instant, remembering her duties as of a clan cat. Defend its borders. ''If you aren't a Stonewarden, what are you doing on FrostClan territory?'' she defiantly spoke up. The tom just gazed at her.

''So you are from that Clan?'' he inquired, ''Your scent doesn't show that, for instance'' he rose a paw in explanation, showing a hint of interest ''Name, newcomer?''

The she-cat shook her head, ''there's no need,'' she grinned, and thanked StarClan it was easy to her to talk to cats alone, whether loner or not. And she was lucky for him not being an arguing Fleabag, like some of the clanmates she had. Yet it felt awkward talking so freely with a loner, maybe knowing how far they kept themselves from the Clan cats. Well, they had a reason.

A breeze warmer than the others took them both by surprise, as if Leafbare had gotten sick of its way to freeze people. Lucidpaw then took a second to see Glowtree. Was he meaning to hurt her or was he just any loner? 

Glowtree soon caught up with Lucidpaw's gaze. He raised his chin towards the sky, hinting yellow clouds for snowfall ''Oh well, I might have to go now,'' he rapidly replied, not revealing anything asides from innocent looks, ''See you soon!''

He left a small trail of feathers as he padded off into the white, unfamiliar horizon. His appealing tone rose untrust in the she, letting it hardly slide. She just shrugged and took her morsel to the camp. She tried remembering where she left the rest of the forest animals, but her instinct distracted her and told her she was avoiding something. Something clear.

And that's when, it clicked, ''The prophecy!''