Fire and Ice

Chapter 8

Leopardfur lifted her head and yowled into the wind, "Whiteclaw! No!"

Graystripe scrambled backward until all four paws were on solid ground. His wet fur was bristling and his eyes were wide with shock and terror. "I tried to grab him. . . he just lost his footing. . . I didn't mean to. . ." The words tumbled out in a breathless jumble. Skyfall bounded over to her friend and pressed her body against his, but Graystripe backed blindly away.

One by one, the cats turned away from the edge and to Graystripe. The RiverClan cats' eyes were narrowed with fury, their shoulders tense. Willowpelt and Whitestorm moved instinctively toward Graystripe, taking up defensive positions on either side of him.

Leopardfur growled deeply in her throat, but it was a warning to her own warriors. They were to stand down. The RiverClan deputy stared Tigerclaw in the eye furiously. "This has gone beyond a border fight," she murmured. "We shall return to our Clan. it has become a matter to settle at another time and in a different way."

Tigerclaw defiantly returned Leopardfur's stare. He showed no fear, but merely gave the smallest of nods. Leopardfur flicked the tip of her tail, then turned and stalked away. The RiverClan cats followed her, and the whole patrol disappeared into the bushes.

Leopardfur's menacing words made Skyfall shiver. Her decision to follow the river may have just started a war between their Clans.

"We should leave," meowed Deadfoot, limping forward. "Your three young warriors served us well, and my Clan thanks you." The formal words sounded hollow after the tragedy they'd all witnessed. Tigerclaw nodded, and the WindClan cats began the trek back to their own territory. Skyfall nodded a farewell to Onewhisker as he passed, but the warrior only spared her a glance.

Skyfall noticed Sandpaw standing over the edge, staring down at the torrent below. Her paws seemed frozen and her eyes remained fixed on the steep drop. Skyfall guessed she was thinking about how close she'd come to suffering the same fate as Whiteclaw.

Skyfall started toward her but Tigerclaw growled, "Follow me!"

The tabby warrior charged away toward the trees, the rest of his patrol following after him, but Skyfall stayed behind with Graystripe. "Come on," she urged. "We should keep up." Graystripe shrugged, his eyes dull and clouded with pain, and began to pad after the others, dragging his feet as if they were made of stone.

The other cats were out of sight, but Skyfall could still track their scent. Tigerclaw was leading them back to ThunderClan territory through RiverClan's strip of forest. Skyfall guessed there was no reason to worry about RiverClan patrols now. The damage was already done. It would be pointless to back track to Fourtrees.

Tigerclaw had halted the patrol and was waiting for Skyfall and Graystripe at the border of ThunderClan territory.

"I thought I told you to follow me," he growled.

"I had to stay with Graystripe," Skyfall meowed, a small growl sounding behind her words.

"The sooner Graystripe gets back to camp, the better," Tigerclaw meowed.

Graystripe didn't respond, but Skyfall bristled furiously at the deputy's harsh tone. "Whiteclaw's death was not his fault!"

Tigerclaw turned away. "I know," he meowed. "But it's done. Come on, and this time keep up!" He leaped away beyond the scent markers that bordered ThunderClan territory.

Skyfall had been looking forward to this moment since they left WindClan's den beside the Thunderpaths. Now she felt numb as she crossed the border, keeping an eye on Graystripe.

The trail eased as they followed the familiar trail back to camp. When the patrol emerged from the gorse tunnel, many cats bounded out of their dens, their tails held high in greeting.