Fire and Ice

Chapter 29

Skyfall faked sleeping until the den grew lighter and Willowpelt woke up. Skyfall watched her stand and stretch, then push her way out of the den. She glanced one last time at Graystripe's nest, then followed her out.

"It's stopped snowing," she meowed, desperate to break the deafening silence that enfolded the camp. Her voice echoed around the clearing and Willowpelt nodded. The gray warrior smiled at Skyfall before padding away to the camp entrance.

The rustling behind her was accompanied by the scents of Tigerclaw and Runningwind as they emerged from the den. They joined Willowpelt beside the entrance and began washing themselves. Ready for the dawn patrol, Skyfall thought. She briefly thought about asking to join them. She could use a good long run through the forest, but a part of her felt she needed to stay behind and keep an eye on Graystripe. Redtail's words hung over her like a starving owl. She didn't want to believe that the warrior she couldn't trust was Graystripe, but what if he was? Graystripe swore his meetings didn't change his loyalty to the Clan, but just meeting with Silverstream breaks the warrior code!

Skyfall watched Tigerclaw lift his head like he smelled something. Skyfall tensed, her claws instinctively unsheathing. Her ears strained—paws were crunching through the snow in the distance, moving quickly. The breeze carried the scent of WindClan over the camp. The pawsteps grew louder. The warriors tensed and Skyfall took a step forward—the cat had reached the gorse tunnel. Tigerclaw arched his back and extended his long claws just as Onewhisker burst into the clearing.

The WindClan warrior skidded to a halt just before Tigerclaw, his eyes wide with terror. "ShadowClan and RiverClan!" he gasped. "They're attacking our camp! We're outnumbered and fighting for our lives. Tallstar refuses to be driven off this time. You must help or my Clan will be wiped out!"

Bluestar came bounding out of her den. All eyes went from Onewhisker to her. "I heard," she meowed. Without mounting the Highrock, the ThunderClan leader gave the mighty yowl she used to call the Clan together. Onewhisker's fear-scent filled the clearing as every cat left their dens.

As soon as the Clan was gathered, Bluestar yowled, "There's no time to waste. It's as we feared—ShadowClan and RiverClan have joined together, and now they're attacking the WindClan camp. We must help them." She paused and looked around at the frightened, dismayed faces. Onewhisker stood beside her like a terrified kit, his eyes wide and hopeful.

Skyfall was appalled. After the presence of rogues had been discovered, she'd been foolish enough to think Nightstar could be trusted. Now the ShadowClan leader really had broken the warrior code by uniting with Crookedstar to drive WindClan out once again.

"But we are leaf-bare–weak!" Patchpelt called. "We've taken a risk for WindClan once before. Let them take care of themselves this time." A few murmurs of agreement rose from the queens and elders.

It was Tigerclaw who answered him, stepping up to Bluestar's side. "You're right to be cautious, Patchpelt. But if ShadowClan and RiverClan have united, it is only a matter of time before they turn on us. It's better we fight now, with WindClan, than later, alone!"

Bluestar turned to Patchpelt who bowed his head and raised his tail, accepting Tigerclaw's words.

Yellowfang pushed her way to Bluestar and spoke quietly. "I think you should remain behind in camp, Bluestar. The fever from the greencough may be gone, but you'll still be weak." The two cats exchanged a look Skyfall understood. Bluestar was on her ninth and last life. For the sake of Thunder- Clan, she could not risk that life in battle.

Bluestar nodded briskly. "Tigerclaw, I want you to organize two parties, one to head the attack, one to back it up. We need to get there as fast as we can!"

"Yes, Bluestar." Tigerclaw turned to the warriors. "Whitestorm, you'll head the second party; I'll head the first. I'll take Darkstripe, Mousefur, Longtail, Dustpelt, and Skyfall." Skyfall lifted her head at the sound of her name, feeling a sense of thrill run through her. She was to join the lead party!

"You!" Tigerclaw turned to Onewhisker. "What's your name?" The WindClan warrior flinched at Tigerclaw's tone.

Skyfall answered for him. "Onewhisker," she meowed.

Tigerclaw nodded. "Onewhisker, you'll be in my party. The rest of the ThunderClan warriors will join Whitestorm. You too, Brackenpaw."

"Are we all ready?" called Tigerclaw. The warriors raised their voices in a battle cry. Tigerclaw turned and charged through the gorse tunnel with his warriors behind him.

They climbed the ravine in record time and sprinted into the forest. They made for Fourtrees and the uplands beyond. Skyfall glanced over her shoulder as they ran. Graystripe was at the back, his face dark, his eyes staring blankly ahead. Skyfall hoped Silverstream would not be present at this battle. Skyfall felt for her friend, but she was more than ready for this battle. After bringing WindClan home, she felt a sense of responsibility for them. She would not let any Clan be chased back to those revolting Thunderpath tunnels.

Even though the snow had stopped falling, it was hard to push their way through the drifts. An icy crust formed over the white powder, but the warriors were heavy enough to break through and sink into the soft snow underneath.

"Tigerclaw!" Willowpelt's yowl sounded at the rear. The deputy stopped and turned.

"We're being followed!" Willowpelt yowled.

Alarm coursed through Skyfall. Were they walking into a trap? Quickly, the warriors retraced their steps, alert and suspicious. A branch cracked overhead, making Brackenpaw jump.

"Wait," hissed Tigerclaw.

The cats crouched low into the snow. Skyfall could hear the crunch of pawsteps rushing toward them. They sounded light, like small paws barely breaking the icy crust.

Tigerclaw reared up with a snarl and the bracken shook to reveal two small apprentices smelling of ShadowClan. The darker apprentice hissed defiantly at Tigerclaw while the other had the sense to back away.

"What are you doing here!" Tigerclaw spat.

The darker apprentice responded. "We weren't going to let our Clan fight alone! Stumpytail knew WindClan would run to you so we came to intercept!"

"Brownpaw, we should go. Nightstar told us not to join the battle and they're all warriors," The light brown apprentice mumbled.

Brownpaw finally took in the two parties of angry warriors. "Er, actually, we aren't in the mood to fight anymore." The two apprentices made a run for it in the direction of their territory.

"Brackenpaw," Whitestorm called to Graystripe's apprentice. "Follow them and make sure they leave our territory."

Brackenpaw's tail dropped and Skyfall felt a stab of sympathy. "There'll be plenty more battles for you to fight," she promised.

Brackenpaw nodded and bounded after the ShadowClan apprentices. Tigerclaw watched him go for a moment, threw his head back, and yowled to the sky before charging on toward WindClan's hunting grounds. The others raced after him, past Fourtrees to the steep slope that led to the uplands. They bounded on, the only noise being the crunch of the icy layer.

When they reached the top, Skyfall was almost blown over by the wind alone, being pushed into Longtail. The WindClan hunting grounds looked more barren than ever, even the bushes were hidden by the snow.

"Skyfall! You know the way to the WindClan camp!" yowled Tigerclaw above the wind. "Lead us there." He slowed to let her pass. Skyfall wondered if Tigerclaw didn't trust Onewhisker enough to let the WindClan warrior guide them. Skyfall turned her eyes to StarClan and begged for guidance.

She was surprised with how easily she could recognize the shape of the land beneath the snow. There was the badger set they'd hidden in from the RiverClan patrol. She followed the landmarks she'd remembered from her mission until she reached the dip in the land that marked WindClan's camp.

Skyfall paused at the rim of the hollow. "Down there!" she yowled. For a moment the wind halted, and they could hear the sounds of battle—screams and howls as cat furiously fought cat.