Infinita Frigus

Chapter 5

A brisk wind tugged at Rushingpelt's fur as the copper-eyed cat trudged miserably through the thick, powdery snow. His gray paws sunk deeply into the substance, so far that his belly fur brushed the top.

Lighningstar glanced back at him from where he was walking with Troutflame. "Hurry up!" he called, an amused grin flashing onto his features. "We don't have all night!"

"Coming!" he called from behind him. He quickened his pace until he was walking next to Troutflame, Riverclan's deputy. The red tabby glanced over at him, snow lightly dusting her long fur.

"Excited?" she mewed, green eyes intrigued.

Rushingpelt laughed breathlessly, the cold leaf-bare air stinging his lungs. "Yeah," he mewed. "Terrified, too."

The deputy nodded understandingly. "That makes sense. I'd be scared out of my mind if I had to leave the lake!" she laughed, before sobering up. "Still, I'm glad you're going. You're a great warrior, Rushingpelt, and I think you'll be able to stop any... any more deaths from happening."

Dawnfoot, Rushingpelt thought with a pang. The friendly cinnamon tom with black paws had frozen to death on guard vigil not long before Lightningstar announced the decision to send a cat to try and stop the leaf-bare. In fact, it was his death that had ultimately pushed the leader to agree with ShadowClan's proposition.

Looking at Troutflame now, her green eyes filled with something utterly broken, the pain of heartbreak and loss, he was overcome with a wave of guilt. He could have prevented it; if he had only told someone, maybe the leaf-bare could have been avoided...

One of his paws struck something hard, and Rushingpelt lurched forward unexpectedly. Letting out a yelp of surprise, his head collided with something cold and hard, and the breath knocked out of his aching lungs. Scrambling up hurriedly, he only stumbled to the ground again as his paws failed to get a firm grip on the ground.

The ground made of ice, he realized. He hadn't even noticed that they were near the lake, and now he was lying on the ice next to the fallen tree.

Grunting, he swung out a paw and dug his claws into the old, rotting wood. Some of it crumbled away beneath his paws, and he swore under his breath before managing to scramble onto the thing.

Soft laughter echoed behind him, and he turned to glare at Troutflame, who was trying to muffle the sound with her paw. Lightningstar was grinning widely beside her,

"Oh, shut up," he growled, before shuffling along the trunk to the other side.

He leaped off the rotting chunk of wood, landing in a thick snowdrift. Huffing indignantly, he began to shovel his way through, eventually emerging into the space where the Gathering was held.

His copper eyes instantly picked up on the other cats in the area. Nightstar stood nearby with Crowtalon, and Swiftfoot, the Windclan deputy stood alone- Curiously, there was no Stormstar.

"Hello, Nightstar, Swiftfoot," Lightningstar mewed. "Glad you could make it."

"You as well, Lightningstar," Nightstar dipped his head.

Swiftfoot cleared his throat awkwardly. "Ah, hello. Who have you selected?"

The Riverclan leader nodded towards him. "Rushingpelt is one of our finest warriors," he purred. "I am confident in his abilities to join this expedition."

Everyone turned to look at him, and the longhaired gray warrior ducked his head, feeling hot under his pelt.

"Good choice," Nightstar mewed. "I've chosen Crowtalon, personally. I trust in his leadership and battle skills to serve the cats chosen. Russetstreak will serve as deputy in his place."