Deep Ice

Prologue

A flame colored tom ran over the moor, behind him a brown tabby. The tom looked behind him and fell into a hollow surrounded by heather. The tabby burst through, gasping for breath. The ginger tom leaped to his paws and ran up to a stone rock. He looked down the other side and saw a golden brown she-cat. "Honeyclaw!" He called down, letting fear creep into his mew.

She looked up, and fear flashed in her gaze like lightning. "Firetail, what's-" She stopped, catching a glimpse of the tabby. "No," she whispered, racing around and up the dirt slope.

Firetail turned back to the tabby. He had his claws unsheathed and was creeping forward. "I'm the rightful leader," he hissed.

"I wasn't-" Firetail stopped. The tabby had been a rouge that Beestar took in, and in his eyes, any cat that threatened his position as leader deserved to die. "Do what you want, Honeyclaw will never want you," he hissed.

The tabby stopped, the flames of rage burning brighter behind his eyes. "You know nothing! You're just a feeble traitor!"

Firetail stood his ground, not letting this rouge see through him. "No, I wanted to see what was behind the mountains, and I did. None of our secrets were mentioned," he said flatly, trying not to stir up any more trouble. Honeyclaw better put an end to him soon, he thought.

The tabby rolled his eyes, and leaped forward, claws cutting the air and heading straight for his throat. Firetail slid to one side and saw Honeyclaw standing behind the tabby, eyes wide. Firetail gave her a reassuring smile and dodged another attack from the tabby. He kept sliding away, never getting scratched, it almost seemed too good to be true. Until Honyclaw steped in between the two toms.

"Enough!" She cried. "You are so fox hearted," she hissed at the tabby, "and I thought I loved you!" Honeyclaw then brought a powerful golden brown paw up, and striked one of the tabby's ears, he cried out in pain and looked at her as though she was trying to murder Firetail.

"What is wrong with you?"He asked, appalled.

Honeyclaw drew her lips up in a snarl. "Selfish rouge!" She hissed, making fear flash through Firetail. This was the last straw for the tabby. He shoved Honeyclaw to the ground.

"You'll have to answer to me now," the tabby hissed. He dug his back claws into Honeyclaw's underbelly as he leaped off her and towards Firetail.

Firetail felt his heart jump into his throat. If he dodged the rouge, he would fall off the rock headfirst and die, but.... He couldn't be that bad right? Honeyclaw won't get hurt, so he--

Pain flared in his throat as the tabby's claws sunk in and Firetail tasted blood. His back paws slid over the edge. He fell back first, the air whipping past him. He hit the ground and before his life slipped away forever, he heard Honeyclaw cry with fear and sadness, then saw her tail. Then darkness settled over him as his pain and life edged away.

.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

"You're safe now," a soft voice mewed.

"Enough of being like this on the newcomers, you need-" the second voice was cut off by the first one.

"He had been murdered by his friend and his other friend was-"

"Enough!" Called a third voice, this one regal. "He's been through a lot more than you think.

The other cats started stuttering apologizes. "We're-we're-we're sorry Tornado. We didn't see him after he went beyond the mountains..." they trailed off, then Firetail heard them hurrying away.

"You can open your eyes now," the third voice, the one called Tornado, mewed.

Firetail opened his eyes and saw a slender pale gold and silver tom with blue, green and grey eyes. "Who are-"