Deep Ice

Chapter 1

6 Moons Old

Green Leaf

"Hazelpaw, wake up," Birchpaw whispered in her ear.

Hazelpaw groaned and rolled over. "No, I want to sleep." The excitement of the day before was gone and had become a tiredness that never left her body. And yesterday had just been learning how to run, no tour of the territory.

Birchpaw jabbed her in the ribs. "We need to get up, Swallowfern and Meadowsong want us out of the den before they get up."

Hazelpaw rolled over and faced Birchpaw. Sagepaw, Darkpaw and Palepaw had left already, while Moonpaw, Harepaw and Mousepaw were still sleeping. "Do I have to? Can't I just go back to sleep?" She asked, closing her eyes.

"No Hazelpaw, we need to go and see the territory before the sun is high in the sky," Swallowfern said, casting a faint shadow over her apprentice. "I have had three kits, I know that you like sleep, but not now."

Hazelpaw groaned again and heaved herself to her paws. "But Moonpaw, Harepaw and Mousepaw are sleeping, why can't I?" She asked, looking at her nest eagerly.

"Moonpaw and her siblings need their rest, they were out on the moonrise patrol," Swallowfern mewed, guiding Hazelpaw out onto the cold stone.

She suppressed a yelp and went to the top of the ravine. The wind blew over her fur and whistled in her ears. The sun was just above the horizon and shined right into their eyes. She blinked as Swallowfern came up behind her.

"We are going to see the ocean first, then to the border, we share with BeechClan and then to the mountains and finally to the river."

Hazelpaw nodded, turning to Swallowfern so that the sun was blocked. "Where are we going now?" She asked, closing one eye against the bright sun.

Swallowfern smiled. "To the Cliffs." And she was off, running towards the sun.

Hazelpaw narrowed her eyes against the sun and followed her mentor across the moor to the ocean.

When they reached it, the wind was so strong that Hazelpaw was worried she would be swept off of her paws. The ground in front of her dropped away to a strip of sand and the ocean. The wind carried the scent of the ocean, which was salty.

"Now, we are going to go to the border we share with BeechClan." Swallowfern turned her head to Hazelpaw. "Don't speak to them, they won't care if you are an apprentice or not," she ordered, running along the cliff towards the forest.

Hazelpaw followed, and in no time they were at the edge of the forest, where there was no wind. Hazelpaw peered into the green light and saw black pelts moving in the shadows. Swallowfern silently came up to Hazelpaw and guided her away and back onto the moor.

"Don't ever do that again, Hazelpaw," she hissed.

Hazelpaw nodded and followed her mentor away from the sun and to the mountains in the distance. They stopped when the ground sloped upwards and the musty scent of rocks worked from the scent line.

"This is the border between PeakClan and our Clan," Swallowfern mewed, padding along the line. She turned once the grass turned to sand. "This is the river where RapidClan lives."

Hazelpaw crept closer to the river, something about it felt familiar, like she was once here. She crept onto the sand and went to the water. She dipped her paw in it and let the cold water run over her paw. It cooled her paw after running in the sun for so long. All of a sudden she felt the urge to slip into the water. As of in instinct, she slipped into the water and swam around in the current. She took a deep breath and dived down, then came back up. She laughed and kept doing that, until Swallowfern saw her.