Warriors: Beyond the River (SOB prequel) (COMPLETE)

Chapter 28

It's a mess. Iceslide lay in his nest, his eyes half open as he stared out into the snowy clearing where cats were murmuring to one another anxiously. It's a nightmare. And I'm the source of it.

"We have to leave the forest!" Duckwing exclaimed, looking around at his clanmates. "If we stay here, they'll pick us off one by one until we're all dead!"

Dipfoot spun to face the young cat, eyes lit with anger. "Never!" He spat. "Shallowpool died in the battle last night, and she didn't die for nothing!"

"So you want more cats to die?" Vixenwhisper hissed.

Petalfin raised her voice. "This is our home!" 

"That's enough!" Frostedcloud was weaving around his clanmates, struggling to calm them. "We need to-"

The cats ignored him and continued arguing, and he looked over his shoulder at Shimmerstar helplessly. The clan leader turned and leaped onto the tree stump, yowling. "Silence! Every cat gather around."

The clan slowly calmed and looked up at Shimmerstar, fur bristling, some in fear, others in anger. Iceslide got up and padded out of the den, looking up at her. He hoped that she still had the ability to gather her distressed clan. Last night's defeat couldn't have made her any more confident.

"All the clans suffered at the gathering," She meowed quietly. "We lost Shallowpool, a fine warrior who fought bravely for us." She seemed to be having difficulty finding the right words in her distressed state. "Three of the medicine cats were killed. Junglefoot, Hivepelt, and Flowerwing."

By the medicine den, Otterpelt stared at her paws, her eyes filled with grief for her lost friends. We're lucky we didn't lose her. Iceslide thought. 

"Whitestar was killed, and I believe that Raventuft is going to attempt the journey to the moonstone to receive his nine lives." Shimmerstar closed her eyes. "I pray that he gets there safely."

The clan murmured quietly, and Iceslide looked down. What would happen if Raventuft was killed? His clan would be leaderless and vulnerable. The rogues would be sure to finish SkyClan off...

"Gladestar tells me that they've taken two of Bone Shred's rogues prisoner," Shimmerstar added. "She hopes to get information out of them that we can use."

Could it be Howl and Dandelion? Iceslide wondered with a start. Before he could consider this further, Shimmerstar went on. "Otterpelt would like to speak." She stepped down from the stump, her tail dragging behind her while the medicine cat took her place.

"I-I have something to say." Otterpelt stared at her clanmates with a sorrowful look on her face. She gave herself a shake and drew in a deep breath. "Moons ago, before leaf-bare began, StarClan sent me a vision of blood and death for our clan. I told you about this." She swallowed. "But... There's a lot I didn't tell you. Maplesky felt that I should keep it a secret to avoid causing panic."

"What?" Mudslip bristled, leaping to his paws. "What kind of medicine cat hides things from their clan?"

Swanpool nodded, looking anxious. "You're supposed to guide us!"

Iceslide remembered how moons ago he had overheard Otterpelt, Maplesky, and Shimmerstar speaking about this. They'd agreed to lie to avoid causing panic. But now, with everything that had happened, the truth needed to be revealed.

Otterpelt shrank back, her eyes filled with guilt. Frostedcloud jumped to her defense. "Let her speak!" He snapped.

With a grateful nod to the deputy, Otterpelt went on. "Not long after the first vision, I began receiving more. So much blood..." Her eyes grew distant, as if she were re-imagining the horrors she had seen. "I'd be in the camp, surrounded by the bodies of my clanmates, bloody and torn apart..." She gave herself a shake before she went on. "At the moonstone, I begged StarClan to tell me what to do, how to stop this... All they said was... 'The cat who explores will bring death to the forest'. I soon realized it was Iceslide."