Cinder

Chapter 15

   Maplefrost sat beside her dead clanmate, her chest tight with grief. Icefur sat beside her, head bowed, and Petalstar was pacing back and forth, muttering curses under her breath. Cloudspring stared anxiously at his leader, his claws curling in the ground. Smokewing lay cold on the ground with a nasty deep bite on the back of his neck. She heard that Jaggedclaw had killed him when he was on top of Ravenclaw. She remembered the sad look on Ravenclaw's face when they parted. Maplefrost originally felt fury when she saw him, but it changed to sadness. Ravenclaw was one of her best friends, but she knew these battles would draw them further apart. She didn't understand why the clans had to be enemies. Wouldn't it be easier for all the clans to be friends? It didn't make sense to fight all the time when they could live in peace. Though they would be living in peace if not for Mudstar.
    "We should attack their camp!" Willowtail cried out from where she sat with Brackenclaw. Windpelt And Vipertail were wounding around their wounded clanmates.
    "Are you okay?" Puddlepaw, a black and gray apprentice, asked, settling beside her.
    "No." Maplefrost admitted.
   "Neither am I." He agreed. He leaned into her, and Maplefrost welcomed his warmth.
    "We must wait to make a move until we recover." Petalstar meowed smoothly."ThunderClan are strong, and I don't want to risk any more of our warriors." She added.
     "We can't let them walk all over us and kill us all! You heard what Falconstar said at the gathering!" Pineclaw cried.
"Yes! He will kill us all if we don't do something!" Tallstripe piped up, kneading his paws into the ground.
"We should unite with all of the clans and destroy Mudstar!" Willowtail howled.
"Yes please!" Sootpaw cried, circling his mentor, Ivypelt.
"But Switcheye would be just as bad!" Roseheart argued.
"We'd kill them both and have StarClan pick a new leader!" Vipertail called from where he sat with Windpelt. The clan murmured agreement. Petalstar raised her tail for silence.
     "Then his most loyal supporters would attack us or take his place." Cloudspring pointed out calmly.
    "For now, we will always have a guard on their border and watch them closely. We should also exchange news with WindClan as much as we can and form an alliance with them. I will take a patrol to speak with Falconstar. We will do so tomorrow. For now, we must sit vigil for Smokewing." With that, Petalstar walked over and crouched beside he fallen warrior. Maplefrost joined with Puddlepaw at her heals. They sat till the moon rose before she went into her den and fell into a fitful sleep.

The next morning, Petalstar summoned a clan meeting. Smokewing had been taken to burial by Sandwhisker and Cloudspring.
"Dawnpaw is left without a mentor since Smokewing was killed. We must not hesitate with any training, she will need a new mentor. Maplefrost, you are a young warrior, but I want you to train Dawnpaw. Teach her all you have learned." Maplefrost prickled with excitement and touched noses with the sad apprentice.
"I will train you well. I am so sorry for the loss of your former mentor." She meowed. The gray apprentices nodded solemnly, bright amber eyes flashing in the morning sunlight.
"I am taking a patrol to speak with Falconstar. Willowtail, you will come with me, along with Pineclaw, Maplefrost and Dawnpaw. Cloudspring, you will guard camp and send some warriors to guard the ThunderClan border." Petalstar ordered. She flicked her tail for the chosen cats to follow her, and they made their way out of camp. Pines shook gently in the breeze over the cats as they made their way to the moor. Maplefrost padded beside Dawnpaw, who looked around with wide eyes. Soon they reached the moor, and a patrol caught them at the border.
In the lead was the deputy Heronwing. Beside him stood Briarthorn, Ashcloud, Graystep And Woodpaw.
    "What are you doing here?" Heronwing asked, dipping his head coolly.
     "I'd like to speak with Falconstar." Petalstar meowed.
    "Bad news?" Heronwing asked, tipping his head to one side.
    "Maybe they want to invade us!" Woodpaw yelped, digging his claws into the tough moorland grass. Dawnpaw twitched her whiskers in amusement.
    "Quite the contrary. I want to form an alliance with your clan. But first I must speak with Falconstar." Petalstar meowed.
    "I don't believe you!" Woodpaw piped up.
    "Oh stop it rabbit brain!" Dawnpaw snapped, half purring half growling. Woodpaw flicked his tail crossly but didn't reply. Heronwing's whiskers twitched as he beckoned them forward. Dawnpaw trotted next to Woodpaw, speaking softly with the WindClan apprentice. She was mrrrowing with laughter, and he looked embarrassed. Maplefrost was worried she was being too friendly, but then remembered her relationship with Cindercloud and Ravenclaw. Graystep shot the apprentice a hard look, and Woodpaw padded towards his mentor, shooting a look at Dawnpaw.
    Soon they entered camp. Eyes stared at them from every corner, more curious than frightened.
   "Visitors!" Bluekit squeaked, padding around the patrol with her tail held high.
    "Get back here!" Morningsun called. Bluekit padded to her mother, tail down. Shellkit And Amberkit sat beside her with curious eyes. Falconstar padded toward them, Hawktalon at his side. The new warrior curled his lip to reveal sharp teeth.
    "Enough Hawktalon. Let them speak." Falconstar meowed. Cindercloud poked her head out of the warriors. Her eyes gleamed when she saw Maplefrost.
    "We would like to form an alliance." Petalstar started.
    "Why would we do that?" Hawktalon snarled. Falconstar silenced him with a flick of his tail.
    "We lost a warrior, Smokewing, to a ThunderClan invasion." Petalstar added. Dismayed murmurs rippled through the clan. Falconstar widened his eyes, and Hawktalon curled his lip. "We want to form an alliance where we share news every so often and keep each other informed about ThunderClan and their activity. One day, maybe we will even attack their camp together." Petalstar said. Falconstar looked thoughtful.
"I'd like that." He replied. Most cats nodded in agreement, though Hawktalon didn't seem to pleased. Fuzzyclaw was shaking his head from the elders den, and Graystep looked uncertain. "We would meet at the border and let each other know about any suspicious activity on our borders, and perhaps even help each other out if they invade." The clan leader added.
   "We don't need help from enemy warriors!" Hawktalon meowed, furious.
    "Do you want more of your clan mates to die like Talonpaw?" Falconstar snapped back.
    "That's not fair." Leafstrike said softly. Hawktalon looked at his paws, fur prickling.
    "Every other day or so, at sunhigh, we will send two messengers from each clan to exchange news and keep each other informed." Petalstar decided. Falconstar nodded, looking to Heronwing to see if he agreed. Heronwing nodded and dipped his head.
    "Very well. It is agreed. Starting two days from now." Falconstar meowed. Petalstar dipped her head and turned to leave the clearing.
   "We should escort them to the border!" Briarthorn called out.
   "Very well. Heronwing, take Cindercloud and Featherheart and escort them to the border." Falconstar ordered. As Maplefrost was escorted out of camp, Cindercloud fell into step beside her. They trailed a little behind the patrol.
    "Are you meeting Ravenclaw and me tonight?" She asked softly. Maplefrost shook her head.
    "After Smokewing died, I'd like to stay away for a little bit. I don't trust ThunderClan, and I don't know if I can trust Ravenclaw." She said sadly.
    "You can trust him." Cindercloud ensured. Maplefrost shook her head sadly.
    "After the attack, I shouldn't leave camp at night, at least until the threat dies down. But I'll see you st gatherings." Maplefrost picked up the pace, heart wrenching in her chest. She felt herself falling away from her two best friends, all because of a blood thirsty clan leader who set the forest into chaos. Maplefrost was soothed by the sound of the water gently crashing at the shore of the lake as she was led back into her territory.
    Heronwing stopped at the border and led his clan home. Maplefrost shot one last sad look at Cindercloud and then ducked back into her own territory....

Cindercloud spotted Ravenclaw sitting alone. She knew this was a bad idea, especially since she had to go near his territory due to the guards set by WindClan. She met Ravenclaw in a more remote part of the territory. She was sad that Maplefrost did not join, and felt that she was slipping away. She hated that the clans had to be enemies, and hated Mudstar for the blood he kept on shedding. Ravenclaw purred when he spotted Cindercloud, and he wound around her, purring louder. Cindercloud felt his warm breath on her cheek as he twined his tail with hers.
"Thank StarClan" he breathed. He looked tense and hunted.
"Everything okay?" She murmured
"Never with Mudstar as leader." He whispered. Cindercloud understood.
"Maplefrost isn't coming." She meowed sadly.
"I hope she doesn't hate me. Jaggedclaw killed Smokewing to save me." Ravenclaw murmured.
   "I'm sure she doesn't blame you." Cindercloud assures softly.
    "I bet she does." He swished his tail angrily. "I wish we could be friends without sneaking around. Without our clans being rivals. Why can't we all be friends and get along? We all want the same things!" Ravenclaw kneaded the ground in frustration.
    "I ask the same things." Cindercloud said with a sigh.
    "It also makes it so that we can't be mates with cats in other clans." Ravenclaw added. Cindercloud saw the fur spike up on his shoulders and he looked awkward. "But cats have gotten into so much trouble for it..." He mewed sadly.
    "Are you saying you wish you could be my mate?" Cindercloud asked. Ravenclaw looked at her with sad eyes
    "Yes." She felt her heart leap in her chest. For a while she had been fighting the growing feelings for him, and now they surged to the top. She wanted him and nothing but him.
   "You could join WindClan. You don't even have to tell Mudstar!" Cindercloud said with excitement. But Ravenclaw shook his head.
    "Falconstar would never allow it, and I'm sure Mudstar would find and kill me." He mewed sadly.
    "We'd protect you."
     "No cat in your clan would protect me and you know it." He said bitterly.
     "I wish there was a way. I want a mate, but I have no interest in any cats from my clan. I liked Talonpaw when he was alive but had he lived, he would have become mates with Splashtail." She meowed.
     "I don't like anyone but you, either." He said.
   "We could totally make it work! Our relationship would be the same as it is now! We would meet up at night and talk and relax together, and then go about our business. We just won't have any kits." Cindercloud said with  excitement.
    "It would hurt though. We would have to be enemies in battle." Ravenclaw growled.
    "We would just have to avoid fighting each other." She posted out. Ravenclaw let out a resigned sigh.
    "I suppose we could try." He murmured. Cindercloud purred and rubbed her muzzle on his cheek. For the first time since Talonpaw died, she felt hope. Her relationship with Ravenclaw would be difficult, but it didn't matter to her. All that mattered was him.