A New Beginning

Chapter 12

Chapter 12: A Leader Always Knows

          Fireheart looked around the camp at the many cats gathered before him, all waiting to go to the gathering. Beechstar had picked a few of the Warriors to come along. Those warriors being, Copperbee, Ryenose, Squirrelmist, Vinebelly, DeerLight, Rainsky, Sootraven, Shellstone, and Mistysky. 

          The medicine cats Tinybreeze, Leafdrop and Yellowpaw padded out of the medicine den with Beechstar trailing behind them. She yowled to the clan and we headed out of the camp toward the gathering. 

          Fireheart quickened his pace until he was beside Beechstar.

          "Are you gonna mention Icekit?" he asked his leader. Beechstar shook her head. 

          "We can ask the clans about the kit individually," she said briefly. She didn't look at Fireheart, only continued to walk straight ahead. Fireheart nodded, thinking about the white kit they had found resting in the tangled roots of a tree. She had been near Shadowclan border and yet, had no clan scent. Sandstorm had insisted she could be the kit's mother. At first, Fireheart refused. She couldn't possibly mother five kits. But Fireheart eventually caved in and Sandstorm named the pure white she-kit Icekit. 

         Her named suited as they had found her in the dead of leaf-bare. Fireherat had been a part of the patrol that had stumbled across the kit. He barely noticed the small creature as it's white fur kept it blended into the snow. When the kit looked up, Fireheart had been amazed by the pure, icy blue colour of her eyes. 

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          When they reached the island, Fireheart and Beechstar stepped aside to let their clan mates cross the log. Only once every cat had crossed did Fireheart jump up on the log. He weaved through the branches, carefully avoiding the ice, and swiftly landed on the island. 

          He turned to see Beechstar jump up onto the log. As she started to cross Fireheart noticed a patch of ice in front of her. 

          "Beechstar, watch out!" His warning was too late and he watched in horror as she plummeted through the thin ice into the cold water. He heard gasps of Thunderclan cats as well as cats from the other clans. Somewhere in the crowd, Fireheart heard his sister ask what was happening, and Leafdrop's voice explaining. Fireheart watched, waiting to see her head come up. But it didn't. With no other thought than to save his leader, he jumped into the freezing water. The coldness of the water washed over him. He saw a bundle of fur just below the surface, floating with droopy eyes. She was nearly unconscious, the cold making her weaker. He suspected she was unable to find the surface after she fell in, shocked by the cold water. 

          Fireheart took a deep breath and dived into the water. He kicked his hind legs in an attempt to get deeper. The cold makes it harder to get his limbs to paddle. He shivers but manages to get closer to the now sinking leader. He fastened his teeth around her scruff and started kicking and thrashing in an attempt to reach the surface. His lungs screamed for air. Finally, he broke through the surface. Every one of his instincts told him to let go of her and take deep breaths of air. But he held on. Desperately thrashing his legs trying to keep her head above the water, while also trying to break through the ice and paddle to shore. 

          Fireheart became more and more tired as he desperately tried to reach the island. Beechstar still made no move to help, her limp body hanging from his mouth. Fireheart noticed a gray tom slide into the water, obviously from Riverclan.