Icestar unsurely looked back to the camp with a deep sigh, eyeing the rogue tom who had been captured just the other day. The stranger, who hadn't eaten ever since his arrival, looked listless and untroubled as he dozed about under the guard of Petalwing and Crowflight. He didn't want to leave camp without his eye on that rogue, but he knew that he couldn't waste time.
Today is Amberpaw and Blackpaw's big day after all, he thought as he turned his gaze over to the two apprentices eating their share from the fresh-kill-pile. If they passed this ceremony, no longer will they be apprentices. They will become full warriors of MoonClan!
He swiftly took a glance at the medicine den, where Dewkit and Ravenkit were having their wounds checked up by Sweetheart. When those two finally have their warrior ceremonies, he would truly enjoy it as much as he would enjoy Amberpaw and Blackpaw's. And Bloodpaw, thought Icestar as he looked at Skypelt, the scarlet apprentices' injured mentor in the medicine den. Bloodpaw will need a new mentor soon if Skypelt's injuries are bad.
Icestar's ear flicked as he noticed Volefur padding through the camp's clearing, his white-and-brown pelt glinting under the sun with his sister at his side. Dawnstripe must be the one who would accompany him to assess Blackpaw. The leader took a deep breath as a faint memory of her late apprentice, Goldenpaw, flashed in his mind. Today should be meant for Goldenpaw, too, Icestar thought sadly. If only she could have become a warrior.
"Good morning," Volefur greeted as he sat by Icestar's side. "It's quite warm today, isn't it?"
Icestar mumbled an agreement as Dawnstripe said, "Warmer than usual, that's what it is. New-leaf is finally here! Prey should be returning, and Amberpaw and Blackpaw might have a good hunt today." Her tone seemed cheerful, and Icestar purred, knowing that he should not think about her dead apprentice any longer. Today was a day meant for the living.
Flameheart, who was supposed to accompany Icestar, arrived at his side a few moments later. "Hello," greeted the rusty-orange tom with a dip of the head. "Is it time to go?"
Icestar looked up to the sun, squinting at its brilliant light. It had finally risen over the tree-tips, and the prey should be scuttling around the forest by now. "You're right." In a slightly louder tone, he called, "Apprentices, it's time to go!"
Amberpaw gulped down the last of her vole from the center of the clearing and began to run up to the waiting cats. Blackpaw, who had already finished, followed closely by his sister's risen tail-tip. Icestar noticed as they got closer to the group that their fur was more neatly groomed than usual, probably to make a good impression to their mentors. It's not about looks, thought Icestar with amusement, but skill and knowledge!
He purred as Amberpaw reached his side. "Sorry I'm late!" she exclaimed, shaking out her muzzle from the last bits of prey that clung under her lip. "I'm ready now. This assessment is going to be great!" Her tail shook with excitement, and her neatly-groomed ginger pelt shone under the sun.
Blackpaw—who was usually indifferent about certain situations—looked excited for once, with some parts of his sleek black fur sticking upward. "Are we going now?"
"Yes," Flameheart purred, beginning to lead the group outside the camp. "Amberpaw, walk by me. I'll be helping Icestar assess you."
Excited, she padded by his side, and Icestar squeezed through the camp entrance after them, following closely behind. Dawnstripe and Volefur came next with Blackpaw as they began their travel through the MoonClan forest.
As he walked through the forest, slowly padding ahead of the group, he noticed that the trees were not as bare as they used to be, and the branches were becoming covered with green leaves. The snow was also long-gone, and the light brown dirt was now dark, growing with fresh new undergrowth and plants of all sorts, as well as shrubbery and a few new bushes here and there. Padding up a slope, he swerved around a tree that had fallen long ago in their forest.
"Where is the assessment taking place?" asked Amberpaw with an edge of excitement in her voice.
Flameheart was the one to respond. "We'll be there soon, Amberpaw. Don't worry."
She padded quicker, her pelt brushing by Icestar. "So, care to tell me what the assessment is?" she questioned, leaning in close with curiosity.
"You'll find out when we get there." Icestar's ear flicked, signaling her to fall back. She did as so, and he noticed that they were closer than they seemed. The group was still traveling uphill. The grass seemed to become less moist, even crunchy and longer underpaw as they approached their destination. Finally, Icestar was the first to reach the top of the hill, and stopped walking, turning back to his patrol. All the cats stopped walking too.
"Amberpaw, Blackpaw, today you will take your official warrior assessments. If you do well in our eyes, you shall be granted your own warrior names." He dipped his head to Flameheart. "He and I will be assessing your skills, Amberpaw." Next, he looked at Volefur and Dawnstripe. "They will assess you, Blackpaw." Icestar met the two apprentice's nervous round eyes. "What this assessment actually is is an evaluation your skills in hunting. Make sure to keep up with what you were taught, because we won't be there to help you anymore, and every little move you make will be watched—and judged."
Amberpaw gave a small gulp, and Blackpaw stood perfectly still. Silently, Icestar gave them a reassuring nod before Dawnstripe—the most experienced mentor—spoke: "You may choose where you want to hunt, and by sunhigh meet back to this spot." And with that, she signaled for them to go, and they did, each padding to their opposite directions.
"Amberpaw and Blackpaw will do good," Flameheart murmured in Icestar's ear. "I am sure of it."
"So am I," agreed Icestar, waiting several heartbeats for the two apprentices to disappear through the undergrowth. When they were gone, the mentors dispersed with their partners by them, following the trail of their apprentices.
Of course, Icestar followed Amberpaw's trail. She hadn't gone far—unlike Blackpaw, who went into the direction of the destroyed cave of mosses. Instead, she went into the opposite way where MoonClan and CloudClan's territory met and ended.
Interesting place to hunt, thought Icestar, beginning to crouch low as he scented his apprentice nearby. Flameheart did the same, and began leading the way to her position, being the better tracker out of the two. As they walked, Flameheart slowly padded up to a nearby tree and hauled himself up as silently as a mouse. Icestar went next, gripping his claws tightly to the wood of the branches, making his way up into the cover of leaves and the tangle of twigs. Finally, he spotted his apprentice, who was hiding two mice under a bush.
Impressed, Icestar exchanged glances with Flameheart, who also had the same look in his eye. After all, she caught her first prey already! he thought, proud of her skills. He closely watched her as she continued her hunt, creeping low to the ground. Her posture was good, if not perfect, showing signs of experience and exercise. The way she crouched reminded Icestar of the special trick he taught her a few moons back that helped to perform silent, strong leaps.
Icestar watched closely as she inched up to a vole that munched on a nut in the plain sight of predators. He knew that prey-creatures only openly showed themselves when they thought they were safe. If she was not successful, he knew that the vole would be able to scurry off into an untraceable place.
After she was a fine way away from the vole, she stealthily leaped onto it before it had time to react. Then, she finished it off with a killing bite. Satisfied with herself, she brought it to where she had hid her mice and buried it under the bush.
Three pieces of prey! thought Icestar, beyond proud of her skills and his fine teaching. I wonder if her sister is watching her in StarClan.
Icestar's paws were pressed to his chest, and Flameheart was right by him, his pelt brushing against his as they watched the ginger apprentice continue her hunt. A bit time had passed, and all Amberpaw had caught other than the two mice and the vole was a fat squirrel. She looked around for more prey, her jaws parted, smelling the air to find out where there would be more food to find. Icestar himself noticed a bird on a low tree branch, but Amberpaw had not seen it, for it was being awfully silent, perhaps searching the ground for worms.
Finally, however, she did notice something else—another vole that was nestled by a tree trunk. Amberpaw, seeming satisfied with herself and crouched down low enough for her belly fur to touch the ground. She hid in the undergrowth, hoping to be unseen. Icestar took notice of her tail twitching excitement, and her eyes too fixed upon the piece of live prey.
Flameheart leaned a bit closer, noticing her flaws in this particular hunt as well. He looked as if he wanted to tell her what she had at fault, but he stayed put, of course, and watched the rest of the hunt silently.
Finally, Amberpaw was close enough to take her leap. However, as she slowly pressed her forepaw to the ground, a twig crunched underpaw, and the vole immediately scurried within the trunk of the tree in complete fear. Icestar could almost hear her mumble a curse under her breath.
I hope her hunt does not end up being lousy, thought Icestar, noticing her struggle. Four pieces of prey is good, but not enough for an outstanding assessment.
He watched her as her tail flicked with annoyance. After looking around a bit more, though, she finally seemed to realize that the bird, particularly a starling, started to chirp lightly. She noticed it, Icestar realized, pleased with her skill. Maybe her hunt would not turn out to be unsuccessful after all. His eyes followed her movement—she was definitely being more careful now than before; her hunt continued.
As Amberpaw approached the bird, Icestar noticed that she made sure to be aware of her surroundings. Her tail did not move this time, and even though her attention was fixed on the starling, she was also paying attention to her surroundings so that she would not step on another loud object. Finally, she was close enough to leap. She wiggled her haunches, and—
The bushes rustled.
Startled, the starling immediately took flight, soaring high through the air before Amberpaw could leap at it. Icestar's heart sunk—but he knew that it was not her fault that such an accident had happened. Who was nearby that ruined her hunt? Icestar leaned closer as Amberpaw crept by the bush to inspect. Flameheart's ears raised, trying to hear better what it was.
A heartbeat later, a rabbit sprawled out of the undergrowth, sprinting past the trees. Amberpaw didn't hesitate and shot after it, forcing her limbs to catch up to it. She's so fast! thought Icestar. Perhaps if she wasn't a MoonClan cat, she'd be having her apprentice ceremony in CloudClan for her incredible speed. That was how fast she seemed to be as she raced after the rabbit.
Icestar hoped she would get it. Her legs seemed to stretch out farther as she full-out sprinted. Finally, she raced out of the cover of trees, and Icestar and Flameheart tried to get closer to observe how she would handle this situation. On open moorland, she seemed to keep up with the rabbit, and was easily gaining on it. Amberpaw swerved from the side to cut the rabbit's route to CloudClan territory, and she leaped, tumbling down along with the rabbit in her grasp. As they stopped, the rabbit struggled against her grasp, but it could not escape, and she lunged her head down to give it a killing bite.
Satisfied, Icestar purred softly to himself. It's nearly sunhigh, and she caught a good amount of prey, he thought, pleased with his apprentice. Perhaps we should get going now to start the battle assessment.
Icestar was just about to leap out of his spot on the tall branch as Amberpaw entered the forest, but he was stopped short when he heard another rustle in the bushes. More prey? The breeze whipped up a strange scent—one that Icestar had surely caught before. He simply could not remember what it was or where it came from, but he surely knew it from somewhere. Flameheart scented it as well, and his eyes narrowed at the bushes, as the rattling grew closer, meaning something was coming.
Amberpaw, down below on the ground, heard it too. However, she had no time to flee, as a cat emerged through the undergrowth. His pelt was a dark ginger color from Icestar's vantage point. He could not tell clearly, but the cat's paws were most likely white, and his body was covered in dark brown tabby stripes.
Flameheart tensed, and was about to leap down to the ground, but Icestar's tail gently touched his shoulder. Flameheart looked up and met his leader's eyes, to see his head slowly shake.
I want to see what Amberpaw is going to do, thought Icestar. If this cat is hostile, we can jump down. Please understand this, Flameheart.
As if he could read Icestar's mind, Flameheart settled down, watching the stranger intensely. He stared at Amberpaw with his light green eyes. Amberpaw gave a low growl, and her hackles raised as she pawed her rabbit protectively.
"Who are you?" she demanded. "You don't smell like any Clan I know of."
"Clans?" the rogue questioned. "I come from no Clan. My name is Jinx."
Jinx? thought Icestar, alarmed. What kind of name is that? And he's a rogue, too! What if he has something to do with the one back in camp?
Amberpaw growled out loud. "Leave this territory at once!"
"Not before you tell me who you are," the rogue said, his tail flicking side by side. "You have such nice eyes."
Flameheart's claws unsheathed as his nose flared with annoyance.
"Get lost!" snarled Amberpaw once more, preparing to fight against him. "This is MoonClan territory. Strangers are not welcome here!" She backed up a bit, and pulled her catch behind her, as if his one and only goal was to snatch it away.
Jinx's green eyes trailed behind her and he saw the rabbit being pushed out of his reach. "Don't worry, little Clan cat. I am not here for your prey, and I was most certainly just messing with you." Icestar couldn't tell, but it was almost as if Jinx was purring. "However, I do have a serious question, now. If you answer it, I will leave."
"I'll make you leave anyhow," Amberpaw retorted.
Jinx seemed to shrug off the threat. "There is this cat I am searching for, you see, and he might be a part of your Clans." His eyes trailed around the forest, as if he would find the one he was seeking somewhere among the trees. "This cat I am talking about—he is destined to destroy, and that's what he's going to do if we don't stop him."
Icestar's heart seemed to stop. This cat could not possibly be talking about me, could he? thought the leader, his pelt bristling with alarm as memories flared into his mind. If he is, how does he know about the prophecy, especially after it had been solved two moons ago?
Amberpaw's head tilted, slightly with curiosity. "Listen, Jinx. I have no clue about this cat you speak of. One who destroys? Here? What nonsense!"
Jinx shrugged. "If you say so, liar."
"You don't believe me?" questioned Amberpaw, her pelt bristling with rage. "You're the one who came into my territory, rogue! Leave at once or things won't be good for you!"
Jinx turned around, making his leave. Before he disappeared out of the nearby border, however, he turned his head over his shoulder once more. "I am not a rogue, little Clan cat. My name is Jinx—and I belong with a group of cats much more fearsome than the likes of you. Somewhere around, there resides the cat who will destroy. We won't stop hunting for him until he's dead. You should too, Clan-kitty, because he just might cause the destruction of all the Clans in his wake!"
And with that, Jinx disappeared through the undergrowth, his dark brown tail flicking out of sight. Amberpaw held her ground, clearly alarmed.
Icestar did not know if he should move. If this cat was searching for him—searching for Icestar who already destroyed DarkClan moons before, then he could still be lurking around. This is bad! If Jinx is really looking for me, I could put MoonClan in danger! And why—rather—how does he know about such things?
Flameheart nudged the leader's side, grasping the situation as much Icestar had. "Come on," he murmured, "We cannot leave Amberpaw alone any longer. We must regroup and return to camp."
Icestar hesitated for a moment, before giving a nod of understanding. "If that's what is best . . ."
The rusty-orange warrior leaped out of the tree branch, and landed stealthily by Amberpaw's side, startling her. "Don't worry, it's only us," Flameheart assured her, as Icestar landed on the ground as well.
"Why didn't you come out?" she asked, her tone a bit sharp.
Icestar dipped his head to his apprentice. "I'm sorry, Amberpaw. We didn't want to cut in your warrior assessment."
"Even with such an interruption?" she demanded, glancing over her shoulder as if Jinx was still lingering around. "He smelled like that cat we have in camp, Icestar! There's a whole group of them! Who knows what he could have done?"
"Let's not talk here," Icestar murmured sharply in her ear, his pelt bristling. "Who knows if that rogue is really gone?"
Amberpaw let out a shuddering breath, and Flameheart began leading the group back to the hill after Amberpaw retrieved all her prey, where they were supposed to meet Blackpaw and the others by sunhigh. As they walked through the forest, all their senses alert for Jinx or some other rogue, Icestar thought about the recent events throughout the past few days.
"We're going to have to bring this matter up to the Clan," he decided as he imagined about a possible future attack from this so-called group of cats. "Amberpaw, Flameheart, don't mention it at all to anyone. I am going to make an announcement soon enough."
He pushed past the two, beginning to lead them up front. He took a deep breath as memories from his dream flashed in his mind. Shard was right, he thought, his muscles tensing up. Things are not over. He held up his head, feeling the warm breeze brush by his ears. The forest is changing . . .