The group padded on in silence. They were headed towards the mountain that housed the Firestone. Pineheart had overheard Brokensong say that they must pass over the peak and head south. But which direction is south?
"Ouch!" Lionpaw exclaimed from her place near the middle of the patrol.
"Hush.. we mustn't draw the attention of predators," Meadowshine whispered in her ear. Pineheart desperately hoped that the wolves would not return. With the wounded so vulnerable back at camp, they would surely all perish. The thought of Blizzardstar losing every single one of his lives at the jaws of a wolf sent shivers down his spine.
"We're coming to the first valley!" Brokensong called over her shoulder. Her tone was still subtle, as to not attract any curious eyes. It seemed everyone was on edge. Nothing felt safe anymore...
"What was that?" Smallfire gasped a few paces in front of Pineheart. He had come to a halt while he flicked his tail to and fro. Pineheart almost ran straight into his rump.
"Keep going you daft squirrel," Pineheart grumbled as he pushed him forward with an ignorant shove. Smallfire shot him a reproachful glance but scurried onward.
I'm not about to make him think he's the only one upset! Foxstreak was my mother too, he thought in frustration. The tom has been almost hysterical while they said their last goodbyes. He wailed that he could not leave her behind.
Yet, here we are, Pineheart reminded himself. His heart burned with guilt and regret. We left all of them behind.
He knew that Foxstreak wasn't his real mother, but she had raised them like her own. It was difficult to imagine that he would never see her, nor Blizzardstar, again.
The patrol padded out of the cover of the pine trees. A massive hill loomed before them. "We will travel over this rise and through the valley," Brokensong instructed as she trotted along at the head of the group.
Frostfeather was at her side, her shoulders slumped. Pineheart wanted to comfort her, but his heart still stung that she had not confided in him about her dreams.
She had decided to tell him shortly after they left. She had hoped to share her anxieties with him. But he had pushed her away. If she would have come to me sooner, we could have figured out a way to save everyone! Now they're all as good as dead.
As they continued to journey down the valley and up the next hill, Pineheart's fur turned cold. Behind the cats, furious barks and howls echoed through the closely packed trunks of the pine forest.
"The wolves!" Pineheart wailed as he whirled around, "the wolves went back! We have to go help!"
He dug his paws hard into the dirt, ready to push off and charge back towards IceClan. But a heavy weight knocked him over. He looked up into the eyes of Elkleap.
"You can't go back!" he shouted.
"Let me go!" Pineheart rasped as he raked his claws through the short grass. Brokensong was beside them in a moment, her expression grave.
"We can not save them," she murmured. She looked deep into Pineheart's eyes and hoped that he would understand. "I need you to accept that."
"But, Blizzardstar!" His struggle became frantic. Elkleap just pushed him down even harder into the ground.
"Blizzardstar knew what he was doing when he decided to stay," Frostfeather pointed out as she came to stand beside Brokensong, "he would want us to keep going, so that we can carry on IceClan's legacy."
Pineheart stopped as she spoke. His eyes were round with disbelief and more importantly, hate. "How can you say that!" he hissed.
"We can't stay here," Sootsplash called from further ahead. He stood in front of Meadowshine and Lionpaw, his claws unsheathed. Sweetmind stood only a few paces away. She looked stricken with horror as the barks and howls continued in the forest behind them. "If those wolves find our trail, they'll catch up to us in no time!"
Pineheart looked up at Frostfeather. He felt hot anger bubble in his stomach. How can she be so heartless?
Reluctantly, Pineheart allowed himself to be lifted off of the ground. Elkleap kept a stern eye on him, but Pineheart didn't want to delay them any longer. If the wolves caught up to them, Blizzardstar would have died for nothing.
Smallfire kept up with his steady pace, which only made his anger deepen. "Do you think they're alright back there?" Smallfire whispered.
"It's best you two don't think about it," Elkleap commented. Pineheart flattened his ears, greatful for the silence that followed. Finally, they approached the massive slope of the mountain. The sun shone behind its mighty peak.
Near the base, there were some scraggly bushes and a few trees. "We should rest here until morning," Brokensong directed. Sootsplash immediately pulled Meadowshine and Lionpaw aside to build them nests underneath a small bush. Sweetmind hovered at their side, clearly unsure of what to do.
"If you'd like, you can join me to go and find some prey," Elkleap offered as he turned to Pineheart. He stubbornly shook his head. He didn't really want to do much of anything but curl up and go to sleep.
Smallfire sat down beside him and wrapped his tail around his paws. After a moment, Elkleap grunted and turned. Pineheart watched as he disappeared along the edge of the mountain, his ears alert for the sound of prey.
"You can blame me for all of this, if it helps," Frostfeather's gentle voice sounded in his ear. He turned to look at her as he felt his anger flare anew.
"I will blame you! All of this could have been avoided!" he hissed. Frostfeather's eyes flashed with hurt, her ears flattened against her head.
"I wish that was true," she mumbled.
Brokensong had started to build nests for the others underneath an adjacent bush. Perhaps the busywork helped to keep her mind off of the grim situation they were all in.
"I wish he could have just come with us," Frostfeather mewed, "but he had his reasons to stay."
Like what? We need him more than the infected cats do!
"He believed in us. He knew we could do this without him," she mewed.
Pineheart sighed, his frustration fading. He knew that she was right. Blizzardstar would not have stayed behind if he knew that they could not survive this journey without him.
"I guess you're right," he agreed. But his chest felt heavy with sadness. I just wish I could close my eyes and this would all be over.
Pineheart felt her lean into him, her fur unusually cool. Her fur trembled; and when he looked into her eyes, he could see the exact same grief that threatened to overwhelm him.
Smallfire had curled up and fallen asleep right beside them. His orange and white fur was ruffled with exhaustion. Eventually, Elkleap returned with two squirrels for everyone to share. Pineheart jabbed a paw into Smallfire's side to wake him up. He would have to eat before he fell asleep.
Sootsplash helped Elkleap divide up the meat so that everyone had a fair share. As they ate, they all started to share stories of their lives back in the IceClan camp.
"I can remember, back when I was an apprentice. Stormsurge and Weaseltail taunted me to climb a tree! They used to always like to pick on me," Brokensong purred.
"And I remember back when you were still an apprentice," Sootplash meowed as he turned to look at Sweetmind. "You and Appleleaf were always trying to get into trouble. Quietstorm had her paws full with you both."
The calico she-cat's eyes glittered with sadness at the mention of her mother and sister. She stayed silent as the others continued with their own stories.
"Back when we were still kits, I remember Foxstreak scolding you both for bothering the elders," Smallfire meowed, his voice still bleary with sleep. "She was always trying to keep you both in the nursery."
"I think she just didn't want anything to happen to us," Frostfeather commented, "I'm sure it would look bad if she let the leader's kits get hurt or lost."
The sky was now dark. The stars shined up above the small band of cats as they finished their meals. "We will leave at the first sight of dawn," Brokensong mewed as she stood to go and pad to her nest. "Make sure to get as much rest as you can."
The other warriors also went to their nests. They were clearly ready to go to sleep. Smallfire, Pineheart, and Frostfeather all took nests next to each other under a leafy berry bush near the base of the mountain. Brokensong was also there, but it didn't take long before she fell into a deep sleep.
"Tomorrow is a new day," Frostfeather mumured as she curled up in her cozy nest, "we will figure out where we should be headed in the morning."
Pineheart also curled into his bed of moss, ready to finally rest after such a long day. Don't worry Blizzardstar, Pineheart thought as he started to drift into unconsciousness. We won't disappoint you.