Edited ✔️
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Icetail's fur was on end when he spotted Silverpaw, hissing and snarling to a cat so familiar that it made Icetail's heart break. Dewfang against Silverpaw—no, that can't happen! Icetail's brother was a fierce warrior with real battle experience. On top of that, he was now a known murderer in the Clans. She'll be shredded! he thought with fear. And if he jumped out there, then he would have to fight his own kin, the very brother he grew up with.
He watched from the bushes as Silverpaw defended herself, backing away slowly. Before cutting in, he hoped could find out what his brother was doing now that he was exiled from MoonClan. He couldn't have possibly joined DarkClan, right? he thought, recalling Graysoul's ambush. That would be the only place he could go to without being called a murderer. It made sense!
"Why are you here?" demanded Silverpaw. She was shaking with fear. She only had a few moons worth of battle training, making her significantly weaker than him.
Dewfang's tail lashed eagerly. "To see the death of my brother."
"You can't kill Icetail!" she spat in reply. "You're a coward and a traitor! You're nothing but that!"
Dewfang shook his head. "I did this all for a good purpose," meowed the brilliantly white-furred warrior. "On the day of our apprentice ceremony, everything began, Silverpaw. It is beyond your understanding. I had a dream that night, where I was being chased in a dark forest by a cat who seemed like he wanted to kill But then I finally stopped and listened to what he had to say. He told me that I could rule the Clans, that I can be the strongest and most powerful cat in this whole forest. And who'd turn down an offer like that?"
"Where is this going?" Silverpaw whispered, taking another step back. Icetail's fur was on end.
I had a very similar dream, he thought, but the only difference was that I wasn't given that offer. I was only given the offer to live or die.
"I was getting there," said Dewfang, taking a step forward. "This cat told me that I had to kill someone in order to achieve leadership, and I agreed to it. The one I had to kill was a gray cat—no, a silver cat. Her fur was as brilliant as yours, it looked as if the stars itself were in her pelt! She came to me, and then I did what I was told—I killed her. She didn't suspect it! Her beauty did not stop me from taking a step closer to destiny."
Icetail listened with horror. That's why I also was stunned by Silverpaw's appearance when she was born! We both met that beautiful silver she-cat. She had saved me . . . while on the other paw, Dewfang killed her.
"You see now, Icetail?" Dewfang called, his head snapping towards Icetail's direction. Icetail froze in spot, his fur bristling when he realized that he'd been spotted. "There's always a reason behind everything, brother!"
"I see that your senses are still sharp as ever," snarled Icetail, forcing himself to stand. He knew that he was at a disadvantage now that he had been seen, but there was nowhere to run to now.
Dewfang laughed. "I knew you were there this whole time, Icetail. My real objective was to let you know my half of the story. By the way, where's Graysoul?"
"Graysoul's dead," Icetail said bluntly.
"I told him to be careful around you," muttered Dewfang with annoyance. "Anyway, let's settle this, okay? I know what you want."
Icetail watched his brother. "As long as you keep Silverpaw out of this," he snapped. "And as long as you don't involve MoonClan!"
Dewfang shrugged. "We'll see!"
"Icetail, no!" Silverpaw cried. "Don't do this for me!"
Icetail already leaped at his brother, swiping at his eyes. Dewfang doubled back, avoiding Icetail's deadly claws, and lunged on top of his head, biting down on his ears. Icetail tumbled down by the heavy weight of his brother, but he did not give up so easily.
"I never would of thought it was you!" Icetail yowled to his brother. "I never thought that we'd have to fight like this! Doesn't blood mean anything to you?"
Icetail pushed Dewfang away from his neck and leaped to his paws, using his back claws to give Dewfang a blow to the face. Both of the brothers' blood was staining each other's fur.
Dewfang leaped at Icetail again, his claws unsheathed. He knocked over his brother once more, exposing Icetail's belly. "What matters is the blood of my enemies!"
Icetail used his hindlegs to kick Dewfang off of him. "I was never your enemy!" he snarled. "If you leave now and never show your face in MoonClan again, I won't kill you!"
"Like you can!" Dewfang spat.
"Let me help!" Silverpaw insisted, watching from the side with widened eyes. "I can't stand this!"
"Don't!" Icetail snapped. This is my battle!
Dewfang and Icetail wrestled each other, hissing and snarling and spitting with rage. Their ears were drawn back as they countered each other's moves, trying to predict what will happen next. Icetail bit down hard on his brother's tail, and Dewfang screeched with fury, shoving Icetail down to the ground by smacking him hard on the head. Dewfang's eyes sparked with fury.
This battle was much harder than the fight with Graysoul. That DarkClan cat was weak, but Dewfang was strong—the two of them easily matched each other's moons of training and strength.
Dewfang took advantage of having his brother pinned and swiped furiously with his front paws. Icetail received a heavy blow to his shoulder and he cried out in pain. That's not . . . going to stop me! he thought, determined to protect Silverpaw.
But before anyone did anything else, a cat leaped out of the undergrowth. Icetail looked at the cat's figure and caught a glance of his face. It was another DarkClan warrior! He was about to leap onto Silverpaw, but the apprentice dodged his attack with swift movement.
Icetail turned back to his own battle, knowing that it's too dangerous to let his attention go astray. She must take care of herself!
Dewfang laughed bitterly. "Had enough, Icetail?"
"I'm not stopping until you're dead," he declared with rage. Icetail barely managed to get his claws on Dewfang's pelt; he only left a few scratches on his flank and face. Despite his strong words, he was tired already. The only thing that kept Icetail up to Dewfang's match was pure adrenaline alone—otherwise, the winner would have already been determined. But now, the exhaustion and lack of sleep was suddenly catching up, causing his struggles to become weaker and weaker.
This is going to be the end of me! Icetail thought with deep dread.
Dewfang raised his paw high with his claws fully unsheathed. He was positioned to give Icetail a killing blow. He had no time to move . . . this was it!
But suddenly, it was as if StarClan sent help. Another cat entered the battle-field in a hurry, leaping out from the undergrowth in front of Icetail. Dewfang's claws raked across the cat's throat, causing her to fall to the ground with a thud. Icetail immediately made out his leader, a pool of blood emerging around her neck.
"Brightstar!"
Dewfang, dissatisfied, looked down to Brightstar, and then back to Icetail, backing away. "Argh! I'll see you another day, Icetail," hissed his brother, sprinting out of the herb patch.
"Don't leave now!" Icetail yowled after his brother. "Don't run away just because you know she is going to wake up again!"
When Brightstar would wake up again, then she would help Icetail beat Dewfang, and two warriors against one was an easy battle.
But Dewfang was already gone. Icetail turned to Silverpaw, who had a few scratches on her pelt. She was still battling the DarkClan warrior. Icetail leaped from his spot and pinned down the smaller warrior, ignoring the massive pain on his shoulder. "Get out, or I'll kill you!" he snarled to the tom.
The tom kicked Icetail off and ran after Dewfang. Icetail was panting. He collapsed on the ground just as Brightstar had, exhausted out of his mind. Now that they're gone . . . can I rest? he thought, pain scorching his whole body.
He looked at Brightstar as she recovered her life, and then his gaze turned to Silverpaw. Her blue eyes were wide, and her pelt was shaking.
"I'm so sorry," Silverpaw said. "I should of been more careful. Now you're all hurt."
"I-I'm fine," Icetail said, his body in pain. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I had an outbreak. I was so pathetic. I shouldn't have run, or else we could have handled it together."
Silverpaw's eyes watered. "This shouldn't of happened to you," she whispered. "You're not pathetic, Icetail."
Icetail buried his nose in her starry pelt. "I'll protect you forever, Silverpaw. You won't ever have to worry again." Silverpaw nodded and relaxed, but didn't say anything more. Icetail looked at Brightstar once more, not seperating from Silverpaw's touch.
The leader's eyes opened and she gasped for air. Her wound wasn't as severe as Icetail's, but it also wasn't too good. "Icetail," she murmured. "You're okay."
Icetail nodded. "I'm okay," he managed. "Did you see Sweetheart while you were out there?"
Brightstar nodded and staggered up to her paws. "I did. That's how I knew you were here. I-I found her wondering around, she told me she and Silverpaw were looking for you. I began helping her until we found a dead DarkClan cat on the territory, and from there, I followed your scent all the way here while Sweetheart rushed back to camp."
Icetail tried to stand up as well, his wounds reopening. Silverpaw let him lean on her for support. "We should get back before Dewfang returns," he murmured, wincing in pain. "There could be more DarkClan cat's lurking around. We need more patrols out in the territory."
"You sound like your father," Brightstar laughed weakly. "How can you act so strong? Just look at those wounds!"
Icetail looked at his paws. "I have to be strong because MoonClan needs me to be," he murmured, the sadness entering his heart once more.
Brightstar's eyes glimmered. "We all have to be strong."
* * *
With the support of Silverpaw, both Icetail and Brightstar managed to make it back to MoonClan in one piece. Every cat crowded with curiosity and worry as to what has happened to the patrol.
"I bet it was Dewfang again!" Rainwhisker acused angrily. "That no-good traitor!"
"Is he working with DarkClan?" Adderclaw growled.
"I bet he is," hissed Sedgetooth.
"We should attack them!" declared Goldpaw.
Icetail ignored everyone as he made his way to the medicine den. He collapsed right at Sweetheart's paws. Brightstar sat right next to him, looking at Sweetheart hopefully. "Will he be okay?" she asked the medicine cat.
"Of course he will," said Sweetheart. "He's always been such a strong cat."
"Can I help?" Silverpaw asked. "I don't want to leave his side."
"Sure," Sweetheart said. "Lick his scratches clean and smoothen out his fur. Then, chew this goldenrod into a poultice and rub it on his gash. Close the wound with a cobweb when you have the goldenrod in place." She passed her a medicine herb. "I'll be tending to Brightstar. Call me when you're done so I can take on from there."
Silverpaw nodded and went right to work on Icetail's wounds. She was gentle and quiet. Icetail liked the peace that was in the medicine den, and he sighed, allowing himself to feel relaxed.
Outside the medicine den, Icetail heard his father, Sparrowheart, assigning border patrols, scout patrols and hunting patrols throughout the territory before he came to check on Icetail and Brightstar. His father looked down to Icetail with warmth in his eyes.
Sparrowheart touched his cold nose to his son's fur. "Even if you don't know it, you're the talk of the Clan, Icetail."
"Well, something's not new," he laughed weakly. His stupid actions always made him the talk of the Clan, from stories of his compulsive choices in the past to the fact that he is Dewfang, the famous traitor's, brother.
Sparrowheart sighed as he took a seat besides Icetail. "Dewfang was always such a good cat. No one ever expected him. He was even so popular in MoonClan. I can't believe he's been behind this all along." Icetail's father's eyes clouded with grief and sadness. "This isn't fair. Why is this happening? I lost Featherbreeze, and now I lost Dewfang. I don't know what I would of done if I had lost you, too."
"You won't," Icetail said. But I'm not making any promises, he thought to himself.
"You should help Brightstar back to her own den," Sweetheart suggested to the deputy. "Icetail needs the space to recover."
Brightstar nodded. "I'll be in my den if you need me, Icetail." She got up and left with the support of Sparrowheart.
Icetail sighed and shut his eyes. He wasn't planning on falling asleep, but he did. For once, he didn't dream about the future. For once, he dreamt of his past.
* * *
"Featherbreeze!" Icekit cried, pawing at his mother. "Can I please play with Dawnkit and the others? I feel so left out! No fair!"
He struggled and flailed in her grasp, but she didn't let her tiny kit go so easily. Featherbreeze chuckled and licked his fur clean. "Why leave when you can spend time with me?" she asked him. "Besides, I have to clean you up. You're all dirty!"
Icekit snorted. "It's not my fault that there was a mud puddle in the way," he muttered. Even though he was annoyed, he stopped struggling, and let Featherbreeze clean his fur all the way through. After it returned to its soft kit-like state, she finally let Icekit go outside the nursery.
At the time, he was only recently born into the Clan. Ripplefur was an apprentice and was known as Ripplepaw. Dawnkit, Volekit and Sweetkit still slept in the nursery. Sparrowheart wasn't the deputy of MoonClan at the time, but rather, he was considered one of the senior warriors. Brightstar always seemed to beam with happiness. Vinetail was still alive and well. Last but not least, Dewkit was still a good cat.
By far, this was the happiest time of Icetail's life. Everyone he cared about was there—if Silverpaw, Squirrelpaw and Flameheart didn't count. He didn't understand what death was, he didn't have to worry about food or if he'd live to see tomorrow. He didn't feel like prey at the time.
It was truly the happiest time of his life.
* * *
Icetail woke up a few moments later. The dream was short, but it was warm and nice and comforting. He sighed, wanting that feeling of security once more even though he knew it wouldn't come to him.
"Is something wrong?" Silverpaw whispered to him. "There must be something on your mind." Her silver pelt was brilliant against the setting sun. She was beautiful.
"I had a dream," Icetail confessed. "It was during my kithood. Your mother was there, and my mother too. Everyone in MoonClan was there. It was so happy. These were bright and good days. Nothing is like that anymore . . . days became dark. I forgot what it was like to see everyone so happy."
Silverpaw shook her head. "Even though things are hard, it's not like we're unhappy, Icetail. If we were unhappy, we wouldn't fight for MoonClan every day." She paused for a moment, before meowing, "Thank you for saving me, by the way. That's all you ever do for me. I hate being so weak."
Icetail shook his head. "No, you're not weak. I'm a warrior, so I have more experience than you. One day, when you're named too, I'm sure you'll be as strong as the other warriors. So right now, it's not your responsibility—"
"To take care of myself?" Silverpaw asked, a little annoyed.
Icetail purred. "That's right. I told you, I'll protect you forever."
Silverpaw sighed. "Fine. Do what you want," she murmured. "But you know, I'll have to protect you, too, since you're so reckless."
Icetail nodded. That's fine my me, he thought. I need a little break anyways. I've pushed myself to hard.
After that fight with Dewfang, all he wanted now was a few more days of rest. He didn't want to think of the prophecy anymore. He didn't want to think of Dewfang. Now, all he wanted was a moment in time to recover from the harsh realities of the Clans.