Sparks of a Fire

Chapter 15

By the time Ripplepaw finally made it back to IceClan's camp, it was nearly sunrise and all the white-and-cream she-cat wanted to do was curl up in her warm mossy nest and sleep for a moon.

The white-and-cream apprentice settled down in her nest and closed her eyes. She was asleep within seconds, but it didn't seem like she was asleep for very long when someone began prodding at her side.

Ripplepaw groaned and batted the paw away with an annoyed hiss. She turned away from the cat trying to wake her and curled up into a tight ball.

"Get up!" the grouchy male voice hissed in her ear. "We're suppose to be on the dawn patrol right now!"

Ripplepaw's eyes shot open and she quickly scrambled to her paws. "W-What? Oh! I uh... I-I'm so sorry, Hailclaw!" she meowed, yawning and rubbing her eyes with a cream-colored paw.

Ripplepaw had totally forgotten that Dovestar had assigned her to go on a patrol with Snowpaw, Frostglimmer, Stonetooth, Whalestripe, Blizzardpaw, Thunderpaw, and Hailclaw that next morning at sunrise. And she had been out all night talking with four apprentice's from other Clan's about an important destiny. Dovestar would use her fur for kit betting if she were to find out about her little midnight excursion.

It didn't help that she had to sneak out in the middle of the night to meet up with Kestrelpaw, Bluepaw, and Starlingpaw. And it also didn't help that she'd been woken up rather roughly by Hailclaw the next morning.

"C'mon, Ripplepaw!" he growled, not so gently nudging the white-and-cream she-cat. Ripplepaw groaned and opened her tired eyes.

"What for?" she tiredly asked him, yawning and rubbing her eyes with a cream-colored paw.

Hailclaw sighed in frustration and flicked his tail in the direction of the fern tunnel. Ripplepaw sighed again and slowly got to her paws. "Ok ok I'm coming!" she told him, huffing and rolling her eyes.

"Ok then," Hailclaw meowed, "let's get going, the others are waiting!" and with that the white-furred tom left the den. Ripplepaw let another heavy sigh pass her lips as she shook out her fluffy white fur.

•••

When the small group of cats finally made it to the Fish-Ice, Ripplepaw kept her eyes and ears on alert for any sudden movements.

As the white-and-cream she-cat watched the ice for any signs of prey, her mind kept flashing back to the prophecy that Kestrelpaw had told her and the other four apprentice's.

"While an enemy rises ready to fight, five cats will be born from the light. The first like a bird, riding the breeze, the second quiet like misty trees. The third is like ice, beautiful and bright, the fourth storms through, like a light. To find the fifth, look to the east. Then all five cats will bring the peace."

What did it mean? Was that her, the one like ice, beautiful and bright? She knew now that there were four other cats with powers like her, but there was still one other cat that needed to be found. And Ripplepaw knew that if she and the others wanted to find the fifth cat, they would have to look to the east.

The white-and-cream apprentice sighed softly and narrowed her icy blue eyes. She could think about the Gathering later, but right now, she had a patrol to complete and some prey to catch.

Ripplepaw heard a splash, and she turned around. Snowpaw, Blizzardpaw's sister, had just emerged from the water with a big silver char. Ripplepaw didn't know if she could even tell the two apart.

Blizzardpaw's blue eyes lit up with amazement and pride as she stared at the large char that her sister caught.

"Wow! Nice catch Snowpaw!" the white-furred apprentice meowed, her tail held high and her fur fluffed up in excitement.

Snowpaw blushed and ducked her head, shifting her paws nervously and giving her chest fur a few licks.

Her mint-green eyes gleamed with pride though, and she meowed a quiet response to her sister. "Oh, u-um t-thanks, Bliz!"

Blizzardpaw blushed and ducked her head. "No problem, Snow!" she responded with a wave of her paw. "I'm proud of you, it's only our first hunt and you managed to catch a huge char! Now that's impressive!"

It was silent for a while before Frostglimmer spoke up in an attempt to break it. "Ok, I think that's enough pray for now!" she nodded to Snowpaw and Ripplepaw. "Grab your prey and let's head back to camp, I'm sure Dovestar will be pleased with our hunt."

The others all nodded and turned away from the Fish-Ice. With pray dangling from their jaws, the six cats patted back towards camp with heads held high and eyes gleaming with pride.

•••

When the group of six cats patted through the fern tunnel that lead into camp, they all added there prey to the now fully stalked prey-pile. Once Ripplepaw had added her rabbits and mouse to the fresh-kill pile, the white-and-cream she-cat took a few moments to catch her breath.

Ripplepaw sighed tiredly and patted over to the medicine cat's den to see what Yarrowleaf and Polarpaw were up to. When she entered the den, she saw the two she-cats sorting herbs into the many holes and crevices in the den wall.

Polarpaw's green eyes lit up when she noticed Ripplepaw standing in the entrance of the medicine den. "Hi, Rip, how did your hunting assessment go?" the black-and-white striped tabby asked, her tail swishing from side-to-side as she asked her friend about her day.

Ripplepaw replied with a small smile. "It went pretty well!" she mewed cheerfully. "How was your day?"

Polarpaw smiled and gave her friend a playful nudged. "Oh you know, just the usual, gathering herbs and checking up on the elders and queens."

And with that, the two she-cats patted out of the medicine den and out into the frosty clearing to eat something and talk with Sealpaw.