Froststar's Destiny

Chapter Thirty-three

"Frostwind!"

"Yes?" Frostwind whipped around, facing Amberfrost.

"The SpringClan cats. They want you to get your nine lives."

Frostwind had actually been thinking about that recently, but she shook her head. "No. I will not be the true leader of SeasonClan until I have united all the Clans."

"Frostwind... They need faith, and someone to put their trust in. That's you. But they'd feel safer if you had nine lives." Amberfrost's eyes were pleading.

"I can fight well enough with one life," Frostwind said, and sighed. "You don't understand. Amberfrost... Not everything depends on StarClan."

"What are you talking about?" Amberfrost demanded.

"Streamlight had a destiny, but StarClan couldn't help her to fulfill it. I want to trust StarClan, and I do, but we cannot depend on our ancestors. They cannot impact today unless we allow them to. You get it?" Frostwind glanced at her deputy.

Amberfrost stared back, clearly struggling to process what Frostwind had just told her, before eventually nodding, albeit hesitantly.

"I have trusted StarClan my entire life," she mumbled. "Suddenly stopping doesn't..."

"I'm not saying not to trust StarClan," Frostwind clarified. "They're not evil, and we can still turn to them for advice, but we should not depend on them to decide our destinies. We decide our destinies. Where we want to end up. And I don't want to lead half of SeasonClan. I want to lead the whole Clan, united as one."

"And I will lead them beside you," Amberfrost promised. "If you want me to, of course."

"Yes," Frostwind promised. "When I become leader, I will name you my deputy. In fact, you already are."

Amberfrost smiled slightly. "Thank you, Frostwind. Seeing you up there, leading the Clan... It reminds me I was never meant to be there."

"You would be a good leader," Frostwind protested.

"But I don't want to be."

"I know," Frostwind meowed softly, "and that's what makes you a better one."

Amberfrost smiled again, a soft, hesitant smile. "Well. We're not waiting long, are we?"

"No," Frostwind said. "I'll work out a plan, then we attack."

"A plan?" Amberfrost raised her eyes. "We need one? Don't we just send you in and watch you single-pawedly destroy them?"

"Oh, maybe," Frostwind meowed, grinning as she flicked her tail.

Amberfrost exited Frostwind's den, leaving her alone to ponder.

She would have to kill Stonestar and Mousestar and Snowstar. If Snowstar had appointed a new deputy, she would have to kill that cat, too. Mousestar's deputy didn't matter. Whoever it was, he or she was a rogue.

"Frostwind! Someone is here to see you."

Who? Frostwind wondered, exiting the den and looking around.

It was like she'd stood before a pool of water.

A cat stood there, old but majestic, her fur sleek, shiny and snow-white, her eyes a deep violet.

Just like Frostwind's.

"I am Peaceheart," she murmured, "the sister of Summerstar, Autumnstar, Winterstar and Springstar. How far have they fallen, such that WinterClan is siding with AutumnClan?"

"Very far," Frostwind meowed, staring at the legendary she-cat in wonder.

Peaceheart caught her staring and purred. "I'm alive, yes. I don't have much time left, and my... My mate died seasons ago. But I am here to warn you of one thing."