Odd Eye

Chapter Five - Frostclaw

Frostclaw watched the battle occur from slitted eyes. She felt a rush of pride at how well Crystalpaw had fought, but at the same time, that feeling was tinged with guilt. How would her father react if he knew she was training an apprentice from another Clan to become a deadly warrior? How would anyone react? Would her skills still matter if she was branded as a traitor? She shook herself, trying to dislodge her discomfort. It doesn't matter. It was as Lionblaze had told her once, out of earshot of Crystalpaw.

"You are a loyal and brave cat," he said. "You love your Clan. But the prophecy is important to all the Clans - by helping Crystalpaw, you are not a traitor. Either way, it is your destiny to become a great Clan leader - that was foretold the moment you started training harder than any other apprentice. Crystalpaw needs your help to survive - and that is not disloyalty to WindClan."

Lost in her thoughts, Frostclaw didn't notice as she came face to face with Hollowstar.

He snarled at her.

"Hello, little apprentice."

She looked at him scornfully. "This little apprentice beat you in battle, and she'll beat you again."

He leapt at her, and time seemed to still. She noticed exactly where he was aiming by the ripple of his muscles and darted smoothly out of the way. Hollowstar landed on dust and almost tripped over, panting. Frostclaw darted behind him and sank her claws into his haunches, twisting them inside the flesh to make it hurt. Then, carefully sure her claws were lodged firmly into his fur, she raised him into the air and battered at his soft underbelly with her hind paws.

It was a new move that her StarClan mentors had taught her, and it required precision and enormous strength in her paws. Of course, however, Frostclaw met all those requirements. Hollowstar howled with pain, before Frostclaw untangled her claws and shoved him out of the way and into a tree trunk.

Easy peasy, she thought with a thrill of satisfaction.

Talonstar ran up to her, panting and bleeding from a wound in his flank.

"Good job, Frostclaw," he praised her. "Go to the RiverClan camp and check on ShadowClan's attack - help them if necessary."

Frostclaw nodded, warm from her leader's praise and happy to be away from the battle. It still felt wrong to her, trying to take what was rightfully another Clan's.

I am a loyal warrior, she thought to herself. Furthermore, I am the deputy! I don't question my leader's decisions, no matter how wrong they are.

WindClan doesn't need RiverClan's territory. Frostclaw knew this deep in her heart. Hollowstar and Marshstar are just trying to assert dominance and feel good about themselves. But she hardly had time to contemplate that now, as she skidded into the RiverClan camp. It was a mess, and Frostclaw's eyes widened with horror. She saw Spinclaw, a ShadowClan warrior try to forcibly drag a RiverClan queen away from her kits, while his accomplice Fazeheart clawed at the kits' ears. They wailed with pain. Frostclaw's heart brimmed with fury and she leapt to stop them, letting her fur puff up and her eyes grow dangerous.

"Enough!" she hissed, dragging them away by the scruff. "Have you forgotten the warrior code?"

They whipped around and spat at her.

"WindClan's best warrior has grown soft!" Spinclaw gloated.

"I'm not soft," Frostclaw snarled. "Just respectful. At this rate, you'll go to the Dark Forest if you keep hurting innocent kits and queens! Fight the warriors, you mange-pelt!"

She sent them off screeching with a particularly vicious blow to their haunches, feeling a tinge of satisfaction as their blood welled up beneath her claws.

"Thank you!" the RiverClan queen gasped, her flanks heaving. "I didn't know there were any more decent warriors left in your Clan!"

"They're ShadowClan," Frostclaw snorted. "Flea-pelts that would claw a StarClan warrior if they could."

The queen looked surprised. "I thought they were your allies."

Frostclaw hesitated.

"Not every WindClan warrior thinks this is a battle worth fighting. Just as not every WindClan warrior likes working with those arrogant cowards," she said, then sprinted away.

Behind her, the queen looked flabbergasted.