The Traveler

Untitled Part 7

(Firestar's POV)

I sat at the edge of my den, looking out over the clearing. The sky was clear, and the sun shone gently down into the camp. It had already been days since Iceshadow promised me she would hunt and follow the rules like a clan cat.

Now I watched as she stood across the clearing, just outside the medicine cat's den. Jayfeather sniffed her leg closely. She flicked her white tail. "I'm telling you, Jayfeather," she said. Her voice drifted across the rock face. I could hear them as clearly as if I were standing with them.

"It feels completely normal," she continued. "There's not even a shadow of the pain when I run around the camp."

He raised his head and flicked his ears. "You're all better when I tell you you're better, not when you tell me you're better."

She purred and flicked her tail back and forth. Cinderheart stepped forward and prodded him in the side. "Oh come on Jayfeather. Stop acting like an annoying furball. You know she's fine."

He let out a hiss of annoyance but amusement was clear in his voice. "That's for me to say. No one else."

"So I'm good?" Iceshadow asked. Her head tilted questioningly.

He nodded. "You're healed."

"That's great," Cinderheart said. Now you could sleep in the warriors den with the rest of us."

"Really?" the white cat asked excitedly.

"Of course." Cinderheart turned towards the fresh kill pile, where Lionblaze, Toadstep, Blossomfall, and the two apprentices were picking out something to eat. "Guess what," she called. "Iceshadow's all better."

"Really," Cherrypaw bounded forward.

"That's great. Now you can come hunt with us," Toadstep said. All the cats crowded around her, asking questions and telling her about clan life. Even little Molepaw stood a little ways away from the crowd, despite his past attempts to steer clear of her.

Iceshadow appeared to be excited, but she'd look away from my excited clanmates every so often. Looking around the camp for a heartbeat before turning back to the others. Once, I caught her glancing at me before she looked away in a hurry.

I knew she didn't like me.She never said anything that gave away how she felt about me, but I could still tell. Every time I went  near her, she visibly stiffened, as if waiting to be attacked. Friendliness didn't get through to her when it came from me. 

Jayfeather told me what she was like when she first got here. How unwilling she was to trust any cat. How she acted as if everyone was waiting to sink their claws into her. She must have seen a lot of darkness to hold that much mistrust. Yet she gets along well with the others, now that she's been here awhile at least. Why does she still hate me?

"Firestar, Firestar." I turned away to see Brambleclaw padding up the rocks towards me.

"What is it," I asked, meeting him halfway. "Have you found another rogue?"

He shook his head but his eyes shone bright. "No, but we ran across a Shadowclan patrol. They said they found a scent trail of a rogue leading across their territory. It could be the cat we're looking for."

"Are you sure," I asked. He nodded. 

"This is it. We may have finally found Iceshadow's friend," he said. My pelt tingled at the thought.

"Firestar, I need to speak to you." I turned to see Ivypool slipping up the rocks to stand beside Brambleclaw. She was panting and still had pine needles in her fur from dawn patrol on the Shadowclan border. I lifted my head. 

"Uh, Firestar," Brambleclaw said. He glanced at me questioningly. I nodded toward him.

"Thank you Brambleclaw. That is good news. Go ahead and tell Iceshadow. I'm sure she'll be happy to hear it. He nodded at my dismissal and bounded down toward the she-cat. I turned to Ivypool. "What's wrong?"

She stepped back, unsure of herself. "It... It's the rogue, Iceshadow. Something's off about her," she said and stood up straight. 

This threw me off guard. Ivypool and the rogue seemed to get along okay. They've talked and shared tongues. Ivypool even helped her one day with her exercises. 

She saw the confusion in my eyes. "She's doing well, getting along with the other cat's," she said quickly. "Especially now that her leg is better. It's just that.... I... well... I've been watching her over the past few days. She's been showing some of the other cats the moves she used against the Windclan cats."

I had seen her teaching the other cats. Recognized the familiar moves. I knew where Ivypool was going with this. "Yes," I said. "I know."

She jerked back in surprise. "You do?"

"Of course. Some of her battle moves are similar to ours. I saw it since the first day she taught Cherrypaw." It had unnerved me a bit at the time. A strange cat knowing our moves. Even now the thought sent a shiver down my spine. I shuffled my paws.

She let out a deep breath, calming down a bit. "I didn't mean that but..."

I tipped my head. "What did you mean then?"

Her head jerked up in surprise. "Uh... I... I meant that I've been watching her and some of her moves..." she said quickly. "They're ferocious. That's all."

I nodded, but confusion plagued my thoughts. What was Ivypool hiding? Did she know something more about this stranger? I decided not to press further. It was obvious she didn't want to tell me anything more.

"All right Ivypool. I can see you're concerned about what she could do. How about tomorrow, you and I will be with her on her first hunting patrol? That way we can keep an eye on her."

She blinked, looking like she wanted to say more. Then she sighed. "Okay, Firestar. That would probably be best."

"Go on and get some rest. You must be tired from the dawn patrol." I laid my tail across her shoulders. She didn't say anything else. Just padded down from my den and made her way across to the warriors den.

I glanced back towards the kill pile. There she sat between Cherrypaw and Bumblestripe, nibbling on a black bird and talking. For a second, it felt like  she belonged among my clanmates and had always been a part of the clan. She fit in well enough with the others. 

But she wasn't a clan cat.

There was something about her. Something about the way she held her head. The way she daintily placed her paws. Something achingly familiar. I felt like I recognized her. She was like a long forgotten memory, come back to remind me. Perhaps this mysterious traveler wasn't such a stranger after all?