Facing A Forest of Shadows

Chapter Ten {Edited}

The group padded on in silence. They were headed towards the mountain that housed the Firestone. Pineheart had overheard Brokensong say that they must pass over the peak and head south. But which direction is south?

"Ouch!" Lionpaw exclaimed from her place near the middle of the patrol.

"Hush.. we mustn't draw the attention of predators," Meadowshine whispered in her ear. Pineheart desperately hoped that the wolves would not return. With the wounded so vulnerable back at camp, they would surely all perish. The thought of Blizzardstar losing every single one of his lives at the jaws of a wolf sent shivers down his spine.

"We're coming to the first valley!" Brokensong called over her shoulder. Her tone was still subtle, as to not attract any curious eyes. It seemed everyone was on edge. Nothing felt safe anymore...

"What was that?" Smallfire gasped a few paces in front of Pineheart. He had come to a halt while he flicked his tail to and fro. Pineheart almost ran straight into his rump.

"Keep going you daft squirrel," Pineheart grumbled as he pushed him forward with an ignorant shove. Smallfire shot him a reproachful glance but scurried onward.

I'm not about to make him think he's the only one upset! Foxstreak was my mother too, he thought in frustration. The tom has been almost hysterical while they said their last goodbyes. He wailed that he could not leave her behind.

Yet, here we are, Pineheart reminded himself. His heart burned with guilt and regret. We left all of them behind.

He knew that Foxstreak wasn't his real mother, but she had raised them like her own. It was difficult to imagine that he would never see her, nor Blizzardstar, again.

The patrol padded out of the cover of the pine trees. A massive hill loomed before them. "We will travel over this rise and through the valley," Brokensong instructed as she trotted along at the head of the group.

Frostfeather was at her side, her shoulders slumped. Pineheart wanted to comfort her, but his heart still stung that she had not confided in him about her dreams.

She had decided to tell him shortly after they left. She had hoped to share her anxieties with him. But he had pushed her away. If she would have come to me sooner, we could have figured out a way to save everyone! Now they're all as good as dead.

As they continued to journey down the valley and up the next hill, Pineheart's fur turned cold. Behind the cats, furious barks and howls echoed through the closely packed trunks of the pine forest.

"The wolves!" Pineheart wailed as he whirled around, "the wolves went back! We have to go help!"

He dug his paws hard into the dirt, ready to push off and charge back towards IceClan. But a heavy weight knocked him over. He looked up into the eyes of Elkleap.

"You can't go back!" he shouted.

"Let me go!" Pineheart rasped as he raked his claws through the short grass. Brokensong was beside them in a moment, her expression grave.

"We can not save them," she murmured. She looked deep into Pineheart's eyes and hoped that he would understand. "I need you to accept that."

"But, Blizzardstar!" His struggle became frantic. Elkleap just pushed him down even harder into the ground.

"Blizzardstar knew what he was doing when he decided to stay," Frostfeather pointed out as she came to stand beside Brokensong, "he would want us to keep going, so that we can carry on IceClan's legacy."

Pineheart stopped as she spoke. His eyes were round with disbelief and more importantly, hate. "How can you say that!" he hissed.

"We can't stay here," Sootsplash called from further ahead. He stood in front of Meadowshine and Lionpaw, his claws unsheathed. Sweetmind stood only a few paces away. She looked stricken with horror as the barks and howls continued in the forest behind them. "If those wolves find our trail, they'll catch up to us in no time!"