Frozen Hope

Chapter 8

With worry beating in her heart, she shot off from Raintuft unexpectedly. She tasted the air for Skywing's scent. She smelled it, mangled in with the reek of a fox. She cringed but followed nonetheless.

She was lead just outside MapleClan camp, there was a dirt narrow pathway that just lead into bushes. There, she saw the unexpected.

"Skywing!" She yelled, and the rain crashed down. He was disguised in with the bushes, his gray pelt lifeless. She felt her breath quicken as she touched her muzzle to his cold, slowly wetting, damp fur.

She grabbed him by the scruff and heaved him out of the bushes. With a gulp, she checked his fur. How did he die? The foxes were in canp?

She parted his fur and turned around his limp body to see a long scar running down from the top of his neck to his belly. It was red, and the blood had soaked in around his fur. It didn't smell great either. Infected wound...

A fox really tore at him. Cherrypaw thought with grief aching in her heart. Her heart felt so shrivelled up. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here right now. He came as soon as he heard about the fox in the nursery.. now.. his life has been taken by one. S-StarClan... why?

"I must break the news to my littermates, and Windstar - when she... wakes up.." Cherrypaw said to herself quietly, grabbing Skywing carefully by the scruff and dragging him, panting with exhaustion.

He's real heavy!

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Raintuft came bolting to Cherrypaw. "Cherrypaw! I thought you had gone to fight a fox or something!-" she looked down to see her father's limp body in her jaws.

"Oh.." Raintuft said, her eyes widening, she was biting her muzzle with sorry-ness it seemed. "Is he alive?!" Sudden panic flared in her blue eyes...

"No," Cherrypaw said gravely. "A fox gave him a deep wound that quickly became infected. I found him in some bushes." She ducked her head and placed his heavy body at her feet. She bit her muzzle to hold back the tears.

"I'm so sorry.." Raintuft said, quietly. "Good news is, I've treated Windstar's wounds, she's resting. I'm hoping she'll wake up some time around.. she might of lost two lives. It was awkward placing where the foxes scratched her."

"Thank StarClan for that. Raintuft, I'm sorry I got so distracted." She shifted her paws, trying to take her mind off of her father. "We may as well break the news to-"

Blossompaw had come over to the two medicine cats, a small scratch on her shoulder. "It doesn't seem like much - but it really hurts.." she said, then her green eyes widened.

"S-Skywing!?!" She dropped down, touching her nose to his. "...I-I never knew you were-"

"You didn't save him?" Her gaze suddenly flashed angry. "What kind of medicine cats are you? Maybe Gravelpaw was right when he said you were worthless, Cherrypaw. Can't even save a single cat." She growled.

"Blossompaw.." Cherrypaw betrayed gaze burned in to her still infuriated one. Cherrypaw, ears flattened aganst her head, glancing down, her blue eyes starting to fill up with the tears, What kind of medicine cat are you!?! Her roar was implanted into her brain and now she could not unhear it. Suddenly, she let out whimpering noises and she felt the tear roll down her cheek. Can't even save a single cat.

Raintuft stood in front of Cherrypaw defensively. "You now too? I've seen the way she acts around cats like your brother. Gravelpaw teases her and thinks being a medicine cat isn't hard and cowardly? Do you volunteer to join him?" Raintuft snarled. "Cherrypaw deals with more than you'll ever deal with. Patients, a strict code, watching cats die, watching cats be brought in to the world, her insecurities over injuries... and what do you do? You supply us. You give to us so we can run MapleClan. Without a medicine cat, you probably wouldn't have been here." Raintuft looked down. Her tone was still bitter and angry.

"You were her only hope," Raintuft murmured angrily. "and now look."

She glanced over to Cherrypaw, sobbing, her head down. She hid her expression. Blossompaw lay there speechless.

Raintuft stared back. Her eyes narrowed this time. "It's easy to misjudge. Why make judgements when you don't know the full story?" She sighed, her voice growing loud and angry again. "She found Skywing dead outside camp. Found him dead. Not alive. He wandered out on his own. Now, you've caused a scene. Cherrypaw wanted better than this. She wanted an equal life where her family would support her. All she gets in return is scolding and plain teasing.."

Blossompaw took pawsteps back. She lowered her head, and now her ears were pinned against her head. "I'm so sorry!" She stared at Cherrypaw, who still was dealing with both the burden of Skywing's death and Blossompaw's harsh words.

Cherrypaw looked up, sniffling and eyes red. "It's okay.. I know I'm a horrible medicine cat."

"No. I'm a horrible warrior. A warrior would never lash out at a medicine cat. They would never refuse to help either. It's medicine cat code. I wasn't thinking, please... Cherrypaw... forgive me... Gravelpaw had built up so much hatred and stress in my head. He's a nuisance at the moment. I struggle to communicate with him.. it's led me to deep stress.." Blossompaw said, formally, her eyes pleading.

Cherrypaw sighed to get herself to stop sobbing. Her breathing was coming and going in short gasps. "I guess." She smiled and gasped out. "We all have our ups and downs."

And with that, the two siblings had just made up, just like that...

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It had been about two sunrises since the attack.

"Icepaw and Cinderpaw," said Windstar, who was still sick, wounded and frail looking, but she seemed better than before. "You have both proven yourself loyal to the ranks of StarClan. Do you accept getting a warrior name in return and uphold of the warrior code?"

"I do." They both said simultaneously calmly and maturely.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, Icepaw, you shall now be known as Icemoon. StarClan honour your confidence and we welcome you as full warrior of MapleClan."

"Now, by the powers of StarClan, Cinderpaw, you shall now be known as Cinderflight. StarClan honour your wisdom and we welcome you as full warrior of MapleClan."

"Cinderflight! Icemoon!" cried the clan in happiness.

Windstar looked at the two in amusement as they gave her a lick on the shoulder. "Have a nice vigil," she teased.

The two blinked in amusment too. "We won't."

Windstar rolled her eyes wittily. "I would like to make 4 cats apprentices, also, in your leaving of the apprentice den." She said excitedly.

"Pigeonkit, Frostkit, Badgerkit and Thunderkit, please come up.."

"You have all reached the age of six moons and it is time for you to be apprenticed. You shall now be known as 'paws..."

"Pigeonpaw, your mentor shall be Pebblecreek."

"Frostpaw, your mentor shall be me."

"Badgerpaw, your mentor shall be Cinderwing."

"And finally.. Thunderpaw your mentor shall be Blackfall."

The eight cats all stood, touching noses with each-other. Frostpaw was especially excited, after all, the leader was her mentor.

Windstar blinked slowly, waiting for the cats to finish. The cheering died down. "Also, as you may know, there is a gathering tonight.." she said, excitement visible now in her eyes.. "I must select the cats that shall go.." she mewed. "the cats going are..."