Warriors: Rise of the Shadows (Book 1)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

That night, Sweetscent's heart pounded as she slowly made her way to IceClan's border where Icestrike wanted to meet her alone. Her fur bristled in nervousness and suspicion as she made the trek to where the medicine cat told her to meet.

By the time she made it, Sweetscent yearned for the warmth and comfort of the warriors' den and her nest. She let out an exhausted yawn and twitched an ear. Suddenly, the bushes on IceClan's side of the border quivered and Sweetscent tensed, only to spot Icestrike's silver tabby fur pushing through the greenery.

"You came," purred the medicine cat, crossing the border and making Sweetscent's shoulders tense in case he did something out of line.

"Not like I had anything better to do," Sweetscent dryly replied, watching his every move with caution. Her claws unsheathed as he came close and he noticed.

"You think I'm going to attack you," he mewed evenly. "I'm a medicine cat who can't fight off a fox and you're a warrior who has seen more battles than me."

"You never know the cats you can come across." Sweetscent meowed bluntly, rising to her paws and flicking her tail. "Well? I met you at the border, what more do you want, Icestrike?" She asked, wanting to get home quickly.

Icestrike purred and padded towards her so their noses touched. "I just wanted to thank you for saving me yesterday, Sweetscent." He meowed simply and vanished before the deputy had time to respond.

**********

Sweetscent gazed at the forest from atop the Tall Rock. Dawn was making the night sky lose its darkness and pale with the sun that was rising. No other cat was awake beside the deputy and she cherished the silence.

"You're up early," commented a familiar voice and Sweetscent recognized it to be Larchstar. "It's not like you to be so quiet like you've been since Springleap and Starlingpaw's death."

Sweetscent hesitated and responded curtly. "I like to watch the sunrise every now and then. It calms me down and gets me prepared for the day." That wasn't a complete lie, as she liked watching the sunrise when no cat was speaking. "Larchstar, did you ever have a mate and kits of your own?" She asked, glancing at the black tom. To her surprise, Larchstar had a pained expression on his usually happy face.

"I really don't like speaking about it, but I did have a mate and kits at one point in my life." Sweetscent noticed her leader choosing each word he spoke carefully. "You actually know her from the Gatherings, but Dewfire of DawnClan was my mate when I was a young warrior like yourself."

Sweetscent's amber eyes widened in shock. 'The senior warrior Dewfire was Larchstar's mate?' The thought was shocking to her but she nodded for him to go on.

"Before you were born, Dewfire gave birth to three kits. Smokekit, Breezekit, and Blackkit." Larchstar looked at his deputy, tail flicking behind him. 

"Smokemask, Breezerunner, and Blackstrike are your kits?" She meowed, astonished. When he nodded in confirmation, Sweetscent stared at him. "I never would've thought." Was all she said before the Clan began to wake up from their slumber. 

"Never repeat this conversation, Sweetscent." The leader warned, turning away from the deputy. "Because every action has a consequence."