Warriors: Rise of the Shadows (Book 2)

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Iceblaze watched the sun as it floated over his head and twitched his ear. His body ached from a border skirmish with DuskClan two days ago. He'd received a nick in his right ear and, in his opinion, spoiled his good looks.

Not too long ago, Vixenflame was found dead on their territory. Her neck was covered in bite marks and blood. It was so sudden, no cat thought of who the killer could've been.

The tom looked around, his tail tip twitching back and forth as he searched for the new deputy. To his pleasant surprise, Browntail had been chosen. In his head, it made sense. But in his heart, he wished his father was chosen.

His nicked ear flicked in sorrow, wishing Vixenflame didn't die. Iceblaze looked around, eyes sliding from Browntail to Wolffur. His father was furious he hadn't been chosen but he never expressed it other than an occasional angry glance at his paws.

Iceblaze padded up to his father, rubbing his head against his shoulder as he sat down with him. "Hey, Wolffur," he meowed, trying to lift his spirits. "Bramblestorm, Birdfall, and Emberpelt are going on a patrol to where Vixenflame was found. Would you like to go with us?"

His father didn't look up at his son, his neck fur spiked. "Fine," growled Wolffur, rising to his paws and following his kit towards the other patrol cats.

After leaving the camp behind, Wolffur seemed to be less angry and more alive now that he was out of camp. Iceblaze noticed with a small smile that Wolffur was chatting up a storm like a starling.

"You should've seen the trout Softstream caught yesterday!" Wolffur boasted to no cat in particular, though the patrol didn't seem to care. "It was as big as a tree branch!"

Iceblaze purred in amusement but the sweet moment was short-lived as the snapping of a twig made them stop. His father fell silent and the tabby tom unsheathed his claws.

Emberpelt lashed her tail and growled. "Who's there?" She demanded, ears flattening with her eyes narrowed into fierce slits.

Much to the patrol's dismay and Iceblaze's shock, a bloody white and gray tom was standing not a fox-length away from the border. "P-please," rasped the tom to the stunned patrol. "H-help FireClan, we've been attacked by dogs... We're o-outnumbered."

Iceblaze watched with horror as the tom's eyes rolled in the back of his head and he collapsed, dead. He looked to his patrol, already starting for FireClan's territory. "Go back to camp and fetch help!" He ordered and pelted away, Wolffur at his heels.

"Son!" Wolffur yowled as they followed the sounds of yowling cats and the rank stench of blood. Iceblaze skidded to a halt a few tail-lengths from the camp entrance. "You don't have to go in there, go back to camp and let the more suited warriors help with this."

Iceblaze looked at his father then to the run-down camp, then back to his father. "I'm a warrior, not an apprentice." He meowed, making Wolffur look at him with despair. "I'll defend the Clan even at the cost of my life. That's what I promised when I became a warrior."

Without another word, Iceblaze let out a battle cry at the sight of his Clanmates racing towards him and led the charge into the FireClan camp.