Warriors: Blood and Hope: Book 2: Tempting Limits

Chapter 23

[Icehowl's POV]

I didn't like my brother and Acornpaw going off with some loner, but I didn't have much of a choice. Before I could even say anything, the group had gone off. I pinned my ears back thinking of the look my brother gave that loner. They shared a look that I had seen between Roseeyes and myself. It made my stomach knot. 

"Maplesnow, why did you trust that loner?" I asked him, just wanting some kind of answer. Maplesnow could have stood up and not allowed him to leave us. We didn't know the loner, yet Acornpaw had gone so willingly with them. 

The fluffy calico tom turned to me. "There are some things I shouldn't be the one to explain, but I know when Witheredsoul trusts someone. He has good luck with friends. Besides, he has Acornpaw with him. I'm pretty sure she will defend him more than he will defend her." The tom gave a nervous chuckle. I felt like he knew more he was letting on. 

Since we were in the camp, I couldn't do much more. I headed over to the nursery to see the kits and my sister again. It seemed like that had been the only place to welcome me except for Maplesnow. 

I had so many scars from my fights for standing up for myself or for the better of the clan. I had the ones across my eye that made things fuzzy in it and made it hard for me to see. I also had the giant scar across my neck from when I had been at the gates of StarClan. I had seen the light, but then I saw Creamspots laying next to me. She had stayed up all night to make sure I lived. She had put a lot of work on making sure I had been okay, and I appreciated her for it. Since that last scar, I couldn't keep fighting by myself. I didn't want to risk my life alone. 

Now I had a family, and some cats I really wanted to protect. It had been strange. Before, I never thought I would become friends with Tinystar's kits. Now, almost every time that they went out, I followed alongside them. They felt like family, and I had my brother back. Once we got Tinystar out of the picture, I could have my family back, but this time with a few additions. 

When we go to battle, I would be fighting for Roseeyes and Deerscar the most. They would have to be safe and far from the battle, but we still had to figure out how to do that. I thought that we could do the battle just after the gathering, but Witheredsoul had shook his head to that idea. It seemed like he had other plans on how to defeat the Dark Forest, but from now on I would trust him. I knew that I had to trust him for him to trust me. I just hoped he would share more of his ideas with me.