Edited ✔️

Icepaw's scented the air, scouting all around the area. It was snowing again, and any sort of information that the patrol could possibly find about the attack on Grayfur would be hard.

He was close to his father as they looked around the trees a few tail lengths away from the CloudClan border. He turned to his father. "What if it was a patrol from their Clan?" he asked worriedly, motioning over the border.

Sparrowheart shook his head. "Nonsense." He sniffed hard on one patch of snow, and began to dig with his paws. "CloudClan and MoonClan aren't really much enemies right now. It's just quarrels with DarkClan that's going on."

Icepaw nodded, unsure. He helped his father dig in the ground, ignoring the cold feeling of the snow on his pelt and in between his paw pads. He also wanted to ask when they would be able to get back to camp, but didn't bother because he didn't want to sound like a kit. He sighed as he worked.

"What did you scent down here?" Icepaw wondered.

Sparrowheart looked up to the other cats, who were also digging. "I scented some blood," he replied. He turned back down to where they started working. "And maybe we can scent the cat who did it too."

There was a growl behind Icepaw, and he turned sharply to see Crowflight standing behind him. "I found something," he informed, pawing the ground.

Sparrowheart nodded. "Good work, Crowflight! Keep digging, Icepaw."

The MoonClan deputy trotted over to Crowflight and shoveled at the ground with him. Icepaw kept digging, but when he got to the bottom it turned out nothing was there, not even a clear scent of the cat who attacked Grayfur.

Sharpfang gasped, up ahead. "You're not going to believe this," he meowed, with a sharp glance to Icepaw. "It turns out that there's a cat betraying his own Clan!"

Icepaw trotted over. "What do you mean?" he asked, while adding, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Stop pretending like you know nothing!" Sharpfang hissed.

"I am not pretending anything!" Icepaw shot back, shocked that his own Clanmate would snap at him like that. What did he do to get Sharpfang's tail in a twist.

"I know what attacked Grayfur," he continued. "No fox, badger or any cat from another Clan."

Sparrowheart padded up curiously. "Well, spit it out, Sharpfang," Icepaw's father urged. "I need every information I possibly can get." His eyes were narrowed.

Sharpfang trotted over, carrying tufts of fur. "I found this." He dropped it in front of Sparrowheart. "They're Icepaw's. It was him who had attacked Grayfur!"

Icepaw's neck fur bristled. "What?" he demanded. "I would never do something like that!"

Sparrowheart looked curious but a bit aggravated. "My son wouldn't do that, he's right!" he meowed, calmer than Icepaw had been. "What if Icepaw had been here, but hasn't attacked Grayfur?"

Crowflight emerged from behind Sparrowheart. "I think Sharpfang's right," he commented, glaring down to Icepaw as well. "Grayfur was attacked by a cat of MoonClan, you know. There's no other scent of anything except for MoonClan."

Dewpaw ran up, fearfully in Icepaw's defense. "Icepaw was battle-training with Brightstar," he meowed, his voice low. "It couldn't of possibly been him."

Sharpfang growled and stalked away without another word. Icepaw cast a grateful glance to his brother, but he still couldn't believe that his own Clanmates would turn him over like that. Did they have something against Icepaw? He sighed and looked down to his paws, angry.

The patrol returned to camp with no evidence. Dewpaw immediately stalked into the apprentice den, where he was greeted by Volepaw and Dawnpaw. Icepaw sighed and walked elsewhere, keeping to himself.

Ashtail waved his tail to his former apprentice, and Icepaw smiled warmly, still keeping to himself. He limped away, only to be then greeted by Softpelt and Rainwhisker. He took a tired breath and lied down, enjoying the warm sun. Leaf-bare was not near it's end, and this was the warmest of sun he felt in a while.

He felt something heavy on his back, and he groaned. Silverkit squeaked as she batted Icepaw. "Come on, let's play!" she meowed excitedly.

Icepaw shook her off. "I'm too tired, Silverkit."

Silverkit scowled. "Fine, you big sack of lazy bones," she said, resting besides him. For a few moments, it was quiet until Silverkit ran her mouth again. "Hey, do you know that the other warriors are talking about you?"

"Which warriors?" Icepaw asked, suddenly interested.

Silverkit pointed to a group with her tail. A small group consisting of Sharpfang, Crowflight, and two others he couldn't make out. They were in the dark, and their faces were turned away from him so he couldn't see them.

"Oh, them," he said, lying down again. "Let them. They think I ambushed Grayfur." His eyes shut again.

Another presence ran over—Silverkit's brother. "You wouldn't do that!" Squirrelkit gasped.

"I didn't attack anyone." Not since the day after Featherbreeze's death, that is. Icepaw yawned and turned over, letting the sun hit his belly. It felt nice.

"Good," Silverkit meowed. "I don't want a murderous mentor!"

"I want him to be my mentor!" growled Squirrelkit.

"I already called him," Silverkit insisted. "Right, Icepaw, you'll mentor me?"

"That's for Brightstar to decide," Icepaw said, with his eyes still shut. Squirrelkit leaped and landed on top of his belly. "Oof!"

"Please tell Brightstar you want to mentor me," Squirrelkit went on, stepping all over him. "Pleaaaase!"

Icepaw's eyes opened. Great StarClan, he just wanted to rest! He groaned and got up. "Again, that is for Brightstar only to decide," he meowed before stalking off to the apprentice den. And I'm not even a warrior yet.

"Great, you chased him off, Squirrelkit!" Silverkit growled behind him.

"Did not!" Squirrelkit protested, before he heard the two growling and playfighting. He sighed. Those kits were making him grow old already! If only Ripplefur were here, they wouldn't pay too much attention to him. He wished she were here anyways, as well as his mother and Spottedkit.

He walked in the den, his tail lashing.

"Hi, Icepaw!" Dawnpaw meowed eagerly.

"Hey," Volepaw added in addition to Dawnpaw's greeting.

Icepaw yawned and rested in his nest. "Hi . . ." he closed his eyes, not wanting to be disturbed. The voices of the other apprentices were blocked out of his head immediately.

Icepaw's eyes opened again, and he found himself somewhere else once more. He sighed with relaxation. It was a warm sunny day—-all the leaf-bare snow was gone. The sun made his pelt feel warm through the trees and he lie down, even more relaxed than before. Wherever he was, this was perfect.

But suddenly, he heard a loud meow in the distance. A she-cat was running up, her tail lashing. "Icepaw!" she called.

He looked up, and saw a gray she-cat with light blue eyes coming towards him. She reminded him of the cat from the Twilight Forest who saved his life when he was a kit. Oh great. Now he couldn't possibly rest.

She ran up to him and stood above him. "Get up, this is no time to be dozing off like that," she meowed, nudging him with her paw.

Icepaw groaned and got up. "Now what?" he asked.

Her eyes darkened with disappointment. "Icepaw, you are in StarClan," he meowed. "And I summoned you here to share a message.

He froze. "Why?"

"You can't forget about the prophecy," she meowed as the sky became darker. Icepaw held his breath, and stared at her, confused. "The darkness was never meant to be, and two cats, high and proud, will lead and destroy."

As she faded away, Icepaw's pelt rippled with alarm. Isn't that Flamepaw's prophecy?

* * *

Icepaw padded into Vinetail's den, and stood at the entrance. For once, he decided, he's going to do something about this prophecy. He didn't want to stand, knowing that there was some kind of darkness rising. It's been moons since he's thought about it, and now that tragedies kept striking, something must be done. He took a deep shaky breath.

Vinetail looked up, and immediately saw him. "Oh, hi Icepaw!" he meowed in his usual cheery tone. "You're not usualy here. Is there anything you needed?"

Icepaw was silent for a moment. Vinetail is a medicine cat! Maybe he has some answers.

"I-I needed to talk," he began, trying to keep his voice low. "About a dream I had."

Vinetail nodded. "Do you want Brightstar to come, too?" he asked. "This can be important."

Icepaw didn't think about telling Brightstar anything. If he told her, would she act differently towards him? He sighed and nodded. "Sure."

"Let's meet her now."

Icepaw followed Vinetail out of the medicine den, and walked towards the leader's den. Brightstar was dozing in her nest, hidden away from the snow of the leaf-bare weather. Some leader she was, being lazy all day while her Clan worked their whiskers off for prey!

Vinetail touched his cold nose to her ear. "Brightstar," he said, nudging her until she was awake.

Their leader's eyes immediately opened. They were clouded with a feeling Icepaw couldn't identify. She looked up to Vinetail, but bolted up when she saw Icepaw. "Oh," she meowed, straightening her fur. "I didn't know I'd be visited like this today."

Icepaw's pelt burned with annoyance.

"Is there anything you two need?" she asked them, looking straight to Icepaw.

Vinetail nodded. "Yes," he meowed. "Icepaw mentioned something 'bout having some dream. Right, Icepaw?"

Icepaw looked up to Brightstar, and eyed her back. "Yes. It seemed rather important."

Brightstar suddenly looked interested. "Alright," she said, beckoning the two forward. "If it's important, it shouldn't be overheard by anyone."

Icepaw gratefully walked out of ear-shot from any of his Clanmates, and padded over to Brightstar so their pelts brushed a bit. She yawned, and wiped her face with her paw, rubbing the sleep away. Vinetail waited patiently in front of the two.

"You may start explaining, Icepaw," Vinetail meowed gently with a nod.

Icepaw nodded back. "StarClan visited me in my dreams," he began with his voice low. Vinetail's neck fur bristled. "A gray she-cat with blue eyes spoke with me. She said she summoned me there . . . because of something terrible that's going to happen."

Brightstar's tail tip twitched. "Terrible?"

Icepaw sighed. "I don't know. It sounded terrible."

"What did she tell you?"

Icepaw looked back and forth to Brightstar and Vinetail. "She gave me a prophecy. The darkness was never meant to be, and two cats, high and proud will lead and destroy." He finished it off like that. No one said anything.

Finally, Vinetail cracked the silence. "It doesn't sound too good," he agreed. "Darkness and all."

Brightstar nodded her head. "Is that all?" she asked Icepaw.

"Yes," he responded.

Her leader gave a deep sigh. "I think I know one part of the prophecy," she murmured. "It involves you, Icepaw. StarClan would of sent it to Vinetail, but they chose you for a reason. You are one of those two cats."

Icepaw bristled. "Me?"

"Yes. You."

Vinetail growled a little. "Icepaw . . . darkness is rising," he said again. "That's a point of the prophecy. Brightstar, we're going to have to protect MoonClan, I mean, really protect it now."

"No," Brightstar said. "What we need is answers."

Icepaw stared at her hard. "I don't think StarClan is going to tell me answers!"

Vinetail sighed. "I will ask StarClan once I go to the Night Flower in a few days." He shut his eyes. "And Icepaw? Don't tell anyone about this, not even Dewpaw, your father or friends. Keep it a secret . . . Some cats don't handle things like that very well."

Icepaw opened his mouth to protest, but shut it again. How can I keep quiet about something like this?!