Edited ✔️

Hello :D I hope this longer chapter makes up for the past few shorter ones. I never do one and a half pages, really. Makes me uncomfortable. I prefer to write more . . . well, anyways, enjoy chapter twenty five! And wow I got this up in less time than I expected it to be up.

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The vast view from the mountain had Icetail captured.

He had an overview of the camp and of the entire forest from even though it was hard to see clearly. He could even see beyond—he could see StreamClan's willow tree, DarkClan's forest, and the large moor where CloudClan resided. He pressed closer to Squirrelpaw in shock.

Icetail's thoughts snapped at the sound of Sharpfang's voice. "Squirrelpaw, come on, we have to find something to eat," said the grumpy senior warrior. "Icetail, perhaps because of your breathing you should look around for a shelter?"

"You think we'll stay the night?" questioned Icetail. "And who put you in charge?"

"Yes, we are stating the night because we are all tired, Icetail," Sharpfang growled in response. "Don't cause a scene. I am doing what's best. Besides, Brightstar didn't really appoint you as the patrol leader, either."

"Nor did she to you," retorted Icetail.

"Um, I'll go ahead. . ." said Squirrelpaw awkwardly, not wanting to be part of the drama.

"Whatever," muttered Sharpfang, stalking away.

Icetail sighed and went an opposite direction. He wanted to find a place to rest, but not because Sharpfang told him to. He wanted to see if he could rest, and maybe dream about the prophecy again. For a few moments, Icetail weakly walked around in search of any sort of refuge, until he heard a low rustle.

He stopped in his place. "Who's there?" He stood straighter despite the pain in his chest.

Slowly, a young she-cat emerged from out of the bushes. She had beautiful off-white fur and glimmering yellow eyes that pierced into Icetail's gaze. There was also a small but noticeable tear in her ear. She stood face-to-face with Icetail, her ears slightly drawn back in a defensive stance.

"Wh-who are you?" she demanded. She was obviously around the age of an apprentice. Perhaps a little older than Squirrelpaw and Silverpaw, but much younger than Icetail.

"I'm a Clan cat," he explained calmly. "I came from a tunnel that led up here."

Her eyes widened. "So you must have known the way to find us here! Someone must have told you, right?"

There are cats that live up here? he thought with surprise. I thought the mountain was dangerous!

Icetail shook his head in response to the stranger's sudden excitement. "I came from the forest down below, the one you see at the base of the mountain. A tunnel appeared in the ground, you see, and we went to investigate. But somehow, the tunnel ended up leading here. We'd gotten lost."

"That sounds terrible! Maybe you'd like to meet some of my family. They could certainly help you."

He thought for a moment. So it's true! The mountain wasn't desolate. But what if the cats who lived here were hostile? Icetail feared not ever coming back to MoonClan at all, leaving Brightar and the rest of the Clan in the darkness. If he didn't find his way back, then they'd certainly end up going through the tunnels like he did. He couldn't let that happen. Besides, as he observed the young she-cat, he decided she was friendly enough to trust.

"If it's not too far, I'd love help . . . I'm here with two other cats, you see," Icetail informed after a brief moment.

"Two other gray toms, right? I think I saw them. Maybe we should let them be. They must not know about me or the family; mama says it's not safe to talk to cats we've never seen," she explained.

Then what does that make me? he thought with amusement, but kept those thoughts silent. "Well, any information you're willing to give would be helpful. Perhaps you can take me to someone like you mentioned before."

"Understood," said the white she-cat. She began to lead him away without another word. She didn't even mention her name.

Icetail followed her anyways, desperate for a place to rest, and curious about finding some answers. As he followed her, he couldn't help but take in his surroundings. The trees were unalike the ones in the Clan forests. He always thought that the distant trees on the mountain were pine, but the scent tasted completely different. There were also a few animals he'd rarely ever on the territories—a few deer that he spotted in that flocked one side of the mountain, that looked slightly different from the forest deer; different, larger birds that soared above the tall jagged peaks; and different plants too, including herbs and flowers he knew that Sweetpaw would take interest in.

It amazed Icetail how different everything was. He thought that since the forest and the mountain was very close, they'd be the same, but he was utterly wrong by the beauty of it. Everything he saw almost stole his breath away.

The white she-cat lead him on for a few more moments in silence, before rising up her voice again. "You came from a whole group of cats, right?" she asked him.

Icetail nodded. "We call them Clans. I come from MoonClan."

"Wow," she said in amazement. "How are the Clans like? I've heard stories about them but I've never stepped paw off this mountain, so I know nothing but life here."

"Living in a Clan is good," he explained. "We all trust one another, support one another, and share duties. There are five Clans, too. MoonClan, which is my Clan—MarshClan, CloudClan, DarkClan and StreamClan. We are all organized by kin and ways of living."

"Amazing!" she said, turning around to catch his eye. He could see that they were glittering with interest. "Living in a Clan must be fun."

He shook his head and she tilted hers to the side in confusion. Icetail sighed, knowing he'd have to explain the situation. "It's not all that great at times," Icetail murmured grimly. "Right now MoonClan is at war with DarkClan. The other Clans have a small involvement with it too, especially CloudClan. Things were pretty tough for us. Sometimes living in a Clan can cost you your life. I've lost some that I miss dearly."

He thought of Featherbreeze again.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she meowed sympathetically. "My name is Gold, by the way." She looked up at him once more and he suddenly understood her name—because her eyes gleamed a brilliant golden yellow.

"I'm Icetail," he said.

"What a weird name," Gold commented. "This  is super weird. We never ever get visitors. It's so cool knowing that there's a whole other world out there! Despite all the bad things you mentioned, it seems really fun. I want to visit one day. Say, can I visit one day? Maybe MoonClan will like me. Do you think so—"

"Shh," Icetail suddenly cut her off. She babbled a lot, but he didn't mind. What he did mind was the feeling of being crept up on. "Who's there?" he called out.

"Wait, is someone there?" she whispered. "How could you tell?"

The cat was upwind from them, so he didn't catch a scent. What he did hear was faint pawsteps very close by, just beyond the shrubbery.

A cat emerged out of the bushes the same way as Gold had when he first encountered her. This newcomer was a tortoiseshell she-cat with many gray streaks along her fur, indicating her older age. Perhaps she was even Brightstar's age. Her eyes were a fierce green like the greenleaf leaves of the forest, but had a special soft tone that left warmth in her stare.

She purred as she met with his gaze. "Welcome to the mountain, young warrior. You must be Icetail."

* * *

Icetail sat next to Gold in the cave in which they resided. The tortoiseshell cat—whose name was Bells—sat in front of them alongside another she-cat, presumably her sister.

He learned that their parents had died a few moons ago, so now it was just Bells, her daughter Red, and Red's kits—Gold, Thorn, and Moon—along with Red's mate, Hawk. It amazed Icetail how small their living group was. The Clan was much larger in comparison to this family of lone cats.

"So you've finally come, huh, Icetail?" Bells purred. "I've waited for this moment so long. But I only figured that you'd come after you knew the prophecy of darkness."

His ears perked with interest. "What? You knew about it?"

Bells dipped her head in response.

"W-we'll, what drove me here were the Twolegs," Icetail said gravely. "I never expected to come up the mountain. I do not understand the prophecy itself, and I understand I'm the cat StarClan chose to tell it to."

"I understand," Bells said.

"What's an apprentice? Is it a special kind of warrior? Are you spies?" asked Gold eagerly.

Red cuffed Gold on the ear. "Hush up! This matter is important, and it does not involve you," she scolded. Gold, embarrassed, looked down to her paws. Red nodded with satisfaction.

Bells purred softly. "Yes. We heard the construction from up here."

"Construction?" Icetail asked, tilting his head. He knew what it meant, but he couldn't grasp his mind around what they could possibly construct in a cave. Better yet, what that would mean for the Clans.

"Yes. The other day, Thorn, Hawk and I traveled down there and discovered what they were doing. We spent a long time observing them. They are tearing right under the forests."

Icetail nodded sadly. "I know."

"Anyways," Bells went on, "I am sure you have questions. As far as I know, there is nothing we can do about the Twolegs."

He looked down to Red's three kits. Gold and Thorn were snapping at each other, but one of them, Moon, was staring at Icetail, observing him with interest.

Bells must of noticed. "Red, can you take the kits hunting?" she asked her sister. "I have important matters to discuss with Icetail."

Red nodded. "Come on, kits," she meowed. "Let's go find Hawk. He's probably trying to catch an eagle all on his own. You won't want to miss that!"

Gold gasped. "No way!"

"I wanna help!" exclaimed Thorn.

The two young cats dashed out of the entrance after their mother. Moon silently followed them, and cast one glance back at Icetail, which looked rather shy, before running after her mother and littermates.

Bells mrrowed soft laughter. "I think Moon likes you."

Icetail laughed as well, but it was short. He was not here to think about kit's-play. "Anyway, if you know so much about the prophecy, I need answers."

Bells nodded. "Yes, right. Answers . . ." She sighed. Icetail wondered if he was pressuring her, but when she looked up, he knew that he wasn't just by the same fierce look in her eyes as earlier. "The darkness was never meant to be, and two cats high and proud will lead and destroy. One of those very cats is you, Icetail. I do not know if you will lead, I do not know if you will destroy. Most importantly, I do not know the identity of the second cat of the prophecy, but do I know something that could be useful to you."

Icetail felt a little disappointed that he didn't get the answers he most anticipated. But he inched closer, ears pricked with interest. "I'll listen."

"This cat—the second one—is like blood. You're supposedly very close to this cat," she said.

Icetail thought for a moment. Like blood. Does she mean some cat who I am related to? "The only cats that have my blood in MoonClan are my brother and father. There could be more, but I wouldn't know them."

She nodded. "Well then, Icetail, keep a close eye on your brother, it's more likely that you're missing things in which you cannot see."

Icetail stood as still as prey. What did she mean by that? And how was it possible that Dewfang could be the second cat in the prophecy? What would that mean for the two, as brothers? He shook his head from all these thoughts in frustration. With answers always came more questions! Can't somebody just tell him all that there is to know? Then things wouldn't be so difficult!

"And," Bells added, "don't forget to watch out for yourself, too. You can be any of those cats as well."

"I . . . know." One cat would lead, one would destroy. It was obvious to him what those roles in the prophecy meant, but it wasn't obvious what role he would take. After all, he wasn't perfect. Just because he was the one who had received the prophecy, it did not mean he was the good cat. He had still not forgotten when he snapped a long time ago when his mother died, and how it drove him into brutally killing the DarkClan warrior, Fallentail. All cats were evil and all cats were good; some just more than others.

Despite how difficult it was to imagine himself as the enemy, it was still possible.

"Icetail," Bells softly murmured. "I think it is time for you to go. Your friends must be looking for you and your Clan must be worried."

"I know."

"It won't take you long to get down back to MoonClan if you take the mountain rocks," she informed. "I can show you and your friends the way."

"Thank you, Bells." He dipped his head. "For the answers, for your kindness. I will never forget you."

She felt her nose touch his head, just like a leader would do to a newly-appointed apprentice.

When she pulled away, he raised his head and looked outside the cave to see the slowly-setting sun. It was halfway through the horizon. In no time at all, it would be completely dark, with nothing but the moon and Silverpelt to brighten up their path.

Bells stood up and began to leave the cave, Icetail trailing after her. He was deep in thought. I haven't given it much thought, but I wonder how Bells knows so much about the prophecy? he wondered. Does StarClan share dreams with her too?

He stared at the back of her with curiosity.

Perhaps she used to be a Clan cat a long time ago . . .

He followed her as she easily tracked down his friends. Sharpfang and Squirrelpaw were seen sharing a squirrel. A spare mouse rested at Squrrielpaw's foot. They must be saving it for him.

"Hey!" called Icetail. "I'm back!"

Sharpfang looked up, and immediately narrowed his eyes when he saw Bells. "Who's she?"

"A cat who lives on the mountains," Icetail meowed. "She is a good cat, don't worry."

"I'm not worrying," Sharpfang sneered. "Here, have your share. We are going home now. Does your mountain friend know a way down here without going through that cave?"

"Yes, I do," Bells said, undisturbed by Sharpfang's rudeness.

"Good." Sharpfang swallowed down his squirrel. Icetail took a couple bites out of his mouse, which was all it took to finish it. His stomach felt sustained enough.

The group was just about to leave when they were stopped by Bell's approaching family. Hawk was carrying an eagle in his mouth, and Thorn held a plump vole.

"Were you just leaving?" Red asked Icetail, looking directly at him.

Icetail nodded. "Yes, we live just down the mountain."

Gold's ears perked up. "And all these Clan cats live there, right? Ooooooh, are these other two cats Clan cats, too? Wow! They're so cool! The big one's especially muscular. So strong," she said with awe. She poked at his muscles in his forelegs with her nose, and he sharply drew back.

"Don't touch me," snapped Sharpfang.

Gold's eyes widened. "Wow! So cool!"

"You think everything is cool," snorted Moon.

"Well you obviously think so about Icetail. Look at the way you're staring at him!" Gold retorted, proud of her come-back.

"Take that back!" snapped Moon, getting embarrassed. Icetail couldn't help but laugh a little. He remembered being of that age with Dewfang when all the apprentices thought Silverpaw had feelings for Icetail. Maturity simply comes with age, he decided. For now, it was good that the two young cats could at like kits.

"We are almost to the edge of the cliff where you can climb down. Let's go," said Bells.

Icetail nodded and followed her. The trip wasn't long, just as Bells said, and Icetail realized that they weren't actually far from the ground. MoonClan was in plain sight. Excitement filled his belly as he began to descend. He knew that he, Sharpfang and Squirrelpaw must get down before the sun sets. If it's dark, one of them may loose their footing and plummet to their death. Icetail certainly did not want to see his Clanmates hurt, no matter how mean Sharpfang could be.

"Wait. Before you go, Clan cats," Bells said, stopping all three of them.

Icetail turned up. Bell's fierce eyes that constantly switched emotion now seemed sad. "I . . . I want Red, Hawk and their kits to go with you."

Sharpfang's eyes widened. "Five cats at once joining MoonClan? We normally don't accept strangers," he meowed, his voice not as harsh as Icetail thought it would be.

"I know. But they can't stay here anymore—the mountain isn't safe—"

"That's nonsense! You're our family, Bells!" said Red.

"That's right!" Hawk put in. "Besides, what do the kits think?"

"I like the mountain," mumbled Thorn.

"What? You scared of a little change? I think that living in the Clan would be so cool! Can we, mama? Can we? I really would like to!" Gold exclaimed.

Moon purred a little after casting a glance at Icetail. "I wouldn't mind."

"Wait. I don't know what Brightstar would say. The decision is not up to us," warned Icetail. "That is too sudden change for MoonClan."

"Tell Brightstar that I had sent these cats," Bells said. "She knows me. I'm sure she will accept them in the Clan." She sighed and looked to her paws.

They know each other? But how? thought Icetail, astonished. Suddenly, the way she looked and acted made a little more sense. Don't tell me that they're sisters . . .

"I won't stop anyone," Sharpfang meowed casually, beginning to make leaps down the slopes carefully.

Red sighed. "What about you, Bells?"

"This mountain was my home from the start with. I need to be alone. I don't think I can join a Clan, to start with. And it has to do with those dreams, Red." She paused. "I need more time alone. Really alone. That's why I came here many seasons ago. Why I left the Clans in the first place . . ."

Icetail's eyes widened. So it's true!

Red's eyes gleamed with sadness. "I understand, Bells."

"If that's the case, we'll depart with the Clan cats," said Hawk. "We'll send word to Brightstar that you said hello, too."

"Thank you," purred Bells. She turned to Icetail and sighed. "It was an honor speaking to you, young warrior. I will see you again one day. May StarClan light your path, Icetail."