[So I don't think I like the title...Any suggestions? And Chapter One is up.]
/ / ••Chapter One•• / /
"Icepaw, if you may, can you join us?" Flamestar. His voice was always quiet, soft, even, when he spoke to me. Like he knew how hard it was to be in this situation. And that's why I thoroughly hated him. Flamestar would always treat me like a kit not able to lick mud off its paws. He never treated Adderpaw or even the kits that way, so I guess I'm just the lucky one.
His voice rung out across the sunlit clearing again. "Icepaw." I turned my head a fraction so I could see him out of the corner of my eye. He was a storng tabby tom--well,used to be before he got mauled by a group of dogs and it left him like that--with gleaming white eyes. They weren't naturally white, that wasn't possible, but they seemed white to me. a pearly glass-color. He smiled as he caught my eye watching him. "We would like you to at least sit with us this time."
"No you wouldn't." I whispered, but get up anyway, sitting down next to Adderpaw with a sulky thump. At sunrise, all of the Windclan ancestors would gather for a meal, usually bringing their own prey, and sat with eachother and shared tongues, chatted. That kind of thing. But ever since I landed in this dust bowl, Adderpaw or Flamestar usually catches me something so I wouldn't need to hunt myself. Good. I hated hunting, and I wasn't going out into the forest. Tentatively, Adderpaw poked a freshly-killed vole infront of me, plump and fine. I stared at it annoyingly. Whatever happened to the time when prey was actually scrawny?
"You...don't like it?" My brother's vocie was quiet, as usual, though compared to Flamestar's, his was gruff. I shook my head and pawed it closer to me, accepting it with a thankful nod.
"She better eat whatever you fools catch for her." All three of us turned at the bitter voice coming from behind us. There stood, barely visible through the outline of trees, Greenfrond, gaunt face turned up in a sneer. The tom padded out, and his fine silver-and-white pelt shone along with the tid-bits of starlight through him. His half-tail swayed lightly, and his fiery orange eyes glimmered with arrogance. "A rock is more of use than her."
"Shove it down your throat, Greenfrond." I muttered into the vole's thin fur, and hunched my shoulders over so Greenfrond could just leave me alone. I knew that wouldn't last.
"What was that, Icekit?" The warrior strode over and leaned over my face, woodsy breath billowing nto my face with startling strength. "I'm a warrior, and you're,what, ten moons?"
"Twelve!" I corrected and shoved my face into his, making him stumble back. "Now get out of my face, badger-breath."
"That's enough, you two." Flamestar got to his paws and glared at the white-and-silver tom. "Go away, Greenfrond. Leave us in peace if you wish to not be apart of this morning's eating." And with that, Greenfrond turned without a word, and stalked off. I could still smell his breath even after Flamestar spoke. "Great Starclan, he is a trouble-maker."
"He has your blood." Adderpaw joked and curled his thin black tail aorund his paws neatly, and Flamestar bellowed a deep laugh, which ended up in Adderpaw joining in.
I wanted, also, to join in on their bliss, but I couldn't. The pain was still far too strong for me to bear. If only Redpaw were here with me...Why hadn't he had died along with me in that wretched stream? No! My mind jerked unsteadily, Don't think like that! Be happy that he's still alive and healthy. Well, not particularly healthy, but alive. She could remember the look of pain scorching Redpaw's face as her body dipped into death, hear his screeches of plead to stay with him, to not give up on life, on her mother, on him. I shut the world outside for a moment, surrounded by my death and my loved ones...Still alive...
"Look alive, Icepaw! Here comes Larkflight and Quietkit!" Addepraw's jerked me away from those good memories, and I was then again plunged into the oblivion of my afterlife. I then turned my eyes to two shpes flitting along, barely touching the ground as they walked toward us. Larkflight was my mentor before I died. She had been a queen, and had quit her mentoring duties and warrior duties to take care of herself, but when the kitting came, she and her only daughter died. Now, only her son, Waterkit, and her mate, Flintfrost, live in Windclan today.
Larkflight was a smiply she-cat with short, blood-stained gray fur and fierce blue-green eyes, though her face was kind and thoughtful. Her daughter, Quietkit, was almost an exact copy of her mother, though she lacked in Larkflight's blue eyes. Instead, she had Flintfrost's dull yellow eyes. "Greetings, Flamestar, Adderpaw, and Icepaw." Larkflight purred, putting the rabbit that was clasped in her jaws down. Her generous blue eyes looked at me for some time and I returned her gaze quietly until Flamestar spoke, and we broke our gaze. "Four others to add to our meeting."
From the forest, four lithe, young cats leaped and scittered toward us, light paws dancing along the ground with expert step. In the lead was Meadowfang, an old medicine cat for Windclan. Then there was Friskfur, Gorsepaw, then at the last, Bounceswipe. They all came to a stop infornt of us and put down their prey infront of them. "Greetings." Meadowfang mewed, still trying to catch her breath in husky, curt breaths.
"Greetings." Flamestar returned then looked around. "The morning won't last forever," he mewed, "And I don't think any more are coming. So, let's just go ahead and start." Then the leader reached down to take a bite from his rabbit, eventually followed by the rest.
Even as I bent down, I knew I wouldn't be able to keep it down. I still couldn't eat much, but not out of sickness or anything. No, that never happened when you were dead, but out of sadness. Dreams from this morning still crowded my mind, and I had to stifle my tears as I ate.
