Fire And Ice

Fireheart stared at Tigerclaw and felt the blood pulse through him, so that his whole body throbbed with rage. “If only you were keen too!” he retorted. “You’d give the battle cry instead of keeping us here while WindClan warriors die!”

Tigerclaw flashed him a look of loathing, threw back his head, and yowled to the sky before charging on toward the WindClan camp. Fireheart and the others raced after him, past Fourtrees to the steep slope that led to the uplands. They bounded up, their paws made noiseless by the snow.

When they reached the top, Fireheart was battered by a howling wind that turned his ears inside out. The WindClan hunting grounds looked more barren than ever, the gorse hidden by a layer of snow.

“Fireheart! You know the way to the WindClan camp!” yowled Tigerclaw above the wind. “Lead us there.” He slowed to let Fireheart pass. Fireheart wondered if the deputy didn’t trust Onewhisker enough to let the WindClan warrior guide them. He looked back at Graystripe, hoping for some help, but the gray warrior had his head bowed low and his shoulders hunched miserably as the wind buffeted his thick fur. There would be little help there. Fireheart turned his eyes to StarClan and sent up a prayer for guidance.

He was surprised to find that he recognized the shape of the land even beneath the snow. There was the badger set and the rock Graystripe had climbed to get a better view. He followed the contours he remembered from his journey with Graystripe until he reached the dip in the land that marked the WindClan camp.

Fireheart paused at the rim of the hollow. “Down there!” he yowled. For a heartbeat the wind dropped, and from below they heard the sounds of battle—screams and howls as cat furiously fought with cat.

Chapter 30

Tigerclaw addressed the warriors in a fierce hiss that carried through the blizzard. “Whitestorm, wait until you hear my battle cry! Onewhisker, you lead us through the camp entrance; we’ll take care of the rest.”

Onewhisker began to race down the slope toward the snow-covered bushes. Tigerclaw thundered after him, Darkstripe at his heels. Fireheart charged behind the sleek gray tabby, through the narrow tunnel that led into the WindClan camp. The gorse was as dense and sharp as he remembered. Graystripe and the other warriors stayed at the top of the slope, a fresh wave of attack ready to strike after the initial barrage.

Fireheart skidded to a halt, reeling at the sight that greeted him in the camp clearing. Last time he’d been here, in search of the scent trail that would lead them to the missing Clan, the place had been deserted and silent. Now the clearing swarmed with writhing, screeching, fighting cats. Onewhisker had been right—the WindClan cats were hopelessly outnumbered. A fresh party of ShadowClan and RiverClan warriors waited at the edge of the clearing, but WindClan could spare no backup group. The whole Clan was fighting, apprentices and elders, warriors and queens.

Fireheart spotted Morningflower wrestling with a ShadowClan warrior. The WindClan queen looked exhausted and frightened, her fur standing in ragged clumps. Still, she nimbly turned and scratched her attacker, but he was much bigger and knocked her easily to the ground with a heavy blow.

With a howl, Fireheart leaped and landed squarely on the shoulders of the ShadowClan tom. He clung on while the surprised warrior spun and tried to shake him loose. Morningflower raked the tom with her claws as Fireheart dragged him to the ground. The ShadowClan warrior screeched and ripped himself free. He ran into the prickly camp wall and pushed his way through. Morningflower shot a grateful glance at Fireheart and turned back to the battle.

Fireheart looked around, shaking drops of blood from his nose. The fresh patrols of ShadowClan and RiverClan cats had joined the fight now. ThunderClan’s arrival had evened the numbers for a while, but now the second party was needed. Fireheart heard Tigerclaw’s battle cry ring out, and a moment later Whitestorm exploded into the clearing, followed by Graystripe, Runningwind, and the rest of the ThunderClan warriors.

Fireheart grabbed a RiverClan warrior, tripping him with one paw and holding him down with another. He rolled the tom over and thrashed at his belly with his hind claws. The RiverClan cat leaped away and crashed into a WindClan warrior. The warrior turned in surprise. Fireheart recognized Onewhisker straightaway and watched as he reared and attacked the RiverClan tom without a moment’s pause. Fireheart could see the fire in Onewhisker’s eyes. He could leave him to finish this fight.