The warm desert sun was setting as Frost and her elder brother, Elm, crouched under an overhanging rock. A gentle breeze was keeping the two just cool enough not to overheat, and Frost silently gave thanks to the wind spirits. An idea crossed her mind, and she glanced at the tom beside her.
“Hey, Elm?” Frost asked. He grunted in response, clearly not interested in talking, so she continued on. “Do you think the wind and earth spirits are the same as those StarClan spirits that the Clan cats talk about?”
“How should I know?”
“You’re useless otherwise.” Frost was sharp with her choice of words, but her tone of voice was so bright that it was hard to tell if she was being cruel or not. “Did Spider say when he was coming back?”
“No.”
Frost sighed deeply and laid her head on her paws. She was used to her brother’s apathy, so it never bothered her anymore. When will Junebug and Spider get back? Her mother and elder sister doted on her in an almost fanatical way – after all, she was the only survivor of Junebug’s second litter. Junebug’s mate, Thorn, had died before Frost was born – drowned during the Great Sinking – so she would always be the youngest. As such, Junebug was constantly worried something would happen to Frost, and Spider would give up anything just to make her happy. They were way more fun than surly Elm.
“Hey. Elm.” Frost had never been able to stand silence, so she made conversation with her brother even if neither of them liked it. He ignored her, so she said, “What do you think would happen if one of those spitting cobras spat some venom in a cat’s eyes?”
“I don’t know.”
“You could use some imagination, you know.”
“Okay.”
Frost’s tail lashed once as she started to get annoyed. She hated when Elm acted like this. “Aren’t we kin? Why do you have to be so cold to me? No one else treats me like this.”
Elm opened a single eye – amber, just like Frost’s – and calmly replied, “You’re just trying to get me to start a fight. I don’t care about you or your tricks.” He shut his eye again, and Frost felt indignation rush through her.
“Fine!” Leaping to her paws, Frost stormed out of their small shelter. “I’ll go look for Spider on my own. Your own baby sister, off on her own in the hot desert.” She waited for Elm to get up and appease her, but he never did. Gritting her teeth, Frost stalked back. Spider would have reacted immediately. “You’re really just going to lay there?”
“Yep.”
“Even if I get hurt?”
“Yep.”
“You’re supposed to be watching after me.”
“You’re old enough.”
“This is the desert. We just moved here.”
“Because the grassland cats were sick of you.”
With a noise of frustration, Frost whirled back around. “I’m going out for real then! If I die, it’ll be all your fault.” She sprang forward, knowing that if she got hurt, there would be hell to pay for Elm. Maybe I’ll prickle myself with a cactus. Junebug would never let him hear the end of it!
Plan in mind, Frost darted off to where she had remembered seeing a prickly pear cactus. Elm had tried to get her to eat the fruit after she complained of thirst, but the taste was so foul that she had spat it onto her brother’s paws. I’ll say I went back to get some as a surprise, to apologize for earlier, she thought as she saw the plant come into view. That way, Junebug can’t blame me for going out on my own.
Just as Frost approached, her ear twitched as she heard a noise. To her horror, a fox stepped out from behind the cactus, fangs bared and ripping with drool. Freezing in place, she hunkered down and hiss instinctually. Elm! She raged in her head. This is all your fault! Was she going to die here? In this horrible desert? It’s not fair!
Before the fox could even take a step closer to Frost, a sandy-colored blur shot past her and tackled the beast. Frost felt her jaw drop as she saw it was a single cat! The tom was batting at the fox’s face, aiming for the eyes, and skillfully dodging away from its slobbering jaws.
Incredible! Frost watched the tom for a moment before turning to leave, happy to have escaped death. The wind spirits really do favor me! However, just as she turned away, she happened to glance at the tom and stopped. He looked familiar… Oh! Heart jumping to her throat, she realized that the tom valiantly fighting for her life was the Solstar! He was the leader of ScorchedClan. His face was heavily scarred, so she hadn’t even recognized him at first.
Well… The tip of Frost’s tail twitched as she watched Solstar carefully roll under the belly of the fox, slashing his claws down its sensitive skin. She knew instinctively that helping him would be beneficial to her. Having the leader of ScorchedClan in my debt… no! Not just in my debt. Realizing what she had to do, Frost darted forward and sank her teeth into the hind leg of the fox. It shrieked in pain and turned to snap at her head, its ivory fangs mere whiskers away from her face, but then Solstar hooked his claws into its lips and drew its attention away.
Frost had no actual battle experience, but she was both careful and opportunistic. At the moments when the fox would close in on Solstar, she would yank on a leg or bite a paw to unbalance it. She naturally kept herself free of all harm but did just enough to make it look like she was helping. The tufts of her were getting caught under her claws, which began to annoy her, and she felt her muscles protesting from the strain of trying to keep up with the Clancat and fox’s exhausting fight. Do these two have infinite stamina or what?
Then, right as the fox turned for Frost, Solstar managed to sink his teeth into its throat! Seeing her chance, Frost made use of the opening and tried to claw out the beast’s eyes. Dammit! She had tried to use a move Elm had once used on a dog, but it was way harder than she imagined. Why didn’t that lazy lump teach me how to use it correctly?! Shaking her head, Frost refocused on the battle. The fox was bleeding heavily, and it made a strange whistling noise as it breathed. Solstar, meanwhile, looked tired and battered but wasn’t terribly injured.
This isn’t going to work, though. As the battle neared its climax, Frost was starting to get impatient. She didn’t need the ScorchedClan leader to save her, she needed him to think she was saving him. But how? A dark thought crossed her mind, and she didn’t even hesitate. That’s it! Carefully watching, Frost continued her distractions until the fox opened its mouth and lunged at Solstar. Then… she let it happen. At any point, Frost could have tangled up the beast’s legs or yanked on its tail, as she always had done, but this time she simply let it happen.
Solstar made a horrifying wail of pain as the fox finally managed to sink its fangs into his hindquarters, its jaws threatening to crush his hipbones. Frost watched for only a moment more before headbutting the fox’s side, aiming for an injury Solstar had inflicted earlier, and forcing it to back away.
“Are you okay?” Frost used a soft, sweet voice and filled it with panic as she spoke to Solstar for the first time.
The tom steadied himself before nodding, not even sparing Frost a word as he charged into battle. Frost’s tail twitched with irritation, but she allowed it to slide this time. He’s too focused on the fight. Not that he needed to be – the fox was already half-dead.
Frost watched with mild apathy as Solstar struck the fox’s already-mangled throat and finally hit the vital vein. Blood burst forth in a scarlet stream, drenching the side of Solstar’s face as he stood over the fox’s body, panting softly. Wait… wait… now! Just as the leader tipped over and almost collapsed, Frost ran to his side and let him collapse against his shoulder. “Are you alright?” She feigned worry as she reached a paw up to a small scratch on the leader’s shoulder. Though he shook her off at first, he ended up stumbling again and had to lean on her once more.
“… I need to go home,” Solstar said calmly as if he hadn’t just fought a fox.
“I can take you!” Frost replied excitedly before clearing her throat. “I mean… if you would allow me.”
“… don’t you have a family to return to?”
Frost thought about Junebug and Spider. They would probably be devastated if she left… But they’re only rogues. Naturally, they couldn’t provide for her as well as a Clan could. “No. All of my kin have died. I was wandering alone here.”