Larchpaw woke with a jolt. Someone’s screaming! Jumping to her paws, she peered out of the edge of her nest. Cats, unfamiliar cats, were swarming their camp! Only a few FrostClan cats were awake and more were already dead – poor Polarclaw was limp beside the base of the Ancestor’s Perch, killed while protecting the bones of their history.
“FrostClan, to me!” Lightningstar called as he threw off a vicious-looking red tom. Warriors and carvers alike flooded the cavern, evening the odds against the tide of invaders.
Feeling her blood run cold, Larchpaw looked around until she spotted her littermates, Whitepaw and Marshpaw, then joined them in the fray. Immediately, claws hooked into her shoulders and slammed her to the ground. She screeched and thrashed, trying to get up, but the cat above her was just too big.
Then her mentor Spottedtalon was there, the blood-spattered speckled gray tom appearing like a specter of death. He snarled and ripped the cat off of Larchpaw – she watched as the scrawny black and white she-cat was smashed into the ice and went limp. He broke her neck!
“Come on!” Marshpaw was by Larchpaw’s side now, headbutting her. “They’re attacking the kits! We have to defend them!”
Larchpaw gasped and her head whipped around to see the nursery. Sure enough, four warriors were desperately trying to tear their way in. Squirrelsnow barred their way, covered in blood and yowling like a monster. To Larchpaw’s horror, one of the invaders finally got his claws into her throat and tore it open, killing the queen almost instantly.
Legs moving without her command, Larchpaw barreled over to the cats and leaped onto the back of the nearest one. She ripped at the tom’s eyes, ears, anything she could get her claws into. He shrieked in pain and reared up, but then Viperclaw was there, slashing through his belly. The drop dropped immediately, gurgling sounds coming from his throat.
Before Larchpaw could thank Viperclaw, a she-cat was on the apprentice with a furious yowl. They rolled, each trying to get on top, but the she-cat was stronger and older and had Larchpaw pinned down in mere moments. She felt her heart stop as the she-cat’s fangs fastened into her throat. Is this how I die?
A surge of strength welled up in Larchpaw. No! Not like this! She kicked with all her might, her back claws digging into the soft flesh of the she-cat’s belly, and knocked herself free. Rolling to her paws, she crouched down and hissed, only to find her attacker was now beset on both sides by Viperclaw and Ptarmiganpaw.
“Dewstar!” The furious cry drew Larchpaw’s attention. Lightningstar had pinned down a slender black tom and was snarling into his face. “How dare you?!”
Dewstar’s reply was lost in the uproar that erupted around Larchpaw. A skinny white tom had tackled Antlerpaw and they rolled together barely a foxlength from Larchpaw. Taking a deep breath, she lunged over and bit the white cat’s tail, yanking on it as hard as she could. He shrieked and let go of Antlerpaw, turning to strike her, but then Lichenpaw slammed into the tom. Faced with three cats, the invader turned tail and ran.
Exhaustion clung to Larchpaw’s body as she looked around. Cats still filled the cavern, screeching and fighting, and the invaders seemed endless.
There was a nasty snarl and Larchpaw turned just in time to see a gray tabby run at her. Remembering her favorite trick, she waited before crouching down mere moments before he pounced, sending him flying over. There was a terrible crack and a gurgled yowl behind her.
Then Larchpaw turned to find a dark black cat standing her attacker’s body. The shadows seemed to cling to the cat like he was made of the shadows themselves.
Oh, StarClan! Shadestorm is here! He’s helping us!
As the ghostly form of Shadestorm met her gaze, new vigor filled Larchpaw’s body. I can do this! The battleground turned into a whirl around her as she plunged into the fray once more. Cats of all shapes and sizes flew past her, both friends and foe – Blackwolf tussling with a scrawny brown tom, a pair of apprentices being beaten back by Jaggedclaw’s fury, Viperclaw dealing a fatal blow on an oversized brute. She helped where she could – tugging on tails, clawing at eyes, knocking legs out from under cats.
Larchpaw focused on a bulky tortoiseshell she-cat who was pinning down Antlerpaw and ran over to slam into the cat’s side. The tortoiseshell, so sure she was going to win, was thrown off balance by the appearance of a new enemy. Side by side with Antlerpaw, Larchpaw slashed at the invader’s face and belly, covering for her denmate when he attacked.
Faced by such adversary, the tortoiseshell fled with a yowl. Larchpaw, feeling tiredness tug at her paws again, turned to find a new opponent, only to see that most of the cats had already fled, with the few remaining being taken down by her furious Clanmates.
To her dismay, Larchpaw quickly realized most of the bodies were of her own Clanmates instead of the invaders.
Marshpaw was nearby so Larchpaw stumbled her way over. “Wh- are you alright?” Her brother looked at her blankly before stepping aside.
Larchpaw could feel her heart break at once. “Rockystep? Iceslash?” Trembling, she stepped towards the prone bodies of her mother and father, both covered in blood. Her father was shielding her mother’s body. Iceslash had died protecting his mate, but it had already been too late for her.
“Hey, come on.” A gentle nudge on her side made Larchpaw flinch. It was Viperclaw, gently prodding the apprentices and moving them towards the nursery. “We need to lay you down and treat your wounds.”
“W-where’s the Sage?” Larchpaw looked around for the medicine cat. “I should see her in the-” the words died in her throat. The medicine cat’s den was a blood-soaked battleground – bodies piled up there, both FrostClan and invader. The young medicine cat herself was splayed out, her eyes already cloudy and unseeing.
“Come on,” Viperclaw urged again and pushed Larchpaw towards the nursery. “It’s time to rest. We can talk about what happened after.”
In the end, more than half of the Clan had been slaughtered. Whitepaw and Antlerpaw, both on the brink of becoming warriors, had died from their wounds less than a day after the attack. Polarclaw, Squirrelsnow, the Sage, Snowymask, Moonhawk, Echospring, Sedgebreeze, Galeflight, Blizzardnose, Graycloud, Harespot, Woollyheart, Crowfang, and Sharpcry were all killed. All three queens were killed, and Graycloud’s entire litter had been torn apart.
The depravity of the attackers numbed Larchpaw and filled her heart with confusion. She felt as if the world had been upturned or this was just some unholy nightmare. Blood filled the cavern for days, no matter how hard the warriors tried to scrub it away. Lightningstar had lost a life in the battle and a second from his wounds, but he was desperately trying to regain order once more.
Most dens had been abandoned – they all huddled in the nursery, trying to keep the motherless kits warm – and food had been hard to come by. Their entire herb store had been destroyed and it was too hard to find more in the frozen tundra, so much energy had been diverted from the much-needed hunting to forage for life-saving herbs in the green forests.
And it was the herbs the Clan needed most of all. Every cat – even the little kits – had injuries. Even the least injured cat, Viperclaw, had suffered a torn ear and was covered in long but shallow scratches.
“Larchpaw, Softpaw, let’s go hunting.” Viperclaw’s voice broke through Larchpaw’s thoughtful haze. She looked up blearily at the black she-cat, wondering if she had heard Larchpaw’s thoughts. A wave of respect washed over her as she realized Viperclaw’s head was held eye and her eyes were clear with determination.
Despite losing all of her family, Viperclaw had tried her hardest to help her Clan. Larchpaw almost felt selfish in her grief – her brother had survived after all, and Viperclaw had no one.
“I’ll go too.” Lichenclaw offered, slowly rising from his nest. His leg had been so badly damaged that Barkbreath, the medicine cat sent from the swamps to aid them, had to amputate it.
“No, stay and rest,” Viperclaw said sharply. “And do your exercises with Marshpaw. I want you to be able to run and climb by the next full moon.”
“Yes, Viperclaw.” Lichenclaw dipped his head. He looked a bit amused. “Now that you have an apprentice, you think you’re the deputy?”
Viperclaw snorted and headbutted the warrior. “No. I just want you to hunt with me again one day. Speaking of, Willowpaw and Sweetpaw are on cleaning duty so make sure they’re working.”
Larchpaw stretched out, halfway amused and halfway scared about the turn of events. She, one who was destined to be a Carver, was to hunt while two Pure apprentices were stuck in camp. “What did they do?”
“Eat before the kits.” Viperclaw shook her head. “I know times are lean, but we can’t forget our kits and elders.”
Of course they’re hungry. Larchpaw thought glumly. Food had been scarce before, and now only a handful of warriors remained to hunt that prey. The trio of she-cats left the den, blinking in the dim light of the cavern.
Jaggedclaw, the new deputy, was organizing the remaining warriors into patrols. Larchpaw’s stomach dropped when she saw yet again how few cats were left: Spottedtalon, Ptarmiganspots – who had just earned her warrior name, – Birdleap, Sleetrunner, and Blackwolf, along with Softpaw and herself as apprentices. Squirrelsnow’s kits, Willowpaw and Sweetpaw, were made apprentices before their time and everyone knew it, so they desperately tried to keep the pair in camp to avoid their mother’s fate.
Sharpcry’s kits, Silverkit, Tuftkit, and Mosskit, were playing at the paws of the only remaining elder, Coldwhisper. Larchpaw knew she was still in pain over the loss of her longtime mate, Polarclaw, but she kept up a brave face for the kits.
“Larchpaw, it’s time to go,” Viperclaw said, brushing past the apprentice.
As they walked, Larchpaw felt a question rise up. After a long while of silent debate, she finally blurted out, “Viperclaw, how do you do it?”
Viperclaw stopped and glanced over, her eyes both weary and concerned. “What?”
Larchpaw’s heart squeezed as she thought about it. “I… I mean, how you go on? You’ve lost so much but you’re trying so hard to keep the rest of us going.”
With a heavy sigh, Viperclaw pressed her nose against Larchpaw’s shoulder. “Isn’t that what we’re here for?” She asked quietly. “We have to keep moving. We have to continue on, for our Clan. We are FrostClan, remember? Descendents of the Venerated Quartet who followed FrostStar into the tundra. They walked straight into the coldest place in the world and became stronger. We can become stronger too. You believe that, don’t you?”
Viperclaw’s words were so compelling, so strong, that Larchpaw felt her worries fade. “Yes. I believe that. Thank you.”
“Then we will move on together.” Viperclaw licked the top of Larchpaw’s head and started walking forward.
For a moment, Larchpaw saw the outlines of two cats – one made of shadows and one made of moonlight – walking beside Viperclaw. At once she knew Viperclaw was right. Viperclaw will lead us, she thought, lead us into a new age.