Darkness surrounded the she-cat as she hunted across the cold, unforgiving tundra. It was the Time of the Midnight Sun when the night never came and only the passing of elk and rabbits told time. Soft Frost would be here soon, then it would be Endless Night when the sun hides to punish the souls of the evil cats.
Why am I hunting Outside? The she-cat thought dimly. I always hunt in the tunnels. It didn’t matter, she supposed. She was catching prey for the Clan after all. At that moment, she caught sight of a ptarmigan pecking among the rocks. With a single leap, she pounced on it. The blood was warm in her mouth.
This will feed both Moonhawk and Snowymask! The young she-cat thought with satisfaction. Her parents were hardworking and deserved plenty of prey. Not to mention Snowymask was expecting!
As the warrior dragged the ptarmigan back, unease began to fill her stomach. Something’s not right… But what? She padded along, ears perked. Then she smelled it. Blood. Blood…? Blood in the tunnels! An attack!
Abandoning her prey, the young she-cat raced down the tunnels, her heart squeezing painfully. The sound of screeching filled her ears, echoing like thunder in the cavern.
The Heart of Ice, their camp of safety and refuge, had been turned into a bloodbath. Cats yowled in rage and pain as they bitterly defended their home.
Frozen with fear, the apprentice watched in horror as one of the elders was mercilessly slaughtered. No! Why had she hesitated?! She could have saved him!
Before she could react, her body was jolted from the impact of a strong body against hers, fangs digging into her ear…
Viperstar woke in the night, her body jerking from the invisible fight. Ah, that dream again. The familiar ache of loss filled her as she thought of the bustling life her Clan once had. Very few nights passed where she didn’t have nightmares of the brutal massacre her Clan endured. Polarclaw’s death, in particular, had been burned into Viperstar’s memory.
With a snort, Viperstar yawned. At least I wasn’t screaming tonight. She hated waking her Clanmates in the night, especially when it was because of her silly dreams.
You can’t change the past. Viperstar closed her eyes, remembering Jaggedclaw’s words. Her former mentor had become her closest friend before his death, and she could still hear his disapproving yet comforting words. You can only improve your future.
Something fell and clattered across the ice floor. Viperstar opened her eyes immediately, alert and ready. She squinted and peered through her skeletal den, trying to see past the moose’s bones for a patch of fur or eyes that didn’t belong to her Clan. Nothing is amiss… Her breath caught in her throat.
A wispy shape appeared at the top of the Ancestor’s Perch. It stretched leisurely before leaping down and moving through the Heart of Ice, inspecting the camp as if judging how well it had been maintained. Its fur shone like moonlight and Viperstar could see right through it. When the ghostly apparition turned to look at her, she realized she recognized this cat.
Squeezing out of the ribcage that made her den, Viperstar approached meekly. “Whitethorn,” she whispered, her heart faltering. The tom had once been a young warrior in FrostClan and Viperstar, back when she was an apprentice, had thought they would one day be mates. It wasn’t to be though – even before the bloody Moonlit Massacre when their cats were slaughtered, Whitethorn had died to a passing wolf.
Whitethorn’s ghost watched Viperstar with calm, knowing eyes, then started walking out of the camp. The she-cat felt a twinge of panic and began following after. “Whitethorn, is something wrong?” She asked. Various situations flashed through her head: was StarClan warning them of an attack or some disaster? Was Whitethorn trying to tell her they needed to leave the tunnels? She was acutely aware that FrostClan lacked a medicine cat – kits were scarce and none had shown any medicinal gifts.
Is StarClan angry at me for that? Viperstar had tried her best when Lightningstar died to keep the tattered Clan together, but no she-cat had shown interest in having kits and toms were scarce.
Whatever the message, Whitethorn stayed silent as he led the way through the tunnels. Viperstar’s apprehension only grew as they walked further and further from the camp. The light in the tunnels began to brighten, making Viperstar squint. “Where are we going?” She called out. “What are you trying to show me?”
If Whitethorn heard Viperstar’s cries, he showed no reaction. They continued in monotonous silence, making Viperstar more anxious every pawstep she took. Just when she thought she couldn’t take it anymore, they emerged into the cold night air. A sluggish wind blew from the south, bringing warm air – as warm as it got in the tundra, anyways.
Miles and miles of untouched snow stretched across the tundra, cloaking it with a type of noble beauty only possible in the iciest part of the Great Island. Though it was night, moonlight lit up the snow and created more light than the weak New Life sun could. The air was cold, crisp, and clear, unsoiled by the cloying scent of decay that suffused the forests and swamps.
Viperstar felt a deep love for her home. Despite the mercilessness of the landscape, the tundra was bathed in beauty and light. It had been FrostClan’s home for generations, making them strong and powerful. Though the other Clans considered it barren and lifeless, the she-cat knew that, underneath the frost, life was bubbling, just waiting for its time to rise.
The sky was clear tonight. Countless stars shone brightly against the black backdrop, like the eyes of StarClan was peering down at the land. Viperstar felt her pelt prickle as the thought crossed her mind. Are they watching me? Have I done something wrong? Are they passing judgment on me?
Whitethorn turned to stare at Viperstar, his eyes intent. She felt as if her paws were frozen to the icy ground. “What is it?” The she-cat cried out. “What do you need? Have I offended StarClan?” The ghost just stared at her calmly. Silently.
There was a crunch on the snow and Viperstar found she could move. Whirling around to crouch in the shadow of the tunnel’s entrance, she went still and widened her eyes to see better in the darkness.
A rabbit the color of freshly fallen snow hopped along at a leisurely pace, clearly unaware that it was at the paws of Whitethorn. The ghostly cat watched Viperstar with intensity now and she felt her heartbeat quicken. Is this what you want? She adjusted her position slightly, opening her mouth to better pinpoint the prey.
With a single leap, Viperstar landed square on the back of the white rabbit. She bit into its throat, feeling a twinge of pity as blood bubbled up, ruining the purity of its coat. It twitched once before going still and Viperstar whispered a silent prayer to send the rabbit to its own StarClan.
Blood drenching her muzzle, Viperstar looked up at Whitethorn. There was a hint of warmth in his eyes now – he was pleased.
“Is this what I needed to find?” Viperstar questioned, putting one paw on the limp body. “What does this mean?”
Whitethorn, as always, stayed silent. After a moment, his body began fading under the starlight. Viperstar’s heart squeezed and she resisted the urge to call him back, to ask him to stay longer. He had to return to StarClan and she wasn’t going anytime soon.
With a heavy sigh, Viperstar looked down at the rabbit – and her heart skipped a beat. The bloodstain was a familiar shape… but what? It wasn’t immediately clear – the blood had dribbled down the rabbit’s face and muzzle, making it a strange, mottled shape…
“Silentstar,” Viperstar said suddenly, her voice filling with venom. The current leader of ShadeClan, FrostClan’s oldest and most bitter enemy. A certainty filled Viperstar then.
“This is what you want me to do, then?” Viperstar murmured to the rabbit. “Alright, StarClan. I understand.” Picking up the rabbit, she carried it down the tunnel and returned to her Clan, mind whirling with ideas.
“Stay with me,” Viperstar said. Larchspeckle and Pounceshade were behind her, Rabbitflower waiting back at camp. They crept through the dark forest carefully, though they were too far away from ShadeClan camp for their quietness to matter.
The trees here were large and oppressive, blotting out the stars and blocking the winds. It made Viperstar’s fur prickle uneasily and, not for the first time, she was thankful that she was born in the tundra. It may have been cold, but at least FrostClan could see their ancestors and feel the wind in their fur. The smells were the worst part – heady and thick, filled with the scent of decay. The tundra was clean and fresh.
How can these forest cats smell anything? Viperstar snorted softly to herself. They must wait for the prey to run into their claws! Shaking her head with amusement, she tuned back into the instructions Larchspeckle was giving to Pounceshade. It was the young warrior’s first raid on ShadeClan, but would most definitely not be her last.
“ShadeClan’s entrance will be guarded,” Larchspeckle warned, “so we need to find another way in.”
“They have trees surrounding their camp,” Viperstar added in. “We’ll climb them and jump directly inside. We’ll have to be quiet once we’re there.” Both she-cats glanced back at Pounceshade, who was practically bubbling with excitement.
“What?” The pretty she-cat blinked. “I’m always quiet!”
Viperstar snorted. Her former apprentice was about as quiet as a caribou stampede. She didn’t press the matter, though, just started padding off. “Hush and pay attention. Larchspeckle knows what to do.”
The carver showed no sign of gratitude, though Viperstar knew she was pleased. They had worked together for a long time and were close despite Larchspeckle’s lowly ranking. “The path there is convoluted, but I have it memorized. StarClan knows how these cats don’t get lost every day in this forsaken forest.”
“They probably get lost all the time. That’s why their Clan is so small.” Pounceshade offered. “I mean, look how much prey is here. How in StarClan’s name do they think it’s hard to stay here?”
Viperstar purred in amusement. “They’re not as hardy as us, Pounceshade. They’re fat and lazy.”
“Don’t be too confident, though,” Larchspeckle said sharply. “They’re fat, but also much larger than us. You have to attack fast and fierce. Don’t have a drawn-out battle.”
“Understood!” Pounceshade bounced on her paws. “I’ll be fast and take them down!”
“Be quiet now,” Viperstar warned, “we’re almost to their territory. They’re scared of their own shadows, so they have sentries watching.”
Pounceshade nodded, opened her mouth to speak, and shut it again. Her eyes were bright and gleaming. Despite her airheaded nature, Viperstar knew her former apprentice was a ferocious force in battle. She had trained her well.
The she-cats went quiet as they walked. Though there were only three, Viperstar felt the press of dozens of warriors at her sides. StarClan, I won’t let you down. She silently told the ghostly warriors. An unspoken cheer rang in her ears.
As they drew closer to the camp, Larchspeckle took the lead. With a flick of her muzzle, she pointed out the ring of brambles that made the camp, then started creeping around. Viperstar waited impatiently, but Larchspeckle was fast. She returned, signaling with her tail for the others to follow, then led the way to a broad oak tree. It was tall and strong, with arching branches that stretched over the camp’s barrier.
Brilliant, Larchspeckle! Viperstar crowed to herself. With this tree, they could climb straight over ShadeClan’s defenses! Everything seemed to be falling into place – even the wind, sluggish but still there, stirred up the leaves and branches enough to mask the sound of their climbing.
Larchspeckle climbed the tree first. She was a bit ungainly, but soon corrected herself and was up on the top branch in heartbeats. Viperstar nudged Pounceshade to go, then followed up in the rear, ready to catch the young warrior in case she slipped.
Once all three cats were at the top, Viperstar surveyed ShadeClan’s camp. It was empty but… there. She spotted the fur of Mistystep snoring in the corner. Though she didn’t want to hurt the medicine cat, she knew the tabby would still try to help her Clanmates.
Positioning herself, Viperstar waiting until the timing was perfect… then leaped down. She landed lightly on her paws, the momentum of the jump carrying her into Mistystep’s den. With one solid slap of her paw, she knocked the she-cat across the den and watched as the medicine cat was slammed against the roots of a tree. Unconcious on impact, perfect.
Turning, Viperstar watched as Pounceshade slammed into Birchleap. The enemy she-cat was able to get a yowl off, but luckily for FrostClan, the only cats of ShadeClan, Rookpelt and Silentstar, were already engaged. Larchspeckle had dropped a branch on Silentstar’s head, forcing the leader to clamber out, while she took on Rookpelt directly.
Viperstar directed her attack on the leader, striking hard and fast. FrostClan’s methods were often criticized for being overly brutal and often deadly, but Viperstar found them effective. Her claws bore into Silentstar’s throat, catching the sensitive flesh and tearing into it. The she-cat screeched and lashed out, but Viperstar was faster. She ducked away from Silentstar’s claws and lunged forward, biting into the scratched flesh, deepening the wound.
The ShadeClan leader gave a gurgling cry and attacked again, but Viperstar was too fast. She darted away again, staying out of Silentstar’s grasp. The tortoiseshell might be bigger, but Viperstar was more nimble and her fangs were deadlier.
Silentstar yowled in rage and tried to lunge at Viperstar, but she simply sidestepped the tortoiseshell and raked her claws down the side of the leader’s neck. Blood spurted out, splattering Viperstar’s face and chest. With a wail of despair, Silentstar collapsed on the ground. She twitched once before going still.
Viperstar twitched her tail before straightening. Around her, similar but less deadly battles were fought. Pounceshade grappled with Birchleap, neither she-cat finding the upper paw, while Larchspeckle was driven into a corner by Rookpelt. Viperstar bounded over to her friend, bodyslamming the tom away. Larchspeckle seemed emboldened by her arrival and struck out, scoring her claws down Rookpelt’s face.
The black and white tom hissed and lashed out with claws that glinted in the moonlight. They flashed just a whisker’s breadth away from Viperstar’s eye, but then Larchspeckle had fastened her teeth into Rookpelt’s ear and yanked him away. A cheap move! Viperstar cursed to herself before lunging forward and pounced on the tom.
Though Rookpelt was a strong warrior, even by FrostClan standards, he couldn’t compete with the ferocity of both Larchspeckle, a veteran raider, and Viperstar, the leader of FrostClan. He was slowly beaten back by their combined power, taking numerous bites and scratches along the way.
Together, they chased the tom out of his own camp before turning to gang up against Birchleap. The cream-colored cat didn’t stand a chance. With a furious shriek, she fled out of the camp, probably off to regroup with Rookpelt.
The sounds of the night crept into the clearing once more – cicadas buzzing, tree leaves rustling in the wind. An owl hooted somewhere in the distance. It was as if the battle had never taken place.
“Raid their food, but leave the herbs,” Viperstar ordered Larchspeckle as she inspected Pounceshade’s injuries. Nothing was severe and the warrior could pluck herbs up along the way. With a lack of medicine cat, every warrior was trained with basic wound treatment and Viperstar knew Pounceshade could patch herself up.
As Silentstar stirred once more, StarClan returning life to her, Viperstar stared down at her with gleaming eyes. Hate still burned in her blood. It was ingrained in every muscle, every hair on her pelt, to despise ShadeClan. After all, they had been the ones to curse her Clan to the wastelands of the tundra.
Silentstar bared her teeth in a fierce snarl, her eyes burning with enough rage to match Viperstar’s. “You!”
“Me,” Viperstar responded coldly. “Lay here and don’t move or I’ll have to kill you again. And once you’re gone, who will lead your Clan?”
Silentstar spat defiantly, “Birchleap or Rookpelt will take my place. ShadeClan will always endure, you icehearted cowards!”
Viperstar scoffed and bared her own fangs. “You must really be a fool if you think ‘icehearted’ is an insult to us. Our ancestors were chased out of this land into the cold because of your Clan’s greed and hatred. The ice made us stronger. We will always be stronger.”
“Viperstar,” Larchspeckle’s voice made Viperstar glance back, carefully turning so her throat wasn’t exposed to Silentstar. The carver had a pile of prey at her paws. “This is everything. Let’s go.”
With a derisive snort, Viperstar turned to go. With a small burst of inspiration, she took a moment to kick a clod of soil into Silentstar’s face, then followed Larchspeckle, Pounceshade trailing after her.
We did it, StarClan. Viperstar thought as they made their way out of the darkened forest. The clean, cool scent of the tundra was becoming stronger. Are you proud of me?
Viperstar stopped suddenly, making Larchspeckle bump into her. The carver, mouth full of mice tails, grunted in displeasure and her leader whispered an apology before moving again. She squinted, trying to see… yes! There! Walking alongside her was the shadowed body of a tomcat, his body lean and muscular. He was powerful, with an air of nobility around him.
Shadestorm. Viperstar thought, feeling giddy. StarClan, you’ve sent him to escort us home? Thank you. I’m glad you are pleased. His was a silent but comforting presence, like a quiet reassurance that Viperstar was doing everything right.