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There's a few precious seconds of silence once Petalstone and Silverstride vanish into the leader's den. Then, the Clan erupts into frantic questions as Amberstripe, Smokepelt and Goldenpaw awkwardly try to calm them down. Luckily for their ears, Fishwhisper steps up between his worried Clanmates.
"Enough!" He calls out, the deputy's voice ringing out across the clearing where IceClan has made their home, ending the chorus of voices. "One question at a time, no cat will be able to make heads or tails of it all if we shout over each other."
The cream-furred tom glances at the assembled cats, daring them to say another word. They all remain quiet though Cloverberry can see her brother struggling not to bounce up from his spot. Skysplash's bright blue eyes are focused solely on the rest of the border patrol, curiousity shining through in every twitch of the gray spotted tom's body.
He's always been quick to rush into things, not thinking about the consequences. She's heard Doveshadow audibly sigh every time her mousebrain of a brother gets himself into some sort of trouble and ends up in the medicine den.
She worries that one day he will find himself with more than just scrapes and bruises.
Her ears flick as she brings her attention back to Amberstripe, who is explaining what happened on the patrol. He's talking about claw-marks on the trees? That's not new, IceClan often sharpens their claws on nearby trees.
"How big were these marks, Amberstripe?" Fishwhisper asks, something in his tone making Cloverberry nervous.
"Much too big to have been made by a cat, and too many to assume it all belongs to one creature." The ginger tom meowed solemnly, knowing what it could mean.
There were several shocked gasps, cats old enough to remember the bear that had taken so many of their friends and family. Cloverberry and her brother had been apprentices at the time, along with Fishwhisper.
They hadn't been allowed out of camp without at least two warrior per apprentice to guard them. That rule had been changed to no leaving at all unless there was an emergency after Wolfpaw, Fishwhisper's brother, had snuck out of camp and encountered the beast. And even though he'd been rushed to the medicine den, his wounds had proven fatal.
The mere chance that it might have returned caused a shivering ripple through the gathered cats. And it might not be alone.
"So what are we waiting for? Let's chase the threat out!" Skysplash yowled, springing up and looking around for support.
He found none.
"No, Skysplash, I will go and discuss this with Froststar. Until we've come to a decision, you are all to stay in camp." Fishwhiper announced, heading over to wait at the entrance to Froststar's den.
Slowly, cats began to disperse, Skysplash slinking away to the edge of camp where he was partially hidden within the snow-covered bushes.
The tom grumbled, upset. Didn't Fishwhisper understand? They couldn't just let an enemy roam free within their borders! Especially not if it was the bear again. It had killed the deputy's brother, he should be jumping at the chance for revenge! If it had been Cloverberry who was killed instead of Wolfpaw, Skysplash would've repayed the favour tenfold.
His Clanmates just didn't understand, and he should show them that they needed to stop being so scared all the time. He would track down the bear and end it once and for all.
Without a glance back, he slipped into the undergrowth, disappearing from camp without a sound.