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Summary[]
Iced Blood is a young tom, who lives with his best friends, his brothers. They aren’t blood brothers, but they’ve lived with each other all their lives. They are, Black Hawk, Fire Eyes, and Gray Blaze. The four cats are at peace until a young she-cat comes along, Tala. She and Black Hawk grow close together, causing disruption.
When Iced Blood and Tala are alone, a terrible accident happens, and Iced Blood learns he is the descendant of Scourge, and he has power. Power that can kill any cat. Power that could make him rule the forest. He is forced to leave behind everything he knows and loves, to find the Clans. When he gets there he meets another cat that has been his family enemy for many, many years.
Every Clan, rogue, kittypet, and even Twoleg will be forced to choose. And Iced Blood will have to choose who is friend or foe, and he will have to choose to save either his friends . . . Or save his family. . . Or save the Clans.
Chapter One[]
Iced Blood stretched out on the ground. Someone poked him. “Ouch!” He yelped, looking around. “Black Hawk, I know it was you.” He growled. Fire Eyes and Gray Blaze watched from a distance, snickering. Iced Blood was a black tom, with a jet white leg, and ice blue eyes. Black Hawk was a black tom with streaks of white in his fur, and friendly green eyes.
Gray Blaze was a russet colored tom, with gray eyes, that seemed to blaze when he was angry. Fire Eyes was a brown tom with fire-colored eyes. They had been separated from their real families when they were very young, about five moons old. They had found each other all by fate, and had lived together, and been like brothers ever since.
Iced Blood stood up, shaking out his fur. Black Hawk then pounced on him. “Ha!” Iced Blood let out a yelped, and reared up, trying to knock him off. “This is revenge!” Said Black Hawk. “Remember last night?” Iced Blood blinked. “Oh yeah.” He had waken Black Hawk up from his so-called “amazing dream” and pounced on him, and he had been angry ever since.
Iced Blood frowned, shaking him off. “Alright, I’m sorry for waking you up from your amazing dream, and pouncing on you. But in my defense, I couldn’t sleep and I was bored!” He yowled. Black Hawk narrowed his eyes. “And I had to pay for it!” Fire Eyes then said, “But it was hilarious! You should have seen the look on your face! It was like the one on the frozen lemming we found last leaf-bare!”
Black Hawk eventually began to grin in amusement. “Really? It was that stupid?” Gray Blaze nodded. “Yep!” The four toms began howling with laughter. They spent the rest of the day, swimming, hunting, and racing, teasing and wrestling each other. They stayed up into the night, and the moon shined high overhead. Iced Blood yawned and padded into his nest, curling up. That night he dreamed.
A tabby gray tom, with blind blue eyes, and a slash in his throat lay in the middle of a clearing gasping for air. A dark ginger tom with a white tipped tail and amber eyes was standing in between a dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes and a dark ginger she-cat with one white paw, a squirrel-like bushy tail and green eyes. Across from them was a golden tabby tom with amber eyes and thick fluff ringing around his neck.
“Jayfeather, no.” The golden tabby tom spoke, sorrow in his eyes. “I can’t lose you too. Not after Hollyleaf, and then Leafpool. . .” He trailed off, his amber eyes gleaming with grief and sorrow. The gray tom, Jayfeather, said, “Stay strong, Lionblaze. You can make without me. You too, Alderheart, all of you can.” He looked at the dark ginger tom, Alderheart, and then the others.
Alderheart let out a wail. “But you can’t go! You were the best mentor I’ve ever had! The best medicine cat in ThunderClan!” He cried. The dark brown tom leaned down. “I know I wasn’t your father.” He said. “But you were like a son to me. You, Lionblaze, Hollyleaf, Sparkpelt, Alderheart, and Squirrelflight are the best things that ever happened to me.” He said. The dark ginger she-cat said, “Oh Bramblestar. . .” And trailed off. Jayfeather shook his head, letting out a sudden gasp.
Then he spoke, “Darkness is coming! But not yet. After me, after the next generation, in a long time! But you must pass this down, you understand?! It will either destroy the forest, or save it. But I have a feeling it will destroy it. But no matter what you must protect it! With your lives! It mustn’t die, or the forest will be doomed, and nothing will be able to save it!” And with that he died.
The dark ginger she-cat let out a yowl and the dark brown tom, Bramblestar, soothed her. “It’s alright Squirrelflight, he’s with StarClan now.” The dark ginger she-cat, Squirrelflight, nodded, straightening. “We must break the news to the Clan, that he’s gone.” She murmured. Alderheart nodded, and then said, “But what about the darkness?”
No one spoke, merely exchanging glances of fear and uncertainty. “I think we should keep this between us until the right time comes.” Murmured Alderheart. Lionblaze, Squirrelflight, and Bramblestar all nodded in agreement.
The vision began to fade. Iced Blood desperately tried to burrow deeper into it, but the four cats were already fading, and beginning to drag Jayfeather’s body into the middle of the camp. He awoke with an angered hiss, springing to his paws. As he leapt up he felt his claws dig into something. “Hey— ow! What’s wrong with you?! I’m not prey!” Iced Blood blinked, getting off.
“Oh, sorry Fire Eyes.” He murmured, shaking his fur out. Fire Eyes rose to his paws. “It’s alright. I think by now we’ve all done that at least five times.” He said. Iced Blood had to force a grin. But Fire Eyes wasn’t fooled. “What happened? Did you have a bad dream?” Iced Blood looked down at his paws, his pelt prickling. He tried his best to smooth it down.
“Well . . . not exactly but kind of. But I don’t want to talk about it.” The brown tom’s fire-colored eyes flashed with sympathy. “I won’t question you anymore about it if you really don’t want me to.” He mewed. “Thanks, Fire Eyes.”
“No problem. Now lets be quiet before we wake Black Hawk and Gray Blaze.”
Chapter Two[]
Iced Blood opened his eyes, drowsily. Black Hawk and Fire Eyes were awake. Gray Blaze was still snoring, peacefully. The black tom got up, yawning and stretching. It had been a few days since the odd dream. He padded outside. “There you are, sleepy!” Teased Black Hawk, gently. Iced Blood flicked his tail, dismissively. “Not as sleepy as Gray Blaze.” He pointed with his tail to where the russet tom was still sleeping.
They all laughed, snorting. Gray Blaze came out, looking ruffled, and tired. “What are you guys laughing about?” He asked. “You.” Said Fire Eyes. Gray Blaze laughed along with everyone else. But then they heard a noise. “Do you guys hear that?” Iced Blood asked, pricking his ears. Everyone went silent, and listened. “Help! Is anyone there?” Came a faint yowl.
The four cats streaked across the ground, and found a pure white she-cat with beautiful sky-blue eyes on the ground. “A she-cat! I didn’t even know those existed!” Exclaimed Gray Blaze with wide eyes. Black Hawk glared at him, shoving him roughly. The black and white tom’s green eyes then settled on the white she-cat. “Are you alright?” He asked, kindly.
She looked at him. “Not really.” She said. “A bunch of dogs chased me out of my home, and over to here. It’s destroyed and now I’m lost. Oh, and I’m Tala by the way.” Iced Blood nodded, dipping his head. “I’m Iced Blood. The black and white tom is Black Hawk, the russet tom is Gray Blaze and the brown tom is Fire Eyes.”
Tala nodded. Before anyone could say anything, Black Hawk said, “You could come stay with us.” Tala hesitated before saying, “Well thank you. I guess I could come stay for a little while.” But there was doubt in her blue eyes. “You only have to stay for as long as you need, or you don’t have to come at all.” Reassured Iced Blood. “I know how some she-cats just can’t handle toms.”
Tala let out a snort of amusement. “I’ll stay.” Iced Blood smiled. “Good.” Black Hawk looked especially pleased. “Come on, I’ll show you where we sleep.”
About a week later everyone was laying down, minding their own business. Except for Black Hawk and Tala, who were talking in hushed voices. Iced Blood glanced at them. They’re already so close. I guess I knew me and Tala could never be that way. . . . Black Hawk deserves her, though. Not me. He then shook the thought off. He didn’t like Tala. He never had. He wasn’t jealous.
Black Hawk leapt to his paws. “Well, I’m going hunting. Anyone want to come?” Gray Blaze and Fire Eyes jumped to their paws. “We will!” Black Hawk nodded. “Alright. What about you, Iced Blood?” Iced Blood looked up for a brief second. “No. I’ll stay here.” He said. Black Hawk nodded. “Okay.” He loped away with the other two.
Iced Blood looked at Tala. “So, you and Black Hawk.” He said. “You two really like each other.” Tala blinked, and nodded hesitantly. “Yes we do.” Iced Blood looked away so she wouldn’t see the sadness and hurt in his eyes. “Is something wrong?” She asked. “No. Nothing’s wrong.” Murmured Iced Blood. “I’m fine. Everything’s fine.” He looked back at her.
“But when I first met you all, you were so kind to me.” She looked at him in the eyes. “And sometimes, even when I‘m with Black Hawk, I think about you. More than the others.” She padded away. Iced Blood hurried after her. “What do you mean?” He asked. She looked at him, smiling sadly. “I like you Iced Blood. A lot. But. . . . Black Hawk. . . .” She trailed off.
Iced Blood’s eyes widened. “You mean you like me? Like how you like Black Hawk?” He asked. Tala nodded. “But you obviously don’t like me as much as him.” Said Iced Blood. Tala shook her head. “No! It’s not like that! It’s just too complicated to explain! But I love Black Hawk, Iced Blood. I’m sorry. Sometimes I wish things were different. And other times I don’t.”
Iced Blood watched her go. She had to make a choice, and it was Black Hawk. She can’t have both. Tala can’t have me. Sadness filled his heart. I guess it’s better this way anyways. . . .
Chapter Three[]
It had been moons since Tala had told Iced Blood her feelings for him. Her and Black Hawk were mates now. Fire Eyes and Gray Blaze were happy for them. Iced Blood tried to be but it was just so hard, when he knew she loved him, and he loved her back. Every time he saw them something burned in his chest. He knew it wasn’t anger or jealousy.
It was something scary. Something powerful. It was all his anger, fear, and hate mixed. All his feelings he‘d kept penned up inside him for years. All of it. From his parents abandoning him to Tala choosing Black Hawk over him. Sometimes he just wanted to let it out in one big rage. But it was too risky. He didn’t. He couldn’t. When Black Hawk, Gray Blaze, and Fire Eyes were out Iced Blood and Tala were alone for the first time in moons.
Tala looked at him. “We haven’t been alone in awhile.” She murmured. “Well it was probably for a good reason.” He growled. He despised Tala yet was in love with her at the exact same time. Black Hawk had been catching him, looking at her. He had been getting angry at Iced Blood, thinking he was trying to steal his precious mate from him.
The white she-cat winced. “I’m sorry–” She began, but Iced Blood cut her off, “‘Sorry’ isn’t going to fix this! I like you, okay?! Black Hawk basically hates me, because he thinks I want you! And he’s right! I do! You‘re tearing us apart! But I can’t help but love you! But you apparently like Black Hawk even more!” Tala opened her mouth, to say something, but Iced Blood continued speaking.
“And if that wasn’t enough, you say nothing to me! Nothing! You can hang around Fire Eyes and Gray Blaze, but not me! Why not me?! What’s wrong with me?! What’s wrong with you?! I can’t— I just can’t deal with this! I don’t know what’s happening! I just . . . I can’t . . . Argggghhhhh!” He let out a yowl of frustration, and suddenly he released it.
All his anger, frustration, hate, and fear pulsed through him. He let it go. Howling with anger and frustration, he let it out. Suddenly a purple and black flash of light blinded him, and something cracked, falling. There was a yowl of fear and pain, but it wasn’t from Iced Blood. But he felt himself be blown back, and he thumped against a tree.
He opened his eyes. He had shot purple and black lightning sort of stuff out of him. It was like lightning but much more powerful. It looked like lightning, but that was it’s disguise. He had shot down a tree. It was fallen, and Tala was nowhere to be seen. Shards and splinters of wood were scattered everywhere. Blood oozed from wounds on his pelt from the small shards of wood.
“Tala!” He croaked. “Where are you?” There was a loud yowl of pain. “Tala!” Gasped Iced Blood. He desperately scrabbled over to her voice. Her back was facing him, and she was pawing at something on her face. Iced Blood gasped. There was a shard of sharp wood stuck in her eye, and she was yowling with fear and pain. “Iced Blood, Tala, what happened?”
Iced Blood froze. Black Hawk was back.
Chapter Four[]
“Tala are you okay?” Gasped Black Hawk, eyes wide, as he curled his tail around her. Anger flared up inside of Iced Blood. He had ran to Tala, a cat he had known for a few moons, instead of helping Iced Blood a cat he had known his whole life. Gray Blaze and Fire Eyes came out too. “Iced Blood, are you okay?” Asked Gray Blaze, nudging him.
“I’m fine.” Growled the black tom, icily. Tala let out a yowl, and Black Hawk dropped a bloody piece of wood on the ground. “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.” He soothed. Anger surged through Iced Blood, and he turned and stalked away. I’m fine, thanks for asking. He thought. “Iced Blood, where are you going?” Yowled Fire Eyes.
“Why do you care?” Snapped Iced Blood. Black Hawk had turned his attention on his foster brother. “Iced Blood, are you okay? If you are, can you help me?” Pure anger surged through him. “What?! You want me to help you? You didn’t even care if I was okay! You just had to make sure Tala was okay. What if I had been lying on the ground, dying? I bet you still would have ignored me!”
Black Hawk looked hurt. “It’s just that Tala looked more injured than you. . . .” He trailed off. Iced Blood let out a yowl of fury, and felt the burning beginning to take control. Oh no . . . not again! Please not again! He let loose another burst of power, shooting the ground, making a large hole. Everyone looked horrified. “What. Did. You. Just. Do?” Said Black Hawk, his gaze mixed with anger and fear.
“I- I don’t know!” Said Iced Blood. “I don’t know how it happens. It just did, and the tree fell, and it hurt Tala, but I didn’t meant to, and I’m sorry!” He cried. Everyone suddenly glared at him like he was a flea-ridden disease. Sadness coursed through him. “I don’t know how it happened. I’m sorry.” He said the last part as a whisper.
Black Hawk glared at him. “‘Sorry’ won’t fix this, will it?! Tala could be blind for all we know, and it’s all your fault!” The words rang in Iced Blood’s ears. All your fault. All my fault.
Chapter Five[]
It turned out Tala wasn’t completely blind. Just half-blind. Black Hawk was cold to Iced Blood, and kept Tala away from him. A few days ago Iced Blood had approached him, Tala, and Gray Blaze. Black Hawk had curled his tail around the white she-cat, narrowing his eyes, and bringing her closer. Sadness had flooded his heart, and he had turned, stalking away.
Gray Blaze and Fire Eyes tried to comfort him, but he had stopped listening a long time ago. It had been a few moons since the accident. Iced Blood saw Tala and Black Hawk sitting together. He sidestepped closer to them. He inched towards them, until he was nearly brushing Black Hawk’s pelt. “I forgive you.” Black Hawk said curtly.
“But still, I feel like you did that on purpose.” He added. Iced Blood frowned. “I did not do that on purpose! I couldn’t control it, Black Hawk!” He snapped, scowling. Black Hawk lashed his tail. “Whatever.” Iced Blood bristled, angrily, and stomped away. “Who made dirt in your fresh-kill?” Growled Black Hawk. “I just said I forgave you.”
“But you just had to comment that I did that on purpose!” Hissed the black tom. “And you didn’t believe me when I said I couldn’t control it!!” Black Hawk narrowed his eyes. “Did I say that?” Anger fizzed through Iced Blood’s paws. “You didn’t deny nor confirm it! But you sure acted like it!” Black Hawk was getting angry now. “Stop being so fast to blame everyone, Iced Blood.” He growled. “Not everything’s about you.”
Iced Blood nearly choked on his rage. A red haze crossed his vision. Suddenly he couldn’t control anything. Not his power, not his tongue, not his paws. He sprinted up to Black Hawk, and skidded to a stop, nose-to-nose with his friend. “Not about me? You idiot!! I know not everything’s about me!! In fact, half of the time it’s about you! You dirty rotten, dog-brain!!”
Black Hawk opened his jaws to protest, but Iced Blood went on, “And not just that, but you’re the one who’s so quick to judge everyone around you! I HATE you!” He yowled, his rage boiling over. He didn’t even notice that Fire Eyes, Gray Blaze, and Tala were racing over to them. He didn’t even notice he used his power to knock over a tree. He didn’t even notice he killed Gray Blaze.
There was a wail, and Fire Eyes managed to throw the russet colored tom out of the way just in time. But Gray Blaze lay there, foam frothed at his mouth, and his eyes rolled back up in his head. And he wasn’t breathing, and blood poured from a wound in his throat. Iced Blood realized it wasn’t the tree that had killed his brother, it was his power.
It had struck him, directly in the throat. Pain seared through Iced Blood. He felt as if he were turning inside out, and there it was. The vision. The dream.
A small black tom with one white paw and ice blue eyes, and a purple collar with dog teeth sticking out of it (who also had incredibly long vicious claws) was standing in front of a dark brown tabby tom with also unusually long claws and amber eyes. The small black tom’s claws were sharper. That’s when Iced Blood realized they were reinforced with dog teeth!
A bright flame-colored tom with emerald green eyes stood there, looking horrified as the brown tabby poised to attack the small black tom. “Scourge, this was not our deal.” Growled the tabby. The black tom, Scourge, hissed, “You really don’t remember me, do you Tigerstar?” Scourge looked as if he were going to rip the the dark brown tom named Tigerstar’s throat out.
A dark gray tom with yellow eyes, and a stripe of darker fur running down his back, hissed to the flame-colored tom, “Firestar, we have to do something!” The one named Firestar looked at him, gravely. “We can’t, Graystripe. There’s nothing we could do without dying.” The gray tom, Graystripe, sighed, sadly. Scourge and Tigerstar circled each other.
Tigerstar lunged at Scourge. “Traitor!” He yowled. Scourge reared up on his hind legs, and as Tigerstar flew above him, Scourge ripped open his stomach with his reinforced claws. Tigerstar screamed with pain, as he landed on the ground. Blood and guts poured out of him on to the ground. Iced Blood could see his rib cage as well.
His angry gurgling came to a halt, as he died. Then he got up again, gurgling, gasping, and sputtering. Tigerstar desperately tried to take a paw step forward, but he collapsed, dying again. Iced Blood saw Firestar’s eyes widen with horror. Iced Blood was confused. The tabby tom did this in all nine times before dying permanently. That’s when Iced Blood realized, he had nine lives.
Chapter Six[]
The week was a haze of pain and fever for Iced Blood. He was incredibly ill, and he could barely move. Most of the time he was unconscious. When he was awake he couldn’t make sense of anything around him. Finally one day, he started to feel better. He rose to his paws shakily. “You’re awake!” Iced Blood heard Fire Eyes’s mew of happiness.
Everything came back to the black tom in an instant. “I wish I wasn’t.” He grumbled. Something flashed in the brown tom’s flame colored eyes. He knew something Iced Blood didn’t. “What is it?” He asked, curtly. “It’s Gray Blaze. . . .” said Fire Eyes hesitating for a moment, “He- he isn’t dead.” Shock flashed through Iced Blood. “But he was dead! He wasn’t breathing!”
Fire Eyes sighed. “He . . . he was dead for awhile. But Twolegs were walking around, and we all ran and hid, but they saw Gray Blaze, and took him to their Den. We saw him inside, breathing, but still unconscious. The Twolegs saved him.” Iced Blood narrowed his eyes, sitting down. “What do you mean? He was dead.”
“We don’t think he was completely dead. Just in complete shock. And who knows? Twolegs have their ways.” Said Fire Eyes. Grief crossed his face. “But Iced Blood, while you were ill Black Hawk decided you had to leave.” He said. “He thinks it’s best if you’re not around.” Anger shot through Iced Blood. “What does he mean?! Who died and made him leader?!”
Fire Eyes closed his eyes, sadly. “I’m sorry Iced Blood. You’ll have to go.” Iced Blood‘s head drooped. “I’ll just go now, then.” He hissed, bitterly, turning away. “Wait! Iced Blood! You don’t just have to go. You have to go to a certain place! Find the Clans! Find a Clan named ThunderClan!” He called out after him. “I’ll keep that in mind!” Yowled Iced Blood, as he sprinted away.
He realized that it was night as he began to leave. The black tom shook himself. “I don’t need them, I don’t need anyone! I’ll find this Clan called ThunderClan! I’ll do it! I’ll show them!” But how do you find them? Asked a voice in his head. I don’t know how I’ll find them. But I’ll have to try. Iced Blood continued on his way, anger and outrage fueling him as he ran.
Iced Blood narrowed his eyes, in the night. He remembered his dream of the cat named Jayfeather who had died. Was he and all those other cats part of the Clans? Part of ThunderClan? He wasn’t sure. He kept on running, and running, and running. He ran for days and nights without stopping. Exhaustion took over him. His legs trembled, and his vision was blurry, but he pressed forward.
One day he found a scent. He thought it was of cat, but he couldn’t be sure. It seemed like a border. A spark of hope lit in Iced Blood. Had he found the Clans? He wasn’t sure. He was aware of a group of cats running towards him as he toppled over, and closed his eyes.
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