Claws of Ice

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Cloud stretched, flexing each one of his claws in turn. He shook his pelt to rid it of clumps of bedding and gave it a few rough licks before getting bored. It was clean enough. He jumped out of the nest and onto the main path, blinking sleep out of his eyes. He shivered and fluffed up his coat. Although he knew it would be hot later that day, the mornings were still chilly.

Spitting noises came from his right. He looked over and saw Shade the Gentle emerging from her den. The black and white she-cat seemed to be bracing herself against something falling from above. Cloud looked up and saw that Rose was trying to pad the platform again.

“Sorry!” she called down, her tail flicking anxiously.

“Just give up, Rose. It's only going to blow down here again. And keep your voice down. Dew's finally fallen asleep, and she needs her rest.” Although her words were scolding, her voice was gentle as ever. Her full name must've been easy to guess.

Rose took a half breath, as though she were about to say sorry a second time, then seemed to remember herself and nodded silently. She then jumped down onto the main path.

“Hey Rose,” Cloud greeted her friendlily. “Have you seen anyone yet?”

“Hi Cloud. I met up with Blaze the Valiant near the stream. He told me to send you over if I happened to see you.” Was that jealousy Cloud sensed?

“Okay, thanks,” Cloud answered. “I'll be off then.”

She nodded and let him pass. Cloud did his best to walk calmly, but the closer to the stream he got, the more quickly his paws wanted to move. His gait went from a walk to a trot to a run. He could sense that this was something important, and he had been chosen.

As he came into the home stretch – the meadow – he managed to slow down until he was at a normal speed. He paused to control his light panting, then continued. He could see the stream, and cut across the middle of the field to get there. Tall wildflowers surrounded him, and although they gave him shelter, they also made it hard for him to tell where he was.

The tall grass ended abruptly, making way for a shallow but wide stream. The surface glittered with drops of sunlight, and the smell of cool, fresh water surrounded him. Cloud crouched by the edge and lapped up a few mouthfuls. It tasted wonderful. The soft murmur of the current and the whispering of the tall grass swaying in the breeze were surprisingly reassuring. For once he felt completely at peace with the world. He closed his eyes and took in the various scents. Grass, wildflowers, water, and the more distant scents of trees and prey reached him. He didn't have to see to know what was around him.

A sharp, tangy smell cut through the others. Cloud's eyes shot open in alarm and he stood up, fur bristling and claws unsheathed. Before he had time to turn around, what seemed to be a solid wall of muscle slammed into him. Cloud tried to catch his breath, but a sudden icy feeling gripped him. Coldness pressed in on him from all sides. When he opened his eyes, everything was a white blur. Which way was up? He struggled to remember where he was and what he was doing, but it was all happening too fast. Then it hit him. He was in the river, and he had to get out as soon as possible.

A small speck of light reached his eyes. Go towards the light. He kicked off with all his might, but nothing happened. Something was holding him down. He writhed, lashing out at anything that he could reach. Air, he needed air. There was no room in his head for any other thoughts, so he gave one final lunge. To his amazement, it worked.

He took huge gulps of air between coughs, thinking that he had never been so grateful for anything in his life. Once he had at least slightly caught his breath he shook the water from his eyes and got his bearings. He was standing in the stream, which now seemed much less appealing. But there was someone else there too. He blinked, and his vision cleared enough for him to tell that it was an orange cat. The one who had nearly drowned him.

Cold fury filled him. He wanted to hurt that cat, suffocate him like he had been suffocated. Without thinking, he launched himself at the other cat. But they were still in the stream, where attacking was a lot harder. The other cat dodged easily and stood a safe distance from him. Cloud then tried to get out of the stream, but the strange cat blocked his path.

After a couple more attempts with the same results, Cloud began to realize that he had to try something else. He stopped and took up a defensive position. His vision still wasn't quite right, and his mind was still clouded with fear and anger, but at least he was partially thinking.

The cat charged at him, advancing in long jumps. Cloud braced himself and at the last moment jumped as high as he could. But it seemed he had been expecting that, because when Cloud looked down the orange cat's claws were waiting to take a chunk out of him.

Cloud twisted out of the way, making a loud splash as he landed. But he knew better than to stay there for long, and immediately jumped back. Apparently the tom had been expecting that too, but what he wasn't expecting was that Cloud would immediately lunge forwards.

A small cry of surprise came from him as Cloud slammed into him, knocking him over. But he seemed to recover quickly, and Cloud had soon gone from having him pinned to the bottom to the two of them rolling in the stream, clawing madly at each other. Cloud instinctively aimed for where he thought the cat's eyes were. Then he found himself pinned to the bottom once again. Panic began to well up inside him. It was useless; he couldn't win.

The weight lifted. Cloud thrust his head above the surface and gasped for breath yet again. Why didn't he just end it? He was only toying with him! Some of Cloud's old sense began to return to him, and when he looked at his attacker again he could barely keep himself from squeaking like a startled kitten.

“Blaze?!” he cried, completely shocked. He tried to think of a reason the Guild's leader would attack him, but his mind seemed to be nothing but a dull hum.

“Not bad, not bad at all,” Blaze the Valiant mused. His breathing was a bit heavy. “But you should have been paying attention at the beginning. It could have saved you a lot of trouble.”

Anger pulsed through Cloud. He spoke as though this were some sort of a sport. Cloud wanted to scream at him, claw his eyes out, but that would be unthinkable. He could hardly believe that he had attacked the leader, even when he hadn't known who it was. Defying the leader was on the list of things you never ever did. So he seethed silently, doing his best to keep his expression inscrutable.

“Still, you seemed to learn as you went along,” he was still talking to himself. “We have to consider that you were half drowned,” Whose fault is that? “And that you've never fought in water before.”

“Well, Cloud,” Cloud jumped at being addressed directly.

“Yes?” he said courteusly.

“Your ceremony will be in three days.”

“Ceremony?” Cloud asked dully. He was cold and tired, and could only think about his warm nest. He would probably have to see Shade the Gentle first.

“Surely you've already heard all about it. You must climb the Great Tree to see if you are worthy of becoming a soldier.”

Cloud immediately snapped to attention. “You're... me... thank you!” he blurted out, then remembered the proper words. “I mean... I only wish to become a soldier so I may serve the Guild better.” He bowed his head respectfully, then looked up at Blaze nervously. He didn't seem angry, simply nodded at Cloud and turned around.

The large orange tabby had started to leave, then looked over his shoulder. Cloud was still standing in the middle of the stream, shivering and looking confused. “You had better go get dry,” he suggested bluntly, then trotted off in the direction of the camp.

Cloud shook his head, but his thoughts remained as muddled as ever. Only two things stood out above the others. Finally he would become a soldier, and if he didn't get out of that stream he was going to go crazy.

He sighed and began to make his way back to the camp. His progress was painfully slow, but he was too tired to move any faster. The meadow seemed to be a thousand times longer than it had been going to the stream. When he finally made it back to camp, it felt like it was hours later. It probably had taken him hours to get back.

But he wasn't there yet; he still had to climb up. It seemed so much higher than he remembered it. His mind wandered to the Great Tree, which he would have to climb in three days. It was huge, with a smooth trunk that always looked slightly wet. The thought of climbing it was daunting, especially when he wasn't even sure if he could make it up to his nest. Maybe he could take a quick rest to build up his strength. Yes, he would do that. Not bothering to find a soft patch of grass, he flopped down a short distance from the trunk. I'll just doze for awhile, then go up to the nest, he thought as he closed his eyes.

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