(Tangle/Ice) Just Another Little Cat

[Deleted]

Icepaw was still in the ThunderClan medicine cat den, absolutely bored and frustrated out of his mind. He'd been stuck in enemy territory for far too long, waiting for his leg to fully recover. He hadn't gotten around to doing much besides trying to walk around a bit, to test out how far his leg's progress was coming along. And it was almost completely healed. He would be back in RiverClan before the next moon, with any luck.

But still, the pale tabby tom hadn't enjoyed his stay. He'd been rather reluctant to talk to any of the ThunderClan cats. They were his enemies, no matter if they were helping him now. Sure, Rainwing and Twitchpaw were almost okay, but he still felt so uncomfortable around the bigger tom.

And then there was Riddlehawk... The scarred tabby tom hadn't done anything to harm him during his stay, and actually had seemed to ignore him for the most part. But whenever Icepaw had seen him pass by outside the medicine den, his belly would clench with old anger- and a flicker of fear. It was that tom's fault he was in there in the first place. Okay, perhaps he himself had provoked it. But it just seemed more natural to blame the deputy. And they both knew why...

Icepaw growled quietly to himself as he rested his chin on his paws, laying there in his mossy nest. The sooner he got out of ThunderClan, the better.

[Tanglekit]

Tanglestar pulled herself from her den and padded quietly to the medicine cat's den. Tanglestar had never seen the tom for herself , but if the rumors were true and if Icepaw really was the reincarnation of Froststorm then she wanted to know. Froststorm had been a danger to her clan and if he was back she would need him to be kept in line. She wasn't about to give the apprentice back to Riverclan if he was indeed Froststorm. She entered the den gracefully and almost chuckled when she saw the tom. He sure looked like Froststorm, but was he really Froststorm. "Hello little one. I am Tanglestar.", she mewed looking down on the icy tom.

[Deleted]

Icepaw looked up suddenly at the arrival of another cat. At first it took him a heartbeat to realize who this strange she-cat was, but something about her made the young tom know she must have been the leader. But then, of course, it helped when she told him her name. "Um, hello Tanglestar," he mewed warily, looking her over for any sign of aggression. She didn't appear to be on the offense, but when among enemy cats, he felt like he could never be too sure. And for that matter, why had she come at all?

His guard did not falter as she drew near. His shoulders began to tense up as he kept his blue eyes trained on her, expecting something to happen at any moment. "So," he mewed cautiously, "What'd you come here for? I doubt the leader of ThunderClan would just stop by for a friendly little chat with the injured prisoner."

[Tanglekit]

Tanglestar twitched a smile at the young tom. He had the cunning and cleverness of Froststorm, and his wariness was equal to that of the deceased icy tom. "I make it a habit to know who is in my camp. I have also heard rumors that you are Froststorm's reincarnation.", she mewed keeping her voice steady and calm. When it came to cats that threatened her clan she tended to have a temper. But she wasn't here to get angry. She was here to investigate this young tom. "I have a question if it isn't to much trouble.", she smiled.

[Deleted]

Icepaw frowned as she mewed, flicking the tip of his tail. That hardly seemed like a real reason. After all, he'd been in their cam for ages, and this was the first time he'd seen hide or tail of the leader. And besides, she seemed to be looking at him strangely... Almost as if she was analyzing him. The apprentice wasn't very fond of it. But then at her suggestion about Froststorm, Icepaw immediately recoiled away from Tanglestar and bared his fangs.

So this was why Tanglestar had shown up in the medicine den. Because of the past. The fur along his spine prickled in defense. How had she even gotten ahold of that information? Was it spreading around the ThunderClan camp like a piece of gossip? The secret had always been kept with the cats who he trusted, or those who had been close to Froststorm, like Needleheart. But how... Then he remembered. Rainwing. Had the medicine cat gone blabbing off to the leader?

The pale tabby glared up at the leader, holding his ground. "I don't need cats gossiping about who I am or what I was. And in any case, you have no proof." He rolled his shoulders aggressively, though any cat with a mind would know that he couldn't do much harm in the state he was in. "And as for this question... Say it, and I'll see if I will answer it or not."

[Tanglekit]

"Well as for questions I have many, like why did Riddlehawk find you? Why do you look exactly like Froststorm? Where did you come from? Who are your parents? And why did Riddlehawk bring you back here instead of chasing you off?", she asked some of her questions but not nearly close enough to have asked all. The young tom certainly had Froststorm's temper. "Your right I don't have any proof, but you have no proof to suggest that you are not. I am not accusing you of anything, but if you are Froststorm, then we will have bigger problems at hand.", she said keeping her jaw clenched.

[Deleted]

Feeling uncomfortable under her gaze, Icepaw just continued to glare and wrinkle his nose at the leader. "That seems like a lot more than just one question," he growled, pointedly. There was no need to ask for his life story! Some of those questions were rather personal. "And you sound pretty accusatory for that matter, slinging all those questions in a row at me, and sounding like you already know their answers." The apprentice began to work the mossy nest with his claws. Did she really expect him to dribble out everything like this?

He paused for a moment, then spoke back up again. "My parents are just two loners. I don't believe you have to know their names. I came to RiverClan when I was about four moons old. You should already know that Riddlehawk found me on your side of the river. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going, he saw me, baited me with insults, and we fought." Icepaw's ears fell lower on his head. "And I think it's pretty obvious why he didn't run me off after that. He broke my foreleg, for StarClan's sake! And he probably took me back here just to spite me, instead of taking me home." Finished, he readjusted himself in his nest. He didn't feel like answering the questions about Froststorm. She had no reason to know about that. "Satisfied?"

[Tanglekit]

Tanglestar chuckled slightly at the young tom's spite. There was no doubt in her mind, even if Froststorm was not this cat he was definitely watching his journey. "No I am never satisfied. It is not like Riddlehawk to lose control of himself and his strength. I have only seen it once and it was with Froststorm. And Riddlehawk is not a cruel cat. You were trespassing on our territory he had every right to battle you, even if you were lost.", she growled authority covering every word that she spoke. "Be grateful he didn't leave you in the forest to die.", she spat losing her temper.

[Deleted]

As Tanglestar began to loose her temper, Icepaw seemed to mirror it in his own. Her let out a low snarl, lashing his tail out behind him. "Yeah, right! Riddlehawk's just a murderer. Even if he does a good enough job hiding it from every other cat, I know the truth. He's the cat with blood on his paws." As he said that, the pale tabby rose up to his paws- with some level of difficulty, and keeping his hurt forepaw off the earth- so that he was more level with Tanglestar. She was still taller, but the way she had been previously looming over him was not something he could appreciate.

"And he might as well have left me. You're just keeping me locked up here. I should be back in RiverClan by now! What are you waiting for?" Feeling a loss of balance, Icepaw sunk his claws into the ground to act as anchors. "Seems like no one here would have minded if I died there or here."

[Tanglekit]

Tanglestar regained her control and her smile respread across her face. "You are not going to die here. Once you get to know us I think you'll find we are not that bad." she grinned twitching her tail tip. "Anyway if you are able to walk a bit better I think it would be wise if you were moved into the apprentices den. Then you can continue your training and help hunt.", her nose began to wrinkle when her smile got even wider. It wasn't hard for her to take a liking to this cat. He was young and everyone knew that young cats were her weakness. She could not pass up an apprentice in need. "You will need a new mentor. Who would you like.", her voice mellow and calm. If he thought he was going to get right on back home then he was wrong. He had a whole new journey at his paws and he couldn't deny it.

[Deleted]

Icepaw just turned his head sharply away. He wasn't interested in staying in the ThunderClan camp long enough to get to know these cats. What couldn't any cat see that? Then at the mention of moving into the apprentice den, suspicion flickered in his eyes as he glanced back to the leader. Why in StarClan's name would he do that? But as the older she-cat explained her thoughts on the matter, anger started to boil up inside him. He was not a prisoner to be kept locked up in the territory! Rainwing had promised him a return home as soon as his leg had healed.

"I don't want any of your cats for a mentor! I don't want to be here at all? Haven't I said that already?" The pale tabby tom continued to lash his tail out forcefully as he faced the leader. "If I seem fine enough to move into your apprentice den, then I'm fine enough to go back to RiverClan! There's no reason for me to stay here and learn how to be a ThunderClan cat when I'm not." Icepaw's tail, still flickering around in displeasure, was now fluffing up along with the fur along his spine. It wasn't too hard to get the tom worked up over something, but it was was when trying to force him into something that he was already set against. "What reason do you have to keep me locked up behind your boarders?"

[Tanglekit]

"They are not my borders. They are the borders of my clan. And what makes you so sure you are not destined for Thunderclan. You have obviously not been trained properly there so why not give it a chance here.", she mewed watching the tom get angry.

[Deleted]

Icepaw's eyes widened at the preposterous proposal. "Are you kidding me? No way would I ever belong in ThunderClan! Sure, I wasn't born into RiverClan, but I know for a fact that I belong there." Every word the tom spat was building up the tension in his shoulders to spring at the leader. How could she be so blind? Every ounce of him knew that RiverClan was his home. "And Needleheart has been a great mentor! She's looked out for me ever since I was a kit. She was straight with me, told me everything I needed to know. And she didn't keep me locked up in any place that I didn't want to be in. You ThunderClan cats may not think too fondly of her- few cats any place do-, but she's worth a lot more than any cat here!"

The apprentice hissed in closure, and started pacing in a circle around his nest, making sure not to put too much pressure on his bad leg. Walking was a bit difficult, but he wasn't going to let Tanglestar think that he was weak enough to control like this.

[Tanglekit]

Tanglestar's mind had a whirlwind of retorts but she wasn't going to vocalize any of them. "Ask me anything you want and I will tell you. Not ever cat is as bad as you think some of us are good.", she sighed leaning back on her thighs watching the tom pace. "Just because you want to be there doesn't mean you are meant to. What makes this clan so much worse than any other. We are not holding you hear. We are healing you. Prisoners don't get herbs or food or a warm nest. We are doing what we can to make you comfortable while you are injured.", she said her shoulders prickling. Needleheart had obviously neglected to teach Icepaw manners and respect.

[Deleted]

With prickling paws, the tom stopped his circular pacing to face her. She still wasn't getting the point, and he wasn't sure how he was going to get it all through her head. "You just aren't listening, are you? I know I belong in RiverClan, there's no more to the matter!" Icepaw took a couple steps toward Tanglestar so he was about a whisker away from her, locking his eyes with hers. "That's where my loyalty lies. That's where the cats I care about are. There is nothing here for you to offer me that I can't have back in RiverClan and more, and I think you should know well enough that no other cat wants me here." The tabby flexed his claws as he stood there, not looking away. "And it doesn't matter how well you treat me. If you don't want me leaving, then I'm a prisoner under any conditions. You want me to be comfortable? Then stand aside and let me go back to RiverClan."