Barly and Ravenpaw }{ what happened after the...

[Sandshadow]

Icy Dawn

Prologue

The stars shone down on the crisp night. Fallen leaves fluttered slowly as the cool breeze caught them. The leafless trees whispered as wind whistled gently through their branches.

Two shapes, dark against the night, padded forward at a steady pace. Cobwebs stretched over wounds covering their sore bodies, holding down the herb pulp that was smeared all over their fur.

One of the cats, a skinny black tom, flicked his white-tipped tail with annoyance. “Barley,” he mewed to the black-and-white tom beside him, “please tell me! I’m so confused! Why won’t you just tell me what is going on?” He shot a glance at Barley. “Who are those cats? Why did they try to kill someone?” he pestered.

Barley glanced up at the night sky. “Ravenpaw,” he growled, “you’ve been pestering me ever since we left Fourtrees. Why do you need to know? Why can’t you just mind your own business?”

Ravenpaw flinched, but meowed, “You know me, Barley. I’m curious! And…” Ravenpaw glanced around, “it sounds like you’re in danger. Are you?”

“Well, yeah, if someone just swore to get revenge on me.” Barley muttered.

“You really should tell him!” A new voice spoke from the bushes to the toms’ right. Both cats whirled to see a huge white cat sneering at them. The newcomer was also covered in wounds, but he was not so lucky to have poultices and herbs on them. One bite on his foreleg still oozed blood.

Barley’s eyes clouded over with anger and fear. “Ice.” he snarled.

Ice’s eyes wandered over to Ravenpaw, and then back to Barley. “You should tell him.” He repeated, his voice full of menace. “You’ll need all the help you can get!” Without warning, Ice flung himself on Barley.

Yowling, Ravenpaw darted over to help his friend. Barley squirmed under Ice, the greater weight pinning him down. Ravenpaw leapt on Ice’s back. He sank his teeth into Ice’s shoulder and dragged him off. Ice turned and flew onto Ravenpaw, only to be knocked aside by Barley.

Hissing, spitting, and cursing, Ice backed away. “I’ll have my revenge on you!” He snarled out at Barley. “I will find you one day! You will pay for what you did to Snake!” And with a final spit, Ice disappeared into the darkness under the bushes.

“I am ashamed to call you my brother!” Barley yowled after him.

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Ice stomped across the moorland towards Twolegplace, letting his anger spill out in short wordless hisses and spits. Barley had killed Snake, and when he had tried to take his revenge, Barley had avoided him and defeated him like he was a tiny, mewling kit! He obviously needed a different plan. An ingenious plan.

I’m gonna have fun when I get back to town!

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Ravenpaw did not speak at all on the way back to the barn. His mind was whirling. What had Barley meant by, I am ashamed to call you my brother?

“Ravenpaw?”

“Yes, Barley?” He was confused by Barley’s wary tone. He squeezed into the barn. With a sigh, Barley pushed in after him.
“Are you sure you still want to know?” he asked. Ravenpaw nodded. “All right.” Barley meowed, settling down in the hay. “Listen carefully…”

[Sandshadow]

why is nobody commenting

[Minty]

sounds good

[Autumnleaf]

Hm...it has potential...you need to finish, because it's not a saga without more chapters. But my computer is weird, everyone's comments and your chapters are all on the far right... What to do...
Anyway, READ THE TWILIGHT SERIES!!! Poor Bella...*waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh* On topic,
we almost had a tornado last night. Wait, that's not on topic. ok, On Topic, It is so far really good. Keep writing though!

[Sandshadow]

Thanks Autumnleaf

[Sandshadow]

Chapter One
Ravenpaw dropped a plump mouse before Firestar, and then padded away down the slope of Highstones. He would regret walking away without mewing a better farewell, but it was too painful. All the Clans were leaving the forest for the last time in search of a new home. The Twolegs had destroyed the forest; channeled away the river, churned the earth to useless mud, and scared away all the prey with their monsters.

Ravenpaw stopped at the base of the slope and glanced back to where the Clan cats had disappeared. There was no sound from above. Ravenpaw could not bear it. He ran back up the slope. He reached the top to see that no one was there. There was no scent, sound, not a trace that they had been there. He cast a wild glance to the Twolegplace below him. They were not there.

Where had the Clans gone?

A yowl battered Ravenpaw's ears. He tensed, his fur bristling. The yowl came again, and Ravenpaw felt himself slipping down to the rocky ground. An unbearable pain came to his spine. Ravenpaw gasped and shivered as his senses faded.

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Ravenpaw sat bolt upright. He gasped for air and shuddered from nose to tail-tip with relief as he realized he was in the barn where he and Barley lived. He was safe; it had all been a dream. The Clans had left many seasons ago. Ravenpaw drew in another wavering breath and stood.

"You're awake at last!" Barley's warm mew took Ravenpaw by surprise. He hadn't seen the black-and-white tom lying idly on the hay in the shadows. Barley stood and stretched. "You've slept like a log!" he exclaimed. "Are you all right?" he asked. "You're shaking."

"I--I'm fine." Ravenpaw stammered. "Just a nightmare.", rising from the hay. "Let's hunt."

"I'll see if I can find something outside." Barley mewed, and pushed his way out through the small hole.

Ravenpaw sniffed and followed the enticing mouse scent to a stack of hay in the shadowy corner. A mouse nibbled on a seed a few tail-lengths away. Ravenpaw remembered his hunting lessons from ThunderClan long ago, and lowered himself into a crouch. He placed one paw lightly down in front of the other, trying to step as softly as possible. He creeped forward until he was less than half a tail-length away. Then he sprang and captured the mouse between his paws. He killed it with a swift blow to its neck.

After catching two more mice in the same fashion, Ravenpaw settled down on the hay to eat. As he tucked into the mice, he thought about his dream. He had heard that yowl before, but who's was it? It was not Firestar's, it was not Graystripe's...it wasn't anyone in the Clans! Maybe he would meet a new cat soon. Or maybe it was just a bad dream that had no meaning for him to worry about.

Ravenpaw sighed as he finished the last mouse. Where is Barley? He wondered. The black-and-white tom should have been back by now. Ravenpaw padded over to the small hole in the barn and peered out, alert for any sign of his friend.

He saw Barley almost instantly, racing towards the barn faster than Ravenpaw had ever seen him run. Barley's eyes were wide with fear. When he noticed Ravenpaw, he yowled, "Ravenpaw, come on!" Ravenpaw was too confused to move. Barley ran even faster toward the barn and grabbed Ravenpaw's scruff in his teeth. He started to drag Ravenpaw out.

"Wha-" Ravenpaw's question broke off as a huge Twoleg monster roared over the top of the hill. Understanding at once, Ravenpaw broke free of Barley's grip and darted away from the barn and the monster. Barley was hard on his heels.

The two loners ran until they were bounding up a slope. At the top, Ravenpaw paused while Barley raced past him. The black tom turned his head back to see the monster run into the barn. Wood splintered. Hay burst out and fluttered around the monster before settling on the ground. The roof of the barn toppled and crashed to the earth. Mice darted out everywhere.

In a time that could have been a heartbeat or a few seasons, the barn was destroyed. The place where Ravenpaw had made his home--gone, just like that.

Barley pressed against Ravenpaw's side to comfort him. He barely noticed. The loner gently began to nudge him down the slope. Ravenpaw allowed himself to be guided like a kit all the way out of Twolegplace as the two friends searched for something that they might call home.

[elmleaf]

yay! thanks so much, sandshadow, for putting my fan-fic up here! in case anyone's really confused, i am the real author, and sandshadow is being the good friend she is and putting up here for me ! thanks!

[Icestorm]

Ohh, this sounds good! Keep going!

[Sandshadow]

Chapter two

Ravenpaw's paws dragged with exhaustion across the mud that was once moorland. His eyes kept closing and he could barely walk. The monster crushing the barn kept replaying in his mind. In that barn he had found refuge and safety from everything he had feared in ThunderClan. He had fled there to escape Tigerstar, who had wanted to kill him to keep him quiet about the fact the Tigerstar had murdered Redtail, the ThunderClan deputy.

Now his last refuge was gone.

Barley obviously noticed his exhaustion. "Why don't we stop here for the night?" he suggested. Ravenpaw nodded, noticing the moon peeking up over the horizon.

It wasn't a very good spot to rest. A lone tree bent over, dying. Barley and Ravenpaw lay in the mud, trying to get comfortable. Barley fell asleep quickly; Ravenpaw could tell by his even breathing. But for a long time, Ravenpaw lay staring at the stars.

When Ravenpaw did fall asleep, he dreamed. He was back on the slope of Highstones. He felt himself turn and bound up wards to the summit.

Not again! He thought. But there was no controlling his paws this time. He reached the summit easily, but as in his last dream, no one was there. He shuddered inwardly as the same yowl pierced his ears; a yowl filled with terror, anger and pain. Colors whirled in his senses. Ravenpaw bounded forward nonetheless. He knew that he had to help!

Wait. Help who?

Ravenpaw dashed onward, but something new happened. Just before he slipped to the ground again, he saw a pair of malicious yellow eyes glinting at him from a cave that had not been there before. Then Ravenpaw slid to the ground. It all happened again: terrible pain in his spine, accompanied by a massive crack like the breaking of bone. All of his senses slipped from him, but before his sight left him, he saw the eyes once more, glittering cruelly in the darkness. Then he felt nothing.

Ravenpaw's head jerked up. It was before dawn. He shuddered violently, gasping for air. After several wavering breaths, he looked about. His eyes widened with horror as he saw eyes in the shadows. Not in real life, too!

"Ravenpaw?"

Ravenpaw blinked. It was Barley. The loner was staring at him with worry in his eyes. "Ravenpaw?" he repeated. "Are you okay?"

"I'm f-f-fine." Ravenpaw stammered.

"You don't look so good." Barley mewed. He began nosing Ravenpaw everywhere like a medicine cat.

"Barley!" Ravenpaw meowed, pulling away from Barley's nose. "I told you, I'm fine! I'm okay!"

Barley didn't look so sure, but he nodded and padded off. Ravenpaw could tell that Barley didn't know where he was going, but he didn't say anything. The two cats crossed the mud and approached what was
once RiverClan territory. It hadn't been affected much. Ravenpaw noticed that some prey had come in, but not enough to support a Clan. A few cats could live here.

After a while, Ravenpaw suggested, "Let's hunt." Barley quickly agreed, and they stalked off in opposite directions.

Before long, Ravenpaw heard rustles in the dying ferns behind him. The skinny vole he was stalking darted off. Ravenpaw whirled around, ready to confront whatever had frightened off his prey. As he turned, a ginger shape shot out of the ferns and cannoned into Ravenpaw.

Ravenpaw gasped as he was knocked to the ground. He immediately realized that this cat was old and frail, and that he was stronger. Then he noticed another shape streaking out, a white blur. Ravenpaw flew up and knocked the ginger tabby away. A yowl at his side told him that Barley had come to his aid.

Ravenpaw noticed with horror that two more cats had come out, a dark gray she-cat and a heavyset gray tom. But as they stood glaring at each other, Ravenpaw recognized two of them.

"Speckletail! Frostfur!" he exclaimed.

"Ravenpaw?" Frostfur asked. "And Barley?" She blinked in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"Our barn was destroyed." Barley answered.

"And we sort of wandered out here." Ravenpaw finished.

Speckletail nodded. "There was still enough prey here to support a few cats. When the Clans left the...oh." She trailed off. "Of course. You didn't know they left."

"Yes we did."Ravenpaw mewed. "We met Firestar and the Clans on their way out of the forest."

"All right." the gray she-cat mewed. "I'm Shadepelt, and this is Loudbelly."

"Come on." Loudbelly flicked his tail. "We can continue this at the camp."

Barley blinked. "Camp?" he asked.

"The RiverClan camp." Frostfur answered. "We've been staying there."

"What about hunting?" Ravenpaw inquired. "I just lost a pretty good vole."

"Sorry." Speckletail mewed. "I didn't recognize you. I thought you were a rogue."

"That's okay." Ravenpaw told her. "I'll just find something else." And with that, Ravenpaw padded off toward a clump of tall brown grass.

"This is good["/i]. He thought. "Some cats to stay with, enough prey to survive, and a good distance from Twolegs." But Ravenpaw had no way of knowing that Twolegs were going to be the least of his problems in the moons ahead.

[Sandshadow]

Chapter Three

Ravenpaw pounded unwillingly up the slope of Highstones. Not again! he wanted to hiss. He had no control over his body. It had taken him over. Was he doomed to be haunted by this nightmare forever?

The eyes. The terrible yellow eyes glittered in the cave, the cave that had not been there before. Then he slipped, but he realized that before he slid, he collided with something. What it was he could not tell...

As the horrendous crack sounded, and the breaking of his spine began, a dog yapped noisily nearby, and cats yowled in a terrible commotion. But Ravenpaw's senses still faded...



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Ravenpaw's eyes snapped open. He lay on the grass of the RiverClan camp, safe from his nightmare.

With a jolt, he realized that the dog's barking from his dream continued. He sat up. Barley was at the entrance of the camp, peering out through the rushes, while the rest of the cats shifted uneasily behind.

Barley pulled his head back and mewed quietly, "It's some poor cat being chased by a dog."

Ravenpaw trotted over. "We should help him!" he told the others.

Barley nodded, but the rest looked uncertain. "I think we should just wait for them both to go away." Shadepelt mewed irritably.

"Besides," Speckletail added, "we're too old to go attacking dogs."

"And this is coming from the cat who mistook me for a rogue and pinned me?" Ravenpaw asked. Speckletail looked away.

Barley broke in. "It's a cat being chased by a dog. He really needs help!"

No more needed to be said. The six cats bounded out of the camp and circled the dog. It was a large brown dog, and it looked annoyed at being unable to capture its prey. The black tom being chased by the dog saw the new cats and dashed over to join the circle beside Ravenpaw.

"Just confuse it!" Ravenpaw hissed to him. "If it comes at you, run over to someone else!" At that moment, the dog lunged toward Ravenpaw. With a yowl, Ravenpaw bounded over to Frostfur with the beast hard on his heels. The white she-cat ran as fast as she could to Loudbelly, who crossed her and went to Barley. The loner swerved around behind the dog and clawed its hindquarters. It let out a yowl of agony and whipped around to confront Barley. Barley had not run to escape the claws of the dog. He was about to take a serious beating...

Right then, the black tom that had been next to Ravenpaw dove at the dog with a wild hiss, clawing out tufts of fur with his thorn-sharp claws. The dog howled in pain. A Twoleg appeared over a hill and ran toward the dog, his face distorted with anger. He yowled at the dog and grabbed its collar. The cats scattered.

Everyone met up again in the RiverClan camp. Barley walked next to the newcomer. He flopped gratefully on the short grass.

"So, who are you?" Barley asked the tom.

"My name is Coal." he answered, turning his head to lick a bleeding scratch on his hindleg.

"Where did that come from?" Ravenpaw asked. Coal had not been injured during the fight with the dog.

"A few seasons ago, I was caught by Twolegs and put in a nest. When I tried to fight them, they shoved me against something really sharp and I cut my leg. It's mostly healed, but I guess in that last attack, I opened it."

Barley blinked gratefully at him. "Thanks." he mewed. " That dog probably would have killed me if you hadn't attacked it."

Coal just nodded. He waited as the rest fo the cats introduced themselves.

"Are you from Twolegplace, Coal?" Frostfur asked politely.

"Twolegplace?" Coal asked, confused.

"She means the town." Barley informed him.

Coal nodded quickly. "Yes, I'm from the town." he answered. "I try to live my life peacefully there, but I...I was trying to find some live prey out here, and then the dog chased me." Coal didn't meet anyone's eyes as he spoke.

"You try to live your life peacefully?" Barley asked him. "Why don't you?"

"BloodClan." Coal answered gravely. "No cat can live in peace with BloodClan."

"BloodClan?" Shadepelt asked. "We destroyed BloodClan when they came to the forest."

"They've risen again." Coal told her. "Many think that their new leader is even more powerful than Scourge ever was."

"Who is the new leader?" Loudbelly asked.

Coal looked around nervously before responding. "Ice." he meowed. "Ice is the leader of BloodClan."

[Sandshadow]

Chapter four

Barley and Ravenpaw's eyes widened in horror. "No." Barley whispered hoarsely. "No...it can't be..." Then his eyes rolled and he slithered to the ground unconscious.

"Barley!" Ravenpaw yowled. He crouched next to his friend and jabbed him with his nose and paw. "Are you sure?" he asked Coal. "Are you sure that it's Ice?"

"Who's Ice?" Loudbelly asked. "Do you know someone in Twolegplace?"

Ravenpaw was saved from having to answer by Barley sitting up. His eyes were closed and he was shivering in the greenleaf heat.

Coal began speaking again. "Yes, Ice has taken over leadership of BloodClan. His second-in-command is Fangs, a very unpleasant white tom. And he got a smart cat named Slurp to use the herbs and stuff to patch everybody up when they're hurt. But-"

Speckletail interrupted him before he could continue. "How do you know so much about BloodClan?" she asked suspiciously.

"Uh..." Coal's eyes darted around nervously as he searched for an answer. "Everyone knows these things if you live in the town." he mewed, not meeting anyone's eyes.

The cats separated to hunt. Ravenpaw quickly killed two scrawny mice and carried them by their tails back to the camp. After setting one down in front of Coal, he tore into his mouse and lay down to sleep.



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Barley woke the next morning before the sun. He stood with a yawn, then realized that Coal was not there.

Barley snapped his head over to look at the entrance to the camp and saw a black tail vanish out of camp. The loner crept out of the camp after Coal.

Coal turned soon after leaving the camp and padded towards the Twolegplace. He's going back! Barley thought with realization. It was very easy to follow Coal. He stayed in sight the whole time and brushed against every dying bush he passed. It didn't take Barley long to figure out that he was deliberately leaving a scent trail. Did he want to be followed? Or did he just want to be able to find his way back? he wondered as the sun rose.

Barley shook his head and continued to track Coal. Soon he was at the edge of Twolegplace. It was the first time Coal had stopped since Barley had begun to follow him. Then the black tom padded warily onto the hard stone of Twolegplace. Barley slunk behind Coal, brushing against Twoleg nests, feeling like every step was taking him closer to his past with BloodClan. He shuddered as he saw the alley where BloodClan lived. A white shape padded out. It was a massive tom.

"Coal!" the newcomer cried. "You have news?" he asked.

Coal just nodded and followed the new cat into the alley. Barley almost gasped. How was he supposed to follow them in there? Then he saw by the Twoleg nest opposite a stack of silver things smelling of Twoleg rubbish. He darted across, bounded onto the shining canisters, and onto the top of the nest. Creeping along, he stopped where he could see the alley.

Coal sat in front of a huge pile or garbage and things the Twolegs had thrown out. The cat who had come out of the alley left Coal's side and disappeared behind the pile. A few moments later he came back and settled beside it.

From the other side of the pile strolled out a huge white cat, bigger even than the first cat. Barley recognized him immediately.

"Ice." he whispered as his brother bounded up the pile of trash.

"Coal!" Ice called down. "I assume you have news of the whereabouts of my brother, Barley?" he asked icily.

Coal raised his head and looked straight into Ice's blue eyes. "Yes, I have news." he meowed.

Barley felt as if his stomach was in his paws. Coal had been spying on us? He thought. Now Ice would find him and probably attempt to kill him. Barley wanted to spring down and claw Coal's face.

"But," Coal mewed, still meeting Ice's gaze. "I'm no going to tell it to you."

"What?!" Ice screeched, standing on the pile. Barley tensed. You could have at least told a lie! he thought. It's better than a straight-out no!

"Are you sure, Coal?" Ice hissed. "Are you sure you don't want to tell?"

Coal gave a firm nod.

"Very well. Fangs," he meowed to the cat seated next to the pile, "what do we do with cats who don't give us what we want?"

Fangs chomped nothing and slashed unsheathed claws through the air. Barley's blood turned to ice.

"Well," Ice mewed, drawing his tongue over his paw, "get to it."

Fangs let out a vicious snarl and dove for Coal. The black tom waited a few heartbeats too long to jump to the side, and Fangs cannoned into him. The rogue swung his claws around desperately, trying to hit his enemy, but Fangs just continued to attack.

Barley shuddered up on top of the Twoleg nest. This was just like his sister's near death. In his mind's eye, Scourge sat beside his brother on the pile of garbage. Bone had him pinned down so that he was unable to help. But worst of all, his brothers, Snake and Ice, were clawing his sister to pieces unjustly.

Suddenly Fangs leapt off the rogue and let out a massive yowl of triumph. The cats of BloodClan dispersed out of the alley.

Barley jumped down from the building and ran over to Coal's body. He was still alive, but not for long. His eyes glimmered with recognition as he saw Barley. Then he sighed and all life faded from his eyes. Barley pressed his nose into Coal's black fur.

A new scent washed over him, fresher than before. Without even glancing at the newcomer, Barley sprinted away out of the alley.

Even so, the breeze carried the new cat's soft voice to Barley.

"This is not over yet, brother."

[Icestorm]

Wow this is AWESOME!!!