Fulfilling a Promise (OPEN)

[Lilypaw]

For @maplefrost and other elders only please.


Lilypaw padded into the elders den and set down moss, and hurried out, grabbed mouse bile, and then hurried back in. "Maplefrost!" She called out, as quietly as she could. "I'm here to get your ticks, and I brought some fresh moss." With that, she looked around for him, hoping he was there.

[Deleted]

Normally, he'd be upset about being woken from a nap, but Maplefrost's irritation vanished as soon as he recognized Lilypaw. What a kind young cat, he thought to himself as he sat up and smiled.

"Excellent," the elder purred. "And I think I owe you a certain story in exchange. You can start on the nests while I try to remember the details." The tale of IceClan's civil war was an old one, indeed; there weren't many living cats who could recall that event.

[Lilypaw]

"Right." Lilypaw mewed and gave a smile. She grabbed a bunch of moss and walked over to the nest, switching out old and new moss, as well as the few nests next to it, where the other elders slept. 'I wonder what the civil war was about.' She thought to herself. 'There must have been something pretty serious if the entire clan split into two...'

[Deleted]

Once he'd gathered his thoughts, the elder watched Lilypaw bustle around the den for a few moments. It hadn't looked this clean in moons. Maplefrost grinned crookedly while he twisted around and attempted to gnaw at one of his many ticks; hoping the apprentice had brought enough mouse bile to get the job done. He soon gave up and started telling the story instead

"Hmm… let's see. This happened a long, long time back. I'd say it was about four leaf-bares ago," began the calico. "A lot of cats in IceClan were unhappy with the way Wildstar and Thunderstripe had been doing things. At first, it was just a few rebellious murmurs among a pawful of warriors… but then it spread and the voices grew louder. The leader and deputy were attacked and chased out by Froststripe and Dashfire, who replaced them."

"However, not everybody agreed with what had happened. Some cats were still supporters of Wild and Thunder; they became known as Loyalists. Those who supported Frost and Dash were called Rebels. These two sides clashed fiercely over the next few moons." He paused, good eye gleaming as he remembered what had happened.

[Lilypaw]

Lilypaw's eyes went big as she listened to the story. "Sounds crazy." She mewed. "I can't believe anyone would drive out their leader like that..." Lilypaw noticed Maplefrost trying to get a tick and padded over to him, putting mouse bile on the spot, and the tick fell off. With a satisfied smile she continued to look for more.

[Deleted]

Maplefrost happily stretched out and allowed the apprentice to continue her search for ticks. There sure were a lot of them buried under his thick fur. Most were clinging to areas around his spine - though a few had decided to attack the back of his neck and his flanks instead. Stupid little leeches.

"While the Rebels and Loyalists fought back in IceClan, Wildstar and her deputy wandered far away from the mountains. A few Loyalists went with them - safety in numbers and all that. They ended up settling in an abandoned Twoleg nest on a prairie - the same place, in fact, where the Farmland Tribe is now rumored to live. But of course… the nest was quite empty during that time period."

"Back to the story. Wildstar asked her companions to call her Wildclover, as she was no longer the leader of IceClan. That was her old warrior name. It was difficult for the group of refugees to survive on their own. But they had to try, for they would return to the mountains one day to challenge Froststripe and Dashfire."

[Lilypaw]

Lilypaw's eyes grew wide as she listened on to the story, still getting ticks. "That sounds like there were some crazy times!" She mewed. "I can't believe cats would just drive out their leader like that. What ended up happening to Froststripe and Dashfire? Are they still alive, or where are they now?"

[Deleted]

"Patience - I'm getting to that," the calico rumbled softly. "Wildclover did eventually return to try to reclaim the title of leader from Froststar. The Rebels and Loyalists clashed in one final battle - Clanmates at each others' throats. Many of the fighting cats were even friends… but they were driven to combat by their beliefs. An idea can be a powerful thing."

Maplefrost sighed when a particularly bloated tick released its grip on his skin. "It was a long and perilous fight, but the Loyalists defeated the Rebels at last. I heard it from the nursery. Wildstar returned to power with Thunderstripe at her side, and they promptly exiled the most influential of the Rebels. Froststripe and Dashfire weren't happy about being kicked out. I heard that Dashfire went on to become the deputy of RockClan - but I'm not sure where he is today, and the same goes for Froststripe."

"As the wounds healed, cats started to forget about the whole ordeal. Life in IceClan returned to normal. It's a shame that not many cats know this story… it's a very important part of our Clan's history, and I daresay we wouldn't be the same if it hadn't happened."

[Lilypaw]

Lilypaw listened on, amazed by the story that the elder was telling. "That's a pretty interesting story." She mewed. "It's definitely a crazy thing... I wonder what happened to those two cats, or even if they're still alive. I wonder what the clan would be like if that had never happened and those two cats were still members of the clan..."

[Deleted]

He shrugged at Lilypaw's words, straightening up again since it seemed like she was done killing ticks. It didn't feel like there were any others. Finally, freedom from the parasites.

"If they are alive, they're very old. Not much younger than Wildstar. As RockClan's deputy has changed, I'd guess that Dashfire has been kicked out or perhaps simply retired his position. The older RockClanners would probably know better than anybody."

"I daresay the civil war was unavoidable. Tensions were high; something had to give. And the two leaders of the Rebel cause were disloyal - they would've ended up exiled one way or the other."

Maplefrost leaned to one side so he could glance out of the den. "Looks like the sun's setting," he commented. "Perhaps you'd better get some rest if you have training tomorrow."

[Lilypaw]

Lilypaw nodded and dipped her head to the elder, grateful that he had taken the time to tell her the story. "It was a pleasure to meet you, by the way, Maplefrost... I'll be sure to come back sometime to get more ticks." Lilypaw smiled and backed out of the den, leaving the elder to the rest of his evening.

[Deleted]

"Farewell," purred Maplefrost. "Come and visit again anytime. It's not like I'll be going anywhere." He watched the apprentice go, then curled up for a nap. If only all youngsters were this nice!