Chapter __

(Crossblood's kits are now apprentices and Shadefeather and Jetfur's kits as well....)

Truepaw's POV

I could feel someone's eyes on me. I looked around, knowing it would do no good. I caught the scent of Icepaw, Jetfur's kit. Practically my cousin.
"Hey, Truepaw. Hawkpelt asked me if you and Smoke-eye wanted to come on a hunting patrol with us. Wildfire set it up," the gray tom explained. I could feel his blue eyes on me. I flicked my ears and averted my eyes. They still looked around, since I could see when I was a kit. I still remembered Icepaw's face. I remembered everyone's face, back when I could see. Smoke-eye, the other blind warrior in the Clan, had been blinded in a battle with CloudClan and, for obvious reasons, chosen as my mentor. Why not, just group together the blind cats and hope that they wander off a cliff! I thought negatively.
"You don't want to come because you're-"
"Shut up, Icepaw. I'll come. And I'll outhunt you. Any day of the week." He pressed his nose to mine, his cold, cold nose.
"Now that's the Truepaw I know."
"Does Jetfur want you talking to me." I asked under my brath, feeling her icy gaze on me, hostile and angry. I turned to look where it was coming from, and it disappeared instantly.
"Probably not. I don't see why it matters, though."
"She's your mother, you should listen to her."
"Not if she's going to control who I hunt with. She's not going to control my warrior duties. I can promise you that." I shook myself.
"Come on, help me find Smoke-eye, please." I hated asking for help. Hated, hated, hated it. I always felt so helpless when I had to. Icepaw rested the tip of his tail on my shoulder, and I could feel a strange emotion coming from him.
"Icepaw, how do you feel about me?" He seemed struck by the question.
"What do you mean?" He asked. I could feel he wasn't looking at me. It was silent; I could sense the forest around me when it was this quiet. At least, when Icepaw was this quiet. He normally talked and talked, rambling on about anything that came to his mind. Maybe he wasn't as simple to read as I thought. Sometimes cats were that way- and knowing me, maybe I did get him wrong.
"I mean, you just seem like maybe you like me. I was just.... never mind, it's a dumb question."
"No, no, you're fine." He said. I could tell my mentor, Smoke-eye, was looking at me, even thought he couldn't see me that well. His tail tip landed lightly on my shoulder, and I looked up at him in surprise. He was always understanding, but never very perceptive, or so it seemed.